What Defenses or Schemes give you guys the most trouble

Actually, a straight 50 defense that angle/slants. Unless you can get a good handle on which way they are slanting, it becomes tougher. Give me a one-gap defense to run against anyday.

Amen to that, Coach Easton!

Coach,
Most any team that stays in the same look all night, lots of HS level teams do, is pretty easy to game plan for. But, if you have the abilty to change up (example: from your base 4-3 change up to the "Pro"
4-3 which is a 6-1 look by simply walking up your LB's), get out of an even front and switch up to a 50 look with a nose (these are called 30 looks today). Make certain you have a cover called in the secondary that will compliment that particular front or you just bought yourself a serious problem. In other words, give the offense something to have to deal with other than the same old look all night long. If your not known as a blitzing team, game plan for blitzing alot occasionally, etc. anything to keep them guessing what is coming next. Give the kids credit for being able to implement new things unless they are the "rocks for brains" types. To sum it up, imo, be inovative on defense.

Coach Easton

It may if you read guards to backs. Just read backs to guards, or just read flow is what I would do to see if in actual practice it works or not. Teach them to be ever mindful of the cutback possibilities on the zone plays, as well as, others.

Coach Easton

Coach,

Just start going on first sound and other quick counts! That forces their hand real quick, or at least forces them to stem after the snap which is what I pray for because most of the time it messes up their alignmnets and we can really capitalize when they find themselves in that boat! Pretty soon they just stop stemming all together if they are smart.

Coach Easton

Your O-linemen must know who to block, regardless of defensive scheme, stunts, stemming, games, etc. For some of us, we don't seem to spend enough time on this fundamental. Teach them types of blocks first. Give them game situation practice next then add in dogs, stunts, stemming, etc.

X's & O's aren't the thing. Just a TOUGH bunch that plays with FANATICISM, no matter WHAT they run. You have to "fight for your life or you'll lose your ass!

We had no problem with a nose. We ran sweep all night when teams did that. I just had my center cut the nose. Center spent most of his night on the ground, but the nose never made the play.

My guys know that assignments are far more important than technique. I have some smaller gaurds and we play alot of big DL. They have been taught to do what it takes to make the block. Tech. is alot of clinic talk and works great in a perfect world. Know your assingment and make a block. We spend part of almost every practice working the cut block. If you are backside of a play and don't cut your man, your getting your a$$ chewed. By the second half of that game with the headup nose the center was blocking him straight up and pancaking him half the time b/c the guy was so worried about his knees(big recruit).

Coach,
I know this was said before and it is very true. There is no scheme that gives you trouble if your team is well coached. However, Better athletes always give you trouble ALWAYS! Then the question was asked what if you are evenly matched. The the answer is NO scheme still. I believe when you have two equal teams then the team that makes the most mistakes will lose. Which brings us back to the main point which is then keep your scheme simple (stay with your base) and you will get a lot less mistakes. In the league that I play in you are not out scheming any coaches. You must out play or out execute them to beat them. I do not care what offense it is. In response to technique not as important as who to block. I can tell you I completely disagree with that. I do not think one is more important than the other. They are both essential. Charlie Weiss has said (he got it from Bill Parcells and Bellichek) That probably the one thing that most coaches over look is matchups. How do you match up your better guys vs. their worst players and how do you prevent your weaker guys from being mtached up with their better guys. Finally, if your weaker guys are matched up on them how are you going to compensate for it. If you want to try anything then try to control the match ups of the other team with a game plan and not some gimmic defensive scheme for an offense. Concentrate on this within your base and you will find not only can you have more success, but you can also do this from opponent to opponent. One final thought, if you go away from your base scheme and can send an indirect message to your kids that your base is not a good defense. In other words why are we switching defenses? is it because ours is not good enough and if this new scheme is better than why are we not running it all of the time.
Good Luck
Karjaw