DL & LB Alignments Explained

Coach Nana breaks down the common system for naming defensive line and linebacker alignments using numbers. Alignments are often called by numbers, with 'zero' being head-up over the center. A 'one' alignment is on the outside shoulder of the center. Moving outward, a 'two' is head-up over the guard, and 'two I' or "two inside" is on the inside shoulder of the guard. A 'three' alignment is on the outside shoulder of the guard. This pattern continues with 'four' being head-up, 'four I' on the inside shoulder, and 'five' on the outside. If there is a tight end, the numbers can go up to 'six,' 'seven,' and 'eight'. A defensive line alignment call might be a '3-1' or '13,' meaning the defensive tackles line up in a one and a three alignment. For linebackers, the alignment number is typically followed by a zero, such as '30,' '40,' '50,' or '00' (zero zero), to differentiate it from a D-lineman's alignment.