Personnel groups can provide a lot of insight when it comes to defending your opponent. Sometimes you will get a slight key or tendency, while at other times the personnel group may completely narrow down what you expect to see.
When a Receiver is taken out of the game and replaced by an Offensive Lineman, this is often a significant substitution.
Here are a few thoughts on defending a set with six Offensive Linemen.
Situation
In Goal Line and Short Yardage situations, we expect to see the Offence add some size. You will typically have a Short Yardage plan in place to match these substitutions.
It’s when the extra O-Lineman shows up midfield on 1st and 10 that some alarm bells tend to go off.
Body Type
The Offensive Lineman will be lining up as an eligible receiver. Will you treat them that way? Some Offensive Linemen out there might be indistinguishable from a Tight End, even though they are wearing a number in the 50’s, 60’s or 70’s.
Will you totally discount the Lineman as a receiving threat? This is a first question to answer.
It’s most common that the Offensive Lineman is coming into the game to BLOCK, but technically they can still catch a pass. Will you focus on covering them as a receiver, or go all-in on defending the new Run Gap? Will you try to account for both? These are important decisions.
Matching Personnel
When you see the extra Offensive Lineman trot onto the field, will you go to a matching personnel set? That’s certainly an option.
A typical response could be to substitute and extra Defensive Lineman onto the field. This will match the Offence’s size, but it will limit you in your calls. What if the Offensive Lineman is just coming on for Pass Protection purposes? You’ve now compromised your coverage by subbing out a Linebacker or Defensive Back.
If, however, you are fairly certain that your opponent is doing this to run the ball, an extra Defensive Lineman may be just what you need.
You could also bring in an extra Linebacker and take out a Defensive Back. This will provide you with SOME extra size, but also help you be sound in your Pass Coverage.
Alignment Adjustments
Adding an extra Defensive Lineman or Linebacker to match the 6-OL Set can put some stress on your alignment rules.
It’s certainly something that requires some planning and practice ahead of time.
That extra Offensive Lineman could line up anywhere. They could be a Boundary Tight End in a 32 Set, or a Field Tight End in a 23. They could also be a Fullback, a Wing, or a Boundary TE in a 41. The possibilities are endless, so your sub package must have a set of simple alignment rules that help your players get lined up against any look.
Perfect World
In an ideal scenario, your base personnel can hold up against the 6-OL Set. This is typically the case if your Sam Linebacker and Halfbacks are able to play the Box. Your play calls will likely change, but if you can keep your core group on the field, this is ideal.
If the Offence begins having some success in this package, however, it’s great to have a plan in place in order to match the size on the field.
All the best,
Jon Svec
Defensive Coordinator
St. Francis Xavier University
X-Men Football
IG: @jonsvecx
Twitter: @jonsvecx
Jon Svec is the author of the e-book Canadian Football Chalk Talk: Defensive Basics.