Thanks, ASUChris, I appreciate your comments.
This is a high school football story...so, in some ways it may not apply directly to pro strategies, but the spirit of it does apply to the game itself...and after all, football is football.
One year I had a very high powered offense, but my defense was weak and was having difficulty stopping anyone. After a bitter 38-35 loss in a game that seesawed back and forth, with the opponents scoring the winning TD on their last possession, I gathered my assistants aside and I vowed that somehow, someway we weren't going to have to endure 7 yard runs and a cloud of dust all afternoon...and have to watch somewhat easy pass completions all day(because we were getting no pressure on the QBs).
My assitants looked at me like I was crazy when at Monday's practice I put in the "gap 7" defense.
I lined two of my tallest, toughest defenders and stood them in the A gaps (between the center and guard). I told them to fire the gaps and get to the QB as fast as they could.
Then I stood a player in every B and C gap and asked them to do the same.
I also lined up a defensive end on the outside eye of the TE...and called his responsibility the D gap (contain). His instruction was to hammer/pinch down on the TE on the snap to delay his release...and then get upfield for contain. He was also instructed to pick up the nearest RB, man for man, if the RB was releasing for a swing pass. (Same RB pass instruction for the weak side anchor-C gap end).
I kept my best tackler at MLB and used my best three DBs in two coverages (man to man...and a three man zone).
We were playing the best team with the premier offense in the league. Excellent "power I" running attack, complimented by an accurate 6'3" QB and two tall, speedy WRs.
I said to my coaches all week, "no matter what, we are going to attack this offense. If we give a big play here and there, so be it. But we are going to get into their backfield no matter what it takes."
In practice the defense was creating immediate havoc for my good offense...and my defensive players were getting pretty excited about rushing the gaps and busting up plays.
I'll never forget the bewildered look on the opposing QBs face on the first play of the game. He juggled the snap and one of my two lanky "A gap" players grabbed him by the shoulder pads and sacked him for a three yard loss. From that play forward, my kids were busting up play after play. When the opponents tried quick passes, the passes were either overthrown (one for a nice interception) or tipped. The opponents used all three timeouts in the first quarter, to no avail.
My offense was sputtering (probably from losing some timing and confidence from playing against the gap 7 all week in practice), but managed to score before the end of the half. We led 7-0 at halftime.
My assitant coaches were telling me we would have to go back to our base defense at times in the second half, fearing that the other team would make adjustments at half time. I told them we were sticking to the gap 7 the whole game.
On the first series of the second half, my quarterback threw a poor pass. It was intercepted for a TD. We blocked the extra point and remained in the lead at 7-6.
My kids kept forcing three and outs the whole third quarter (still in the gap 7), making all kinds of gang tackles.
We kicked a 19 yard field goal at the end of the third quarter: 10-6.
The next possession, they hit the TE for a 20 yard gain up the seam...but fumbled the exchange the next play. Timely turnover, to say the least.
On a third and eight, we got lucky...caught them, trying to give us a taste of our own medicine by throwing a full house blitz at us, and we had the right play called, a delay screen to our tailback. Watching the tape after, it was incredible...my tailback caught the lob from the QB, who threw the ball with literally six defeders chasing him, and my tailback turned to see our entire offensive line in front of him and practically not a defender in sight. It was an easy 65 yard TD.
That took the wind out of the opponents' sails completely and our kids were celebrating a 17-6 win on the road against the best team in the league.
We stayed with the gap 7 and mixed in some base and nickle defenses the remaining three games...and ran the table.
The thing was, the gap 7 was able to change my kids' mentality about playing defense. And it made me realize more than ever that there is really only one way to play defense if you want your players to love playing defense: attack and pressure.
My point in relating this story is...Mac and Marmie can create pressure and an attack mentality if they choose to...through outnumbering the blockers (even if it's to one side)...and by creating confusion by blitzing, slanting and stunting up front or, better yet, by firing the gaps.
The questions I asked Tang...when was the last time you saw a Cardfinal DL or LB make a play in the backfield?...a sack?...from a DL, LB or DB?...or the last time you saw the Cardinals bust up a play in the backfield?
The reason the Cardinals don't is a reflection of a defense that plays on its heels, not on its toes. I suggest that defenses that play on their heels do not have any fun on the football field. Defenses that attack and embrace the attack mentality do. It's not fun to watch the Cardinals play defense...and it certainly doesn't look like it's fun for the players to play it.
