Run Defense Basics

Time to refresh our football fundamentals

There’s no shame in it if you sometimes feel overwhelmed by football fundamentals, Xs and Os, strategy, technique, schemes and/or terminology. I’ve invested so much of my life into football and I’m constantly intimidated by how much knowledge a person would have to have to confidently say, “I know ball.”

I’m not putting down other sports like basketball or baseball when I say this, but strategically and fundamentally there is nothing like football.

A basketball team or a baseball team can win games, even championships, if they have just one player who dominates the sport without a strategy or sometimes in the face of one. Or as Mike Tyson said, “Everybody has a game plan until they get punched in the mouth.”

If Michael Jordan improvises 50 points in a game or Barry Bonds hits 70 home runs in a season, that could be enough to win.

It can’t work that way in football. Selfishness and improvisation by any player, even the team’s best player, could be the weak link of an offense or a defense.

There is no aspect of football that exemplifies the concept of one bad apple spoiling the bunch more than when it comes to RUN DEFENSE.

If 10 players do their jobs correctly but one doesn’t, that single mistake could be the reason for a 25-yard touchdown run instead of a 2-yard loss.

Now, Seaside Joe is never the TEACHER when it comes to football fundamentals and schemes. I need help from experts just as much as many of you who are reading this, and many others out there who know a lot more about the sport than I do.

Instead, I research the information, share the source, and steal the hell out of it.

Run Defensive Basics (Pure Football)

Today’s video comes from a YouTube channel called Pure Football, which unfortunately went defunct many years ago after posting about a dozen really good explainers on football. I’ve shared it before — maybe even this same video — but it’s time for a refresher.

I’ll share the link first (watch it) and then I’ll break it down point by point.

What are your immediate thoughts?

Good Run Defense:

• Every player knows what gap he is responsible for

• They are disciplined to not jump out of their assignment

• Get off of their blocks

Bad Run Defense:

• Easily confused

• Multiple defenders go to the same gap and therefore don’t fill every gap

• Don’t get off of their blocks

The Seahawks were quite notoriously terrible at run defense over Pete Carroll’s final few seasons despite Carroll being one of the most well-known advocates for the importance of the run game.

Clint Hurtt’s run defenses:

• 2022: 30th in yards allowed, 26th in Y/C allowed

• 2023: 31st in yards allowed, 27th in Y/C allowed

Mike Macdonald’s first season:

• 2024: 16th in yards allowed, 23rd in Y/C allowed

Seattle’s defensive improvements under Macdonald are well-covered territory, but the run defense especially picked up after allowing 164 yards to the Bills in Week 8. In the final nine games of the season, the Seahawks didn’t allow more than 140 yards to any team (they allowed over that number five times in the first eight games) and they held five of their last nine opponents under 100 yards.

Here are some screenshots and explainers from the video I posted above.

GAPS (Letters) and DEFENSIVE ALIGNMENTS (Numbers):

This is information that many of you already know, but it’s important not to feel ashamed if you don’t; there’s just SO MUCH information crammed in this sport that it can be difficult to grasp or retain it all if it’s not your profession or obsession.

The numbers refer to where the defensive player is aligned, so a 0-technique is heads up on the center, where as a 1-technique will be shaded to the side of the center. A three-technique will be on the outside shoulder of the guard, etc.

The letters refer to the gaps in between the linemen and gaps are the key to the run game.

4-3 defense (4 down linemen, 3 linebackers):

This is just your basic example of a 4-3 defense and what that means. I’ll link to something more specific about Macdonald in a moment.

• 1-technique Nose Tackle (Biggest Guy)

• 3-technique Defensive Tackle (Shiftier, Quick Twitch)

• 5-Technique End

• 5-Technique End

• SAM Linebacker walked down to 7-Technique

Mike Macdonald would be an example of a defensive coordinator who runs a 4-3 defense, but with “3-4 personnel”. Matty F. Brown wrote about this last March if you want a more specific breakdown of Macdonald’s defensive front.

Macdonald is heavily influenced by the defensive system that was already established in Baltimore, basing out of a 3-4 personnel and under front families. “We structure it as a 3-4, we’re really an under team,” he explained to Fox 13’s Aaron Levine. This approach has strong parallels to Carroll’s Seattle.

What is the objective of players in run defense?

Objective: Fill Every Gap (A, A, B, B, C, C, etc.)

It’s that simple. But just because it is simple, doesn’t mean it is easy. Offenses know just as well as defenses what the objective is, so how do offensive coordinators counter a fundamentally sound defense?

IF: Fullback blocks a gap, it creates two new gaps

Klint Kubiak is known for using a fullback as much or more than any other offensive coordinator in the NFL. We should expect that the Seahawks will use a fullback next season at a rate that Seattle fans haven’t experienced in years.

IF: Guard/someone pulls to the other side, it creates two new gaps

We should also expect that first round pick Grey Zabel will be on the move a lot this season. The Seahawks were impressed by his movement skills, as many teams were, which is why he went 18th overall. Zabel on the move as an extra blocker to the right side or at the second level should be a regular occurrence.

7-man fronts won’t have advantage against runs. How a defense fixes this:

• Bring down an extra player into the box (usually a safety)

• Two-gapping

Drafting a player like Nick Emmanwori in the second round means potentially having an extra safety who plays close to the line of scrimmage in run defense.

Two-Gapping

• Usually associated with 3-4 defense (3 down linemen, 4 linebackers)

Key to two-gapping: Not asked to penetrate a gap, but instead to control an offensive linemen. By controlling the OL, you control gaps to either side.

Drafting a defensive tackle like Byron Murphy and re-signing Leonard Williams in 2024 is a move that indicates acquiring players who are strong enough to two-gap. This could be where the concept of “3-4 personnel” maybe fits into Macdonald’s 4-3 defense.

What about a 3-4 defense? How does a 3-4 work against the run?

3-4 Defense:

• 0 Nose Tackle

• 4-technique Defensive End

• 4-technique Defensive End

• 7-technique Outside Linebacker

• 7-technique Outside Linebacker

Assignments in a 3-4 defense:

Nose Tackle: Don’t choose a gap, go heads up against center

Ends: Same

Outside Linebackers: Take the outside/cutback lanes

Inside Linebackers: Fill where needed

The Seahawks have talented edge rushers on their roster right now, players like Boye Mafe, Derick Hall, Uchenna Nwosu, and DeMarcus Lawrence. How will they fit together in Macdonald’s defense next season and can they be disciplined against the run?

These are some fundamentals of run defense. If the Seahawks can get back to their fundamentals this season — with arguably their most talented starting defense in years — Macdonald could have this team deep in the playoffs again.

Seaside Joe 2271