The Ultimate Guide to NFL Defense

[Temo]

http://subscribers.footballguys.com/2009/09bramel_idpguide.php

Are you a huge football nerd? Are you tired of only hearing about offensive alignments/plays? Want to find out what Defense is all about? Play in an IDP fantasy league? This is the link for you, featuring plenty of Bum Phillips content.

By the way, few people give better quotes than Bum Phillips. FTA:

"Coaching is pretty simple really. If you don't got something, find something you do got. Really we didn't have but one [defensive lineman] - [Hall of Famer] Elvin [Bethea] - until we got Curley [Culp] in the middle of that season. Then we had two. What we did have was four real good linebackers so all I done was find a way to get our best players on the field."

It's said that defense wins championships. But it's offense that drives television ratings and merchandise sales. Television broadcasts focus on the path of the football rather than showing an entire play unfold. More often than not, it's the quarterback and his skill position players that attract the attention of most football fans. Football phrases like "seven step drop" and "pulling guard" and "West Coast offense" are easily recognizable terms for even the most casual of football fans. Meanwhile, the unrecognized beauty of the 11 man defense of professional football, the ultimate team sport in many respects, remains the ugly stepsister to its offensive counterpart.


But it shouldn't be.


Defensive football is every bit as exciting and interesting as offensive football. Some of the greatest (and most eccentric) minds to walk an NFL sideline got their start as defensive innovators. Greasy Neale, Tom Landry, Bum Phillips, Buddy Ryan, Bill Parcells, George Allen, Don Shula, Tony Dungy, Bill Belichick, Dick LeBeau, among many, many others cut their teeth as defensive coaches.


If you've ever been confused about the real differences between a 4-3 and 3-4 front, wondered what a three-technique tackle was, wondered why the 46 defense has become a rarely used historical relic or just want to learn a little more about defensive football, read on. While we'll liberally sprinkle some IDP applications in sidebars throughout, the primary focus of the guide will be to bring some love for defensive football to all fans of the game.



This won't be a dry, Wikipedia-like entry. We'll have some discussion of technical concepts and playbook diagrams when needed, but use the words and stories of the true characters of the game to bring the art of defensive football alive.


We could start our journey in any number of places, but we'll begin with a story about Warren Sapp.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

Awesome stuff. Everyone should read this.

Seemed like it had tons of great Cowboys references, too, from Parcells' vs. Phillips' 34s, to Jimmy's 43, to individual players.

And how many people knew Bum came up with the numbering system for defensive line techniques?

The only tiny thing they missed was not mentioning us in the 46 discussion. I might email and let them know about that.

Great article, though.

 

[cowboyjoe]

super super read, thanks

 

[BAT]

This article needs to be stickied, at the very least it should eliminate all the guys begging for a return to the 4-3.

 

[AdamJT13]

That's pretty good for front-seven and overall scheme. I was hoping for more about different types of coverages, but I wonder if there will be another installment.

 

[SaltwaterServr]

That's pretty good for front-seven and overall scheme. I was hoping for more about different types of coverages, but I wonder if there will be another installment.

I would hope so. A good base, but I want to get inside of it ALL.

 

[Arch Stanton]

Cracking read. Thanks for posting.