The One-Gap 4-3 Defense

By Scott Carasik

Teams that use this defense: Atlanta Falcons, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos, Oakland Raiders, Tennessee Titans

Overview

The one-gap 4-3 is one of the most common defenses in the NFL. The variation described will be the base defense as used by teams like Cincinnati and Atlanta. These 4-3 defenses are known for their two main alignments, the "over" and the "under" alignments, based around how the Defensive Line is aligned.

The "Under" alignment is based around the defensive line shading towards the weakside. The Nose Tackle is in the 1-technique on the strongside A-gap, The DE's are both aligned on the outside shoulders of the OT's, and the Under Tackle is aligned in the B-gap on the weakside and playing a 3-tech. The strongside OLB is shaded over the TE while the weakside OLB is spread out wider than the strongside backer. The Middle Linebacker is lined up over the center and about 5 yards back. The secondary is in a traditional alignment with the FS-SS in their normal spots and the CB's lined up over the WR's.

The "Over" alignment is based around the defensive line shading towards the strongside. The Nose Tackle is playing the 1-tech in the weakside A-gap. The Under Tackle is lined up in the strongside B-gap and playing a 3-tech. Both DE's are lined up on the outside shoulders of the OT's like in the "Under" alignment. The strongside OLB is shaded over the TE while the weakside OLB is spread out wider than the strongside backer. The Middle Linebacker is lined up over the center and about 5 yards back. The secondary is in a traditional alignment with the FS-SS in their normal spots and the CB's lined up over the WR's.

Defensive Line Responsibilities

<- Under

Over->

The DE's are both aligned on the outside shoulders of the OT's. The strongside DE is responsible for the C-gap in the run game and creating pressure by getting through the gap in the passing game. The weakide DE is responsible for the outside runs and has to get around the OT in the passing game using a high variety of pass rushing moves. The Under Tackle is playing a 3-technique and has to control the B-gap while also putting a lot of pressure on the QB by shooting through that same B-gap. The Nose Tackle is lined up in a 1-tech. His job is to shoot through the A-gap on every running play. He is also supposed to collapse the pocket from the inside on every passing play. The over-under alignment switch up is only to help confuse the offensive lineman in their protection schemes. The Ideal players for this scheme based on the roles in the 2011 draft:

Strongside DE - Da'Quan Bowers, played 4-3 DE at Clemson University

Nose Tackle - Marcell Dareus, played 3-4 DE at the University of Alabama

Under Tackle - Nick Fairley, played 4-3 DT at Auburn University

Weakside DE - Robert Quinn, played 4-3 DE at University of North Carolina

Linebacker Responsibilities

< - Under..................Over V

The strongside linebacker is responsible for the TE in coverage and will be the guy who controls the outside on strongside runs. In the running game, the middle linebacker will cover the A-gap not covered by the Nose Tackle. He will also be calling all the plays and adjustments and likely covering the short middle in the passing game. The weakside linebacker is more of a roaming player. They control the outside in the run game on the weakside and also play a lot of zone in the passing game. The Ideal players for this scheme based on the roles in the 2011 draft:

Strongside OLB "Sam" - Quan Sturdivant, played 4-3 OLB at the University of North Carolina

Middle LB "Mike" - Martez Wilson, played 4-3 MLB at the University of Illinois

Weakside OLB "Will" - Bruce Carter, played 4-3 OLB at the University of North Carolina

Secondary Responsibilities

The secondary is lined up in a very traditional role. The scheme calls for man and zone cover corners, whose role is to not press and bump, but rather just stick with their man or play their intermediate zones. They are also expected to be ready for underneath routes and make plays on the ball. The Safeties also run in a traditional role. The Free Safety covers the deep third, while the Strong Safety will normally cover the underneath routes in either man or zone and come up to the box quite a bit if they are expecting a run. There is not too much blitzing out of the secondary in this scheme either. The Ideal players for this scheme based on the roles in the 2011 draft:

#1 CB - Patrick Peterson, played CB at Louisiana State University

#2 CB - Prince Amukamura, played CB at the University of Wisconsin

Free Safety - Aaron Williams, played CB at the University of Texas

Strong Safety - Rahim Moore, played FS at the University of California-Los Angeles