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Alright, the season is over, and it's time to look to free agency and the draft to fix the myriad of problems confronting the Bills run defense.
To begin with, when you have a conversation about position and need, it's important we're talking the same language. I've seen the phrase 1 and 3 technique, as well as the phrase 1 and 2 gap tossed around rather inaccurately on these forums, and think it's time to focus the discussion a little.
As i always like to say, Football is not rocket science.
To begin with, we will start with defining what football scouts/coaches/insiders mean with the word "technique" when discussing the front 7 (mostly the DL)
1-Gap vs 2-Gap
1-Gap: A defensive player with a 1-gap assignment is ideally a smaller faster player. His duty is to knife upfield, in an assigned gap, gain penitration, and disrupt the play in the backfield. The overwhelming requirement for a 1-gap player is speed and quickness, he is, ideally, not playing to absorb blockers.
2-Gap: A defensive player with a 2-gap assignment is typically a larger, heavier and stronger defender. The 2-gap defender's job is to eat blockers, hold the line of scrimmage, wait for the ball carrier to commit to a side, and then react to the ball carrier's action. 3-4 defensive linemen and inside linebackers ( as well as their outside linebackers, depending on the scheme) are generally all 2-gap players.
Technique refers to the position the defensive linemen (or, less commonly, linebacker) lines up, at the snap. The following picture highlights the positions (or gaps) the linemen can line up at.
On the Techniques
*note,I'll not cover all the positions for the sake of brevity. Most, due to the fact they are not base DL positions, rather situational ones.
0 - This is the technique the "classic" 3-4 Nose Tackle plays. Some 4-3 Schemes, like the 46, use an "unbalanced" defensive line and prefer to line a DT up over the center in the zero, either slanted or shaded to a side. Typically, the slant or shaded 0 is a pass rush or 1-Gap Alignment. Any DT who plays Nose Tackle in the NFL has to be huge, typically the bigger the better. Most alignments which utilize the NT (excepting when slanted) call for the NT to play 2-gap.
In the 4-3 the 0 technique MOST OF THE TIME is played by the Middle Linebacker with 2-gap responsibility. When the defense has a MLB playing the 0 technique, it will have a DT covering up the MLB with a 1 technique 2-Gap DT.
1 - The "classic" 4-3 DT plays the 1 technique 2-gap, primarily. This is Tim Anderson's responsibility in the Bills' Tampa 2
2 - The 2 technique is often the sole domain of the 3-4 MLB (both of them), it is a 2-gap position... (though some 'classic' balanced fronts for the 4-3 on passing downs will put it's DT's wide, and 1 gap them for a pass rush)
3 - This is a popular technique depending on the front and scheme can be played by any number of positions. In the Tampa 2 (and many unbalanced 4-3 fronts), this technique is covered by a DT, who is a 1-Gap defender. The 3-4 in many of it's fronts will have it's DE's sit here in a 1-Gap to clog the inside run, in short yardage.
5 - This is the most common technique played by 3-4 DEs, and "run stopping" 4-3 DE's in both unbalanced and balanced fronts. Trevor Pryce when he was on the Broncos was the best 5-technique player in pro football. Ideally, you want a 280-310 pound DE in the 5 technique, who can hold the point of attack. Depending on the scheme and abilities of the 5-technique DE, he will be called to play both 1 and 2 gap (though more 2 gap in the 3-4 and strong side 4-3 DE).
7- This is the most common technique for the pass rushing end in the 4-3 (1-gap) in an unbalanced front, or a passing down.
8- This is the most common technique for the 3-4 Strong Side Linebacker (2-Gap)
In the base Tampa 2 the Bills like to run, the assignments for the DL are ideally the following.
5/7/9 technique - Schobel
3 technique - Tripplet, McCargo
1 technique - Anderson
5/7 technique - Kelsey/Denney
How does all of this pertain to the Buffalo Bills?
-The main problems the Bills had this year were not penetration from it's 1 gap defenders. The basic problems the Bills had this year, was our 1 technique tackle rarely deserved a double team, and even more rarely, could hold the point of attack.
Without a 1 technique holding up a guard and center, the MLB cannot properly play his 0 technique, as his ability to cover his two gaps will be compromised by the fact he'll have to fight off blockers. When the center or guard is getting his hat on the MLB, most of the 4-3's run stopping ability is pretty much compromised.
Compound this with the fact, the Bills don't have a single DE who can 2-gap from the 5 technique effectively, and our run defense will look like it did.
To begin with, when you have a conversation about position and need, it's important we're talking the same language. I've seen the phrase 1 and 3 technique, as well as the phrase 1 and 2 gap tossed around rather inaccurately on these forums, and think it's time to focus the discussion a little.
As i always like to say, Football is not rocket science.
To begin with, we will start with defining what football scouts/coaches/insiders mean with the word "technique" when discussing the front 7 (mostly the DL)
1-Gap vs 2-Gap
1-Gap: A defensive player with a 1-gap assignment is ideally a smaller faster player. His duty is to knife upfield, in an assigned gap, gain penitration, and disrupt the play in the backfield. The overwhelming requirement for a 1-gap player is speed and quickness, he is, ideally, not playing to absorb blockers.
2-Gap: A defensive player with a 2-gap assignment is typically a larger, heavier and stronger defender. The 2-gap defender's job is to eat blockers, hold the line of scrimmage, wait for the ball carrier to commit to a side, and then react to the ball carrier's action. 3-4 defensive linemen and inside linebackers ( as well as their outside linebackers, depending on the scheme) are generally all 2-gap players.
Technique refers to the position the defensive linemen (or, less commonly, linebacker) lines up, at the snap. The following picture highlights the positions (or gaps) the linemen can line up at.
On the Techniques
*note,I'll not cover all the positions for the sake of brevity. Most, due to the fact they are not base DL positions, rather situational ones.
0 - This is the technique the "classic" 3-4 Nose Tackle plays. Some 4-3 Schemes, like the 46, use an "unbalanced" defensive line and prefer to line a DT up over the center in the zero, either slanted or shaded to a side. Typically, the slant or shaded 0 is a pass rush or 1-Gap Alignment. Any DT who plays Nose Tackle in the NFL has to be huge, typically the bigger the better. Most alignments which utilize the NT (excepting when slanted) call for the NT to play 2-gap.
In the 4-3 the 0 technique MOST OF THE TIME is played by the Middle Linebacker with 2-gap responsibility. When the defense has a MLB playing the 0 technique, it will have a DT covering up the MLB with a 1 technique 2-Gap DT.
1 - The "classic" 4-3 DT plays the 1 technique 2-gap, primarily. This is Tim Anderson's responsibility in the Bills' Tampa 2
2 - The 2 technique is often the sole domain of the 3-4 MLB (both of them), it is a 2-gap position... (though some 'classic' balanced fronts for the 4-3 on passing downs will put it's DT's wide, and 1 gap them for a pass rush)
3 - This is a popular technique depending on the front and scheme can be played by any number of positions. In the Tampa 2 (and many unbalanced 4-3 fronts), this technique is covered by a DT, who is a 1-Gap defender. The 3-4 in many of it's fronts will have it's DE's sit here in a 1-Gap to clog the inside run, in short yardage.
5 - This is the most common technique played by 3-4 DEs, and "run stopping" 4-3 DE's in both unbalanced and balanced fronts. Trevor Pryce when he was on the Broncos was the best 5-technique player in pro football. Ideally, you want a 280-310 pound DE in the 5 technique, who can hold the point of attack. Depending on the scheme and abilities of the 5-technique DE, he will be called to play both 1 and 2 gap (though more 2 gap in the 3-4 and strong side 4-3 DE).
7- This is the most common technique for the pass rushing end in the 4-3 (1-gap) in an unbalanced front, or a passing down.
8- This is the most common technique for the 3-4 Strong Side Linebacker (2-Gap)
In the base Tampa 2 the Bills like to run, the assignments for the DL are ideally the following.
5/7/9 technique - Schobel
3 technique - Tripplet, McCargo
1 technique - Anderson
5/7 technique - Kelsey/Denney
How does all of this pertain to the Buffalo Bills?
-The main problems the Bills had this year were not penetration from it's 1 gap defenders. The basic problems the Bills had this year, was our 1 technique tackle rarely deserved a double team, and even more rarely, could hold the point of attack.
Without a 1 technique holding up a guard and center, the MLB cannot properly play his 0 technique, as his ability to cover his two gaps will be compromised by the fact he'll have to fight off blockers. When the center or guard is getting his hat on the MLB, most of the 4-3's run stopping ability is pretty much compromised.
Compound this with the fact, the Bills don't have a single DE who can 2-gap from the 5 technique effectively, and our run defense will look like it did.
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