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AFM Subscribers Ask with Joe Daniel Defensive Coordinator and Offensive Line Coach, Prince George High School (VA) – Part I

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Joe Daniel has more than ten years experience coaching on the high school and college level. In 2009, Daniel began building a website which includes more than 300 articles on defensive coaching – www.Football-Defense.com 

Daniel is also the host of The Football Coaching Podcast and has written several eBooks, including Coaching Football’s 4-2-5 Defense, Installing the 4-3 Over Defensive Front, and Dominating Football Defense with the Zone Blitz. A frequent contributor to both AFM and Gridiron Strategies, Daniel currently has a blog on AmericanFootballMonthly.com, “Linebacker Keys in the Miami 4-3 Defense.” He answers your questions.

What is your defensive installation schedule in the pre-season? What are some typical defensive practice plans (individual, group, and team) you use in the pre-season to get your defensive squad ready for the season? Scott Weissman, Head Coach, Clayton High School (MO).

We install the entire package in the first week of camp. Throwing that much information at young kids guarantees mistakes and confusion, but we want them confused in week one of camp, not week one of the season.

On day one we install the base front and coverage. From there, we base installation on what each player needs to know. The defensive line will learn basic line stunts on day two, while the linebackers learn to adjust the defense to formations and the secondary installs man coverage.

Day three will focus on the installation of the blitz package and zone blitz coverage. This is the day we will put in our second front as well (Under Front). Installation on day four is minimal because that is the day we put shoulder pads on. Every time you add equipment, the kids forget. Aside from a couple of line stunts, day four is focused on review. Day five is a situational focus day. We need to install situational defensive calls like an empty check (e.g., 6 man, cover 0 blitz), end-of-half coverage (two-man) and goal line defense.

The start of the next week is the beginning of our first scrimmage week. Based on the information that we get from the opposing coach, and our own knowledge of that team, we will formulate a game plan. The game plan normally consists of just two or three line stunts, three or four blitzes, and two or three coverages.

I limit myself to ten complete play call combinations in a given game week, and we will work only those ten play calls (front, stunt, blitz and coverage make up one play call). For example, our call sheet will have “Over Tex Strong 3” as one of the ten calls. If that is the only time “Tex Strong”, a line stunt, appears on the call sheet, then we will only plan to run it from an over front with cover 3 behind it. Once we have installed everything in the first week of practice, each game week is a focus on mastery of the ten play calls against the opponent’s top formations.

We are not a 2-platoon team, so we have to work both offense and defense in our practice day. Our practice time must be efficient. Every practice will include a 5-minute pursuit drill period. We open the defensive portion of practice with pursuit drill and set the tone. Once we have established the importance of pursuit, we only run one or two reps as long as the effort is strong and there are no mistakes (See Diagram).

Team Circuit: Each defensive practice includes a 10-minute defensive circuit:

•  Monday – Tackling Circuit
•  Tuesday – Takeaway Circuit
•  Wednesday – Block Destruct Circuit
 
If we are running a lot of zone blitzes, we will also include a zone blitz circuit in the practice. I love circuits because it allows every coach on the staff to coach every player, every day. (10 minutes)
Individuals: Focus on specific techniques for each position group. These individual drills are building to stop the plays that we will be seeing in team periods later that day. (15-20 minutes).

Team Run: 9-on-9 drill. The corners and receivers will work on man coverage during this period. We focus on stopping the opponent’s top 3-4 runs. (10-15 minutes).

7-on-7: Focus on stopping the top 3-4 pass route combinations, 7-on-7 runs at a fast tempo, and communication. For our linebackers, this is often the only work they get on defending the pass. The defensive line works on pass rush during this period. (10-15 minutes). Adjust the time on your 7-on-7 and team run periods based on what that week’s opponent does best and what you must do to be successful.

Team Defense: The defensive session of practice ends with team defense. We create a script and put our defense in situations they are likely to see on Friday night. Our Will linebacker calls out down and distance and any alerts each play. Communication from our defense is critical.

During most of our team run and 7-on-7 periods, we are running our base fronts and coverages. Team defense is when we run most of our stunts and blitzes during the week (15 minutes).

What is your best answer to 10 personnel with a 2 x 2 set in the middle of the field? Matt Fulham, Assistant Coach, Westhampton High School (NY).

Unless you are coaching in a scheme that is purely cover 3, where you have spent plenty of practice time working on four verticals, you need to get into either a two-high safety coverage (cover 2 or quarters) or man coverage.

The best answer to defending 10 personnel is to gameplan. Is the opponent getting into spread formations to throw the ball, or to run it? If they are spreading you to run, we are going to play a 3 on 2, quarters concept to the wide side of the field. This is played similar to a soft cover 2. On the short side, we will play a man coverage concept with the safety and corner. That allows us to keep a 6-man box with the Mike and Will.

If they are really only capable of running the ball, we can play cover 0 and keep 7 defenders in the box. When the team is spreading us to pass, and we want to use zone coverage, we need to get into the 3-on-2, quarters coverage concept on both sides. Our Will linebacker will stay as tight to the box as he can, while still being able to get to his pass coverage responsibility; that is, wall the #2 receiver (Diagram 1).


Diagram 1. Sideline Pursuit

How do you deal with a double tight end formation and what do you run against it? Also, do you have any proven motivational methods for your defense pre-game? Ron Woitatewicz, Head Coach, Dakota Ridge High School (CO).

In our over front, we make a ‘Heavy’ check against two tight end formations. The heavy check moves our nose, normally in a weak shade on the center, out to a 2i technique, inside shade of the guard. It also moves our weakside defensive end from his normal 5 technique out to a 7 technique, the inside shade of the tight end. This adjustment makes them harder to down block. No one else needs to change. The Will linebacker always makes the heavy check, any time he sees a tight end on his side. If we are going to get a steady diet of two tight end formations, we will run more under fronts than over front to help stop the run.

I am not a big proponent of motivational speeches or other tricks to get the defense hyped up. We come to work four days a week in practice. The game should not require any special motivation. The game itself is the motivation. Games are a lot more fun than practice. That being said, I am much more emotional on game days. I have never been a “rah rah” guy, but I’m sure it is clear to my players that I’m more amped up for games. Our whole staff is. That translates to your players.

What adjustments do you make vs. tight end trips formations? Ron Cook, Defensive Coordinator, Lumberton High School (NC).

Against a trey formation (tight end and two receivers removed on the same side), we have to make a “7” check in our 4-3 defense. That moves the 9-technique defensive end to the inside shade of the tight end and lets the Sam linebacker walk out to split the #3 and #2 receivers (Diagram 2). Trips formations and most spread formations in general turn the 4-3 defense into a carbon copy of the 4-2-5 defense, which does not require those adjustments.

Against a trips closed formation (three receivers to one side, tight end on the single receiver side), we do not have to make any significant changes. We call strength to the multiple receiver side. The Will linebacker makes his ‘Heavy’ check.

When defending the spread option, what is the first thing you think about? Most spread option teams we face put the best athlete on the team at quarterback and let him run the show. What is your game plan to stop this? Also, how do you defend the triple option without a seal block? Jeff Schaum, Head Coach, Warner University.

Defending option football is the same, no matter what type of option it is. Option responsibilities should be built into your base defense. A and B gap defenders handle the dive, C gap defenders handle the quarterback, and the force player is responsible for the pitch.

From that point, we start game planning to get the ball in the hands of the player we want carrying it. We want the ball moving sideways, not downhill, so we start by influencing the quarterback to keep the football, and then to pitch. If the quarterback is exceptional, we will use a tag to have the defensive end squat, instead of bending down the line of scrimmage and attacking the dive.

The best advice I ever received on defending the zone read came from Jim Reid when he was the defensive coordinator at the University of Virginia. When you game plan for the zone read, always go in with three ways to defend it. You have your base plan, and then two adjustments to confuse the quarterback’s reads and timing. We can use fronts, stunts and blitzes to create those looks for the offense.

Start working option responsibilities early and often in your defensive practices. Even if you do not see option very often, you are reinforcing the assignments of your base defense.

What are the linebacker reads and defensive line movements in the over 4-3 defense? Bob Knox, Head Coach, Stephen Decatur High School (MD).

We have played with linebacker reads over the years and found that for most linebackers, keying the backfield gets them going faster. It will make your defense more vulnerable to misdirection plays, so linebackers must learn to recognize certain offensive line keys as well.

We key the near back in the backfield as the primary key. In an I-formation, the Mike linebacker keys the fullback and the outside linebackers key the tailback. The only exception is shotgun split backfields, which we cross-key. Our first two steps will always match the primary key. They continue on their path to fit the play unless they get a pull or high hat from their secondary key, the offensive guard. We always follow pullers and stress that guards don’t lie. A high hat from the guard indicates a pass play, and we will then get into our pass drops.

The defensive linemen are almost always playing in an outside shade, regardless of position. This makes them interchangeable between the ends and tackles on either side. We focus on the “Strike Point.” The inside hand strikes the outside number and the outside hand strikes the shoulder, framing the armpit.

If the strike point comes at us, we try to beat the block and control our gap. If the strike point goes away, we bend down the line of scrimmage and look to attack pullers and kick outs. Reaction to block away is always to treat it as if the play is a run play away from them. They then bend and sprint down the line of scrimmage. While this is simplistic, it is the basis of our entire defensive line play. We teach that there are really only three types of blocks to defeat: block to, block away, and pass block.

 






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