Need Help understanding formation numbers

[new2tgame]

I need help understand how to match up the numbers to an offense.

1)Can someone please help me with this article

homersmith.net/?page_id=121

To me in the the digram the defense is balance 5 1/2 to 5 1/2

2) Is there a quick way to determine if the defense is structually sound against your formation without indivually counting?

Side note: I trying to find ways through formationing and motion to get the defense to be unsound structurally but I don't quite understand fully.

Is there a quick way to determine if the defense is structually sound against your formation without indivually counting?

[CoachJoe]

Reading Homer Smith's stuff can give you a headache pretty quick. He's brilliant, but he's confusing. The main point there, to me, is that you can't run a single-high safety defense, like the 5-3 Cover 3, against a formation that has 4 receivers who can go vertical against you.

As far as the running play he drew up, there's no inherent flaw in the 5-3 that it can't stop that play. If your defenders beat their blockers, you stop it. The outside backer just has to fill the hole and force it to bounce to your end and safety.

I think you can find out a lot of information about the defense by looking at the safeties and over-hangs. Seeing if you have 1-high, 2-high or no high safeties tells you a lot. Then the overhangs (or lack of) will tell you who is responsible for contain on that play. Hope that helps a little, I don't know much about offense though