When a defender is confronted with a tackle, he is in a 4 technique. A 6 method is used when the defender is situated straight across from the tight end. The number indicates how many players are blocking him. There are two ways to block a 6 technique: a down lineman or an off-line blocker. An off-line blocker will fill the gap left by the defensive player and then push him outside where another offensive player is waiting to block him. The advantage of using an off-line blocker is that it keeps the defense guessing on whether they should focus their attention on the off-line blocker or the downlineman. This can cause them to make mistakes. Using a downlineman to block a 6 technique is much more predictable. The offense knows what kind of block they are going to get so they can plan for it. This means that the downlinemen have better odds of making the play. Here is an example of a 6 technique. Say that the quarterback drops back to pass and there is no free receiver. One of the linemen would be able to block this defender if both of them wanted to. They would pull and lead with their arms, creating a hole for their teammate to run through.