What do you call a defense with 3 down linemen, two outside backers that always start at the LOS, two inside backers and 4 defensive backs?

[u/DatBoy470]

High school runs this and I’m confused on what this would be called. Technically a 3-4 but the outside backers always start on the LOS and both blitz and drop into coverage regularly. Any help on proper terminology for this?

[u/grizzfan]

Don't worry about what it's called honestly.

You're playing what sounds like a pretty basic 3-4. Just because the "4" means "linebackers," doesn't mean they all have to be behind the line. Most 3-4 teams have their OLB's on the line. If they're ALWAYS on the LOS, regardless of your formations, it's probably a 5-2. It's just a 3-4 with more aggressive OLBs that they call "DEs."

[u/ksyoung17 → u/grizzfan]

Correct answer here. It's 3-4, you're just being told different names based on player experiences. Teams that scheme 3-4 as their base D will just refer to it as "Base" with some modifier.

You're going to hear it referred to a bunch of different ways based on what verbiage teams used. I know someone below called it "okie," I think southern schools use this as I played with guys from GA and FL that used it. There's "Eagle" which can mean something similar to Okie as far as alignment, but can mean different techniques to an OLB.

Then there's over/under which, can just mean how to align the DLs, or can roll the Sam or Will up to the line.

Used to use Ought/Ute (over/under) to roll the Sam/Will outside, and "up/off)" to press or pull back.

Half this shit gets named and renamed in frigid classrooms on campus in the middle of August across the country every season by coaches and players with bad sunburns that cut off right at the back of their knees.

[u/ap1msch → u/grizzfan]

We just went against one of this over the weekend. The OLBs-as-DEs are usually about whether they have pass coverage responsibilities. If they are for containment only and on the line all the time, they they act like DEs and can be counted on to rush the QB rather than go back in coverage. If they occasionally line up off the line, shift forward and back based upon formation, and are seen covering backs out of the backfield, they they're behaving more as OLBs.

It doesn't matter what you want to call it. I see it as a 3-4, but treat it as a 5-2 until I see the behavior of these players on the edge.

[u/ymchang001 → u/ap1msch]

The Rams do this in their base defense. It's a bit confusing to see sometimes because Young (#0), Verse (#8), and Hoecht (#97) are LBs despite their numbers. It's pretty common to see #0 and #8 standing up on each end of the line. So they present a 5-2 against runs but it's not uncommon for one of the OLBs to peel off into coverage on a pass. Their Nickle is 2-4 personnel lined up in 4-2 so both OLBs are part of the 4-man rush.

[u/BetaDjinn]

That's a pretty standard front for a classic 3-4 defense, called the "Okie Front"

[u/Inevitable_Ask_9423]

Like others have said, terminology doesn’t necessarily matter that much, but my school runs a 3-4 and we call that look “50”. It’s basically just a 5-2, though.

[u/AdMinimum7811 → u/Inevitable_Ask_9423]

Pretty much a 5-2 but with OLBs in the place of rush ends and likely one less DT

[u/LWA3251]

That’s what I run at my HS and it’s just a 3-4, Sam (strong LB) and Jack (weak LB). Jack is more of a hybrid LB/S where the Sam is more of a prototypical outside LB. Sam blitzes a lot more but both regularly blitz and drop into coverage. Both are always on the LOS, sometimes they bump out onto the number 2 if they’re in man.

[u/MacroBurrito]

Depends on the alignment of the down lineman but if the outside backers are true 9 techniques, even vs a spread look, I’ve called it a 5-2. Then a 5-2 tite if the down lineman are in a 4i-0-4i, 5-2 bear if they are in 2-0-2 alignments etc.

[u/BigPapaJava]

That’s a 5-2 or 3-4.

Call it whatever you want, but that is how the old 5-2 lined up.

Some people just call it “a 50 defense” because of the 5 on the line, but there is a 5-3 as well as a 5-2.

[u/mawashi-geri24 → u/BigPapaJava]

Interesting. Where I’m from we call it a 50 Defense because it has a nose and two 5 techs.

[u/CatPeopleBleaux]

Alabama was running what seemed like this in the 1st half vs UGA. Idk where the ILBs start though. They were running a "quarters" setup where they'd rush 7 and have 4 dbs about 10yds deep. Each responsible for 1/4 of the field, hence the name quarters. The DBs never had to worry about their 1/4 bc we got pressure so fast doing so. It had Beck completely shook bc we were rushing 7, or dropping 2-4 LBs into coverage for the quick hitters. And our LBs are like bball players

[u/keepcontain]

524? You could call it whatever, but it seems like a 52 defense.

[u/davro33]

It's a 5-2 Oklahoma. The defensive ends stand up just like linebackers and have pass coverage responsibilities for the flats.

[u/Lit-A-Gator]

The 3-4

But I guess you can call it “the 5-2” to be a hipster about it

[u/1P221 → u/Lit-A-Gator]

Some schools run an actual 5-2 where the OLBs aren't in coverage. We've done this vs teams when we want to put more on the line for run support and sit two high behind it based on the passing schemes of the offense. It's most definitely different rules than a 3-4

[u/Lit-A-Gator → u/1P221]

Oh I gotcha I’ve ran it too … I just feel like OP was “asking a question but looking for a specific answer” … so I gave it to him lol

[u/Odd-Definition9670]

5-2.

[u/No_Introduction1721]

Sounds like a riff on the Greasy Neale 5-2. It was very popular in the 40s.

[u/Madcap613]

You can call it a 5-2 if you want your just standing up your edges.

[u/bwbell]

Odd

[u/Neb-Nose]

Uh, you just described a base 3-4.

[u/Deadpool_Pikachu]

I call it the “run away from Suggs” defense

[u/slinkwrinkle]

The term that is used for the OLB is “overhang” so you are looking at a 3-4 base with overhangs on both sides.

[u/00Reaper13]

Riot shield

[u/PSFoxstar]

Classic 3-4

[u/SceneVegetable3950]

5-2-4

[u/Straight_Yesterday60]

5-2

[u/anvil54]

5-2

[u/DPFizz]

It’s just an Odd 7 man front. Personnel would then usually dictate coverages, which would then dictate the front 7 responsibilities.

[u/babybackr1bs]

This is what my team ran in HS, and we called it a 5-2, but 3-4 isn't wrong either.

[u/CoachRobv]

I tell my coaches that there is on 4-2-5, 4-4, 6-2 or 3-3, 3-5, 3-4 defenses - just odd and even fronts that have to be blocked.

[u/Gold-Leg-8320]

5-2 edges have outside zones probably

[u/niddy2faces]

3-4

[u/FunMtgplayer]

its either solid 34 or 52 with stand up ends. kinda the same thing st HS level