What are defensive assignments in a football game and what are some examples of. Defensive assignment is basically being in the correct gap or executing the right move when the situation calls for it. There...
There used to be a time when tough, hard-nosed defenses were the cornerstone of every good football team. But with the rapid advancement in the skill level of the athletes that participate in the sport, football is turning from a raw force game to one that requires a bit of finesse and patience in order to be successful.
One of the things that football teams have done over the past few years to get better defensively was to add more speed to the defense. By adding more speed to the defense, football teams were able to counteract the speed that the offense was putting on the field.
But, just as in any battle, offenses have designed ways to counteract the speed of the defense in their favor; it's all very confusing at times. But one area that is not confusing on football defense is defensive assignments.
A defensive assignment is a football player's pre-determined responsibilities on that play.
Will McClay enters his second season as head coach and defensive coordinator for the Dallas Desperados of the Arena Football League. Also serving as a scout for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League, McClay said that defensive assignments evolve around the plan the defense is attempting to execute.
"On defense, what you're trying to do is stop the tendencies of the offense," he said. "In doing so, you have to have a plan of how you plan to stop them. In executing that plan people have fits on a defense. And what that is, is basically being in the correct gap or executing the right move when the situation calls for it."
All position players on the defensive side of the football have assignments, but none are more prevalent than those of the run stopping crew consisting of the defensive linemen and the linebackers. For any defense to be able to stop a runner, all the players on the defensive side of the football have to understand what the roles are.
For example, one of the biggest reasons why linebackers normally lead their teams in tackles is because most defensive assignments are set up that way.
With linebackers playing the second line of defense on a defensive squad, what most teams will do is have the defensive tackle (the first line of defense) take on as many blockers as possible.
Let's say the lead blocker on the offensive side of the football is supposed to lay a block on the middle linebacker to clear a hole for the running back. The defensive assignment may call for the defensive tackle to take on the lead blocker clearing the way for the linebacker to step up and make the tackle.
Another good example of a defensive assignment is a defensive end containing the outside.
A lot of times, offenses will fake a run one way in hopes that the opposite defensive end will trail the play leaving the opposite side open for a reverse or misdirection. In those cases, the defensive end's assignment would be to contain the outside and be sure that the play does not come back his way. Easier said than done, keeping to defensive assignments requires a lot of practice and coaching.
