The Last Rep
Defensive Secondary
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Offensive schemes are becoming more intricate with every season
that passes, so
American Football Monthly recently sat down with
six of the top defensive back coaches from around the country to
get their thoughts on some of the major issues concerning their
positions.
When facing a balanced offense, what can you do to help give your
secondary/team the edge?
“You have to be unpredictable with your calls week to week.
You have to be able to line up and give them a look and be able
to
play different coverages and different fronts. For teams that are
multiple, you have to at least give two or three different fronts
by either movement pre-snap or movement post-snap. Movement pre-snap
is our stem package, we’ll stem two different fronts ...
movement post-snap, we’ll do that with zone blitz or defensive
line movement. Everything is based on our ability to disguise coverages
by taxiing our corners and safeties. This allows you the flexibility
of running a variety of coverages from the same look. We can line
up in Cover 2 and still play Cover 4. This allows us to be proactive,
not reactive.” – John Berry, Fordham
“I constantly emphasize the play-action pass. I stress to
my secondary not give up the deep ball. As long as we do not give
up the big
pass play, we have a shot to win the game. You have to let them
know that the big play is always coming and to always be prepared
and alert.” – Torrian Gray, UConn
“The teams that are the most threatening to defenses are
teams that are most balanced. A defensive back must play their
responsibility
that is the key to success on the field. Inexperienced guys have
a tendency to try and do a little too much, but a coach needs to
stress the importance of playing within the system.” – Mark
Stoops, Miami (Fla.)
What role does your secondary play against the run?
“Our safeties are very involved ... we have our safeties
about 10 yards deep. We coach them to be a very ‘static’ player
on the snap and don’t move because if you are moving forward
and it is pass or if you are moving backward and it is run – you
are wrong. So, we want them to sit and read. We preach efficiency
because we can’t afford any wasted steps.” – Al
Simmons, S.F. 49ers
“In the secondary there is an old saying, ‘you play
pass first and run second.’ If you are in a defend (zone)
situation and you have an area of responsibility in the secondary
it is pass
first and run second. The emphasis has changed slightly over the
years with the changes in offensive schemes, so it is still pass
first, run second, but once you recognize run you’ve got
a place to fit ... you’ve got to hit it hard with your eyes
and your pads. If an offense can run the football they have a chance
to win, so defensively you have to be able to stop the run or you
will get your fanny beat. It all goes back to recognition and playing
with great technique with great intensity ... get them on the ground
and make tackles.” – Curley Hallman, Mississippi
State
How important are interceptions?
“Interceptions are good, but they are not as important as
being able to get off the field on a consistent basis. We like
turnovers
because they are game-breakers, but we want our defense to get
off the field. To me, the third down conversion rate is very important.
Our philosophy is to create the bad throws. Being a good team on
first and second down does no good if you are not getting off the
field after third down.” – John Berry, Fordham
“Interceptions are very important. We were down on interceptions
from the previous year, but there were certain areas of our pass
defense that we did better. But if your coverage is good, there
will be fewer passes being thrown down the field.” – Mark
Stoops, Miami (Fla.)
“
Interceptions are important, but three-and-outs are equally as
important.” – Al Simmons, S.F. 49ers
What are your favorite drills?
“Hand speed is important ... I see guys that plant and drive
but they never move their arms. You have to have hand speed ...
from
the wrist to the elbows, click them in and go, they make the legs
go faster. We are not meant to walk around bent over, so you have
to work on that. Guys who are better adjusted at the angles have
more explosive power and explosive power is what makes a good football
player.” – Curley Hallman, Mississippi State
“I try to do simple drill movements that will mimic movements
that my defensive backs will encounter in the game. Repetition
is very
important.” – Torrian Gray, UConn
“You have to do some sort of tackling drills every day. One
correlation that I have noticed is that good athletes usually make
better tacklers.” – Chris
Ash, Iowa State
Zone vs. Man?
“You have to mix your coverages. If you play teams that run
the spread and you constantly run zone or man exclusively you will
get burned. So, the best way to have success is to show the same
look but be able to mix up what you are doing.” – Chris
Ash, Iowa State
“We press every snap with our corners whether we are playing
press or we are playing zone. We try to make it difficult for the
receivers
to get off the line and run their routes. But whatever you decide
to go with, make sure you commit to what you are doing and go after
it. People say that you can’t play man with lesser talent,
but I think that you can as long as you remain committed and instill
the confidence needed to get the job done.” – Mark
Stoops, Miami (Fla.)
What advice could you give a new coach?
“This is not rocket science. First, recruit good players.
If you are a high school coach sometimes that is difficult and
you have
to go with what you have. If you don’t have good players,
you have to have motivated players that are willing to bust their
tails to get better and to get the job done. You have to be able
to conceptually teach the kids in the classroom regarding their
assignments and schemes. Remember, one bad apple will spoil the
bunch, so remember to isolate any athletes with bad attitudes so
that they do not corrupt the team.” – John Berry,
Fordham
“A coach must have the respect from the players. Players
will respect coaches for their knowledge of the game. But you have
to be able
to present that knowledge in a professional manner that will create
bonds and credibility with your athletes.” – Torrian
Gray, UConn
“Install confidence in your players ... how? Remember, confidence
comes from seeing positive results from hard work.” – Curley
Hallman, Mississippi State
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