Michigan 9 Man Front

Nine-Man Front

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veryone is always looking for ways to stop the run. By involving both safeties, you can effectively gang up on today’s bigger backs and allow your linebackers to become more aggressive. Involving both safeties also allows your down linemen to be singlegap defenders. This concept is based off of quarters coverage but the play of your corners is different. Lets start with a basic formation and an eagle front:

Diagram 1: Basic Formation and Eagle Front

The four interior linemen are responsible for their gaps. The Mac & Will linebackers B gap and A gap respectively vs. inside run. They are fast-flow players. The safeties become your cutback players and the eighth and ninth man in the front without telling the offense beforehand. An example of inside run each way:

Teryl Austin

play side. He also must get down to linebacker depth and be ready for the ball to come out to him. The strong safety must also keep the ball on his inside shoulder. In Diagram 3, with the run to the Will linebacker now spills to the Mac. The Mac can fast flow, and the strong safety becomes the cutback player. The free safety is there for the spill out unblocked. There is no double-teaming for the safeties or linebackers. It becomes inside run to or inside run away now let’s go play! The difference between this and quarter coverage is that vs. twins the corners — who we’ve not really discussed — come over and play the receivers so the inside piece remains the same. You can avoid the walkouts with the linebackers and trying to tell him to guard the flat and defend the run. Look at Diagrams 4 and 5:

Diagram 4

Diagram 2

Linebackers Coach Diagram 5

University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Mich.

Diagram 3

In Diagram 2, the Mac will spill the ball outside, which allows the Will linebacker to run. This causes the double to come off the nose quicker. The free safety becomes the cutback player with inside run away. He must get down to linebacker depth and keep the ball on his inside shoulder. Initially, he is bouncing on the snap and finding the course of the ball. Once the ball declares, he must come downhill. The strong safety becomes the extra man to the

• AFCA Summer Manual — 1999 •

This is a great run defense, but as you know, offenses will pass the ball! Against pass the rules are very simple. The strong safety takes the tight end if he comes vertical 10 yards or more. If the tight end disappears, he becomes a quarter field player. The free safety vs. pass becomes a soft quarter player, and vs. twins, reads two-toone, and thus tries to get over top and help. The corners are matched on the two wide outs. The linebackers have three-on-three match drop with the tight end and two backs. Refer to Diagrams 6-8 for pass responsibilities. Once again, in pro or twins the inside piece doesn’t change. In Diagram 6, with the tight end releasing inside and the back to him, the

Diagram 6

Diagram 8

Diagram 7

Diagram 9

Sam linebacker passes him off and sits over the near back. With flow pass, the linebackers read the tight end. If the tight end is underneath, it will be a three-onthree match-up. The strong safety is keying the tight end, and once he disap-

pears, it allows him to play the quarter and help the corner. In Diagram 7, the Sam and Mac linebacker are in and out on the tight end and near back. The difference is once the tight end goes vertical 10 yards or more, the

Mac will release him and become a hole player. Remember the strong safety will take the tight end vertical more than 10 yards. Diagram 8 indicates flow away from the closed side. This immediately locks the Sam on the tight end (up to 10 yards). The Mac and Will now go in and out on the flow of the two backs. Again, the safeties are over top of everything. The beauty of the coverage is in Diagram 9. Against twins, the linebacker and secondary responsibilities remain exactly the same. The run support is exactly the same. This defense is designed to stop first and second down run while not giving up easy throws, so the offense isn’t in second and four or third and three all day. With the corners playing man, it keeps the receivers from cracking on the safeties (unlike cover 4). It allows the safeties to be No. 8 and No. 9 in the front, and lets the linebackers play aggressively not worrying about cutbacks. Good luck to all this season!

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