Stop the Screen Pass and Save Your Sanity

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The title to this article is a little misleading. It probably implies that I have managed to save my sanity. Let me clarify, what is on paper does not always happen on the field. Screen passes have had me tearing my hair out for years!

Between defending the run, and stopping the pass, from multiple fronts and coverages, it is easy to run out of time to teach defending the screen pass. But you have to! If you can read it, you can stop it, and get back to defending all the things you designed your defense for.Screen to the ReceiverHere we have a pretty basic screen. The Quarterback is faking a Sprint Pass to the right, with the sprint side receivers running typical flood routes. This gets the Linebackers flowing, and the free safety as well. Of course, your Defensive Line is also pinning their ears back to get to the QB out there. [Read more...]

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Filed Under: 3-5 Defense, Coverage, Defensive Line, Linebackers, Pass Rush, Secondary

Linebacker Drills to Stop the Run

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Hi this is Joe Daniel with footballdefense.com. Today I’m going to talk to you about linebacker drills for stopping the run. There are two drills today that I’m going to use to emphasize the most important characteristics of a run-stopping linebackers and the first one would be to defeat blocks. We have to teach our linebackers they’re gonna have to defeat one block to make a tackle. Against a good football team were not gonna run around tackles and guards.

The second drill I’m gonna talk about is getting the linebackers downhill, you know, then fit them well on the ball carrier. Make sure that they’re making tackle or force the ball carrier to bounce outside to where our help is.

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Filed Under: Football Drills, Linebackers, Videos

Coaching Linebacker Stance

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Some coaches are so detail oriented. They can see every little mistake and need everything to be perfect. Others are results guys. They don’t car how the job gets done, as long as the result is good.

Nowhere on the defensive side do these differences become more obvious than linebacker stances. Some teams will have 2 or 3 linebackers standing at exactly 5 yards looking like a picture out of a manual. Others have guys at different levels, different hip height, foot width, and anything else you can think of.

For me, I guess I am a results guy. I don’t care what he looks like pre-snap if he’s making plays. There are only a few guidelines my guys need to follow, and one rule not to be broken.

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Filed Under: Linebackers

Coaching Outside Linebackers to Contain the Run

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The hardest position on the field for most defenses is the Outside Linebacker. In a typical 8-man Front, such as the 3-5-3 or 4-2-5 defenses, these players have dual responsibilities.

Responsibility

The Outside Linebacker is primarily responsible for containing the run, forcing the ball carrier to turn back inside on edge runs. He can also force the ball carrier to bubble and work laterally to the sideline, allowing pursuit to get there to help.The second responsibility for the OLB is to cover the flats on the pass. Typically, 8-man fronts are going to be running Cover 3 as the base coverage. [Read more...]

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Filed Under: 3-5 Defense, 4-2-5 Defense, Cover 3, Linebackers

Executing the Rip Technique for Linebackers

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One of the hardest things for high school linebackers to do is defeat a block. After a lot of thought, I have decided to change the way I teach my linebackers to defeat blocks.

That is not an easy thing to do, but the fact is I haven’t seen many linebackers who could actually defeat a block the way I would like.The Old Way [Read more...]

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Filed Under: Defeat Blocks, Linebackers