I've noticed that one of the defensive tackles - seems to be NT, as he's just outside the center - will sometimes line up with his body angled. I saw this last year for the the first time, and never see it in pro games, and was wondering if anyone knows why they do it. I figure they're probably setting up a stunt. In the game yesterday he would sometimes line up straight, sometimes angled, and when angled would sometimes go straight in and sometimes go at an angle into the center. Thanks in advance.
DT alignment
- Thread starter rutgers45
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This is from an article I found about the origin and purpose of the technique.
Ron Jaworski in his book The Games That Changed The Game, co-authored with Greg Cosell and David Plaut asked former Steelers linebacker Andy Russell about how the tilted nose came about.
"This offset alignment was something Joe [Greene] developed himself, out of frustration. [..] He hated to get blocked and wanted to make plays. So it occurred to him that, because he was so quick, he should just line up inside, between the center and the guard, tip his shoulder sideways, and when the ball was snapped, he'd just dart through that hole. He was supposed to line head-up on the guard. He jumped in the gap between the guard and center, tilted his body, and just blew through that gap, and it was devastating. It was a beautiful thing to see."
Note that not once does Russell discuss size, or soaking up blockers, or holding ground. It's an aggressive technique based on movement and quickness. "It's an aggressive defensive play," Chuck Noll told Jaworski. "Because our front four isn't sitting and reading the offense. Instead they're the ones making things happen."
That technique did a number of things for the Steelers' defense, among them forcing double teams. "We found out that with my lining up in it, I could demand a double-team," Greene told Jaworski. "The only way you can command a double is to not let the center overblock you, get in across your face."
Chuck Noll, Bud Carson and defensive line coach George Perles eventually designed their front seven defense around that tilted nose technique. By forcing teams to double team him, Greene prevented the guard from getting to undersized Hall of Famer Jack Lambert at linebacker, allowing him to run free and make tackle after tackle. Perles called this defense the Stunt 4-3.
You obviously haven't closely seen a lot of pro games or RU defenses from the past... We were angle blocking a lot because we don't have the horses to match up one on one. Schiano Ds always did this also. The is also used in the pros.
I think it's less about not "having horses to match up 1 on 1" and more about an attacking philosophy by having that tilted nose use speed to get into the back field. Pete Carroll has used this approach for a while at USC and now with the Seahawks.
If the OL does not adjust the titled nose can disrupt running plays by getting into the back field. I saw Scott Villone do this a lot.
If the OL adjusts by doubling the tilted nose with the center and a guard.....linebackers are free to make plays.
