You still need them attacking.  A lot of times, at least in my experience, when you back them up, they can end up trying to read a play.  Meaning, they stand there and watch while they're figuring out what to do.  So while you cannot "blitz" them, it should be a quick read and fill exercise, almost delayed blitzing.  In the 9 years I've run this D, I've had one team where we were better off in read mode vs. taps, where they still attacked and swarmed to the ball.

I coached under similar rules one year ... if you can still use 42 or 60 front just use them more often to get immediate pressure ... but treat the 'blitz' as 'gap responsibility' ... if you tap, then that is the gap you are responsible for (or the coach can call it) ... when the ball is snapped they attack the gap ...

It is called 'run fits' and 'gap responsibility' ... NOT a blitz ... a league cannot possible expect the LBs to stand still or move only sideways until the ball gets to them ... lol

Thanks for the feedback. We worked the new depth and staying in attack mode in practice. We should be fine. And I didn’t clarify our blitz rule very well. Basically can’t bring up backers to the line once the offense is set.

I love when backers walk up. Makes it so much easier to block.

I know this thread is old but...

How did it work out? Any tips
We have to have them at 4 yds :/ and cannot be moving forward pre snap.

Im gonna go 42 with taps we cant use a 6 man front!!

I know this thread is old but...

How did it work out? Any tips
We have to have them at 4 yds :/ and cannot be moving forward pre snap.

Im gonna go 42 with taps we cant use a 6 man front!!

I backed my TNTs out to 4 yards and my stackers to 5 yards last Spring. Gave up 2 rushing TDs in 9 games. Both were from the same team and in Game 1. So for 8 straight games, including a championship, not a single rushing TD.  Found out that an effective way to stop Beast is to play everyone 5 yards off the ball.

Yeah the amoeba, im keeping that in the back pocket for now. We definately are not as athletic as your team 😉

I backed my TNTs out to 4 yards and my stackers to 5 yards last Spring. Gave up 2 rushing TDs in 9 games. Both were from the same team and in Game 1. So for 8 straight games, including a championship, not a single rushing TD.  Found out that an effective way to stop Beast is to play everyone 5 yards off the ball.

Lar, is the point to keep the offense in front of your defense?

--Dave

Lar, is the point to keep the offense in front of your defense?

--Dave

Had to think on that question. No, that wasn't my original intent, but maybe you're on to something. Maybe that's why it works.

The original point was to force offensive linemen to play like blocking backs. Knowing that in 15 seasons, I have seen exactly one team that I wasn't coaching do a good job of sending offensive linemen to the 2nd level. I am playing the odds that this will continue.

I like the pressure of stacking, but I see two fatal flaws. First, it gets my defenders too close to blockers. We end up playing their game more often than is acceptable to me. Second, we get too pre-occupied with shooting gaps and end up running past the ball.

So the original point was to make the big boys chase the fast boy and predictably fail to catch them. A quick realization was that I had more players in the Killer Bee "Bermuda Triangle". More guys had a shorter route to the POA than the ball carrier than the traditional KB.

But now that you mention it, we end up keeping the offense in front of us. I don't see many ball control teams. In fact I think I've seen one in as long as I can remember. The "side saddle" UBSW team understood what they were trying to do. So, I'm fine with giving up 3 yards because I simply don't believe any of our opponents can consistently get 3 yards. Something you can set your watch by is that on 3rd and 5 or less (3rd and 3 or less on 60 yard fields), you can expect "no play" or "on two". Then, someone is going to jump either on offense or defense, but you rarely see a snap.

Going back to the obvious, sneaks, dives and wedges. Mahonz and I are still battling that one out.
My point: we absolutely stuffed runs to the A gap in the Spring.
Mahonz' counterpoint: We had the most athletic, snarling, aggressive defense playing down an age group.
My counter point: I had my worst players at NT and MS.
More counter points: From 4-5 yards, Stevie Wonder can see a QB sneak coming. QB sneaks and dives work because the D-line runs past the BC and either the MLB makes the tackle or no one does.

A well blocked wedge? We'll see. I think the weakness of the wedge is attacking the A gap from the side. In Amoeba, we can have up to 4 defenders doing that. Again, we'll see.