Chapter 18 Gearing up
Slightly different from the offensive team, the defensive team needs to cover the entire court, so their division of labor and cooperation are more important, and they must be both professional and comprehensive.
As a result, the structure of the defensive team becomes clearer and can be simply divided into four lines, covering the entire court layer by layer from near to far.
First line, defensive line.
As the name suggests, they correspond to the offensive line and stand at the front of the team. Their task is very simple, tearing apart the offensive line and stopping the quarterback.
Maybe it's interference, maybe it's pressure, but the best case scenario is a sack, which means the quarterback is tackled to the ground and the offense ends on the spot.
Second line, linebackers.
They stand behind the defensive line, opening up about two to three steps of space. They are divided into inside linebackers and outside linebackers according to their positions. They have two main tasks.
One is to defend short passes.
The second is to defend the running ball.
In other words, from the official playbook, "linebackers VS running backs", this is the standard matchup.
Of course, actual game conditions may vary.
In the tactical systems of the NFL and NCAA, there are two defensive systems, "4-3" and "3-4".
"4-3" means four defensive fronts with three linebackers, focusing more on pocket pressure. Therefore, the defensive front has two defensive ends and two defensive tackles.
"3-4" is three defensive fronts with four linebackers, focusing more on short-pass area defense. The defensive front has one defensive tackle and two defensive ends. Here, the defensive tackle is a single arrow. position, so it is also called the sharp edge.
Both defensive systems have their own advantages and disadvantages, and which one wins depends entirely on the level of coaching.
The University of Alabama uses a "3-4" strategy.
Third line, cornerbacks.
They are like wings, standing at both ends of the defensive line and close to the sideline. The specific position is not specified and is generally adjusted according to the receiver.
It can be seen from here that their task is to entangle the wide receiver and cover the short and intermediate passing areas; but occasionally, they also need to deal with tight ends and running backs.
Fourth line, safeties.
They stand at the back of the team, which is the last line of defense, but unlike goalkeepers in football, they can move freely in the backcourt and fill in gaps at any time.
According to different functional focuses, safety guards are divided into roaming guards and strong guards.
The free defender is more agile and the strong defender is stronger, so the strong defender is equivalent to half a linebacker, responsible for covering the tight ends and running backs; the free defender is more mobile and flexible, and a top free defender can cover different positions of the team , making the defense line complete.
Generally speaking, all teams now have a configuration of two cornerbacks and two safeties, but whether the safety guards are fully equipped with one freeback and one strongback depends on the coach.
The most intuitive thing is yesterday's trial training.
Allen, a defensive end, is tasked with defending the running back and attacking the quarterback.
Foster, linebacker.
Humphrey, cornerback.
Jackson, the safety, he's the roaming safety.
Four players, representing the four lines of the defensive team, are lined up from near to far.
Generally speaking, running backs are intercepted when they advance to Allen's position, or at most to Foster's position; while neither Humphrey nor Jackson are good at dealing with running backs.
But they didn't expect that they completely underestimated Levi's personal abilities, especially his ability to change directions, so that Allen missed consecutive tackles, not only letting out 50-yard touchdowns twice in a row; but also completing the tackle for the third time. Even though he was hugging him, he was still forcefully pushed forward ten yards by Levi.
No wonder when they arrived at the training ground today, one or two looked at Levi as if they were seeing Godzilla. In fact, if we simplify it a little bit, it would not be a bad idea to divide the defensive group into two areas——
frontcourt; backcourt.
The defensive linemen and linebackers are responsible for the front field; the cornerbacks and safeties are responsible for the backfield.
As for how to lay out, how to cooperate, and how to connect, this is a moment that tests the coaching ability. The complexity of defensive tactics is no less than that of offense.
All of this makes rugby a particularly attractive sport.
In other collective projects, we can often see individual heroism, using the power of one person to turn the tide and subvert the situation, and appear on the stage like an unparalleled hero stepping on the colorful auspicious clouds. However, it is very rare in the rugby field. It occasionally flashes, but behind it is still indispensable for the entire group. strength.
From his previous life to this life, Levi has been fighting alone, fighting and competing with himself, constantly challenging his own limits, but now it is different.
This is fresh and special, a completely new challenge.
To Levi, it was like Lego.
layer. Another layer.
piece. One more piece.
First deconstruct the offense and defense into parts scattered all over the floor, figure out the responsibilities and roles of each part, and then put them back together again.
A football match affects the whole body.
If you only focus on yourself and cannot see the overall tactical situation, you will often fall into the dilemma of "missing the true face of Lushan". You repeatedly hit the wall but have no way of knowing the reason why you hit the wall, and naturally you will not be able to solve the problem.
Of course, seeing the overall situation clearly does not mean that you can solve the problem, but at least it means that you will not fall into an endless loop.
Originally, Levi thought of just coming to work and clocking in, but now he has changed his mind. It feels like getting an intricate Rubik's Cube. Restoring it to its original state is interesting, but it is far less interesting than exploring the principles and revealing the puzzle. This made Levi couldn't help but start gearing up.
This spring is a bit interesting.
Bang!
With another loud noise, Allen grabbed Jacobs and landed upside down, knocking Jacobs down hard, just like in a video game.
Levi couldn't help but lick his lips, as if he could detect the smell of blood, "Wait a minute, why did the pocket burst so fast this time?"
Clark looked at the slight upward curve of the corners of Levi's mouth, and his eyes showed a little excitement, and he blinked: Is this guy a vampire?
"Fifth substitute?" Levi called out without getting a response.
Clark then came back to his senses and took a deep breath, "Oh, because of the raid. The defense team chose to raid."
"Raid?" Levi thought carefully -
The linebackers, the linebackers who should have been waiting for the running back or the short pass, stepped forward preemptively, joined the defensive line, and forced a breakthrough with their numerical advantage, so that the offensive line's pocket was directly broken, and Hurts was like a lamb caught in the wolf pack. No chance.
In a rush, Hurts threw the football to Jacobs in an attempt to avoid a sack.
But this action was seen through by Allen. Allen started the second time on the spot. Jacobs hit a full arm and had nowhere to escape. Allen ended the attack.
"Haha. Interesting." Levi showed a smile.
It seems that the defensive team is not completely passive. They can also take the initiative in advance. This is also a very obvious difference between football and football and basketball.
In football and basketball games, the defensive side is often in a passive situation. Their goal/basket is on the other side of the court. If they want to attack, they have to cross the half court again; but in rugby games, the defense can start "offensive". Start where you are, turn passive into active, and even score points——
Yes, the defensive team can also score points. This is the interesting part of the turn-based offensive and defensive battle.
Clark couldn't help but shudder when he saw Levi's smile, and swallowed tremblingly: There seems to be something wrong with you.
Dear friends, if you want to keep a book, just read the latest chapters every day. It is really important to follow up on reading, especially for a niche among niches like rugby. I would like to thank you all here!
(End of this chapter)