7 Essentials to Kickoff Coverage

by: Michael Parker
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While most people would agree that special teams can be a ‘difference maker,’ the University of Pittsburgh’s Charlie Partridge feels it is especially true of high school programs. “Great high school teams win two or three games a year, I promise you, just on special teams,” says Partridge.

Special teams is all too often the stepchild in coaching clinics, behind offense and defense. But the man in charge of the kicking game at Pitt knows better.

Like many coaches, Partridge preaches execution. But the difference between Partridge and many other special teams coaches is that he doesn’t just preach it; he actually makes his team practice it.

Since becoming the coordinator at Pitt in 2006, Partridge has established the Panther special teams as one of the best groups in the Big East conference. What does he attribute the success to? Fundamentals. “We place a strong emphasis on special teams fundamentals,” says Partridge.

One of the most important areas of any program’s special teams is the kickoff unit, where both field position – and momentum – can change drastically and instantaneously. “The kickoff unit is critical in regards to gaining a field position advantage,” says Partridge. And here are his keys.

THE PITT PANTHER KICKOFF TEAM FUNDAMENTAL KEYS

“The first things we talk to our coverage players about are the seven steps to successful coverage,” says Partridge. “These seven keys apply vs. any return that we face.”

1. Get off on the ball.

“This is really just timing up with our kicker,” says Partridge. “We coach our kids that we would rather be a yard behind the ball at full speed than offside or tiptoeing the last foot or so.

“Kids with different accelerations are going to line up a little differently. So when you look at us, as the kicker starts his approach, we’re not in an even pretty line. But when the kicker kicks the ball we are, and everyone is, at full speed.” Partridge coaches this aspect hard and makes sure that his players understand the objective of being at full speed when the ball is kicked.

“Through the course of two-a-days, and as our starting unit comes together along with some of the backups in all the spots, we will try and put them in the right starting position so that they can time it up,” says Partridge.

“The challenge happens whenever there is a kicking change, because each kicker’s approach is so different. You almost have to readjust all the kids if you make a change at kicker.”

2. Eyes on the target (ball carrier).

“We call directional kicks,” says Partridge. “But the fact is you got wind, and you got young kickers who don’t always put the ball where you want it. So our kids are going to find the ball and the returner who is catching it.

“We preach eyes on the target the whole way. We got eyes on the target, but as a part of that we’ve got to feel the blockers around us. And we spend a lot of time in film preparation trying to find out whether they are a big trap return team, or single block team, or whatever. So we tell them, ‘Eyes on the target. But guys, you’ve got to feel the blocks.’ You know … so they won’t be on the other team’s highlight film.” 3. Over the top to the target.

“The point of debate in avoiding single blocks is which way do they go,” says Partridge. “We believe the best way is beating the block over the top.

“That is just the phrase we use in talking about how we avoid the first level block. We want to beat that block with speed. So we avoid the block based on where the ball is instead of telling the players a specific side to beat the block.

“Our only players that we sometimes have to worry about are the #3 and #4 player on the kick side. If we find they are getting out of position, we will tell those two to avoid to the kick direction. (i.e. avoiding the block to the right if it is a kick to the right).”

4. Feet gain ground up the field (don’t get washed).

“That is getting back in our lane and getting vertical,” says Partridge. “Don’t get run sideways. That comes with feel and experience. Young players don’t even know they’re getting washed until they see themselves on film a million times. Older kids will get it. They realize that the other team is getting coached too, and they are staying with them when they are trying to avoid with speed. They know they have to fight back into their lane as they are gaining ground.”

5. Hands on blocker or fit the wedge.

“That is if you are into second level blockers and you have a single block,” says Partridge. This is in what some coaches will refer to as the ‘contact zone.’

“If you have a single blocker coming at you, and you are within 15 yards of the ball carrier, then you want to get your hands on the blocker. You are still gaining ground. But you’ve got to get your hands on the blocker and be able to defeat the block either way to make the tackle.

“The other part is that if there is a wedge coming at you, then it’s not hands on blocks. Then it is specific fits to beat the wedge based on what type of wedge it is. We will try and split and make the tackle behind the blockers.

“But, you honestly don’t see much of the wedge anymore. It is really important to teach them the fundamentals of the hands-on blocks because sometimes what starts out looking like a wedge splits off at the last instant and becomes single blocks.”

6. Keep feet gaining ground.

“If you do everything else right, and you don’t gain ground, they are still going to get a big return,” says Partridge. “It is important that the players work all the way down the field and close that gap.”

7. Make the tackle.

“Paul Rhoads, our defensive coordinator, is the best,” says Partridge. “He has a tackling progression that we carry over from the defense and it is just ‘Run, Balance, Hit.’ So we teach our kids, in a nutshell: run, balance, hit.

“The premise of it is that we teach our kids to run, take the air out of it (close the distance between the coverage and the returner) until if you take one more step you’re going to miss. That is going to be a different point for each kid.

“Then, balance. When you first teach this, kids usually get their feet way too wide. So we teach them don’t get your base too wide, come to balance, sink your hips, bend your knees. Then when that player makes his move, you step laterally in front of him and execute your normal form tackle.

“So run, balance, and then step to contact. When he makes his move you step laterally in front of him and it takes his move away.”

Tackling is important enough that Partridge has all special team players go through the tackling drills, whether they are on defense or not. “If we have an offensive guy that is a big special teams performer for us, then he actually comes over with defense on our run balance hit drills. He will actually miss some of his offensive drills.”

To ingrain these keys, Pitt uses the following drills.

THE PITT PANTHER KICKOFF TEAM DRILLS

“We have a series of three drills that emphasize the fundamentals and philosophies we stress to our players to successfully cover a kickoff,” says Partridge.

THE RABBIT DRILL

“The first drill is what we refer to as the rabbit drill,” says Partridge (See Diagram 1). “The rabbit simulates a return man 20 yards away from the coverage players. On the whistle, the coverage players converge on the return man.”

When the cover guys are 10 yards away, the rabbit will work laterally, reverse field and then work laterally again and up the field. Each cover man must keep the returner on their inside shoulders. If the return man is working laterally towards you as a coverage player, then you are to balance and shuffle. If he is working away from you then crossover run, but fight to keep your shoulders square.”

Diagram 1: Rabbit Drill

THE OVER-THE-TOP DRILL “The second drill we teach is what we call the Over-the-Top drill,” says Partridge (See Diagram 2). “This drill involves a cover man; a blocker representing the front line player from the opponent’s Kickoff Return unit; and a ball carrier to show flow and cutback.

Diagram 2: Over-the-Top Drill

“The blocker and cover man start five yards apart. On the whistle, the cover man works to avoid the blocker with a speed rip to the outside cone as flow starts that way. The blocker works to maintain flow-side leverage and stay as square as he can, as long as he can. If the return man cuts back, the cover man needs to work back over the top to close the lane down. He may have to give some ground to get this accomplished.”

THE CROSS FIELD DRILL

“The third drill is what we refer to as the Cross Field drill,” says Partridge (See Diagram 3).

“On the whistle the four coverage players involved will work across the field and then work over the top with a speed rip to the direction of the returner’s flow. The front line blockers work to keep leverage to the direction that we tell the return man to flow.

“Then the coverage men work up the field toward the target and will be engaged by the second wave of blockers. These blockers are told to maintain a head up blocking position and keep their shoulders as square as they can, as long as they can. The coverage players should engage this blocker with a two hand punch to the chest while the feet are still gaining ground through the blocker. This technique will allow us to come off the blocker either direction and make the tackle.

“The returner will flow one direction when the whistle starts the drill and then cut off the second level blockers to daylight.”

Diagram 3: Cross Field Drill

This cross field drill accomplishes three important dynamics:

1. “This drill incorporates the fundamentals of working over the top of a front line block with speed.”

2. “It also focuses on getting hands on a blocker at the second level while being within 10 yards of a returner so the coverage player can play off the block either direction to make the tackle.”

3. “Finally, it helps train the players to have their eyes on the target (ball carrier) and feel the blockers with their peripheral vision.”

“We firmly believe that players must master these drills and understand their specific responsibilities,” says Partridge. “When accomplished, there is a great chance this will lengthen the field for our opponents’ offense.”

And give you a chance to upset your highly-ranked backyard rival.

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