My 4th grade pee wee football team ran variations of the 6-2 defense last season. To be honest, we should have stuck to our 7 Man Front Eagle Defense variation. But, my new defensive coordinator wanted to try the 6-2, and he had not heard of the Eagle 7, so we gave the 6-2 defense a shot. In most situations it works, but for teams that figured out our “C” gap was weak, we had to rely on our offense to score points. A double lead block run to the C gap with a guard trap on the D-End will kill you in a 6-2. We had a very tough time defending this play in our 6-2. Our two losses last season, both by 8 points or less, were from two teams that attacked our “C” gap. Below is our 6-2 Base Defense.
6-2 Defense – Base
To address our C gap weakness, we would move into a 6-2 Wide defensive formation, which moved the two linebackers into the C gaps. See below.
6-2 Wide Defense
I probably should have moved the D-tackles wider also to stunt the C Gap. But, I moved back into our Eagle 7 Defense, which plugged the strong C Gap hole with a big D-Tackle.
There are many types of blitzes you can run out of the 6-2 Defense with Linebackers and Defensive backs. I ran mainly LB /Lineman stack cross blitzes to the gaps or a Corner blitz to one side. I would also occasionally Blitz the safety up the middle.
I am not going to run the 6-2 defense in 2008. I am sticking with my Eagle 7 variations and testing out the Gap Air Mirror Defense for short yardage situations.
Coach Wade at his website has some great info on the 6-2. You may want to visit his website.
Good Luck this season.
4 Comments
June 28, 2009 at 1:37 pm
It is funny how the skill level is even more advanced @ the 9-10 tear old level. I’m talking about it is not about just stopping the run anymore. These guys are passing as much as running. I found myself having go to the 5-2 with a strong safety. 2 corners and a FS I found once an athletic team gets beyond the 6-2 aligment a juke here and a juke there it is a quick 6 for the for your opponenet. Once you get your team to recognize the strong side it just goes to show you those first 2 weeks of shirts shorts and helments are a crucial time for conditioning and learning. What do you guys thinkK
Coach Bubba Savage Nederland TX
September 29, 2009 at 12:54 pm
The secret to a succesful 6-2 Defense, in my opinion, is to do what most coaches refuse to do…put your BEST two players at DE. If you don’t do this, and you do what most coaches actually do, which is put their best players at LB, you will get murdered off tackle. I realize that it may not seem to make sense, but it is true. I have run this before, as a twist to my normal Defense. I put the two best stud players on the team at both DEs. They would come upfield, fast and fearless, keeping outside shoulder free, and smother the offense. The blocking back had to be Superman to stop these guys. It was impossible to kick them out for the off tackle. Do not confuse this with crashing the ends. Go upfield fast, depth of the ball….then SMOTHER them. I saw a video of the 1950 Tennessee Volunteers, and I could not get over how their Ends got upfield and smothered every play from outside in. It was done in a 6-2 Defense. I tried it, and dominated the last three games of that season, allowing NO first downs. You have to throw caution to the wind and put the BEST two players at DE… When I coach against a 6-2, done the normal way…ie, best two at LB, with not so great DEs, I will generally have them under mercy rule by the third quarter.
August 11, 2010 at 12:40 pm
I have been coaching 9-12 year olds for 11 seasons, absolutley agree 100%. You have got to maintain outside containment or else your toast. I ran a 5-2 split defense with my kids. Biggest lineman head up center. DE’s Are my fastest best athletes on the field. Safety is usually my second best athlete. the rest just need to know how to hit and lock up.
February 15, 2010 at 4:43 pm
A very hard defence to run against. The only downfall is that if they do break through they usually get big yards. Therefore, it has to be a pressure defence, lots of blitz and stunts, to pressure the offence into making mistakes, can’t sit back with this type of defence.