When it comes to making things a little more even in the game of gaps, defenses have a big toolbox of their own. One of the first things a defense can do is attack away from their alignment; blitzes and slants are great examples:

The defensive tackles are slanting, i.e., they’re attacking diagonally away from their nearest gap. This can allow the DTs to charge over to an area the defense wants more bodies at, such as slanting to the side of the offense where the running back is likely to take the ball. Slanting can also drag blockers away for blitzers to come in:

If you’re trying to block these guys, having a fast guy cut across your face when you’ve been assigned to man/base or gap him can make for a missed block. This all can apply to linebackers blitzing on angles, too.

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