4-3 43 defense football playbook plays7/19/11 12:08 AMFrom www.FootballTimes.org/Article.asp?id=15543 defenseStaffWhile most high school teams use a 50 defensive scheme, the 43 defense remains at the top on most college and professional teams. The 43 defense is one of the most used defensive schemes and is named for the configuration of defensive linemen and linebackers. You have four (4) defensive linemen and three (3) linebackers, hence the name 43. If you had three (3) defensive linemen and four (4) linebackers, you would have the 34 defense, which you can read about elsewhere. It's simple to understand and easy to implement. Take a look at the diagram below.The four Xs are your four defensive linemen. The three LBs are your linebackers. LBs are usually named for the position they play. There are 3 main positions; middle LB, weak side LB, and strong side LB. Weak, strong, and middle are also referred to as Will, Mike, and Sam. So a Sam blitz, is when the strong side LB moves up into a gap and blitzes. The strong side is the side where the TE is lined up on. The CBs are the cornerbacks and the Ss are the safeties. Every player has a specific role based on how the offense lines up and what the defense is doing. The above configuration shows a Cover 2 type of defense. What is Cover 2? You have two safeties covering the deep routes. When you bring a safety up to blitz, or cover a WR man to man, you will end up with Cover 1.http://www.footballtimes.org/Printer.asp?id=155Page 1 of 34-3 43 defense football playbook plays7/19/11 12:08 AMCoverage assignments: CBs: The CBs play a short zone in the purple zone as above. They do not follow the receivers if they go too deep or too far to the middle. They stay put in their zones. Ss: The safeties cover any WRs that go deep and downfield past the zone that is covered by the CBs. LBs: The LBs are crucial. They cover the RBs, the TE and anyone else that comes at them. If it is a running play, they go up and make the tackles. If the TE goes out on a pattern, they cover him as long as he is in their zone. Once he goes too deep or too far to the sidelines, they can leave him. Some defenses will chose to cover the TE man with a LB. Find out what your coach wants to do. Xs: The defensive line attacks the QB. There responsibility is to go after the QB and tackle the RBs on run plays. Very simple. Modifications: What if the instead of a TE, they use an extra WR? How would you adjust?Basically, you don't want to change anything. The CB on that side still covers his zone. That may mean that he is covering two WRs, and that is ok. Once the ball is snapped, one WR may go deep, while the other goes outside. If one of the WR takes an inside route or goes over the middle, then the LB picks him up. If he takes a short outside route, the CB takes him. This means that the S on that side has to be more aware and more intelligent. Instead of putting in a 3rd WR, they may motion the 4 RB or the 2 RB to a side in order to get the defense to react or confuse the defense. Just treat the motioned RB as if he were a third WR as explained above. What if they bring in 4 WRs? Then what can you do?http://www.footballtimes.org/Printer.asp?id=155 Page 2 of 34-3 43 defense football playbook plays7/19/11 12:08 AMYou still don't change anything. A lot of backyard players and playground players who are used to covering all WRs man to man may not understand this concept, but it is simple. Only one CB covers the short zone area on that side (in the purple oval). In this scenario, the LBs can play further away from the ball and closer to the WRs. With only one RB to worry about, they don't have to play as close to the middle of the field. Blitzes: Blitzing from this type of defense can be done from many different positions. You can blitz a S, you can blitz one of the CBs, and you can always blitz an LB. Adjustments can be made for the player that is blitzing. If a CB is blitzing, the S on that side can cheat up a little. If the S is blitzing the other S can cheat to the center more. Of course, there are tons of adjustments and some very complicated schemes in the 43 defense. This is a basic overview and hopefully will get you started in your defensive football knowledge. Feel free to discuss this and make suggestions in our forums. Click below. Copyright 2004-2006. Football Times. All Rights Reserved. Reprint Information For permission to reprint or use any material, info@footballtimes.org.http://www.footballtimes.org/Printer.asp?id=155Page 3 of 3

DefenseDEFENSIVE POSITIONSDL: Defensive Linemen NT: Nose Tackle (Inside Defensive Linemen) DE: Defensive Ends (Outside Defensive Linemen) LB: Linebackers SLB (Sam): Strong-side Outside Linebacker MLB (Mike): Strong-side Inside Linebacker BLB (Buck): Weak-side Inside Linebacker WLB (Will): Weak-side Outside Linebacker DB: Defensive Backs CB: Cornerback N: Nickelback (Extra Cornerback in Nickel Formation) D: Dimeback (Extra Cornerback in Dime Formation) S: Safety FS: Free Safety SS: Strong SafetyFORMATIONSSolid (3-4): 3 Defensive Linemen (DL), 4 Linebackers (LB) (OLB's on the line), 2 Cornerbacks (CB), 2 Safeties (S) Straight (3-4): 3 DL, 4 LB, 2 CB, 2 S Over (3-4 Over): 3 DL (overloading strong side), 4 LB, 2 CB, 2S Under (3-4 Under): 3 DL (overloading weak side), 4 LB, 2 CB, 2S Strong (3-4): 3 DL, 4 LB (Sam on the line), 2 CB, 2S Weak (3-4): 3 DL, 4 LB (Will on the line), 2 CB, 2 S Pinch (3-4): 3 DL (DE's line up over C gap), 4 LB, 2CB, 2S Spread (3-4): 3 DL (DE's line up over D gap), 4 LB, 2 CB, 2 SSolidFORMATIONSStraightXXY ZXXY ZNT head up on C, DE's in B gaps, OLB's on the line, C gap shade on TE's, MLB's off the line, A gap shade on the G's. OverNT head up on C, DE's head up on T's, OLB's off the line head up on TE's, MLB's off the line, head up on the G's. UnderXXY ZXXY ZNT head up on strong side G, DE's head up on T's, OLB's off the line, head up on TE's, MLB's off the line, Mike head up on C, Buck head up on weak side G.NT head up on weak side G, DE's head up on T's, OLB's off the line head up on TE's, MLB's off the line, Mike head up on strong side G, Buck head up on C..StrongFORMATIONSWeakXXY ZXXY ZNT head up on C, DE's head up on T's, OLB's head up on TE's, Will off the line, Sam on the line. MLB's off the line, head up on G's. PinchNT head up on C, DE's head up on T's, OLB's head up on TE's, Will on the line, Sam off the line, MLB's off the line, head up on G's. SpreadXXY ZXXY ZNT head up on C, DE's over B gaps, OLB's off the line, head up on TE's, MLB's off the line, head up on G's.NT head up on C, DE's over C gaps, OLB's off the line, head up on TE's, MLB's off the line, head up on G's.Defensive LineDL Calls (all calls shown from straight formation on following pages):Key: Read & React Blast: Shoot Gaps Jam: Fill Inside Gaps Stretch: Fill Outside Gaps Crash Right: Shoot Gaps to the Right Crash Left: Shoot Gaps to the Left Inside Twist: DE's fill B gaps, ILB's fill C gaps Outside Twist: DE's fill C gaps, OLB's fill B gaps Switch Strong: NT and strong-side DE cross Switch Weak: NT and weak-side DE crossGaps & Offensive Line PositionsGaps:D TEC TB GAXCA GB TCD TEKeyDL CALLSBlastXXY ZXXY ZDL's make contact with OL, read the play and react.DL's bull rush OL, read and react while rushing.JamStretchXXY ZXXY ZDT bull rush on C, DE's shoot inside gaps.DT bull rush on C, DE's shoot outside gaps.Crash RightDL CALLSCrash LeftXXY ZXXY ZDL's shoot gaps to the right.DL's shoot gaps to the left.Inside TwistOutside TwistXXY ZXXY ZCombination DL movement & Blitz. DT bull rush on C, DE's shoot inside gaps, MLB's shoot behind DE's to outside gaps.Combination DL movement & Blitz. DT bull rush on C, DE's shoot outside gaps, OLB's, shoot behind DE's to inside gaps.Switch StrongDL CALLSSwitch WeakXXY ZXXY ZWeakside DE bull rush T, NT moves laterally to strongside B gap, strongside DE pulls behind NT to A gap.Strongside DE bull rush T, NT moves laterally to weakside B gap, weakside DE pulls behind NT to A gap.BlitzesSam Blitz: SLB blitzes Mike Blitz : MLB blitzes Buck Blitz : BLB blitzes Will Blitz: WLB blitzes Sam-Mike Blitz: SLB and MLB blitz Sam-Buck Blitz: SLB and BLB blitz Sam-Will Blitz: SLB and WLB blitz Mike-Buck Blitz: BLB and MLB blitz Mike-Will Blitz: BLB and SLB blitz Buck-Will Blitz: MLB and WLB blitz Strong Corner Blitz: strong-side corner blitzes Weak Corner Blitz: weak-side corner blitzes Strong Blitz: SS blitzes Free Blitz: FS blitzes Overload Strong Blitz: SS and SLB blitz Overload Weak Blitz: FS and WLB blitz Triple Strong Blitz: SS, SLB, and MLB blitz Triple Weak Blitz: FS, WLB, and BLB blitz Deep Blitz: FS and SS blitz Max Blitz: All LB's blitz Inside Twist: See DL Calls Outside Twist: See DL CallsSam BlitzBLITZESMike BlitzXXY ZXXY ZSam blitzes through C or D gap.Mike blitzes through A or B gap.Buck BlitzWill BlitzXXY ZXXY ZBuck blitzes through a or B gap.Will blitzes through C or D gap.Sam-Mike BlitzBLITZESSam-Buck BlitzXXY ZXXY ZSam blitzes C or D gap, Mike blitzes A or B gap.Sam blitzes C or D gap, Buck blitzes A or B gap.Sam-Will BlitzMike-Buck BlitzXXY ZXXY ZSam and Will blitz C or D gap on their side.Mike and Buck blitz A or B gap on their side.Mike-Will BlitzBLITZESBuck-Will BlitzXXY ZXXY ZMike blitzes A or B gap, Will blitzes C or D gap.Buck blitzes A or B gap, Will blitzes C or D gap.Strong Corner BlitzWeak Corner BlitzXXY ZXXY ZStrongside CB blitzes outside.Weakside CB blitzes outside.Strong BlitzBLITZESFree BlitzXXY ZXXY ZSS blitzes through strongside A or B gap.FS blitzes through weakside A or B gap.Overload Strong BlitzOverload Weak BlitzXXY ZXXY ZSS blitzes through A or B gap, Sam blitzes through C or D gap.FS blitzes through A or B gap, Will blitzes through C or D gap.Triple Strong BlitzBLITZESTriple Weak BlitzXXY ZXXY ZMike blitzes A gap, SS blitzes B gap, Sam blitzes C or D gap.Buck blitzes A gap, FS blitzes B gap, Will blitzes C or D gap.Deep BlitzMax BlitzXXY ZXXY ZSS and FS blitz A or B gaps on their side.MLB's blitz A or B gaps on their side, OLB's blitz C or D gaps on their side.Coverages:Man-to-Man: Default coverage. Each man in pass defense covers one man on offense. See following pages for rules and variations. Combo X (FS Double Teams X) Combo Z (FS D-T Z) Combo S (FS D-T S) Combo Double (FS/SS D-T X/Z) Cover 2 Zone (2 Deep, 5 Short) Cover 2 Man (2 Deep, Man) Cover 3 Strong (Rotate S/S) Cover 3 Weak (Rotate W/S) Cover 3 Man (3 Deep, Man) Cover 4 (4 Deep, 3 Short) Prevent (2 Very Deep, 4 Deep)BasicMAN COVERAGE2 3 1 1 2With Sam Blitz12321XXY ZXXY Z1232112321Reverse for Will Blitz. Buck will take #2 on weak side. With Sam-Mike Blitz With SS Blitz1232112321XXY ZXXY Z1232112321Reverse for Buck-Will Blitz. Mike will take #2 on weak side.With Strong Corner Blitz 1 2 3 1 2MAN COVERAGE1 2With Overload Strong Blitz 3 2 1XXY ZXXY Z1232112321Reverse for Weak Corner Blitz. FS will take #2 on weak side.Reverse for Overload Weak Blitz. Buck will take #2 on weak side.With Triple Strong Blitz 1 2 23 1 1With Max Blitz2/321XXY ZXXY Z1232112321Reverse for Triple Weak Blitz. FS will take #2 on weak side.BasicCOVER 2 MANWith Sam BlitzXXY ZXXY ZReverse for Will Blitz.With Sam-Mike BlitzWith SS BlitzXXY ZXXY ZReverse for Buck-Will Blitz.With Strong Corner BlitzCOVER 2 MANWith Overload Strong BlitzXXY ZXXY ZReverse for Weak Corner Blitz.Reverse for Overload Weak Blitz.With Triple Strong BlitzWith Max BlitzXXY ZXXY ZReverse for Triple Weak Blitz.BasicCOVER 2 ZONEWith Sam BlitzXXY ZXXY ZReverse for Will Blitz.With Sam-Mike BlitzWith SS BlitzXXY ZXXY ZReverse for Buck-Will Blitz.With Strong Corner BlitzCOVER 2 ZONEWith Overload Strong BlitzXXY ZXXY ZReverse for Weak Corner Blitz.Reverse for Overload Weak Blitz.With Triple Strong BlitzWith Max BlitzXXY ZXXY ZReverse for Triple Weak Blitz.BasicCOVER 3 STRONGWith Sam BlitzXXY ZXXY ZReverse for Will Blitz.With Sam-Mike BlitzWith SS BlitzXXY ZXXY ZReverse for Buck-Will Blitz.With Strong Corner BlitzCOVER 3 STRONGWith Overload Strong BlitzXXY ZXXY ZReverse for Weak Corner Blitz.Reverse for Overload Weak Blitz.With Triple Strong BlitzWith Max BlitzXXY ZXXY ZReverse for Triple Weak Blitz.BasicCOVER 3 WEAKWith Sam BlitzXXY ZXXY ZReverse for Will Blitz.With Sam-Mike BlitzWith SS BlitzXXY ZXXY ZReverse for Buck-Will Blitz.With Strong Corner BlitzCOVER 3 WEAKWith Overload Strong BlitzXXY ZXXY ZReverse for Weak Corner Blitz.Reverse for Overload Weak Blitz.With Triple Strong BlitzWith Max BlitzXXY ZXXY ZReverse for Triple Weak Blitz.BasicCOVER 3 MANWith Sam BlitzXXY ZXXY ZReverse for Will Blitz.With Sam-Mike BlitzWith SS BlitzXXY ZXXY ZReverse for Buck-Will Blitz.With Strong Corner BlitzCOVER 3 MANWith Overload Strong BlitzXXY ZXXY ZReverse for Weak Corner Blitz.Reverse for Overload Weak Blitz.With Triple Strong BlitzWith Max BlitzXXY ZXXY ZReverse for Triple Weak Blitz.BasicCOVER 4With Sam BlitzXXY ZXXY ZReverse for Will Blitz.With Sam-Mike BlitzWith SS BlitzXXY ZXXY ZReverse for Buck-Will Blitz.With Strong Corner BlitzCOVER 4With Overload Strong BlitzXXY ZXXY ZReverse for Weak Corner Blitz.Reverse for Overload Weak Blitz.With Triple Strong BlitzWith Max BlitzXXY ZXXY ZReverse for Triple Weak Blitz.PREVENTXXY Z