Seemingly basic questions about how to define defensive positions coming up...

So this is a basic 11 personnel formation.
With zones for defensive positions roughly blocked out.
I know this seems incredibly obvious.
But there is not consensus on some things. Which I'll try and highlight.
So I'm setting out basic premises here

On the D line.
For me I just use the OTs as a guide.
If a defender is on the LoS and lined up inside the OT - he's an interior lineman.
If he's on the LoS and outside the tackle he's an edge [we'll get to how far outside this extends in a bit].

This means [and I've changed my tune on this over the years] that a defense can have more than one edge on each side.
Which seems contradictory.
Because edge fundamentally means the most outside.
So how can 2 guys be the *most* outside?

Here's an example.
Ogbah and Van Ginkel [IMO] are both edge payers here.
Now one happens to be standing up and one has his hand down which is the traditional definer.
I don't think that's very relevant in modern times.

LB - off the LoS, but within 10 yards of it [arbitrary number]. But not too far outside the TE [or where a TE would be if there was one].
This is massively vague.
I appreciate this.
In many ways it's better to define other positions then whatever is left is a LB or a S.

Corner is fairly easy.
For me it's the most outside players in the formation.
Basically that's it.
I know that sounds basic. And there are times when it's not really right.
But I'm making this up as I go along.

Note that for me it is NOT about what the corner [or any other position] is actually doing on a given snap.
On defense I don't believe you can usefully define NFL players by what they're doing.
It needs to be where they are.
But that's another topic to revisit...

Note that my definition for corners does NOT include "slot corners".
Again this seems silly.
But for me the defining feature of them is that they play in the slot.
Therefore there's [usually] someone outside of them.
And therefore they're not on the corner.

So I separate corners and "slot DBs" based on nomenclature implying there can be only one on each side.
But for edges I do the opposite.
Hmmm.
Maybe I should look at that.
Either way - you do you.
I [mostly] use corner and slot DB.
YMMV.

Note that for all corners/slot DBs I've extended the zone to that [arbitrary] 10 yards.
Anyone beyond 10 yards from the LoS is [IMO] a safety.
This points to some interesting questions...

OK.
There are some holes in that framework, but broadly that's my starting point.
So let's apply that to an actual defense.
This is pretty basic and easy to understand.

But there are many, many potential issues.
Because modern defenses do not work or look like that.
They're too flexible. Too variable.
Too messy.
This is obvious when you watch a lot of football.
Not obvious at all when you plan Madden or look at depth charts.

Here's a basic one.
The safety creeps forward into the box.
At what point does return from a S into a LB?
At the 10 yard point?
Some other marker?
Never?
If you feel comfortable saying whether a defender is a S or a LB on a given snap, then you need to be able to answer this

OK.
In this version the "safety" has come up to cover the TE.
He's sort of a LB and sort of in the slot here.
Maybe he's even on the LoS.
So how do you define what he is on this snap?

This shines a light on how we tend to do this.
Which is players are designated positions and then regardless where he lines up we just say "well he's doing XXX on this snap, but he's a ZZZ"

The problem is that there is no good system for deciding what players are in the first place.
Hilariously many people think team depth charts are useful for this.
Depth charts are laughably wrong and useless.
And written by the PR department.
So just... don't.

Here's a recent example.
Isaiah Simmons's rookie season and Derwin James from 2019.
People will tell you Derwin J is "obviously" a safety.
And Simmons is "obviously" a LB.
I don't think that's good enough.
I want better decision making and definitions.

Now the other obvious way to do it is to say "well, what the player does most is what his position is".
Yeah.
I agree with this.
Which is why I'm writing this about he define what a player is on any given snap.

OK.
Another one.
In this shot the LB has moved out to cover the slot WR.
I think that means he's not a LB [on this snap].
But does that make him a DB?
Sort of but not really. I guess?
Tough one to answer.
Which is the point

OK.
Another one [this is SUPER common right now].
The defense has lined up with a guy who usually plays on the edge as an interior rusher.
Is he still an edge?
Is he not?
Why?
What % of snaps does he have to play there to qualify?
All good questions

I don't have the answers.
I know how I do it but that's just me.
And there's plenty of holes.
I just want to get people asking these questions and thinking [and listening] rather than blithely accepting so-called consensus.

OK.
You'll notice that I have not split safety into strong/free.
Obviously the original terms [ie strong safety = on the strong side of the formation] are now not relevant.
So how do you define the difference?
Another arbitrary line on the field?

That seems weird to me. And full of issues.
You quickly get to "well if he's withing 8 yards of the LoS he's a LB, more than 12 yards away and he's a FS, 8-12 he's a SS".
That's going to fail very quickly.
And it also seems useless.
Why delineate like that?
How does it help?

If you do that you've had to install a complex system just to perpetuate nomenclature which is not that relevant any more.
Which seems... stupid.

But we do know that the NFL currently favours 1-high safety looks.
So there is a difference between box safeties and dee safeties.
So we have to delineate them somehow.
Otherwise you bucket together totally different players.
This is a problem.

Here's a glimpse of how hard that is.
Here's 15 safeties from 2020 in terms of snap % at various spots.
So you can see how tough it is.
So at what point does a SS become a FS?

There's not just 2 pots who look very clearly different.
Safety is the most versatile and varied position in football.
Different teams and coaches use them in very different ways.

So let's bring that back to the premise of defining positions.
I'm onboard with "make a system that lets you define what a player is on any given snap, then add up how many times he does each of them. Whatever he does most is his position"

But that breaks down with safety.
Unless you bother demarcating LB/SS/FS on any given snap.
Without even getting into "safeties" who regularly line up in the slot.
So... it's tough

OK.
Because this is interesting to me let's do some exam questions.
What is Budda Baker on this play?
What about Isaiah Simmons?
What about Devon Kennard?
To recap - I mean on this snap.
Not what you think those players do *most* of the time