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Slant to Win

Boston College Defensive Line Techniques.
by: Mike London
Defensive Line Coach, Boston College
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To say that the war is won by winning the battle in the trenches is not a cliche. As the defensive line coach at Boston College, my entire philosophy about defensive line play is based on this idea. However, winning the battle in the trenches does not necessarily mean that defensive linemen have to make plays. To win, we must have an impact on the run and pass game.

In the run game, the battle up front is won when we keep the offensive line off of our linebackers and safeties, and constrict running lanes, thus forcing the ball carrier to redirect. When the pass is on, that is our time to shine. It is essential that we affect the passing game by taking the QB out of his groove. Any edge we can find in affecting the pass and run game will help us win the battle up front.

I believe that there are three ways this can be done: 1) we can flush the QB out of the pocket and force him to throw on the run, (a throw by a a quarterback on the run has a lower completion percentage), 2) we can pressure the pocket and force the QB to release the ball sooner, possibly forcing a bad throw. and 3) a QB can't do anything when he's on his back, so if we sack him, we win.

We all know that offensive line blocking schemes, whether man or zone, depend greatly upon timing, landmarks, and favorable blocking angles. If we as a defensive line can disrupt any one of these three factors, we have an edge. I feel that the greatest advantage I can give my guys over the O-line is by having them stunt.

I define a stunt as any movement by one or more D-linemen that is premeditated. If a D-lineman moves in a direction that an O-lineman cannot anticipate, he affects either the O-lineman's timing, landmark or blocking angle.

There are three basic directions in which a D-lineman can move. First, he can charge straight upfield penetrating the line of scrimmage. We call this a base stunt. The other two ways he can move are either inside or outside of the offensive man. In each of these three cases, the ultimate goal is to either occupy our gaps of responsibility with our own bodies or manipulate an O-lineman's body so that it fills our gap of responsibility.

In order to get started with stunt techniques, we must touch upon a few topics that I feel are fundamental. Everything we do as D-linemen starts with our stance, so that is where our discussion will begin. Other important topics to be covered are alignment, pre-snap reads, aiming points and keys. In addition, I will include terms involved in the stunting game that I feel simplify the whole scheme for my players. Then, we will put the whole thing together to understand why stunting will help your D-line. There are some drills that I recommend for group work. I hope you find the following information useful for helping you and your defensive line utilize stunting and gain an advantage in the battle in the trenches.

Stance

I prefer that our D-linemen play out of a three-point stance. Whether you use a three or four point stance does not change our discussion. The two most important aspects of a D-lineman's stance are: 1) consistency of appearance. No matter in which direction we are stunting, we want our stance to look the same all of the time. Offensive linemen try to gain the same advantages we do by taking pre-snap reads. A stance that changes when we are going to move in a different direction is a possible tip-off. 2) Get-off. We must be in a stance that allows us to be explosive and move with a great deal of force behind us when the ball is snapped. We do not want the majority of our body weight to be on our down hand or hand(s). If it is, this may result in us leaning out of our stance rather than explode. Our weight should be distributed to our feet with slightly more weight on the upfield foot (feet should be staggered). There should be some weight on your down hand(s) for purpose of balance.

The coaching points I use to achieve optimum "get-off" from our stance are explosion from the feet and more specifically, digging our big toe into the ground when we move. If you think of it in the following terms, you can't go wrong: do not lift your feet off of the ground and drive your body forward from your feet to achieve explosion.

Alignment

Alignment is important for us as coaches so that we can put our players in the most advantageous position possible. The idea is to "align to execute!" Alignment is subjective and based on the D-lineman's ability and the ability of the O-lineman across from him.

A D-Lineman can be aligned in three ways:

1) Head up, inside shade, and outside shade - here I tell my guys that they should be positioned nose-to-nose and toes-to-toes. We number these techniques from the center out so our guys can identify them easily. A 0 (zero) technique is head up the center while a 2, 4 and 6 technique are head up the guard, tackle and tight end respectively to either side.

2) An Inside Shade - here we want to have our helmet on the inside shoulder pad of the O-lineman. We tag the initial "I" on to the even numbered head-up techniques. For example, a 2I positions the D-lineman in an inside shade on the gurad.

3) Outside Shade - similarly, we have our helmet on the outside shoulder pad of the O-lineman. These alignments are our odd numbered techniques. A 1, 3, 5 and 9 technique position us in an outside shade on the center, guard, tackle and tight end respectively to either side of the ball.

Pre-Snap Reads

We will take any advantage the offense gives us. There are a few things we can look for in terms of foretelling play selection as the O-linemen get into their stances. First of all, look at their splits. How far apart are they set? Are they tight or loose? Are they trying to spread you out or tighten you up? Secondly, look at the lineman adjacent to your man. Is he backed off of the ball or tight to the line of scrimmage? Does he want to get into you right away or is he going to pull away and not let you affect his course? Third, look at how the O-linemen's weight is distributed. Is on their heels or mostly on their hands? You may get a good idea of whether it is pass or run.

The bottom line is, we must be able to see the big picture before the ball is snapped. Any hint as to whether the play is pass or run or where the ball may be run may change our charge off the line. This enhances our technique and helps us win the battle.

Aiming Points

In any stunt, we give our guys a focal point towards which to direct their movement. We call this the aiming point. We have two aiming points. One relates to when we are aligned head up, this is the near hip aiming point. The second aiming point, the "V" of the neck, is used when we are shaded inside or outside.

The Near Hip: The near hip is not the hip of the O-lineman on whom we are aligned. Rather, it is the near hip of the nearest O-lineman in the direction to which we are angling. For example, if a D-lineman is in a 2 technique (head up the guard) and he is stunting outside to the B gap, his aiming point is the near hip of the adjacent offensive tackle.

The V of the Neck: I define this aiming point as the part of the upper body where the side of the neck meets the top of the shoulder. There are two "V's of the neck" on every individual, one on each side of the neck. Unlike the near-hip aiming point, the V of the neck pertains to the man on whom we are aligned. We are usually aiming towards the V of the neck opposite the side we are shaded. In other words, if a D-lineman is in a 3 technique (outside shaded on the guard) and he is stunting inside toward the ball, his aiming point is the guard's V of the neck nearest the center.

The purpose of the aiming point is to provide a landmark for the D-lineman to explode his body and hands towards. We never speak in terms of stepping at a 45º-or 90º-angle because I feel it makes the guys too robotic. We simply take the shortest path to our aiming point.

Key

On the defensive line we have one key for movement, the football. Exploding from our stance on the slightest initial ball movement will give us the desired "get-off." Knowing this, it is vital that our guys see the ball in their stances. To ensure that they are seeing the ball properly, I initially teach them to turn their heads and focus on the ball in their stances. As they perfect reacting to movement, I then have them keep their head facing staight upfield but their eyes focused on the ball. Eventually, they will develop a knack for seeing the ball out of the corner of their eyes. Whatever way of making them see the ball that works is fine, as long as at the instance the center's hand moves, they are gone.

Terms

At this point, we should talk about terms that can be used to define the types of movement the defensive line will execute. It is crusial for my guys to execute with confidence. Part of this confidence, I believe, comes in knowing for sure what you are doing so that there is no hesitation. With this in mind, I try to make our stunts, blitzes and line games as easy to learn and remember as possible by applying the "Same as, same as" philosphy.

Simply stated, the "Same as, same as" philosophy means that the movement and technique for my guys in stunt A is the exact same movement and technique in stunts C, D and F. The only things that changes are which linemen are stunting and which movements they are making. By using the "Same as, same as" philosophy we make it easier to teach. There is no new teaching and no new landmarks to define as we teach a different stunt. If it is easy to teach, it is easy for the players to understand and that will enable them to play with great confidence.

This is how I define our four basic movements. (The movements apply to both head up and shaded techniques. Perhaps the only thing that changes in terms of head up or shaded alignments are our aiming points.)

Veer: Movement one gap inside toward the ball.

Pinch: Movement two gaps inside toward the ball.

Loop: Movement to a landmark away from the ball. In a shaded technique, we move to the near V of the neck of the adjacent lineman to the outside. In a head-up technique, we move to the near hip of the adjacent lineman to the outside.

Loop Contain: Movement to a landmark away from the ball where we end up in an outside contain position.

By keeping these terms consistent with all of your stunts, your players will be able to create a visual image of what they must do and then they'll play with confidence.

Reacting to Situations

The stunt does not end with our players moving in the determined direction. Now they must be football players and react to what the offensive line does to them. I present my guys with a few fundamental blocking schemes and the respective ways that I want them to react. Remember to use the "Same as, same as" philosophy to keep it understandable.

Let's begin with the outside shaded techniques - either a 1, 3, 5 or 9 executing veer movement vs. several different blocking schemes.

3-Tech. Veer vs. Base or Fan blocks:

On ball movement, attack the inside V of the neck of the guard. If he attempts to base or fan block you, you must fight to work to an inside position into your gap of responsibility, the A gap.

3-Tech. Veer vs. Power Scoop/ball away.

On ball movement, attack the inside V of the neck of the guard. In this blocking scheme, the offensive lineman's angle of attack and your technique will put your body into a position where you will probably end up outside of your offensive man, the guard. It is important that you do not try to fight to get into the inside gap. What we must do is get our hands on the lineman as he tries to work away from us. "Strangle" him with your hands and keep your feet moving. The ultimate goal is to squeeze him and put his body into our gap of responsibility. As we squeeze, we must keep our shoulders square to the line of scrimmage and keep our eyes on the ball. Should the ball carrier cut back towards us, we must disengage violently and make the play. The cutback is important to remember because we do not want to get washed down creating a huge running lane for the ball carrier.

3-Tech. Veer vs. Zone.

Attack the inside V of the neck of the guard. In this scheme, our aiming point will disappear immediately. Because of the flatness of the guards step, we will most likely not be able to get our hands on him. We react by coming off his hip and flattening to the ball which most often will be wide outside and away from us.

3-Tech. Veer vs. Power Scoop/ball to.

Attack the inside V of the neck of the guard. Based on our movement inside and his movement outside, we will automatically end up inside of him and in the A gap. We are in our gap, but now we must fight the guards pressure from inside out with great hands and feet.

3-Tech. Veer vs. Zone/ball to.

Attack the inside V of the neck of the guard. Vs. this scheme, we will utilize the "ricochet" technique. As we attack our aiming point on the guard, he has taken a wide step outside and away from us. The adjacent lineman, in this case the center, who you are moving toward, is also making a wide movement toward you. Understanding that our landmark has moved outside of our aiming point, we must pick up the approaching adjacent lineman with our eyes, hands and feet. We will then "ricochet" off the center's block and keep our body and hat in our gap of responsibility.

Remember, in all the movements we make, we like to keep the description and teaching simple for better understanding by our players. Therefore, we will apply the "Same as, same as" philosophy to the different stunts (i.e. pinch, loop and loop contain) vs. the different blocking schemes we just discussed.

If we execute the pinch move, which brings us two gaps inside toward the ball, vs. the base, fan, zone and power scoop blocking schemes, the common thread becomes aiming points, hands, feet and eyes. The terms remain the same for the loop and loop contain vs. fundamental blocking schemes.

The "Same as, same as" philosophy further carries over into movement from head-up alignment. The only differences are the aiming points. Recall that when we are head up, we move to the near hip rather than the V of the neck. As you can see in Diagram 13, the reactions in the veer technique from a head-up alignment are similar to those of the veer technique from a standard alignment.

What about the pass?

In all of our stunts, if pass action shows or we get a "high hat" read from the O-line, we will execute the stunts and penetrate upfield through the blockers. We want to achieve vertical push and maintain our gap and rushlane responsibilities.

Drills

Here are some drills that I feel help my guys execute the movements and get the desired results. Now we will translate the defensive line movements and offensive line blocking schemes into live action by creating situations that we will most often have to react to.

The teaching progression requires that we use several offensive linemen (they can be your own defensive linemen) and line one defensive lineman up against them in a shaded technique. The number of people you use in the drill can vary. But it is a good idea to start with three O-lineman and one D-lineman. Until they know how the drill works, the less bodies flying around, the less injuries.

For the first part of the drill, we will line up three O-linemen representing a guard, tackle and a tight end to one side of the ball. Place a ball next to the guard so everybody involved is sure where it is. This first part of the drill requires no movement by the O-line. We simply want the D-lineman to step to his aiming points in the various movements out of, let's say, a 5-technique (outside shade on the tackle). The D-lineman react to the coach's cadence or ball movement. Ball movement always helps them develop an eye for reacting to the ball and allows them to work on "get-off".

You can utilize the same drill to work out of head-up alignment or a 4 Tech (inside shade on the tackle).

For the next part of the drill, we will incorporate the different blocking schemes by the O-line and ball direction by a back. We are not looking for the O-line to execute the blocks. The purpose of the drill is to develop D-line reaction to O-line steps indicating different blocking schemes.

The coach stands behind the D-lineman and in clear sight of the O-linemen and running back so that he can signal their movement. Give the O-line a signal indicating that you want a flat zone step to the football and then indicate to the back to run away from the D-lineman (Develop easy to recognize signals for all of your drills for better efficiency). Start the drill on ball movement and incorporate all that we have discussed. Emphasize a great stance that is consistent for all types of movement. Make sure we are properly aligned. Emphasize "get-off" on ball movement. Work to our aiming points and react to the scheme and ball direction. In this case, the D-lineman should recognize that his aiming point has disappeared and see ball-away. He should react by flattening out to the ball.

Continue through all of the aforementioned blocking schemes vs the Veer technique and then the pinch, loop and loop contain vs. the same blocks. You will find that as you teach the movements, the terminology will remain consistent. As your guys get better at the drill, you can signal high hat to the O-line. Work with your guys on moving toward aiming points, getting upfield and finding their pash rush lanes.

The coaching points for all of the movements in all of the drills are for the D-lineman to use hands, feet, eyes and great effort. Gradually work towards having a full O-line and D-line executing stunts. You'll see how the terminology comes into play.

I hope I've provided you with some insight into the Boston College philosophy of moving the defensive line and how to win the battle in the trenches. Please, feel free to contact me for any further information or questions.






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