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BOTTLING UP THE RUN Complete D-Line Drills to Eliminate the Middle Running Game

by: Ned Panfile
Defensive Coordinator and Defensive Line Coach - Mendham High School (NJ)
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We run the Virginia Tech G defense as our base. We have melded that into the 4-2-5 and added 3-4 to our schemes. However, the G is where we start everything. Everything builds on the G. Our league has not made the transition to the spread offense, so we are part of a Delaware and I-zone league. We are not stopping the run on the way to the quarterback; rather, we are a read and react defense. Trends will change and we have adapted some new things to defend the spread offense. But, in our basic defenses, we have to stop the run first. We do that by constant drill and repetition of what an offensive lineman does and the defensive lineman’s reaction.

When we use the word “spill” on the defensive line, it means never letting the ball carrier run the ball inside from defensive end to defensive end. We spill the ball carrier to the outside linebackers who are normally unblocked on an inside run. The defensive line does the grunt work while our linebackers and free safety make the tackles. We try to use our drill work to emphasize the need to control the gap and then “spill”. We teach and drill the G concepts to our defensive front.

Stance and Alignment

When putting D-linemen in their stance, we try to get them to lean on their hand. We want their butts up above their heads with a forward lean. I look for a 60/40 lean or more. We have our inside hand (closest to the ball) down and our inside foot back. Their other hand is out front. We work on switching hands and feet in drills by forcing them to do both in their agility drills.

We teach that the feet should be staggered by position. If you are an inside player, toe-to-instep (nose and tackle) and toe-to-heel with ends. We want a power step and a square-up step before engagement with the offensive linemen. To teach this forward lean concept, we have them put their feet shoulder width apart, bent to an athletic position, then reaching out and putting their hand down. We then have them roll over their hands and stay in that position. This is a great summer activity when there are no pads and you have time to spend on their stance. Bird dog drills are your best bet in the summer to emphasize the two-step engagement process. Those steps should be back foot moving approximately one foot (power step) and a six-inch square-up step from the front foot.

They are aligned by splitting the leg of the offensive lineman or tight end. The nose and tackle split the leg of the guards, shaded to the run-strength side. The ends split the inside leg of the tight end. If no tight end, then they align a little wider than the inside foot to the tackle’s outside foot. The gap he is in control of is based on that alignment.

Stage One: Feet

Our agility drill sequence is all footwork and balance. The sequence has, on one side, chutes, and on the other, the T portion of the boards used by the offense. We have four lines, from left to right – end, nose, tackle, end – and they run their drills in fours. We fire through the chute on the one end and then move laterally to the drill. On the other side, they lift the leg that is back up over their head, placing their up foot against the T-board and kicking hard to the other side of the T-board with the raised leg. They then move laterally and begin the agility portion. These drills take no more than ten minutes.

Phase One: Agility



Diagram 1: Chutes and T-Board Drill

Drill 1: Running through the chutes and then to the T-Board (Diagram 1).


Diagram 2: Bear Crawl Drill

Drill 2: fire out, to bear crawl (Diagram 2).
    •  Get off - back foot first and up-foot second.
    •  Reach and rip on air and play laterally to the other side of a cone.
    •  Bear crawl to the next line.


Diagram 3: Wave Drill

Drill 3: Fire out to wave drill (Diagram 3).
    •  Get off
    •  Reach and rip and play laterally.
    •  Wave drill in bear crawl position - right, left, bang ground, get up             (Coach uses football to move players in correct direction).
    •  Fumble recovery with protection to end drill, then run to next line.


Diagram 4: Butt Roll Dril

Drill 4: Fire out to butt roll (Diagram 4).
    •  Get off.
    •  Reach and rip and play laterally.
    •  Butt roll from bear crawl position - right, left, bang ground, get up.             (Coach uses football to move players in correct direction).
    •  Fumble recovery with protection to end drill, then run to next line.

Phase two: Forward lean, stamina and slant work


Diagram 5: Bear Crawl Through Pit Drill

Drill 5: Bear crawls through the “pit” (Diagram 5).
    •  Five boards set up parallel to each other.
    •  Stance forward, lean and go.
    •  Use bear crawl, weaving through the boards.
    •  Do two reps.


Diagram 6: Slant Work for the 3-4

Drill 6: Slant work for the 3-4 (Diagram 6).
    •  Slant to the right with end (wolf) playing run (spill).
    •  Slant to the left with end playing pass (contain).

Stage two: Eyes On and Hand Position

Our aim point is the V of the neck. We emphasize “eyes on”. We also put our hands on the breast plate of the offensive line’s closest number and grab the sleeve on the arm to their side. We do some simple drills to emphasize this positioning including six-point, two-point, and four-point drills. This could be done in five minutes. This is another good drill set for the summer and can be used as a refresher during the season.

6 point:
    •  Defender gets on hands and knees, hands on the ground.
    •  Offensive players lean over him (defender splits his leg).
    •  Defender takes hands from the ground and shoots them         into position on offensive player’s body.
    •  Rolls hips to finish.

2-point:
    •  Defender is standing in an athletic stance up right, hands in         the “holster”.
    •  Offensive player leans over him (defender splits his leg).
    •  Defender takes hands from holster and shoots them into         position on offensive player’s body.
    •  Rolls his hips to finish.

3-point:
    •  Defender starts in normal defensive stance.
    •  Offensive player leans over him (defender splits his leg).
    •  Defender takes hands and shoots them to proper position
    on offensive player’s body.

Stage three: “The Pit”

“The Pit” is the name of the area where we do our reaction drills. It is a small area that is muddy, smelly and hostile. It is a badge of honor to have spent time in the pit and the defensive linemen love to throw that at other players when they complain about their workouts.

We set up the pit with five boards parallel to each other to get the feel of the area they are going to have to deal with. We will put ends with ends and tackles and noses together. They can’t go forward outside the boards and they can’t go backward outside the boards. They must stay inside and control the area within the boards. The area ends up being about a 3’ x 6’ rectangle. We start with an offensive lineman with his feet at one end of the board and the defensive player with his feet at the other end of the board. We rarely, if ever, line up head up, so we are always working from a position of splitting the leg of the offensive lineman. That is our normal alignment.

You can have as much contact as you feel necessary. We will go live in the pit in the preseason, but often it is just repetition at three-fourths speed. The accompanying charts take you through the progression of blocks and reactions that we will use during our individual session. All start with V of the neck-hands on. The rip technique works best. The rip keeps us from standing up during the execution of the technique (See Chart 1).


Chart 1. Nose and Tackles Pit Work

We will do certain types based on the scouting report. We will also add some and delete some weekly, depending on what our opponent does. I will also tell them if a team “false pulls”. I will just say “on all pulls” meaning as soon as they pull they go with the pull, or “they false pull” before the drill starts.


Chart 2. Ends Pit Work

There are some differences for the ends as reflected in “The Pit” work (See Chart 2).
The Thinking Defensive Lineman

We also quiz the players on what play comes with the blocks they are reacting to. When we run a certain block, we’ll say to them what play is coming. They usually know by the block in front of them. We spend some time showing them the block and the play by using film. At the very least, they know where the ball is being run by the block being executed.
The key to stopping the run game in our defense is to make sure that no one runs inside from our end to end. We will run into a team or two who use the spread, no huddle, or a similar offense, but not enough yet to change our thinking on what we do upfront. When we need pressure, we blitz or go to a slanting defense such as the 3-4. Our edge players and our free safety tend to be our best athletes and the people our opponents’ have the most trouble blocking.

We take great pride when an inside runner is tackled by our edge players for little or no gain. It means we are doing the job we’ve been taught to do. The G and 4-2-5 give us a great opportunity to put eight in the box and still cover the pass. We don’t have the greatest athletes up front, nor are our players the biggest, but they are smart about their approach to stopping the run game. We will drill our players about what an opponent will do with a specific block. Then we will be able to react to it. Like anything else, it takes repetitions. Our players get to attack any block that the offense throws at them and they get a maximum amount of reps in a short amount of time. 
 
About the Author: Ned Panfile has been coaching for 31 years. He has been at Mendham High School for 29 years. In that time, Panfile has served as defensive coordinator, wide receivers coach, special teams coordinator, assistant offensive line coach and defensive line coach. During his tenure at Mendham, he has been a part of six conference championships.

Coach Panfile answers your questions on
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