Front Office Football Nine Documentation

This section of the manual details key concepts for understanding how defense works in Front Office Football.

In Front Office Football, defensive players aren’t necessarily tied to their positions the way offensive players are tied. Players have physical attributes and they have defensive skills. The following physical attributes can be important when evaluating players:

Weight: this is often the most important attribute for a player. Physics gives us the reason. The force on an object is equal to mass times acceleration. So to stop an opposing player, a defensive player has to create a change in his acceleration. In order to do this, a player needs both mass and what we call explosion. Since everyone is playing on the same field at the same altitude, we can cancel out the role of gravity and substitute weight for mass.

Weight can be controlled, to a small extent. During training camp, you can ask your players to lose or gain weight. Each player is limited as to how much he can weight train and in what direction, so you can’t transform a cornerback into a nose tackle. In Front Office Football, a player’s performance is reduced by the difference between that player’s weight and the ideal weight for the position he is playing on that particular play.

Height: For some positions, height matters. For defensive backs, the taller you are, the more likely you’re able to successfully cover receivers. For defensive linemen – especially linemen in a 34 defense expected to handle two gaps – if you’re too short, you will have trouble seeing over offensive linemen and making a good choice as to how to handle the block.

Arm Length: For defensive linemen, particularly defensive ends, arm length helps keep blockers away and may make a difference in performance.

This chart shows the ideal weight for each player at each position in the basic defenses. Players closer to the ideal weight for their assigned position will perform better in games. The darker highlights indicate defensive positions where more height is also important. Finally, players who are further from the average height/weight ratio for their position might see a small decline in performance.

Combine Numbers: Explosion creates acceleration, which is the other half of Newton’s second law of motion. A player’s combine numbers, therefore, lead to better performance on the field. Look at the bench press, the broad jump and the 10-yard split on the 40-yard dash to see how much explosion the player creates. There’s more on this topic in the Scouting Combine section – in particular what attributes are most important when evaluating physical skills.

Every year, all players are tested in the combine events. Front Office Football does this because you don’t have actual tape to watch, as real professional coaches have.

The following defensive attributes are also important when evaluating players. Keep in mind that the combine numbers and these attributes are heavily intertwined. Numbers are reported both as a player’s current level in this skill, and what your coaches think this player will be able to do once he has reached his full potential.

• Run Defense: A player’s ability to defend against the run.

• Pass Rush Technique: A player’s ability to use different techniques to evade blockers. Unlike Pass Rush Strength, this attribute does not decline with age.

• Pass Rush Strength: A player’s ability to rush the passer.

• Man-to-Man Pass Defense: A player’s ability to defend a wide receiver running a pass route.

• Physical Pass Defense: A player’s ability to stick with a wide receiver in the five-yard area where contact is allowed.

• Zone Pass Defense: A player’s ability to defend the pass while watching the quarterback and maintaining a defensive zone.

• Pass Intercepting: A player’s ability to catch the ball.

• Play Diagnosis: A player’s ability to deduce the play call quickly after the snap.

• Endurance: A player’s ability to stay on the field for a large number of plays. This is heavily influenced by position. A defensive lineman expends more energy on each play than a defensive back.

Your defensive personnel charts largely determine playing time. You set up six groups of players. The situation and the offense’s position group determine which of the six defenses takes the field. This allows you frequent substitution without compromising the integrity of your defense.

If you use the personnel charts to try and force a player to remain on the field too long, he will start “economizing” his performance and you will get a generally reduced level of play. If there’s a danger of this happening, the player will be highlighted in red on the depth chart.

You can fill each chart with players from pretty much any position. The only penalty for playing someone out of position is that the player may not be physically suited for the job.

Your team’s defensive front is tied to your defensive coordinator. Each staff member who specializes on defense runs one of the four defensive fronts available in Front Office Football. Hiring that staff member as defensive coordinator determines your front. That can’t otherwise be changed, so be careful when making staff changes.

The personnel for each of the four fronts is slightly different. For those of you who are new to detailed defensive terminology, in a 34, you have three down linemen (hand on the ground) and four linebackers. In a 43, you have four linemen and three linebackers. These seven players are part of the “front” of the defense. The other four players are part of the secondary, though when expecting a run you can put the strong safety in with the linebackers as well, and show an eight-man front.

Personnel changes also affect play-calling. In a nickel personnel set, one linebacker has been replaced by a defensive back. In the dime, two linebackers have been replaced. In a goal-line defense, your free safety is replaced by an additional defensive tackle, essentially giving you a nine-man front, since your strong safety is automatically close to the line.

All offenses in Front Office Football are “right-handed,” which means the strong side is the right side, which is generally what you see in professional football with a right-handed quarterback. The tight end generally lines up on the right side, and the right tackle is often as good a run blocker as he is a pass blocker, while the left tackle, who protects the quarterback’s blind side from the big-money defensive ends and weak-side rush linebackers, is almost always the best pass blocker.

These are the defensive fronts available in Front Office Football, and a brief description of player responsibilities.

• True 34: This is what we generally think of when we’re talking about a 34 defense. The down linemen all have two-gap responsibility.

• 34 Eagle: This is a little bigger than a true 34 in that the nose tackle shades a little bit to the strong side, and the defensive ends are more hybrid ends/tackles.

• 43 Under: The defensive front shifts a little to the weak side, much like the 34 Eagle.

• 43 Over: This is what we generally think of when we’re talking about a 43 defense. The defensive front is shifted a little to the strong side.

To understand specifics about a front, I need to explain a few more concepts. The first is “technique,” which describes where a defensive player lines up. Terminology can change from team to team with football coaches, but generally an even number means a player lines up directly in front of an offensive player and is responsible for two gaps. An odd number means a player lines up essentially off one of the offensive player’s shoulders. This is better suited to rushing into one gap.

The 0-technique is a pure nose tackle. A 1-technique is also often called a nose tackle, but is lined up on one of the center’s shoulders. A 2-technique lines up over a guard (2i means on the guard’s inside shoulder). A 3-technique lines up on the guard’s outside shoulder. Many teams employ three-technique defensive tackles, or even 34 ends. A 4-technique lines up over an offensive tackle. Some teams use defensive ends in 4i-technique, which is on a tackle’s inside shoulder. A 5-technique is outside the tackle.

A 6-technique is over the tight end. A 7-technique, strangely, is often used for the position just inside of where a tight end lines up. You see that a lot with rushing linebackers, especially from the weak side. A 9-technique is outside the tight end’s position. A second “0” after the technique indicates a player is at least a yard or two from the line of scrimmage. So a 20-technique, for example, would be a linebacker directly across from one of the offensive guards. A classic middle linebacker is in a 00-technique. Outside linebackers, especially when expected to rush the passer, often stand at the line, but aren’t in a three-point stance. They may line up a yard or two back, however.

There isn’t a lot of difference between 1 and 2i, or 3 and 4i, or 5 and 7. Just a few inches in these cases. In pro football, that means a lot. In Front Office Football, where shoulders really don’t have any meaning, it’s more about the strengths and weaknesses of the formation.

The second major concept is gap responsibility. The A-gaps are on either side of the center. The B-gaps are between the guards and tackles. The C-gaps are outside of the offensive tackles. Defenses need to “fill” each gap on every running play. In most cases, defensive players are assigned one gap. In 34 defenses, linemen sometimes have two gaps to cover, and need to diagnose the play and prevent one of those gaps from opening. Containment is also an important concept. The defense must worry about runners being able to move toward the sidelines and “turn the corner” downfield.

Here are some notes about player responsibility in each defensive front. The charts above each description show the defense against various personnel sets. The goal-line personnel variation shows the strong safety in the “buzz” position for run support. Nickel and dime defensive backs will line up across from extra receivers.

• Left Defensive End (E): Lines up in the 4-technique across from the right tackle, and is responsible for the B- and C-gaps on the strong side. He does not have to be a great pass rusher, but height and bulk are necessary. Occasionally, you’ll find an athlete like J.J. Watt in this position, but that’s only one every few years.

• Nose Tackle (N): Lines up in the 0-technique across from the center, and is responsible for both A-gaps. Since he has to occupy so much space in the interior, if he fails to get to the ball or keep blockers from getting to the inside linebackers this can cause a lot of harm to your run defense.

• Right Defensive End (E): Lines up in the 4-technique across from the left tackle, and is responsible for the B- and C-gaps on the weak side. Because these linemen are all lined up directly across from offensive linemen, height is more important than with most linemen.

• Strong-Side Linebacker (O): Lines up in the 9-technique outside the tight end, and is responsible for containment on the strong side.

• Strong Inside Linebacker (I): Lines up in the 20-technique across from the right guard and has A- and B-gap responsibility on the strong side. Since the linemen all have two-gap responsibilities and the offensive guards are unchecked, inside linebackers in a True 34 have to be big enough to handle them. He is replaced by the sixth defensive back in dime personnel.

• Weak Inside Linebacker (I): Lines up in the 20-technique across from the left guard and has A- and B-gap responsibility on the weak side. He is replaced by the nickel back in nickel and dime personnel.

• Weak-Side Linebacker (O): Lines up in the 60-technique inside the tight end’s position on the weak side and is responsible for containment. He is often the best blitzer on the defense, and is expected to rush on most pass plays. This will be considered a blitz for statistical and reporting purposes, but it's often just part of a normal four-man rush. He will often be just off of the line.

• Left Defensive End (E): Lines up in the 4i-technique just inside the right tackle, and is responsible for the B-gap on the strong side. A defensive end needs to have more mass than most, but since there is only one primary gap responsibility, if there’s a lineman in any 34 who can generate high sack numbers, this is usually the guy.

• Nose Tackle (N): Lines up in the 1-technique just to the strong side of the center, and is responsible for the strong-side A-gap. He should have the same skill set as the True 34 nose tackle, but he doesn’t have to occupy quite as much space.

• Right Defensive End (E): Lines up in the 2i-technique just inside the left guard, and is responsible for the A-gap on the weak side. In this defense, bigger players need to fill this position. He’s more a defensive tackle than an end.

• Strong-Side Linebacker (O): Lines up in the 7-technique inside the tight end, and is responsible for the C- gap and containment on the strong side.

• Strong Inside Linebacker (I): Lines up in the 20-technique across from the right guard and is responsible for filling open gaps on the strong side. Since the left defensive end helps prevent the right guard from getting to the linebacker, he doesn’t always have to fight off a block like he would in a True 34. He is replaced by the sixth defensive back in dime personnel.

• Weak Inside Linebacker (I): Lines up in the 4i0-technique between the left tackle and left guard and has extensive responsibility on the weak side, especially toward the B- and C-gaps, because he is protected by the right defensive end/tackle. He is replaced by the nickel back in nickel and dime personnel.

• Weak-Side Linebacker (O): Lines up in the 60-technique over the tight end’s position on the weak side and is responsible for containment. He is often the best blitzer on the defense, and is expected to rush on most pass plays. This will be considered a blitz for statistical and reporting purposes, but it's often just part of a normal four-man rush.

• Left Defensive End (E): Lines up in the 5-technique outside the right tackle’s shoulder, and is responsible for the C-gap on the strong side. In general, defensive ends are smaller and quicker than ends in the 34. These are sometimes even players who could thrive as outside linebackers in a 34. Since he often goes up against the right tackle, who is often the offense’s best run blocker, he should be a little stronger than the right end.

• Left Defensive Tackle (T): Lines up in the 1-technique to the strong side of the center, and is responsible for the A-gap on the strong side. Since there are four linemen and the 1-technique tackle is always headed into this gap, he should be a little smaller and more athletic than a true nose tackle.

• Right Defensive Tackle (T): Lines up in the 3-technique to the outside of the left guard, and is responsible for the B-gap on the weak side. The 3-technique tackle in a 43 can be a little smaller and more athletic than most tackles and may actually generate considerable quarterback pressure.

• Right Defensive End (E): Lines up in the 5-technique outside the left tackle’s shoulder, and is responsible for the C-gap on the weak side as well as containment. This is often your best pass rusher. Your right defensive end is often one of your top defensive players.

• Strong-Side Linebacker (O): Lines up in the 9-technique outside the tight end, and is responsible for containment on the strong side. Off all the 43 linebackers, he has to be the biggest and strongest, because he’s often taking on an offensive lineman or a tight end. He is replaced by the nickel back in nickel and dime personnel.

• Middle Linebacker (M): Lines up in the 00-technique between the right guard and the right tackle, and is responsible for run support – often the A-gap on the weak side, or even the B-gap on the strong side if the strong safety is not up closer to the line. Since he is often dropping back into pass coverage and is more protected on run plays, he should be smaller and faster than most linebackers.

• Weak-Side Linebacker (O): Lines up in the 4i0-technique between the left tackle and the left guard, and is responsible for gap support on the weak side. Given all the extra help he has in front of him, a team has the opportunity here to use a smaller, faster athlete who has a nose for the ball. He is replaced by the sixth defensive back in dime personnel.

• Left Defensive End (E): Lines up in the 9-technique outside the tight end, and is responsible for containment on the strong side. Unlike the left end in the 43 Under, he gets some help with the right tackle, so he can be a lot like the right end in terms of skill set. However, he needs to be a good run defender because if he can’t contain under a lot of pressure, the offense has easier access to the outside.

• Left Defensive Tackle (T): Lines up in the 3-technique to the outside of the right guard, and is responsible for the B-gap on the strong side. The 3-technique tackle in a 43 can be a little smaller and more athletic than most tackles and may actually generate considerable quarterback pressure.

• Right Defensive Tackle (T): Lines up in the 1-technique to the weak side of the center, and is responsible for the A-gap on the weak side. Since there are four linemen and the 1-technique tackle is always headed into this gap, he should be a little smaller and more athletic than a true nose tackle.

• Right Defensive End (E): Lines up in the 7-technique a little further outside the left tackle’s shoulder, and is responsible for the C-gap on the weak side as well as containment. This is often your best pass rusher. Your right defensive end is often one of your top defensive players.

• Strong-Side Linebacker (O): Lines up in the 50-technique outside the right tackle, and is responsible for the C-gap on the strong side. He is replaced by the nickel back in nickel and dime personnel.

• Middle Linebacker (M): Lines up in the 10-technique between the right guard and the center, and is responsible for the A-gap on the strong side.

• Weak-Side Linebacker (O): Lines up in the 30-technique between the left guard and the left tackle, and is responsible for the B-gap on the weak side. He is replaced by the sixth defensive back in dime personnel.

Note that all the linebackers, particularly the middle linebacker, get a lot of help from the defensive line occupying linemen. They are often unblocked and can be smaller and faster than 34 linebackers.

One primary difference between 34 and 43 is that since defensive linemen usually rush the passer, and four defensive players are usually involved in the pass rush on a play, the 43 is more predictable in terms of where the rush is coming from. In addition, 43 linemen usually line up in a specific gap, making the rush even more exact. While the weak-side linebacker is the primary fourth rusher in a 34 defense, since the defensive linemen in a 34 are often in a two-gap alignment, it’s much harder to predict how to defend against the rush.

On the other hand, 43 linemen are often more athletic, while many 34 linemen try to occupy offensive linemen to free up room for a blitzing linebacker. In general, however, the personnel makes the front work, and there’s no hard-and-fast rule that one front generates the most sacks or is best against the run or against a certain type of pass. As long as you’re acquiring players who fit your chosen front, you can succeed with any of these schemes.

Your front and your personnel choices control who is on the field and their primary responsibilities in response to the offense’s personnel package and the situation. Play-calling determines blitzing, pass coverage and the use of a linebacker as a spy to keep an eye on running quarterbacks.

The four remaining defenders – two cornerbacks and two safeties – are known as the secondary. In nickel personnel, a third cornerback replaces a linebacker. In the dime, a sixth defensive back replaces a second linebacker.

Cornerbacks and safeties are not specific to 34 and 43 defenses. They are defined by how well they perform in zone defenses, in man-to-man coverage and in run support. If there’s any difference, and it’s a small one, it’s that 34 cornerbacks tend to be a little better against the run. And the reason is purely because they play more zone defense, and cornerbacks in a short zone have to be prepared to help against the run. Cornerbacks who play mostly man-to-man defense are not expected to have strong run defending skills.

The strong safety has to be versatile. On plays when the defense is expecting the run, he plays closer to the line and provides that extra run defender. He is often asked to cover the tight end in pass coverage. And in many zone schemes, he drops back and takes a deep zone, many times handling deep coverage against a top wide receiver.

The free safety is less skilled in run defense, and is almost always covering a deep zone in pass coverage. While he isn’t necessarily much smaller than a strong safety, as both have to have the speed to cover wide receivers, he may not be as strong. The free safety is replaced in the goal-line defense.

Pass coverage is a numbers game. The basics are that you have four defensive players rushing the quarterback and seven defensive players available for pass coverage. If you add a pass rusher, that means one less pass defender. If you bring the strong safety up into run defense, that’s one less pass defender.

In Front Office Football, defensive players are assigned a responsibility on each play, assuming it’s a pass play. The responsibilities include:

• Pass Rush: All defensive linemen, meaning the three linemen in a three-point stance in the 34 and the four linemen in a three-point stance in the 43, will rush the quarterback on pass plays. While in professional football, defensive ends sometimes drop back in coverage (this allows them to implement a zone blitz out of the 43, as one example), in Front Office Football it would add too much complexity to game planning.

• Blitzing the Quarterback: Any non-lineman rushing the passer is a blitzer. In the 34, you usually have at least one linebacker blitzing – often the weak-side linebacker. In Front Office Football, you don’t decide specifically who blitzes on a play, but when a blitz is called, blitzers are assigned based on their position and their skill in rushing the passer. You can “tilt” the assignment by asking it to more heavily favor skill over position, the downside being that this may make you more vulnerable to passes aimed at receivers on that side of the field.

• Spy Linebacker: Against good running quarterbacks, you might want to designate a linebacker spy, who is assigned like a blitzer, but stays a couple of yards from the line – away from the linemen – and mirrors the quarterback so he can get to him quickly if he decides to scramble. Quarterbacks who like to scramble will do so much less when there’s a spy watching.

Responsibilities are further divided. Cornerbacks can be in “press” coverage, meaning they try and impede receivers in the five-yard zone, or in regular coverage. And the defense, if it has someone back in a deep zone, can double-cover the opposing team’s top receiver. Double coverage means one defender picks up the receiver at the line of scrimmage, bumps him and trails him while a second defender, assigned to a deep zone, brackets him and prevents him specifically from getting behind the coverage.

Due to the numbers game, only one receiver can be doubled in this manner (the cover-2, in particular, lends itself to softer de-facto double coverages on receivers running deep routes, but because there are “seams” with zones, this is not absolute).

In addition, there is a setting on defense where you can designate that your top cornerback is always assigned to cover the opponent’s top receiver, regardless of where he lines up. This is useful if you run a lot of man coverage and you have one of those “I’m an island” types on defense.

On each play, your defense uses a type of pass coverage. This is usually defined by how many defenders are committed to deep zones. Your pass coverage also defines how many players are in position to help stop the run, particularly the positioning of the strong safety, who is often a good run defender. There are 16 pass coverages available in Front Office Football.

You can see the relative strengths and weaknesses of coverages against different types of offensive plays by holding your mouse over the blue i (information) column on the defensive game plan.

• Cover 0 - Press: A pure man-to-man defense, with the five potential receivers each covered by one defender. Press means the cornerbacks are close to the line of scrimmage, ready to engage wide receivers within the five-yard contact zone.

• Cover 0 - Off: Also a pure man-to-man defense, but the cornerbacks play back and engage wide receivers further from the line of scrimmage.

• Cover 1 - Press: The free safety drops back into a deep zone in the middle of the field, and other pass defenders cover eligible receivers. The cornerbacks line up at the line of scrimmage.

• Cover 1 - Off: Same as the Cover 1 - Press, except the cornerbacks play back a little.

• Cover 1 - Hole/Press: Same as the Cover 1 - Press, except the free safety plays much closer to the line of scrimmage, in a shallow zone.

• Cover 2 - Zone: Both safeties drop into deep zones and the rest of the pass defenders are in shallow zones.

• Cover 2 - Press: Both safeties drop into deep zones and the cornerbacks stand at the line of scrimmage and cover the wide receivers. The other pass defenders play in shallow zones.

• Cover 2 - Off: Same as the Cover 2 - Press, except the cornerbacks play back a little.

• Tampa 2 - Zone: Similar to the Cover 2 - Zone, except the middle linebacker plays deep as well. This defense is not available with 34 fronts.

• Cover 3 - Sky Zone: The free safety and two cornerbacks drop back into deep zone coverage. Other defenders play zone underneath.

• Cover 3 - Cloud Zone: Both safeties along with one of the cornerbacks drop back into deep zone coverage. Other defenders play zone underneath.

• Cover 3 - Buzz Zone: The free safety and two cornerbacks drop back into deep zone coverage. Other defenders play zone underneath, with the strong safety playing close to the line of scrimmage and paying more attention to the run.

• Cover 4 - Zone: The safeties and cornerbacks drop back into deep zones, with linebackers covering the shallow zones.

• Cover 4 - Match Press: The two safeties drop into deep zones and the two cornerbacks pick up wide receivers at the line of scrimmage and follow them deep if necessary.

• Cover 4 - Match Off: Same as the Cover 4 - Match Press, except the cornerbacks play much deeper.

• Cover 6 - Zone: The safeties drop into deep zone coverage. The weak-side cornerback does as well. The cornerback on the strong side is in man coverage and the linebackers are in shallow zones.