[BostonCard]

The bottom line is that there is a tradeoff involved in putting in the personnel that you think can most effectively run the play you have designed, at the expense of tipping off the defense, or do you want to keep the defense guessing, but have personnel who might be less effective at carrying out the plays.

Both approaches have pluses and minuses, and neither is intrinsically better or worse.  If you are an inside linebacker and know the play is coming off center and shoot the A gap, but are met with a pulling guard (or fullback) who effectively blocks you and springs the running back, it doesn't matter a lick that you knew the play was coming.  And if you (as a defense) sell out completely, you are vulnerable to the rare trick play where the offense totally goes against its alignment (see, for example, touchdowns thrown to our tight end out of the jumbo package).

BC

[BostonCard]

The bottom line is that there is a tradeoff involved in putting in the personnel that you think can most effectively run the play you have designed, at the expense of tipping off the defense, or do you want to keep the defense guessing, but have personnel who might be less effective at carrying out the plays.

Both approaches have pluses and minuses, and neither is intrinsically better or worse.  If you are an inside linebacker and know the play is coming off center and shoot the A gap, but are met with a pulling guard (or fullback) who effectively blocks you and springs the running back, it doesn't matter a lick that you knew the play was coming.  And if you (as a defense) sell out completely, you are vulnerable to the rare trick play where the offense totally goes against its alignment (see, for example, touchdowns thrown to our tight end out of the jumbo package).

BC