Deep linemen

I don't think you have to think of it as becoming a "read" defense. You still can attack, you are just not getting into the mess of the LOS quite as quickly, and your players have a little more time to find their gap responsibility. I've been thinking about this since I read your post initially, and I think I'd at least add a call to my normal defense to add space in that line. If you're playing a team in the gun, I think it makes total sense. For a UC opponent, I think I would probably at least cover the center to avoid the easy QB sneak, but I would play with it. Frankly, I like my linemen backed off the ball a step (at most) in order to get better angles, but if the defense is off the ball a bit as well, those angles then are not there because the defense has the time to react. Plus, attacking those deep linemen will automatically get your kids further into the backfield than your defense is designed to do. Even a couple of feet makes a trap block or influence to the outside that much easier. As an offensive coodinator, I always knew I had to worry less about missed assignments when they were covered. Once there is open field in front of them, they have time to think. Thinking is bad for an OL.

On the referee note, we absolutely got a coach to implode after we worked two illegal formation penalties on an early drive. It both amused us, and totally shot the other team's mentality. We won relatively easily in a game that should have been a good one.