Draft 2021

[Dam8610]

Originally Posted by Chromeburn

It’s the C gap, runner is going where the tackle was, not the outside shoulder of the guard. Very few 4-3 systems ran it for this reason. You need good outside LBs that can set the edge. Rob Ninkovichs are hard to find. Its pretty much a 3-4 technique.

The hole that opens is between tackle and guard. That's the B gap. C gap is to the outside of the tackle, and I remember those draw plays all too well. Freeney would run the arc from 9 tech and the back would go to where the tackle was, which is just outside of the guard in the B gap. With a 9 tech DE, the B gap falls squarely on the LB behind him. The Colts may not have had the personnel to run what they were running with Freeney and have a successful run defense, but that's not on Freeney, it's on scheme and personnel the team used. Freeney was actually a very good run defender when he was called upon to do it, and I think the knock he's gotten over the years as a bad run defender is unwarranted. Those criticisms should be put squarely on Ron Meeks, who didn't design a way for Freeney to play 9 tech while maintaining gap integrity for run defense into his scheme.