Quick Snap-shot: how far back are your linebackers?

[mattgslater]

To eliminate confusion, let's talk about the farthest-forward player placed on the kicking team, who isn't initially positioned on the halfway line. How many squares off the line is he usually, when you set up? Is he just one square off the line? Two, to avoid Quick Snaps? Three or more? Really deep so he doesn't get hit?

If you don't answer A-D, please post to explain when you do which. If you do one of the first four choices at least about 5/8 to 2/3 of the time, vote for that one, please, but feel free to post with any exceptions you use (say, if you set up one back with team X but two squares back with team Y). Note that A or B doesn't necessarily indicate a shallow defense: defensive backs will be covered in another poll, as this one is for linebackers.

FWIW, I voted A. If I'm really hurting, there's no telling, but with a healthy team I'm going to set up shallow unless I'm concerned about a chainpush game. Then it's B in the wide zones, and C inside.

[Axtklinge]

A for me.
90% of the time.
The basic idea is to maximise TZ's without giving a free shots to the opponent for being in the line. Depends on the opponent and on the play I intend to make, but generaly thats the purpose.

[Joemanji]

99% B.

Quick Snap is too much of a risk to take IMO. A good player + QS can win a drive just from that kickoff result.

[mattgslater]

Note that QS is a 1/9 proposition, and putting your inside LB two squares back makes opening a hole at least 40/81 proposition (assuming your opponent can only work out two blocks and all your line has Block — not Wrestle).

[Joemanji]

Your opponent can always get someone through if their blocks/dodges work. But your players will be standing (other than those on the LoS).

Put players forward and if your opponent gets QS he will get everyone through and knock over 6+ players with good dice. That is drive over.

If you put your defensive line too far forward, your opponent can get round the back, and again you are screwed.

[SierraKiloBravo]

3 spaces back, sometimes four, if my guys on the line have AV9 or skills that help keep them upright. I want to generally create a bubble in front of my blitzers in the middle of the pitch and entice the opponent to come into that bubble. I seem to have more success that way.

[SierraKiloBravo]

As for the QS risk, I think you really only have to be on the wrong side of a bad QS once in order to appreciate the extra square.

[Jural]

Against bash, I will often stay 2 back, especially without side step and stand firm to position my front 3 after a push back. My theory is that tying up all my players will cause an overcommitment, and quick snaps won't hurt as much. Plus even a bash team does "break a hole" it's typically not game over, and fewer players to commit to the main cage, stall, beatdown.

Against speedier, finesse teams, it's important to not cede the LoS at all, and make them waste their blitz in the wide zone (committing to a side.) So I'll be only 1 square back.

It does depend upon my team make up and opposition's team make up as well, but that's as close as I get to a general principle.

Oh, and sometimes I just mix it up a bit even if it isn't perfectly optimum. Coaches sometimes make mistakes against new looks, and the same look repeated 3 or 4 times eventually is attacked the correct way.

[mattgslater]

I always plan 5-7 defenses for every team:
* Primary 11-man defense(s) -- usually I go one square back, but not always. Unless the opponent is absolutely horrifying, I'm not worried about Quick Snap. I may play two squares back if I haven't got the intended positioning skills (Fend or SF on the ends or SS on the nose and in the wide zones), but that's to avoid giving up extra blocks off chainpushes. This is less painful if the opponent is slow. For some teams, I build two primary defenses, one vs. heavy and one vs. light. I'd say that my primary defenses are 70% A, 30% B, <1% other.
* Changeup defense -- I tend to build a weird defense for the team that I can test out in garbage time before I use when it matters. Once I try a weird defense when it matters, I build a new one. My changeups are usually in the same category as the primary, but not always.
* Frenzy defense -- Until I get my positioning skills, I tend to cede the WZs against Frenzy. Once I do, I'll firm up, but I'll do it in ways that provide maximum trap value. I'd say in this case, the A/B/C/D distribution is probably 40/30/15/15.
* Man-down defense -- I have a 9-man defense for every team, and a 6-man defense for low-armor teams. Theoretically, this could be 4 different defenses (two against heavy, two against light), but I usually just game out one or two: my real objective is to know which player fills in best at which position, and which positions are most expendable. TBH, I find myself doing this on the fly or through trial and error, or after having to do it in a game (successful or not). My 9-man defenses are usually B, sometimes A.
* Dead-Turn Defense. When I score on T8, and my job is to soak up a hit, I stick 3 schmoes on the LOS and pull everybody else out of blitzing range. This is always D, unless there is no D, and then it's the next best thing (sure, Mr. Gutter Runner, you can chainpush your way off 1d blocks to GFI and blitz my Troll... go right ahead).

[Ullis]

B for me usually, but A usually when I'm up players. I usually play A when I'm playing strength teams against a lighter team as it's usually easier to make it harder to break through.

A when it's imperative that I get a shot at a defensive goal.

[Powerhausen]

It depends on what kind of team I'm playing against.

If I'm up against a physical team with little dodging ability, I'll stay two squares back. However, against Elves and similar running, dodging teams, I use a tiered two-line setup with the rearmost four players 4 squares back.

[Solarhaphaeriom]

Against slow teams 3 back, to defend against quick snap.
Against fast teams further back, usually two-tiered.
Occasionally 2 back if I'm up on players or otherwise want to apply some pressure.

[DoubleSkulls]

I'll mix one and two back depending on game state and relative strength. Probably around 70% two back.

Generally I'll use 1 square when I'm stronger and being forward prevents necessary assists to get a 2 dice block on the LOS.

If they can hit the whole LOS with 2 dice regardless I might do it anyway if I'm already ahead or very confident.

I went through a phase of 1 square back, but my woodies got 3 cas on them in a single quick snap. I don't do it as much since!

[plasmoid]

A friend of mine said it like this:

I used to rarely place my backers just 1 square off the line. But whenever I actually did - my opponent always rolled QS.

Now I always put my backers just 1 square off the line - because noboy rolls QS on every single kick-off.

A bit of reversed logic there

[rodders]

B for the same reason as joemanji states how ever it also depends on the state of the game the teams and skills sometimes it can be A if i'm numbers up and pushing hard