ALIGNMENTS (Note: The Deep Safety aligns 28 yards deep at the midpointbetween the two widest receivers, but always inside the {high school}hashmarks.)First Level: I'll give the two alignment rules for each 1L position, thendemonstrate with diagrams.Nose: Rule #1: All odd-numbered calls -- 11, 3's (3 Left and 3 Right), 33,5's, 55 -- the Nose aligns ODD, over the center.Rule #2: Even-numbered calls -- 2's, 22, 4's, 44 -- the Nose alignsEVEN, on the guard to his Left or Right, depending on the Ends'call. (Corollary: In 22 and 44, Nose aligns EVEN, but stacksbehind a Tackle, again depending on the Ends' call.)Tackles: Rule #1: All double-digit calls, alignment is pre-determined: In 11,OPEN, over offensive tackle; in 22, 33, 44 or 55, CLOSED, overoffensive guard.Rule #2: All single-digit calls, (2's, 3's, 4's or 5's), Tackles alignaccording to the Ends' call at the LOS: "Left", left Tackle is OPENand right Tackle is CLOSED (both aligned to the left); "Right", leftTackle is CLOSED and right Tackle is OPEN (both aligned to theright).12
Ends: Rule #1: All calls starting with a 1, 2 or 3 (11, 2's, 22, 3's, 33),Ends align LOOSE, outflanking the offensive core.Rule #2: All calls starting with a 4 or 5 (4's, 44, 5's, 55), Endsalign TIGHT (outside eye on offensive tackle). Exception: Whenlining up next to an Open Tackle, the End aligns Loose.Note: When aligned opposite a tight end or tight slotback, a Loose End will playa standard 9 technique on the TE's outside shoulder, rather than the slantingstance shown in the diagram above, which is normal for a Loose End on the SplitEnd side. We can also make a Wide call for the Ends, which would put them ayard outside a standard TE, or outside shoulder on a TE/WB combination.The Ends' Calls: As the offense breaks its huddle, both Ends will call out adirectional indicator decided by game plan: "Left" or "Right" in response toformation strength, field width, and/or other factors. In order to give thedefense as much flexibility as possible in aligning before the snap, we provide anadditional bit of information in the huddle. When we call a single-digit front inthe huddle, we may add the word "Away" -- for the benefit of the Ends only.Thus, if we call "5" in the huddle as the 1L alignment, and the offense lines upwith its strength to the left (as previously defined by that weeks' game plan), theEnds would normally call out "Left! Left!" and the 1L would align in 5 Left (seediagram next page). If the huddle call was "5 Away", however, the Ends wouldcall out "Right! Right!" -- AWAY from offensive strength -- at the LOS, and the1L would align in 5 Right (see diagram next page). Thus all 13 alignments areavailable to the defense at all times, no matter how the offense lines up.13