Defending weakside B-gap in 4-3

Force 68

I think by aligning your DE in a 4i tech. you will definately have problems to the weakside. You are really exposing yourself on the perimeter to that side. This allows the offense to just down block your DE and Iso the Will LB with the Fullback. Hand the ball off to the TB and it is off to the races, given the FB gets a "decent" block on the Will LB. The TB will be on the perimeter so fast, the Middle LB probably couldn't even help out, even if he isn't blocked by the Guard and Center combo.

If you want to play your DE in a 4i tech. and make your Will LB responsible for only one gap, than walk your Will LB up to the line of scrimmage and make him bring some heat. Send him hard off the corner. Have the DE take out the Tackle's inside shoulder. However if you do this, I would recommend you playing a Cover II behind it.

If your Will LB is as good of an athlete that you say he is, he shouldn't have trouble playing the playside B and D gap. Just have him read the path of the FB. If it is an "on the line read" than he fill the B gap, if it is an "off the line read" than he is scraping to D gap.

Just a few thoughts!!!

If the shade does his job, the Mike can run to the inside half of B-gap un-impeded.

Vs. a 2-back offense, the Will should mirror the lead back. If the lead back goes outside the tackle, the Will would have D and the Mike would have B.

If the lead back goes through B-gap, the Will has the outside half of B-gap and the Mike has the inside half of B-gap. The 5-tech end must keep him outside arm free in case of a bounce.

Coach, I come from a 43 background (I run a 44 now). I am wondering what your base coverage is. We ran a 9, 3, 2i, 5 across the front versus any pro formations. Our backers were as follows: Sam (50 w/C-gap), Mike (10 strong w/A-gap), and Will (40 w/B-gap). Our weak DE was usually a heck of an athlete. We based out of a Cover 2 with corners as primary force players. I never like to ask too much out of any one kid, but I know there are times we have to.

Coach TSB

I am also a 4-4 coach myself. I will occasionally play a 4-3, but the majority of the game I am in a 4-4. Most of the game we stay in Cover III.