Football Q&A – In The Box
“In the Box” – 8 Men in the Box
This question is about the term "in the box" and how it pertains to defensive football.
Terms like "7 men in the box" and "8 men in the box" are thrown around by fans and broadcasters all the time, but you might not know what "the box" is and how you can have seven or eight players in a box. The following Q&A explains when these situations happens, and what it means when it does happen.
Football Question:
Football Babble Staff -
What are they referring to when a scout reads a defensive set up and states a certain number of defensive players are “in the box?”
Steve Zarella
Vice Principal, Joel T. Malloy High School
Football Answer:
Steve -
"In the box" refers to how many defensive players are bunched at the line of scrimmage. "The box" is defined as the area of the line of scrimmage directly opposite to the offensive lineman, going back 5 yards from the line of scrimmage on the defensive side of the ball. These are the players whose duties it will be to focus mainly on the running game.
Typically, there will be 7 players in this imaginary box — 4 defensive linemen and the 3 linebackers in a 4-3 Defense. (Or 3 lineman and 4 linebackers in a 3-4 Defense.)
If the defense wants to focus on stopping the run, it will "drop an 8th man in the box". Essentially, the defense positions a safety close to the line of scrimmage to help out with run duties. He becomes an extra linebacker. (Safeties typically stand back from the line of scrimmage, covering pass receivers and helping the cornerbacks with double coverage on the wide receivers.)
When you move a safety to the line of scrimmage to stop the run, this generally means the rest of the defensive backs are going to need to defend the receivers in man-to-man coverage. Specifically, the offense’s best receiver, who normally receives double coverage, is likely to have single coverage. Big pass plays become a greater possibility, if the quarterback has the skill to get the ball to his receivers.
So putting "8 men in the box" is selling out to stop the run. If the offensive team notices the safety inching forward, it can exploit this alignment by throwing the ball more. You might even see "9 men in the box", if the defense has no respect for the other team’s passing ability. This usually happens at levels lower than the NFL, since even below average NFL quarterbacks can throw on that scheme. You might find a certain play (short yardage, for instance) where this happens. When 9 defensive players are put in the box, the other safety is usually the player moving forward.
I hope this helps. Thanks for reading the website.
- Football Babble Staff
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