AFM Subscribers Ask...

with Ron Vanderlinden
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Ron Vanderlinden, now approaching his seventh year as Linebackers Coach at Penn State, has developed a reputation as an outstanding linebackers mentor. Over the years, he has coached Penn State All-Americans Paul Posluszy and Dan Connor, Pat Fitzgerald and Barry Gardner of Northwestern and Chad Brown of Colorado. He also helped the Nittany Lions defense rank in the top 15 nationally in rushing, pass efficiency, scoring, total defense and sacks in 2005. Similarly, his Northwestern defense in 1995 led the nation in scoring defense. He answers your questions on defense and, more specifically, linebacker play…

Q. What is the first thing you and your defensive staff look for on film after you have established the basic offensive philosophy of your opponent? Justin Dixson, assistant coach, Warren Central High School (IN). AFM subscriber since 2007.

The step in game planning is to adjust our base defense to our upcoming opponent’s personnel groupings and formations. We study our opponent’s run game by the formations used. It is important we are together as a staff as to what each defender's role is and where each defender fits versus the offense's blocking scheme. We then study what their offense does best in their run game and probe our stunt package to attack what they do best. It is important to have two to three line movements or stunts to take away the offense’s bread and butter plays without putting the defense at risk of giving up a big play.

The same sequence is used versus the opponent’s passing attack. After diagramming the opponent’s top routes, we adjust our base coverages against each route to assure we as a staff are in agreement as to how the routes will be defended.

Q. What is the number one skill that you feel must be developed to be a better linebacker? Taylor Burks, former defensive coordinator for Georgia Military College. AFM subscriber since 2000.

Linebackers must be playmakers. They must have the ability to get to the football and be effective tacklers. To accomplish these objectives, they must play with great intensity snap to whistle.

Q. What linebacker drills do you practice each day? Eric Firestone, assistant coach, Talladega HS (AL). AFM subscriber since 2001.

My practice routine is: Monday, 15 minutes of individual time.

2-3 minutes - AGILITY AND REACTION. I put my players through a shuffle drill where they reach with their outside foot and slide with their inside foot (reach slide) as quickly as possible as I prompt them, changing direction in the process. Linebackers must be good at shuffling. This is my primary agility drill.

8 minutes - STUN DRILL SEQUENCE. Each player fits up with a teammate with all players involved. The defender has his knees bent, back flat, his elbows in and his hands in the pecks of the offensive player. The linebacker should have a firm hold with his hands. His eyes are under the chin of the offensive player. The offensive player should be leaning on the linebacker. On my command, the linebacker will "lock out" the offensive player, gaining separation. I then repeat the command. The second time the linebacker will aggressively shed the offensive player and shuffle to the right or left.

The next part of the STUN SEQUENCE is to back the offensive player away from the linebacker at one yard. On my command the offensive player will step into the linebacker. The linebacker will execute the same sequence described above. He will shock, fit, lock out, and shed the blocker in one continuous movement.

I then have a STUN DRILL set up where the linebacker shuffles to a blocker and shocks the blocker as described above. He then shuffles to the next blocker, shocks that blocker, changes direction back to the first blocker and again shocks that blocker. He then shuffles to a form tackle or fumble recovery to finish the drill. This drill takes about 8 seconds to execute which approximates the length of a running play. I want my players to stay in a bent knee position for the duration of the play and meet the ball carrier in this same position. I have found that this is what linebackers do. They shuffle, take on blockers, separate from blockers, and proceed to the ball carrier. Each linebacker should get two repetitions of each drill, one going to his right and one to his left. I then work on coverage and ball catching drills with the remaining 4 to 5 minutes.

On Tuesday, I repeat this sequence with the exception of substituting a TACKLING DRILL for the coverage and ball catching drills. The main tackling drill I use utilizes a mat that is 4 feet by 8 feet, and 6 to 8 inches thick. The mat allows you to teach the finish in tackling. The ball carrier aligns one yard in front of the mat. The tackler is one yard away from the ball carrier. The linebacker should be in his stance position, feet shoulder width apart, knees bent, head and eyes up. On command, the linebacker attacks the ball carrier. The linebacker should tackle with his chest and with his eyes to the sky. On contact the linebacker should club his hands up and through the ball carrier which will rotate his hips. The tackler should accelerate his feet and run through the tackle. Often, players will stop their feet on contact. This drill helps the defender to drive through the tackle, teaching the tackler to eliminate post contact yardage. It also helps reinforce how important it is to teach a tackler to keep his head up on contact.

On Wednesday, I do an agility drill that has the linebacker open his hips backwards at a 45 degree angle. The linebacker then flips his hips on command back and forth. On command, he breaks up and breaks down on the quarterback. I then do a STUN DRILL versus a sled, with each player going twice.

I then do a BLITZ DRILL. We have the linebackers time up their blitz and work a pass rush move versus a blocker. As the linebacker defeats the blocker he should accelerate to the quarterback with his hands up. He should look to deflect a pass thrown by the quarterback. I act as the quarterback and align 10 yards from the line of scrimmage to allow the linebacker room to defeat the blocker and then to accelerate to the quarterback. I throw the ball with my eyes downfield through the hands of the linebacker rushing.

On Thursday, we use the individual time to work a turnover circuit which involves all four defensive positions.

Q. What is the teaching progression you use when teaching linebackers how to drop properly? How do you measure their performance through that progression? Ryan Ruschhaupt, assistant coach, USA Football (Germany). AFM subscriber since 2004.

My first response is recommend that high school coaches refrain from teaching their players not to step up on the snap of the ball. Doing so puts a linebacker at an disadvantage versus a perimeter running play and his ability to defend against the pass. At Penn State we are most often in a 4 under, 3 deep coverage. In this coverage, both linebacker's pass drop is a hook to curl drop. The linebacker wants to open his hips to his side of the coverage. He should shuffle in an inside out position towards the first inside receiver closest to his position. If the first receiver is a tight end, the linebacker wants to intercept the tight end at a depth of 5 yards and begin to wall him out at that depth. The linebacker should have his inside hand on the hip of the tight end, with his outside leg on the inside hip of the tight end, maintaining an inside out relationship. The linebacker should not collision the tight end inside of 5 yards; that's the no cover zone.

The linebacker wants to stay inside and under the tight end to a depth of no more than 15 yards. His head should be on a swivel, feeling and seeing the tight end, and the quarterback. The linebacker should never turn his back to the football. Should the tight end release flat, the linebacker should now speed up his drop and look up the next widest receiver, anticipating a flat/curl route combination. As the linebacker approaches the curl or dig route, he should stay 3 to 4 yards inside the curl or dig route, and 2 to 3 yards underneath the route. Doing so will prevent the receiver from getting inside the linebacker, or, beating the linebacker back to the ball.

If there is not a receiver in the linebacker's hook to curl zones, the linebacker should shuffle for depth and settle his hips square to the line of scrimmage when the quarterback completes his drop. The linebacker should then read the eyes and shoulders of the quarterback. It is important that the linebacker does not continue to drift backwards once the quarterback completes his drop. Doing this will slow the linebackers ability to break on the football.

Q. In recruiting a potential linebacker for Penn State, what are the main things you look for in reviewing a high school tape? Steve Harkness, assistant coach, Northeast High School (OH). Subscriber since 2003.

As mentioned in the second question, a linebacker must be a playmaker. I look for a linebacker who gets to the football and who has shock when he tackles.

Fundamentally, I look for a linebacker who bends easily at the knees and can maintain that position form the start of the play to the finish. I also like a player who is athletic and loose in his hips. Many of our current Penn State linebackers were also running backs in high school. This combination makes it possible to see a player's ability to quickly change his direction, accelerate, catch the ball, and maintain football speed. Athleticism and speed are more important than size in defending today's college football offenses.

Q. From your experience as a defensive coach, what offensive formation – Spread, Shotgun, Wing-T, Pro-Set, I, Option and Veer – traditionally is the hardest to defend? Jim Smith, Linebackers Coach, Notre Dame High School (MI). AFM subscriber since 2004.

I have found that all offenses present unique problems to our defense. One of the reasons high school and college football is such an interesting game to watch and to coach is the variety of offensive styles used. Most high school teams will have to defend all of the offenses that you have listed in the course of a season. It is not so much the style of the offense that presents a problem, but how well the offensive coaches know their offense and how well it is executed. Of course the talent level of the offense also is a factor.

Conversely, I believe the key to defending a variety of offensive systems is to have a sound defensive structure that the defensive staff knows inside out and is able to teach to their players. When your players are confident, they will play fast, aggressive football. I always caution defensive coaches not to change their scheme when they encounter a style of attack that is unique and different to what they normally see. They should stay as is and adjust their system to meet the challenge. I always believe in having leverage (a force player) to contain each side of the field. There should be a player responsible for every gap as well as a safety in the middle of the field to front the ball up if it breaks through the first wall of defense.

Q. How can a coach prepare a linebacker to defend against today's spread out passing game without sacrificing the mental toughness requisite to successfully stop a ground attack? Danny Carter, Assistant Coach, Lee High School (VA). AFM subscriber since 2002.

You are right to assume defending a spread offense may lead to a pass-first attitude from the defense. When defending a spread offense, we first emphasize to our players that the first priority is to stop the opponent's running game. Most spread offensive teams run the ball very effectively. When the defense is spread out, it creates natural running lanes and makes it difficult for the defense to outnumber the offense at the line of scrimmage. We primarily play a 4 under, 3 deep coverage. This allows us to keep a minimum of two linebackers in the box, a defender assigned to every gap and a free safety in the middle of the field.

We then make sure our practice time emphasizes stopping the run. At Penn State our first two practices each week are geared to making sure each of our defenders knows his fit in the run game. The mind set in your practice and coaching should not change when defending a spread offense. Continue to emphasize stopping the run first. Your players will pick up on what your emphasis is.

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