Nine-Man Front
E 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 single-
gap defenders. This concept is based off of
quarters coverage but the play of your cor-
ners is different. Lets start with a basic for-
mation and an eagle front:
Diagram 1: Basic Formation and
Eagle Front
The four interior linemen are responsi-
ble for their gaps. The Mac & Will lineback-
ers 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 with-
out telling the offense beforehand. An
example of inside run each way:
Teryl Austin Diagram 2
Linebackers Coach
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 •
play side. He also must get down to line-
backer 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 cor-
ners — 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 lineback-
ers and trying to tell him to guard the flat
and defend the run. Look at Diagrams 4
and 5:
Diagram 4
Diagram 5
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 verti-
cal 10 yards or more. If the tight end disap-
pears, he becomes a quarter field player.
The free safety vs. pass becomes a soft
quarter player, and vs. twins, reads two-to-
one, 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 7
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-on-
three match-up. The strong safety is key-
ing the tight end, and once he disap-
Diagram 8
Diagram 9
pears, it allows him to play the quarter
and help the corner.
In Diagram 7, the Sam and Mac line-
backer 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 exact-
ly 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 wor-
rying about cutbacks.
Good luck to all this season!

If You Love Football...

Honor its great traditions... Thrill to its spectacle...
Believe in its positive role in developing America’s youth

You should be a member of

The National Football Foundation
The members of the National Football Foundation are dedicated to:
• Preserving the spirit of football, its character-building attributes and its vital role in the
education process.

• Fostering the use of these attributes in the development of scholarship and leader-
ship in those who play the game.

• Recognizing and honoring accomplishments both on and off the playing field;
Providing permanence to the history of these accomplishments.

For more information contact:

The National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame, Inc.

22 Maple Avenue
Morristown, New Jersey 07960-5212
Phone: 973-829-1933

• AFCA Summer Manual — 1999 •