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AFM Subscribers Ask... with Ron Vanderlinden

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Penn State Linebackers Coach Ron Vanderlinden answered questions from subscribers in the May issue of AFM. Because of the subscriber response, he answers additional questions about the linebacker position. A coach for more than a quarter century, Vanderlinden has coached at Bowling Green, Michigan, Ball State, Colorado, Northwestern, Maryland and Penn State. He was the Terrapins head coach from 1997-2000 and this fall enters his seventh year in Happy Valley.

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, Monterey Peninsula University. AFM subscriber since 2004.

My first response is to 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 a 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 WR closest to his position. If the first receiver is a tight end, the LB 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.

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 from 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 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.

Coming in September: Blue Valley High School (Stilwell, KS) Head Coach Steve Rampy has won four Kansas State Championships, the latest last fall. When Rampy switched from the Shotgun to the Pistol offense in 2006, his team averaged 46 points per game. He answers your questions in next month’s issue. Go to www.AmericanFootballMonthly.com/askacoach or send your question to AFM's Managing Editor Rex Lardner at rlardner@lcclark.com.





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