stemming ?

i agree. even when a team blocks using base rules, they lose track of players, especially linebackers. you see a lot of double teams on dl when they are not really necessary.

with changing fronts, even though it makes ol think, you give them some time to think it through. stemming allows for less time.

I think stemming defenses is a great way to both confuse an offense and to counter a team that "pairs" their plays or checks with the QB as to which way to run a play at the line of scrimmage. We faced a team that would come out in a 2 back double tight flanker set and would check the lead option to our 7 tech. We adjusted by stemming opposite at the start of the audible of the QB. It worked great because they would audible - we would stem and they would run the play to our 9 tech instead of the 7 tech. They also got a few delay of game penalties because our stems kept changing their plays. It stopped them from audibling at the line of scrimmage. I wouldn't suggest stemming to different defenses with different responsibilites unless your defense can handle those new responsibilities, but stemming into basically the same defense with the same responsibilities can be a strong counter for a defensive coordinator. I also like disguising coverages for the same reasons. Just remember to not overload your players with to much. Keep it simple and let them make plays.

We use a system that is pretty simple. First of all, all of our fronts are words, meaning that in the huddle we will call a front, stunt, and a numbered coverage. When we stem we simply call two front. The first we show, the second we play. We tell our kids to focus on where you are to end up.

Example: Our basic defensive fronts:

Base: 9,3 strong; 1 and a 6 weak
Eagle: 9,6,1 strong; 3 and a 6 weak
Hawk: 9,6,3 strong; 1 and a 6 weak
Huskie: 9,6,1 strong; 1 and a 6 weak

When we call a defense I would call as follows:
"Eagle Cover 4", or "Base Cover 2"

When we stem, I might say "Base stem Eagle Cover 4" or "Base stem husky cover 6"

Just tried to keep it real easy.