Who sets the edge in a 2 gap 4-3?

[pats1]

The Colts are a one gap team. Specifically they are a team that askes their DL to rush the passer and if it happens to be a run, maybe find the RB along the way. I'm not shocked they align the DE as far outside as possible.
That is truly irrelevant to the 2 gap duties of a DE on the Patriots.

This is accurate. My original post was indeed more of a 1-gap perspective.

 

[Patspsycho]

If you don't mind me bumping this back up, I'd like to know how Mayo and Guyton will excel in this system if "roaming" in a 2 gap 4-3 is a misconception as Andy points out? (e.g., utilizing Mayo and Guyton's speed).

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

If you don't mind me bumping this back up, I'd like to know how Mayo and Guyton will excel in this system if "roaming" in a 2 gap 4-3 is a misconception as Andy points out? (e.g., utilizing Mayo and Guyton's speed).

You now have four DL absorbing blockers, if your point of attack is behind the RT, you will generally need a second DL or TE to have any hope of moving Ty Warren off the mark. You will have a TE/FB/pulling OL looking for the OLB, that puts three blockers at the Point of Attack, which means Mayo is most likely not being blocked.

Let's see if I can set up a basic 4-3 look...

-- TE -- RT -- RG -- C -- LG -- LT
------- LDE - LDT ------ RDT --RDE
--- S --------------- M --------------- W

Using this look above and one-on-one blocking:
-- The TE blocks the Sam.
-- The RT blocks the LDE.
-- The RG blocks the LDT.
-- The C blocks the RDT.
-- The WR on that side blocks the CB or S.
-- The LG pulls and kicks out the DB or Mike.

"If" the Offense can block one-on-one, then you have one defender on that side for the RB to beat, either a DB or the Mike. "But," If Ty Warren is the LDE, you may want to double him with a TE or the pulling LG, that frees up a second defender, most likely Mayo, to make the play on the edge. On the backside, if Guyton at Will reads the pulling LG, he can shoot that gap and try to run the RB down in the backfield. By putting two DL on the right side, the offense needs to account for them. That's what frees up the LBs.

 

[unoriginal]

The reality is that in any 2 gap system (or 1 gap system) the gap assignments are going to vary based on a whole host of factors. The DE is not consistently going to have the responsibility for any particular gap, so there will be times when he has the D gap, and there will be times when he doesn't. Sometimes the OLB will have edge responsibility, other times he won't.

Most concise accurate answer in the thread.

Generally: one outside linebacker and one DE.

 

[TriplecHamp]

As a WOLB in a 4-3 my job is to step up and fill the weak B Gap. I usually stack inside shade of the end to my side. The DE has contain on all toss/stretch plays and my responsibility is to "blow up" any Iso/Counter plays.

 

[Ring 6]

Most concise accurate answer in the thread.

Generally: one outside linebacker and one DE.

Mmmm. But it was incorrect and he posted later that he was mistaken

 

[Lazerlike42]

Mmmm. But it was incorrect and he posted later that he was mistaken

The answer was not incorrect. The example I gave for it (of the Colts as a 2 gap team) was.

The answer was not specific enough for what you were trying to explain - i.e., a vanilla base alignment for a 2 gap team vs. a specific, situational alignment.

However, it's really not even accurate to say that "this is the way it is" in a base alignment because even the base alignments that teams use are based on a number of factors, from the strengths of their individual personnel to the particular defensive philosophies of the coaches. Really, about the only time it would be true that "in a base 2 gapping 4:3 the assignments are thus" would be if one were talking about the defense as it's first taught to players in youth or high school football.