THE DC PRO 4-3 DEFENSE

BY CLARK WILKINS

BASED ON THE DEFENSE OF VINCE LOMBARDI.

“You never lose a game if your opponent doesn't score.“

 THE DC PRO 4-3 DEFENSE

Vince Lombardi‟s Pro 4-3 defense was a major factor in his

championship career with the Green Bay Packers. The Pro 4-3
was a simple, stop everything defense at the professional
football level. In adapting this defense to the youth
level, there are certain modifications that need to be
accounted for it to become an effective youth football
defense. If a youth football coach is to customize a
defense for youth level football a proven defense such as
the Pro 4-3 is the basis to which one must begin. The
following document is going to explain this defense as
designed for youth football. To learn about Coach
Lombardi‟s version of the Pro 4-3 Defense the book
entitled, Vince Lombardi on Football explains this defense.

The idea behind this adaptation is to organize a scheme in

which it can be utilized with average defensive talent. It
does require two above average talented positions, four
average talented positions and two positions for the
minimum play or low talent player. The Youth Pro 4-3
defense tries to improve upon the techniques and strategy
of John Reed‟s Gap-Air-Mirror defense with the same player
talent and similar simplicity in its design. The major
improvement is the ability of the Youth Pro 4-3 defense is
able to get an extra player to the offense‟s point of
attack.

I originally ran this defense with an expansion team of 10

year olds. It was a lifesaver to me because I had all new
players who had never played before (While my opponents
averaged 3 years playing time) and I only had “two and one
half” studs (the “half” being 88 pounds.). So I didn‟t have
very good players. I ran this defense mostly with a
collection of rejects.

In the last game I ran it, we were up against the league‟s

undefeated team. They had not lost a game in nearly three
years. That game, my 10-year old goofballs turned the ball
over on our own 10-yard line for four consecutive
possessions. So, for four straight possessions, the
powerhouse team of the league had the ball, 1st and 10, on
my 10-yard line and yet never scored. The other coach went
ballistic. After the game was over he made his entire team
run 5 laps around the field for not scoring. The referees
filed a complaint against him for this.
I have since updated and modified it.

ALIGNMENT

Shown above is the basic DC 4-3 Pro alignment. The Youth

Pro 4-3 defense has the ability to adjust to offensive
formations and add strength to its alignments when the
offense is set-up to certain strengths. For example when
the offense is in the I-Formation its line of strength for
attacking is vertical or up the middle. The Youth 4-3
brings up the weak safety from his deeper position to play
alongside the Middle Linebacker with one over each “A” gap
which creates a “6-2” look shown below (You can also do
this against wishbone teams.).

One of the focal points of the Youth Pro 4-3 defense is to

negate the charge and intent of the offensive tight end. He
is simply taken out of the play. This is accomplished by a
double team charge by the defensive end and either the
corner back or a safety depending on pre-snap alignment.
They will aggressively attack the tight end and attempt to
drive him backwards into the offensive backfield to disrupt
the play of the offense. Called a “Stone”, in essence the
defense uses the offensive tight end as an extra defender.
You can also “play games” with the TE where one defender of
the two stoners blitzes instead of stones and let the TE
guess who he has. “Stoning” a TE pretty much renders him
useless as a receiver and a blocker both. Faking the
“stone” will usually catch him blocking no one.

The defensive positions are listed below in order of

importance or talent from least to most.

1. Defensive Tackles
2. Defensive Ends (big/slow or small/fast)
3. Corner Backs (small/fast but with skill)
4. Strong Side Linebacker
5. Weak Side Linebacker
6) Strong safety
7. Middle Linebacker
8. Weak Safety

DEFENSIVE LINE

Defensive Tackles

MINIMUM PLAY PLAYERS: Defensive tackles line up in the “B”

gap, on either side of the offensive center (We define this
as being the outside shoulder of the third man from the
“end man on lines of scrimmage” (EMLOS)). They are in 4-
point stances and are tilted slightly towards the QB. Their
role is to first make contact with the guard by charging in
low and aiming for his neck, striking with the inside
shoulder pad before penetrating. If he is double teamed by
the guard and tackle, he can bear crawl through the gap
towards the QB. We usually have them “bear crawl” with
hands in fists to keep their fingers from getting stepped
on. If the player has difficulty working from a four point
stance versus a three, have him start on hands and knees
and bear crawl from the snap as fast as possible (He must
still hit the guard. If he doesn‟t, the guard will “sit on
him”.). We want our inferior DT‟s to prevent the offensive
guards from blocking the defense‟s middle linebacker. This
position can be held by a player of any level of talent,
typically the weakest, and including small players. By
heading at the QB and making contact with the guards they
are not only defending their gap but also reducing the over
all size of the center/guard gap for traps as well.

Coaching: Set up a guard/center/guard and two DT‟s. Give a

football for the center to hike and place another football
on the ground two yards in front of the center. Standing
five yards in front of the center, signal the snap count to
the offense and then call it. Both guards try and get to
the ball in front of the center and both DT‟s try and stop
them from getting to it in 2.5 seconds or before you can
say, “One monkey! Two monkeys! Three monkeys!” The DT‟s
should have their helmets over the backside of the guard
when making contact in order to see into the backfield for
a ball carrier hitting their gap. This should give our
middle linebacker time to find and chase his man without
being blocked.

Better players: The DT‟s play 18 inches off the ball in an

even toed three point stance and keyed to the guard‟s feet,
responding to the first step. If the guard‟s first step is
with the outside foot (away from center), the DT meets him,
staying on his outside shoulder, driving him towards the
center and keeping outside arm free. This allows him to
defend “B” gap as well as keep the guard off our middle
linebacker. If the guard‟s fist step is with his inside
(center side) foot, the DT dives across the guard‟s knees,
helmet as close to the center as possible. Stay on hands
and knees with hands in fists. This keeps the guard off
the linebacker, defends wedge, and positions the DT to stop
QB sneak. If the guard‟s first step is flat and towards the
QB; it indicates he‟s pulling. The DT fights over the top
of the block of the center who will try and fill for the
pulling guard. The center must hike the ball plus make this
block. By being 18 inches off the ball and moving sideways
to follow the pulling guard, the center should miss this
block. The other DT will help keep our middle linebacker
from being blocked, which plugs up the trap play while the
pulling guard leads our pulling DT right to the play. If
the guard steps with his outside foot flat, he‟s pulling
outside, possibly for a cross block. Again, the DT pulls
with him. By being 18 inches off the ball, the offensive
tackle may miss his down block. If not, our DT will have
at least squeezed the hole down and have a better chance of
fighting past the block. The key to playing 18 inches off
the line is to allow our lineman following the pulling
guard.

Defensive End

If no TE, the defensive ends line up on the outside

shoulder of the offensive tackle position or the # EMLOS.
This position requires more strength than the defensive
tackle position. There are two roles for the defensive end.
First, he lines up with his inside hand down, outside hand
up. If there is a tight end, the defensive end‟s outside
foot is splitting the stance of the feet of the tight end
(On the other side, the corner back‟s inside foot is also
splitting the tight end‟s stance so that both the corner‟s
and the defensive end‟s feet are touching or nearly
touching. The corner‟s foot may be slightly further back
and angled). The corner is also in a 3 point stance but
with outside hand down and inside hand up. On snap, both
players drive their “up” hand into the tight end‟s chest
(to near jersey numeral) while the down hand goes to the
tight end‟s near shoulder to keep him from sliding left or
right (but with fingers pointed up or it‟s defensive
holding). The two defenders drive the tight end back and
the DE looks inside to see “who‟s coming”. He turns inside
if any blocker is coming at him or if he fails to make
solid contact with the TE because the TE outside released.
When he turns inside and meets a blocker, he steps towards
the blocker and engages his near or outside shoulder. If
the QB has dropped back to pass, he continues to go around
the outside of his blocker (up field). If the blocker is a
pulling guard, he fights towards the guard (His job is to
stop any runs between himself and the DT.). If he sees no
blocker coming at him and makes solid contact with the TE,
he continues to drive the TE back and continues to look
inside for a reverse. If the tight end is moving backwards
he will not be a receiver and he becomes an extra obstacle
for the offense. He should go backwards 2-3 yards on every
play if both defenders stay on him.

On a sweep run, the corner back will shed the double team
on the tight end and pursue the running back. The defensive
end will continue to push the tight end backwards.

On a pass play the tight end will be held up at the line of

scrimmage until the defensive end recognizes pass, sheds,
and rushes the passer leaving the cornerback to remain on
the tight end.

When there is not a tight end, the defensive end (DE)

aligns outside the offensive tackle just far enough out
that if he tilts at the nearest back, he will also be
looking through the offensive tackle‟s backside. Then he
charges that same line. If the tackle blocks the defensive
tackle and not the defensive end, the defensive end has a
straight, uninterrupted, path into the offensive backfield.
If not, and the offensive tackle blocks the defensive
tackle, he slides away outside and plays sweep.

DEFENSIVE BACKS

Cornerbacks

When a tight end is present on the cornerback‟s side of the

defense and there are no other wide outs, the cornerback
would align on the outside shoulder of the offense‟s tight
end. The corner back and defensive end‟s feet are touching
(or nearly touching) right in front of the tight end‟s
face. The corner is tilted at the tight end‟s neck. On
snap, the tight end is driven backwards. Both players (The
corner and the defensive end) drive their “up” hand into
the tight end‟s chest (to near jersey numeral) while
outside hand goes to tight end‟s near shoulder to keep him
from sliding left or right. The corner back and defensive
end drive together and then look into the backfield to see
which one of them has to come off the double team. If tight
end is moving backwards he is not a pass receiver and he
becomes an extra obstacle the offense. He should go back-
wards 2-3 yards on every play if both defenders stay on
him.

When the offense attempts to run a sweep the corner back

comes off his double team with the defensive end and either
makes the tackle or forces the running back deeper and to
the outside. The DE stays on the TE.

On a pass play the tight end will be held up at the line of

scrimmage until the defensive end recognizes pass and
rushes the passer leaving the cornerback to remain on the
tight end. The corner will continue to push until the tight
end breaks free, at which time the corner will chase him
using bump and run technique and force an inside release
into the middle LBer‟s coverage.

Here is what John Carbon, who ran the defense in 2004,

added for corner play:

"If the corner is covering the tight-end (TE) - well, his

alignment is inside foot in crotch of TE. If TE tries to
release our first responsibility is to not allow him to
release and "catch" him. We say catch because we do not
want our corner to lunge and miss. We want our corner to be
an obstacle or a hurdle that the TE has to go through to
get off the line. Remember that you have a "c" gap
penetrate player on the inside of the TE so usually this
"c" gap player knocks the piss out of the TE as well. After
running this technique it is very easy to tell if the TE is
blocking or trying to run a route."

When there is a wide receiver and no tight end present on

his side, the corner back will become responsible for this
receiver. In wide receiver coverage the question is whether
to have the cornerback line up on the outside or inside of
a wide receiver. Outside shade coverage on a wide receiver
is probably unnecessary at the youth level, so an inside
shade will be in order. He will conduct a bump and run
technique on his assigned receiver and attempt to impede
being blocked and/or the receiver‟s release from the line
of scrimmage into pass route. It is important to remember
if the wide receiver is off the line of scrimmage then the
corner back sets up off the line of scrimmage an equal
distance as the receiver.

Strong Safety

The strong safety position is responsible for recognizing

and aligning on the strong side of the offense‟s formation.
He must find where the offense has an extra player,
creating an unbalanced or unsymmetrical strength. To the
unbalanced side, he lines up 7 deep steps off the second
eligible receiver and shades 2-3 steps inside him. If there
the offense is in a balanced formation, the strong safety
will be in line with the offensive tackle (second)
offensive player from the outside) and at his normal safety
depth of 7 steps. If #2 eligible is a tight end, he will
come up and line up on the tight end the same as a corner
does.

How does the strong safety recognize the strong side of the
offense? He counts the number of offensive players left of
the center position. He counts the guard, tackle, tight
end, and flanker or wingback. If this sum is four or
greater, the strong safety stays on this side, aligning off
the second eligible player from the outside. Otherwise, he
rotates to the other side of the formation and aligns on
the second eligible offensive player on that side (Shading
towards the center), or directly on the tight end if the
tight end is uncovered.

In a situation where there is a tight end and a wide

receiver on the same side, the Youth Pro 4-3 defense wants
to match talent versus talent. If the wide receiver is of
lesser talent than the defense‟s strong safety, the
defense‟s corner back will take the wide receiver while the
strong safety will come up and double-team the tight end
with the defensive end.

If an offense has a tight end and a wing back then the

Youth Pro 4-3 defense needs the strong safety to cover the
wingback. Generally a wingback is a more important position
than a wide receiver in a youth offense because of the
reverse threat. Therefore, the corner will remain on the
tight end. The strong safety needs to mirror the action the
wingback makes. If the offense runs a reverse to the
wingback from the defense‟s left to right, the strong
safety mirrors the path of the wingback. If the wing runs
out for pass, the strong safety covers him. Even though he
is keying the wing, the strong safety remains aligned on
the tight end).

If there is no wingback, pass receiver responsibilities

require the strong safety to cover the second receiver from
the outside on the offense‟s side of strength. An example
might have a wide receiver and a tight end on the strong
side of the offense. The corner back would pick up the wide
receiver. The strong safety will be responsible for the
tight end since he is the second receiver eligible on that
side of the formation. If the #2 eligible is not up on the
line of scrimmage (He‟s a back), the strong safety will
remain at normal safety depth in line with the second
offensive player from the outside and key him for run or
pass. The strong safety‟s rule is; “If my man is on the
line (TE), I‟m on the line. If my man isn‟t on the line
(running back), I‟m not on the line.”

Weak Safety

The weak safety position is really a misnamed defensive

position. There is nothing “weak” about the player required
to handle this role. He is the most crucial player in the
Youth 4-3 defense. This is our “universal stud” who will be
omnipresent to our defensive scheme and football
intelligence is essential.

For example, when the offense aligns in I-formation or a

full house “T” where the strength on the offense will be
right up the middle, the weak safety will move up into the
box (The “A” gap next to the middle linebacker and move him
over to the other “A” gap versus “I“. However, the weak
safety plays two steps deeper than Mike. He reads the
tailback. Against “T” he stacks behind the right DT and
keys near HB.

In a balanced line, two tight end offensive formation the

Weak Safety will be lined up on the #2 eligible receiver
and shaded towards the OT on his side and at the same depth
as the #2 eligible receiver, plus one step.

FS SS

B B
T B T
C C

Here the weak safety (FS)is aligned over the left offensive
tackle and covering the #2 eligible (C has #1). He is in
man coverage.

How does the weak safety know which side to line up on? He
stays over on the right side of the field and counts the
number of offensive players on the right side of the
center. If he counts three, he‟s on the correct side of the
field. If he counts four he looks to see if the strong
safety is coming over to switch with him. If the strong
safety doesn‟t come over (formation is balanced), he stays
and takes #2. If the strong safety does come over, he goes
over to the left side of the formation, lines up over the
offensive tackle, and keys the nearest back/receiver,
shading at least one yard towards him. Notice that neither
of the safeties aligns directly over the man they are
assigned to cover unless he‟s directly behind an offensive
tackle (“T” or “wishbone” formation).

If the weak safety stays over on the right with four

offensive players, he covers the eligible receiver to his
side the corner doesn‟t take (normally a back or a tight
end as #2 eligible).

In typical run pursuit the weak safety has clean up duties

since he will be pursuing along the back side of the
formation, so he will need to have speed to maneuver
everywhere on the field.

Run coverage responsibilities require the weak safety to

cover the running back to his side of the offensive
formation (tailback in “I” formation). This matches up our
best player against the most likely offensive player to get
the ball.

If the play is a pass, the weak safety has any receiver

that enters his area of the field. He can read the QB‟s
eyes to see who he is throwing to.

LINEBACKERS

Middle Linebacker

The second crucial position in the Youth 4-3 defense is the

middle linebacker. In Coach Lombardi‟s Pro 4-3 defense the
middle linebacker was his star defender, Ray Nitschke, who
could both tackle and intercept passes (25). The goal was
to keep blockers off him where he would be able to be
involved in stopping plays. The Youth Pro 4-3 is not
dissimilar. We want the middle linebacker and weak safety
to be our premier defensive players. The middle linebacker
is the biggest and toughest player.

The Youth Pro 4-3 defense places the middle linebacker in

the center of the defense at least one yard deep. He must
be able to cover the field left to right equally. He
pursues the play along the backside of the defensive line
to tackle the running back. The middle linebacker reads the
back nearest the center (the QB in “T” or the BB in Single
Wing). If he‟s reading a QB, he keys him only until the QB
turns or backs up and then keys any back directly behind
the QB as his alternate key (He watches the QB for “sneak”
first and then the fullback (FB).). On snap, if his read is
the FB, he follows FB‟s direction and reads the offensive
line‟s butts. The linemen‟s butts points where the middle
linebacker wants to be. We call this “following farts”. If
the offensive tackle (OT) is facing outwards (i.e. blocking
our DE), then his butt is facing inwards and the middle
linebacker follows the “fart” and crashes the OT‟s “fart
area” to the side FB moved to. If he is met by a guard, he
fights to the outside of the guard, keeping his outside arm
free. If the offensive tackle is facing inwards (i.e.
blocking the DT), his butt is now facing to the outside.
Again, Mike follows the “farts”, flowing outside and
looking for plays in “C” or “D” gap. The linemen‟s butts
always point to the runner!

When the offense in I-formation, the middle linebacker will

line up in the strong side “A” gap at just over one yard
and take the fullback.

In pass coverage the middle linebacker can either blitz the

QB or drop back and follow the eyes of the passer, going
where the quarterback is looking.

We play the Mike backer one yard off the center to threaten
blitz and to discourage teams from trying to run QB sneaks.

FS SS

B B T B
C T C

Mike keys the back closest to the center, in this case the
QB. He‟s defending the QB against “sneak. Once the QB
hands off, he is free to chase the ball, FB first. He does
not follow any back in motion. His coverage is zone.
 FS
B B
B C
C T T SS

Here Mike has shaded over in order to cover the FB. Since
Mike is not in a very good position to cover QB sneak to
the left of center, he should call “Over” to the DTin front
of him and tap him. This cause the DT to realign as
follows:

FS
B B B
T T SS C
C

The center will now block the “Over” DT instead of Mike on

sneak, allowing Mike to tackle the QB as he tries to go
around the center‟s left. Notice how Mike checks for sneak
first, fullback second.

TRAPS: Vince Lombardi successfully defended the trap with

this front by having the flexed DT‟s follow the pulling
guard while Mike, like all other 4-3 Mikes at the time, shot
straight ahead between the filling center and the pulling
guard the instant he read trap. This part should not be
necessary as the pulling DT should stop the trap and Mike
is normally keyed to the fullback getting the handoff, who
runs most of the traps anyway.

Defending Trap is shown on the next page.

 FS SS
B B
B
T T
C C

The right side DT is keeping the RG off Mike on the trap

and center is finding it difficult to block back on the
flexed left DT who is following the pulling LG who has no
one to block. All three blocks are missed, allowing Mike
or the left DT to make the tackle. Notice how Mike
“Doesn‟t move until the ball moves”. He watches the QB
first and the FB second.

Strong and Weak Outside Linebackers

The strong linebacker position aligns on the left side of

the offense‟s formation (to quarterback‟s right). The weak
side linebacker aligns on the right side.

The strong and weak linebacker line up 2 yards off the line
of scrimmage and approximately 2-3 yards outside the tight
end or offensive tackle if there is no offensive player
outside of them. If there are two receivers outside them,
they play halfway out to the nearest receiver or, if there
are three or more receivers outside them, they play over
the top of the nearest receiver and slightly inside him.).
They play in zone, backpedaling 3 short six inch steps,
reading the center and near guard first (near TE second),
and mirroring them (Doing as they do). If the near guard
goes forward or pulls towards him, the reading linebacker
goes forward. If the near guard pulls away, he chases
through Mike. If neither the center nor the guard moves (no
one blocks Mike by their third step back), he plays pass in
his flats. If both the guard or the center comes out, he
goes forward and plays contain for run or screen.

Sometimes the center or guard simply won‟t come out and

give a run or pass read in which case he keys the near TE.
If the TE blocks high, it is run to his side. If the TE
blocks low (“shoe shines”), the play is away. If the TE
pass releases, it‟s pass. Some defenses, like a 4-4, will
have the OLBer key the TE all the time. Here‟s an example:

FS SS
B B
B
T T
C C

In the above, the OLBer on the left saw the TE block low
(shoe shine) the DE (to cover for the pulling LT and LG)
allowing the OLBer to be free to chase the play over the
other side of the field. Meanwhile, the OLBer on the right
saw the TE block down on the DE, a signal for him to come
forward.

Notice, the left DT is following the pulling LG, Mike if

following the FB, and the safeties are covering the
wingbacks. The defense will bring nine defenders playside.

If the offense tries to fake this play and run a counter

back left, here is what happens:

FS SS
B B
B
T T
C C

This time the OLBer on the left saw the TE down block and
has come forward. The OLBer on the right saw a low
“shoeshine” and is therefore pursuing left. The defense is
pulling three players from the right to the left (SS, Sam
OLBer, and the DT, the same number of players the offense
is pulling left (RG, RT, and wingback ball carrier on
reverse.).

Notice how both safeties, although in man coverage, have

shaded towards the offensive tackle to their side.

If the outside linebackers get a run read, they will

instantly rush HARD in a circular motion and while keeping
an eye on the ball. They will keep outside leverage (The
ark has a 2 yard radius. We simply place three cones in an
ark to teach them to follow.). They then engage the lead
blocking back (which can be a wing back) and fight around
him, keeping outside arm free. This forces the runner
following the lead blocking back into a change of
direction. If the running back cuts outside his lead
blocking back, he will cut into the strong or weak
linebacker who is fighting outside the blocking back. If he
cuts inside, he enters the area of the cornerback who sheds
the tight end for the tackle. So the running back will
either get tackled for a loss or make an exceptional move
and escape both the outside linebacker and/or the corner
back. This is not impossible since the outside linebackers
and corner backs are not as talented as a typical running
back. However, it is insignificant because if the running
back manages to elude the corner back and outside
linebacker to either the inside or outside of his
fullback‟s lead block, the Youth Pro 4-3 defense‟s three
major studs will now arrive. The middle linebacker will
fill for a tackle missed by the corner and the strong
safety will fill for any tackle missed by the outside
linebacker. Further, both the strong safety and middle
linebacker are backed up by the weak safety. This is hard
to get by. The running back‟s best asset, his speed, is
being countered by the two safeties best assets, their
speed (both should arrive unblocked). If he tries to go
around the outside linebacker, he will need to loop
approximately 10 yards behind the line of scrimmage to do
so. Now the running back needs to regain that additional 10
yards that he lost before our three studs arrive. Even if
he‟s faster than our two studs, this can‟t be done. But,
just to be safe, this is why the Youth Pro 4-3 defense has
their two most talented players at the safety positions
chasing down the running back.

When the running play is running away from the outside

linebacker and his key took him mistakenly forwards, the
non-play side linebacker needs to follow into the offense‟s
backfield and trails behind in search of a reverse back
towards his side of the field.

BLITZ

The Youth Pro 4-3 defense is versatile enough to cause

further headaches for youth offenses with the ability to
conduct blitzes. This defense may not be a true “blitzing
defense” but it capable nonetheless. Depending on local
league rules blitzes can be executed in various methods.

The double team techniques conducted by the corner back and

defensive end is a critical element to the defense‟s
success. After awhile, the defensive end and corner back
can start playing “games” with the tight end. One will
blitz and the other stands up the tight end. A DE blitz
becomes very effective if the offensive guard and tackle
are both double team blocking the defense‟s bear-crawling
defensive tackle, which happens when the defensive tackle
is having success penetrating into the gap.

Similarly, when the corner back is outside in man-to-man on

a receiver, the strong safety will come up and align in the
double team spot with the defensive end. They may switch
positions where the strong safety will line up on the
inside and the defense end on the outside. The strong
safety may blitz immediately without performing the double
team. You now have an unblocked “stud” in the opposing
backfield if the DT is being double teamed.

Another example of blitzing is bring the weak safety up

into the “A” gap on the line of scrimmage and have the weak
safety and middle linebacker blitz each “A” gap. This will
discourage QB sneaks. The WS and Mike tap the buttocks of
the DT‟s when blitzing to tell them to pull their guard
with them to the outside to open the blitz gap.

The outside linebackers may also be involved in blitz

maneuver as well. The outside linebacker who has no
offensive player outside him is free to blitz. He would
stack behind the corner on the tight end and, as the DE and
CB drive the TE back, he would rush “C” gap or the “B” gap,
whichever the OT‟s buttocks point to on snap. The corner
has contain. He does not bother with a three step drop on
Blitz.

BUMP AND RUN FOR COVERING WIDE RECEIVERS

Researching for bump and run information, getting

information from coaches like Doug Clarke and professional
coach Tom Bass, the conclusion reached is that at the youth
level, a coach must ignore what the experts say. Their
intentions are sound and their advice is good at the high
school, college, and pro level, but it simply does not work
at the youth level. These coaches will consistently tell
you not to have the defender step into the receiver or the
receiver can put a move on him. “So what?” If the defender
steps into the receiver when playing out of a two-point
stance, the receiver can block him. Since most youth plays
are runs, your defender will be getting blocked most of the
time if he just stands there and makes a target of himself.

The Youth Pro 4-3 defense calls for the corner covering a
split end to step with the outside foot at a 45-degree
angle on the end‟s movement. If he is already tilted at a
45-degree angle, his first step will be parallel to the
line of scrimmage. Generally youth receivers can‟t put a
move on a defender who steps sideways into them.
Accordingly, the expert‟s advice is summarized as follows:

Quoting Tom Bass:

“The stance our defensive back‟s used gave the receiver

only one way to release and was the following: inside of
receiver, at 45-degree angle feet the width of his
shoulders, outside foot splitting the center of the
receiver. Knees bent almost quarter-squat, back straight
head up. Elbows close to body at waist, hands at chest
level with palms up. Eyes should be focused on the center
of the receiver's chest.

When teaching man-to-man coverage to our defensive backs we

focused on the following:
1. Understanding offensive pattern recognition.
2. Knowing the interception point for all patterns.
 3. Understanding the proper alignment and technique for
bump and run coverage.
4. Knowing when to look for the ball and how to play
each pattern for the incompletion.
5. In our teaching of man-to-man technique we never
introduced the ball to the drill. Having the ball in
the drill caused our corner backs to lose their
concentration and focus on the receiver and turned
the entire drill into an interception drill,
something that is separate drill in itself.

Additions to Coach Bass are as follows. The “interception

point” for all patterns is to catch the ball either 1) at
its highest point or 2) by cutting in front of the
receiver. The second choice is a very risky choice. The
defender needs to know that if he cuts in front of the
receiver and does not make the interception he is likely to
give up a touchdown. Still, once they know this, leave it
up to the defender to decide whether or not to cut in front
of the receiver. The coach cannot question the decision
afterwards. If a coach needs to question the defenders‟
decisions then the coach is playing the wrong player at
defender. The emphasis on the bump is that the inside hand
(center side) will always make contact on movement with
end‟s near shoulder whether play is run or pass. If the
receiver tries to block the defender, then jamming the palm
of the outside hand into the sternum of the receiver is
added. The inside hand is used to physically be a barrier
to stop the receiver from coming to the inside and to push
the receiver away from our body on a run block.

Two facts that need to be impressed on young players are

that the closer you are to a receiver the more you must
concentrate and that if you peek back for the ball before
you get ten yards downfield you will lose the receiver.

One thing found in studying game films is that, against

running teams, corner back‟s had a tendency to drop their
coverage and play the run. This becomes apparent when the
other team would finally pass and there would be a receiver
running wide open down the field with our corner back three
yards behind trying to catch up with the receiver. It was
concluded that they were playing the run first because we
were giving out helmet awards for tackles. Now our
defensive back is rewarded when he gets his inside hand on
his receiver at the start of every play or if the offense
never throws to his man.
 QB SNEAK

The question was asked, what happens when the fullback goes
one way and the QB “sneaks” the other? Or what happens if
the center takes Mike, and the guards block out (fan block)
on our DT and the QB sneaks?

The answer, of course, is “bad things”. The DC Pro 4-3 is

first rate until that happens. We play Mike up close to the
center to discourage them from even thinking of this. Every
“D” has a weakness though and, I‟m sorry to say, that‟s the
weakness of the DC Pro 4-3. Here‟s how Vince Lombardi
handled the problem of QB sneaks. Mike keys the QB first.
So if the FB goes one way and the QB the other, he‟s going
to take the QB. Also, if Mike gets formation away from the
center, he calls for an “Over” call. You can also call an
“Inside” call versus wedge teams or an “Outside” call for a
weak side DT slant. These are shown below:
All three of these calls involve having at least one DT
penetrate “A” gap with Mike able to cover the area he
vacated. The “Inside” call is a “blitz” call with Mike
hitting the „B” gap to the side the #3 back moves to. The
DT‟s are flexed 18 inches to making hitting “A” gap easier
and, if they are blocked, to leave Mike an open hole to
blitz. I would change the name of this call to “Inside
Blitz” which tells both DT‟s to take the inside rush.
On the “Outside” call, one DT is flexed and hits “A” gap.
I would change the name of this call to “Inside” (The
terminology above is Vince Lombardi‟s) and only the DT on
the right would make this stunt (The other DT stunting
inside only on “Inside Blitz”.). The “Over” tells the
right side DT to line up one gap “over” and cross the
center‟s face to opposite “A” gap. Mike shades back to his
side to cover his vacated area. Since most youth teams run
right 70% of the time, I‟m putting the “stunt” on the other
side to pick up the QB sneak. That way, if we stunt and
they don‟t “sneak”, there‟s a 70% chance that the defense
is still intact.

Lombardi also had an “Under” call. I only recently

discovered this. In an “under” call one of the DT‟s goes
from on the outside shoulder of the guard to the outside
shoulder of the center. Mike moves over the uncovered “A”
gap. Now both “A” gaps are covered against the sneak.

Lombardi used his terminology as follows. The weak side of

the line was always to the wide side of the field. The DT
on the wide side was known as the “outside” DT. The other
DT was known as “inside”. In “Over” the weak side DT moves
over. Lombardi‟s “Over” call can also be used against traps
or unbalanced lines or teams that use an SE but always run
towards the TE side.

FLEX

A “FLEX” call is borrowed from my “DC Dallas Flex”. Used

in passing situations or against “shotgun” teams or just to
see what happens, with the DT‟s flexed 18 inches the DE‟s
slant hard to “B” gap while the DT‟s loop to “C” gap. As
the tackles pick up the DE they open up a gap behind them
for the looping DT. The slanting DE fills “B” gap and
keeps the OG from blocking the looping DT. This is not used
with a blitz by Mike.
 DRILLS

I‟m only inserting one other drill for now. It‟s how we use
the “stone” call to disrupt pulling blockers. To use it,
the DE reads inside as he stones the TE, looking for a
pulling blocker coming towards him. If he sees a puller
coming towards him, he drops and bear crawls sideways (crab
walks) into the blocker, cutting him and then grabbing
ankles of anyone coming by.

If he sees a puller going away from him, he comes off his

stone again and chases the puller.
To get faster pursuit of the puller, you can play the
corner on the inside of the TE and the DE on the outside of
the TE. Now when a blocker pulls away, you‟ll have a faster
man chasing him to the run hole. Of course, when a blocker
pulls towards a stone call, you‟ll have a smaller player
crabbing into the blocker. I have shown it below with the
DE‟s on the inside of the TE and the corner on the outside.

Stone Drill:

Align the defenders being trained on two blockers (B). In

the example below, the coach (C) is aligned at the QB
position and the two Clydes (C), and the DE‟s (E) are being
trained. Three to four yards behind each blocker (B) is a
tackling dummy (xxx) with hand shields (H) on the ground
behind it.

The coach has a football and has assumed the QB position

with ball in front of him in the snap position. The
blocker‟s eyes are allowed to look down the line at the
coach. On the coach moving the ball, the blockers fire out.
Defender‟s react on ball movement, watching it out of the
corner of their eye, and drive inside hand to near jersey
number and outside hand to near shoulder and drive the
blocker backwards over the bag while looking inside.
The coach has four options:

1) Coach does nothing: Both blockers get driven over the

bags.
2) Coach drops back to show pass. Both DE‟s come off
their “stone” and pass rush around the bag. The
corners shift from ”stone” to “post” coverage (same
technique).
3) The coach DROPS THE BALL and runs left: The left DE
comes off his stone, drops, and “crab walks” on fists
(to keep fingers from being stepped on) into the
coach. The right DE comes off his “stone” and chases
the coach at full speed, passing by his outside
shoulder, and stops. Corners remain on “stone”.
4) The coach DROPS THE BALL and runs right: The left DE
comes off his stone and chases coach at full sprint,
passing by his outside shoulder, and stops. The right
DE comes off his stone and “crab walks” on fists into
the coach. Corners remain on stone.

Coaching points: When the coach runs left or right, he

always leaves the football behind. He represents a pulling
blocker, not a ball carrier. Carrying the football causes
the defenders to think they are attacking a ball carrier.
They‟re not. Carrying the football creates distraction and
confusion. Also, the blockers should be TE size and not
offensive tackle size. The blockers do not initially try
and pass release until the defense become proficient at
stoning them. Once the defenders have this down, the coach
can yell “Go!” as he pass drops and the blockers can try
and pass release for the coach to throw to them.

When a corner feels he‟s left alone on the blocker, he will

change to “stalk” technique and move the hand on the TE‟s
chest to his far shoulder pad. He will now have a hand on
each shoulder pad, fingers pointed up. He now stays in
front of the TE and shoves him in whichever direction tries
to go, while staying in front of him.
FORMATION ALIGNMENTS
Please note the “Quads” and “Trips” formations are not quite correct. The WS has
correctly aligned over the offensive tackle to his side but bas failed to shade towards his
receiver.
We haven’t covered “Knock down”. This is against an unbalanced formation as shown
below:

SS
WS
B M B
CE T T E C
O O 0 O O O O
O O
O O
The weak side has moved down to the center and lined up on his outside shoulder. This is
because the center is now the #3 man on his side. Technically, the DT on the strong side
is on #4 man, but he’s unlikely to “knock down” because 1) The DE is already there and
2) He’ll mistake the split end as a flanker anyway. This is fine because we don’t want
him to move. We have allowed Mike to move behind the DT to the unbalanced side. The
simple rule is, “If Mike can tell which side they’re going to run to, line up behind the DT
to that side.”

Here is the “Over” call against the Wing T:

SS
WS
B M B
C E T T EC
O O O 0 O O O
O O
O O

The play shown is the belly option. Notice Mike is stacked behind the weak side DT who
is fighting his way around the center. The DT does not miss the center. We want contact
as he fights his way across. This allows the LG to get on his block on the DT. If our DT
simply looped around the center, the LG would miss him and go up to M. We don’t want
that.
Notice the WS comes right up and meets his man (the HB), going from inside shade to
outside shade. This interferes with the HB going out for a pass to the outside and forces
the FB to run inside of the HB’s block where M is waiting for him.

The outside linebacker on the left is getting a pass read. Neither the LG or C came out. So
he’ll check to make sure the HB doesn’t try and release to the flats. If the QB were to
keep the ball, it would be the DE’s responsibility to tackle him. He has to beat the LT’s
block. The outside backer would only come up if the QB commits to the run. If the LG
goes to Mike, then the outside backer would have a run read and come up.

On the backside, our right side linebacker is getting a run read and is coming up to play
the reverse. If the RG doubled up with RT, he would have a pass read.

OTHER CALLS

Full House call: Used in short yardage situations, and with real fast safeties that can
chase down a back from behind. It moves both safeties right behind the DT's and has
them decide which gap to blitz.

Outside call: Used when a team is hammering off tackle with two lead blockers. It’s the
same call as above only now the safety blitzes to the outside of the DT.
 DEFENDING SPECIFIC OFFENSES

B FS SS B
N
C T T C
C
X LT LG RG RT Y
TB QB Z
FB

Shown above is a standard Double Wing offense running “power” to the right. The
formation is recognized by the heavily recessed (one yard) offensive line and the FB up
so close to the QB, he’d know if the QB farted. A Double Wing play will almost always
include certain features. They include backside pulling linemen, TE’s blocking down,
center blocking back, the FB kicking out DE, and short motion by a wing back. The
blocking rules are generally SAB, TKO, or GOD and the QB may lead block for the
runner or boot back the other way.
Some defensive explanations: FS is actually WS, N is Mike, and the solid black players
are the DE’s.
If we understand what the offense is trying to do, we can understand how to prevent them
from doing it. First, the TE’s: The TE’s on both sides of the line are moving towards the
center. The backside TE (X) is assigned to keep anyone from following the pulling
backside tackle. He will cut either our DT or our DE. The play-side TE (Y) will angle
across the front of the offensive tackle in front of him. If he’s small, he’s blocking GOD
and is going to help the RT above with our DT. If he’s big, he’s blocking SAB or TKO
and he’s aiming for Mike (N).
We defend both TE’s the same way. Tilt your DE’s at the LT and RT. They will be at
the same tilt as your DT’s. Due to the zero offensive line splits, tilting the DE makes it
easier for him to line up in the limited space. The corner lines up normally with his
inside foot splitting both feet of the TE. On snap, the DE heads right at the LT or RT
where he will intercept the TE. Two things will now happen. On the backside (left side
above), the TE will cut our DE. But, on the play side, our DE should knock the TE
sideways. If the DE isn’t cut, he is to drive the TE as deep into the backfield as possible
while looking for the runner to come around the outside of the TE. This shown on the
next page:
 B FS SS B
N
C T T C
C
X LT LG RG RT Y
TB QB Z
FB

X will put our DE on the ground but Y will find himself being driven sideways and X
will not be able to block our DT, forcing the center to block back to pick him up. Shown
below are the offensive tackles and TE’s positions on their first step:

B FS SS B
N
C T T C

X C RT
LG RG Y
TB LT QB Z
FB

Notice that, if we can push Y deep enough into the backfield, he’ll get in the way of the
pulling LG and LT. Notice also, with X cutting our DE, the center must block the
backside DT or he’ll chase the runner down from behind from tilt. This is very important
because it allows Mike to know the play direction every time. All he has to do is watch
the center and go the opposite way he goes. Above, the center went left and so Mike
goes to the right. He’ll never be wrong (If the center comes straight out, the play is
wedge.). So, if the center goes right, Mike goes left.
This is all your DE’s have to do for the entire game. Just tilt and intercept the TE and, if
he’s still on his feet; drive, Drive, DRIVE him back while looking outside for the runner
(See red line above.). The Double Wing has no one assigned to block the DE on the play-
side and the runner will pass by his outside shoulder.
In theory, our DE can blow up Y on his blocking assignment, disrupt the pullers, and
make the tackle all on the same play.
Let’s now move the corners who have the job of stoning the TE’s. They should look like
this:
 B FS SS B
N
T T
C C
X C RT
LG RG Y
TB LT QB Z
FB

Both corners are adjacent with the DE’s. Our corner on the left (backside) is obviously
not going to get in on the play. And the TE (X) he’s supposed to cover is now on the
ground and obviously not going out for a pass. So what does the corner on the backside
do?
He steps on the TE. The TE will always be on his knees when cutting or shoe shining the
DE. The corner targets the calves, neck, and hands. In the above situation, the left side
corner steps with his left foot on X’s left calf, then his right foot on the right calf. If the
TE is on the ground, the next step is with the left foot to the back of the TE’s neck and
the final step is with the right foot to the TE’s right hand. This allows the corner to step
on the TE four times while moving in the direction of the play. And, if the TE is on his
hands and knees, the third step is to his left hand instead of his neck.
This may sound like a brutal instruction but it’s not. We didn’t tell the corner to kick him
if he’s down or knee him in the ribs if he’s on his hands and knees. I do not hurt the
other team’s players. Our corner is not wearing metal cleats and he’s not jumping up and
down on the TE. All he’s doing is making the TE uncomfortably aware that the corner is
deliberately stepping on him and for no apparent reason at all except meanness. The
psychological response to being stepped on is to fight back. To fight back, the TE must
cease cutting the DE and hit the corner. After a few trampling, the corner should taunt
the TE, saying, “Why don’t you block me? Or are you just going to let me step on you
all day?”
This is a dare and the object isn’t to step on and hurt the TE. The objective is to get the
backside TE to block the corner. As soon as the TE fights back and blocks the corner,
our backside DE is free to follow the pulling tackle and guard (LT and LG above) right to
the ball carrier.
On the play-side, the corner will look like a DE. After all, he’s on the outside shoulder of
the TE (Y) and he’s the end man on the line of scrimmage (EMLOS). The FB should
identify the corner as his man to kick out. If he does, it means the offense is trying to run
between the corner and the DE, an almost impossible hole to hit.
Like the backside corner, the play-side corner heads at the TE (Y) and gets as deep as the
TE. He should not step up field past the TE. If he does, two things will happen:
1) The FB will kick block him outside.
2) The TE is now uncovered.
So he wants to help the DE shove that TE back into the path of the pullers (LT and LG).
The TE is now covered and our corner is not being blocked. Like the DE, he watches for
the runner to pass on his outside shoulder. If the pullers don’t run into their own TE (as
we want), they should run right by our corner and DE.
What happens next depends upon their blocking rules. The play side wing back (Z) will
either go around the corner to block Mike (GOD) or track block on his SAB/TKO angle
as shown below:

B FS SS B
N
T T
C C
X C RT
LG RG Y
TB LT QB Z
FB

Z will either crack our DE or our corner, most probably the DE as he should think the
corner . If that happens, the corner pushes on Z instead of Y.
What you see is that we’re getting what one Double Wing coach called “a big pile of
bodies”. Just to complete to the mess/pile, I’ll move the play side DT on the right to his
assigned position, hitting the RG as he comes out:

B FS SS B
N
T
C T
C
X C RG RT
LG Y
TB LT QB Z
FB

If we study the above, we see that there are no downfield blockers play side. No one is
preventing our WS (FS above) or Mike (N above) from getting to the runner who
represent our two best players.
This is both good and bad. It’s good because we have created a “train wreck” for the
offense to get around and totally defeated the purpose of their play side blocking. It’s
bad because our OLBers are both getting PASS READS. Neither the guards or the center
are going downfield. That’s what happens on PASS PLAYS. So, against a Double
Wing team, we must change the OLBer’s read.
The OLBer would key the TE for pass release. If the TE steps inside, the play is RUN.
If he tries to go outside, it’s PASS.
You can’t key the WB because, if he blocking GOD, he’ll go around the corner as shown
below in order to block Mike:

B FS SS B
N
T
C T
C
X C RG RT
LG Y
TB LT QB Z
FB

To our OLBer, that looks like a pass release when the play is actually run. So the OLBer
keys the near TE for run or pass where stepping inside is RUN and stepping outside is
PASS.
Thus, against this play the OLBer gets a RUN read and arcs forward:

B FS SS B
N
T
C T
C
X C RG RT
LG Y
TB LT QB Z
FB

But we can improve on this. If the OLBer sees his TE key shoeshine or cut a defensive
lineman, the play is GUARANTEED to be going to the other side. Our OLBer is free to
pursue plays to the other side if his TE key goes to his knees.
Thus, against this play, we would get this:

B FS
SS B
N
T
C T
C
X C RG RT
LG Y
TB LT QB Z
FB
The OLBer would pursue the play at a depth of 5+ yards. If the runner does get lucky
enough to get by the other defenders, he has a good chance at the tackle. The OLBer is in
“back pedal” on snap anyway so “getting over” happens as fast as it takes the TE he’s
keying to go to his knees.
This may seem like an excessive amount of detail but, if you play in a Pop Warner
league, you are guaranteed to eventually face a Double Wing team. If you want a chance
to play in Florida, you need to pay attention to detail.
Okay! So what is SS doing?
SS is interchangeable with the corner. That is you could put your corners on TB and Z
and your safeties on the TE’s. And, in fact, against most offenses you would do exactly
like (The corners would cover the #1 outside receiver and the safeties the #2.). I think the
safeties are better suited to covering the Double Wing’s backs than the corners but that’s
just my personal preference. I could be wrong.
But, if you put SS on Z, on this play Z will do one of two things:
1) He’ll run into the train wreck (TKO/SAB).
2) He’ll go around the corner to Mike (GOD)
The assignment of SS (or WS) is to “mirror” his man (Do as he does.). If his man goes in
short motion, so does he. If his man goes left so does he. If he man goes right, so does
he. If his man goes forward, so does he. In short, SS does whatever Z does.
In this play, Z has two choices.

B FS
SS B
N
T
C T
C
X C RG RT
LG Y
TB LT QB Z
FB

Here, Z is GOD blocking. He’s going around the corner to block Mike. Because he had
to go forward to do this, SS has gone forward too (“mirroring” him). SS meets him on
the OUTSIDE shoulder with a good, hard hit. He hits Z on the outside shoulder because
the DE and corner (plus Mike) have any run inside him stopped. So he is prepared for
the runner to “bounce it outside” when there is no hole and to be able to chase him
outside.
On the next page, Z is TKO/SAB blocking:
 B FS
SS B
N
T
C T
C
X C RG RT
LG Y
TB LT QB Z
FB

Again, SS has headed at the outside shoulder of Z. This places him right inside the FB’s
kick block on the OLBer which is exactly where the runner (TB) has been trained to run.
It’s also exactly where Mike is trained to go by “sniffing farts” (see butt cut on the FB).
If we add up the blockers play side we find that NONE of the play side blockers are
blocking ANYBODY, meaning the offense is entirely dependent upon the pulling LG,
LT, and possibly the QB to take out backside pursuing B, WS (FS), SS, DE (or corner),
and Mike. It’s mighty hard for three to block five.

The Double Wing is not a one play offense (Although it comes close.). It has a play
called “Cross Toss” that fakes this play and goes the other way with a counter reverse to
Z. Here it is:

B FS
SS B
N
C T T C
X LT LG C RG RT Y
TB QB Z
FB

Notice, that only ONE defensive player fell for the fake, WS (FS). All the other
defenders are headed right to the play hole. Their reads were:
Left OLBer: The TE he was keying blocked, causing him to come forward on contain.
Left Corner: Hit the TE while not entering the backfield (The pulling RG might go right
past him.). He has “outside arm free” for a tackle on the Z back trying to go around the
“train wreck”.
Left DE: Crushed X and drove him into the pullers way.
Left DT: Kept LG off Mike.
Mike (N): Went the opposite way the center blocked.
SS: Mirrored Z.
Right OLBer: Saw the TE cut/shoeshine and went the other way.

Note that the defense did not have to know the play. They just went where their key told
them.
One famous youth Double Wing coach, Jack Gregory, watches the backside OLBer on
every power play to see if he follows. And, sure enough, ours does. That’s a sign to him
to run the counter (”Cross Toss”). Only guess what? As soon as he runs the counter, our
OLBer reads the TE cut/shoeshine and doesn’t follow. A Double Wing coach using this
key will be wrong 100% of the time. Jack developed this key because back side LBer’s
were making tackles, an indication that our backside OLBer should make tackles to the
other side as well.

The only other Double Wing play we’re worried about is wedge. It looks like this:

B FS SS B
N
C T T C
X LT LG C RG RT Y
TB QB Z
FB

If you allow the LG, C, and RG to reach Mike (N), you’re SCREWED and the game is
OVER. Therefore, it’s very important that your DT’s take out both guards. Many
Double Wing coaches, based on their experience with Jack Reed’s GAM defense, believe
that a wedge can only be stopped by “A” gapers and, therefore, our DT’s must slant to
the “A” gap versus hit the guard. This is not true. The difference is in how high you hit
the guard. Hit him low on wedge. Hit him high otherwise. Because the Double Wing
uses linemen recessed a full yard off the ball, your DT’s should be able to read wedge on
the first step and cut those guards down.
There is also debate on how Mike should defend wedge. Many coaches believe that
Mike must blitz an “A” gap when he sees wedge. No doubt they have a reason for that
belief. Unfortunately, Mike cannot blitz both “A” gaps. So I have him “cross body
block” the center’s knees. If the DT’s have cut the guards and Mike has cut the center,
there is no wedge. The OT’s are falling over the DT’s and the TE’s have been creamed
by the DE’s and corners. So who is left to block for the FB?
But the only way to know for certain what will happen is to set up a wedge and let your
defense practice against it.
I apologize if this first scenario seems like a difficult one to defend. I selected it because
Pop Warner coaches will face it and because it was a current topic on the DC Pro 4-3
forum.
However, the instructions to the individual players are very simple even if the “bigger
picture” is not. Also, anytime you’re in the same defense every down you become
predictable. Fortunately, the reverse is also true. Anytime you line up in the same
offense every down, you also become predictable. Most Double Wing coaches run a
predictable system.
And that’s how you beat them.
TESTIMONIALS

DC, I ran the DC-43 Pro Sat. I have toyed with it since you
sent it to me but never used it in a game. WOW! This
defense is freaking awesome. We gave up one first down on
sat. My Two MLB's or MLB/ WS had a freaking field day.
Thank you so much for the D. I am hooked.

… The reason I was reluctant to run it from the beginning

was I had so many good players. I initially thought that
the 43 pro would limit some of my studs. Wrong. This
defense may work well with just a few studs but it is
absolutely awesome when you have 11 good players.

DC: This defense does not need any tweaking. Just need to
work on pass coverage a little. Like you said I had the
entire package installed in three days. It completely shuts
down the inside and outside game. I do believe against a
very good passing team they may find some holes but it will
be tough.

Bvaughn

Coach Clark,

Amazing. I learn so much from the documents you put together and their free, truly
amazing. Can't thank you enough. We started last night with instituting the DC Pro 43
and it really worked out even in just one practice. Can't wait for the season to start.

Thanks and have a great day!

Coach Chris

Thank you, DC:

Oddly enough, my 6-2 was developing into a very similar defense. Every addition I
made, and every one I was considering is included here, and then some!

(Of course I was at least two more seasons away from getting it this clean.)

I had a few differences. I played my SS the way you play the WS, And my DT's were
both big slow bruisers instead of the MPP's.
I hid the MPPs in different spots every time. Generally the WS position and where you
have the weak side DE. (my DT position)

I like it. Once again you make me feel like a fool for not seeing some of the items you
cover sooner.

Thank you once again for sharing.

I can't tell you how much I learned from your writings.

Enjoy

-Coach Will

Coach Clark,
Hope you had a safe and happy holiday season! Well, of
course another season is in the books and I'm not sure if you saw my
posts on the infosports forum after the season but using your DC Pro
43 and your DC Wing-T theories we went undefeated, absolutely
destroyed people. I owe in large part this great season to you and
guys like Calande and coach wade and coach reed etc.

Last year was all about fun and squeezing as much knowledge out of
your manuals you sent me to relay to the players and the smiles on
there faces when they would get a new concept throughout the year
was enough but, as it was we well, like I said, won every game by a
large margin.

In fact our defense was so good that 3rd game of the season they
would not let any teams put there 12 yrd olds on the field anymore
because we were destroying people with our 8-10 yr olds as it was.
Anyway, here’s my official request hope you can help. Bang that head
that doesn't bang....

Chris Franco

Coach, we did pretty darn good with your 4-3, never made any adjustments and ran it as
you suggested nearly the entire season. We went 10-1 with the one lost coming in the
championship game. The game itself was a tight one with about the same amount of studs
on each roster but the edge had to go to Springfield which fielded a full squad of coaches
that have been working with one another for about 10 years and running. We also only
fumbled only a handful of time throughout the season and in this one game we match that
amount. We averaged 30 pts a game and allowed only 4 teams to score just once apiece.

Coach Fournier

Hi again Clark,

I love that you take the time to answer questions. You make this forum so valuable because of
that. I will not bombard you and overuse it. I am LOVING your DC 43. I am sending this to
you by U2U because there are a couple of other coaches in my Division that also post and read
the forums here. 10 Yr. old Non select, Denver area.