Agreed.I a.ways ran a 4-4 with tons of success.

​@@mikepalmer2219same

You can always walk a safety down in the box or blitz them. Play Cover 2 to have your CB’s play the flats and give extra run support while safeties play deep 1/2(most passes are 9 routes) 2 safeties adds an extra dynamic to a defense…be creative and keep it simple!

@@statusgroomingcobingo! 2 deep instead of 3 adds another body in the box!

Your LBs (DOGS) behind the Tackles will fill the gaps the way I do it. Pinch your tackles hit B gap and LBs hit C gap. Loop is the opposite..nose has A gap.. OLB have outside containment and I always have them blitz outside in... I also only use 1 safety with a MLB that will help with A gap and blitz.

What defense would you recommend for 9-10 yr olds?

@@DJDJ-iv6sz Depends on the mix of your players' previous skills. Usually at least 5 on the line because you don't have enough who are worthwhile playing LB. On a given play you'll have 1 whose assignment will be to submarine and then pop up. DEs will alternate with one purely boxing and the other pressing the outside shoulder of the outermost OL. DL should not make a great effort to try to keep play in front of them, but instead penetrate and create chaos in the backfield. On the other hand if you do have a team with several good LBs and the opponents have fast OL you can use a strategy of keeping the LBs clean, cutting or crabbing OL. Many youth offenses play the line with small enough splits that you can sometimes take out 2 for 1 with this tactic. Play the LBs deep enough that they can start moving forward to fill as soon as they see the keys they're given. Blitz only sparingly, otherwise let the blockers try to find them in space. Play 3 deep, sometimes no safety. Corners jam WRs. Unless you're using the keep-the-LBs-clean scheme, count on never having to defend a deep throw. Corners feel the wideouts while watching the backfield, and ride or trail the receiver whichever direction they can deflect them until they see it's not a pass play. Safety just watch the OL's initial move, and if it reads as pass protection, move to the side where the greater receiving threat is. Usually this results in an overall setup of 5-3 over or 6-2. More than the scheme, however, is the skills. Don't concern them overly with tackling form; focus on getting enough players there and the tackling will almost take care of itself. Emphasize stripping and recovering the ball even at some expense of surer tackles -- unless you're in a league where the officials give a quick whistle. Emphasize pursuit to the sidelines, but don't use the drill where each position has an assigned target point on each sideline; rather, practice overall field awareness between defenders, and make sure you mix in players of different speeds.

In our league at the lower levels, we cannot have a noseguard and therefore we have committed to an even front. My favorite is a 4-3 with tight corners and cover two.

In that age group, I always ran a 4-3 cover two and then in short yardage I would go to a 5-2 and bring the strong safety two more of a highbred linebacker. The strong safety would still drop into pass coverage if needed but he is also strong run support.

@@DJDJ-iv6szI always ran a 4-4 defense. Very successful from 9-10 yo to 13-14 yo.