Whenever a team runs any type of stack defense, whether it is a 4-4 or our preferred 3-3, the question always is: "Do you let the players play tap games and go on their own, or do you call the blitzes?"

It is a matter of trust. Do your players have the ability, and do you trust that ability to be able to change things up and be unpredictable. Let’s face it, the whole reason to stack up and play games is to be unpredictable and get the offense to be confused and not know who to block, giving your defense penetration and the ability to tackle behind the line of scrimmage.

Calling the blitz – If you call the blitz you guarantee the players will be going to the right spot, and it will be random enough to be unpredictable. Also when you game plan your opponent you can call the proper blitzes to stop what you expect them to run. In other words if you know they run to the right a lot on 3rd down, you know you want to send your best linebacker or lineman to the side to give you the best opportunity to stop it. Letting your Players Decide – Letting your players just play tap games is beneficial because your players know what they do best. They will always try to give themselves the best chance possible to make plays. They will always try to be the hero. If you trust your players enough they will make the plays.

The best way to do it is to develop a play calling system that will let you both call the blitz, and let your players do it themselves. This way you can have different combinations of linebackers and linemen blitzing. Lets say you want the Will, and Sam to blitz, then you can either call a blitz that puts them exactly where you want them, or you can let them choose where they want to go.

So the debate goes on, I say it is a matter of trust, more than it is a matter of preference.