An ambiguous claim to say the least. Not that I am saying it per se, but rather typing it, obviously.

At any rate, which is it - 7 or more DBs or 7 or more players? Or is it actually, neither?

You see, Whammy Ward invented this dime rabbit package which is a prevent of sorts but built around four DEs all up front ... a little more complicated than that but anyways - and yeah, it's still "prevent."

That's the misconception, the misnomer even, of the prevent myth/fallacy.

A "prevent" defense is nothing more than a defense designed to prevent an offense from scoring on one single play. It is designed to both burn clock and to not allow a receiver to get behind coverage.

Where it fails is when DCs attempt to use it for entire series of downs or with too much time remaining on the clock whereas, when they do, it allows a good offense to work the short field, the sidelines and the clock in order to move the ball in front of the defense - feigning attempts to go deep which, in essence, are unnecessary if enough time remains.

Where the Prevent D can, and often does, come into play other than the final seconds of a game is if a team is down by more than two scores and an offense is trying to score quickly in an effort to have enough clock remaining to make an attempt to regain possession after their quick score ... as in an onside kick or squib kicks, etc.

The prevent defense itself is a solid strategy that is simply, and often, poorly utilized.