Posted by: @terrypjohnson

I've been learning as much about this defense as I can over the past few years. Since I've only coached 8U up until this point, I had to stick with the 4-2 defense and have the linemen shoot B and C every play. I put my best athletes at Dog, Reaper, Corner, and LB. I never moved the corners out wider than the hash even when the receivers went wide... I just had them play cover 2. In my last two seasons (coached at the same time), we had more picks (5) than completions (2). 

This year, I'm moving up to 12U. I never worried about the pass at 8U, but at this age group, I feel like it's going to be somewhat of a threat. According to the manual, the Corner would mirror the first receiver, the Dog the second one, and the Reaper would have the third one. The Outside Stackers would then move on the line and rush.

This got me to thinking: if I see a lot of 2 x 2 sets, should I use my Outside Stackers in coverage and use the Dogs to blitz / stop the run? Or is there a better adjustment that I could make? I ask because I don't know what kind of talent I'll have. It could be that there's a huge drop-off in talent between the Dogs / Reaper and the Stackers. Since I'll be playing against teams that have been playing together since Kindergarten (and man is my son's former team angry with me for taking over this one -- which only won one game last year), I want to make sure that I put my guys in the best position to be successful.

Thank you in advance for your insights!!

Well.....if you see a lot of 2x2 and you bring all 3 stacks then mathematically one is coming free....or more. Taps will forever delay a pass pro concept BIG time. The blocking surface simply cannot identify a man unless they slide protect using a Back. Even then is might not fly.

This much I know. Not too many young QB's can stand tall under that kind of pressure and deliver. He will complete a few but he will get real tired real fast coming to the sideline after each series with his nose sticking out of his earhole. 

You have not been allowed to run this D as it was intended if Im understand you correctly.  Now you can. I would be more concerned with runs out of a 2x2. Still....CB's have #1's...Dogs #2's and Reaper has first back out. At the end of the day you should net about zero yards given up. 150 in the negative and 150 in the positive all coming from big plays, for example. 

So make sure your O is good for 3 scores. This D is insanely aggressive and all the hooey calls attached like Grim and the like are band aides IMHO. Its meant to overwhelm every snap run or pass...which it will do....not defend in any kind of traditional sense.   👍

Im a HUGE taps fan....but not every down and not with 3 Lb'rs at a time. You can do damage using one Lb'r typically over the NG. 

Something to chew on. Personally you've studied this D enough I'd go for it and run it how it was meant to be...triple stacked. Just be ready to give up a few 50 yard plays on occasion. If your team are the Little Sisters of the Poor in desperate need of some quality coaching...you are probably going to give up some big plays regardless while you turn them into football players. So make the opponent chit their pants in-between big plays. 😎

My take. 

Mahonz and I have been going back and forth for years about JJ-style inverted Cover 2. I loved it, he hated it. I now understand that he is 100% right and I am 100% wrong. If you are concerned about the pass, get out of inverted over 2 or any kind of "cover grass" zone and get out of stacking/tapping 6 as your base.

It's much easier to teach a linebacker (who has already been taught to cover) to learn how to tap blitz than the other way around.