Football 101: Defensive Gap Assignments

[Hostile]

Yesterday in the running lanes thread a poster asked to explain the defensive gap assignments and their designations. It took me a little thinking to come up with how I could show this similar to the run lanes. I hope this will make a little sense.

For the Defense the gaps are usually numbered 1 through 5, although some coaching nomenclatures use a simplified letter system. I will try and explain that later, but I may screw it up since I have never played in a system that used letters. If someone has more information on this, please do share. I only played Defense until HS and street ball. I am not as confident though I'm pretty sure I have it right.

If there is a TE wide on either side of the line there will be 6 gap. Directly in front of the Center is considered to be the 0 Point. Between the Center and the Guards there are considered to be 2 gaps on each side. Right on the Center are the 1 gaps. Wider to the Guards are the 2 gaps. Between the Guards and tackles are also two gaps called 3 and 4. 5 gaps are wide of the Tackles and a 6 gap exists if there is a TE wide on either side.

Looking at a standard O-line with a TE strong to the right this is how the gaps are numbered.



.............................5..4.......3.2.......1.......2.3........4.5.......6

............................./...\...../...\...../.\...../...\...../...\...../
.....................LT.....LG.....C.....RG.....RT.....TE
​

So on a given play a coach may tell a DT for instance that he has the 2 gap assignment. That would mean he is going to engage the Guard in front of him and look to peel off into the inside gap if the ball comes that way.

Many of you may remember when La'Roi Glover was here he was often called a "3 Technique Tackle" whereas other DTs were called "2 Technique Tackles." This does not mean he had an extra skill that other DTs do not possess. All it meant was that he tends to line up to where he was on the Guard's outside shoulder and he would try to push his man into the run lanes. Most DTs line up on the Guard's inside shoulder.

Now, as I mentioned there is another way with letters and it is a little simpler if I understand it right. If, being the key word. The gaps are simply called straight ahead and are A gaps between Center and Guards, B gaps between Guards and Tackles, and C gaps wide of the Tackles. There is not considered to be a D gap wide of a TE as far as I know. If that is wrong, someone please correct me. It looks like this.


...........................C........B.........A........A..........B...........C
...........................|........|..........|........|...........|...........|

.....................LT.....LG.....C.....RG.....RT.....TE

Hope that helps.
​

 

[daschoo]

maybe i'm missing something obvious but how would you specify which direction you should be blocking the center?

edit: ignore that, i was thinking on the wrong side of the ball which i only noticed when i thought that it would be covered in the playcall. long day at work!

 

[proline]

Looking at a standard O-line with a TE strong to the right this is how the gaps are numbered.



.............................5..4.......3.2.......1.......2.3........4.5.......6

............................./...\...../...\...../.\...../...\...../...\...../
.....................LT.....LG.....C.....RG.....RT.....TE
​

Am I confused (quite likely), or is the positioning of your diagram a little off? I thought it was more like this:

.........................5..4.......3.2......1......2.3.......4.5.......6
........................./...\...../...\..../.\..../...\...../...\...../
.....................LT.....LG.....C.....RG.....RT.....TE

 

[Hostile]

Am I confused (quite likely), or is the positioning of your diagram a little off? I thought it was more like this:

.........................5..4.......3.2......1......2.3.......4.5.......6
........................./...\...../...\..../.\..../...\...../...\...../
.....................LT.....LG.....C.....RG.....RT.....TE

No, mine is correct. the 1 gaps are either side of the Center.

 

[TheCount]

Again, great stuff, Hos.

Point of clarification, what determins whether a guy is better suited to be a 3 or 2 technique? Is there any benefit to one or the other, or is it a matter of just what the player prefers?

For some reason I was under the impression that 3 technique guys were better geared towards pass rushing than run stuffing, but I may have that backwards or completely wrong. Thanks.

 

[Four]

maybe my math is off but i don't count 101 gaps smart guy

 

[proline]

No, mine is correct. the 1 gaps are either side of the Center.

Sorry, Hos. When you replied that the 1 gaps are either side of the center, I was like, "But that's what MINE shows!". Turns out its a Firefox vs. IE thing. I originally viewed your post and made my corrections in Firefox, but after your reply I opened it in IE and yours makes more sense now.

Again, sorry for the confusion, but as a suggestion it might be a good idea to post these diagrams as images instead of as text, in order to avoid confusion due to different browsers.

 

[JonJon]

maybe my math is off but i don't count 101 gaps smart guy

With Cory Procter, there is.

 

[proline]

With Cory Procter, there is.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

Good call, Proline... It's a little skewed to the side on Firefox.

The 3-tech's job isn't so much to push his man into the backfield, but to use his quickness to shoot the gap. The best three-techs are guys like Warren Sapp (in his day), Tommie Harris, etc. Or Ratliff.

Stuff like this is why some of us always argue when people claim that all this X and O talk doesn't really matter -- it's all just football, you just beat your guy and go get the ball. No, there's more to it than that, at least at the highest levels. It's why Sapp was a great player in the Tampa system and a lousy one in the Raiders' 34.

BTW, great trivia question: What coach is credited with numbering the gaps like this?

 

[DaBoys4Life]

This is cool HoS. At first the diagram with the numbers threw me off. But then I saw the one with the A B and C gaps. As for lining up on the out side shoulder of the TE. I doubt that's allowed because it leaves a massive hole and the DE can be easily pushed out of the way.

...........................C........B.........A........A..........B..................C
...........................|........|..........|........|...........|..................|
.....................LT.....LG.....C.....RG.....RT.....TE

See what I mean? The TE just kicks out the DE the RT chips the DT moves onto the second level and the RB has the full back and RT as lead blockers clean into the second level.

 

[AdamJT13]

Different coaches might use different terminology, but generally, the numbers 0-9 refer to the technique (positioning and responsibility) of the defensive player, and the letters A-E refer to the gaps. So a "3-technique" tackle would line up on the guard's outside shoulder and might be responsible for the A and B gaps (two-gap responsibility), although most 3-techniques have one-gap responsibility.

 

[DaBoys4Life]

Different coaches might use different terminology, but generally, the numbers 0-9 refer to the technique (positioning and responsibility) of the defensive player, and the letters A-E refer to the gaps. So a "3-technique" tackle would line up on the guard's outside shoulder and might be responsible for the A and B gaps (two-gap responsibility).

Ah that makes sense. E gap? between the TE and Wr?

 

[AdamJT13]

Ah that makes sense. E gap? between the TE and Wr?

Yes, E is further outside the tight end. And the 7, 8 and 9 techniques are outside the tight end.

 

[Hostile]

BTW, great trivia question: What coach is credited with numbering the gaps like this?

Thomas Wade Landry, while still an active DB for the Giants.

 

[juck]

Hos for coach!!! Screw marshmellow man!! lol

 

[Hostile]

Again, great stuff, Hos.

Point of clarification, what determins whether a guy is better suited to be a 3 or 2 technique? Is there any benefit to one or the other, or is it a matter of just what the player prefers?

For some reason I was under the impression that 3 technique guys were better geared towards pass rushing than run stuffing, but I may have that backwards or completely wrong. Thanks.

Size vs. Speed usually. A huge DT is more likely to play the 2 gap, a fast DT is more likely to play the 3 gap.
Glover was really fast at DT, thus he felt more comfortable on the Guard's outside shoulder.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

Thomas Wade Landry, while still an active DB for the Giants.

Hmm, actually I've always seen someone else given credit for that...

 

[Hostile]

Hmm, actually I've always seen someone else given credit for that...

I was guessing.

 

[Seven]

Yesterday in the running lanes thread a poster asked to explain the defensive gap assignments and their designations. It took me a little thinking to come up with how I could show this similar to the run lanes. I hope this will make a little sense.

For the Defense the gaps are usually numbered 1 through 5, although some coaching nomenclatures use a simplified letter system. I will try and explain that later, but I may screw it up since I have never played in a system that used letters. If someone has more information on this, please do share. I only played Defense until HS and street ball. I am not as confident though I'm pretty sure I have it right.

If there is a TE wide on either side of the line there will be 6 gap. Directly in front of the Center is considered to be the 0 Point. Between the Center and the Guards there are considered to be 2 gaps on each side. Right on the Center are the 1 gaps. Wider to the Guards are the 2 gaps. Between the Guards and tackles are also two gaps called 3 and 4. 5 gaps are wide of the Tackles and a 6 gap exists if there is a TE wide on either side.

Looking at a standard O-line with a TE strong to the right this is how the gaps are numbered.



.............................5..4.......3.2.......1.......2.3........4.5.......6

............................./...\...../...\...../.\...../...\...../...\...../
.....................LT.....LG.....C.....RG.....RT.....TE
​

So on a given play a coach may tell a DT for instance that he has the 2 gap assignment. That would mean he is going to engage the Guard in front of him and look to peel off into the inside gap if the ball comes that way.

Many of you may remember when La'Roi Glover was here he was often called a "3 Technique Tackle" whereas other DTs were called "2 Technique Tackles." This does not mean he had an extra skill that other DTs do not possess. All it meant was that he tends to line up to where he was on the Guard's outside shoulder and he would try to push his man into the run lanes. Most DTs line up on the Guard's inside shoulder.

Now, as I mentioned there is another way with letters and it is a little simpler if I understand it right. If, being the key word. The gaps are simply called straight ahead and are A gaps between Center and Guards, B gaps between Guards and Tackles, and C gaps wide of the Tackles. There is not considered to be a D gap wide of a TE as far as I know. If that is wrong, someone please correct me. It looks like this.


...........................C........B.........A........A..........B...........C
...........................|........|..........|........|...........|...........|

.....................LT.....LG.....C.....RG.....RT.....TE

Hope that helps.
​

This is why I stay. Thanks for your efforts, Hos................