Defensive Schemes - Intro

By Scott Carasik

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NFL Defenses have gone through many variations throughout the years. This series focuses on the responsibilities for each of the following defenses: The one gap Phillips-style 3-4, the two gap Parcells-style 3-4, the Lebeau "Blitzburgh" 3-4, the one gap 4-3 defense like what Mike Zimmer uses, the two gap 4-3 defense like what Jack Del Rio uses, the Jim Johnson style 4-3 defense, the Rex Ryan 34/43 hybrid, and the nickel and dime defensive packages. The basics behind the defensive packages have gone through many variations and I am just going over what every NFL team uses. And every team uses some variation on what I have listed. Here's a glossary of terms that will be used in the series:

A-gap - the gap in between the C and OG on either side

B-gap - the gap in between the OG and OT on either side

C-gap - the gap in between the OT and TE on either side

Strongside - the side with the TE on the outside of the OT.

Weakside - the side without the TE on the outside of the OT.