Article CategoriesAFM Magazine
|
BOTTLING UP THE RUN Complete D-Line Drills to Eliminate the Middle Running Gameby: Ned PanfileDefensive Coordinator and Defensive Line Coach - Mendham High School (NJ) © More from this issue 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. 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.
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). Diagram 3: Wave Drill Drill 3: Fire out to wave drill (Diagram 3). Diagram 4: Butt Roll Dril Drill 4: Fire out to butt roll (Diagram 4). Diagram 5: Bear Crawl Through Pit Drill Drill 5: Bear crawls through the “pit” (Diagram 5). Diagram 6: Slant Work for the 3-4 Drill 6: Slant work for the 3-4 (Diagram 6). 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). 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. Coach Panfile answers your questions on More Like This: Tiger Training: Missouri’s 10 Key Defensive Line Drills and Techniques – June, 2011 |
|
HOME |
MAGAZINE |
SUBSCRIBE | ONLINE COLUMNISTS | COACHING VIDEOS |
Copyright 2024, AmericanFootballMonthly.com
All Rights Reserved