Over/Under Front

A great starting point for any playbook

It all starts in the trenches.

This is where games are won and lost. We all know this.

But before anything can get started, how should we line up?

One option is using an Over/Under Front.

Here are a few thoughts.

The Basics

An Over Front and an Under Front have a few things in common.

Both involve four Down Lineman and two Linebackers (vs. a one-back set).

Both have the Defensive Ends aligned in Outside Shades of the Offensive Tackles.

They also both have one Defensive Tackle lined up in an Outside Shade of the Guard (typically called a 3-Technique), and one Defensive Tackle lined up in an Inside Shade of the other Guard (can be called a 1-Technique or a 2i-Technique).

The difference lies in WHICH Defensive Tackle is the 3-Technique and which Defensive Tackle is the 1-Technique.

Note: I am very aware of the debate regarding what to call the Inside Shade of the Guard Technique. It gets very heated. Some people are passionate “2i” advocates. This is not the time.

Setting the Front

There are a few different keys you might use to set the front.

(This means deciding which side of the field will have the 3-Technique, and which side of the field will have the 1-Technique.)

In Canadian football, it’s common to set the front to the Wide Side of the field.

In an Over Front, for example, the 3-Technique would be to the Field Side. This means the 1-Technique is to the Boundary.

In an Under Front, the 3-Technique would be to the Boundary Side, placing the 1-Technique to the Field.

You could also set the front to the Receiver Strength, the Tight End side, or to the Running Back Set.

Really, you can set the front to any tendency you’ve found when scouting your opponent to try and put your players in the best position to succeed.

Personnel

There are two basic ways to use the interior Defensive Linemen.

One would be to always have one player be the 3-Technique, and the other player be the 1-Technique.

This may or may not be possible depending on what key you’re using to set the front, and how early the key appears.

The idea here would be to assign your larger player as the 1-Technique, as they are (in theory) more likely to get a double team.

The other option would be to have one player always line up to the Field Side, and the other player always line up to the Boundary Side. Then they would simply shift to their proper techniques based on the key.

Final Thoughts

This is a common starting point for any playbook.

These fronts aren’t perfect. (As we all know, the Offence can still manufacture two double teams here by running away from the 3-Technique.)

But once you’re solid in your Over/Under Fronts, you’ll have a good foundation to build from.

Bonus Video

Here’s a bonus video where I describe one way to defend an Inside Zone using an Even Front:

All the best,

Jon Svec
Defensive Coordinator
St. Francis Xavier University
X-Men Football
IG: @jonsvecx
Twitter: @jonsvecx

To read more check out the Canadian Football Chalk Talk e-books series, which includes: Defensive Basics, Linebacker Toolbox, and Modern Pressures.