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AFM Magazine


Navy\'s Deceptive Linebacker Strategy

by: David Purdum
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The Midshipmen also know the fundamentals required to make up for those shortcomings. That’s why Coach Paul Johnson’s program is poised for a fifth consecutive trip to a bowl game. Offensively, Johnson’s patented option attack helps minimize athletic mismatches. But, defensively, it’s tough for the Midshipmen to out-scheme superior opponents.

It’s not that they don’t try.

“We’re not very big and can’t just line-up and play with some people,” explained Navy linebackers coach Danny O’Rourke. “So we have to use deception.” A lot of that deception goes on up front in the Navy’s 3-4 scheme. The line slants and pinches both tackles the majority of the time. But, after all is said and done, it’s going to come back to the fundamentals, says O’Rourke.

“Each game you play and every team that you play is going to have something different for you. You can’t game plan for everything,” he said. “They’re going to come up with a little wrinkle or a little scheme that’s going to be different than you’ve seen on tape or that you worked on. As a linebacker, you have to go back to your keys and go back to your fundamentals and play the blocks that you see.”

Instead of spending excess time preparing for special wrinkles that an offense may show only a couple of times a game, O’Rourke prefers to reinforce his linebackers’ basic reads and gap fits. He does not want to complicate their assignments, which causes them to think instead of react.

“You can’t turn them into robots,” he said. “There are only so many ways they can block you. If a guard pulls and goes to the right, the play is probably going to the right. It doesn’t matter what the backfield is doing. If they fake going to the left, but the tackle pulls going to the right, the play’s probably going that way.”

Knowing which direction the play is going is one thing; avoiding the blockers along the way is another. That’s why O’Rourke constantly works with his linebackers on the proper techniques to disengage from blocks.

Against a high block, linebackers are instructed to shoot their hands out with thumbs up, elbows aimed at the blocker’s breastplate. Winning inside hand position is an absolute must. O’Rourke emphasizes the importance of delivering a punch, not a push.

Against the cut block, linebackers should drop their outside hand and keeps their eyes on the blocker until clearing the cut. They are told to shoot their inside hand onto the blocker’s shoulder pad and their outside hand onto the front of the blocker’s helmet.

Now let’s take a look at how Navy’s linebackers use those fundamentals to defend and stop two of the more increasingly popular plays: the stretch run and zone-read with rocket or jet motion.

HOW NAVY’S LINEBACKERS DEFEND THE STRETCH RUN

It all starts with “perfect body position,” something O’Rourke teaches with various drills they practice daily. Because the Midshipmen linebackers are often at a disadvantage speed wise, O’Rourke says they cannot afford to have any wasted movement. He stresses perfect body position throughout practice. As a posture reminder to his linebackers, most of the drills are performed under a 10-by-10-by-54-foot metal cage.

“If you’re too low, you have to raise up to move. If you’re too high, you have to bend down to move. On the first step, I don’t want to have them stand up or squat at all.

“Chest out and over your toes, back is flat, eyes up and sinking your hips. We don’t want to have to move to move.”

Especially against a stretch play, every step counts. Linebackers cannot afford to have any delays before arriving in their gap. Of course, that’s easier said than done. Mammoth offensive linemen sometimes have a way of causing such delays. But allowing yourself to be reached or cut off spells disaster against the stretch run.

“That’s where the seam is created, when somebody gets reached or cut off,” said O’Rourke. “In a perfect world, if nobody gets cut off or gets reached, they’ll have to cut back or he’s going to run right into the defense. Every gap should be covered across the front.”

The linebackers’ gap responsibilities change depending on the direction the defensive line is slanting. But, as an example, here are the front sevens’ responsibilities when the line is slanting into a stretch run play to the right side.

• Outside strongside backer (STRIKER): Works outside-in to restrict the running lane. Primary objective is turn the ball back inside.

• Inside strongside backer (SAM): Get over the top of his block, usually coming from guard or the tight end, where the Striker will be turning the runner back into him.

• Inside weakside backer (MIKE): Fast-flows on the backside.

• Outside weakside backer (RAIDER): Comes off the edge and is replaced by a safety or rover.

• Weak tackle: Slanting to the B-gap.

• Nose: Slanting to the A-gap on the tight end side.

• Strong tackle: Slanting to the C-gap.

HOW NAVY’S LINEBACKERS DEFEND THE ZONE READ

Against a one-back, shotgun set with two receivers on the strong side and a receiver coming in, rocket or jet motion into the backfield, Navy lines up with the nose guard head up on the center and both tackles head up on the offensive tackles. The striker and raider linebackers are outside on strong and weak sides respectively, with the two inside linebackers (Sam and Mike) stacked on the guards.

O’Rourke instructs his linebackers to key on the running back. “Usually, the back will be set to the side that they’re running the speed sweep [with the motioning receiver] to,” O’Rourke said. “If the sweep is going left-to-right, the running back will be pretty much his lead blocker.”

If the Midshipmen slant to the right up front, the Raider comes off the edge and is replaced by the Rover, who is spinning down similar to the way he does against the stretch play. If the ball is handed off to the running back, the Mike has the backside A-gap and the Sam is responsible for the right-side B-gap.

“They’re not just running downhill into their gap, though,” said O’Rourke. “What if they hand the ball to the running back and he’s going to the right? You don’t want the Mike running down hill in the A-gap, do you? No. He’s going to stack the nose and try to play over the top because he knows the Rover is behind him.”

Those responsibilities change if the ball is handed off to the motioning receiver. “If they hand off and go to the right, the Mike doesn’t have that A-gap anymore,” he explained, “because the ball’s not going there. He’s going to stack the nose on the motion and work to the right. He becomes the front-side B-gap player, behind the ball. He chases the ball.

“The Sam, who was responsible for the B-gap on the right, scrapes outside the tight end. He needs to work east to west, shuffle-stacking to the right. He needs to be outside the tight end and fit inside the striker, because the back in the gun is going to block the striker.

“The tight end is going to block the guy that slants to him and end up blocking the Sam. If the tight end blocks the Sam, it’s going out the gate.”

SNIFFING OUT PLAY ACTION

O’Rourke asks his linebackers to keep their eyes open for a train of elephants, referring to the offensive line’s lateral movement which signals play action.

“The linemen can’t go downfield on a pass,” he explained. “On a run, they’re trying to get downhill and block linebackers. But if it’s play-action, they turn and almost run down the line.

“So if they’re faking the ball going to the right, the quarterback bootlegs back to the left. The offensive line is going to turn and pretty much run to the right. They can’t go up the field. The linebackers have to do a good job of reading the line. If the line is working flat down the line, then it’s got to be a boot. They need to turn, get out of there and start looking for a drag and crossing routes coming across the field.”

Along with the offensive line’s lateral movement, O’Rourke tells his linebackers to watch for linemen popping up. “If you’re playing an option team, instead of coming off the ball, the line’s got to pop up because they have to pass protect. If they read high hats or flat down the line, then it’s play action.”

Once play action has been sniffed out, the linebackers turn and run while keeping their eyes back inside on the quarterback. “They are going to find the bootleg and the crossers on the run,” said O’Rourke. “But they’ve got to find the quarterback and see what the heck’s going on. If the ball comes out, if he throws it quick, they need to do a good job of finding the ball.”






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