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a

Contents

Foreword byKevinHady..........................
vii
Ac k n ow l edgments
...................................
ix
In tro ducti on ......................
xi
Keyto lliagrams ...............
xiii
Paft| Linebacker
Prolile
Chapter
1 Physical ................................................
Qualities 3
Chapter
2 Intangibles
Linebacker ........................................1

Paftll Fundanentals
Chaoter
3 Hit andShed.....................................................
4
Cha0ter Pursuit..........................................................
45
Chapter
5 TacklinS;......................
............................................7
Chapter
6 ZoneCoverage Skills...........................................
91
7
Chapter ManCoverage Skills..........................................
119

Paftlll :25Seconds
Cha0 tet8 l r r 'l l ) :,r ,r r r l '. .. .. ........ 135
Ch a pt eIl l i i r ) , r:l1 2S ( . ( n ) d s. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1.4. .3. . . . . . . . . . .
vi'Conlenls

PailMechniques
10 LinebackerTcchniqueTerminology . . .. -. . 155
Chapter
Chap t e l 132
1 Technique
12 3L Technique
Chapler
.......... ... .159
.. 175 loreword
13 51 and 52 Techniques
Chapler -. .. ....................... .. ...-. 181
14 HawkTechnique.. . . . . . . . . . .. . . .-.. . . . . . . . . . . -. 1 9 3
Chapter
G hap t e l 1Middle
5 Technique..............
Linebacker .. -.. 203
16 5 Techniques...... . . . . . . . . .......... . . . . . . . . . . . . .--.
Chapter . . ...2. .1 5
17 7ald 9Techaiques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . -. . .. . . . . . . . . 2 3 5
Chapter
| |ir,.l',r.king has always been in my blood. As a youngsterI would
andLealning
PartU leaching ,,,i,1,,1{ihe moves o{ NFL greatslike LawrenceTaylor,who revolu-
18 Teaching
Chapter Style........... 261 t r,,rrrz.tl the tinebackerposition with his speed,quickness,and de-
..... .. .. . ....275 r, |,iir).rti(n. When I graduatedfrom high school,I choseto attend
Organi2ation
Chaptel19 Practice ...............
tlr, l rrivcrsity of Illinois pdmadly becauseof its great tradition of
20 Linebacker
Chapler Grading....... ......... ....... .. ... .. 293 1,,,,l',r.k('rs.After all, it is the alma mater of possibly the greatest,
l )i , I l tl l l kus.

1 n d e x. . . . . . . . . . . . . ................3 0 5 lr [r\' first season,Lou Tepperwas the de{ensivecoordinatoras

,', | ,r' Iho linebackercoach.At the end oI that year,he becamethe
A b o ut ht eA u th o..........
r .1
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . '.31.....' , .,,| , ,rrch. I lr'as fortunate to play under Coach "Tep," who em-
;lr rr,,rltlrt'fundamentals of the position.For threeyearsstraight,
,,,,r l|r'l).rckcrcorpswas the finestnot only in the Big Tenbut also
,,,IL, , rlrr( countryrThc trainingand instructionI receivedin col-
l, |, , rr,rl,ltil mc to stcp clirectlyinto a starting role at the Pro{es-

1,,tl,l: h(x)k, Coach sharcsthc same techniqueshe used to de-

,,1',.,rrl' oi the game'sbest,from thc mostbasicto the most so-
t li, lr,,tl,\l iclt'as. He explainsthe testshe has developedto evalu-
,r, l,l, \ \r(.rl r.rt).rLrilities for playing thc position;he tells the skills to
,,,,r1, (lr fint pr.rcticcs; antlhe sharesthe specialgradingsystem
'n
rl, ,r lr .,l,rll|sos l() nr('isurclinebackiigperformancc.
\\lrr'n rt .1'rn(.sto tc.rchingdcicnsc cspcciallylinebacking-
, ,,.',lr l.t'rs lllli N{nN. II( hnsspcnthis careerlcarning,tcaching,
, l r, . lrr r r r lrrl i sr r r r i , l r r r ' . r p p f o . rl ..hr .l nj u s t o n e o fm a n yp l a y e r sh e
1 , , . 1 , , . 1 1 !r.t,.1, , ( ll,h , N I r l . I l g ( x ' sl ( Js h o $ ,t h . r tw i t h h a r dw o r k a n d
rl' , ). , , ! , 1, , , ,({'{l l , r \ i n s l , , ' ( l i ( ) , r lsi ,r ( r r lt h i n g s e a nh a p p e n .

1 . ,r rr ll. r r , l v
I.,, | -,l l ttI| , |, I I i, |, ||'. l') 'r " lt , , r k, , . A$, , ', i Wir "r t l
 Acknowledgment

l,,, L',,tr l(\lgcall thosewho havepassedon to me the knowledge

t,., i,r,rl rrr( rrrlThfrLi ebackr'ng and helpedpresentthoseideasin
I ,' I r,,rrrrNorrlcltakea separatechapterLet me recognizea few
1.,,,1r,,11\.ur(lothcrsgenerally.
l,',rr lr,,rtlco,rchcs hiredme overa 24 yearspan,and eachinflu-
, ,i or, (New Hampshire,William
",, 'rllnificatrtly.Ithanklim Root
\1.,,\), lJill Dooley(VirginiaTech),Bill McCartney(Colorado),
',,'l
',',1l"l,ri [,1.r(k()vic(ltlinois)forthefteedomtoleamandthrivepro

| 1,, ,,l,lr,r1 sLrif, secretades,and coachesat eachoI thoseinsti-

r"r' ,, 1,,Irt\l .rn ahnosphere conduciveto leaming.I gainedso
,,, r, L l r,i ri i rr r , r y of vou.
lL,',l \ llr sludcnFdthlctcsarethe reasonI am in this profession.
I t,,,tr | \,..n,r!(\{ \'or as wcll asyou have energizedmy life.Thanks
r,,lli \,'llnr( s y('u've taught me. Always remember that you can
r , , r,, r, , L,,Irlttik)r'rnd a classyman.
ll" L,ll,rl I lr Inr.rn Kineticswere accessibleand professional.We
l. rl,,'1,'ll,l,,, ll|.rlily Pr'()ductthat would benefitplayersand coaches
| ,' \,.,, t{,,,'nr( Sp(.inl thanks arc in order for Ted Miller and
,,,,,' LI rll, .flor tlx'if oxpcrti\eand comcern.Let'sdo it againsome-
7

lntroduction

I l! gnn developing the conceptfor d-risbook decadesago, in 1968,

tr l(.rr I enteredthe coachingprofession.I had just finished my de-
1irLt and playing careerasa linebackerand defensivebackat Rutgers
I irrvcrsiry As a new coachat the University of New Hampshire,I
lr,r(l the job o{ teachinglinebackingto young rnen who were nearly
||rv . t g e .
Ii) prepare,I went to every sourceI knew about for information.
I f(.rd books,attendedclinics,studiedfilm, and talked with coaches.
wlr.rf I found was that the wdtten matedal was limited or scheme
'I,r'cific; that clinic speakersprovided only a few ideas,not thebroad
rrrr.lcrstandingof linebacking that coachesand players need; that
,,',rcheswere reluctant to shareinformation that might be passed
, 'rr kr an opponent.Film was helpful only to the extentthat my un-
ir,rincd eye could analyzefundamentalsand techniques.The infor-
rr.rtion I wanted was either not availableor not accessible.
What was lacking then and for 30 yearsthereafterwas a compre-
lr( nsive and detailedbook that explainedthe
. qualitiesneededto play linebackerand the best teststo evalu-
ate which playerspossessthoseabilities;
. fundamentals required of all linebackers,regardtessof the tearr-r's

. techniquesand their keys for inside and outside linebackersin

spccificclcfcnscs;
. wilys thnt rn offcnsegivt's clucs and tips about the upcoming
play l)('forr.thtb.rllis snappt'd;lncl
. ('if(\'liv('wnysto tr\l(h arrrllt,rrrrtht' Iint'b.rck('r
positionin toam
nr(r'lir)tis, syslom.
l'f,r.tirrs,.||r(llltf()uAhr Brn!lin,.t
r
xii.lnlroduction

Now, Cotnplete fills the information gap for coaches

Lineh.tc,ting
and players who want a full understandingof the linebackerposi-
tion- This book representsmore than 30 years of knowledge that I
gainedfrom playing, studying, teaciin& and coachingtheposition.
It's the basisfor instruction that has produced three Butkus Award
Kcyto lfiaglams
winners and numerousNFL playe$.
Perhapsmost important the information in thc book applies to
all levelso{ competitionand any defensivescheme.My hope is that
this book will benefit you in coachingor playing football's most lr I rnebacker (D Insideshoulder
demanding and excitingposition linebacker. (D ttattcarrier CD Outsideshoulder
Oilensiveplayer '<D Headup
rD Kcyedplayer T Blocking
lr t ght end F Squareup
Quaderback GL Goalline
Wide receiver LOS Lineof scrimmage
Otlensiveguard Cone
I!ti Bunningback !"ul Sled
||l Fullback I Long dummies (ia1ongouid)
Tailback I Popsicle
sled
Pullinglineman 1'l Footprints
Cornerback I Lateralcrossover
I) Insidelinebacker O Plantfoot
I)l Defensive
lineman Positions
aligned
I)II Defensiveback Playermovement
Center Shutfle,drift,backpedal
r is Strongsafely Jog
IS Freesafety Optionalmovemenl
or reaction
IVC Hookto curl Alley
||F Hookto force Pass,pitch,toss
E End Passprotection
Tacklo Handoff
N Nosolacklo
 I i r i rI i , II )Ir rr': ; |l l. lir ss oc tL o nd c s c f b e th e p h y s rc a q ual i ti es and
rlr ir Ir IL ,rI rr III )1| :ri r ir t r llr ( i r' l l I ry o n e o f th e rn o s t demand ng
rf r,,r :, ll lli! wr i l( l ri l .i l )o r' 1 .F v { )y p l a y e ri o c J ach,and l an
lir , Ii !1, f ir lr r , r t , , , , 1 rh l rrl (r' i i M r)l )l { r SL rorq. Touqh
lr, l. l l ,rl .f lV lr i l, , w r!!ri l ,ry i ,r l Vtr' :i n rr.,ri r l y rrrr:barrk
! r r l: . l, , t r Lr i !l rr.,r' l , l l l n ,i r ,' 1 ,w ri r| trrr l i rr;rr!
'r . . ,,,
, i 1 , l i I l r lj r 1, .. l|l , ' .rj i II l l r !Vttr,,,,1 t]l rV:r ,rL rri rl l r
r rr | !r! 1 r. ir ' r , , 11 1l r ,' ! L ," rl rr I r' rrfl tr | l r' l i Li ,ri rr)r]
r

GhaDtet1

Physical
Oualities

\\ lr.r{ l(Jolsdoes it take to play linebacker?We can probably best

.,r, $ ( f that by first identifying the fundamentalsof linebackerplay:
. I Iit nnd shed

. Inckling
. ( irverageskills

I lrc lincbackerwho can per{orm thesefundamentalswill be suc-

, '..,lLrl rcgardlessof scheme.No matter what defenseyou devise,
r , ,Lrrvill be able to use a defenderwho car-rconsistentlyexecutethe
Ui( s .
N()tc that size is not a factor in three of the {our fundamentals.
',12,,hasnothing to do withpursuit. Afive-foot-nine 175-poundline-
' r(kcf can pursue as well as someonemuch largcr. Tackling has
lL|ll(,k) do with butk. Ccrtainly a l90 pound linebackercan be an
, tir\1ive tackler in major collegefootball, and smaller players can
I i ( kl(' well enough b man the position at the high schoollevel.Cov
, r,rl3 skills, whether man or zonc, do not require size. Height in
..1,r( c()vcrdgeis an advantage,but those of modest stature in the
','rrcct lociti()nwill be very productive.
llrrcc of thc forrr ABCs depend mostly on m()vement,not size.
Ni0r,trrre t is thc kt'y lo proficicncyin lincbackerfundamentnls.
liven thc hil anLlshrrl h.rsI ss kr d() with sir(' th.lnDlostPeopic
rrrr. rls irrl h e l i r x l , . r (k f f ' s l , . r s Ii u s t t r c l ( ) ( . , ' n t n . l i s t h c v i t . r lc l t -
rrrI rrti|ll, r k i r r l i o r r l ' l \ k r ' r s ( i l l i n l i l , ) l l r ( { o r | 1 \ l b . r s (i s . r P R ) ( l r r . l
, , i I rrr, |,I r r ,I r I , , r ( l , r l t r l r l rr.( ' l r , r , , , '
 Linebacking
4 ' complet6 Physicaloualities.S

'I he 'biggeris bctter"mentdlit) te\ Iootbdll PJrents,Play-

Permc.r
ert, l.rns,mediJ, and ye-, evcn c('a(hes,h.tve bou8ht inlo this fal_
lacy-Becauselinebackers must take on big blockers, the suPPosition tJ
is that linebackersmust alsobc lafge to compete. ta)
Let me ask a couplequestions.lfyou were a 320-Poundoflensive t --,
linemaru would you lear a 240-Poundtinebacker?Not becauseof
his size.Would you fear a 260-Poundlinebacker?No A 320-pound .i l
lineman fearsmovement,not someonewho weighs 60 pounds less
Lhanhe does.Doe\ lhat mdke\en\c?tt doe_n'tinitiall) to mo'l of
my first-yearlinebacke$.
Don't get me wrong. I am not againstbig linebackers-I am for
linebackeiswho can cover qround. Our nrle of thumb is that a line-
ba .ker cJn gdin $eighLa. l.,nAa. he md rn L d ino: r imp ro re ' h is
movement.Kevin Hardy, the secondplayer taken in the 1995NFL
draft, played as a true freshmanat 205 pounds Four yearslater,at
240 pounds, Kevin was significantly faster.We loved his gain in

Knowins whatwe do aboutthebasicbuildingblocks of linebacker

pl,1y. crn we testthe generalPoPulrtionto locrle th,'5emo't lilely
s s it iu n I \ c . We n d min i'
i ,,h .r vethe p hf icalqu.rlitic'toP ldythrPo
ter four diagnostictcststo every Playeron our squad.Eachtest has
someimDlicationsfor other positions,but thesefour aremostmean-
ingful injudging a linebacker'sPotential

Dash
40-Yard
l love to watch young players run their first dashes l've been tim-
i n e h ,or b Jllplaienrnthi.do.h.in.etQb Tlh e 4 0 in rls c lfi. n o l lh d t
rifniticant.ihe2u ]rrd timemighLbe.r belierindicdloroflineb.rcler
spied, but a{ter 30 yearsI know what a 4-81meansas oPposedto a
4.68or a 5.0.
I can still rememberthe excjtementof seeingMelvin Martin and
Jim Ryan run their dashesatthe Collegeof William and Mary I had
neveicoachedspeedlike that beforeand quickly realizedhow much
better it made me as a coach.
In 1980at Virginia Tech,u'c recruitedthree student-athletes{rom
DeMatha Catholic l{igh School in Maryland. Derck Carter was a
nation:rllyprizeddt'fensive back.T<rnyPaigcwas r sh(jfl,gritty kid
(1 lincbrck('r
lh.rtI lik( .rs.r pot('rrtinl I lc on lo Irl,rvrrr,rtrv
v("1rs
'''cn(
a-
Linehaclinq
6.Complele T
Physicaloualllles.

in thc NFL as an excellentblocking and Pass-catching fullback.The

third player from DeMatha was a six-foot one, 220-por-urdguard who
our sta{Ifeltmight be the key to getting Derek and Tony to sign.We
offeredto Mike Johnsonbut felt his future was hazy atbest.
Mike enteredfall camp in Blacksburgat 16yearsof a!ie.His first
40 yard time was 4.66.Beforehe gotback to the recorder,Ihad him
by the arm, persuadinghim to play linebacker.Mike maioredin ar-
chitecturewith an outstandins GPA.He had unusual characterand
the drive to be outstanding.Mike starfedhisfirst professionalgame
at 20 and wasAll-Pro twice. Notbad Ior DeMatha'sthirdbest Pros-
pect.
Speedwill Eet my attentiorLbut it doesnt guaranteelinebacker
performance.It is onlyharnessedspeedthat will translateintofaster
pursuit, more tackling opportunities,and better coverage.Always 5 yds .-.-.'..._
explorelinebackerswith speed,but play thosewho are Productive.

Jingle-Jangle
I can'trememberthe firsttime weemployed thejingle iangleor how
it got its name.We have used it consistentlyfor decades,and it's a
prime NFL test as well. Why? It incoryoratestwo changesof direc-
tion within a 2O-yardrun. The ability to changedirection is a better
indicatorofalinebacker'spe#ormancethanhisspecd.l'vehad sev-
who were slow in the dashes but were outstanding
eral linebackers
major collegeplayers;l've neverhad a linebackerwith a poor change
oI dircctionpe orm well. Figure1.1illustrateshow fo timc the jingle
janglc.
The testcd athletestraddlesa s-yard line. After the timer (C2) is
ready,the atfilctecan start on his own initiative. The c]ockbeginson
his movement.The linebackercanbeginin eitherdirectior! but must
sprint5 yardsand touchthe line withhis {oot.lnfigurc 1-1,C3 would
checkto seethat the athlete'sfoot touched thc {irst line. Ifhe failed
to touch,the attemptis abortedimmediately.Thcn the playersPrints
10 yards in the opposite direction, touching the line while C1 ob-
serves.The athleteagainchangesdirectionand sprintsbackthrough
the starting point, and C2 stopshis watch.
Rernemberthesepoints.rbout the jingle jangle:
. This is a lenrncddrill. With no expericncc,
tho nlhl(lf \'r'illp()st
much orxrrcrtimr'scadv.
, , l r L "g l ,.l i n g l c
'r .
. l, r,rr rst of tlre learning curve, we try to teach the drill first and
r ,, r r ir)re it. f]on't put a lot of stock into the initial times of this
,lr ll
. l li, l,( st jingle-jnngle performances are by those who can bend
l,,r' .rs thc,,,move and come under control at each line to push
,,ll ,rrr(lncc'elerate again.
| 1, (l() w,e Lrscthc rcsults? Wc simply subtract the jingle-janglc
'\!
', ir('rrr lho +0 vnrd dash time. Thcrc are no hard and fast rules,
' I rl tlrr'(lilir'f(lnti.rlis .4 b .5 secondsthc linebackerusually has
rli, ( ( JI) (.h.rn8i'of direction)to play thc position.
ll r r \' li(.nrintl(n ()l Colorado rvas one o{ 60 lincbackers invited
I I r. I trl'ir)N lrl. ( onrlrinc. Barry ran the slowest timed 40-yard dash
rl,,r,l,,\' ( i ltsrconds).rnd th(' third bestjingle-janglc(4.33seconds).
|1,, (lrll( r( |llirl, nn ortst.rnding.u5 scconds,r,as grcatcr than l'd
, r , r .rr'rr ll is olri ol thc rcns(jnslt( mintt(D !v:rsso cffcctive. He
lr,,1( ( )l)r
l\, \ r" I l,r(l! l)(,sl(\l llrL h st nw iin1ik i,rn8loLinr(for c lvith a
trt' rrr,l1r,lr.r,lllr, sl,rrrl llr,rlItrrri l.r'kirl,nrnning.r.l6l inllx.l{).
Il',,1 'n, (|i||( f, IrI|.r|,\t)l,r|l.,itlt,.,,1r'lrvlrrJs.rrrNlrl rr)illi("r,,i(.

II
 Llnebackin!
S.Complete 0lalllls6. I
Physlcal

|l, r,l lt n,rr llre fastestof all the Colorado linemen. We told Kyle
rl,,rrrt lr. l, ",t wcight and got sedousabout playin& he might have a
ll|t , . , rl ||(' 5 (t u a r d .
rr' ,,rl, I(l.rf year latet Kyle Rappold reported to fall camp in
,.r1,,I l,,,,rr(lrti(Dand at 245pounds.He stated all seasonand was
r,r, [trr,rlly AII t]ig Eight.Without the jingle-jangle,Kyle might have
I lr,rrrrrl ,rrr.rnonymousscout-teamlineman. Sincethat time, we
lr,r\, ,rls,rvs t('stedevery player in this drill.
I lr, lrrrlik j;ngle is also a strcng indicator of option ability. We
r.l r tl r , rr rslrlroneand I-boneat Coloradoand leamedagainthat speed
.,rr,i t ( ,l ) ,iilfer. Many qua*erbackslacked 40-yarddash speedbut
lr,r,l, 'r r'lI rrt COD and becameoutstandingoption runners forus.

Cleans
I lr. rrrrlrr|t.rnceof the hang-cleanor power-cleanlifts in the weight
r,!,r r rlill tro stressedin chapter3. This is the third diagnostictest
rr, rr','rrl,lti,,,eto identify linebackerProsPects.
ll llx lirlt'b.rckerhas good feet and can establisha correctbase
l! 1,,r,', onlnct,the cleanstrengthindicateshis ability to explodehis
lrr1,",rrrrl l.rrrnch his body into a blocker
'.t,,\', Sh('ll was such a linebackerat William and Mary As a se-
rr"r ',t, v, wns under 210 pounds. He didn't have exhaordinary
,1",\ i , )r ( ()D but did have good control of his feet to set his base.
',t. \ , , , )rrl(l rcallyexplodewith his hips. Despitehis sizehe shocked
lr i.r r,n rvith his hit and shedbecausehe had suchhip explosion.
',t,' v, l,l.rycdsix yearswith the Miami Dolphins and in two Super
I The 5-foot-11-inchKyl€ Rappold transierred from a Division III collese to
Colorado as a walk-on. His transformation from 280 Pounds to 240 Pounds
ll,,$ l\ | Iis NFL nicknamewas "TheAnimal" becauseofhis aggres-
left a lasling impression on us about the importance ofjinSle-jangle testing in
o"" p-g-rn. ryl"t and competitivenessmade him an All_Bi8 Eight
"nergy
performer at Colorado.
BodyFat
Thejingle-ianBle is not iusta [inebdcker time l"uBgestthatyou llr l,,|lflh diignostic tcst we give prospectivelinebackersdeter-
use it to test the whole team. The times are revealing for any defen_ i n.:,I\l(ly frt. Controvr'rsysurroundsthe methodsused to test{or
sive position. A classicstorv unfolded at Colorado in 1984 Kyle lrrlr (('r))p()siti(rn. Thc nrostaccuratcmethod,underwaterweigh-
RaoJold was a Division III tiansfer who walked on without a schol- rrli. r,,tinrclvnrrdcostpr()hitritive.
arship. He was a 5-foot-11-inch,280-poundoffensiveSuard Kyle ,\ll otll.r rrrtthotish.lvc thcir dotrnckrrs, but most are inexpen-
quiclly becamealargett'tthelocler-roomjokers lt l()okcd.r'though irt, ,r'rd(l(nr'tusc t(x)murh tinro.()ur philosophyhnsbeonk) test
hi. caieermieht be limited to the icout-unitoffen:'i ,,ll' n .rrr(l t't inflrrcnr't.tl t'y a singlt. W(.I(x)k.t a trcnd
That fall wc tcstodhim in thc iinglc-janglt'. As ('x|(\1o(1,his 40 or(!'
'rol
tosl s nn( l nr . r lo lhf
'r.sult.
, r walt 'ol h( ) w wc inl( f pr ( 't
1'laycls
I lisC()D lirr(',how('vfr ltrrrr(\lI vr'fyl)txly's ' l l i rry
litrr('wrstrninrPft'ssiv('. l l " rt' sfl l ts.
r
linebacling
10.Complete Physical
oualilies.1l

An athletecould be tested{our times at 13.6,14-5,14.7,ar.d'13.7| .11,,lr r,,1ltrccntage canbe takenas often asthe staff desire.Test
would feel com{ortablein averagingthesePercentages. , ,\ t l,rt.r ,rl lcastfour timesa year,withonebelorelall campand
q, ,,,, ,rr,.,rl,(.Jc.rson.You may chooseto test particular playersevery
Anolherplavermighl be te5tedthe .dme four drys at 22.6.l4
l5.l .rnd 144.i',1tht,i* ou,tlhe hrgh 'core and areraBelhe others ! , , ' , 1 . t t ) r r r d k c a p o i n t t o t h e m o f t h e s e o u s n e sos f t h i si s s u e .
Usecommon senseand don't emphasizealty one result \ l, ,rri ti(tr lor and the strength coach should presentnut tion
Be{orecomPetitionmostquality linebackersl'vehad arebetween . 1,,.,1,,n t{) lhc squadon a regularschedule. Body fat is a product
10 and 15 percentfat. Again l'm interestedin averages/not one raw ,l ,i rl,1,(!rlingand regularexercise.
| | 1,.,| | \ (, Iir\ebackerscan comein nany shapesand sizes,Use the
\44ryis body {at important? It tells a coachhow long a linebacker r, r ,1, , |\sfd in this chapter to identify players who have line-
can pliy hard. I{ a coachexpects93 PercentPursuit (seechaPter4) t ,' l, , l.l( rrtinl and to set goals for those who may fall short be-
from his linebackersover 70snaPs,Plus15sPecial-teams plays,their
, , , , , , i , ( ' fr ( r r tp h y s i c alli m i t a t i o n s .
body fat better be under control.
Tlats why I was adamantthatDarick Brownlow loseweightin
1c88.At 248puunds,Darrickwds uver 20 Pcrcentbody faL lt wrs
phvsicdll,1 impossiblefor him to Pldy hard very long.I was elated
n hen he retuinedat 224 the ne\t tdll. We were protrdof hi' dra-
matic body-Iat imProvement.A coachcan't count on a Player with
highbody {at. He will always let his team down

Frequency
How often do we test for thesediagnostic results?Each varies in
testing frequency.
.40-yard dash:We test this leastoften becauseof Potentialham-
strinqpulls.tn the fdll of lcq5.we lo.t Kevin Hardy lor two \ eels
.,t piniti." with a deep pull. \A4rt .lid we test himl lt $d5 \heer
stupidrty.He \ rt fast.W. knew tiat. What \ rs thereto Sainl
Now we testthe varsity only in winter conditioning,althoughwe
continue to test {reshmenin the fall Usually, we get two or three
times for eachplayer Any player with a history of hamstring Pulls
is not tegted.
. We test the jingle-janglefrequently becauseit takes little time
and rarely causesan injury If a groin is bothedng a linebacket we
hold him out o{ this one.
L suall) l\e Lestevervonein irllc d mPd n d a 8 a inin win t e rc o n d i-
tiuninB.Linebrckcrs dl50do lhi' d I rllcomPelitively in Prrclicewiih-
out timinfi (seec'hapter'1).
. Clo.ns .rretestcclby our strengthcoachtwict' .r y(.rr f(rr rrlaxi
nrum lifts.Snf('tyis k('y h,'n, an.l rnanyeo.rchcs.lislrtttr'rtl t( sting
l)('l{,nlrllr, rrrrl)K rr' 1 t' lrI rrrlr' rlt lrv !
l ( ) f,rt'n| n f nr,r\irrrrrrrr
 Gnantel2

linebacker
Intangibles

I r,,,1,,,Ir.r , ,lr, tlrc glue of a defensiveunit, physicallyand emo-

rr,,,,111 l 1r1'rr,rlly, thcy fill theopenseamsbetweendelensiveline
,,,,,,,,i.r,1,,rr(Il)nt()ltheperimeterin conjunction with thesecond
,, r tir ..,'r, coveragclincbackersprovide a cohesivepassdelense
,'i,,1,r r,,rtlr llr( deepzones. lnmancoveragelinebackers takeaway

t, , lr,rl' tr.r'l, we reviewed four physicalteststo discoverathletes

',rl,r1r, rl,iil(ldeto succeed aslinebackers. Theintangiblequalities
,,,,,i,,r,.,lilticultto assessbut arejust asimportant because every
|
| '\, r rr llr( dcfcnsive huddle will be affectedby the linebackers'
,l, ,,i, .,|, xrrclpersonalities-
'rs
l .\, lri'l()gicaltestsare availablek) evaluatea player's personal
,rr Ilr.rr,i rrotusedtheseinstrumentsbut would notbe opposedto
, .t'1,,rirt theiruse.Ahighschoolcoachwould o{tenknowplayers
r,,r \,rrls beforehe selectedhis leaders.A collegecoachnormally
1,.,.ls rrr(Dthsto assesshow a player matcheshis program's values.
l.lll ,.t,rffshave the budgets to use more costly psychologicalex-
.,,".. li,rch, however, should try to determine the potential
L,rr l',r.ker's standingin the Iollowing qualitiesbeforeselecting,re-
, I rr rr!rg,or drafting at this position:charactel,intelligence,depend-
,l,rlrl\t nttitude,intensiry leadership,challenge-readiness, courage,
l|r(lrnshncts.

13
 r 4. l; t m t rt0 trt | n 0 tl l rk t
0
Linehacler
Intangihles.
1S

Gharacter

l:****ffi*r$t*fr:fiffi
*;i,*rt*ln**gp*+*n'.yt"',+r* I
***,u'*t#n,r*nnffi
ilL,li;;;t;il,#rrri;*+t,i*:;,i;*
ddli'5;ifff,i{iltffrffif*i
fntelligence
l | | | .r ,{n ,, ,r vr .,\.,r t.o F,,p .c., \u q .n ,d t..,h H .h d d .h J,{r e ,

,'.:*;
E*$;;*$;Wil*1ffi
,.
".,." .t...,.r '.tr l ,v

i I :ll',ll I l,:i,::T iirf

| 1 ,.,u r n b r n ,d r h "t h r d r d
d inthcpres
roi10varFnostlvwiththccreve-
Bn Jr ,cn .e o r h m .r d n d

S*Usrf*r**r*gffir
\1,\.,\'., v,rl ,rt1.r lincb.rcker,s trrnscriptclosely.Find out from
l, r, lr(r5 !! ' l r . rhl c i s t i k oi n c l n s s .

;'i:",,; ,",""-
,;::lll:.li:ir;
Ilil;lTi]f;T,lill iiii:
l11.l; |' |[ l rl n l n
I In n tr(l l n 0 I l tr n h i i :l n ,h h o 0 l l r l n r . l /

Nl, r , r\ l rri ' \ ., 1 ,.ri ,,!l ,l , l tl r' ' .r.,' r,,1 1\,rl ,l re L l r !"r L \\ r r r r \ r '|
t , r ( , ugl rt l i ,l l r( l i (l (l i l r(,,1 ' rl ,l \ l (' r,,1..t,,,r I l L,' rl l i ," 1,1,,11.In,
not und c rc s i i n rn t( l h r\tl rr.rl rl t rrl rr r, r,rl rr rtrrrl l l i ,t, ,, l , rl ' r,, l " .l a
,.,,| , , \\ ,,,,r, t\':.rrrrisLi(.rLrout
,,.! , ,1, ,1, lt ,rrlr,,l,,...rrbnr.o|onthciield-
llependability | , , r', ', 1 '
.. 1.., ,.,
,, \\, 1,r'l i0i |rrtlrrrsi.rsnr. lheline
' tlL.,t., Lrrl\ Ir,livr(lurlcnnchange-
Find out if a young man is dependablc.Ask tt'.rLlrcs,l,rr,lr, r' 1,rt
ents.trainels, strength personnel,and othels wlro rrr,rvlrroN lrrrrl
When you meet a recruit ask him b call ()r lnc( t .rt .r ( ( r l,rrrrlrrrt,
Find out if the linebackercan be counted (D k) folli'u ut' s rll rd Intensity
constant prodding.
It .,',i l1L,r, r. rr|rrroliv,rtorlikearespected
Because athletes tove Iootball the coach can oftcrr (h,rtrlt ll'1.
quality in young linebackers. Why take the chancc, h()w{ \ ( r. rl n i
' 1, ,r l,.r ,l who lvolks hard in
t '\ l'l,rver
staf{ doesn't need to? ,r " Ltr.,, , |,t rrrll irlrpactthc wfiole tearnif he
, \\ I ,,,., tl( 1,|l5i\1 U ithasthlccorfourath
,,t ,,1i,L,L(1. llrrv (.rn changcthe faceof the
Attitude
' r.1,,,,l,rl!.,,,r,, rr.rkcf\'lheyraisethelevelo{ef-
Wow, this is a key quality. tt always has beerybut tod.ry ,r r,,rrrrg : . ' ,, 1,,,,1,1,. llr, rr rtvlo of play will reinlorce the
man facesso many hurdles in life that his attitudc is key to l)i! ||' 'i
L,rl,ri,l ti\1'positive examples to thcir
cessand the successo{ thosearound him.
Bad things happen to all of us in lite- Those who choos( t., lrrt
, .', \ .'11..
,rnll lcarning how to be an e{fective
positive and determinedin all circumstancescan affectmittty,,lll
, , r r\ lr,'nr( Jre.r of wcstern Pennsylvania to
crs. During practiceand games,wc must endureheat, fatigtr(, rtrr!
' I [ , | 1,,,(lrr.rlly bccn impressedwith a young
takes,and worthy opponents.What profound rnfluencea linr'L',r,l.l ,, ,, l l ., l,,r:li! lrix)lthat w.rs a rival to my alma mater,
can have on the performanceof his tcam when he chrxrscst,, l,r, . rr. .1, | .li,'\' nruch efiort, but his talcnts were re-
positive or optimistic in the faceof adversiry i .l l rlr,, tlr( disDrissalbell to visit the Derry Area
My favodtc quoteon attitude is the following by Chuck S$'irtl,,ll L , ,,, 1 , , I llr( if c()Dmenton this prospect.
The longer I live, the more I rcalize the iDportance of alti I rl , | )i ff\ h|ad coach (and my father-inlaw) and
tude on life- Attitude, to me, is morc important than facts-lt j . | ,r I. V.,,tn,.b,,thkncwihe)ounAm,min.lucr-
is morc important than thepast than cducatiorLthan m(nrcy, t , . lrrrr rr.rt(rrephvsically and knew that he had
than circumstances,than failure, than succcsses, than wh.ri ' , , , l 1 , , t l Ll i.,) t ! ( v c t q u c s t i o n ehdi s d e s i r eb p l a y .
othcr people think or say or do. It is more important tharl , ,r' ' , ,,, rrlr rr,,rnts badly for a highly ratedtalentand
appearance,giftedness,or skill. It will makc or breaka corrr ",'l\ l\ lt to bc.rpproved for a scholarship.IfIhad
pany - . . a church. . . a home. The remarkablething is thnl . ,, ril ,i,lr}'s,I kncw my Divisionll footballstaffn'ould
we have a choiceevery day regarding the attitude we will ,r rlL,, lr.rrrcc for an athlctcof his caliber
embracefor that day.We cannotchangedle past . . . we can' ,, ,l .r1 lhe innerturmoil l had in makingthis deci
not changethe {act that peoplewill act in a certainway. W(' ' '., , rurt Lh.rth-ls ,tucl h ith mc u heneler I havr
cannot changethe incvitable. The only thing we can do is ..,. ll\ |rl( fI w ithout intensity.CoachMastrosaid,"Lou,
play on the one st ng we have,and that is our attitude . . . I -. . , , , , r r r . L i t l . r h e a r tt r a n s p l a n t .I"t h u r t .b u t h e w a s a b s o -
am convincedthat life is 10pcrccntwhat happensto me and ,, , I r .,',)I lo the nexi guy.
 lt.Conllrli tli.i.ilh! lln.tr!l.r Inl.n!lil.r' tt

()rr( (,1ll'r'r! \r
til|\: lr.rl,l\.,!rtt,, tr.t(t,tr. ,",t , i ,,t t\r.t.r/\i,11 bllrrlrlnr
l{igh School.Irrldir wn\,r sliln\t ir)t,.r5(.(,,,rt! trt,,r \\lr{, t(,r\,r,
cruited. He vVcnt(}n ttr cnPt.rinlli( Llrrivffsrl!,), N,.1\,I |,Ij , r ,\ | |, r,. F . ., r,, l,, l, rL, I'r, 1,.r,.,1,rtLrrr,,lrr,l.r,r lr,rsl',r'rr., L.rrrl
I '," 1,, 1,,o1., \ l,ijr.\\,,r'li,)11,,w,rl'l.rvcrwl)(rdocsn't
tcam and elevatedeveryonc'splay r/irh his (t(,sift,
,, I \ r| , I , ,, , , | |, . i | \ , l,,r,l,.r'lr,r\(.,r1\()lx\rri'nthusiastic.
B |,1 1|r,t,,r(l, r: c\llibit n tcnuine zeal
" I,,,ti!'i,.
leadership ; ! ., ,,,, , ,',,1 ,,,,'t,t rr. li t,,r ll! 'ru5l tUlLrR()fthcclufensiveunit.
I ,,, , , rl,, I'ri,|,||,.,.,r':,llr. I'r's( rrl (ircrmstances,to some
Leadershipis forced on most linebackersby the nature of thcir r-rr[.
r1, , , ., , l , rl ,, , \ , ,,1ilr(,\i1lr,rlr.rll( r []is influencecan make
as* i gnalrallpr.and communicah ' rst o lh e h u d c ll" . rn J. rtllrc t i, n . i, l '
1rt, rr., r,\, t,i I rl., llr'\t,rfrh (Jut()in superiordecisionby
sc mmage.Becauseof their positioD linebackersmust be morc vo
cal,and, as such,shapethe defensiveunit,s attitucledurinq Dractic(' tl,, -r.ll tl,, 'ri,i.,l, .,ll, r rrrsl l)( l( v( in the game plan and sell it
I r l . 1,,,I ll, ,l\\,!.1 rr l'r,r(lr...rnd thcn on Saturdayafterno()n.
dnd at gdmc".Leddcr",:rrenot rl$ ayslhe mostpopularor t.rllulrvr.,
r,.,, .t,, r, lr,1,.( ,,Ir,t]r'l() (nrf linebackers,beginning with
but thev arc resDected.
,,,,1,,,,1 rlr,.,,.,t tlnrts ()andv('rsiiy during the season.Mr.
We have been blessed over the years with many convincjng
. | .,,,, |,,,i,1 .\, |, rllrrsi.rsticnnd you'll be enthusiastic."I have
leaders. Never did we have a dominant defense without a rfl
,.,,,rr1,' f,,.rrt t,r rrrrgrvith truth- lt coltains a conccpt that I
spected leader.How did they gain that respect?They developed 'r,
t,1t,,, , l,, ,i,l,rrlrl I t(x)k his courseon public speaking.
a set ot attributes in their personalities. Some were God_eiven
I r', ,l\ '.,,, ,r(lr,rll\' (('rrtr('l its mind. An athlete can be in the
Sift': most wcre prnductr oi time,energy,.rnd thc de.ire tolead.
C oa ch esmusl drilv cultivatcthc -e le J c rs h ip q u a lit ie <in lin e - 'I ,l,,rl'l( \'ssi(Jns,under a hot August sun,just trying to
rl,,,
rlrr,'rllr ,rr( rf plactice.lf he
he {ollows his feelings
{ollowshis feelinqshe
he will
will
'llli Lrractice.
'rillr ,rrrollt
ri 1r
I rrr
r' 1rrvill curtail his learning and set a slower pace for
lor
' r.r 'i
! i ! r | |! | I r I r | |
HardWork rr', ,
''
! l'. ,' ,ll .,,| , nlhrrsiistically b], moving quicklydsfhe had en-
Ameri(dnCrrdinalCibbon:.aid. lhe highermenclrmbthe lonser ,,',. l, ,,,Lrtlvrrll follou'with focusand vitaliry One turned-on
theirworkingday.An1 young man with J .Lreakuf idlenes.in h]m r, , t , ' , ' , i l ! . ( ( ' | l t n g i o u s i n a d e f e n s i v e h u d d l e .
may better make up his mind at the beginning that mediocrity will l, ,' ,,,,lrr: .rrr(ltrash talk are selfishenthusiasm.They are
be his lot. Without immense,sustained;ffort he will not climb hieh. r., . ,, I | ,,,i l,\' pfide and desirc to bring attention to oneself.They
And eventhoughrortunei,r(hancer ereto litt him hish,he wo;ld r,, , ',' t!",rtivoplacein classylootballprograms.
not slay lhere.for to leep dt the rop is harderalmo.t thdn to get |,,,,L,,,1tli( rDodemeraoI {ootball.individualismhastakena firm
there.Thereare no office hours for leaders_ ,, , t ,ir ,'rr srrcieq'-We need to return to an age o{ sportsmanship.
It's obvious to most that successbeginswith hard work. The se- I , | ,rr.,r'lriphasto do with manlinessand respectfor the oPpo-
nrors,captains,quarterbacks,and linebackersform thenucleusthat ,,,,r \ .l,,,rl\man getsin the faceof his tcammateandjackshimup.
setsthe standardsfor the work ethic of the tearn.If this group does \ | \ 'i I .r r,rn d iscourages his opponentby playingcourageouslyuntil
not demonstrateand demand hard wor! the coach,siob beiornes
very fru.trating.Whentheyoungplayers:ee lheir peeicommand. | 1,,.I r,)dern mcntality of trash talk is faulry lt's rare that I have
ers e\erlinBcon5ictent cfforL.thc) urualll fall in linc and thaLbe. ,,,, ,r (('rnpetitorat the collegelevel intimidatedby someone's
haviorbecome.a habitFortheircareers ,,, ,Lrrlr /\l )ostalways,the reverseis hue; thc competitoris insPired
I agreewith the legendaryVnce Lombardi when he said, ,,Con_ '\ tlr,.r,ncwho confrontshim.
trary to the opinion of many people,leadcrsare not bom. Leaders I r1,I()Lc()nfuseshowboatingor trash talk with genuineenthusi
are made,and they are only made by effort and hard work.,, r .r rlisplayedby a leader to spur his squad to victory
 .v - rgarFr (rn.!.4||nl
l li.irol ln|m0ltl.r'21

P[]pose r , ,,, r1, l.rlrllr..rrl,"i,,r llr, rr t,.rrrrrrr,rlrr'lr,,rrtsrvrll

No leadcrc.rnsucccerlwilh()rl.r t)lrll)rrl,,r Ea,. r, .1, i ,',r' I 1',r,il ,,,,,1\ l'1 .lr,,r'rrrli,r,orrirLi|rrtlri.rrl
rr,, (.:\ A lrx.l,.rr "
can worl ditigentll .rnd be u.rrcr bur h,, IIr.r _lr,,u ,,,,, rl , ..,1',, ,'l ,.r, l,l(r,rr Ir'r"ltr
., ll[t,r,,l,.rl
rh-,,-.^...:- TL-,
ll:L"1i*-,Ih" i::a".
,
o.r"ri,.,;..
pi;;.,,;
:J,,;,'1,;'l
-u.iiou"
defensiveunit to rally around.
derisns.rhe
pracrire
.indHrmcpr,,,,s11.
fot a Challenge
Roady
.tll^::::l'lp,l.,ln
rhehoursiivotved'inprepdflns
f:tl"- i:ilt1: a pr.rcr,r,.
I vi. It.. tr. . rl,,r 1 t,,,, 1',ilrrr.l'.rrl.r'rs k'vI t()['( chrllcnged.Acommon
min-ufejr outlinedand eath snapis eiti.rer'scripied
or dirgr.rnrrrr Frt,,t l. ,, ,r l,rl" '\ rrlr,t ),rrr' 1'l rrrLlrt',k.linthcr than give a line-
ro ensurethe e\act lot'ks for the defense
Unce pra.fice i5 organi,/ed,thc ledder. mu-l Er, | . ' . r. ,,r' , \ , ,1,li,,l.,rrrri lr'11lrrrrrth.rlhcbetterlcarnthem,we
be prepdred. I.h t,t ,',' rl', ,,r, i,r lor ll)is gr(lup of checksand might say,
rheimporrance
or rhisparricutar
ddy
ableto conveytharto thed&nse. Thesign"t'Jl;;;;;jil;.,; .rn(l
l::^.,1.^::::i:1.19 l. r , , , ,, " , . , . t l , r . r o r r l r l l x a t r c n r c n d o uhs e l P t o u s , b u t I
. , , r , r1 , , , , , r . , r r ( ' , \ l . c t y ( ) uk ) r c c o g n i z seo m u c h . "I f h e
lt,i' i tt
the plan by down and distance, personnti e o u l d b e ," C o a c h ,
, ,, , , ' , 1 , | 1 , . r , l . , rNl l () f D r . r l lt)h, ,cr c s p o n sw
:-:1:11s,:l*^' ii! :f
and so on Whend lineboclercanpromorea.rf
f rfrr"""i iri, t"',#
ecrgeor_rhegame ptdn.ithelps endursethe.oachesLd.ell.
tho l e e s p e c i a l layl e r tb e
i, , , . . , , , ,, , I L r t , , I l , ' r l , l r ( .w o l r l ds t u d ya n c b
unrr on the game plan,spotential,
r,,-, 1,, I rr'r' ,l 1\,r\r)rl()rtnnt.He alsowas awarethat I'd drop
tead;r. ,an persurderhe unil rhdrthir ptan wi srdk.
_^Tl:l.lle
mare rt , , . 1 , , . t r l 1 , , , l r , l r r 'nl r . r s t etrh e md u r i n g t h ew e e k .
lherropponents, rt formca firm union in Lhehudrlle and an air \\t,, !,,., lr:,i l,r'l ( .rrolinain the 1994LibertyBowl game30-0,
of confidenceat the line of scrirnmase.
.,, r, ,, .,,l, \ | rrwl,in('I'.tton,the freesaferya unanimousselec-
On Inconsistent defenses, the c.Jcher.rl.,nescll the eame oldn
dnd motivaterhc ptayersdunng pratice. WIrh rr,,J,r,' \l '.1\.,1|r,rl'LI'liver.Wehad givenAntwoinea "checkwith
l"r;;;r";.;,1;; ,r. ,ll r,,, rlr, lrrr<lcll'.It meant that, basedon the formatiorL
with the thc re-crtt,are mogjliica. Eachprr.n." irnp-*.
-staff, _j, 1r,r. ,r',, \\,,,r1\ll,rrtour defensein oneof eightcoverages. Patton
t1"_,1":backer
bet"omes
aptav"r' , ,1|
ijj*:1y^:. .r..t t\'r ' nl ('l thc coverages that day by himsell madeonly
ro expratn calls and make adjustmcnts -i,r., ",J.n.,,uiiii , , , , , , , , , r, l , I r ' J , , l | r dp i c k e do f f t w o p a s s e s .
r r,,, I, I I!, (l(,it? First,we knewAntwoinewas very intelligent
Gohesiyeness ,r,, , ,,,1,,l tlrir{lin his }igh schoolclass).Second,we knew he'd
reamunirJrHe must consranttyacknowledge ,, 1,,,,I r,' rIr, r hrllenge.I broufihthimin and visuallyshowedhim
lt:19 1.":. the
rmpoflance ot every member of hi- unit. The medid and Id; .1,,,,,,' r,r,,,l,()l lormationsthatEastCarolinaPresented underSteve
cel_
makespe(rrcutar
ptayr.ye[hey setdomunder t. , ,,, ,,ll, rs(. Wc grouped the formations to show the obvious
:::1",,*::: " l.tavoritesdepend
srano rn.lLinerr r, ,,.t, i, i,. .,rrr(lthcn setthe hook with this line: "Toobad we couldn't
on lheir teammate.ard the scheme '
;::#;'..:H:',:,:;ll,l",Tjlj3, who,ead"
mur", r,r .,,,I, .rl| ( vofy coverageso thatI wouldn't Put us in a weakcall."

Thi\d rtudedrlute.:clt
?:l;iifr
:,$;,'er t,rr
"
r,
'ponse?
"1canand want to do that,Coach!"
.- pride.rndpromote5 unrry.A deten.e l,rr,,o (i(.dicatedhimself todailystudy.Hememorizedcuecards
rsqoEgnrrndtit operJle-a5oneherrlbedtcrn, indeed;bc(ome that I l,,,,.,rrr'lrt'cloverheadsin additionto the normalbowl film and
soeci.ll_
Deuteronomy,God spoke tn l"r""l ,b..t r,t lr,1t rfviclvs. He was on a missionto answerthe challengeand
,In
told them thatthey would iee arrniesIarger than;;i;;';;;:;;; 1. , t,,rrrrrrlrt'markably.
their"own,butthev
were not to fear because God would be 1,, ,,., I o{ten challenge ProsPects.We emPhasizedthe
with them. iater, iir 'uiting.
Deuteronomy 20:8he tells the officers to speak I l|,! ls" nt lllinois;
to the people and
"Whatmanis thererhatis feartulandfi"*"-i"Jif"i'ii_
-say, *. . lridition: Illinois had a legacy oI quality linebackers.Could
back to his house,lest the heart ofhis Iello*"
u" l.ri"h"ulilP' ll) is recruit uphold thoselegends?
-"tt.
 ?r.0nntIl.t.I ti.ir0ltnc
I l ihiolir I nhnUlhloi. 7: l

. lr l c n l : W,.k 1 t,.,t \!r. ,rl tl r,,t

t i()l r.l rs ( n rr.n l l (,1 ,.r(t.,l r.,r\,,r
l r,.i rhh \\L,i ,t,ttl r ,,,| rl !,l l t
\\,,,r1, ,, \\,r,t l ,,,,,l rl l ,.l ,,f
Gourage
. T raininS :Nowher.cwotrltl. r t ijrl, l, . rrk , , i . , r,,') il,l, ,'l lr),trr, Lt,r' r.,orrr.r{( Antlrcw Jack
r, , , , . r\ , . , o (lr, , , , rr1 , r, , , ',
h en-iv"tr.rrnrt. |\.r- rh| pr, * 1 , , ,t, rr. , , t \ t , , r ilr. , t! r , t , , r . 1 , , , r .,rl 1,,,,l,.ht..t,rtt\l'()I(,' ,!r!\,illiaourngcmakesa
mltmenta ,' rl , t,,,'1,,,,,,(lll,.,l rr
,.',,,lr r, r, r,l rrr,rr nlrr', rllrcrr their peers wanl to stray,
In December IoQJ.we hrd.) prcmier rpcrurt vt\rl ,,ur ,,r,,,t,ux
_ , ir rl, | 1,,,,\,(lrr)rs l)(l(rsivcleidersarcnccdcd 'hen
top-l0 ruotb.rllprogr.rm. h".l r1r,.,,,11,,rr,.,,.1 ...
,lwool,lhecountrr.'s ,1,. r ,, , 1.,r ,1i,,,r.I'r,,rli(i r.rUs(f.rtigueor a loss of conccntra-
rum.sch,'rdr\hrps.tt r{ds hj\ iinrl ofricidl trip antl
by rh,,rirrr,.lr.J r, , ' r.,,, , ,, t,,n(lrlr(, tho te.m, it is encouraging to hear
rcr(h.d uur (dmpui, hc wds redllv imprc-red r,rrrh
hrrrrs,.lt I r* r. | | ,, ,,' ll,, ,l|,r(l l(' stf.rin f()r excellencerather than com-
ncrfl\ ly m!'nth\ \oJ(he\ hdd h,lJ him huw gootl lrc
w.r.. tlrr.y r,:1rrltrlltadt'rcan"nakeamaiority"byusing
puffed him up at every tum. l,',-,,,',,rr
As he w,r.ler\ ing uur (dmpus he met with me .rl
mV o rcr I ir, , , ,1,,,1r.Lrrtlt r is inrlispensableon game days when the
told me thJi lhc ldst univer\itv he \ i\ilcLj hdrl promi5|.J
him rlr.rr r I t! , r, rrrnlt ivL'11. Many times in my career,our units
'r
r He wr'uld start d- r frc\hmJtr :l.rr t becausethey refusedto quit when adver-
. He would be All-Conference ,,, L ll'r !!1ui( s not only adjustments by the staffbut faith
as a sophomorc ' , ,,, l\ tlr(,lln\'crs.Thatbraveryo{tenemanates from their
r Hc r^,,u ld be A ll-Americ.rn
r_ d junior . , 1, , r L r ! l r 'l ( l
. He would be on the cover of i,, rl,, ( ()f is beingablcto play with pain.Painis
SportsIllusfnfrd as a senior ' t,' I c()rlraEic
r .
|,, 1I L |,,,1 l r')(brckcr.Fewpositionshavesuchconsistent high-
He \^anted tu kn,,w r hdl l.d prumr-e hrmt I rri.r.tl . . | , , ,, .,(I \!ith huge linemcn ancl fast backs.Lincbackers will
mv evebrLrws r
\en high.rnd chJllengedhim. I tolJ him he could 1,.,\,I)Lrmps,
e.rrn o'nrthinr. ',,,,'l r contusions, and aches.Those whohavc low
our he la,Jutdbe Ei! en noth ing trum me. I told him thdl ,1,,, l,,,l,l ,,1l',rinwon't getenoughpracticetime.Playerswhocan
m,,si likciy
he d red:hirt d- d [re\hmdn .rnd learn some v.rluable ..,.,,r,LlrI ' l,,Ll. ()ut pain canperformat a high and consistent
le\\r,ns in the level.
process, Ifhe made postseason honors, it wouid be r,, r, i ),r ri.k lJrownlow sustaineda severeankle sprain dur-
because he beat
o^uls,trllcompetrlr,,n.und.XUl much better thrn he prcvntly war. I . , , 1i\ Sunday,Al Martindale,our outstandingtrainer,told
told hrm we had \oJched three Bullur AvrJ rd $ rnncr_ ',,,
and a run. ,. 1,,r | ) il r(k's statuswas doubtful for the following Saturday
ner-up dnd never promi$d thpnran! thing bur the , , , \ 1 ,l r l l n n S t a t e .
be"l trdinins \ e
LouldprovrdeI cha
oI ne d Oeembarrasscd!
"ngedhim rogli" t r'-i [,y i, f,".ft.." iiiil,,i, ' ,lrr r$ tolclour playersthat if they could notpracticeon Tues-
,' \\,\in(sday (our hard work days),they could not startthe
When he lcit mr office. l knct{ \^e hdd little
, Lhanceot scltine ,1,,,i,. Il's been a worthwhile rule of thumb over the years.
nrm. I hdLnr8hl I w.rs shucled when hp talled me \r rl,, ,,1 lu( sLldyor Wednesday'spreparatio4 the starter is men-
on thc ph"oneti
ap,'logizeror hi- rock) .rlriludednd bcs mc i,,siSn r,l , |" lrrfi(I.lt nlsogivesa boostto his replaccmcnt,
him. He \ cnron who generally
lo tcll mc lhdt hc rerlized we rcre thp,,nJJcL,llcge
thal ur.c.lndid I r, lr,rl antl ptays well onadrenalineand theextrapracticework.
dnd n,,t blowing smokF.1thim. Hp rcsponded Lo 1,, , .rrrr.rlsoralliesaroundthenew gur
the challenec
lrnel). we dl\r r h.rllcngeour lineb.Lcter. $ ith rhir {ru;.tion: ll,, ri, !v tuy replacingDarrick wasAaron Shelby,who had an
^Kou
Uo v,,u wdnl to be BooJ or gredl.. The anrr^er rr ubriou",
and ,, it, ,.'i\,1r week of practice.Meanwhile, Darrick did nothing
rlter 11e re(etvelI r{e hrve licenre to d.l J h,t of ou jinebn( ,, Ll,l orrr lvalk through sessionon Friday. We had no plans to
r 1l.r.. We
clallenge them on their class attendance, grades,
liftin& and so on after they individually .'.-^ii
practice habits, |1.,i Iirrrwnlowat all. During pregamewarm-ups,Al Martindale
i, fr" gr""i"""i ,ii,l l).rrricktold me that physicallyhe cou)dplay if we needed
good-
 __ rnr!! r|lur!
;
PNRTII

ITIilIEilIilS
Instincts

foorbaltbecauserecruiringpermrrsme
I1""":::j,:g"
lyerswrth
players ro choose
theiinlangible
with the le qualities necessarv
necessaiy to innu"n.",
t" rnflren.., i"lrn
r-,_
n""a
f,:liY:lf lif :.-iloio*h"' ro'".og;,;;il'#;":;.;
qualitieson Lhelr,hareagoatof *inning. ;:I
I

ll[ ,:lrirptersin this sectiondescribethe executionof the fun-

rl,||rrrlals-the ABCS -of linebaokerplay.The fundamentals
l,,|1l|l.hefoundationof a linebacker'sentirecareer.A linebacker
wlir) .rcksconsistencyin the ABCScannotperformat an effec-
rrv,r.r)ompetitive levelanymorethan a housebuilton a fmgile
l,rLIxlacion can standthe test of time.
llre ABCSarc universal,meaningthat these fundamentals
illr equailyimpoftant to any defenseever created. They ore
Iiot schemespecifc.Playersandcoacheswhoare wellgrounded
r t.heABCShavean opportunityto distinguishthemselveson
llrr) fieldregardlessof their front oTcoveragecalls.
=

llfi and$hed

lrrg ,r r l,l,r Lr,r: i: lhc b.rsisof defensivefootball.It is to defense

1 l,ll u I rlli t to olfcnsc.If all the defensivePlayersat the line of
rrir rrr,rL',r( )ntrct with their blockersand discardthem while
',
ntirtrli ilr(if porition,a ball carrierwould haveno daylightat
Itlr. Il, \v,'rl.l f.rcea wall of opposite-coloredjerseys.Hit and
ti rlr, .', L,l nr.rking contactwith a blocker and then discarding
wlrtl,.||r,rrl.riningor movingto an assigned Position.
Nt'rt t,! t.'t lli')u, the hit and shedis the most imPortant skill the
St|!l,,r'l, r r|l rrst r)rrster.For the majodty of players,tackling is very
ldllr,rl ( ,,rv( hcly, the hit and shed can be the most difficult fun-
dd r' rrt,rll(,f pl.ryersto lcarnand execute.
l, rr lrrrilrschool,college or NFL linebackersenter comPetition
|}rtlr,'r rrn,l(rshndingofthe conceptsinvolved in tating onblocke$.
I r , |l tli,.i, who do rarely get the repetitionsneededto becomePro-
lt' t' |1l I lris is true for severalreasons:
. I lr, lri8hly regardedathleteis usually ableto imPressthe coach-
rrll,t,rll,lristeammates, andhimselfwithspurtsofimpressivePlay,
r,r,.rrtlr,'rrglrhe may lack sound basics.He is often simply stronger
arrr| ,1rrrL kcr thanmostofhis opponents.This success with pool ABCs
r\ lll rr 'frnnlly causeproblernsfor the demanding coach.When the
r,,1, ,rntrdinedlinebackerbecomesfrustratedin mdsteringthe
',r,11.
rrr rr , orrccpts,he will usually revert to his forrner style of play. The
t,l.rr, r rDustleam that only a sound hit and shed can win consis-
t, r tl! .rgainstquality competition.I{ he doesn'tbelieveit, the coach
rrrrr',trn.rkehim a believer Once he has conJidencein the hit-and-
rlrrl r'onceots.he will work to make them secondnafure.

27
 v-rrrttr'lrnrr.qrnt
-r llll .|| lhrd'20

. , \ l, r r \ l, !,l l ),rl i l )r,,| r,Ir. IL | \,.Ir| ,| ,.\ \,,,,!t,! .tt,1l rr,.tl r,l ,
, i' llr , r . lr \ r.l .rt ..| h j ,rr,.r, t1 ,,.\ ,i .l u ,,r.
. M os t lin( ' b .rrk (]f c (,.rrl r(,s .rl
.r tt,v (. ts.| ,, t,,,t,,,j i rt,r, N t | . t.l
s t r c s s t he inr p o rta n c (' o t
t)ro p (,f n r...h .r,ri rs | !l r(,n (,\,\ rl rr)i tl ,!
and shed.

. , . . - Y ll1: hab
- uo r nrce ,.,m p r ,,\r \,..r , r r
z+-nour oa) s-and
- d ,itimited
Il . l b a prdcti(c ),
time.Bccdurc,,jtl,;.. , ,,,r,lr,* lr
*h"-" cun.(iou-.rnddevoreti\\ rrnr,.
rt,r,r,,r,r,rrl
::::T T:|.:
\pendm,,rcprdfiic ime imp|l,vin$rh,.,r
. LllJ{ji::backei: tr'r.
phareor rhesume.
Rarerv
Jrr s .r<r.rv
li"i-l?.:I i1y-l*l':insJc
b1.inctuding g.rme dar.Lhar
we aonr .ilpr.,,)f ,i."r.-,i
,,,,.i'.ri,
vvPreguldrly \lre.: thp follow']ng(un(ept..

Hit-and-Shed
Base
H;:,r:::i,tt:L::.Tj,:l-"i,-.:. coaches
ll":backer roidenrify
lT,y::,1:],i:"q1'" procker,. rhe),,rr
r,,,ilu.,i,i*",.,"r,.,piii.i
body rction,or.i,zc Feu pornt orlt Ihe r
;"; ;:,;i ;: ;1;Jili:ill :'illl;,Ir".j,i
blocker The contact surfaceitself is r
l;J::i:,'i?J
meets: a
Base
l|lorllo-Foot-and-Shoulder
" *,-""i:s.;j;;ffi;.ii,fl?:T:Idxillij:ii
r,*t"* "' ?ll::
""'
llr,,1 1,, rr, l,r,l ,rr(l-shoulderbase
ftr.f,r ,i.,.,r,\t
is perhapsthebasethat line-
lr('(luently.Itisaterbly inefficientone(seefigure
arm, but their eflort wilt be in vain without a ' J
I 1 r \ l.',,\,, rrrlrts .rndplayersacceptand usethis hit-and-shed
.";;.i;;;"
Let's examincthe threemost common bases.,sea I ' r, t , , , . ri' t lr(v d ( n 1 ' ta p p r e c i a tteh e v a l u e o f a c o r r e c bt a s eo r
by iinebacfers
near thc line of scrimmase, J,,r, r | ,,,,1\ lrt'\! l() use a correctbaseconsistently.With this incor-
k,rl,, ' .,,,,,lil,()ncnt who appliespressuretothecontactshoulder
Correct
Base ,. tlt rr, | | tl,r. lrrcbnckeron his up ({orward) foot (seefiSure 3.2B).
When a player plants the same-sidefoot on the 1, , r1llrlrrsl130pounds.lnmy careerof teachingnearly20 Pro-
ground just before t. , ,r,,,,.11 l,r!,luckcrs none has ever stoppedme ftom getting move-
n::ilf"ix.'.:'ffi
Jl.fiHn:.lff
:13:::,T:'ff
1H,"]:::
sure lrom an opponent l<ecfigure 3.1).
|r, r,t ,,rr lrrrll.I turned each with ease.The opposite-foot-and-
. r. . . , l. I l' . r* r, . n . l c r st i n e b a c L e rhr e l p l e s st o b l o c k e r t .A n d i n
everyptdter and coachrar,/ know thefceling ,l,'t'r,||r(Jll sccthat this basealsomakespursuitmore difficult.
, uf powerir,,mthis .\r rlr' t lr)iversityof Colorado,I would often use my sor! Mat-
b.as::Eacl spring and fall we begin tt.," iir"t
strating the power of this baseto"our li iru"'ti.n Uy J"-ur,_ rl,, ,\ \!lr() \'r,asnot yet a teenager,to emphasizethe imPortanceof
rhecorrerr
basc
and,h"",ppr,p;*,:.]l"b;':i]:':rl:j"i',li:lil: , . |,,|'|r'IridJ.l d correcthit-and-shedbaseto incoming freshmen.We
plantedroot. Never rn 30 yeirs haveI I l,t' I I. | | | y l{cmingtolL our captainand All-Big Eight linebackerwho
onanyone
inthisdr l. li" ,, .r . I rrow,nfor dominating much largeropponents,in the oPPosite-
ovt.r their front.ttlol.I he coath and linebacker "-on".,,"o,"nTilli''i"fl#Ti:iTj
*ill, ome n_ay i.om
t,*'t .rr(I'shoulderposition.TheIreshmenmarveledasthey saw litde
(onvincedthJl theyp"'.p'5 redlpouer l\l,rtt tr||1)thc six-foot-four,230-pound Remingtonwith relativeease.
In rhis I lr'. rl{lnonstrationleft an indelible impressionon linebackerswho
ilrt,li]t""tnt"
s, r( (lrqer to improve.
 rrlllEDl
,
-, -,dFr Iti ri ai.i.ll

i.ln' nt,. lrrtrrll'\ r,ll, rr!r!, lrttr'trnrr rrrrrrl llr.1lil

'tr'li1t
( A ) O p p o s i rr* ro o(t(.rr)
l IInf r,11,{rtlx l,l(! LIt t!rtlr tlrt rtl,l,osilt'l(x)tnt)d shoul
and shoutd.r (ri8ht) rhr,||l'Ir t rr,r,'l l,r{! rt olll.rl|t l)rrritrS.r Pl.ry{'tr game
Dasers.ommon. bur t l F t ' u l n r r L lk r l ( r wi r r r r r r c d i n t c l y w h c n t h e y
afnttt,,,l'tll
very ineffedive. (B) Wirh
pressure ro the ,,oppo_
tl at|llrl" I rr{.
sile" bap as shown in ar|.l r lrrr IIIr,'rrrrrII,rrc rrrrlnrrtntttt{r Playersand coaches,
(A), the linebacter is *rc lrl,rrl*l11 ,rl'l, ,rln'utg.rininBstrength.But all the
tumed by the blo.ker ltrx,lu L' ra (l(,rsw,rslrdil lhcy won'tconsistently
sink
bn.! ll, lt, r to lr,rvr'.r r' rrrlt basc than to be embaffassed
yt\rr-old son.
f.tlrt',1,,r',lr or lris I0

lrm
lrtt}l h,||, rr"rr,rlly t'r r\rrs whcn the youns linebackeris trying
rh r' rl rrr I lr,r* l,Lrtf.rilsto get his ftont foot Planted With
l||t! I'x n I',' .' l,,rst, lr('s nlmostalwaysgoingto bemovedback-
lt}t, rlHl|r' I l).
F lt r conrt.t.lln.ia.lt.l lill.rd li.d. !l

A.pl,ry('rwllr jt rs p,I(..rkr(l l,r,tt,,r.

,.! r,II,Ir,,IrrrrrI ,r r rrrrrr r tr.rsc
nccdst(' stickwith it. I te shouldrcnlizclhnr lt, w,rr vr.r , lLrsi, ;n;
ideal base.He shotrld determine whether he plantcclhis front firrrt
laleor whetherhis tindl \fep was loo ront.
v to tlrr,
tl
For playerrand <oaches who don't haie the resources hr vidr,rr
Lapehrt-dnd-shed periormance during pracfice<. thismethodi. u"c-
rur. Uunng one-on-onedrills, focuson the ,.fron/, foot of the plaverc
Lnvolved. Alter thecolLision, everylinebackerwatchingthedrill'should
DeaDreto sry whether the participant,sfronLfoot wa. correct,opDo-
.rte.or in_thedir.By focusingon thi5dspe(tof thed rill
everyone ian
seedrrecttythe importrn(e of d correctbase.fhis is a <reahveand ef_
fective way to leam even i{ you are able to tape practice s€ssions.

Padlevel
Coaches seemto havepldyeddown thisfundamental sincemv edrlv
r ear. in coaching.Coa(hesof detensi\e linemenrnd outsije IinJ.
baclers- player.clo.eto the Iineof scrirnmage_ still tedchproDer
pad-lerel posiLion. bur rhisi5 a le) tundamenialfor a tinebjcklrs.
ll_\ uur bdsei5 (orrectbut 1our padsare higherthan our rrppo-
nenr,ne wr tttety Eet mo\ ementon you. The old adage l
thai Ge
"low man wins" is true.
In the early 1960sit was still common to find a 200_poundline_
_
bacler pldyingover d 210 pound otfensrve guard in maiorcollege
roorbdlt.the gudrd5movedqLri(klyandcontacted linebackers whiie
ctilI low (oming out of their ct.rnces.Toda).two fdctorshave(hanged
rtus dramahca v:
. Offen5iveli n-emen. a,,' , l "'llwas a 208pom d f r eeagentwho Playedsix seasor o f or t he M iam i
todd) aregigan tic in comp.lri\on to thoseof rcll were unusua! and
r' r' , ,, . tLoSuperBowls. His intensitymdhip
rne teOUs. When thev make(ontdctwith linebaclersthey are r,, i .
',,fludiDt
In im ed "t heAnim al. "
phy.i(dll\ much higher becausethey are tdller "',
lmost an si,._
foot-threeto six-foot-eight and risemore quickly from their stances.
. Linebaclerspldy_at lea5ttwo ) ard5deepertoddy.Becau"ethey
lllp Roll
are tarthertrom lhe offensivelinemen,the linemenrisehieher r 1r'. ..1(,fbeforecontactthe linebackermust have his baseset and
a they ledvefheirsrdlcesto reachthedeeper_pldying Iineb";fe;. | ,r . I ,,r,I ir'vel Iower thalr the blocker. Now the linebacker must launch
Wetell our inside linebackersthat they are ,,bo.r.,puj, ae. pua:, l,r . l,.r(ls(or contactsurface)into the blocker by uncoiling his hips
Ilr, hips propel the contactsu ace,a factthatjumped out atme
Pdd leveli.still importdnLwhen linebackersand linemenofsimi_
, ,,lr.rr I studied the physical conditioning resultso{ my players af-
rar5rzemdRecontactor whena Linebacler is tallerthanan oDDosins t,.r .r \li'cadeof coaching.At that time, I had only four linebackers
Iineman. that still.occursin high bur rdrely in c.ff"g" f..il
"chool r lr,, lr.rdbeenin the NFL. They were not the four fastestor biggest,
Dal|.>norLttnebackers havea true advdnlagein the hit and shed l,|t ,rsI perused the statistical data, they \nr'ere the four strongest
becausethey are always pad under pad on contact.
rrr ,,rrt'lift the power clean. It dawned on me that hiP ro11(the
 .,, .,nrrn!,r I r r .n r r [0

powcr cleanor hang-clcanaction)

was \,iial to Lhcsucrfs\ (,t lJr. lrrl

\ ro,',,,,,',,,',,r
,rJlrl;:;"1'.'j! l;:'l),i,:* eiAh,
il"ii,.'::
lll,:;*i
,*:I;'l;;:j,*:,; :;l; ,:l;
n'ti:;'l;:i;':"lli,
",;:l;l:l ;,1;:i
i""'
r:.1[l;lmlll;; "1i;J,l
],'iiil
:,;,t,
rro,.thehipcrprosion
ret's
exami,,,
,,,
,",1;ffjffiJlf$;T:rts
. Ihe player shoutcl
use a compact base from h,hich to
unc()iI lr l
*t tnerrontioot*'ithaverv
l]$';$ r",n*"d ";n ;;;:;i'll,
. ]-l.rveis.h,,uld e\periencc
the tull

;uIIri:l;:.1
rr

i.rLlil,'r
*li,l[ili n,jjlir
ment (scefigure 3.5).
' ;*,iuj:Iil:,ix;:l
t":dryil i*\? :1,*;
,lliiiihli:..l:;,
l:l",T,f l:i,:,'li:;:
i;1lJ]ff1
*.*i",
;.,1,:1{il
,.,r."
'ii::'j":il'j:i:,"J,.L*Tliiilj
:ilifi::i .i.",
. Often a lincbacker
will set his basecorrec and have it
pact b.rt \,till turn his front foot at an _y com_
rnernber;
ther.tp"
r.u,,*,'r*'i,-JHT':''(;:;,iHi::,:
il;,L;
lC. ConFl.l.I In.ia.llnl llll rndli.d.lt

The front loot should point

down the middle of the

rli, l,l.ryorptacesdre front foot at an angle,the explosionof the

Here the frcnt foot is on the lrt,..rt)plie. only partial force to the blocker' We instruct our
1,r(,1'.rckers always to point the toe of their ftont foot into the
, r,,t,h oithe blockerThat ensureshitting the middle of the target-

UpperBody
I r,,.,ll\. r\,odiscussthe role of the upper body in the hit and shed.It
r,,,rr, lr lcsssignificantthananythingPreviouslymentioned,which
r l,, r,ry to many linebackersand coaches.We tell our players that
' , ",'l),rfcc1to base,pad level, and hip roll, the upper-body action is
rrr,lowdressine.
"
I lr, rrpperbody is the contactsudacewith the blocker.Yearsago
,ll lrrrbickers madecontactwith shoulde$ or forearms.Many have
.rir,, goneexclusivelyto hands.We actually have our outside line-
l'.r,k |s use hands versustight ends ar1da shoulder againstpower
I r, L ,ruts by fullbacks. Our inside linebackersuse hands only for cut
l,l, n l.s and use their shoulderc for linemen and fullback isolations.
l'! hen using a shoulder, we attempt to get forearm lift over the
lr'rl foot to gain separationfrom the blocker as our hips exPlode.
 lill.ndli.d.ll

lll r r, l,l Ir, rrr,rr,|,'rr,,r, \l'11 , l,ut lt' r( lrrt !', il y(,tr n,rrstLifill
Girrlr.rlrll'(\or|fslln,'rlvL,,r)rl('rt,rhl, f(rr(tit'r1tot)l()ck('rs.

l;i: i r'.',:
i','',',:i,',,
il,:::".;i:1,'li.'rr ;,',
illi',iii:i
i;,,li,l l,,.,,,,r\t l!,,(n"( likt c.rt.,r|l.l.rlw.rysl,rnd with x correct
r,,r
ll"j 11,,":l'j!:, rri r,.,.',t.,i,
",.r"i ;;,l:l:,'il:l,l;'
;ll:.i
j..j::.1,,j^llll""insth.i
great run defense.
r,,ri,,;,;i;,:;,ri,,:.';:1,:,::;l; I r,ll I I r, rtiin.rli{ }r) l( ) ( r't.rtt otht'r' nrc.rningful drills to imProve
lftr" trr s lrt,lr !()rrr lo.rm necclswork.
a?laler, know that your coachcan
.^_As as a cnoosetrancls,slrorrLla
rorrearm contactsurface.All will b
base.pad revel.and hr; ;il';'." "rLt*'ruI
I'trt ,'rrlvll lnt
;;;;."" iitlr, lrrst(lrillwe useafteralinebacker understands the thrce
Fl l',r!,\. I lrc purpose is to get a hiSh number of rePetitions
Approach r , "i rr\1 h.rse.It takes little effort and produces repetitions
lt \v(,('lton seeour linebackersdoing this drill on their own
When_alinebacker play\ within one stepof the line ot
s(rinrnt
wirh,hi< tead foor arr<J
esrabti,he, the ll nll t1)Lrrlinebackerson a line facing you. On the command
::,:l_pj.,.y"rd b.rsc.
14
l-lnlrTtqj'oi.o"otl,,* musti""ia" ji;;ff;H" ,lr lrt ' rxrh stcDsforward with his front foot. Checkto seeini-
-*t be "J;
"'""1?llll111fr1te'1.^on addressed_i[ I ll','i lhcir wei;ht is over the lead foot. Remind them that the
"pp,."ii. rr ,r .h('rt one, so they can get good hip roll. Also check that
:::hii"j*i",nn:$;"";;"*j:Fjt*""1,,xt
p-endingon
rhedeprhofthelinebacker'aiJil##;:#il:,;
Ing btockerBecause
rl ln'rrl the toe at the target.
l lrr, ll rcv have the conceptsget a ton of rePswith the right Ioot
ot thosevariables,
theIi""Ur,.l."r.r";i'_"0.r, tlt the left by having them rcturn to their oriBinal stanceim-
the stepsbeforeeachcollision 'r
ltnt, ly nfter the "ready hit" command (seefigure 3.9).
,houla mokeeachapproachunder
_-the,linebacker control.Do r
jllTll l. sprirtrhroush ariofrenri*tin"rnall.l|f[,
;?::,^,::'.
linemen weface ioday'r"til
;;li;;;;; ;ffi'#;i}iffil;
beforecontac,hopor skiproI
j.* :]*:"":1,1"^,,and,r.ust
ffji
i;,if"1":i:::9::ff P"+
i-:r1:t i.;;;;;'; j:ffi
Il".::::l:":::lglrr,rorl, -d
rn,i'"iir'i*iiio.; ";?:l:
;;:#J,:i:;l."l
:li:.",j:::,ii::,1.i"
o,f.y^T:::1,::* "PP-,.h ;;;i;; ;;; ;;[i:T: ;"j:
tr.,t iir,"
i,i,int i,o,t.irauiry ( )n "ready hi( all Bs set their righl-footed base rePcat€dly.

j',:,'"[ ': ,,t']",o"

ll:,,'.':""i,:'xl1 -rvo,,r,io"l.li rnrr,",r,;
ji'1-iiil:;
j:i:,,.T?#nyx;:i'""::..*:",',1' r,o',
i,j;i;",i:il:,gi;i:."T;:::"^i";i*:*."eff ff i",."":-i
or " Witha correctbai".,,Li. Ul* _, j
tled,One-Step
ltlill
become
d naLural
."o.tionrti"rg;l-;riJ llr, purpose of the second drill is to Provide limited contact one
players establishthe cor-
"t, l' .rway from a perfectbase.After yout
r,! | compact base, you can emphasize hip roll.
Hit-and-Shed
Driils Any sledwill do, but we prefera stationaryseven-mansled.Draw
of dririsro Berproperreperirions | |\ c one-yard lines in front of and parallel to the sled. Sevenplayers
ror each orthe.ou"r,i"g
[::":r".yil:,::::;.d^samprins
pJi"i""ai;;il:""4:;:$'r:"f ,rlignone step (usually one yard) frorn contact,eachshading a pad
::1,?l: rvith his lead foot aligned in the middle of the Pad.
 a0 . u0mntat,I Ina!|ollnl
f ll rndlird.ll

( ) |l ,r " r(rr(l Y l ' rl ,(,n I| | ,Ir(t (.,r(l r (,t tl ri .i .\, I tj ,,, t,,,t l \(.r,.\t(.1,i
\^,i tlrl,r-l, .r,lr,r,',,r,1tjql,tl\r.{r, t r- rIr . . .r r * ,r,, | ,r . . , , , , r. , , r, rrr. , , , ,
1
In,!(r'rllhirrr\rr,//,' /.,,n t,n,r pl.,,,. r,. t tir.t.i i.r tlri .t, . i\l
l,,r\r
rnd Jll elte will rdll into pl.rcc.fr.r( trce.r righl h,ulerl
h.r{..,rr,i rlx, rl
next time up a lefFfootcd one. Again, you cin do many
rn a Short time
repetirio r t t ! t
t1 '1
,l'li'
,
wrth.their I:*
time\ rhroughldilhoutcontdcr.
hjp\ off thdlba-e.players
hJ\e rhcme\pt,{h,
.houldieelthepor.r -u rq,..rrr
'l
the "r
-leLlruL[rupr{ardon thegroundr.eefigure]. tb;.
;

,,i, L ,1 l i t,t',1 '( 1 , r l ,,l l . Bs i ( se tti n Ar i g h t fo o tcd b a se sh e r e .

HitandShed
Golumn
tl,, . r {ifill in our prollression combinesan approachfrom either
',,
,t rtlr ,r live biocker The athletc must not only react with the
"
..,, , , I l,,rsibut alsoadjustto a moving target.
\l,,tr ilr( linebackcrsin two columnsfacing the challengcdline-
Sevcn man sled, one-step drilt. Bs ar€ setting thcir righr footcd t,,, l, r I ll(,corchclirects trafficbehindtheplayerbeingdrilled. The
basesherc.
',,, 1,,,r ll' " read1' hit" and pointsto the columnthat is to blockthe

SledApproach \ \ l,, r .rttackedfrom the lcft column, the playcr setshis lefFfooted
Dritl t,, r,r,lexplodes withhis hips.Iledoestheoppositewhenattackcd
AgailL any sled will work, but a stationaryseven_mansled r,,,,iILlr(fight side.Thecoachcanevaluatehisbase underpressure
allows
more players to drill. Draw lines on the field so that players ,,,,| 1,i.,hip explosion.Eachplaycr should get four consecutive reps
will
know the depths. 1, r,,r,.rftuming to the columns(sce{igure3.12).
. Back up the linebackers at various depths so that on ,,readv
hit" they canapproachand set thetbases i" tfl" a""i!""i"a
p"JJ.
\o\ the dlhletegets to work on h is p d rt ic u la ra p p ro o c h .
io me . ,L' ., hi t and shed.Bi ait acls
B B
v\r ll \kip or hr,p to set their bas e s .I h a t . f in e . rs lo n e
as thev ,.l L' 1,.
l Jrre. pondss'it h an B B
pl.rntthe front foorbcforethe) contaclthe p"a. fr .f,orfa'b*
U, n-j, , t,,tii.h to a lcft-footedbase. B B
orng. frrsl thc toot hit.- the ground, and then the player
makJs li i lJ2rttacks and 83 responds B1 82
co n tdcLwith the pdd. If the plare r ma k e . c o n t d (Lwiih rh e ,, l, ., rlght-footedbase.
pad
lrrst,the front foot is in the air on contdct.resLr lting in thed readed
pancakebase. O.1 I
This isanother drill thatindividual athletescando in prepractice.
It gives them great confidencein their app.oo"t to
u lu""
(seeligure 3.11). ""itl"i
 H[.ia li.a . al
Machlno.Gun
ltrlll
,l r lll , ' 1, , ll, , \ r r '\ , 'l ,r'.1tlr,. lrrr,.ltil, r r(' h,rlk rrt) tl,.'t
i ),1:;';iili;;.i|li
iiltl1,,.'l;;ii;
,T;,,:i
i lit,,,,,;;t;,:
iri.r,',,
',
r1,r.'lr,'r,
ri nrlir r ll, . , i, r l, , , t r i r llr l r vo r oll lr 'r 1islr t 'lv{t t r r which t hc b. r ll
:,rJ,i,ll"".ll
[l',;#[.i
;.l:,nxli,:[;:iliiilrri,il
ffi rrr.trr, li l l r, r I I r, ! r { , r|( tIr, Iirl rrr.rrr,
'
Itr,,llr, lr,{,rr,'rl,'(!r,
' ' '
sirk ol lhc opt'ning.
we make it realis-
Now theblocker
his
pufting our hrnds,,n the, 3rl 'r!,\',,,,1,1 ,,r tlrr'lrrr,lrrck'r r.rt) nrnk('the Play wjth
.rlrnninE
.{-Wr'slress Lrtbl,\ (r.r .lr,.1111,,1
ourrcerrr,.,rr.i*r,,,,,1i",, .11,,; nr l a, l
lr 't r r r ' I l)

l :'I:r::,ilr;':
i:jJi:Jij5 I n "l\ tl'r' ,li rll r,,\'i |r ly lLststht lincbacker'sapproach,base,
q:$:#jll?:.,i",*::***:#itf
Remember. rhdrwirh
i,iJ
- ' ',
t.,1,1,, r,ir lt", t|\l lik| |xnb,rll.Lirrcbackers
rl ll rr rll I'r,,1',rl'llrrr,rkr' Pl.ryson Saturday
who male pJays

.root
in rigu,re
3.rJ) is up",J;;;i;;".;""''
;;.;;';;l'"' "' "ut) l herrl'r'|l(hx't(

Machine-8un dril wjrh

\^
\ ,.--

\"^1 /'-'')
\ \icur1 r<.'
/ 5Yds+
Aeach
q
t

0rill
llll-ln-the-Ring
lll,r,rrrLllsuscthisd ll extensively.Althoughl believeit canbe
: ,,,1r, I r,.,r,lring drilt, I am drawn to it because of the emotionthat it
0ne.on-0ne
llrill tt,,'r,..I'r lllt'groupdynamics.It is for that reason thatI haveused
tlr" ,lrll ,'nly on gameday.It is sPecialto our playersbecausewe

$*:H'Ji[:::{:iiTjf*,grrnffi
[l::HreTI It ( r\, rl lr'f that day when the intensity runs highest.
\! lr'ri I u/nsat Virginia Tech,one of our starting linebackersbroke
lrr, rr,'r' l{'fore a samein this ddll. The drill often is a dishaction for

:#S#I;:?""l,r[:i#.i:#:*t{,":#}*i}jfi*}:
,tr , '1,1rrncnts belauseof the cdsPhitting and intensity.
( u, 1( thc linebackersand have one leaderjumP to the middle of
tlr,., || r l('.He setstwo hit and sheds,one with eachfoot He controls
tlr,,l'| r ker by pointing to him and calling him out with "You!" The
 .a r t;!mtn|. unalaalh!
7
11,,.1, , ,.,,,,,* l,rr,t,rrrt,rtrr.rr . trr,itr tt,, |, ,, 1,.,, , , , | |, | , . .| | , i ,|
" ||
.||,,,rlr,r.li, lr',rl ril,,]llr,,\,.lr.r,ti\\,,Jr\i. 1,,r..r.,at,..,L rt.r
The principlcs of thc hit anclslretlare wicicly nrsurrlo:((x)(l
l{1,
GhaDtel4
cently I read an NFL notebook for lineb.rckers; ncvcr once w(rr(,
th(,
*.1 mentioncd in a pre-cnt.ilion,)n rrtinB on bto( k,.r.: tty
** 1.|.
orBp(fing lhe rnlorrndlr,,npresentedin this chapter and reoe.rterllv
prdcLicinB the clrills, any pldyer (dn incre.r-e his ch,rn,e,
rrneDacKtng5uccess,
t,,r
Pursuit
Bu nr-the iingdrill. 82

1
ol f{)ra Linebacker on eachsnaPis to tacklethe ball
llr,,rlt||,',rtr'g().rl

t
B1
, ,,,r ,'1i1i
',.'
rlssively.The most demanding
rlr, lrt ,rrrLlslrt'cl.As dcscribedin chapter 3, this fundamental en-
,'1,1,..llr, (l( tensiveplayerto rid himselfof Potentialblockers.
phaseof that Processis

Once
r,,, tIr, lrr(tnckermust getto theball.This movementto theball,
,,, r,1r.,l|rl.is thc secondfundamentallinebackersmust mastel
i rrrtlrr'srrr'face, pursing soundssimPle and seemshardly a mat-
r, r , 'l l,,,t.rLconccrn.Pursuit is no, however,unbridled running to
| 1,,1,,11ll this were true, speedwould be the only requisitefor pro-
r,,,, f, \ ,rl this task.As we delve into this skill, you will discover
rl, . , r, rr, ll I r r c : \ i r o n gd i 5 c i P l r naen d P r o P e m
r echanics
t rrr,l',rckcrsregularly emPloy five tyPesof Pursuit we will dis-
.,' .,',r,lr onc, and the chapterwill end with proven drill work.

Shuffle
lllr . r\ .r fairty universal term in linebackerlingo- The shuffle is a
,,,,|| r'llrcl movementparallel to the line of sc mmage that is quite
I|rr.rtrrr'.rI.Linebackeriuse it primarily from tackle to tackle when
tlr l',rll is moving slowly. Usually the linebackerusesit whenhe is
r.r,r ll|rh-contactarea,
!\,,.strcsslour coachingpoints when teachingthe shuffle:

StsySquare
llr' l(x)tballoften changesdirectionduring the courseof a play,ei-
tlt r l,v clcsignor by the elusiverunning of an offensiveiack The
hr,l'.r.ker must be prepared to changedirection with dre runner
 ac. comrl.ta n.it!ltn0 Ptr.oll.It

( lllir ( lv l l r(| 1 ' l o r( !!1 , I' l i rr i ,l | f.rtl rl (.1{,t | l r r,. tIt,1, , r,i ,r.,,| , (!r l i ,
k o( p t hc ir s h (n rl (l (,rs,l rd h i p s p .rr.r ( ,t l (, l l r(, tr ,.,,r . rrrrrrrr,r11,.
| \ Iri | ,
m ov r ng w rth a c o n tro l l e d s h u ffl c .

SlideFeet
Our linebackersslide their feet when shuffling. We never perDrit their
feet to crosswhen in a shuffle modc. By using the shufhe the linc_
backercaneasilykeephis shouldersand hips sluare (seefigure4_1).
Second,shuffling permits easychangeoI direction withoit wasted
movement.Becausethe feet don,t cross,the shuffler can changedi_
rection withrn one step.
The.huifle alsorlou' down thp lineb.rclerWhy do we desire
that?Why do.we want to hinder his speerl?SpeediJce.tainty a Je,
sired quality,but players can use it at the wrong time. For a ihuffle
linebacker,all-out sprinting can be a drsaster.A common mistake
occurswhen the backsidelinebackerspdnts toward the initial flow
and overuns the cutbackr-unner.
We forceour linebackersto memorize the completionof this ad_
agr.:'Thel,'nge.trunningpldysin football. .. dnd the) musr rc_
.pond. Br"al behindtheb.rclsidelinebacler.,, Thev hearit repear_
du.rinqfour yearr uf lheir competiti.nbe(duseit is r buiiding
:9iv,
olocKol stdunchdcfen.e.The *huftlepermil\ conlr,,lledpu15uit.

lrr ,'rr| clefensivescheme,we have a linebackerPosition that is

r,.,,lrtr,rrrlly slow on the backside.He regularly shuffleswhen the
1'rl1rlrr's,rway; therefore,he does not need great sPeed.We often
t,'l , rlr.rl we chosehim for his lack of speed so he had better not
,,, rrrn.r tailback!
| .r,lr p()stseason we study tapeof long ruas ve6us our defen-se. We'vc
,, ,,I IIn s.rmcschemesince1978,and it hasbeenvery effectiveat Vir-
rlr,rr.rIcch,Colorado,and Illinois.Still,the longestrurmingPlayseach
, ., . . l'rcak behind the backsidelinebackerc.Mark it down.
' '
ll,, linal advantageof sliding the feet in crowded areashes di-
for the hit and shed.Blockersaboundin
',,11\ irrtosettinga base
1 . , t , r. , r l e | \ , r n Ja l i n e b a . L e r m u s t a l w a ) s b e p r e P r r et ods e lh i \
1,.,., ,,rr a threatening lineman. II running in pursuit of the ball,
, l,.rrr,,'sare eood that the linebackerwill have his feet crossedon
,,,rr !1 or will be unable to seta correctbasebecauseofhis speedof
The shuffle solvesboth problems.lt slows him dowry
',',,r,.rnent.
,,,,1lr(is alwaysone stepftom a perfectbase,whetherhe is attacked
t,,',r| | hc left or the right (seethe views in figure 4.2a-b).
 ... o! frta l|nttaat|rc
(A) tiere the lineba.ke.
(#46) shufilcs in a high
contact area and sees#51
apPrcachins ro blo.k him.
(B) Th€ linebacker
responds by sefting his
left fool md a perfect base
Staylow
The.shuffle_requiresthat the linebacker bend at the hips, knees, and
ankles,whilemoving.Most outstandinglinebackers
rnosernreeareas.lhe purposeagaintiesinto the hit_dnd-shed
chanics.We shuffle in a heav1,-contact areaso that we can set a cor_
rectbaseat any time.WemustsLaylow so thdt we cdn immediately
Depad underpad as discussed
lur ll. aC
Mrlntaln
Vlslon
11 , , t. n l , ,r , 1 ,r' l I r l l 1 ' l r , r : ;w r :l r ,r r l r r r c l r i n g. r l h I l t s k , s h u f f l ei s p e -
rrl, lr, r, rlv rr r , ' r rI l r r .l i r l l ' . r c k rt r r ) ( r sl t( r ' u s( ) nt h c b . l l s o h e s t a y si n
,,,1,r t I'r,'\irrily lo llx funrrcr.At thc snmetime,he must develoP
f, ,,'r,rw,r'r,'r( ssto Inlk'nboclicsand activeblockersin his path.You
,lNrrl,l,l,.signshrrlllt,cirillswith bagsor blockersto simulatethe
pi ,rtrr rl .t1' tt allit .
Alley
:\ll, r 1'rrfsrrilbcgins when the shuffle cannot keeP pace with the
l','ll ,r\ it )lnins speed.Now we must turn our hips and run inside-
,'l| t,,n l l t( b.rll. Wework our armshard to keep our shoulderssquare
,m,I tlrrs mnjntain control for cutbacks(seefigure 4.3a-b).
ll'\ ,rrrsethe linebackeris running at high speed,he requiresmore
,Ir'.L||r.(bctweenhimself and the batl carrier than he requiresin the
,l',rll1(. With the shuffle, we ask the defenderto stay on the back-
back (seefigure 4.4) where, becauseof his
"r,1,.lrrp of the running
r,,,lr,r cd movement,he can respondto cutbacksefficiently.
wlr( n the linebackeris in alley pursuit however,we teachhim to
rt,r1,r irrll threeyards inside the sprinting runner (seefigure 4.5).
I lrl defendermust maintain this three-yardcushion to adjust to
rlr,.lrlmendous open-fieldrumers playing in great comPetitionat
,rll l,.v0ls.When pursuing inside-out with the shuffle or allet the
l ,,l'.rrker'sattitude should be "Pleasecut back, pleasecut back!"
I t. neverbe surprisedby thecuLbaclrun. This tlPe of atti-
-lr.'uld
tri,l( in early training savesmany long flrns that go unnoticed by
r,r ^t ians. Linebackerdrill work must regularly provide cutback
, rr.riencesto develoDa mind-set on cutbacksand an understand-
'
rr,li,,f the lateraldistancethat the linebackermustmaintain against
,r trrnl l tv l unnet
'l |,c linebacker is more vulierable to blockers in the alley because
lr iartrot establishhis base quickly. The good news is that he is
rr,rwin a lower-contactareaand most linemen have trouble reach-
|liti him. He may encountercut blocksfrom inside,but he can easily
,l, l( ct them.The machine-gundrill in chapter3 is an exPeriencehe
\\ rll .rppreciatein the alley.
are fleriblein I lre final point in alley pursuit is our reactionto the crack-back
me_ l'l,r'k by a wide receiverin the alley.Often a teammatecan alert the
lrr( backerto a crackby noting the wide receiver'sdecreasedsPlit
i 'r .r specific formation or motion. When the linebacker hears "Crack"
in chapter.]. ,rrr,lthe block is near, he should rip his inside foot and shoulder
as. uo rtatatnalto nl
Por t $ll.! l

( A ) A Uc yp u rs u rri s i

moving ball. Fectnow

aoss for speedmd thc

shoulders.(8) Alley
pursuit is fast-paced.
Changc of direction is

\ i illey lirebacker nccds three yards separation to eNN defending a atback run.

Ihn )ugh the topsideof the wide receiver(seefigure 4.6a-d).Wewant

t(' intimidate the receiverand teachhim he was recruited to catch
lrrlls, not messwith linebackers!
n?. lloo' t r l .l nI I n l rn o th 0

Er@

#.16teelsor is alertedto rhc ,,crack-bick,,artehpr b), thea,lde rcci!., " th. r1d. rc.cn er and establisheshisncar foot ard

:1

Jil
The lin.b.ck.r tuhs and ittacks the thrcar. r,},sdc the oack nttcmpt.
 ll. Co|nll.taltnrbmllnC

Jrnrliv.rr (Wrllr.l|'r."rrl M.! .|i l(t ,,1, :, wrtl' j ,,.r\ ,.r ltrt,r, , r.), N,jrl,,
Johnson(Virginia lich, I{) y(.rfs in rlr(,Nt I .rrrLt/\ t,,,,),.Ir(t I),11
nis Stallings(lllinois captairl, I997 drdfr choi(.t,t llr(,()ilfrs) w(,fr, Drna Howard, a na-
probably the finest alley pursuers I have coached. Each hacl lirrr
spee4 but more important, they were nimblc in the alley. They rrn-
derstood the concept ofstaying inside a fast-moving baliand rarely
lost their feet on cut or crack blocks-

Press
This type of pursuit often separatesthe confident linebackerfrom
the inexpedencedone and makesthe differencebetweensolid line-
backersand the elite ones.
A linebacker usesthis pursuit whenever he seesan opening to
,
the ball. Now he p/ssses. He crossesthe line of scrimmael to mike
r m i nu s- vrrddgeplay. lhis type of p e n e t ra t io niro m r re d d in g
linebackeris essentialfor big defensiveplays in the runnin!
game.
Traditionally,our sc.hemehas not stunted linebackersa lot, vet
we have oftenbeenleadersin minus-yardageplays overnearly two
decades.Howdo we accomplishthatiBy giving linebackersthe free-
dom on every play to pressopenings.
Althougi an offensivecoachdesignsa running play to attack a
tt, the
particular hole, the running back hai the freedom io deviate if an
r hoice
opening occurs elsewhere.The linebacker,s key directs him to a
certain ateaalso,but if he detectsan openingwe teachhim to press
il. Most lilely the nrnningback-ee. it too. and we want to greet
i
I)a t-l
Early in my career,I believedthat presserswere born. I thought
.
this reactionwas intuitive. Some like Eddie Booker (Universitv of
l)y
Ne\^ Hamp5hire).had iL.while oLhersdid nor. tddie earnedthe
nicknameBuzzsawbecauseof the way hepressedrunning backsin
opengapsaean All-YanJ.ee Conference linebacker.
Later,I found that playerscould leam to reactto open gaps,but it
took a dedicationto teachingit. In the past 20 years we have com- Deep
Pursuit
mitted to drilling linebackersto press.We teachit in our ABC d lls
I lrc structureof every de{ensemust define the deep pursuit angles
cdrly in practicernd alsoin uur techniquedrills.Werttempt lo tin-
tlr.rt will stop long touchdown runs and passes.A long touchdown
rshe\ er) snapwith a pre,s.Many coache.hare askedme over the
years,"How do you get your linebackersto stunt to the play so ac- t,l.rycan occur when the ball gets outsidethe linebackerso quickly
rlrnthe cannot make the tackle for a negligible gain. Each scheme
curately.' Rarelyare they stuntingjthevare readingand pre.sing
,liffeN in that regard,but the coachmust communicateand drill a
oPenseams.
,lcepangle of pursuit.
 ii. Connl.lr
I hrir|ltn0
ll tl l (,b,rlllt(.lsol|ts,(iillx. t,rr.t , . ,t (. , , ,t ri., , , , , . ,rt
.r n tl c.wny r()r)rLh(.lirr((Jlsrfi,rrrrg (,t ()v \ , . rr,
savea touchdown.Iie will oftcnuscthc sicl,tint,.rs
pin the ball. He must anticipatcthe cutbacknear the si.lelirican.l l,r.
under control.We useour teampursuit drill. describedat the cn(i ()l
this chapter,at leastevery week to reinlorcethis conceptt() our r,n.
tire defensiveunit.
Kevin Hardy, the 1996winner of the Butkus Award at Illinois,
was perhapsthe most completelinebackerI ever taught. His attcn-
hon to detail in deep pursuit was singular. He made more plavs
away ftom his initial alignment than any other outsitle linebackir
I've had. His deep-anglepursuit was extaordinary
BreakBefore
theBall
We \^ ill coverthe me(hanic\of pur"uit in Lhepa,singgamc sepa_
ratel) in chapterb, whichdealswiLhzunecoveraqeskills.
Beforethe ball rc thrown,however,wc erpecLour linebackers
Lo
be in hotpursuit.E venthoughthevma y b e o n lyl0 y a rd s d e e p wh e n
the ball is throm deepdownField.v.re erpect them io tu rn anj .print
until the whistle.
In the early 1980swhen I was at Virginia Tec[ our opponent com-
. r,,r y". itic pcoplehad not givenpursuiteffortor disciPline.
pleted a long pass for what appearedto be a sure touchdown. As
the receivernearedLhegoal line he mv-teriourl)droppedthe ball.
Because Mile John"onand two VirginidTechtedmmat;5kept chds_
ing, r e recorered it. Con\entionalwicdom \ ould a.k.,Wir our_
\ue lile thatl" Ihe an*wer is thrt it give. vou an opportunityto
maKeorgptays,
Pursuit (93Percent)
Grade
Coachesmustdemand the kind of effort that Mike Tohnsonmadein
thepassplay just descdbed.Bill Mccartney,the head coachat Colo-
radoin lqSJ..howedme thaLwecould notonlv demdndeffortbut
qudntiFvit.
The Colorado defensewas bad. The Buffaloeshad ranked lower
than 100th(out of a possible108)in the nation for three consecutive
seasonsbefore we arived. Our conJidenceand effort were dismal, but
we explained that effort had nothing to do with talent_Only a poor
aLtitude
couldleep us from bcinglhebestpursuitLeamin A merica.
i , (. j,r. , t . , . ,,j t , r. lr
, ,t1 . , rrrr
r. t r, , rtlrt , . ,, rir
r [th pl.rvrrt0
ltlroll. [t
r.,i,,l,l 1,, ll.,\,i II|.||\\, \\,,,|LIrII.r,|,,r,r\ |,| r\,'llI'rr srrrt ll
, r' tl', ,',,L, L,|I\\,,, Ir'||,!|L||,\ \!,,rrl,l rr\(r\(.r ('Al()f
, rr.' ,,, rl ll rrrr 1'.rrLr,l llr, l,lrFrrrl l.r(l'.d (lis.iPlirrcor if
ll, .|| r L,1,iL,l,,'irl!ru( lltlrlllrL rr,lrrsllt,thev vlo ]c] receivean
.,.,1.,r rltrinr'fl "
, ,',,',1,,r.i,, 1,,,1'Lrrsut.l(()rrrcil\' 27 tirrlesin 30 Plays would
"
, ,,,, .,,,11tr,r(l(()l rl0 f( rc('nt.We consideredthat unaccePt-
'l',
.r | , ,1\ | rii.r(l(.()l ().1f( rr(11tor bctter would set the winning
'
,. L r t ,ir trrrr'l',rLktrsIh.Prcmise is thata playerwho commits
! rt,,,,,(1,'l ( ll('f l rvill lilrt'lv havc an opportunit.vfor one bigPlay
t. , , , , Lf ;1 1 l n ( s.
L |,\,,, i lr rl I I hink ilristh()ugh.No ()llecanSuaranteeit,but it's
(r1o if you can hard ior 70 snaPs
',r'r \,,, ll $ l Lrigchance Play
'r' !t,L i\ ( rs lecl thcl' play hanl,but{cw measureuP to this stan-
| ," ll \ r,r Pl.rvboth $ays, it's imPossible. If you are activeon
| L , ,r l l \ ,i t i s v e r v d e m a n d i n g .
'l
1\' ,,1,1lhe ColoradoPlayerson this concept:I{ the de{ensive
,, ,,, ,,,rrrrit\ this kind of effort,the Potentialis therefor 11 bi8
rt,' , r' lr t.rrne.That'sPowe#ulstuff
\r l,( l)('gir1nit-rg of each weck we gathcredthe de{ensiveunit.
r,,, ,, r ,.r 'lured with the whole unit a linebacker'stechniquegrade,
r,Lir\\, , \posed everyone'sPursuit grade. They knew each week
They
, , ,,, $ that if a playcr eamed poor gradestwo gamesin a row
, , , ,,rlcl roenchhirn. The peer pressurebecamestrong and effec
"
r, , r ,, o|ado's ranking in total defenseclimbed to 81st 17th, and
ir, ,ri L llrt ) y 1 9 8 5 .
\ | ,r,r l.layersIeel they can pacethemselvesand gear uP for vital
.t \' ,, . lnri all snapsare vital. All are potential touchdowns.Those
, 1,r,c their ef{ort will miss many big-play chances
',,1, Lrcstplayers
must buy into this concePt.If you Permit an
| | Ll(nt to play whcn he is below your Pursuit standards,you
t,,,, rrochanceofhaving the teamsynergismthat canmake 11al'
, , , rlLrvsspecial.You cannotexPectthe team to meet your Pursurt
'1
| ,,,,Lrfds if you permit prima donnasto Play.Have the guts to sit
rrndisciplinedtalent on the bench or ask him to play fewer
",,
Ll \ . hnrd. The group dynamicscan be very Positive
L 1.,,fverything elsein {ootball,pursuit requiresPracticeDudng
r1,, 1'r'ing,g1zdspuvsuitin 7-on 7and9-on 7; then PerhaPsgradeit
,,, ' 'r[ tcanrperiod. Let them {eel the intensity and eflort neededa
lirrl,,rti time.As theygainin mentaltoughness and conditioning,
 oo. LcnPr.r. !|latra||n0 Porr{ll.tl

ll, , \ , r , , , 1 , r,.,,1 \ t,,r ., r,,

'\ I.,.,\ .i i r,,r,..i ,,. l t\ r,,, , , .t.,, r., t,.,,,,j , ,, ' rl , rj,l, tlj. .,,,,, ,,'rr, ,l rll 1,, l,'l,r \1,,(1,,\1,,rl lllrrr()rs.
it \ ill L .i .' ,rrr tl ,, ,,rl \ h .r\ l t,l ,t.i r t l! l, | ,j 'rr tlr, 1,1,r, r ,,., jj, . \, | ,rj,(l $( jt i llrrrg.r l(nrglr
t he y ta rs s i n c e w c i n s ti tu te d thi s
. ln P U rsui l l !)tr(\, tti l l | ,, kt,l r.,,, r,,, Il',r, l,r.r,l, r,n, r1r, ,rrI , r, I ' t r i | | | i, ( I||1|tlrr(r'linx's Lrccnusc
J r hic v pd l h e .h i B h e rr rd rc e f
i .u r-L rj l N r.rLl c.fi j nA l ) U i j t s.r\ rxi l .Ir ,r, ,r rl,,r,,lr,lirll'rllr'rllrllr,,ll{'rl lirrr.rll}',(\.lsPel.licd,leiected
,\rL
P r r y c r. H e l e l te rc d tU u r re a r- rnd rtarl cJ un the l qurr ftrs l ,, rt,, I l'\, , tr,,rr llr, r!,1,r)r l.r(rlil\' lrrrrncJiaLcly, thc plavers'reac-
coch a mpion-hip
-qudd thal \^ ,'n t h e Ciiru - B r, $ l E r. ry , , , u . r, : , , , p 1
n i.,e dlhdt B rllhdd.lirrutcd
rr..,,r, ,|:rr,.IIr,r,Irrr,r,I,,rlrrirrt. lht yotrng player rv;rsJcffGeorge,
dbilig, b u l h rr t e a ms a rr h il p " * , , , , , t , , ',,, t,,,r,r1',,, 1..rr'lrolwolrrrrs l.rterlvns the first Player taken in
.':,1dr) in his pursuirefr, ' rt .He ma d ee v e rv , , n cp t . , ) . , r
l r l ") ,l rl,, ,l' rf l,ii ,rr,l l.rlrv.rvs h.r.l .r troat rclationship aftcr that, and
nrSner tevet. ,r,. | , ,, | ,,, \. lr.',i n,,1'nrr'.rJ,'nn.r.
'r,
" r,'t' IL,, (nrs ns sh()[,n in figure,l.9 with a ready line, a posi-
andpursuit
Base |l,,,,1,,,, rrr,| ,r lirrishlinc. I'ut thrce playerson the ready line to start
rt,, r, ll r )r rlri .r)nrn1.rnd"rc.rdy," in unison they rapidly move
A(orrecl, bd5e(de5cribcel early in thrptcr 3t i- vitJl not unl) t,,r rhi, rl- i, ! r 1t,'|li ir, slolv in starting, they rePeatthe drill. On "Posi
hrl rnd rhed but dl\r, forerticient pur_uiL. '
i,,,, rl',\ \l'r irrt five yi rclsto the Positionline. AgairL if one is late
Whcn thc Iinebacler Lrkeson a bl,,rkpr $ith the ritshl tour li r'irr'rti,r \l(iw,in noving, they rcpeatthe dritl immediately.Thc
. anrl
shoulder il i".impte for him to uppn hir hip- and pu.ir ofr the r,,,,,,,,1 Llirnsity are likepregamc.
in-
clcejoot ro d b.r crrricr f.ee figure 4.7a_dl.
.rt tlr(' Position line we tell them which drill to perforrn and
Whcn,r lineb.lckermeels I blocker with dn,,ppo-ite_f,,ot_and_ ', ',
t" 1r,r ,,, tlrc r'ommand "go." For the linebackers,in the spring or
"houlder,b,r:e,.dp-(ribedin chdprer J, thc bto(l;; turnr rhe tine_ rrll | ,,1,. thc drill commands would usually be "shuffle" or "al-
or(rc,r. Iie detender cJnnot pursue effectivelybcc.rusehc r,, I tlr(,winter we usc the drill for Playersat all Positionsand
cururot
open hi5,hip. toshuffle or dllev.He i. oflen ior;ed to \pin ,,ut ,, , , ,, L\ v,rfinti{)ns (for example, grass drill seat rolls, bear crawls,
ot the
block lo beFin hir purruit r+e figure 4.8.rd
).
t , , rlr, slrufflc drill the three linebackers on "8o" wave back and
Pursuit
llrills r',,rlr . Ltlr thc coaches' hand directions. All must slide their feet
"',\ 1,,\\. ,nd change direction quickly. On the command "Press"
Here is a sampling of drills that addressthe mechanicsof shuffle, rl,, r 1'rrrt upfield to the finish line. We do the sarne with "alley,"
alley,press,and deep pursuits. We have used thesebasedrills suc_ 1,,,r | | ' | | rrs nany groups back because players tend to anticiPate a
rcs-fullvtor many vedr:.A\ you understmdlhecuntepnand your ,l, ,,,ll,. lr direction instead of going full-bore and having to striP
needs,\ ou wilJprobdblywdnl to dc.ign vr ridLionr.
r, 'i 1,,( hnngedircction.
f nly",,.y:" dSitirydrils ro opcn piacrice.t4e alwals,r them \ I rli,, linish Iine another coach or a Sraduate assistant checks the
Pur-urld nll: \1,Lhrtour IincbaCker. know thal we areaddres.inga 1,,r, ,, Lr\ ()f the press. He can also regularly yell "break down" be
tundamental,notjust warming up. r,,, rl,, l)lnvers reach the finish line. Now all the athletes take a
I',, ,l ,lr)wn position with feet moving rapidly in anticiPation of
Conellrills r, tlr.r " press" command and the final spdnt to the finish line.
',
T owe this set of drills to Bill Dooley,for whom I worked for
five
yea$ at Virginia Tech.CoachDoolcy had pat Watsonand me head lor 0tills
up lhe \^ inter c,,nLliti,'ning
program,rnJ Lhi.drill bec.rme lhe ten_ tl,, l',\ Llrill emphasizesthe shuffle,alley,and pressforms of pur-
tcrpiece. Tho+ vrho lacledcondiLioning c,,mmitmeni,r,r rliscioline ,rt l lr' r nique aspectof following a leaderpermits eachplayer to
lerred ii. fverything had to be don" eiactlr rixhr and with marr
,,,' l,rrnself on tapein contrastto his Peers.
mum efforL.lt produceda .trung peer-pre.iure elementbecdu"eit I lr .r rgfi 6651 ef rny sareerI have set uP our linebackerPracticc
one guy screwedup the whoie unit repeatedthe ddll.
,,, , trn end zone on our grassfields. Usually I have filled an
',,rrr
 I

,,,tLrnc f l l rr tl l f 1r( rl ('

ldi i'
";ri,

*si
rr .d$

r rr .. t , . , . , ,IL \ I L i I ! r L ,f. [L ir ]L \t l ,\ l a. t\j L [r,r , .ri l .i | I,r1,L r,i r Lt,ri LI nrrrLi .N i rr \ I 11.r:I
'
 44. Comll.l. I Inrirollm lu|r ull'l!

t ,, l ,,rri t ! 'r r l , r r , l, '\ \ , r t , lr lllr 'lr , r r r "r lr r t {r l llr r 'lr r l's t t t llt t t r g
r, ., 1 l ," l l 1, l, '. t ll, \ , 'r \ r ( ( r , r r . r I 'i, r v. r s r r r ( r sl 't r \ l llr ( hiPs l( ) w
B B B
.1,,,,,,, rl ' , . I ||r I t |, , , I I t I r r r , t o , r lI r ( {\ ' lilir t r t l l0) '
B B a
t -B---&- Readyti,r€
5 yds hg orllls
I +&
Coach
Position
lln. \ \ , , ' , , , . , r ' | , : , , 1 l ' . r 8 ( l r r l l sl ( , i n c r o . r sPce r i p h e r avl i s i o nw h i l e f o -
1 .' r,r11 ,,l tlr, l',rll lhis is .r populardrill that is key for moving in
,,,,'. l,,l ,rir\ Wi linc l()Lrrl() five standardagilitybagsofvadous
15 y ds .,-, r,,.rrl||l,rl(,l.rll( n b()(lie s that we must work throughto Press
rl ,, l ,
'll
20 yds ',,, r' rll! w| striclclhroughthebagsto warm uP-Thenthe line-
1 , 1,, 1,,rlll(lhft)ughoneafteranother, placingtheirhandsdown
I ! Coach r, r' ' I llr, lrrgs. Wc do tht' same thing at a faster Paceand alley
-&- Finsh tin6
rl,"',,rilrW( work t()the left and riSht inboth movements
l\, trrrr'lrw,itha shufflewaveand an allcywave.On the waves,
Conedrill rl, , ' '.,,lr rrr.rkesthe players{ocuson the ball while he directsthem
end zone with boxes five yards on a side. End zones are an ideal
ddll spacebecausethey don't get much wear and tear
Many d lls can utilize that area,and the boxesstay freshbecause
there are so rnany of them. I beganusing {ollow the leaderback in
the mid-1s705 dt William anelV.rry.fJdie Am(,swar an engagin*
rthlele \r',,ho
L,ved to be Lreative|eddinqthi. drill. He c"uta
.u1 r hcrein theend uonebore. and go anvwherewilhin themwhile "rari
the other linebackersfollowed at five-yard intervals.
When moving laterdllythey useda shuffleor allcy.Coing tor-
ward lhel atcelerated to press.and gorngbaclward theymovedin
a backpedal.They used three of the rnajorpursuit formj with some
fun and freedom.
, | | ,, ( G 81 on shuifle wave through bags Bl finishcswith pressand a iom

r',,r, r,lf k) side.Now they must feelthe bagsand not look directly
,r rl".!r We finish eachwave with a Pressto a form tackle on an_
r1,, l'l.ryeror a Popsiclesled (seefigure 4.11).Playersperform the
'
' . , \ , , lf ills o n e a t a h m e .

Putsuit
Cross-Field
l rr I snw a form oI this drill while visiting with Jetry Sandusky
Fouow thc leade. using end zone s-yard squarcs rDrlr' Inte1970s.lts Purposeis to Permit linebackersto feel the
r !!. sonrtataUnaiaolln!
f or r oll'17

"' , . 1 ,1 |l ',.,1 ',',.,,,r.r,r\,.

|l r r.,r r .,,r.,r
r .,..r ,,.,1r
r ,.\ ..,,,,,, h.,, ,r,- 1 ,,, 1
',
1,., Lr ' l l,r ' i,.r', rrr,l tl,r'rr1'rr',lt"ll
l'r \ r r \ r ( l, lir , l t ( ,
uxdl\\ Inl-.rvl l,,\r,. n.tlr,.i.rl ,.\rr,ttl,,,r .. t,,,,,.,, t,,.t,i
W . ! . . , r r 1 , r , . r .1 ,,\\ r j |,\ rli lI ! r ( ir' l r l l L I( l I l) ( , r . r ll( r ' t 0. ' l, 'st
have the ball carrier cut bnck twice durrnt Lh(,tn)
],.rlrt (fil,, o,r( 1 iI Ir l l tr r , | | l)
versus a shuffle and once versus an allcy pursuit.
In resp{)r)s(,trl
cutback the linebackerusesa catch ani r;leasc tackle
s'oth.rt th
::.::T:l,j::lti::" lithoutmuch
interruprion.obviously,.r p11,r @
i\ u\ed on bolh cutbdcks i.ee frgure4 l2)
:l l " l "

catch andrelease catchandretease

Crossfield pursuii drill

This drill allows the coachto assessthe understancling

_ eachline- /
for lhe pur.uit (on(eprr.Doe, he give ,h;J;";;, 5 vds /
:dcler,ia. ;- '-JQ /-
tl1eentums'.itdnd lhe ball (.rrrier\^hen allevingl
Do his hips .ink \ / Press
when he shuffles? ol
.^The
ball carripralLernarely iogsand rprints,but for no lecsthan 82 'ilY
Atrey
rinebackehhadow,
rhebailcarrierhoping
;;l,;i:";j;l :jii"..l"

BasePush-otl Jl gle-Jangle
t\, lr.rrr'usedthis diagnoshctestfor decades,and it is now a staPle
A correctbr"e is key t,, both trkint on r blocker,tnJ initiatinr
Dur_ ,,,rllrl , valuations. Althoughwe timeit frequentlyduingthe yeat
surr.lhr\ dritl combrncsthe t$u ro lhrt the linebacker and no tim-
crn ciperi_ ,.,,1 .i' Lrscit asan alleypursuitddll with comPetition
cncethedcceleration trom.a properbase.He .r,t ,ir,, that is vital to
i;;; r,,r: llr, d rill teachesthe efficient change o f direction
specdol tie bdll(arrier wrth thedppropridlercdction(.huflle
"dr.ior,rllev)
1,,! l',r(kcr play.
>:r u,pr,Dlo:rer thelrnebn(lerdt thc appropridtedepthior
,L 9ver \\i .rlitlr lwo linebackersfaceto face,straddling a S-yardline on
tne trncDactcrs techniquc. fut the balj(drrierrn clo.epror,imitv.o rl,, lrr,lll.On the command "go" they take off on a 20-yardrun with
 !t. Con!lat.tln.bmlli! ?lr|ull'll

lw,,,lr. rAi* ,,t ,l ,\ri.,r trt

I rrI I | , . I u. . r . r r,, .r , , , r .t I ,.\ t\,,tr,l t l ,, , , r r, l rrr rl i l,,ll rrrI t lt r!( l('rrr "lr'rtr'11rr 'rllv l'l'r' trl ' rrtr lrLs
lh,.m l,, rh lhi. l"x- \^,tlr ^r
llr,.rx.,,r,*tr.{,t (nr.trl,,r,, I | .J. Ilr(.rl . ,1"'1, ll! I )rr',.t,rrr(l5,ri llr( llrrllrrktrrtv'rlrr'rt.th((llort('l
'irrll
performer in this drill is oftcn a producrrvepuycr. r1,,, ,\l,,,rIr"l ,I , I t | | I I ( I I I ( i I I I i sI I I I I( (||iII ( )rrt sl'rrrilsbehintt thc
' '
1,,(\ rlrr,rr.llrIlrtlcrrtl .rr\i thc rot'rtk)nnnglesaEiarnst
-, ',,,1.,,\
rt,,,,,ri 1 .,(ll,l llN l!v,, ('lh rs is st.rti(tredon a sidelineto evaluate
,,',l.r 1.,,lt llr( l(! nl P()inLofnny Pcrimcterruns The delense
-ti,,r
,i,', I t,r(l llr'rlr (nr llr()soo tsidc runs, and the coachesvary their
,1,I rl' l!,rr l(l l{) l0 v.rrds(lownficld
1 r1'. rrrshtrscornt'h;rd butallowthequarterbackto
",,',,,. 11 must
r1,,,,' ri,, l,,rll. lltl' otlrt'r elcfendcrsclrop, and then all
t,,, ,1 ,' llr( l,.rll.WhentheballisintercePtedall11 spdnt to the
forth
., ,L lL r, ll rny()oe misses an assignment or doesn't put
i,,rt' rL,,'r.tl,, w holc unit gets another chance The Peer Pressure

,,', rl,. cruarterbackfakes a toss sweeP or oPtion to either

',,', defenseimmedi
-r t, 11,,rrrrrrtingbackonly gives direction The
rr,lr 1,,,,1.\ t() tl,ut si.leline-fu the coach and sPrints with corect
." . rl .'r'r'1,- tU him fhc L,rlche: evdlurlc decP PUrsurlclo<ely
111, ,'1' 1'; r- re'rih the c.,achthel huddlearor"rndhimrTiththetr
'1,
r., I r,,,l.llrrt rre Iiture,+. lo). lf dli lour coache\dPProveof their
a thumb:-r.rpsign Thev
Competitive jingle-jangte wfth lin backers facinq one mother , .,,'.'',i','i, f.f i.* id(h tive' the PlJyer'

TeamPurcuitllrill
After instituting the 93percentpursuit standardat Coloradoin
19g3,
we sought team drills that would reinforceour commitment to
be-
ingAmerica's finest pursuit unit.
fhi: rlrill hasevolvedover the vearsto bccomea slaplein our
practrce .essions. Weuseit everyweel during thesea.oniu ernoha_
5izethe di5ciplineJnd e ort $ e demdnd. {ltD
.Wespot the bdll on the l0-1ardline,on eitherharh mrrk or anv_
wherein the middleoi the iield.Theonly playerneedecl ,rnoHenle
Manager- or.oaches
ritiin ar tightena..un,,inl
I'i,,fllr5ib":k
back,and the two wide recetvcrs
The defensiveunithuddles and takesa signalftom the coordina-
tor.They breakthe huddle and must align pioperly againstthe
for-
matjonindicatedb) theman.rger,and coaches. li theiachcr nutice
any dtrgnmenterr,,rslhe plryersrepertthedrill.
The quarterbackthen simulatestile cadence.The offensecan
run
a clraw,a passof any type, or_aperimeter run. Usually the
offense
emphdst/es onerrrLwoplavsth.rt an opponentm ighl u\e, not d host
or rnem.I hc detenLtersre,pondto theplay d. il unfolds.
 10.Com0l.lr
I Inrb.clln0

Ghapter5
One way to vary the ddll is by scramblingthe quartcrtra,k lltl
team's reactionto a scramblermust be understood,nnd it is l()u,{lt
to reproducein a propcr setting.This is an idealopportunity l{r tr,.x,h
a conect responsethat can savevaluableyatdage.
Tackling
llouble-Whislle
Drill
Th i* is anothcrteam Jrill ne ad d e d ru c mp h J ri, , ec f t o rt (iL rf l l
game week \nrmally we wuuld hare LhJcp of tour term p,.ri,rti
on our heavy work days,Tuesdayand Wednesday.We would rh,n.
ignate one o{ them as a double-whistlepcdod. We usuallv chosr,n
tcJm period unenrumbcredb) . r I . , t o f c h e c k s ro . t h e ih in t r|ll rt,. I , t,l|r(l.rDcntal is the most impottant.rndenjoyabtething
wou ld be minimal. Plaverslovc io knockrunnersto the Sround-
,t.,r,, L,',,r\!ief('nse.
During double whistle, the coach in charse will blow on(r, rt.. r 't ,'. Nho playedlclishedthe thrill of contactAlthough il
when the brll <arrir-rr- rrl,ntcJb) the inrtr.rltatiler. fhe co.rchwill r,,l |, ,l l0 v(:drsago,I can still describetacklingCalvinHill in
not blow dle secondwhistle until every defensiveplayer has sur. rr,, ll(,wl nnd causingtwo fumblesto helPRutgersto an uPset
r ou n ded_the "'
ball t.rrrrerlI anv ot t h e lt L ] , , en- o t -p rin i t o t h ep il(. ,
the \ hole unit dopr.r .erir."ot grdssdrill\ immedidtely. The rir\t l, llr r1 is the de{ender'strademark All linebackers want to
unit takessix consecutivcsnapsoI double whistle, followed by thc r ,, 1 \\ , ll .l|rd generally are willing to work diligently to imProve
-e(ond unil ! irx. , r, , I ll
Double whistle focuseson intensity during the tough paft of .l , , , '|.1); Pursuit plays a vital role in tackling-lndividually, the
',
weck's schedule.Thepressureprovides a gooJ opportuiity for yoLr ,' ' ,,".irer gets more opportunities to tackle As a squad, the
'
to survey the unit's lcadership.Peerinteractionwill occurwhen th(, ,, , ,, ,r, p.,...,it .,ttits oftin sound like "raFa-tat-tat" beforc the
grassdrills becomenumerous. , l , L, ll one delender missesa tackle, others arrive to limit the
Pursuit becomesa habit. You must fosterit durine the weck for it
to be evidenl,'n gdmeday.Mrnl gre.rtpur:uit clri:l-dre dlro tdck- 11,, l.rurrchest clefensesalwayshavegoodpursuelsand intense
Ji ngd rill-. Wewill Iookdl rho-eat rh ce n d o t . h a p t e r5 . ,,1', I()cxcelat defense,a unit must valuethoseskillsand vow
r, ,, l. on thcm constantly.
'
' t, I .lt fcnsivecoacheshave similar views on this fundamental'
r trl,,',rrihcoaches usemany kinds oI Pursuitdrills and somedon t
,,,,, , | .t,inLllit-and shed concePts,most agrecon the main asPects
' '| | ', I lrrrr. We've stressedthesclinebackercoachingpoints'

andHatPlacement
Focus
1,,I lr'l( )recontacta Player'sfocusshould be on the jerseynumbers
arcasof
''r rl', l,.rll carrier Young linebackersoften concentlateon
l?.fonlhli I Ininiotlr0

th(i),rlvllr,,l(.,,r(l(\(rv(,1(,f(\,,r,t,1{.i1,i.1r..,,1.,,,,111,,
1,,1",\'vl'
evtr thc jcrscy rturnLrcrs to, s(, rvill ilrL l',rrrr,rrr r,.r
Many ycarsngo it r{,asstandardtr)tc.rclrpln_r( r\ l(, pLrtth( || lr(,
metsin thc ball carier's chest.Sinccthc Amcrican Iixrtball ( rrrrI
Associationexposedthe high risk o{ head and spinal cord inirrri
leading with the top ofthe helmethasbeenforbidden by gamt' nr
and coachingethics.
Never should a plaver use the toD of the head to initiate c(
tact. Not only is it a major health risk, it is also an unsound t.r(
ling technique becausethe defender's eyes must bc lookir1,l l(
ward the ground. Most coachesnow teach their players to kx
at the jersey numbers and, just before contact, slide the foreh('
to the ball.
This tacklinginstructionproducestwo benefits.Playerskeepth('it
eyesup so dley miss fewer tackles.Also, the {oreheadhits the softtl
football and can causea fumble.
ln 1992Illinois had a dramatic18-16victory overOhio Statewhcn
a younS runningback namedEddie George(laterthe 1995Heisman , ( Il(ln't chancethat his
wirmer) coughed up two goal-line fumbles createdby lllinois dc. 'r
{endersputtjng their hats on the ball. JeffArneson returned one 96
yards for an electrifyingIllini touchdown.

Base
Chris Cosh played linebackerfor me at Virginia Tech and gained
the nickname Crashfor his collisionson the field. He then coached
linebackersfor me at lllinois. He is one of the finest teachersI've
known. Ch s taught our up-Iront players to get shoeto shoewith
the ball carrier and chestto chestin confined areas.He alwavs wanted
linebackersto tackle trlo1lql runnerc,not fo them.
The linebacker'sbodv weisht should be in advanceof his base.If
his weight is directly over hi-sbasehe tackleswith the force of his
body weight only. If his weight is out in front of his base,he plays
much bigger.
A great example of this was an exceptionallinebacker named
Ashley Lee-In 1980,as a true freshman,Ashley ted Virginia Techin
tacklesand to a PeachBowl bid oopositeMiami. What was so un-
usual?Ashley weighed 182pound;. Byhis seniorseasonhe was 206
HiPsandClubAms
Explode
and was drafted in the seventhround. As a frosh,however,he had | ,,, , rl!( lackler setsthc base,he cxplodeshis hips and clubs his
to have his weight wetl in advanceof his baseto tackle200-pound .",,. rrorLndthe ball carrier' The physical tacklers use their hjPs
runnins backs. ,,,,| .,rrrs ilggressively.Dana Howard, the Big Ten'sall-timeleading
,l'Comnl.hlln.bftllnl holllno.ri

( .r ( ( r l .r ( kl( r ,t,rr,;sl,(\l 1,,,11

()l
t hc b fut| str cntth lrrsl,ips.rrrcl
(i,,|(rf l|r { , , , t t , , , ' ! l. rr, . r.lrr, rrr! rrf
tlx.i rt r, (| (, rlrr. . rrrrr.lrrr' , r, l' (rf
Fumbles
Recoveting
fourc(mseclrtivc ycnfshc krggecl ovrr l{)0t.r((l(s,rl lllirx)rs. 1.1,,, ,,rir.rll\ 1,.,,l'rr)t lLrrl,l, r(\(,v( r) $( ( nrPhnsirr thc fetal
Many effectivetacklcrslack great body control ;nd ovefw,ll lrrr. , ,r,,,', lr,'\\| 1|rlr1'(,rt,'JI
ing strengthbut havc a tremendousresolveto tacklc.Thr'y ni.1yrrrl
be classictacklers,but theba]l carriersgo down. This is where gr,rlr.
bing cloth becomesimportant. Many times l've witnessed .) lirxr
backer competitivelyholding on to a runner's jersey until help nF
rives. When a defendercollideswith a runner, he should grab tho
runner's Jersey.

Stripping
In the early 1980s,I visited the Denver Bronco'scamp in July to soe
Jim Ryarl whom I had coachedat William and Mary. I noticed thc
defensespending an inordinate amount of time practicing to dis.
lodge the ball during their tackling drills. After practice,I askedJim
about it, and he said Dan Reaveshad sold them on getting turn.
overs and they d lled it a lot.
That seasonthe Broncoscreateda lot of fumbles and had a big
tumover ratio in their favor Wasit by accident?I don't thinl so.
Sincedren we have fosteredstripping in this rnanner:
. The initial tackler securesthe runner's bodv
. The next defenderslook to strip the ball by punching it, raking
it fuombehind, or ripping it from the rib cageof the rtmner
. Most of our tacklingdrills includea seconddelenderwho works
to strip the ball.
. We show on tape players in position to strip and encouragethem
to do so.
SimeonRice,RookieoftheYear in the Bis Tenin 1992and Rookie
,,t theYearin theNFL rn lqqo,wa. the finesistripper
I h.rvecoached.
Althoughhe cau.etlman) tumbleswhile ru.6ing the passer,llli-
nois fanswill never forgetSimeon'sshipping the Michigan tailback
in Ann Arbor with 42 secondsleft in the same.That furnover led to
an electrifyrng24-21victorl-thc firsLh Arn Arbor h,r Illinoisin 27
! ,r, n)r i Lmblcr ecoveiy
' , 1,,,
ll,,. rs lhe conservativeapproachthat we want our Players to
| ,l , \\ lr(,|lp()ssessionis the major concem.The player Protectsthe
t,tl 1,, l)(:ingtakenin a pile of bodiesby wraPpingit with both
'rr
,,,,, . .rrr,lcoveringit with a leg. Taking the fetal PositionalsohelPs
t.,,',,,t rrriufies. ToomanyyounS;menlay on top ofa recovered ba)l
r,,,| , rlrosetheir ribs to punishmentor lay ontheirback and exPose
,1,, ,ll l()theiropponents.
\\ 1,,,r thc rules permit a de{enderto advancea fumble, big-play
1' r,, t r,rl .rbounds.Throughfumble drilts, we determinewhich Play-
,, a fumble. To Permit a slow defender
", \\'ill permit to advance
' ,r1,1,,{)rhands to attempt to scoop up a furnble is probably un-
tl',,. w,eatlow to advancefumblesmust learn tobend and scoop
,. ,r1,,'| 1 kicking the ball. The defendercan best do this by keePing
l,r r,. | (rff k) the side o{ the ball as he gathersit into his arms.
It.Lll\('curity alter a fumble is identical to ball security atter an
r,r, r, , l,tion, which we describein detail at the end of chapter6-
tC. Cor$l.li Ll b|.lli! l'ollln0'tl

I , , i \ Nl , , rr(r . r r \ , r ' r ' r " rt r r l r r r r r,l r , . rltr ' r l I l l r r r' (r \ ,i r r l r ( ) ( l ( ( ( 'tLhl e

ri, ll, iiri t ! r , , r l r ) r ' l ( ' , ' r r r \ l r t t r r r l ' ) r ) l ! V ( l ( | l i t l ( ' f t h e ( r n t i r c
= , 1 rrr' l. , rr, l l r ,,ur rl . r r r r r r1l 1 r , rl (l ) l . ' ( k l ( . r l n t 0 P c r c e nrt. r t eW e a l s o
i r t,l tr f,l(t 'll,r( i !,r (ls .rs,r sl.rlislir,thnl rcvcdledhow much yard-
ri,,.,'1'1u'rr,.rrr g.rirl{rlaltt r th(' first tacklermadecontactBoth
"r,, \, .,lrirll( \,rhr.rli(nrs (JIvour tcam'stacklingabiliry
,r'' r,
ll,, r' r'. I ljrl|lr(r wny k) Dlisstackles! No, this is not a tri& state-
x!' ',t /\l ,n,rrr l)('inlnll dcfenderswill misstacklesRunningbacks
ar, 11rrl, trxr. lhc wcll-traineddefenderknows wherehis defen-

li ., | 'l,r! ( r is thc widest defender,suci assomeoutsidelinebackers

,,r,, .rr,,r11s.rftt1,,he knows that his help is all inside. If he missesa
t.r Il, lr(,||)ust:lt lcasttum the Ptay inside to his buddies To allow
rlr I' rll itrrtsidc shows a rcal lack of discipline or understanding
, ,,1lrl,.ly givesup a long gainer
\\ rtlr rrrsitledefenders,the opPositeis true. They should forcethe
lrrll rr r,|r . When an inside linebackermissesa tackle,it's with inside
l,', r,r[,. I lc should never permit the runner to crosshis face to the
i',.r,l, l)fill thisdaily.

I Ashley Lee was the smallesl quickest lineba.ke! ever to play for me. He led a
PeachBowl team in tackles as a 182-pound fr€shmm. "LighhinS in a bottlc," he
was our 6rst ereathawk linebacker
Missed
Tackles
Keeping statistics will allow you to quantify the tackling proficiency
of your playersindividually, as a group, and as a defense.
A variety of measurementscanhelp you study missedtacklesand
reveal their frequency:
. You can simply list them on a grade sheet as, for example,3
MTs. That would surely be significant for one scrimmageor
game.
. You can develop a percentageby dividing the MTs by the num-
ber ofplays. Certainly 1MT in 73 snaps(.013)is more forgiving
than 1 MT in 15 plays (.067).
. You can createa different percentageby dividing the MTs by
the number o{ tackle oppoftunities. One MT for someonein-
volved in 12 tackles is radically diflerent ftom 1 MT for a line-
backerinvolved in 2 tackles.
Frequency
l!' t,r,r(licc tackting daily, yet 90 Percentof tackling is desire.We
l, r, lr llx l0 percent,but the rest comes{rom the heart and rePeti-
Ir,,r lisl|nllv, he who wants to tackle,tackles.
\\. ,1.,le* lrvetdcllinglhan I did earlyin my cdreet\ow d tack-
l',,'. .r'rll be for form only.without putiinB the runnerto lhe
'ndy
gr,,rrrr, I t xceptfor the final rePetition.WePut more attentionon form
t,r,t 1,. rrrgroup drills (lhat is,7-on-7,9-on-7,or team)where we can
, l,'u.l! nDoroximatereal sifuations.
tl , want our defenseto have an attrfudethat no one should ever
lr,rl'l( l() run through thern.Thus,in all grouP Periodswe demand
tlr,rttll. tlefensefroit up againstthe offensiveplayers.lt givesboth
ir,l,-. vnluablework that drills cannot easily simulate By way of
r .,r r llc. I've witnessed7-on-7drills where the defenderscould not
t,,,', lr'the receivers.What kind o{ messagedoesthat send?
( ll|f wide receiversknow they better securethe ball ajld prepare
t,, ||r,rkethe defensemiss.Our defendersalways stay high but seek
r,, lr(nrt up and strip. lryithout taking bodies to the grourd, we use
[r,,'l of the types of tackles seen on game day, which createsa
l,rlr.like feeling.
 18. Cor ll d l i I In n l rh o l h 0
Tackling
Drills
T h e d a v bcforethe tamc is thc on ly d a y llr. rI \ , e (l(, ' l l, l, I r t , r I
ling in our practices.Thc following drills prcprrc d('lonrl(,r\l,'r
tacklingby working on shuffleand alley pursuit, using thc srrh,
Iinc to pin runners,and practicingspecial-teams tacklesanil gd.rl
line swarming.
When your scheduleincludes opcn dates or your tcanr lr,n
postseasonpractices,defensiveplaycrs should tackle during c,,r'ry
plactice.Youcanrcducehitting but not tackling-It docsn't takelrng
to get rusty.
Gonfined
Tackling
llrill
This simple drill works on thrce distinct types of tacklesin c(nr.
fined areaswith the ball moving slowly and the linebackcr usin6
the shuffle in pursuit. Align the conesin a five-yard squarewith ,r
lincbacker facing thc running back slightly to the runncr's inside
(seefigure 5.2).
The first type of tackle is with the ball carrier running at a 45-
degree angle much as he might on a power play. The linebacker
shuffles and presses.Usually eachathlete will get tfuee or four hea\y-
hitting tackleswithout putting the ball carrierto the ground. On the
final repctition we would typically go live.
lrollln!' lc
11,,l,Ll ,.,,,r,r l,,,Lrl,lriI, l[U, l!,11,ltll rrrLlrlr]lrlr\slrrl'l\'l
,,1, t l.',,!i ,l ,,,,\ .Lrl,,,l !1,, ,lLr,r,, l,Lrllr( (1,\'5rr'll.rk( n(tr(,'
.,,,, rl,, ,,rrr.,llr:r,l,,rrl.,rrrr.,l., r0rrl,r(llVrllrllh l).rll(.rrficr'
ll, ,,,,|,1 l.,, ll,.Lri llrr {rr.s r: ll]t (trlt,n.k. lhcball carrier
,.,,, ,r rl, , .rrrr, l , ,l,'tr(\',|lrltl( l)ol .rrts b.rck ttr Lhelincbacker's
r, t,,1, lr,'rlrlr'r l lr, lrrr,lrrikt r rDtrstnoiovcrrun theballcarriel
Ir' r,',,, Lrr l(':l,r!()r tlt( b.ll cnrrier'sb.rcksidehip(seefig-
rr \ .tlt'l\'f.rn L)(included.
l', trrrId 1lin a colfined areais the short yardageor sPintackle.
r I I' r | .rrrier runs at a 45-degreeangle,but on contacthe spins
, i tr,'nr the linebacker(seefi8ure 5.4).The tackler must use a
. , r, l, r'r' and club his arms around the ball carrier'l{ the tackler's
r. , , r . f.r rrolv, the spinning ball car er will causethe linebackerto
I ' ' ' .,r,,1losethe chanceto thwart the firsFdown attemPt.The spin-
',, ir r( tion will also break the arm hold on the runner if the line-
t,, |,., (locsnot forcefully club hirn. Spinning is Prevalenton shorF
, , I rr]f downs, and linebackersmust be ready to counter with a
,. ,1,.l,,rscancla vicelikegrasp.
lye-0penel
llrll l).i)lcy head coach at Virginia Tech,required every Position
lt
' ', lr 0n defenseto open eachfull-padded practicewith this drill
,, ., llN way of emphasizingtackling.Besides being an excellcntway
 l! . Clnflalrl,lirl|.tlrl l.rtllil. al

Spin tackle

to work the front seven on the shuflle and press, the dill helps de.
velopunit pride.
Placeflat-bottombagsparallel to one anotherbut staggered.Use
four at each drill site to simulate holes for a runnins baaa to attack.
The linebacker aln aysalignsbehindthe ballcarrierlnd sLays on hia
backsidehip to prevenLany cutback.He shufilesbehind theball caF
er but presses as the ball carier declares his open gap. Tl-rebags
are staggeredto permit the linebacker to pressupfield (seefigure 5.5),
The ball ca! er can run through any of the gaps. Hard, irisp col.
lisions result, although the tackler doesn't take the ball canier io the
ground. AgairL you can add a stripper after the initial linebacker to
(L
maKescontact. l^
l r=
AlleyTackling L'ez I..-,' es* e+
This is a physically exhausting drill that stressesoption responsi-
bilities wrthin d scheme.The dri ll caninvolve two to f;ur linebdclrerg
but requ;es only a small supply of quarterba(ksand running backs. Coach
Placetheball on a hashmark with a coneon theoppositehashto
represent thedefenderwith pit(h (contain)respon.ibiiityversusthe | )lr , L,Is backto testbacksideleverage.
opLion.Pldceanotherconeon fhe line ot scrimmaeeatihe sideline
nedrestthe ball {seefigure 5.bt. I ll( linebackers respond with proper pursuit mechanics, oPtion
The coach stands behind the linebackers and controls the offense rrrl'olrsibilities,ajld 93 percenteflort ln figure 5 6 the offenseruns
with a direction of the option and whom he wants with the ball. The th,r,ptionto the field, and the quarterbackcuts back The drill does
offense can execute the option to the field or into the boundary rr,'tcnd u-rtil all four linebackersreachthe Pile.
82. [onlliln Il .hrcllnU
l-irrit).rfkofIll slrr'1,1.,1. tlr'(1U,,rr,,1,,,,
1. rrr ,,rrr .,1,,rrrI wrllr
outside lovcr.rge.1J2.rr(llJ:lshulll ( $rll, ,,,,.,11(|r' r , , ,,r;r' ,rrrt I I'rr,rr
the quarterback.Whcn U2 sccurcsth( qll.rfl( rl),r(k, lJil slr(,rrl{l.rt
tempt to strip. B:t has backside levernge t() dcl('nd th(' |1'v.rs,
When the quarterbackpitchesout (seefigure5.7)ourorrtsiilLlrrrr'.
backer (81) can learn to fore the pitch properly and thcrr work orr
his alley pursuit. The same is true for the frontside insidc linct),r(kr.r
(B2), who now leaves his shuffle to alley. 83 shuffles until thc pit( h,
whereupon he mustnot only move faster,as 82 docs in the allc)t liut
also determine his deeper angle. 84 must leavc his leverage pursllll
1or deep pursuit.
Coach
Pitch io th. wid. side fd.es allev and deeppursuit.
Thecontrolo{ this drillby the coachcanbe exceptional.Il81 makes
the tackleon the pitch and the coachwants to emphasizedeep pur-
suit he just tells 81 to "MT" (miss tacklc) so that the others must
adjust on the run.
I'layers hate this drill becauseit involves so much running.
Although the drill will condition your athletes,its real purpose
is to teach alley and deep-anglepursuit. The tackting can be live,
but it usually is not. Obviously, thc backs should run the option
both ways, andboth backs should carry the ball- After four snaps,
a new set of linebackersrcplacesthe original group. This is an
excellentdrill to get on tape for tackling, pursuit, and option dis-
cipline.
hollln0'll
lldullneTackling
, , , , r , , 1 , L rr I t , . r1, . , r . , r ' , 1 t , ' t t 0 r l l l r r ' .t l r r l l r r r o f tt l r . r r (r ' l l l i f l i n ( :
I . l, l\ r , , r i i l r , ! r r r , r l (r r t i ' r (l r ( k l ( : r x r r f l l r ( b ( ) u r r d n r y
\ \ , \ r. , rl l l r ' r r l , , l ) r r l l r ( r r r r r t k ft t i l l r t s i c l c l i n cb y g c t t i n gt h e i r
r, , , L , , r. , . i l r , l ( w ( , r l ) \ ' s i r r r fl y f L r t t i r rtgh e i rh c l m e t so n t h eb a l l ,
rl, , r, rI rl r. ,r r r r r r r ' r r . r l 1 \ 'f.v, rifr r t h e i fo t l t s i d en r m .W ew a n t e a c ho f
,., l, l, ri,l,r:1,)lr,r\'(rrroslofhis Lrocly bctweentheball carrierand
rl, , , , , . , 1lI r( , r r ( )llt ' s ln r rr r m .
\\, 1,,,,,ir.r'llris(lrillin slow motkn first with a pote-vaultpad
r, t1,, , rrr r,' ,r sidt lirre.Wc lrut the tacklersone stePfrom contact On
''',,,','.,,',fr",nl thcir coich, they slide their helmetsacrossthc
,,', ,, r , l,oLlv r() thc ball while uncoiling their hiPSand clubbin€l
tl', , ,' rfs as clcscribt'dearlicr in this chapter(seefisure 5 8a-d)'
I 1,,\ , ('rrtinue r{ith more seParationand force until they make
tr,' I , l.lrs into the pad-You can do this drill with only helmetsand
| ,r,.r.lre sure to include a cutback element to practice stayrng
,,,, 1,| , ()ntrol while aPProachingthe sidelinecollision At Illinois in
r,,,r l,r,li.rna had a 20li5leadwith 2:06leftin thegame.BillMallory
l, 1| lir.. (luarterback run a naked bootlegthat caughtus complctely
l,',,, r,rise.The quarterback secmedto be runrringout of bounds
,||.| ., 'rrniric,rntgdin when he cle(tedto cut bacl inlo the lrelLlof
il
r'l ,\ ' ,If JerenderChrisCreen,Pul hii hat on the ball PoPpe'l
,,,r, tlrc air, and our drop linebackerJulyon Brown caught it We
,,,.r,lr'tl to a touchdown with only :26 secondson the clock and
l, ,, i I I 20 upset win.
andln-Flontlllill
lnside
ll . lr.rsbecomea staple among our tackling drills becauseline-
t, ,, l., rs are so involvea in punt and kickoff coverage.We use this
'1,,1,\,ery week for our sPecial-teams Players.It reinforcestwo ba-
L I"rcePtsfor coveragelanes:
. l.i:epthe ball to your inside and
. !.r'epthe ball in ftont ofYou.
trli nlign two columnsof tacklersabout 20 yards from a ball car-
,,, , Iheiover guys spdnt to the runnet who waits until they come
,, r control ftreak down) with their inside feet uP and thcir bod-
',,l,
aa.Clnrhh tlr.lxtlil lffiFr

The sidelin€ tackle dril can begin just a few steps from contact. r{'lrii, club with arffi, grab jersev, and o eath lhe hips into the

Havebody not just an arm in front of the rur|ner.Thehelmetshould ll$ I'dd absorbsthe fall so enough rePetitions
can be Sotten
at the ball.
 tl. Conpld.Lln.tr!ltnt lrllllo0.lt

OncethetdcklcrsLrrcnk cl(,w,r,
tlx,rL'nrn.,
keepschangingdirection. I'hc boll crlrit,r'
flroultTccklln0
ther of the coveragelinebackers. lli lrr ,r, ' 1r'rr, r, r' rvrtlrtlrisrlrrll rv.rsw rt hirrgnrvtlcilrfrienclFisher
Meanwhile,the defenderssimply keep the ball carrier insrdc Itell,r rr r rrrr , 'rrr'lrkcrl ,rl llx'Airli'r.('Ae.rdcmy.I hc drill provides
in front.We tell them that it the ball carrieris ,even {headup) lhr'. ,,' l,'rrrt,r(klr rlt ( \ lx'fi(!rcfsthnrughindividualstationwork.
A:;rxrr,r ,,rr,1rto orch rlrill. Ihc clcfense dividesinto grouPsand
leaving." As the runner works back and fofth, the defendcis
ful{lt " tlri'r8lr tlx tl)(\'or l(}urstatir)nsevery few minutes.Station
finally front him up. The next two coverage guys then repc,rt
drill with a fresh ball carrier (seefigure 5.9). I nrtplrllr, llrl cyr-optlr('r,sLrtion2 the sidelinetackle,station3 the
4 line tackling (seefigure 5.10).
Frl'ir, l' 1.(LL , .rr(l stntion goal

E[@ (D ------...-
a \n
rIl/!
L-r -/
-*--) \
lLBs
I Eyeopener
,14 SlalionO
{
DBs
(l)
Sidelinelackle

Inside and in-front drill. As theball cdrier gets inro posirionA, rhe linebi
e$ should_bein position 1 with inside feer-up.As rhe runner moves to p I lr' ( (nlcepthereis to do threeor four speofic tackling drills with
t ion L lh e l i n e b d (l e A + o u l d re -p o n dr o posi i ron2. re€pi ngrhe runne nsi i l,,t oi rfpetition in 10minutes.The types of drills are endless.Tai-
lr,r tlr,rn kr ernphasizespecificdefensiveneeds.

After they break dow4 the linebacke$ use the shuffle, allev. lorl-[ineTackling
pressto maintainthe ball carrierto their inside.This is an imr I t ,l).rckersoften do not take the corect Positionin a goal-linede-
sive drill for young special-teamspa*icipants to witness_ lr'r|,r, lhe ball are that
is a foot from the goal line, and Percentages
al . Cmtld. Lln.lxllr!
thetnilbackis g()in8to 8('tlh( t,.rll . xl nttr'||rl,tt(], t|r| {rv(f tlx. I
of scrimmagek) Eet int() thc end ro (..
The linebackershave studied the scoutingn.port.)nd .rdiustby
a. getting tighter to the ball
b. running forward before the sndp
c. none of the above
The answer is c, none of the above, but linebackers usually cr(
the ball whena tdilbacLis going to sly towardtheend uone.W
linebackers crowd the line thev cannot press the batl. Defensive I
men often are knocked backward; if that happens the linebac
have no chance to gain momentum,
Linebackers should gain depth. They shoutd align at least
yards deep in this situation. On the snap they should press
tailback and then leap to meet him in the air with their
pads.The tailbackwill drop shaight to earth.
I(s a concept that your players need to experience in spring
and fall camp. Once a linebacker undeistands it he will have a
to stop the great ones on the goal line.
Dnl this by building a wall ofpads or a small high-jump pad
the goal line. As a tailback skies, two linebackers come fiom
depth, jump with their heads up, aIld meet the tailback with
shoulderpads (seefigure 5.11).
Goal-Lnesly taclting
lxll|i|.l,l
tnpo lrckllng
h'lt, nllt, ,rr {'ll.'rrsrvc t trrt lr irrllotltrurl()ur(i)lorncloslaffto this
dtlll ',l, v, l ("',,rrr, l.rt(f tlrl lrr'.tdco.rchnt Elst Carolina,was our
L ,r,,r,h .rt(irkrr.rclo. Wc wcreltrokingfor ateamPeriod
ln r,lrr}]1,,r,
ifirl '""irl,l lx rrp t({nPo k) gct thc Playersmoving and exrited --
t V , I . ' , ' [, t l r ' ' r r i r r , ' i r r i r r u hp l r i , ' d i n t o t h r e es e g m e n t sb,u t l w i l ]
{rr, rrl" lrr' t|' (i, l.ril t'nly th( final two minLrtesWe beganwilh
la rrrrrrrrr r r k,*' l r r r J i r r r l L r aml { r \ c m e n ld r i l l s { o r e v e r y o n eo n l h e
Ul|,r,1 n,l' 1,'nr,tlris l,lok ihe form of individualpunuit drills
lfF r' rr rlrr,. rrrrnutes wereunit drills Theoftensedid someform
Fl h nrr lrr('trp or specificplays versus the air. The delenserarl
,ru, r,,r",,t"",if the team Pursuit ddll explainedin chaPts 4
WIr,rr tlrc air lrorn blew for the final two minutes,the whole team
Fr',t,l llr t,tl(nsivellne rdn to designated sPotsatmidfield There
lrrh,nItlr',1 t.)cllin,l stations,all ruming thesdmetacklingd-rill w ith
hHl' r'rt,r'sity but with no one going to the ground (seefigure 5 12)'
'tt|| , lB
lH"t., Ir, kling. Defendelsshuffleand press
llx l'.rll carriersimmediately run with the ball Protectedin their
rnrtn(l( nrm to one 45-yardline or the other.They cannot cut back
l"rl tr y k) stay in bounds by Putting their near shoulder into the
l\ir',rnwhile,the defender shufflesand pressesas exPlainedear-
It|r rn the confined tackling drill. We want hearry contactbut no
Inl',rli,wns.This is alsoa strbng sidelinetackling exPe enceforde-
10. ComDl.l.
l"ln.t.olln0

'lempo hckling beconles.r

P()sitivoe\lrl.r, r((. l(rr l)t)llr rrnllr
thecoachesareemphaticibout its imporLrn.e. li'nrpo t.rcUi' rgl'r I Ghaptol6
a shot of adrenalineto practice.It alsogives the offenscantl rk'l
a time to work together,which may rarely occuron thc collcgf l(
Conductthis ddll ata raoid Dace.As soonas oneballcarrit.r
the next is up and running. This may be the running backs' lolr
two minutes in practice. The defenders get the benefit of many
Sldlls
IoneCouerage
ling experiences\a'ithquatity competition.
During the seasonwe did this drill onceper rveek againstei
the offense or the scout squad. In the spdng the first units nco
always faced each other.
An excellent defensive team must be strons tacklers. To reach t
goal, players must understand and regularly practice the
tackles. The tackling edge can be lost quickly, so emphasize it
every day. Develop a group attitude that will not permit an rrrr,r,ril,.kills are the fourth fundamentalof linebacking Athigher
nent to run throueh team membersl ,,t,,,i 1't.,y,this ABC becomesincreasinglyimPortant The col-
gl., , -p, n.l- mu.h moretime thdnhedid in hiShschoolPrac-
', universiwLedms throw effectively
i,,ji rl', rr,ir.lamentalbecause
tr ir,t rrrrt ommon for somelinebackers to play only on heary run
Jr,r'','. ',1'l.rcedby specratizedpass-downdefenderson long-
lir,lrri, .'lrr,rtron5.Atthe\FLlevel thepassinggamebecomeseven
i6,r, r"'1",rl.rnt.An a.Piring player learnsto.detendagdinstthe
fooF
[-r"' ;."'*. or hc wiil be; Pdrt-timecontributor'Toddy's
!6ll ,1,rrr,'rrJ'ercellencein this area.
llr',,rrlicr the defender knows that the offenseis Passing,the
dis-
f n,r, l l'\'tive he will be. At times, it is obvious by down and
ldr, ,. , ,r lormation tendencies Linebackersneed help when it is
lr'l !,,l(.rr. That is when keyscanbehelpful.
trrr, '. thc key tells a linebacker that the offense will Pass,it is
ht, r, .ru,nsibiiity to communicate this clearly to his teammates
lr, lr usr'hrl, a de{ender's key and his interPretation of it must
!r, r, lr,rl'lt].We do not Permit all players to be communicators of
a r||r l"rss key. Defenders must earn this status by consistently
lrr,rfrrrlithe correct signal. Usually we designateonly two ol three
rlrr,',,i"ricatorswho can yell "Pass"or its codedword This sig-
rril Nll ,,cti\ate the whole defense the droPs into zonesand
t|r, 1,,r* rush up front The run-Passkey can also change the de-
t,,r',rr, call if a designated Player recognizesit before the snaP'
Alt,,r tlrc snap the correct signal can eliminate the confusion o{
Flrf ,r.tronPasses.

s1
 lart Orlrilnll llllla . r

I'
02. Co|npl.h
lln.hlllnl

tl,, l,,ll r" rlrrrrurrrvlrrk ll" rltl(rkl' r r' ' r''^'irr* "v' r' lrr'
Retreat Ilhit
'l
f*,"',,,,,1'',r.',,1\,l ,t r\ llrrrrvrr rrr tlr"'lrlrlr"rr "r lri'llt'w llt'
rr, lrr. rrr\r(t,,rr rrrrrrtt'l him wh('n he is
A linebackerin zone coverageretreatsin one ol two populrr w ; ,,.'r 1,t.,il, ,tl' rl,r,,wrr 'rr
('trl\itit'
Either can be effective as long as the linebackerundcrshtntlr ir r tr'lt 1'" ,1 r, ln 'rl t llx
purDose and limitations of each.
What is the purpose of this retreat? Once we recognize pasi,
want depth, with vision on the quarterback, and we want k) trl
hr ptdal
the desiredcoverageangle.Let's examinethe two popular forml
retreatand how they comparein reachingthe goals of an effr
drop.
l1u,,l,rlrrrg,which createsan awkward movement with lessPo-
GrossoYer
With the oossover the linebacker opens his hips on a passkey at
prescribed angle and crosseshis inside leg over the outside leg at
gains depth. The athlete keeps his head on a swivel so he has a vl
of the passer and the receiving threats.
It was Darrick Brownlow, the three-time All-Biq Ten linebac
who said, "When I drop on pass, I keep my inside eye on the
terba& and my outside eye on the receiver" Few of us have
Pull-Up
kind of eye control but the thought is on target. We want to f i rvm o p i n i o nL h a t w h e n
I rr||r, rrr'r lr , , w a l i n e b a ( L e r r e t r e d t s , i t i s m
depth while obsen ing both the thrower and receiver. to throw, thelinebacker must
fu,pr,,rr,rl,.rcksk'pshisdroPand 5ets
The crossover allows the linebacker to run fast while seeins inllrrl' l','llingup meansto besquareto theoffensive line in d bent
necessdry zonecode<to interprethis path.ILal.o permitstheati h,rt,,,ltt. *rti,,n.iocusedon thequarterback and readyto breal on
to gain width easily by simply leading his outside foot at the iL1,, t ir'.li(dlionof the throw.This pull-up positiongivesthede-
angle (seefigure 6.1). Frul,' tl', rr,.essaryba-efor the three-wdybreal
The advantage of the crossover is that the defender can A| \,r,',\ ( mentin d crossover or backpedalreLreat af e/ thequdr-
quickly and maintain vision of the passing game. The disadvar brlrr I . 1. uD({,nshtutes d/i,+.A linebacker who is d riftingcannot
nr"l, .' r'l.rron d throw unlessthe quarterback throwsit in the di-
L, rr,u, .t hi. dtift. O.lft eliminates the three-way breal and thus
rlrr,,,.,.lr .rndpla\ er musteliminatedrift
l,f,,rr'6.2 two linebaclerswho relreatedon the lhreatof
'hows
tsic- lll 'quaredup when the quarterbackstoPPedto throw He
;rll r, .r,I lhc quarte;baclfor his thJee-way bredk 82 is slill moving
pl,,I tl', quailerbacksetsuP Because he is driftinB,he wi ll notbe
tl,l, r,, I're;k effectivelyon an inside or underneaththrow'
la rl|]it ever Dermis;ible?Yes!We teachthat there are three spe-
| t, trres whe; it's OK to drift:
. ( )r) third down and more than 15, we teach the linebackers
Ir' lr,'vc the huddle calling "drift" to remind the undercoverage
xotto |ull up with the quirterback. We crossover for depth, and
 el. Conpl.la
Llnaiftll||! ton.Cow|!.lllll..ll

Bl pulls up on QB

"a\

when the quarterback sets up, we square up and drift in

backpedal. We do this to force the quarterback to throw the bt
underneath us. But we never drift deeper than the first-do
malker,
r As a rule, we teach our inside linebackers to drift when they
a drag routecomingtowardthem.for mostteamsthe drag is l l ,r" | | {' II - d, r 8 underSt '\ - qudF- inPallem
1
of a high-lowroute,dnd we wdnt to detendthe deeperpa* ofil
route in our drop. Figure6.3 show, one oF footbail'sproducti
routes. The quarterback keys the linebacker (B1). If the li
jumps the drag, the quarterback throws over him to the wi
receiver's square-in. When the linebacker seesdrae, he should d
to force the shorter throw to the tight end, that ca; be defended
an outside linebacker(B2).
. The third drift situation occurs with less than 30 seconds
maining in one of the halves. When the opponent cannot score wi
d_completion of a shorter route,we tag theierm r/eepto Lhecovera
(for e\ample,cover 4 deep).This againdlertsthe underci
thdt when lhe quarterbacksets,theyare lo continueto bd(
getting under the intemediate routes. This forces the quarter
to throw too deep or to throw a dump-off to a short receiver
cannot advance the ball far enough in the time remainin
(seefigure 6.4).

BreakBefore
theBall
We use the phrase &/eak behte the ball to encourage our
in a pulled-up position to rcad the quarterback and break tow
the receiver bqfulethe ball is thrown. I I'r nl ( ( driftinS with 30 se.onds or less in the half
'lcrage
r Cl. Compl.h
Llr.i..th0

As linebnck('lrstu(ly (llnf t(.,.r( ks, it'i,lr,r,,rnti lr)w tlx.y (,rtl

afeelforthcdirectiono[theL:.rll.rnrltlrt'tirrrl|r]ti)ltlr( f('l(us('l)r.f(l
the ball leavesthe passer'shand. We call this tcol .{.itr,/.(ir,, /,,r1l
lllll. . Ct
tonaCouara!.

flo . Sometimesit comesfrom the quarterback'sload hanclor lrr

foot but usually it is from his eyes.
Linebackerswho can get an early indication can really ((
some ground.I have a classicfilm clip ofBarry Remington (C O
rado) pulled up in coveragealongside a companion linebacke
(DOO !OO (D
a player who could better him in the 4O-yarddash by a half r
ond. Remington broke before the ball was thrown and crosd 82
his buddy's zone to make the tackle. Ho\^'did he do it? He pull
up with a purpose, a focus, and an anticipation that he w
make a play.
Zone defendersshould seethe ball and rnake plays on it. Ml
lohnson{VirBiniaTech)had five inte.cephons in one.eason.A lir
backer carlt do that without a strong reheat a timely pull-up, a
abilitv to break before the throy/.
I r,1,,,1'rt' hookareasal€ usually 12yads de€p.
Drop-Back
Passes W, lt'scribethe hook as an area12yards deep from the tight end
kr the next segments, we will discuss zone coverage and how it
{Fl r,r ligure 6.5) or where the tight end would have aligned had
latesto fhe basicconceptsemployedby mosts(hemeswhen defet llrlrr, I'*'n one (82 in figure 6.5).
ing pocketpasses. A! llr(' linebackerretreatshe must seethe qua*erback and read
First, we will describe some fundamental inside linebacker hrr L,,yrcceiverThe key receiverin a.nH/C resPonsibilityis a tight
and then do the same with the outside playe$. $r,l rl thereis one,or the secondeligiblereceiverto a sPlit end side
lhr' lr,trrre 6.6).
Hookto Curl(H/G)
This ancient double-zone responsibility makes up the base of
linebacker coveraBe. When I began coaching in 1962 this vr'as
major rcsponsibility foi inside linebackerc in a three-deep zone.
decadeldter,overshiftedcoveragesbeganto Bive some relef to
inside linebacker in an attempt to reshict the width of his
Now some dubs are beginning to revive the three-deep
Hook-to-curl zone duties will probably have a major place in (DOO
backer play for years to come. NOO
When we give the linebacker hook to curl we ask him to
the hook when it is threatened and expand to the curl when no
occupies the hook. When we assign hook to curl (H / C) in any
coverage,we do not want a linebacker to run to an area and hold
hands in the air AJter recognizing pocket pass, the linebacker
gins to retreat toward the hook (seefigure 6.5). l\n | ,,iningkeyreceivers.Bl keys TE.82, a'ith no TE, keys#2.
 el . Co|h!1.1.
l.l||.lroltrg tlllh.ll
lor. Co|.rao.

When tlrt' kcy rc'et'iverl)l(x.ks,(nrI s( ( nrtrrlt |r,l,or.lwill (l.ti,r,||ll

.
how we responrl.Cenerally,if hc sits, wc sit. lr.rnticipltion ||l
delay or screer;the linebackershould slide to the middle r)f lh(,
mation (seefigure 6.7).

Il
OOO
+,
tr OO

il r', I lr ' ,i.l.nding verticalroutesin the hook area

B ? \ lide . ro l h e md d l e w h e n h ,. te y F (e,verbto.t.

Agdinstteamsthatdo not run delaysin thi5fashion.we will

82 erpand immediatelyLothe curl when the key re(eiverbl
Each_weekwe study this reaction for the best response.
When the key receiver releasesveftically, we piotect the hook
keeping insid_e leverageon him. When Lhequari:erbacksetsup,
wdnt the linebaclerLokeephandson Lhereceiver, who is now
h in d fum.The key receiveimalb e o u t o f . ig h t b u t n e v e ro u ro f
(seefigure 6.8).
n1151ber, it i5 entirelyIeBalto collidewith receivers as long
.
the ball has not been thrown and the re(eiver r\ in front of the lil
backer.ln 30 1ears,| (an rememberonly one penaltvtor hifline
receiverdLthe samedepth as the defender.Choppinga .eceivei
unsound and illesal.
When the key receiver streaks down the field, the lineba
should widen to bump him and slow his progress to the deep z
Becausethe key receiver does not slow down to make a cut reali
that he mayle trying to run the linebacker deep and bring a wi
receiver shallow underneath. This has become a popular route
the lqc0s.Trainthe linebackerto snedl a peekat Ge wide receir
when the key receiver tries to clear out veitically (seefigure 6.9). shallow WR pattem
ll. |l ||i, ts the stEak. E1 ecognizes cL& toute and breaks up on
7 t00.CorrldaUnrialllnl l.n. C!||r||.lllll..l0l

Whenthe kcy rcceivr,rs swit)t (n.r(.[\tsr. rt(,tlx, ll.rt(r){rnvcrl

routes),the linebackershouldnt)t wittt,rrwrth rlrt,rrr. Althorrgh
re(eiversdire.t the linebacker'.drrrp,lhi: is rrotrnrn-trrr:r.rrieo
age.The delendershouldgain depih and widrh whitc h.,L,jlti
thecurlof lheoutsrde receiier.
AlwaysLeeprf,",".*ir.,,,rrri.il f
linebacler-sdrop.lf thequdrterbdcl isgoingto thnrw,fnrcehim
throw the longei pattem -outsidethe liribacie.
1""" fig,r.e 6.tiij.

olo

OON
T
ddlts on
I| |.| .,IrI' k, thc cu onthe TE'snonverticaland€als "dra8" to BZ who

hok to Fotce(H/F)
At |r Tech in 1978,our defensivestaff began to expedment
81 responds ro TE's flar brte, while 82 rea€tsidentically to #2,s swinS pattem. 'rnia
*ttlr lincbackerplay toward an overchifted coveraSe.Bill Dooley
[,, ,' I tlrc coveraee."steve Bemstein,an excellentsecondarycoach,
RemembeD once the curl receiver is in position #1 (figure 6.1 Jr,l | , ,xrrdinatedthe play of his alley/ curl free safetyarrdmy eagle
s-e:,st\ Iinell:ker approaching to take away that paiing lan ltrxl,,r kcr.
ind
he.will beginto stideinsidero posiion *2. Thelinebacieimr?si llr, .rclvantaqes for a linebackerwere exciting. Becausethe de-
thi1T9y"-."t dnd_counter by openirghishipsin<ide h,rri Irt. backsh;d flat and curl, the linebackerhad a rcshicteddrop'
1"1]:1"
shuffling with him. This is the linebacieis moit difficult rone l l,, rn,r,r'rhad to expard to the curl This suited lessathleticor inex-
lengebe.au.eit pitshim against j n space.
a \ ide recejver |,'r r, rr,ctl linebackers.Becausethey didr/t need to sPrint to a wide
Whenthe Levrecerver releases on a d ragpattern(seefigure6.ll l,rr,,. thev could reallv sit on draws, whereasan H/C linebacker
,
lheltnebacker5hould yeu ,,drag',or ,,crossing,,to the oppositelinr
h,r,lt,, mike a quick decisionand then get on his horseto defend a
backer He should heat this as i nonvertical lnd acceleratetow
the curl. When a drag comesto a linebacker, he should drift once
lrrstntially, the hook-to-forcelinebackerhas to defend a s-yard-
qudrterbacl tets up. anticipating LhehighJow concept descri
hv LI yard box from the aliSnment of a tight end to the center of the
earlierin figure o.3.
il|nr.rtion (seefigure 6.12).
r 102.CorFl.l.l.ln.i..lln!
OO
FS
B I ha. H , I a n d i s rF .p o tu ,b l eto r h i " c yard . l 2 yard bo.
After the linebacker recognizes pocket pass,he begins to read
tight end to his side.Against a twins formation (seefigure 6.13)
linebacker would key #3. Regardlessof the read, the linebacker
has curl when he has a hook-to-force duty.
O rhrll,,rr routesby wide receiverc,and draws. Knowing down and
B1's key Meive. is #3 when hook to force versus twins.
tlmCorrn$ lllllr.lot
lrlt,rr llr,k.v rrr|rvcr rr'lrr.*r'r'rtrt,rlly,tlr,,|(l(rrrleIsll([tltlkt'r'p
trral,l,1,,\',r,'lp in, l,rrrr llr, lrrr,trrr lL r , rrrsli(l( rrrsi(l{'nllthc wny
lrllr rlr,lrlL Il IIrr'Irrl1rr.'I11'IrIl( (.rrrst{)Ptlr('lithtcnclcent{rrroute
f1 ,,,IL,I, r r,1Iirrsirl, wirlrit (s(('liturt'614)
inf t onlof t heTE
l l l x,l r,' r,,n e8l m ust def endhisboxandst ayinsideand
tllx |l the key receivetruns a nonverticalroute as in fiSure 6.1?
{||' lrrl',rcker gets no wider than the frontsidehook
lv, ,lcvcloped a short-droP concePt later at Colorado in the
rar lt | ')sos.Now againstcertain formations,we tell our restricted
rlr, , tt ' r 1, , a e t n o d e p t h a t d l lv e r s u s d r o P - b a c k P a sHs e d e f e n d s
t l, , |, ' " r, lt" o t h i s O o i a n d j u m p r a n y t h r e a tP a s s i n gt h r o u g ht h e
!,'.
llr" i.leabecomesan eflectivetool with delays,middle screens,
{tnt,rrr,i is also iritical. Even a short droPPer would gain dePth
|ltr ll'| r(l and more than 10, and he would drift on third and more
lh , rrrl' ; .
llrt
I lx, Ii IrnI undemeath zone that we will consider is commonly called
tlx ll,,l drea.Usually,linebackers are responsible for mostof the
Hrhl'.r'x.dth zones(that is, zonesin which receivers run shorter
i l rt(,s). Figure6.15illustratesfor our linebackers the relationshiPof
$rq, zonei to each other and to the football field
 l0l. ConllcriI h|nic nU
L llat-L cu L hook-B hook-R cl]rFR Jtal
:
Undemeath zoncs with rcmote arcN shaded
Defenderscanbestcover thc six zonesin figure 6.15if they g(rll(l
the centerof their zonesand break on thc indication of the quirtt.r.
back, as outlined in the earlier discussionofhook-and-curl respol.
\ibrlitieJ.
The flat areasdiffer in that the shadedpoltions are farthestfrum
lhe pd.5cr Bothtime dnd lhe 5idelinprrd thc fldt dptenderin th(,\o
remoteareas.The ball must be in the air a long time and the pass(t
mu5tthrow dc(urdtel)tor it to reachthe flaLin bound..
As a baseconcept,our outside linebackerwith flat duty knowa
thdt he neednol entprthe remotearer until the lhruw i. i;dicnh,d
by the quarterback.The flat delender need not be closer than six
yards to the sidelineon a pocketpass.
When the linebacker'skey tells him drop-backpassand the ball
is in the middle of the field, he should turn at a 4s-dcgreeangle kl
his outside,run to a point 12yards deep and 2 yards inside the wjd.
estreceiver,and pull up with the quarterback'sset (seefigure 6.16),
83neverwants tobe closerthan sixyards fromthcboundary and
always maintains inside leverageon the wide rcceiverto force tho
lonser throw.
TnFigure6-16,anotheroutsidelinebackerconceptisapparent.83
hangsin the curl even though it is not his zone, to bideiirne Ior 82
,o .i fi N .r i 0 i illlh. 100
r)
' i ,r(-) x
::a B3
:a
,, I',' rL.rtdrop with ball in middle of the 6eld.
i . ,,,,t , rlrelongertrip to the curl. When #2 crosses B3'sface.83
' , 1',,..,n(llcavcs82tocoverthccurlalone.Thisis abasicthought
,1,,r l1il,ri defendcrsmust recognize.As flat defendersgain exPcd-
, ' rl,, r [.rrn how long they canhold the curl. With long-yardage
-,r,' rL,,rs,Iet the #2 receivergain width ifhe carmotmake the first
r,,, \1t.rinst oneBig Tenopponent,we declinedto defendtheflat
., ,,,, | ,r la)opound fullbackwho averagedone catchinfour games.
, ,' , , r.,r(lelinebackercsqueezedthe curl, forcing thc quarterback
, ,l ,,,\\ lo him. He droppedthe pass.
, ,1.rrlelinebackersalso Ircquently 8et two receiversin their flat
,, lV( imtruct them to get to the deePestPart o{ the zone and
r, , , , , r lh c s h o r t e r r o u t e( s e c { i g u r e 6 . 1 7 ) .
,\\ lj3 rctreatsand either seesthe wide receivermnning an out
', t.,'ll up.rndbreaks to the wide receiverbe{orethe quarterback's
il,',,,' lrreithercasethe passerhasthesethoughts:
. 1 | lnclerthrow thc wide receiver,the linebackercan scoreon
r l tCrCePUOn.
. lt | ()verthrow in the remote area,the recciver may catch the
l, ,ll out ofbounds.
. NIvsafethrow is to the shorter#2 rccetver
r
l!..Cxn ahUirl.*t4 lonl clvttlla alllla.lot

1
I
1
I
A
!
A
=

83 defends the deepest part of his flar zone with rwo receiveF in it ro for(.

need I'idth when so closeto

lr l, I rt\tals with the batl on the hash He doesn't
ll'r .l1.rl,\l remoie area.
The defender must keep his eyesglued on the quarterbackr
react to his throw. Force the shoder toss and then make the
ceiver pay the pdce on contact. Remember,there is a reason
Passes
Action
flat defender is called an ortsidelinebacker:All his help is on A,tr,'r I rr-ses(omprised variedgrouPof Passes Lhatmovethequar-
inside. He must tackle with his helmet on the outside elee of l, rl'.,,L lr,,m the PocketSPrints,rollouts,Pldy actions with width'
IecetveL Inu'rl,;'. and 50on aredll partoi thisSrouPlng'
When the ball is on the hash mark in high school and college tr lr,.rradelressing thesetasses,we attemPtto grveour linebackers
ball, the outside linebacker into the boundary enioys a narowlt ,,u,.,.t,.ntand ea"i-to-foliowrules Ba'ically,the-zonerulesdefine
and one for actionpasses-
to defend. Now when he recognizesthe pocket pass,little or no lrirrl\v()reactions---onefor pocketpasses
is necessary due to the proximity of the widest receiver. tr',t ()|l( for every diflerent Passtype.
Iinebacke.rsoften use the ba&pedal exclusively here so they
gef into the remotearea(seetigureb.l8). Zone
lhree-lleep
_
The initial depth of all our zone undercoverage depends on lr lrlirrre6.19,the Passergainswidth to throy W'ith: tpli* lT:
drop of the quarterback. ol:r a sho* three-step drop, we pull q) and flow to
movein concert
ii','i'.,n t, fierr" o.t th; linebaLkers
quickly and immediately break for the nearestoutside receivar. i|. ,,',t r.ontiiaehook,and
and backside
backside hook.
hooL fhe) give
They uP the rcmote
giveuPtheremote
the popularJive-step drop, we expect our undercoverage to get lrr LsiJeflat. The linebackingcorps does not read key rcceiversas
to 12yards deep.On the classicseven-stepdrop, all the linebaikr lh, r ,lr.l \ersus poclet passet.Now the Passing field is reducedbe-
shouldhaveercellenL depth.Obviously, ihe routedepth is tied , ur,.,,,f quarterLack's movement.Thecorpskey' only Lhequdrter-
the depth of the quarterbick's drop. the ball
lrr,l. Whenhe setsup, they squareLrPread) lo breakbefore
r loa.Conll.t.Llid.dlia
|nlffir
O OO NO O
c c
1t3
The LB corps must respond in conerr to ihe eB,s action path.
When the quarterba& sets up with less width in position 2
_
figure 6.19),the tinebackerswork for width, but a p;11up soo
iust ds the quarterbdckdoes.Now the zonesdre mor; bdla;ced. li
thosedefending pocketpdsses.
The coachmust rnake rules for contain of the quarterback when
ihreaters the comer ln a threeieep zone structure, we mstruci
linebacke$ to stay in coverageuntil the quarterback cosses the line
scrimmage.They will be tempted to void a zone to attack the quartr
back. When they do, a veteran quarterback will simply throw to
voided area.Be ready for this when playing a hear,y action-passte
Iwo-lleepZone
In figure 6.20 the typical two-deep zone adds a frontside curl
fender from the secondary Now the frontside linebacker (B1) has
hook-to-force restricted drop. Becausethe free safety takes awav tl
l.n. Co||'||rallllt.lO
| 1,, I lr r,trps rca.tion to acton p6s with a two-deP zone
r rr I rrr ligure 6.20and 82 will work to the oPpositehook with sprint
.r\ ,rr. ll I is free to forcethe quarterbackimmediately.
ll,r,k in the late 1970sthe spdnt-passaction was very PoPular,
lr, | , 'rrr H /F linebackersgot many Pressuresand sa&s forcing this
r' Ir,,rr'loday we rarely seethe quafterbackon the comel exceptfor
h,!n l, g. The reactionshould be the same,however,if the H/F line-
lrn,k,r hasa key to recognizethe boodegearly.
A Ix ,ther variation with two-deeP coverage concems the outside
lr".l|cket 83. 83 now has only a halves player inside him rather
tlr,rr .r thrce-deepcornerbehind him as we saw in figure 6.19.With
ri | || 'rr nway,he cannot collaPseas fal inside as he could with a three-
r[,r.t'zone.He must keePProximity on the sPlit receiverto his side
lrrrl lr.rvedepth for a potential throwback.
A, tkrn paises are eisy to resPond to if keys are accurate. Flowing
wllh the action is corect and also very ndfural. The undercoverage
ll!. ConhtaLlialta$il l.n. Corfl|0.lllll..lll

llnr 0dlls
t l t ' u r r r r lr o v c r ' . r gloi n e ( l r i l l si s k ) w o r k o n t h e m e -
lh r, 1 , rrr1 r" r' r n
t,r"r'r ,'l ll'r' lwr, t).rsi(l()r')rs()f linoLrnckcr retreats.
Alt[rr llrrrt l,l.ryclsl.rci,r8thc coachwith theirbacksto the side-
[|tr,,'l ,rlr,Ll. Ilr|y shouldspacethemselves 10yardsaPartand key
ll$' lr,rll tlr.rl tlro eo.rch is holding. When the coachpushesthe ball
hrw,r(l tll nr, nll llrrce leanforward and backpedaldown their lines
ilrr,,, uulr, lrttks cachfor bend in the ankles,knees,and hips.Weight
Cl'rrl,l I'r,krrwardand armsworking vigorously.
l{ lrr,rr thr.coachbrinss the ball to his shoulderlevel asif to t}row,
;ll tlrr,r, slrorrld pull up- If the coachpushesthe ball toward them
*lrtl,, rrrthis Lrroken-downpositiorLthey should drift or continueto
h*r I lrrl.rl rrntil the quarterback(coach)setsup. When the instruc-
hrr 11r,.s.rnindication to throw, the linebackersmust all break in
lh,'lrl,rralion(seeligure6.21).

r Dan McMillen was ou tust lanky, rush linebacker A tremendds coverage

on cpeodltem). he(ould run fait and do it aUSamelun8.A rclenttescpassru3
hi. -uce.. dlLerpdou ided, abour whal body rype we sought for rhe pos,hon.

must work in concelt so that no pickets are missing in the acti

pass fence.The entire defensemust understand contain responsi
ity agdinst a nrnning quarterback.

Zone
Goverage
llrills h{, rt\\lxl line drill
This section discussessome of the drills that we have used
improve our linebackers' zone coverage. We begin with a I his drill will provide repetitions at backPedal mechanics, force
that focuses on movement mechanics and end with drills lhr.linebacke$to focus on the quarterbackfor their pull ups, aIld
most linebackerslive for-ball drills that have them making
big play. I'r.l'.rre them to break on the desired indicator of the oPPonent's
rl||nfterback.
 __.,.r.-!rll!!'.rn

lon. C.r.r.!. llllla. ll!

):li,.lll,';'.,1,\,,',r., r.,,,r , r , , , , , , . , , r , , , , ! , , , r , , , ,
r lh lrrr,l,,rrkr.D rrrrrstsrr' llr,,1rr,rItert.rck.rntl, pcriph-
l"lli:,:;
rl,l I l"ilr,
l* i::iil;ir:irr'l
,*,.r,r.,.r,
ji r 1"',r,rr.,*

t:;rr;:,,i.',', I i:;,i*1fi
i!*^'ii='i
down the rine.I hiji..,
r".r,,r,.r!rr,,rr rrro
' 'I' "r" 'rrrol
Frt,'r' llr, v nrrst ,rls{,h( prlp,rfe(l k)
I lrt.,r lr r ll ,rrLln ssestl)()seissucs.
i t I l'\,, lI
chnngedirection

facingthe coachwith theirbacks

.i,,*;.,:,,
;,i.,;;i ".l,.trkr,fs.rre
ll".'t;d rllli iii'il:l.llil
",, l,,or .rltilitybagsspacedfive yardsapart.
13^.i'"1:l: L:i:i:l lhr,',,r

i,,.::",)"tTm,,"l;:ilr;[:;{liil
il*ii:ilj:1iif
il., ulr,-,"J
lTli:'i:l jil,i"llT;,r:l:lil;i
r.''iril,'*
rfrhearhrer,,(.rn sr,rv
:ln'il.,1::-.,f^11".
ping his hips,he ha. g-a '"'" i, r,.llrr'
rr !
{'rr rrrr'

XJil iil'llJl
ill)lli:i'J,
M :h"li,X'."+T:TL'.:: -".rr."i*.,,

.',,r l, ,lifuets them through this minefield by pointing the

lF|| '1r lltlrl. Ihe linebacke$ respond by crossingover at 45-
B-i0yd-B-rOVO_A , rrrlilr* rnd training their vision on the coach (quarterback)
|i.'rt'l', r.rllyseeingthe bags.
ll ,rrrr 1r'rrrt,the coach can set up to throw, so the two paftici-
| r,.tl( us on him. Once the defenderspull up, they areglued
'l '(
ll\ t,'tlr( quarterback{or their breakon the ball. The coachcan
rr tlr. I'.rll .rnd have the athletesspfint back to him with it.

il###ii{fi ;iB1"T$:::}1i
:ia{"x.$-Hl.:.ffi roundllrill
rrlt,|lt ()f this drill is to demonstratehow much ground a player
Bag45s 6rr lr r.r lrom a pulled-up position.
r
l'1,!,..r lincbackerin a souaredDositionas if he had retreatedand

i*T*t*TTl*;**:t"l:"'d*r***ff
i":d
;lr,r,lr, 1'ulledup with the quarterback.This drill should make ap-
q
Fcr,Ir llrrl Ihe quarterbrcl i5 setup 7lo vardsdeepand the line-
$ , l, r r' pul l e d u p l 0 t o 1 2) a r d sd o w n f i e l d .
l la'Comnl.l.Lln.irallno ton. Cov.fr0.llllh. lll

'[ hen plnc('thrt.('('c('iv('fs5 y.rrlli nw.ry{x r r'rllh,r5iLl1.'n(l rr In llrl , r,,1, ,'f, ,,ll rl! lrrr,lrr,lr,rr |\ork ,rl o",, rvril' ll't'U'1ilslind
of him. Havethequartcrbrcktlrrow t()( ol tlr| rr.ecivt.rs.I lrr.lirrr r1, 1,,l,rrr,l,,rr,,rrroilrr,rArrl rrrrst,rklil llx'(lfups iuDrpsout dt the
'rr(
backer should break on the indication and ersily covcr Ii y,r(lr !{rll" ,ir''rl, (,iI I'Ii|||( L l5)
the intended receiver.This is also a good opportunity t() p[,vk
tips on interceptin& breakingup passes,and st pping rcccivfrx,
Placethe receiverslarther away eachtime the linebackcrh.rssrr
cess.lt will give the coach and the athlete an apprcciationof I
ground the defender can cover when he brcaks before thc th

V
(seefigure 6.24).
a
B
\

OB align7-9 ydsdeep
in pullup position

LOS

@ s Y o" l l i ,,t ,' , " . ,,irdr ill

___@__
J
B___,__,,__@F_ ;Hl 5t t.or-7orill
+ 5 yds+ +5 yds+
lhr 'lrrll is so universalthat I will not describeit but will in-
Coach rl' .r,I I rll. .rbout our emphasisfor this indispensablepaft of prac-
tl', llirs is our finest pass-teaching pedod if we organizeand
Cover-grcund drlll ! ' rrl lrl rv cl l .
l\, Ir,rve our de{ensiveunits altemate,with eachtaking only four
Itrop-Velsus-Ai1
lllill .
l" r. l,l,rys in succession. More than that cuts down on the intensity
r{ lln l,I rsuit we require(93percent;seechapter4). For this reasorl
We use this drill early in the teachingprogressionof coverages
fall camp and spdng practice.It permits the coachto view all |,lr,lrl, thc habits often formed in summer 7-on-Tleagues.Playe$
l.l, r,!, rnanyconsecutiverepetitionsand cannotbuild proper pur-
Iinebackersas they respond to vadous coveragerules, ball p
ments, or passtypes (three-step, five-step, seven-step,or action).
l!,. lr,rvefound severalvariationsof 7-on-7to be beneficial:
also use it as a final review once the game plan is in to solidify
signments and test understanding. . ll
'rk two hal{-coveragedrills. Takea snapwith the frontsideof
Have the coach play quarterback and give the linebackers ,r , overagefollowed by a snap o{ the backside.Now you can
huddle call. On the snap, the qualerba& demonstates the pass (i||r'ctrepsto a limited number of routesthat dle opponentruns
and, knowing the coverage and field positioo the lineba&ers ,lr.rific to those coverageshells.Both sides of a coverageget
spond to him.
lll.Comtl.l. Un.ballln! Ioi. Cor.?.|. lllll.. ll7

. Employ only an u rrclt'r'r'ovcr.rgtrlrrll willrorrt llrL rl,r'1,rq

people involved. I lcrc, you crn l{ivr .r Llllj( ntln)l\.r ('l rr.|r @
attacking high-low routcs, dclays, scfcens,nnd so (nr lh,tt
more specificfor linebackers.
Our 7-on-7srarelyinvolvednythinBbut po( ketp.rssr.r. Ihr.
ers know that every call is a passin 7-on-7.It is much more cff(,cll
toworkonplay actioD bootlegs,screens,trick passes,and so on
team setting where run is arl equal possibility. Plan one quart(
s(rdmble in edch2O-minute passskeleton.ILBiveclhe deienst'ex
rience in defending the deep zones when time permits an offens!
freelance and lenethen routes. l F" r ,!, ,, i , 1lr LinrLr . r dr
ll iUs

Ballllrills p"t llr. lr rll rwny and feel the five PressurePoints secu ngtheball
AII my former linebackers over three decades are probably ch Ittll' ,,,.t, rl,r, forearm,elbow,alrd ribs) Never Permit recklesshan-
ling as they seethis sectionheading.I will admit that few lineb6. dlr 1q, ' I tl'( tr.rl!.An interceptionon third down fumbled back to an
coachesever spend enough time in this area,but if they do, they Fl't',r',rl l()r a first and 10is a traumaticsetback.
probably neglecting somethinS significant. Usually, I did ball d i r u1,,r, kcrsneedto be awarethat afteran interceptiontheyshould
in a five-minute pedod twice per week during the season.In spr *," , ..rrrt,h theball from one arm to the other We don't haveenough
tnining and fall camp we allotted more time to it but never as r.1r rr,.rrt ckringthat at high sPeeds.Justbeforecontactthey should
as the linebackers desired or needed. x'r, r tlr, i'.rllwith two hands.
Balldrillscanmakeprdcti(emorefun dnd competitive. l-or lvr,l, | (\'('iversaretoday doing a much betterjob of stripping line-
we took our team to a movie theater Friday night before games, hr, f,.' , ,rl the ball. They have more speedand can stdP Irom be-
wife, Kareo would make popcom for the movie and put it in b htr',1.rr,,r'ssfully.We teach our linebackersthat a wide receiveris
{or dle winners of that week's ball drills. The competition for ll r rr', losingon him from behind.They should neverbe surPdsed
cheapbagsof popcornwas fun and inLenel bi,''.1| rl)rttcmPt{rom the rear.
Weran our drills on a break from a pulled-up position. Line
\^/ould break on my throwing motioq and each player would ca
with two hands going left, then right. The next time through
linebackers would catch with one hand to increase concentra
and hand-eveskills. The third time I would throw the ball
behind them to sirnulate a Doorly thrown ball on their break
figure 6.26).The throws can be as sho{ as five yards to get
repetitionsand to savean old arm.
We called the final trip through this drill "distraction." Now
ers partnered up, and a teammate distracted the interceptor
and physically as he broke on my throw. The distracter could hit
linebackeranywherebut on the arms as he broke to the ball.
ddll forcedconcentration.
Another item to addressis ball secudty.Becauselinebacke6
the football so little they are !'ulnerable to tumbting. Make sure
?
GhaDtGlI

$lills
ManGouerage

tlrr 1,,n).rncoverageskills are another Part of the fourth funda-

t|r,rr.rl ()l linebackerplay.The principlesof zone and man coverage
ir',lr'.trrctly different.Nearly alt defensiveschernes employbolh
rrr,rrr.rrr,lzone coveragesto some extent,but most use one or the
rrtlr,.r \ thcir foundation.Few teamsuseboth equally well

Advantages
ManGouerage
ll,rr t(i Inan coveragehas severaladvantagesover zone covelage,
lt , ir l'f()vide tighter coverage,reducethe oPPonent'scomPletion
r,rr, .,rrrl permit increasedpressureby the passrush.

llghterGovetage
I trr11r,, snap,the casualfan can easily detectman-to-mancoverage
l,t 1||r,l).rckers. In zone,the linebackerretreatswhen he recognizes
l,r .. ,r' clescribedin chapter6. In man, the linebacker'sfirst stePs
rl l,'rward in reaction to the Docketpass.
llrl\ li)rward movement toward the receivermakes man cover-
a|l'.lrllrtcr than zone.Defendersclosely guard shot routesby re-
i ' r1,.r! in man coverage.The sameroute againsta zonedefensewill
|,rr,. lrncbackersbreaking lrom depth to it.
llrrs is why man coverageis poPular on third and short or me-
,ltr rr down and distance.A Iour-yard gain is acceptableto a de-
l,rrrr'on third and six, but not on third and three.Tighter coverage
h rlll|ired, and teamsoften choosea form o{ man coverage.

11S
ll0 . Co|n!|.t.l.lralrlllnl
l n tht'n'clz,rnt'(rrsr.rlly . . ll) y , rrl lrrri), t l' r, t rr, rllirrr
in\i(1,llr'
nearerand thc clcfcnstnrusttivr. tr('un(l lirrrillirrrgly.
defenses oftencallupon man-k!fi.rn lor tiglrlfr fov( rrtf.
LowerCompletion
Pelcentage
Completion percentageslogically go down when defendcrslnt
closer proximity to receiverc. It tales a more accurate pass w
therc is less room between the tareet and the linebacker
MorePressure
A man-to-man coverage unit does not necessarily employ morr
rushers than a zone defense, though that is typically the case.Il
if the numberof rushersis identical,well-e\ecutedman cov(
can for(e the qudrterbdclto throw early. lhe longerhe holds
ball, the betterthe chanceof pass-rushpressure.Heavy man
age teams normally create more hurried passesalrd sacks.
ManGoverage
Disaduantages
Man coveragehas drawbacks.Although it usually permits
completions, longer gains often rcsult. Interceptions are less
Man coverage is susceptible to isolation tactics by the offense,
blitz coveiageis problematic.
lsolation
onPoorer
Defendels
In man coverage,defenders can find themselves without rnuch
arrd that can lead to mismatches. Most offensesseekto work a
rior athlete in space on a linebacker in malr coverage.
A 235-poundlinebackerwho runs 4.8 secondsin 40 yards
feel comfortable in zone coverase when he breaks on a skilled
pound rundng back who sprints 4.5 in 40 yards- The same d
alone in man coverage can get real nelvous beforc the snap.
longer
Gains
Typically, man-to-man coverage teams give up fewer
but longer gains. When a defender is beaten in zone coverage,
teammates are all in pursuit to limit the gain becausethey all
ally, seethe quarterback throw the ball. But in man coverage,
defenders never see the quarterback release the ball because
are glued visually to their man. Often little help is breaking on
L.i c.r|nr lllllt ' 'lll
tlrr,,r' llr, 1'rr'.,rrr,r,'r,1rr'rr, lv,'rrtlr|lrr,,l'r(l|rl(!lovrfnr)(lnrnkt'
llL rr.,lr tltr t ,, l.l, \!rtlrorl rrr .rror A lr,rrvy rrr.rrrto rrr.rrrt(\rnr nccds out
Eld'rlr rlt ,rtlrl,k \ .rl llr lirr(l).r(l( r'l,ositr(nrs.
frwu Interceptions
Alrl" i r)lr t||'n (l( l( nsr'sgencrallyforcea lower comPletionPercent-
tt, tl,, r rrsrr.rllvhavcdecidcdlyfewerintercePtionsthan zoneclubs
bi,rrr'" llr.iI tlt'fcndcrs have their eyesfocused on receivers,not
llt , l' , r1 1
lorrmbling0uartetbacks
f,'r rl,,..,rnrt' reasoryscramblingquarterbackscan give headaches
h, rrr.rrrto-nrandefenses-This is particularly true for defensesthat
rtl, rrr,rrrLrnclerwith two_deepzone Now there are just four Pass
|lrulr,r,,,,rnd the undercoveragehas potentially tumed its back to
rrr ,l,,wnficld with receivers.lf the quarterbackSetsPastthe ftont
llrrr lr, t.rn run a long waybefore a defenderreactsback to the ball.
FaGtol
0onfusion
llrt ,, ,r|lbcjust as largea factorin zonecoverage,but the outcomeis
w',r.u irr man to-man. If con{usion results becausea linebacker
rl,".,rr't iclcntify his man properly or becausethe offenseshifts or
rr",, rrrotion,an offensiveplayer could be free That's not good.If a
ltrr l,,r'kerrnakesamistakein zone,he alwayshashelPdeePto limit
l l n f,,i n.
,\r ()ffenseoften plots to confusea man coveragelinebackerly
r 'r'r,,kind of play action that would prcsenta conflict betweenhis
lrrr ,rrrclpassresponsibilities(seefigure 7.1).
I r1qrrrJ7.1presentsa linebacker(B2)with man responsibilityfor
tln t|l st back out to his side of the formation That samelinebacket
[r,r, vcr,must be part of the run defenseshouldthe tailbackbeSiven
rlr, l,,rllon the counterplay rather than the bootleg off the counter
llr,. linebacker'skey ard disciPlinewill be testedseverely.
CanBelliffiGult
Dlrguise
lu|rt quarterbackscan easily detectblitz covera8esfrom man in
h!l.ry's long-yardageformations.Becauseit is difficult to disguise
t|l, I)litz,rru;rterbackscan make effectivechecks.The opening mo-
rrrr,rrts of Super Bowl XXXI Provided an excellentexamPle.Brett
l',rvn' GreenBay recognizeda blitz coverageon the secondPlay
of
r
lll. C.mrl.laLln.i.lllnl
82 has a potential conllict in mles.
of the Packers'firstpossession.Fawe audibled to maximum
tion and completed a s4-yard post route for an early 7-0 lead.
defensive back expected pressure, but received no such help
\ /as beatenon the inside move to the Dost.
Zone coveragepressurewould possibly void a zone or exed I
stresson the passet but it would have given more deep-zonehe
to the defensivetrack
ManyFomsof Man
Teamshave been very successfulas pdmarily zone or man defenses,
Both have strengtfu and weaknessesthat each staff must evaluate.
Coachesshould teach what their staff knows best and therl
make variations accordinq to the talent available. The s
of our multiple-reduction schemeover many years has been oul
dch expeience init. To changeabruptly to anunfamiliar defense,
even if it were schematically bettet would give up decadesof
knowledge.
At the same time, man coverage units have much flexibility arld
can use many forms of coverage. An inside linebacker with maF
ginal rnan skills can becorne a zone player who helps the other
players with short crossing routes. Crossing routes are a common
strategy for offenses versus man teams. Figure 7.2 illustrates a way
L.|| C!r|nt.lllll..lll
Q C)O NCO
lh" ,,,.,i , ,1,{rblc+ee coveragealows a lineba€keiwith Poor man coverageskills
llr r r" l ' .,v in ne coveragewithout being exPloited
hrtll t(| ( liminate the strain on that linebacker(B2)and to stop those
lylu, . ,,l ( rossingpattems.
( rlt( |l we havehad a man coveragelinebackerwith excellentman
{',\..r r)i(' techniquebut limited speed.We give him man-to-man
d|ltr' Iito the boundary but rarely to the field where a receivercan
|l||t,lr..l,rnce him.
lv, . I I y to recruit outside linebackers who can match up effectively
F rllr lrght cnds and running backs in man coverage.It is not un-
rt\rr,rllor us to Dut our outsidelinebackersin man-to-manon a wide
lr, rr, r' when he has deep-zonehelp behind him. Our droP line-
1,,r,L,,r'shavebeenparticularly adept at this form of coverage With
lt*!,,r .rthletes,a staff can substitutea better coverageguy in an ob-
f|'u: passdown.
Mechanics
ManCoverage
( lr( r' theplayersclearlyunderctandthe scheme'sman-to-mar rules
flr,l (.rn conJidentlyidentify their man resPonsibility,it is time to
h,,lrr the mechanicso{ this coverage.
lll. C.m!1.1.
Llnria.llnt
W e r . llr (.rk ' B(' fi 1 ( .,1 1l rrs \ r,u t, r l l ' r,1 1" ,tr' ,i l t| l | l l | 5
'| rl o
will be an occ.rsior.rlel(vi,rtr()|l,hrl(('rr(!tr'51)(,|ls(sl1'llx,r',tll
basic patternswill servc linelr.r.kersw( ll.
lnsideBoutes
The conceptthat the linebackermust understandhercis sinrpL.
easiestpassto completeis the short throw Inside breaking lor
are closeto tle quarterbackancl therefore,arehigh-percentagt'thrr
The priority for a man-to-man linebacker is to denllnll irli& I
ingpatterns.We'usuallyhave the lineba&er align inside the re!(.i
beforethe snap.Occasionally,we will have a linebackerjump in
a receiverat the snaD.We rarelv have him outside his receivcr
lesshe has inside zone help as ii1 has from 82 in figure 7.2.
On the snap of the ball, if our key indicatesa running play o
linebackersdefend the rr-n. When his key tells him pass,he prt
or muvesforwardto engagethe receiver. Weted(hthe linebacl(,r
deny the inside path by attackingthe receiverwith his outsidc f
and hand. When the de{ender makes contact with his outside h
to the receiver'schest,he wilt always maintain inside leverage
halt the inside break of the receiver
If the linebacker does not press the receiver or i{ the receiver
head up, a good athlete is likely to beat the de{ender inside.
Figure 7.3 shows three examples of linebackers in man cover
denying inside paths of a running back (B1), tight end (B2),and
recerver{ BJ).For the qudrterbacl the"eaft' lhe 5hortestthrows.
linebackermust defend thesewith disciptine.The defendershou
1.
I
\ rlt",|,,s them becausefrequently a defenderwill be in excellent10-
O\
nooj o oo?,,
Linebackers must deny the inside breaking rout€s frcm all these alignments.
n|n C.rar.la
Elllla.l?l
I cl'...\'rlr\!,rltluslr'lr'('l mr'l,,lrsl I'rlr,srlr(t'rrrBllx'tro(lyinsidc
{r"l t. r r)i l,lrr'r( ,rl ( ( ( nrl.rrI
'r
, !,', l,' rr,'k{ s ( (nrt.r(t, tlr( li|l( 1,.t(lcf should kecp inside lever-
'
iF, ,'! tl! rr1( iv, r .rnrl krtp vision on him. His total concentration
rr' tlr i'rr llr(,r(.(,i\,(r:Ilcshould never lookback {or the ball un-
lr., rlr. rr",.ivi r kxrks for it, raiseshis hands to catch it, or team-
nr,rr, , .rll " lr.rll" t() ind icatc that the thrower has releasedit.
Al rn..rrh brr..rking route is usually doomed once a tinebacker
ha. rrr.r,lr.r dnt,rctfrom an inside position.
lutlcal Routes
t1,I tr, .rI r(,utr'sscarelinebackerc,yet seldomhave we had lineback-
Fr. l' .rt,,r (l('ep.Much of this has to do with our style of coverage,
lhit ,.rrl'lr.rsires zonehelp to man defenders.
(
llrll Nl( .rrtney,former head coachat Colorado,used to say con-
rt{r,rl\.'| \'fi'nse is knowing where your help is." How true that is
i|l nr,,r t,)-nr.rn.Our linebackersplay vertical routes aggressively
hr ,rr',t.,,l their help. Normally, they have deeP-zoneassistanceon
llrr ,,rt,r(l(.(halves or thirds delensivebacks)or the Pressureof a
lltt, l! rth dccp-outside-zoneaid, they can be aggressiveon the in-
$1, ,,1tlx rcceiver.The sameis true with blitz coverage,that should
lrr,,. rrr t,.rrly throw Linebackersshould thus cover tight under-
|'r rtlr .rrr.linside,forcing the ton& outside throw.
i \ | | ,al )gnition of pass,the linebackerattacksthe receiverjust as
hr ,lr,i r[ ligure 7.3.He should attempt to iam the receiverand then
,l,, ii , ,rr" when the receiverruns vertical.This is a descdptiveterm
tlrit i, rrirrclsthe defender to run on the receiver'sinside ear hole,
d rr, l, ' rr rng him from underneath. Remember,the shortest throw for
th t,.,'r'r is still inside. Forcethe receiverwide to the deePhelP or
6t 1,.,,,t,rwayftom the quarterba& (seefigure 7.4).Always maintain
I't,r,1,. Ii()sitioning.
I u! t.rckers are often not knowledgeable about pass-intederence
rrrl, ,,,n deep throws. Your staff should ddll these situations and
r nl|,rl lot crcatean unnecessaryPenalry
lVlr,n chewing ear on a vertical ioute, the linebackershould run
rvl lr his arms at his sides.In collegeit is legal to faceguard, that it
|rr N ilh arms waving in front of the receiver's{aceto distracthim.
llr' l,rrc guarding slows the linebacker He cannot rulr fast flailing
htt ,rrrrrs in that fashion. Faceguarding usually causesthe linebacker
l lr':,r'control,and he makescontactwith the receivercoming back
hr,rrrrrnderthrown ball. We witness this rcpeatedly in collegefootball.
 Itt. Clmlldr tlnd.lllnl il.n Conr.I.tlllh.l17

E i, lr, ' , , , ' rl, \ t t l l ' r l ' o ' | | t : r ' | l l . l i l r ' \ ' ' t l r , r tl l x . ( l ( l ( . r ) ( lr( s h o ul c l
rlr. i1 . 1 , , lr' \ l r r r r rtll l r r r I r r r . ro n 0 l l l s i l i t f ( ' u t c sl.t l ' t hb c l i e f sh ; r v e
llF , ' , ll, i, )tt r , ' r ' i s, r ' r ( l l r (s t , l | ( . ( ' u f s l

1 1 1 . ll,r ,r', llr l\'ss(r'r' lorlt(st tlrrow.When thc.luarterbacksees

3N O .LtrO
5
i

NO
ll! ,l,,lr'r'(lif l,('hindtho outsidopattern,he feelscomfortable
r, rtlr,r , [rrr winchw k) the rcceiver.
. ll,r . r. llr( l,.rss('r'slongestthrow. When the quarterbacksees
tlrr.lrrr,lrult.r undcrneaththe outsideroute,he knows that a
,/\ ,lr'rt tl'fr,w cnn bc interceptedfor a touchdown.When he
Bt' ) tlrr,'r ', lrr'usuallyoverthrowsbecause of that fear-
lrltlr', ; 'rr l.livesthe quarterback"spe$pective of the two posi-
lh(f, ,r lrrrl,.rckercan take on a running back's flat route. lvhen 81
Fli\ 'I',1' ||r,,rlh.the qudrterbd(k5ee5his helmetin Lhethrowing
Linebackers mustjm [r' . '. ,r tlr| runningbarl hassomeseparahon. Wlen Bl pliv*
the vertical releaseand chew ear raom all rhcse alisl "

Eliminate interferencecallsby training defendersto sprint w

their eyes focused on the receiver's eles and arms. i{hcn 1
arms go up to catchthe ball or the eye" get ldrgeds the b.tll I
pr o a ch es,the defendercan turn t o t h e b a ll. lf t h e lin e b d c k 0 !
attempting to catch the ball, the officials should not call int(.r
ence on contact.
Ifbeaten deep,the linebackershould forget playing the ball
sp nt to catchup to the receiver

outside
Boutes
These patterns are double-edged swords for the linebackers.
good news is that these are the most difficult routes to
becausethey are farthestflom the passer.Thebad news is that
are the most challenging routes for the linebacker to defend.
closer dre rcceiver is to the quarterback, the morc difficult it is
Iinebacker to defend the outside route.
We teachthe linebacker the sameconsistentapproach as he.
the re(eiver Wewant the defenderto jdm the receiver.Strong,
cal pldyersare parti(ulaJlyadeptdt lnocling runrungbarks
LighfendsLothe groundas they comeundercontrollo mdle
outside breaks.As the receiver begins to chop his feet, the lineb
should attackunder his pads witlr the outside hand.
As the receiver widens, the linebacker should acceleratehis
putting his body between the quarterback and the receiver. L, rs nust jam and accele.aie, plaFng underneath the outside rcutes.
I ll . C!fi!1.1.lln.hlllnl Irn C.{.nI lllll..lll

bchind tht' mr.ivt.r'(tl('ll(\l li'x.),tlrt.llu,,\r, r rr h s,,rrrlrrlrrtrrl

l, r rr
the toss.
Eithermethodis sourrd.Whentlrr'lirr('l,.ri k.r l'lays rrntttr.rrt,n
however,he must not look back to tlre p.rsscruntil tlrt. l,,rll
thrown. When a young linebackerpeeksearly he loscsvisirrn
the receiver.A veteran receiver will then turn upficlcl for I
tential big play.
Rarely do linebackerslook back to the quarterbackearly (nl
sideor verti(alroules.fie insiderouLes grdbtheiraLtenti,,n tlrrir,
The vertical paths frighten them into focus. The outside routes,
ever,tempt eventhe veterans.They must stareat the outsideb
ing receiver until the passer throws the ball.

llo Route
What doesthe linebackerdo when the man he is assisnedto bl(r
Therearetwo very soundreactions.and we employbothduring
coufse of a season,
. The linebacker can free up and play as a short-zone defc
like 82 in figure 7.2.He cannow assistwith crossingroutes0
be preparedto forcea scramblingqudrterback. The disadv
tage of freeing the linebacker is that the screenis not well
ered. A running back will fake a block and then slide away
arl unsuspecting linebacker Meanwhile, a blocker sets for
and the other man de{enders are chasing receivers with
backstumed to the quarterback.
I I 1', ,r r,'ur linebackers I coached at l4lllie & Mary who went on to the Pros,
Our staff tries to choose this style when the offense is big 1,.',r,1,,' rnivcd 10 seasonsfor rhe Denver Brcncosaft€rnot being drafted Jim's
crossersbut not on screens.In any case,the linebacker r,",,,',, rsr skills were outstmding. His academicdrive and Positiveleader-
alway<keephis a:signedrecetverin his vision. i,rr ,,,',l, hnn a higl ight in my coachingcde€r
. The second reaction by the linebacker when his receiver b
is to continueto presshim acrossthe line of scrimmage. andReminderc
0therManPrinciples
Whena runningbacl is assigned to blocl thelinebacLer
overh Nl,rintenance of an inside alignment on the snap aIld through-
and the defender moves toward him, the back stays in the bac thc receiver's releaseis crucial. "lf you're eve4 he's leav-
',ul
to engage the linebacker If the linebacker were to drop into rrr|. " The linebackerwho is headup givesthe receivertwo ways
coverage, the running back would usually check him for blitz r,, beathim. Takeaway the inside
then release on a route. Wlen a linebackel continues to press I lrc linebackershould study a receiver'ssplit. The wider a tight
back, he keeps the ruming back from becoming a potentiai ,.rr<1 flexes,the more obvious it is that the Play will be a pass
and adds pressurcto the ouarterback. I lsually,a wide receiverwho is running an outside Pattemwill
Againet screens,the linebackerpressesthe receiverand has rr'clucehis split. A wide receiverwho is running an inside route
oppoftunity to make a negative-yardage tackle. rrill generallyopen up his sPlit.
I l0 . Cofitl.l. lln.b..lln!
f c,rrrr)rnk(.rsh.rl' ( u t { , n lr rv lr, nlr. r. rrs r,lrrs
n r('ceiv(
ders and gnthcrs hinrsr'll un(l(.r tontrol. WIrt,rrIrl is Irw
sprintingfull speedwith lris hcacltlowr, h('will |l(,t ||r,rl,
sharpbreak.
When a quarterbackscrambles,the linebackermustshryt(x
on his receiver,
When assigneda rnan in motion, the linebackershoul(l ltt{
tain inside leveraqeand the same distancefrom the rcc(
thathehadbe{ore the snap.When the balt is snapped,thL,l
backer should play the receiver for the th:reebasic kinds of n
and deny, chew ear, or accelerate,
Man-to-Man
Drills
Wehave used many man-to-marl drills over the years.Here arc s(l
that we found particularly e{fective.
ldentilication
Drill
This drill has a lot of flexibility and is excellentfor training
ers in man coverage identficatior! either when inhoducing a
coverage or when reviewing man coverage assignments on g
week. Simply set up all the receiversthat the linebackerswou
possibly have in coverage. It might only be two running backs,
more likely a coachwould have to review all sets,including th
back (short yardage,power-I) and one-backformations,tight c
obligations,shifts,and motion.
Review until everyone is completely comfortable with th
assignments.Remember,an identification erlor means som
is free.
I{ a coachreviews man-to-manroles only on paper,he's aski
for ellors. A tip sheet is important, but actively rcacting to the
createsconfidencein the plavers and the coach.
BaseRoutelllill
Introducethebaseroute reactionby initially working two
els at a time without a passer
For inside linebackers put coneswhere the offensive tackles
align. Then position two nmning backs or two tight ends as
in figure 7.6.
L.n Clr |c.llllh. tll
s rlrr
ir
ends
Fr,n l','r'.i Lrr's b.1seroutc drills lersus ruming backsmd tight
l lr,,,,rt h clirectsthe routeson both sides On "ready hif' the as-
rr I r,r i ivcrs rur-rthe prescribed imide, vertical or outside pattem
, , ',r,lr r'valuatesthe linebackerEresPonses. Thecoachshouldalso
(
r, ,r r,1 iver block to cover that reaction by the linebackei
I lr,,,,.rch can later add a quarterbackand ball lt is Particularly
hrt",rl.'r'l lhrl the passerthrow to the verh(al route to teachthe
hr,,t .,'t , t,' turn tJ the ball and.rroidpass_interlerence(alls
'
| 1,,., rrne drill can be set up f or outside linebacke$ with a tight
a!,1.,ri I wide receiveror a tight end and running back"depending
pr tlu. ,lrt'meemployed.
lompetitive lltill
0ne-on-0ne
l|l,r,, s'itnessedthis potentially Productived ll deteriorateinto a
pll .',l,rl offensiveshow at many Practicesthat I have attended
lr'.t. L)esure the linebackershave been well grounded in the
Ft.rl,,,rics of man coverage.This should never be their introduc-
ll'r, t,, nrnn-toman drills. I{ so, a coachwilllose their confidencein
r I rr llun the basicroute drill severaltimes beforeconductinga
t,,l,tutitivcdrilt like this.
l'||t lirnits on the offense.The quarterbackmust be accountable
l', ' .r.,1'watch.He ha- no presrr-rre and idealconditionslhe re-
frjr!,.,s should run a limited number of realistic routes l once
tlr ,r linebackercorps lose its confidcnce in 10 minutes because
ll2. C.ntl.l. Lln.i..llnt
PIRTIII
.rn off('nsivo c()nrlrrirr.r I'igl, lx,,(,.nt.'lr.ol ,hr.1' rorrtr.rwllh

tzb $EGOllD$
time cr)n\lr.rinlr.I .,r\^ ,i.r.l' |lr' r'rti l',,, I l',,1l,.r
r. lll
'|x'r. ('ur (irlrrlsr'rn '
utesthan I usuallysaw thrown .rt.rirrsl .r sr\riirn,
Teamwork means working f()r the g(xrd oi b()th oll( nsivr
defensivegroups.Scriptthe snapsso the routosnrc fr..rlistir .ut(l
units leam in a positive environment.
lf inside linebackersare included, set up a drill siDil.rf lrl
shown in figure 7.6.Add a quarterback and a timer to kcep Ihr ll
gamelike.Use either tight ends or running backs.
Fiqure 7.7 shows the samedrill with outside linebackcn v
quality offensivepersonnelat wide receiverand tight en(|. It
schemeneverputs outsidelinebackerson wide receivers,work
onl) againstrunningbaclsor tightend'.

2
Outside linebackeE work oneon-one competitive drill versus a WR dd TE. L
A,,rlf iflcantpart of footballocoursbeforethe snap Coaches
z
Again, agreeto or script the routes ahead o{ time. This will be ,,,,,i communicate criticalinformstion andplay
to the players,
emotionaldrill becauseof the competition.As ahead coach"I ,( r, rLlstcommunicateamongthemselves During this pefiod
wanted either side to have an unfair advanraee. ,r wrl coacheddefensiveuniCcan learn much that will help
rr|vrdualolavel.sand the wholeunit be more effective lf even
7-on-7llrill n averfnom the linebackingcorps is not ready'the whole
'uu,
rnir effoTtcan unravel
This old standbyisjust as critical for man-to-mancoverageas llhaDte|sI and I willpresentthevolumeof informationthat
The drilt is outlined at the end of chapter6. Keepin mind that ,u,,,f,.'""uant p"epa;edlinebackercan gain whilethe :25_
andbootlegsare not a challengein 7-on-7.Use team pedods du "nd
clock is tickingbetweenplays
eameweek to test the reactiono{ the defense. "'rrrrnd
 GhaptolI

lirst ,12Seconds

t,1,,r, r',r nclstaffthe first :12secondsof the r2S-second clock cart

.i,',,,.,,r rh., most anxious and exciting moments in the game'
lr'. rr(l dcfensiveleadersmust exchangeinformation quickly
then accuratelypasson the vital
1,r,.,r.r'l),.Teamleadersmust
l,' lli ( ntireunit.
can
l||, ,,,,'rrnunicationmust be clear One inaccurateword
rrrl,,,tlr, rvhole concePto{ a de{ensivecall.The communication
. ' , ', . t . O u , e o o li s t o b r e a ko u r h u d d l ew i t h i n : 1 2s e c o n d s
"t l'r',i"
' r rrl, w r l l h a ; t i m e t o s t u d y t h e o P p o n e n ta l t h e I i n e o f

Signals
1 " 1 , . " . 'l o f f e n " e ss i E n d le i t h e rt h e P e r s o n n eEl r o u P i n gS o i n B
run A.tew sendin
$1, ,1,,1irmeor the foination and plav to be
every
tsr",, ",1.rr \,\ith lhdt informationbefore lioo" llli_1-
,,, ,, ,i,it"n"" d".ode the Personnel that the offensewill use'
"u.,
tr ,r l,, rrefit-Although rarely will you be able to recognizePlays
,1.,rl,hering sign linguage, if you can do so it can be extremely
la l' r, , 1 ' 1 ,
'"1 ,i,ir,in."hn. time with the:2s-secondclock to wait lor the
resPond
Ett,r'., .,|lJ respond.lt is nol as edsvfor the offenseto
wait nlil the
u
[ , , r,' , " . i t " ' . " f f . D e f e n s i v ec o a c h e ' r o u l i n e l v
p t t", " . ' . t , c t a r e si t . p e r s o n n ebl e f o r es u b m r t t i n Ba . c a l l O n l y , : l 5
signals a
i,,',,,t, rrluy ."-uir, o.t the clock when the sideline
altel a call is much more
h r* For'the offense to decode and

135
llt. Conpl.liI h.irolln0 tl l lr l.aon .llT

( ) Lr f s l. r ll ir tl ri \l U (r1 l t)l l ,1 r,r!t. ,,rt l t l ( t,.r .r\ t, ..r)i r,rl ..r l r' tri ql
of pf . lc iic e. I t i s .r l .rrg o .rtI ,,t ,l 5 o r\n l l r, rl IIr\t I\\,,,' | ,. i !i IILI
turc. The timc is prucious()nS.rtufrl.ry.Ilrt l'l,ryirs.rntlr.r,,rrlrrr
feel comfortable with the sign.rlsystcm. lhc tr'.rrl slrorrll rrar
nals on every snap of7-on-7 and team perirxls.tt ( !,ff) pf,r(ti(rr
sion throughout the year
As the scherneunfolds, we will gesturethc bascc.rllsIn rlrr
We give thoserepeatedcalls multiple signals.For exnnrpl(.,,l
mon front or stunt might have three differenthand moti('ns A
coverage,ifdecoded,could be attackedeffectivelyby thc oppt,l
offense.Even though we might blitz with man covcrallc orjly
times per game,we would use three different mannersof sigl
to hinder any stealing.
A staff that is in a leaguefor an extendedperiod shoulcl
its signal systemevery two or three years.Televisionoften
our sidelinewhile transfening calls.

Hp $ d' nurd
l ' ,, . r' ' ' .,..r- pray.dr . - r r uer r e'hnr n $ our r u'h lir Fb"l'r
:,.t" i .ar.r,n,buthew o" d nim m edr Jir - r m Pd( r oJ\ \ a- h'r A'f r 'd
' p, Allr d wun r hc lv"' Fr r '\ u' A$ar d dnd b' dr n'All_
' ,r' . " ..-.' r" r
a' ., , drafted in the first rouncl.
',,a

Procedute
Huddle
lhal i5
ll" r',r t''-" of the huddle i\ to (ommunicdte inJurmdlion
is so vital
.,-, r'r,.,1tirr every member of the unit. Communication
in the huddle
il,"r rl ",,,,rch shciuld give each athlete a sPecificplace
r,,r,r,,, r so all ca"n:ce lhe rpedker's liPs dnd heJr hi5 words lt
'Lron
.lt l,' l,'drlyundcrst.rndthetign.rlcaller'LhePo5'ibilityofgi\-
i,,' 'r' l.'rg* gain intrea*' dramatic.rll) We in'truct ouf Pldyer'
t,,:, l',.k,check"if lhe) dreun\ur'ollhcde[cnsiver"mmand
At ,l 'l .,k rt, the leadcr immcdirtel) rcPcrl- the communication'
* 1,,,,rlqucstion.
\\, .'.i*n one plaler, u-uall1 rn uPPercl'l5smrnlinemdn-trt
[,,r'l], .ii..iDline. On lhc fielclit i' his retpon:rbilitv Lo:et the lablc
lll.fo|nll.la I hai.alln! t lt ll: r a. o. t r [ - r.r rl

kr ( )uf v('(ll r('r)1|r.rn(lrll(,t.r',Ir.,ll!,rtt,.,r,rrr''t'lr,r',,rlrti lt

crly;nd th.rt n() (nr(,l.rlks t\lrr.r il', 1,,'il, r:, , , .r([ir-,!rrt{
ActlveSideline
('n thc field'
huddte. $*, ,rrrr,l, lrrrrl, ,lrorr" lo lrrrllr,rtktrs rx'l l1'rying,
into thcgameand can
We teachour Iinebackerswho tfnnsfer thc r.rll it,,.r,,1, rf,,," rrr'!rl 'llv.r'r(l rrrr()tior1'rllv
l{rr \tr'rt(Ay
to the team thesebasicconceptsi lr,' ,1. ,, , l'rl rr,l',rrrr'rlri{r
' t r,, t .,.|,',,rr tlr' l''rrrr.i rrv. rn trln'rl''t t'rle trgnrls.The) can
. Clariw: They must have eve contactwith thcif tcrn)||r.rti'r {'v 1'l.rvshccls,forrnationtendencies' or otheritems'
11"' r rl' 1,1,,r'
mouth the words clearlyso teammatescan read thrir lipr w.rtih thcir Positions
l(' *.,tit,
,i",,' r,' as.if
as if they were playlng On
playing
i'',,,', ,i".,,, fl
''houttjbe'lhle to lell Lhecoachwhat
the cowd noise is high.
1,, ' ,' ,f' ' ,'', -i,l.t,n,
. Confidence:No matter what the circumstances.wc w,rnl
f i.1.' . r',,'r', r,'',r'.ril"r'.Levandhowth b]::l:9^l:T;
"f*:: calrprovide
leadersto show boldnesswhen they give the call ancl ,t il 1,,i,', . ri." th.rt takesits obligationsedously
',f,
that the result will be positive. |:tsr,r1, | 'lt,r r'rti,,|l du nng the g.rme
We use two linebackersin our huddle communications.'l h$
addressesthe huddle with down and distanceinformation. I h, Alignment
the squad,"Men, it's third and 15.Be sureto driftin the undcr.l to
age," or "Guys, it's secondand 6. They run inside 80 percentol Itr, t l,, lrr'i,lI brcdl', ed.h delender use- hi5 cue about where
lhe
time." This linebacker'sknowledge is basic to skategy,but 1 i, " " ' , 1 . ' .' ' , i r ' . " * . 1 . " r h e d e f e n . e c a l l eadn d t h eP o s i t i o n i n B o t
iil" , . ' , , . ' , r . r m p l e i,f a ' 5 0 d e f e n s e "m e d n s t h a t h e o u t s i d e l ine-
times younger players in the huddle are unaware of the down o t r l he
distance, let alone the opponenfs tendencies. This linebackor f,t. r ,, t i g h te n d ' so u t s i d es h o u l d e or n ey a r d
' ' . , ' " i , f rirstiocates
r" the ti8htend and lhen Position'his
ies all week to be an expert at down and distanceand to shara f,ii ,1,.r'i" 1,".r.er.
opponent's tendencies.Also, becausethis linebackerhas lc lrrly ,r ' t,rLrghtover the tiSht end.
- r; r\,s are olten defelted becausethey simply align improp-
communication skills, he can take over the signal responsi t t,
lales no rbilitv
due to graduation or injury Trlr l "r '' prcmium on lining uP 'orrectly.Thi5
mu\t dr:clPlrne
While one leader is conveying the down and distancein 1 ,,",f,. ", , .t to trdin it a- a Prioritv,dnd Plrvers
{rr,rrr., lv, s to align appropriately every tirne-
tiorL the signal caller is outside the huddle receivingthe defen 'proper,lepth irom the line ('l sLrimmdSe b)
call from the sideline.We station him away from the huddlc r'r.,r,, ..n attain
rl* ,' . rr.'rkrneindi;idudl drills on lined fields A linebatker tan
his back to his teammates.Why? This is probably the time of
est arlxietyfor the signal caller The coachis waiting for the o .,', ." l, utl,of"fo* vrrd5or a sdfetyeiEhtyard' ilhe isddil) watch
to declareits personnel.The de{ensivesta{fmay be rnaking $rt,l, t'llrby the {ieldmarkings.
tions, and meanwhile the :2s-secondclock is runnine. Paniccan
in. We instruct the linebacker never to show anxiety before the
Wlen he furns arourrd to give commands, he should dem
Stance
confi dence, not apprehension. $ l" | I l.r.m (oachrnglinebdckehI was d realstickleron stances
' Now$e
If at some point the signal caller missespart of the signal, ir , , ' ." p l a c ea n d " p o s r t i ofno r e v e r yp d r t o f t h e b o d )
t*.,,1,,,,rrceotsof stanie within parametersthat allow some free-
should have a quick motion to the defensive coordinator to re
the entiresignal.Our linebackersgrab their facemasksfor a 'C,,','t,' i lch individual
Often younS signalcallersdepart lor the huddle without all , '.".'","pi flr' to Ao with the heiEhtof the 'tance The farther
intended inJormation. We have an over-and-out sienal that r,,',,.' ftiglt"rand les' formil the'tdncemay be ln ch,aP-
"',r.iif," of beingpad under pad when
suresthelinebaclerlhnt heha5permissionto leaveeyeconfact i. . .., ai'.rt*aif'e imPortdnce
Irom
the sidelinecoach. t{r Ir ',|l r blockerWhend Iinebaclcralignsfive ydrd'deeP
llt I Co|nll.l.llrdrrllil tlnl rtl|..!nft.'lal

thc linc ol st IirrrDr,rgr,,

bLrt kr.r'sr.rr| rrlirrrtrr,llrllr r llx. .rtti.l
block. The tlccpcr lint,tr.rtkt,r'r..rrr
tlrlrr rr*. ,r t,rlli,r st.rrrt l lr.(,1lul
will contacta higher thrc.rl.
Twenty yearsago inside linebackcrswe rc cusl(rnnfily twrl
half yards deep.To get under an offensivelineman'sp.tls, lhny
to hunker down in a very low two-point stancc.S(nll(.rrrnrly
their hands on the grass.
Another conceptinvolves the base the first thing n linl
must learn aboutstances.Most linebackersplav with a st.rocr,
too wide.In their attempt to get down and dirty, they sprcllrl
feet wide to lower their center of graviry Although this dou
the hips, it also reshictsmovemeni signihcantly(seefigure tt.t),

This stanceis too wide.

The lineba.ker will false
step iNide to nariow his
base fiom this hunkered

How can one tell if the stanceis too wide? Easy.Watch the i
step. l 4ren a linebacker steps under himself to move, rather
gaining ground on the fi$t step,he is operatingwith a base
too wide. The initial step should take a lineba&er toward the
the defender steps under himsell have him narrow his stance,
first step should be clean and outside the base,never a move
his base(seefigure 8.2).
/

Ghoolol

Seconds
tinal=12

:l2't" "rt'l" "rr

H, . ll' r l u , l , r ( r r . i \' . h u d d l ew i l l b r e a l w i t h ' r b t ' u t
linebacker to \urve\ tlx 'rllr'rrt.
[i. , r," r rt'i. rtr.,utaPerm the
an edge by krtttwtttl"
lr , lrr,.. l,r'lrre the snapthat will give his unit
lh,',ll( r:i s intentions.
t lr' ll sccon.lPre-snap perioddilfersfrom the first:12s(cotxl
have Iittl('irrl'rrl
Itrt|ri rl. .tcscribedinchaptir 8, becausecoaches
the coaches' mak( th.'(l(\1
il,r, tl' 1,layersareinchirge They,not
t$ ' ,llr,l .1othe communicating.
I'ohttr'
I lrr ' , lr.rpterwill deal with types of keys players focusorr
w'r\'
lh ",,r' tlielrne.talce"dndsPlit' thdttheycaninterPrr'l'rrr\l(
!,,,1'r'irrr f,,rmationsThePlaye15 mu't re(ogni /e' d i[r ''l 'rrrrl i 'r''
tll',r,,rtr'.tll this in{ormationbefore the snaP'

Keys
arrtl
ii,,,, ,rrt hescanusethe sameschemewith identica!techniqut's
r v'f'
r, t l' t r .r r a d i c a l l vw i l h t h e i rl e y t t h e k e y t o f t h e u P - f n " r t I ' l
mullilrr'l'
ir','.rr' .,'.rrdinaiedir theyareto resPondin c')nccrtlo J
!l,,ll, |lsivethreats
I r t h e v e a r sl i n e b a c l e rl e y : h a v ee b b e da n d f l o w c d l w l *
'\' ]hemrs(iifr\
t r. , " ' , . 1r n t h ' e e r a o ft h es i n g l ew i n 8 d n d t h e w i n S - [
ir, ,, .'' rt,o'" had ."oachesieaching linemankeys \'\lx'rr''
"ff".ts"' hc w'l\ ollr'lr
hrnl'.r'r er watcheda backfor his primarymovement
hi ' l ,' ,l f . r y.
ttrr
l ' I r \ t he r u nning. - qdm e blocling schem es a r e sim Pler ' an'i ''l
' the benefit'of th.' vrrr
lx' 1.,rk( r- key baci:l We will investiSdle
rlru k, vs. Obviously,both can be successful
143
r laa. Contl.LLln.hllil
Backl(eys
Whenlinebackcrs key runningb.rckstht'irrtacrrorrs.rrc
rrsrr,rlly
and unsophisticated-The beauty of running+nck kcys is thotr
plicity with doubte-gapresponsiblelinebackerswho f.rsltLrw
keys are really tempting (seefigures9.1 and 9.2).
^=
\ rtt'.r',rv( xttackstoday (seefigure 9 3).
82 flows quickly to
Back keys are confidence builders for inexperienced players
coaches.The rules that players usually learn are the following:
. When my key comes to me, I attack my ftontside gap.
. When rny key goes away, Tattack my backside gap.
tln.lr'lt l.$ilat . lal
Wlr',, ,,,! l' y \l',,wr lrr,,r lrlrr I or .' l).rssrlrrrl(',l(lf(\r rtrl('rny
I
l, r' l, rr,l tlr, rrrsclvtst{'.r,lgrossiv(,nthckin&two gaPPlayers'
l(eys
threebasic
I r"r. .' lL' r, rrr r- tntrri (,rmPle\' t{ather than having
,r,,111". t 1,.,t1r..rhrr,m.rn ml1 haveto reactto riveto eiBhtcoffses
rv|r,,,rrrrk'r'rt?l.inemenrarelylie.Theyarethetruestkeys
Itrtlr l,l rr attiorr Pass,a running back lies He fakes a nrn,and
,'i',, t, 1 ttirni,*" mo\ementto the recei\ersUsuallyline-
B1
q . 3 ( Q B , F B , a n d T B ) s t d r t st o w a r d t h e
lr, rv ba c t i n f i g u r e
kcr's left, yei the play will counter to the dght side - with
Itrr,,l,,n
i$, I k, vs, the linebackeri wil all fatse step to the initial backfield
li,tv
t\lr, n the linebackerscorrectly read the Players on the line of
r rtIr,'r,rxe,theywill reactimmediatelyto therightwiLhoutany false
.n r". I ineme;dremorediffi(ult to readbut moretruthful'
 lll r C0t|l!l.lru..baoltnt fl l l? lrco r. tat

A'r('th(r n(lv.r l.rBciI t(tr Ir\r 8 ()|| tl|u,Ir,|l rcllr,rtt r(,t,,rr

tr,rI 1,,,,",llr l lr.lrlvr. lr,,\,,,1., t'rrr, l, ! rl r rlrr,rl.l lrL lirrtLrrL Llr
morc ro.rdily('c()tni1r lips lr0nr thrir st. ( (.sllr,rtwrll ,,t(,ritlx.rfl , 1, \ 1,, ,.,r,l, ,'r rr,rll, r \!lr'rl ()llfrrsois L'cirrg
!'m
nr..l tr'n,l
particularplays.We will clisctrss tlrjsin rrorc,dcl.rill.rt(,fi,r tl,rr r hr 'r,
ft!,,, Lll.,Ir .l lr ll! ll,Irlir'l,|| svsl(rrr iss(,und but requires
ter. Keying linemen makes linebackcrsm()renwnft,()t Ur(,tft,lr
ir,,1r,,,,,,1 ,,"r,lrrrr1i,'l'rl'lv ll,rls(J(,Ptrrsthccloorforalinebacker
When focusedon a back key,an unsuspcctinglinr.traekr,r will rr !r s,'. 1,,.,,rrr.r'lr. rs ll|l( rrt.rirt nboul tho clarity of multiPle keys.
contacta lineman.This can lead to a poor hitl;ntl shc<lb.rsr. ll.r'L,.,,1. ,'rt r|n' clt.rn .rltlrotrghthey can be deceiving with
.''',.t., I'urc linc rPrdt dre lruesl bul taLe
i
i{, " '.rr,l(,,'rrtlr\ I
Triangle
l(eys lrr"- t '. ,lr ,r1'lirl, ,lrr,l r(\tuirclimch, leam. the triangle levs
In an aftempt to combine the t1^,,levr previou-ly Je-\rih,\l nl{ ,ttri,,t r,, | |,, sl r lh( lw(), but at somc point one key must take P or-
r l
codchesleach keying d tfldnglc of ba(k-, linemcn, rrrd tlr,, l,,rll, lg ,', , , r1,,,'tlrt r or the linebackercannot move widl confidence
gives the player the potentiaafastflow of a back rcad with tho
tion of a pulling_linemanwho says ,,not so fast,,on plays lik.
diagrammedin figure 9.3.
LineStances
Offensive
lr',r1, | .,,l\.rrrhteofreadingolfensivelinemenis tha! whenaline-
h, l,',,,r r(( ntf ates on thcm, they can tell a defense so much.The
F,"1, ',, , r,r (,1()ffense hasbrought excitementbecauseof its multi-
F t . , r, l' , r' r\ \ , r r \ a A oa n o f f e n s em i g h l l e a r nt e nm i r r o r e df o r m a -
|', ,,,.rr,",'. pa-' proleclrons for theentire.edson. Todava lcrm
hifl,r ,,,.t,rll that much in two days of sping practice.It is notun-
|.|l rl r,, |,.!rew a five gamescoutingbreakdown and find that you
irll l! t,( rrrgan olfense that uses 60 formations and seven pass
lk,'i,, r."r t\ hile lhe d'.ignmenL*hdve5L)rocketed,the tedchinA
h', , '' ''El,ly lhe "ame.Somethinghdslo sulter.
l\ l, || li 1\hnppenedis that we seepoorer fundamentals.Passpro-
F, r,,rr r r tlx'modern erais a priority. Coachesteachit betterthan in
||r. t,,.t lirn blocking varieswith the teams,but squadshave uni-
rrr" rllr lrrnitedthe number of running plays and simplified their
ll'' | ,Llischemes.Coachestoday do not stressrun blocking and
|4r" r,r,,ts.rsthey did inpastdecades.
lr,,.,r( thatwe cannotfind anopposinglineman who will tip us
tslr' ri, I Lllror passby his stance. We assign certain coaches on our
.tirr r,' .ludy eachlineman. Our players up-ftont routinely scruti-
ld,, ,,1,1\n1ent's tapes for an informer Through our researcll we
dffr, ! lll| lrpsrdl and the nessenger
lln rrl)steris the lineman whom we identify as being an inlor
r|r r,I rlr ()ughhis stance.On some tearnswe can identify only one,
rrl,rl',,ri olher teamswe can fi nd as many as thrce.Yearsago it was
I SimeonRicewas six feet five in hes ra wth lonA dns and h€ ran fasre, Ittl,rll rcsearch,and a staff longed for just one guy who would
most wrclc receivds. Many lelt it was alt narural abiliry but Simcon worked 6l,rlltlr,beans.Now almosteveryteamhasone.
diligently at his .onditioning. Hc and Bluce Smfth we;e rhe mosr alaming r\ir',llrerfactorhasbeenthe adventof videotapeand the exchang-
Irisheis I've ever beenassociatedwkh
hU,,l "light copies."This copy coversonly from tiSht end to tight
 lll. Canrlala
Llnaiaalln! flirl lt l.loi...lal

end .rnd l(x\rsrs t)n llrt.I'rr('|rr(,r'.

W.{ ,r|l srt rt,rrrrr,r rrrrrrlr , , -r' , i t , , , , 1 1w l l , l , ' r l I ' l , , l l l u r r , i , r r r l r ' ' r ' l " r l l r r : l ' 1 i w l r ' n
",,w
clerrl\ lh.)n hr.l.!r( lv('r' wlx r),,r1\ wrrl,,,,l,r* 1,1,"I li . 'r ( l ( 't r lr r ! t lr r lllr r vlr , t t t t r l"r : : l) r r ! lt t lr ( n'
ra,',.,.\, lrdfl
' r r r r lir 'r lr
The messengeri\ th( d('hrrri\,. 1'l.rr,r wlr,, r'r tra'txrl td Itr " , , l, t r , , r | \ r llt r s, r r l t r r l , ( , r t 'r r r t nr , I 'r r l t r r ( 'sl l( r 'r r ) s
'\ {)l ot'l ("r(
codethe tipster's stance.We make him nccount.rtrk,l(,r ,iivint ll',i,., ,,t,)t,,i(srrrst'rrr( tv,ry l )trrirts tPfirrg tr'r( ti(-(
nh('nd ('l tim(
rateinjormation.l-n'quently$e (h.n,\, tuo ,'r llrrl. vr.tr.tn rr,,r',. lrrr,l, ,rrlrt s lt lt tltc rlt'lcrrst'Inew lht' Plnys
this prestigiousdetail. Playerslove it ancl krrrg kr givc rhrtr .,r,rr.,t(\t tlr.rl tlriywclt privyk)nscriPt lhndhinrtt nd t)('
mates clues before the snap. tl,'i,l,,i,rrst w irh rlc tl u ring nn unscriPtedscrimrnage Onninc
()r pass-
We communicateabout three types of stances: n<',I rlr\, l'l,rys,()ur def(rnsccorrcctlycallcd run
Irll,||,r\, lirri r'tnnecstoday can reveal
lirx stanecs a lot to lineback
linebackr'rs wllr
. Run stance: Thisbody positioni5 r) piticJ bv h.rvinAwilghl ',,r', f()r lin('
l.tri,lt ,r'rriI'r observantlt is, howevet more natural
wdrd,headlow,and the bacLheeloff the gr,,un.l.
l, | \ lri l..ty lincmen.Thosewho key backsor a trianglcdo nol
. Passstance:The lineman who is to passprotecthasw(,ight '
+ " rllr' , , , l | l l cc n c r g yi n t o i t
on his heels,head level higher, and litile weight on iih
nano.
r Pull stance:This can be confusedwith a passstance,tlut lf LineSplits
otherlinemenare in run stancesthi. is probablya pull. t{ rrl bcforethe cadencearethe offensiveline splits llr( (lis
, lr, I1,1
the other tipsters are in pass stances,it is probably pilf, , l".irr,r.nlinemen.ThrceorfouropPonentseachycnrwill v'rtv
other clue for a pull stanceis the lineman's depth. pullinl r ,,l,lrt'considerably dePendingon the Play TyPicnlly,rrr t)l
pounders usually must cheat back off the line of sc m $ rll ,rltertheir sPlitsin this manner:
make the trip on a pull. Any penetration can derail them n0
. llrl1! ,r r.)crimeterrun, the linemen will often tighten thcir sPlils
sit bacl oft the line to dvoid \tunhne defenses.
n,,tlr,rt ihecornerisclosertotheball.Itbngsthe defensfclosor
Our defenseusescoded words to communicate to the enti n. ,'rtl rr.rkesgetting outside them easier(seefigure 9 4)'
the information gained from stances.In 1990,we feafured two \ lrrr,l,rcker who obseNesthis tendencycould make an n(ti(rst
ture linebackers in Dana Howard and John Holecek. As a palr, t() get the defensemore widtl
had none better aL recogniting opponenLs \tancesdnd accu 'r,1't
predicting the plays. In a Big Ten conferencegame that season,
opponent ran only four base nms from a multitude of forma
When both sides of the line tipped rurL both linebackers would
"Reno," and the front dug in for an inside or outside zone play. Vt
one side wds "Reno" and the other showedpull, or ,Cobra,,,
ftont knew it was a counter,as shown in diaeram 9.3. When
sidesinformedus of pas! stan(esbv calling',pinto,"the de
prepared for pass or drav{.
That day Dana and Johr-rnot only gave us the advantage of kr
ing run or pass but also usually knew the type o{ run and its d
LionbeforeLhesnap.fiat lind oI displayrequirese\perience,
and a lot of training.
Two other examplesjump out lrom my background.A Big
centerput his ftee hand on the ground when a run was caleA
usedonly d lhree-pointstancewith pas<.It was aboutg0
consistent, and so were we that day. At Colorado, we noticed iidl,r l,,r'spLitsusualy make ortside rum more efre'tive
160.Conpl.l.
tli.ir!lli0 tlnrl lr laao[i..lil

. With an insidc rur),il ir )nrrrr'|llor tlr|r,tt( r\rvi,tllr( t0
their splits to sprcad thr clelt'|lclt'r's
l.rfllrl f .rl,,rrl. I lr|r {
natural holesbefore bbcks are cvcn ntt('nrl)l((l (\rl tlliItp
A well-taught linebackercould checkkr an()th(.flrr)nt ot'
to give added population to that big split nrcn.
l(,,.1',r(l.r.rli,,l1r'rl llr('wr (ll) \(,rr\ fir Nlil wrlh cr-(en
."1,,, 1,,',,,llr( l,,rlltlt,'l l,i rv.'s|lol .! l.r.lof in sk)Pping
l\' 1,,Irr\l ,r l(,t llr,rl (l.ry rL'otrt prcp.rring our tiefense
.l,irl,,

\,O
r , a, o
.,
o
! aD i: - )

a
h
,4-
\\ 881p gr \F< op
\^ / | .')r,.,Drot Richmond'soffensiveline splits.
-1. 82 t 83

82 is beinB exploited by large line splits on an isolation play. His help is

Many teamskeepconstantline splits.Theydon't derivethe be

of splitting but neither do they give anything away to defenscs
adjust well.
In 1980,we had a very competitivePeachBowl squad atVi
Tech. olr October 25 we played an instate rival the University
Richmond, well coached by DaI Shealy.Dal is currently the ex1
tive director at the Fellowship of Chdstian Athletes (FCA). It
always scaryfacing his offense,and that Octoberday in Ri
it was frightful.
VirginiaTechfini.hed that.ea.on leadrngthe nationin
defense.We were overwhelming favoites to beat our smallet
petitors that day.
Dal Shealy aligned with the largest line splits I have enco ;
tered in my career (seefigure 9.6). The center-guard splits
four feel and the guard-tackle splits were five to six feet. B
I l,i l,i " Dd's huge line splits widcned defensive frcnts then shredded them with
Redden, an NFL first-round chojce, ran through our va a{,r,,,!1,,umi ngattack. Wit ht heballint hem iddleof t hef ieldt het ight endswer e
defense for 233 yards. We never adjusted effectivcly. Our *r,,,,i, ll,r o1dcollesehashmdks.
 ol a pos-
t*ine LecFniqresas the specl{'c eqJilemenLs
i;:; ;;;;;i;;;;h;e in.chapt"il?j11"Yg:
Asiiscrosed
' I.rpdrtn ud ' the
,,i"ffiit". a""a"a by coachesmust accommodate
can
No linebacker the
escape nature
essential
,1.-Lniats.
r rllefllndamentals
tt,letechnlques involvealignments, keys'reactions'respon-
iii"l tiat are specificto a team s defen'
""i1otr",-"*s we willteach a varLeryor
,'r, clesign.tn the ioltowingchapters'
i,rmonlinebacker tecnnrques
r
10
GhsDror

linebacler
Iechnique
Terminolo0U

A lrrrlr,,k. r or coachshouldbeablelo re(ognize style'of Playsimi-

l t,,L'' ,,wn.1o accomplish this taskwe needa (ornmon lanBudge
[r,1,",, r rbr'the techniques.We use nambers for techniques in which
hx l'.',| r-, plry unprolectedover dt
blockers the line of scrimmaBe'
It in which a linebdcker
., ' ,,rri.ror Leihniques is ProteLted by a
" h im
Fll,,,' ' l, r. nder from the potentiaI blockerdirectlyover
l.lr||rrl)crcd teclmiques have two digits when the linebacker plays
dt rlr, ll|re of scrimmage.The first diSit re{ersto his frontside re-
11,rr'.rl,ility (seefigure10.1)

9753113579
- --) _-\
\_
.-)
.-
_/ \- __/ \_7 Ll \_/ v

,\rrr linebackeroff the line of scrimnage would have a double-

dh.'rt,. lrniquebeginningwith a J if he is respon5ibletor the tronlside
1ri"',tr.rcklegap or a 5 if a.countable for the tackle-end 8dP'
r llc. Conpl.l.tln.imlln! l|!

His secondclitit l1.rst() (lt) rvillr lrr5 l,'rkst(l( rrr(,v,'rx1rl I lrlrrlr I rl t r r l r r r r r l r r .r v r l l r" r r r l i l ' { l r l i r l sr r ' l ( ' ' l t ) i ' t ' t s i L l (l." x '
rrt li''l'k l()rthntt'rP(nly'on
the linebackeris requircclkr "lnst ilow, ' of I rrrr,(,tr.r(li(,rr,rwnv lx , |, r' , , , , r1r ' l r r r , r , r, . r r r r r r r r , r lwl l r r '
( $\ ' lr li( 't i l( 14)
him, he is giventhe seconddigit of L tlsudllyn lnst l lt'w lrrrfl nl | r 1,,,' r l l ,, w . 't {. '!
must filI an unattendedbackside8aP as in fi8u rc 10.2.

Linebacker 82 with 31

gap responsibility

The 31 techniquelinebackerhas the 3 gap with flow to him
the away 1 gap with flow away.
When the linebacker'sbacksideobligation is to shuffle wlth
particular gap responsibility away from him, he is a singl
player.His backsidedi8it,in our system,is a 2. Figure103 sh
32 techniqueplayer Other defendersare resPonsible{or all
side gaps.
scrim-
Ar ,,Il\r(lo linebackercould be resPonsibleon the line of
gap), the 7 gaP (refened to as
hdr, rt,, llt('5 8aP (tackle-tightend
ilo ,,tl,.vt,,,t ."ntiin (refened to as a 9 technique)'
lV,. rr,u nanresfor linebackertechniquesthat provide some Pro-
a nesftechnique We
!ir"r, r,,r the linebacker Figure 10.5ihows
sits in a protected crddlethatLan
fii ,, ., ",*r t,."r." tt e lineblcker
$,n .'1i",.1for wedLeror youngerplayers

Linebacker 82 with 32
tedrique in a single
gap responsibility
rr'(Jthet considerationis whether the linebackerswill Play on
135 both sides Funda-
sr' ,r,lt' (left or right) only or fliP-flop and work
ID LI o=c) r,,1"'.'Liuii it ,"
"ia"r"tage
to piay on only one side becausethen a
srdeoi tuso.ooy
It|! l'.u ier car usually takeon blockerswiLhiustone
I lhisat Williamdnd Mary'which Puta realPrelYuum on nno-
=' W' ,1r,
players leff Hosmerwas Parhcula-rly sJrongyrtn
{rr l,.il-handed
, Lr"l, rt.footedbj'e. The Williamand Mary system hdd hrn tarrng
81N ) .82
rrr,l'1,u lers with thdt cidefor four years
lU. Com!1.1.
Un.brolln0

Fof the p.rst l7 yr'.rrs,I lr.rv, llrt'll,'l,trrl otr lttrr'lt,trl.|,u

forcesthem b bc cquully cllr.livf \,vill'll,llr si(l(s ('l tlk || l rly GhaDtGllt
limitsthenumberof techniquos thdtthcy nrusllL,r|rrN'l.rrry sr'l
today featurelinebackerswho must mastcrfivt.or' rrrorr'lrr lrrrlq
We prefer teachingthem just one or two tcchniqrrt.sso t lr.rI llroy
execute with confidence and be more aware of the rr|t srr.rr,I
mation reviewed in chapter9.
32lechnilue
Now that our terminology is familiat the l1€xtchnptcrswlll
scdbein detail eachtechnique.

l,rr llrrs is a iitandard techniqueemployed by many reduction

rrr., lor their "Oklahoma" sidelinebacker(thatis, the linebacker
\ r ril lrrprotected over a guard). For me, its roots go back to the
l,l' t"r! thnt utilized a head-up nose guard playing both 1 gaPs
rrl,! | I'r Lwomirror-imagedinside linebackerswith 32 technique
ll|,,11()rrs.
llrr , r' ,r shuffle technique with flow to or away from the line-
f ,,r lt lrnsa single-gaPduty that requiresthe athleteto Play slow
tsr rlr L. lside to stoPcutbacks.

Alignment
$r,r'r., the32linebackeris assignedthe frontside3 gap artdis in no
ht,l, " .tlr lh,w awdy,we align him $ rdeovel the otten'i!e 8uard
it , , r" " t ' ,' . t o r ' ' i n ' i a e f o o t 6 v e r s t h e o u t s i d e f o o t o t t h e g u a r W
d e
F1ll, 'r .r depth of four yards off the ball.

Keys
Itr" r, '.1, in this Lechnique cdn iocussquarcl)un the Suardor
'r
L' L . \l, wrll analyzeboth in detailhere Hi' initidl'teP'dre criti-
f.l llu first step ihould ideally take him closer to the ball Any-
llrtrrll,,lsewe classifyas a falsesteP
lao. Contl.l.Lln.lrllil lllrd !0.. Ul

Reads
Guard luth
The advantagesof keying Iincmen w('rL't)fos(''rl(\l ir1( lr.rl,tr.r llu" lr.r.I'r,'rrl .r v( rv l\r|r'l.rr I'lrxI in tlrc P'tstclecdde and one
(lfill (lnily. With .r re.rch block (an outside
this techniquekeying on the guard helps th('linebncl(.f (l(.f $r,rt*, rrrrl lr, ttr.rrd
o n d d e f e n d e r t
) h el i n e -
play-actionpassand counters.Rarely does the gtrard givr. t,rli t rrl, l \ rlr, l l U r , l l ( ' A . r r r r , { r t t , J , ' P , r s i t i r r n
formation. L , r, ' . t , " r i t , ' ' , ' ' * i . l t h f i r . t . r n d t h ( n t d k e t o nl h e S u a r d i t h h i s
w
Although a staff should d 1l eight different guard pnrlrs ln fut,i, l,rrt ()ncc ho scts the base,he should squeezethe blocker
sim-
camp, mrely does a single offenseuse them all. Each guarrl tttl' tlr, l',rll insitlc. Whcn the ball Sainswidth, the linebacker
could rcpresenta variety of plays,but often they immedint('ly r,ll thc insidefoot to Pursue (see figure 11 2)'
ltt t,r.,,lx*
cate,ust one.
Let's review each.We will begin with the clea, blocks. w{
scribe them in this mainer because they are simple to und(
and respondto.

Base
We rarely see this block anymore except by some wishbone
on their counter dive plays. It is still ar exceltentblock to begin
recognition ddlls becauseit can isolate on the approach and
for the hit and shed, described in chaoter 3.
With a baseblocl the linebackershould approachthe guard
outside leverage. He should settle with the inside foot forwanl
planted. The linebacker should get pad under pad and explodl
the base with the hips, keeping the outside arm free to make a
in the 3 8ap (seefigure 11.1).
lrrtr.,llrlrnebackers aretooaggressive with LhereachblocL Thev
h.t,',.,ll\rrnl toattdckupfieldiatherthangainwidLh When thev
lrr' rr|,tr,ld, lhe linebaclersare morelikely tobe reachedand they
_,---- <:) |||hr ,.'r)ld(fthe suard with improperfootwork
Il' i. no rush:The lineba<lershouldtale on thisbig thredton
',
[t, t,.rrlls.He should be under control, Sain width to Protectthe
pi"t1lr,,.l3 gap, ard settleon a firm baseftom which the hips can

Ar' ' 'rx riencedlinebacker ald coachcanal5omdlc anotherad-

play Afterr iew-
lr.r',',r1. l he wider theguards path,the widerthe
Lr! r.,rr',rt willbecomeobviou' that the tighter the guardredchthe
r,, l'l "lv it is an inside play The linebacker should then ]ean
',
i,,u' .,n his intide loot to constrictthe hole The wider tra(L of
','
llr,,l u,rnanwill indicate a PedmeterPlay arrd quicker Pursuit by
lll lrrr,backer
The defender should immediately recognize the play as an 11r'rIrember,when using this method the linebacker does not want
rururing play We work this block only early in fall camp and hlrrrr upfield on a reachblock. II he aligns at four-yard depth and
revisit it unlessour opponentthat week usesit. cannot,
l6trs on the guard at three-yard dePth, that's ideal He
1C2'Conpl.l,
Lln.bftllnI tr l.oftnhr..til

however, losc his oLrtsi(l('.'fr" llr.'l 1, rvlry wr, ,rlrlinlrrrrrrrt
over the guard. The lineb.rckerslr0rr lr.rrrrrr',rrlr.rlrl,lrrllr by
ment afld key.
PullFrontside
This is anothercleanblock and a fun one for thc lint b.r'l,.r.rlh
get a pre-snapindication of pull from the guard's strrx L. A
ward *€ linebackertells hin that thereis no3 gap thn.,rt.rl
immediately overlap to the 5 gap and beyond.
In chapter4 we studied pursuit and pressingopcn sfrtrnl,
the pull alertsthe linebackerof an opening. He can begin I
before seeingthe running lane. What a deal! Figures ILll rrnd
show typical plays with guard-pulling schemesfrontsid(..
l\rrl,rl' l,l,rv rll lrlirrr, l! I. ll,, lrtr(lr,r(ktr(.rrrrrrnK(ntrot'rtrvo
i'l.,rl t.,,i|, |,,,.| ,xr,rrr,,i Ni,'\t Irrrswill th irrk that hc blitzed
||,tr|[,, ]|.1,tlr')irr.rrrl rvrll likt ly I't' tatrghtk) cut the linebacker
l l', r'.,1,lv1(''l,,nch,r rt.r,h tlrc defcnclerb use the machine-
. ,lr'll ,1,'i r rl\ai ir tlr('hit-.rnLlshcd drill sectionin chaPter3 (fig-
I I \ ) In1.!rr\(,lhis is n confinedarea,we teachour linebackersto
llr, 1lrr,rrtl!Nlarrvco.lchcsare shocked at this, but it is truly a
,r rlll!xl ( rrt ting the guard allows the linebackerto penetrate
lr ,r1i1lrtssivt'. I Ie forcesthe ball carrier to bounceoutside and
rl,I lr ll ls .r two-foFone trade by knocking off the fullback or
l. r,h.itrr.rrcl.
llnrkside
r" .'rr,'tlrtr block that the guard's stancernay tiP. With guard
,rr'.r' tl rl batl wilt usuallYf;llow' Rememberthat in 32technique
I rrr,.rrrsshuffle on the bickside Also recallfrom chaPter4 that
t,', lrrlllrnBlineb,rclers an) oPedng
lhe freedomto.Pre55 ,,
lil,,.r' rl'c guard's helmet pulls awat the linebacker should
r1,," | ,r"r with a shutfle,lookingfor an oPeningto Press.lt couldbe
casethe line-
{||r' I l,rlling influence traP as in figure 11.5.ln this
J t,,r 'Ju'L'ldeasilybeatthe tackle'sblock and Prcss ball canier'
the

32 technique,82

I ' f ' , r, . ll. o - h o w s t h e P o P u l a r c ( ' u n t e r P l af vye n t h o u g ht h ee n -

I t rrl' . ' ,lt re l d i s m o v i n g l o w a r dB l , h e ' h o u l d s t e Pl a t e r a l l y w i t h h i s
l l B r r r tttx)t. \r r u u r u be
| Ir cIc should
t r \ There |'v false
u E no 'sy- Now, rather than Pressing
r cr r c rsteps
flTlrt '!v
he will (ontinue
fi, r," t qapas hedid versusthe trdPin fi€ure| 1.5,
then
il d,,,rtti:tiothe op"ning outsidehis tacklein the 5 gaP,and
in figure11.6.
!tr,r' rt .rsshown
l a4. Comtl.l.llnal..lln! tl t.dulQrr.l$ 'l

1ur',,tlt lllr|l,,'.l..trrrrrrslvrll"l'.rss,p'rss"
l! lr, rrllrr'yirr,rrlrlrorvr'
t In r, l!rrt. rtr /t'rrt ilv.t,rtt "' Prt'ss(s ' r(at{v('r rn nrnn
G pull away on l'r,,1\ r\,rls,r.' slrrrrrlilxrssil,ilrtywith this 8u.rrd Iook We teach
l.i r lr,,.lrr(k( fs lt, ki.cp vision orr the guard as they rctreatin cover-
lqI Nl,',t (,1)lxnr(nts sot thcir gunrdsbriefly to.show Passandthen
r,,r'. llr.r!r l() t,lock the draw We train daily the linebacker'sreac-
{' l,, t',rssnrr(lquick-setdraw. They will leam to differentiatethe

|r rn I lorccsthe ball carrierback inside (seefigure 118) to 81'

In figure 11.2 we seea guard pull away on a passplay.Thi$

mon bootleglook hasthe whole backfieldmove initially toword
linebacker, but his key goes away. The well-trained linebackcr
will step with his left foot inside following the guard. Once hs
ognizes pass, the linebacker moves with the quarterback to thc
posite seam,descdbedin "Action Passes"in chapter6. Most
he will cover a drag route by a backside receiver.

G pull awayon

lr l'r85,we had a tumaround seasonat Colorado, going to our

hr.' l''\\ I BdmeunderBtll Mccartneyand demonstrating our first
defensein Boulder We consistently
rl,,rrrrrr,rrrt failed, however, to
drt, n(l the draw. We sought the advice of other collegeand NFL
grIu,rIs,but the best advicecameby studying our cut-uPtaPesof all
llrr,,lr,rwsfrom that season.We discovered
. tlr.rtthe pass rushershad to retracetheir stePsdirectly to the
lrn,.of sciimmagewhen they heard "draw,"
PassorDraw . llrnt thebacksidelinebackerwasunblockedfarmore ftequently
The fi{th guard picture is also easily recognizable. Frequently tlr.rnany other de{endet and
messengers \^/illcall out "pass"basedona tipster's stanceas I tlr.rtthe frontsidelinebackerhad to tum the ball back to the free
in chapter9. ,lt fcnder-
l16. Conplala
Llrataalln! u l.lhnlqu..llt

Many oPP(n)entswill .rlt( rl,l l(' r.rLt l,l.ry.r(lrxr l{r" lrlt

l oo klike run blocks.Ihis is an a llrlrrrs l. ! s k ,(s l, t \ r, rllyl, ' r c
pound lineman.EvenSuardscngngint()llx'rlr"(!)xrr (,r'l'.'ri
be softerand hiBher to be effectivcPnssProk'et()fs.
Down
The down block begins a seriesof threes/dv blocks,s() l( rrrlld
causethey initially look similar to the linebacker-Thcy nr(' rr(,1(
like the five previously described.How a coachteacheslh('sr
determinesthe confidenceof the zuard-readlinebackcr
When the guard blocks down on the noseguard, attack lhr,
3 gap with outside leverageon the blocker.Usually this is n
blocker,suchas a fultback,on the isdation play.A lincbackcr'
dorninatefullbacks.Manv Dlaversfeel satisfiedto trade on(' krf
when engaginga burly fullback. Our linebackersgra<leposll
only when they tackle the running back or force him wid('lil hr,
other de{ender A collision with the lead block derailing the h. r, ' r is a gray blockbecause,within it, is a downblock lnitially
is our goal.We seekpenetrationand desireto run through ful rt,tN,' I'l(lckslook identical.They are ftontside schemesand most
(seefigure 11.9). |,r, nls useboth. Defendersmust Prachcethesetlvo eachweek.
il* v,r'r block is, perhaps,the Pdme reasonthat coachesdeeP-
ltl tlr.ir linebackersin the 1960s.Beforethat linebackersPlayed
lrt'.rt,)thelineofsc mmage.Obviously,it was an advantage for
G doM blocl<on isolation. Si lrrul,.rckerto be closerto the fullback when de{ending the isola-
E1 ruro through m. 11.9).144ren the offensivetacklealsoblockeddo n,
$,rr 1,1.rr,(figure
{r lrrrl,acker now got blindsided.
lr r, ,rrtion, coachesset linebackersfour yards deep and empha-
at!,, I r,) the defensivetacklesthat they neededto iam the offensive
k,ll, irhen he veered inside. Now the linebackercould react for-
?
f-
*,r,1 lo lhe guard key,but when he saw the 3 gaPclosingwith those
ht,, I'rli bodiesveedng inside,he would slide outside
r r,r linebackersfind this reactionvery natural.The depth allows
rh ", r r.r,'nJnd they wouldn t Penetrdte the 3 8aPanvwal $hen
llt r .ur'it ctosing. The defensive tackles now take control of the 3
111,Il', lrnebacker i- re'pon"ible tor lhc 5 8ap,includingthequar-
L p t i o nt e r m \ { s e ei i g u r e l l . l l ) .
lirt . ' , , ' c r ' u s v e e r - b l o ( o
A do$'n block occasionallywill be accornpaniedby a lineman llr'. veer schemeis a versatilefrontside block. Teamsuse it for
ping the inside linebacker We do ,of run through linemen bul lr,r1,1,rng wider playing tacklesand as the {rontsidedesignfor Pow-
steadsettleon our baseas shown in fiqure 11.10. ..' urlcrs,andman) formsof oPlion
'|"
ttl| . Contld.Lln.lr*lnt It l.oinh|l..lll

(- )-
tackle frade 8ap duties

'\o (D tl
I r"t,'rt||'r,rt('ly,
with today'slargerand sometimes sloPPierline-
'\* I rt rr rx)t .rlwavs easvto detecta scoopfrom its frontside rela_
l tlr,,lown and veer.What do we do? Make it simple Tell line-
f r, t lr,rtwhcn in doubt always play all gray blocks as an open 3
,
t, ,ir,'i ,,tt,,(k. ll $ rong,as the defender move. fonaard and sense5
.t..,tt *.,t. h" c.:n .hutfle bacL.ide.Thafs the beauty of 12tech-
'
Scoop rr' l l[n' is no rush with flow away.
The final gray block also has the guard engaging the nose lr. ir'v|rse is not true. The adiete cannot shuffle backsideon a
but rather than being a frontside block, this is a favodte bi lr rr ,,r vrr:r block. He will be out of Positionto play the isolation
pattem. The guard and center attempt to work together to pln |lr, ll ()) or a veer scheme(figure 11.11)with false stePsinside.
nose and linebacker away from the play (seefigure 11.12). ,r,,' * lr,.rrin doubt the linebacker shouldplal all grayblor|s as
rtri{tl( Plays.
W|r, rr tl)e center gets through to the linebackel on a scooP scheme
tr lrlirrret1.12(dottedline) how doesthe shuffling backsideline-
,.-'-'=. rl, r rrrrct?He establishes his hit-and-shedbasewith his nearfoot
I
r! I x , rcntet and staysbehind the ball for cutback.Nearly a quarter
F i l.'tra hniquelinebacker'stackleswill comePlayingoff a center's
to crossthe center'sface A line-
'1, I l(' will be severelytempted
---4"-'\
a-
l,.r , ,rndo that onlv when there is no threat of cutback.
ll,.rrn,nrber backto chapter4 when we statedthat the longestrun-
O fliD ilr'ti t,l ,yr bredl behindthe bacl.ide bnebackers. No Placeis our
< \..
T .-N lr{t' t;\ lo preventthaLmoreevidenLthanhdvin8Lhe32 technique
:
/r\b
|r,,tu' t rr shufile behind a scoopblock. He must stay behind the ball.
rtt
k Reads
I tr lwo teclmique can be used successfullywith the linebacker
_ Quite often the guard will narrow his split so he can get clc rlrrli the backfield.The coachmust choosea consistentback or
the nose guard and get his helmet betwein the ba a;d the | , t,r key in eachbackfield set.For simPlicity we will use only
Ideally, the linebacker will see that the guard's helmet is flat h I l,'fmation in this presentation.
partiallyhiddenfrom his view lf it werea down or veerblock ll,x k fcads are used becausethey are simple.A linebackerin 32
linebackercould plainlyseethe guard'shelmetas shown in h |rr.lue needsto know quickly if the Play is a frontsiderury back-
11,.13.The guard would normally split wider with a down or . rrn, or pass.When coachinga defensiveschemewith many
scneme,too. ll|riquesto master,a coachusually finds back keys attractive
lto . C!m!1.1.
l,lnrl llnl It l"inh{"r71 lt

IJ c l o w .rrt | r.rrl l l ' l t s (r' l i 1,,t(\' l | l (l rl t.v\l l | l ,, l'.rrI lr|1,| .rrlr0rr r r r r' r5 'rrrtltl,( .] u.'P rs rl(,sc(l
line b a c k c r w i l l l (x (' s (' rr th (. t, ri l l ,.' ( k i " tl r(, I k. llr, lrrl, lrr,l, r ,;l,o,rltlslrtlt orrtsitle to the 5
ll. | , t , \ ! lr , r , ,1rr,rrtl11r.rr k ,'1'trorrrlsponsiLrility (see figure
Tailback
Inside f
lr,I
When the tailback takes an inside pntlr nt thc lrnt h.rt.kr.r,th,
backerwill attack the 3 gap while reirclingthe t'ltxLirli sr1
the run. Usuatlt this is an isolationplay as sltrwrrin tigrrroI

81. Lineba.kel
ai"
attacks the i$lation.
/1r
t\
l-. \
!ca
N \I
B1

Thelinebacker'sreactionshouldbeexactlylikethaton thc
down block in figure 11.9. rcl Away
Tailback
0utside I ll,,w .rway,the linebackershould shuffletoi'{ardthe f1ow,stay-
When the tailback's path is wide, the linebacker shuffles fro l" ll||l.l the batl for the cutback.In 32 technique,teammatesde-
checkingthe open 3 gap for anotherback's threat.He shoultl I lUllr I gaps(seefigure11.17).
the outsidearm freeby maintaining outsideleverageon allblr
(seefigure 11.15).

82 shuffles, che€king
the 3 gaP.

i
5\=-,
N \T

B'9
r lt2 ' Comnl.l.l.ln.ir0llnC

Tailback
Pass
When the tailbackshows p.rsst'krking i,r rrrs.' lr,r\sr(,rrtr,
Types
32Technique
lrl.!hnhu..ltl

linebackerrespondswith his man or zont.cr)vf'r8( (lrlics
32Responsibilities
W1retherkeying a guard or a back, the responsibilitillsir) t[ilr I
nique are identical.The linebackeris responsiblefor the inrrlr\ll
J gapand thenplayin8incide-outon theball with fluw t,, l'r'll.
option to the linebacket he must check the dive when th(' :l F{p
open.When the gap is close4 he should slide outside and fl,ry
quarterback-to-pitciphases.With flow away,he shoulclshrrlllp
side-out on the ball checkins for cutbacki.
l l,, i,a ll|l|(trl((\ll|irl s ( \l! ri( rr(r'(rvhcnthe dcfcncierusesguard
l, r .t.rrr,ltlistiplincwith ll()wnw.ry.It doesnot demandsPeedbe-
,.,,',,,t thr'l..rcksiclc cluties.Ilarely do rookiesplay helebecauseof
rl,' r r( it t.rkesto learnhow to resPondsoundty to the eight guard
t,,rl, lt i- .r Ihrnkingman'. Po5itionPlayersperformit bestwhen
ir r' rrrrrt'clwith few other techniques.My best linebackersat this
t, , lrrrr,lrrehave rangedIrom si\-one to six-fow in height from 206
;,,rrrr,lsto 235 in weight tuom 4 7 to 5.1 in sPee4 and frcm 4-3 to
i ,, rrr thc jingle jangie.All were bright, dynanic leaderswith an
rrt,.lr,rldriveto be greatPe ormers.

Adjustments
Thekey cajl vary from teamto team.The truestkey is th('grl
but back readshave their place.
Against big line splits to the linebacker the linebackersho
walk up tighter on the guard, anticipating an inside pl,ry,
check to a penetrating charge by a de{ender in the 3 gap.
When faced with small splits, anticipate an outside play
deepenthe linebackerand widen him to the gap.
. Anytime the nose guard widens his alignment or stunts lO
wider alignment, play the Jinebackerin a wide 32 technl
with the same guard or back reads as he had in 32 tech
(seefigure 11.18)

82 widem to the G-T

rOr 3
O ID CD
Nl

81
I
82
 GhoDrct12

31Technique

t,, ,, in the professionwould not nohce the differcncebe-

",,'nv
Irr,,.r, | | tcchniqueand 32 techniquebeforethe snaP It would take
h|tr lr(lv to determinethe subtle variation betweenthe two
Ilr, lrr;ntsideresponsibititiesare identical but the backsideobli-
(annotlrvor
r{rr. |, | [\ ! 'l\ c( a frceAap.The3 | techniquelinebacker
dut) Hei'ond
r g a pa n J r e a c t s l o w l lt o h i i b a c k s i d e
[ t , ,r'' , r' r. r . t e
p,,'r'r tottcr baLncing himself betweentwo equal gaPresPonsibili-
llr,i li, l( r to figure 10 2
ll,' is a shuft'letechniquewith flow toward the linebackerjust
lll, t.' l('chniquebut with a scrapeto the away l gaP-o-n aPlayback-
rt,l, llris two:gap technique requires a quick read o{flow and clean

Alignment
l,,,rrrst of the balancingact betweenthe two gaps,we align the 31
ln.l ,, I pr with iusta sli;ht out5idepo<ition,'ver theoffelr5ive gudrd
ilr. ' r' r. l eI o o t : o l i l ' t h i . t a n c eo i t h i ' I i n e m a ns, o t h e J e t e n d e cr a n
Ir,||||l,rinoutsid; leverageon frontsideblocksyet crossthe guard's
l,!,.'r\ run action away.We ask the 31 techniqueto alignfouryards
. ' t, ()lf the {ootball.

Keys
llr' rsstrictly aback-readtechaiquebecauseitemploysafast-f'low
The
lrrr,t,,r'kerBickfield keysperrnit flow without muchhesitation

175
lta.Co !l.lr Llnd..llnl l'l l.linlqu..ltt

Sray guard blocks (n'lor t0 ( lr,'ptf' I | w'tlr tli'w,rwny nn.l llr'ln' | 1i,r1r r toscd, llrt lirrt'b.rckershould
for this style. "'.r^r Er'.'r(l
:rIr,rr, rr1',rttrll,l.'y rnsr(li' (llll ,rr thr'tr.rll. I Ic shotrld be prepared
t', nn(l If( ss t(' fith( f sicle ol thc clrsed gap (see figure
"l||rtll(
Reads |.,,,)

The frontsideback readsfor 31 techniqueare identicnl to th()$

sentedfor ba& keys for 32 linebackeri in figures 11.14,ll 15, @E o-_
ll.I o. Thereis absolutelyno difference ercepithrl th(..t2tu.hnl lll , l () J .k ' s t.t
'.'1\'\
aligns with decidedly more width beforethe sn.rp. I rl s( lur . . sup.
' t' .,rrl
With flow away,howeve4 the 31 techniquechinges radically,
stead of using a controlled shuffle, staying behind the ball at all rl
the 31 linebacker moves quickly, as though his hair were on fin..
backsidefootwork is measuredand mustbe cleanand consis
With flow away, the 31 linebacker steps laterally with his i
foot and then ffosses over with his outside foo! pointing it at th(
1 gap, for which he is responsible. This is the first time wt hr
advocated a crossover in the hea\,y-contact zone. The cross()vtt
necessaryto closs the face of the near guard as a cut-off block
figure 12.1)or the centerve$us a scoop.The 31 linebackerripl
outside shoulder through the guard oi center using the sami-r
foot as his strong base.
.As-the_linebacler scrapestoward the far I gap, he must r lllrt n the flow away is an outside thrcat, teach the linebacker to
w_hetherthe gdp is_openor closed.When the gap is aLtacledby pl| | r rr', staying inside the ball without pressing into the away 1 gap.
offense and open, the linebacker must square up and press the o I tri r Ir,rppens with toss-swe€p teams. The backside linebacker now
seamto male the play (seefigurel2.l). r rrrr,rl['y pursue (discussedin chapter4) to maintain proPer lever-
r1'.,, ,'rr the ball carrier (seefigure 12.3).

llr { trrpesiowad the

I r: not pnss
' t,l rut does
Itr il.d to the perimeter.
lt8. Conplrt.lln.hrcllnl
Whenthcbnckli(l(l.r(liorrslrorv:1',,s..tlrr, tl lrrrl',rr klr l,r|r
to his zone or man dulics u,ilhirr llrL rlrL rrrl lrrrl(lrrr)i,r ', tt
pass key on run down and dist.rnccsi:i (liflr(ull in l.r\t lL,r\,r'r
tio n - The31 de{enderis Iesslikely t o b c . rs . rrt iv ( in ( (' \ , (t n f il
the 32linebackerThe fast-flowlincbackeris obviorrsllrrrrrrr,
nerableto misdirection becausehc must movc so crrrir.klvto
his far gap and the ball may be countefing bnck 1()his tr1|n
resPonsibiliry
31Responsibilities
The linebackeris responsiblefor the immediatc3 gap ancttlrr.rrI
ing inside-outon the ball with run action toward him. With (|1
toward the linebacker,he must check the dive when th(.:l lnp
open. When the gap is closed,he should slide outside nnd (lo,{
the quarterback-to-pitchphase.With flow away, he shoultl t
the far 1 gap, then pursue inside-outon the ball carrier
Adjustments
. Keys are difficult to varybecauseline readsare so ill-suit(d
the fast flow nature of this technioue.
. Against small splits, the 31 linebacker can deepen jusl
his 32 counterpart. With huge o{fensive line splits, how
the 31 techniquehas limited abilitv to crowd the line of sc
mage becauseon flow away he must be able to scrapc ltl
backside I gap. The added width and his moving towrrd
line present him with a poor scrape angle that is kx)
zontal.
31Technique
Types
This technique requires less experiencebecauseit uses a
simplified key than a 32 linebacker does. It does need a qui
more athletic player to respond to rapidly changing back
conditions.
My most effective linebackers at this technique have been in
six-fooFonerangeand between2l0 and 225pounds.Cenerally,
have been faster and more agile than my great 32 technicians.
ll l..hnlq{..lte F
Itrlllsfor32Technique
l!,','lrtl! tw{) l(\'lrrr(lrt s, 1| .|lrd :12,.rrc cl('sclyrclated,we drill
, \ , , \ ,lrll, r( |lllV V,rrng pl.rvtr's.rrtlikc f|ns-thcy love to watch
l,,rll llr,rl lr r orrl(.s.r h.)ndicnp whon toachingthe guard read to
tr, ll',,;rr,. lrrr.lrtckers.
l\, , .,.,,ii .rll rrr'livr'lrr,rlJrill. with tLrard ke)- without d
lr, l,I lV( .rlign nn inside linebackerwith a stand-innoseguard
,1,t,rrrv.t.rtkle flankinS; him, as shownin figure12.4.
I l\,, .,\ olo onchof the eight baseguard paths,and the line-
l'.r | , | |l rrst ro.rctcorectly.Any scoopor pull away must force
lr rttlr'tlnckside,but we neverconsiderit perfectunlessthe
'
rtl,l, l, lJ(sses the first oPeningPast the nose guard. We do
tl,r ,lrll Ll.rilyin camp and use it to begineachhard work
1,.,,tr(, (luringgameweek.Itisthemostessential technique
,lrrll s r' tlo for a linebacker'sconfidence.We hain all move-
r,, r| $ ithout the benefit or distractionof a backfield.When
rrr,l,'rrl,t,thc linebackeral?raysbelieveshis guard key.
I llr'. rr.rt progressionis 9-on-7or the inside drill in which a
,,t
' rI u nit or the varsity offenseincludesa backfield.Counter
l'l.r\ | nnd play-action passesquickly tell the coach of the
lr r,.l',rcker's trustin his key.
I' r,..l u ique,81
lfrillsfor31Technique
,t r'' lrniquedrill varie. .ignr ficanl ly. Now the empha:i.:hift.
rr I r,11
stcpsbasedon a chosenbackfieldkey.The keyswill change
l'rl\ !\,ith eachbackfield type, and the drill must work all back
r,ir'. I ine spacingis vital to permitting 31 linebackersto visual-
llx l| lwin gap responsibilities.
ll0. C.nFl.l.tln.i..llnl

l. DeainethcHnpswilh.r sl.rlrorl.r'vs(.vrr rr.rr sl(\1,r,(,v',1l

ded posts cementcd in th(. groun(1,of iust v r',.rr. orrr.rll
nances do not permit more hvish cqrri|rrr|nl ljigrrm I
showsa seven-man sleddrillingarcnwith n t)nll (,vo'lltf
ter so the linebackerscanhave propcr clcpth.Corrcsrrr.rrl
positionsof defensivelinemenso thc 31 tcchni<lut.carr
nize his gap duties.
51and52
The coachsimulatesthe backfield setsand prths. I l0
seethe linebacker'seyesand initial steps.A pair of l.rst"
playerscan worl thisdrill Logether, like Bl anJ 82 in I
12.5.They immediately resetand do a repetition in qui(l
Techniques
der. The coachcan rearange the coneseasilyfor ncw f
and different assignments.Add scout linemen to simu lit lc
ticularblocks the linebackersmust respondto with flst-
assignments.

Bl and 82 Pspond to , ',rr,rl,rritiesbetween the techniquesdesc bed in this chaPter

assigned gaps on the I rlx l I xnd 32 techniquesdiscussedPreviouslyare striking lt is
coaches' flow 82 is the rl,,rrioside and out;ide linebackeri sharethe same methods,
31 technique lineba.ker '!ur"r' ! '! "! '! ' l.,tlr rrrsideand outsidelinebackersfrequentlyusethe 51aIld 52
I ,'l]'l:l);iuuto""r"n ,neheadcoachat virginiaTech,introduced
t,,tlr, cagledefenie when I joined his staff.His schernerequired
l' rr.r,l, linebackerto plav over a tackle to the reduced side (see
, l.l l)- This was very customaryin an eaglePackage

2. Just as in 32 technique, the next progression for the 3l Il

t1.,\,"rl r 51 technique
backer is the 9-on-7 drill. Now an offense {rom tieht end 531
tight end runs plays. This progression cornbines keys (D-O tr
blocking schemesin a crifical test of the linebackers' r =N
standing of the concepts. ;,

"r'r/
31
'112.Conrpl.l.
Llnri..lln0 lll mill2l.chnlqn . |ll

llx l :l (l( hrr5r, ir ,\l rltl'(|1,l|rll lli, trt'h

Inthe lt)(.10s, ti.,, | | | ! , .\ .rr| | | ' Ir' i I tlrr., ,lr L ot 1'l,rr llr, l r|1,.rIkt'rhas a
' '
backers,partictrldrlyt() tlr(.litl't (,'rrl!r(t(, l'l,r!'\l ,r ti\ lr l'l d 11r1',lrrl,,..r|l,] l\'rllr ll0r',rr',rv lr'|lr('r,(s rvith()Lrtn sPecific
Bill Dooley's eagle linob.rckff (srr liturl l.l l)
tsr"
Illnmont
lh, lri, lrr, l( r .'l'gnsrvith his insidefoot coveringthe outside
l!,',,1 r1,,.,,tt(|lsiv( t.rcklc.rtdepthof four yardsoffthe ball.
in the 4-3.
531 1 35 lrr
(D-C} tra) Cl t , I i'x 1,.',1, r., i|l this tcchniquecan read the tacklethey a1i8nover or
T= N T 1 rrl,,,, r1 l,,rck.tl(rthkeys are sound,but just as we found in 32
F'l'r",1,r,,llx lirrt'kcy is generallyrnoredependableon counters
;n,l 1'1.rt,rlion passcs. Vercustackletrap teams,this canbe a Par-
.8")
B1 ltrrl Irl\ , ll( rlive rcad.

Quite often reduction fronts will kick both tacklesdown ovdt

hotle Reads
offensiveguards,making an inside linebackerliable for thr. I ll,r lIr, lrrLkcrcan use the guard readsdetailedin chaPter11to
(seefigure 13.3). t.\ r1,,.,'ll( nsivetackle.Generally,the tackleis not quitc as ath
Fl r,., tl,i guardson runblocks.Hefears the linebacker'ssPeed
tll ,l rr.rr( r'verability. This can be an excellent matchuP lor line-
7 531
h
83 is assigned the llu t r,lle's possibleblocking paths are shown in figure 13.4.The
5 gap with action CD O(D |nO C; h! | ,.! 1",f's reaction-sare the sameas they were in 32technique.These
B1 T NT ht ,' t," l r ri(luesarc intenchangeable.Only the alignment differs, so us-
hfi tl,,-i trvo techniquesin the sameschemeis efficientteaching.
+83
T

The above illustrations are a few examplesof both insirlc

outside linebackershaving 5 gap obligations.For the insidt'
backerwho has already mastered31 or 32 technique,the tra
can be comfortable.The backsideresponsibilitiescan vary jutl
they do with a de{ender playing over a guard. The second
digit may indicate a fast-flow style to another gap (1) or a cau
shuffling movement with no gap obligation on action away (2),

52Technique ll1 rt'viewing the guard-readsectionof chapter 11,the coachor

Itr,l, r, ker will clearly understandthe 52 techniqueresPonsesto a
This double-digit descdption is used when a linebackerhas k' I l, 'Ihose new to the 52 conceptask most frequently about the
gap when flow is toward him and is slow with action away, rr,rr l'lock. A tight end is now required,and he blocks down with
laa. CofiDl.l.Lln.i..lln! !t rnd!2l.ci|llqui|'llt

the t.rckl('(s(\'ligtrc l.l ',) l tl s srtl|.'l',' , l !l,,rr l',r ll.,al,rrtr tr.rtcd for stronBin
lr.r .rlrr'.rtlvlrtrr lnoclirl clou n or corrccrr
ward toward his 5 t.rp r(.spor)sill,lityWlr. l'f l'r,ls tlx.tr[l't r, , , , , rt, l , r y .
coming down and seeshis ti'lkrw riclt nsivf or'(l ( k,s, !vrll' l't t,
. \\,rl, srrrnlllinc splits,thc Iinebacker
shoulddeepenand wideo
slides outside to the alley.
,,,tr il'.rtingn p{rrimctcrplay.
. lr l,,rsssitu.rtionsorwhenprc-snapinforrnation indicatesPass,
\\,. ,,ll( n instruct the 52 linebackerto walk up on the line of
Veer block by the OT ., r rrrrnragcand engagethe tacklebeforcdroPPinginto his cov-
ONC) ( D
md TE forces the 52
Ni (2' . ,.r,,r1. lhis can slow the offensivetacklefrom fteeing uP to helP
1,,,.'didcentguard (seefigure 13.6).Linebacker83 in fiSure 13.6
,1., needskr walk up and btitz occasionallyto make the tackle
'
l,,rrrr his presence.

Ve$us the option, the 52 techniquetakeswhat shows in hii

When the tackle blocks dowo the linebacker must be rendy
squeezethe dive. With a tacklereachor eer,the 52 linebdck(.tw
1I
ens for quarterback.
',

OO O
3 :-1r
n
BackReads t
B1 T N
Fifty-two technique is easily adaptable to a backfield key. A1
review this sectionin chapter 11with 32 technique.They art'i
-&\ " a\
82
tical.

52Responsibilities
The linebackeris responsiblefor the immediate 5 gap whcn lt
open. He then plays inside-out on the ball. Versus optior; he mt
play the dive with an open5 gap.When the gap is closed,he shr
slide outside to the alley and play the quarterback-to-pitch
With flow away, he should shuffle inside-out on the balL chec
for cutbacks.
Adjustments
. The key can vary from seriesto sedesifnecessary The tackla
truer, but the backfield kev is simpler to leam.
r Adjustments to line splits do vary from a 32 technique.
large splits, the 52 linebackershould align tighter to the
but we do not have him make a check to a penetrating ch
as suggestedfor the 32 defender This is becausethe
12Technique
Types
llr . t{,(hniqueis uniquebecauseboth insideand outsidelinebackers
r..rr Irequently.Usually, it is a vadation for the inside linebacker
! l. I'ccausethe readsare so similar to 32 technique,the transition
r. ' .r,!. Someinside linebackersfeel uncomfortable,howevet if the
l,l," l,rnli schemesforce them routinely into the alley or 7 gaP.
| ,,f the outside linebacker,this is often a basetechnique.Gener-
,rll r. , utside linebackers are faster than their inside counterParts and
'
r,rtewith more easein the open spacesof the alley.
',1"
51Technique
llrr.,Llouble-digittechniqueis used when a Iinebackerhas the 5
iil' lrontside and runs becauseof a second hole resPonsibility
,,r llrcbackside.The eagledefense,so popular in the 1970s,assigned
r lll.Comtl.l. Llnri..lln0 ll.nd Itl..inlq!... llt

two lincbnckrrsto thru g.rl,sr lrl' 1 in g ll' L ' l

cousin the 3l tcchniilrrc. l(evi('w rrorv liltl|r, l l.l ,,l|lrr'r lrl
chapter. When flow movcs t('w.rrd thr' 5l lirllr1,.r, L, r, rl rr a
ftom the 31 playet so he runs brcksidennd thc |].'p l.'rllrr.hl
the ball is left vacant.This is a conccptconrnrorrkr |lr,r|lyrir
sive packages.
The 31-51relationshipis just as closeas thc 32-52.offt l,rllfltt,
the eagledefense(figure 13.1),thosetechniquescnnbc rrs((| t(
'$.,1
and linebackercoachcan drill them efficientlv In tht',1 3 sr'hr,rt
51 techniquecan also be used as shown in figure 13.2.Now tltt
linebackerworks in conjunction with a middle lineb;rcko, lltl
has the same duties.

Alignment
The 51 linebackeraligns with his inside foot splitting tho st.rnlt hl l , rL,1\,, l, , nr ,82nusikeepout sidelever ageont heO Tf or opt ionor bounce'
the offensive tackle. He is tighter than the 52 technique becrur|
must crossthe tackle's{aceon actionaway.We ask the51 lin('l
to be at leastfour yards deep. lrmh
fl1, , | ,l, lcnder shufflesfor width to maintain outside leverageon
Keys ll. i,r l.le.Just before contac! he setshis basewith his inside foot
The linebacker initially keys backfield action for flow atrl r,l r'(zcs the tackle versusan inside play or pushesoff the in-
l r' l, I n in pursuit on a perimeterrun (seefigure 13.8).
Reads
With flow to the linebacker, he should approach the 5 gap, re.t
lhe blockingrchemein front of him. He shouldstay squdrekr
line of scrimmageand take on all inside blockerswith his i
foot. He should not penetratethe 5 gap but instead seftle on his
The 51 technique needs to stay in the 5 hole even when
backfield action is all inside him. He cannot cross the offen
tackle'sfacewith flow to the 3 gap-He has quarterbackto pitch
all options off thoseinside fakes(seefigure 13.7).
The 51 linebackeris unique becausewith action to him, he
the tackle'sfrontsideblocks.With flow away,he runs iust like
technique defender.
Let's look at the ftontside block reactionsin 51 technique:
Base hwn
Figure 13.7 illustrates a base block reaction. The linebacker Itttlr ,r.tion to the linebackerand the tackle down block, the de-
proacheswith outside leverageand setshis baseon his inside lnr,l,,rshouldapproachthe 5 gap and then squeezethe double team
with his outside arm free in the 5 gap. |,ttlr lris inside foot up and hips square.He must be prepared to
'lll. Coirpl.l.tln.b..llno ti.|l,It l.!inlQ!... lal

take on any insidr bl(x ks willr Iris nr,.rrl(x'1,,r l.'( kl', ll'r'
to the double team (scc figult. l:1.(l).

81 will approach and 1_

-._

n ()
down block. \,!ith 4-3
Sam linebackers, ihe

tr1)
to.
t
B1
hrr
llrt" - lrt nre was a {avorite of Nebraska'sTom Osbornf wlrrr wt'
frr,.l lrrrnat Colorado.He lovedto give the ball to his lrrlll'.rr k oll
lhr' lr,lly play with this block. The linebackermust follow lris r(',rl
The 4.'3defenseshave developed the rrorg shouldercono)ll rr"l1",,sron.
'
the 5l lechniquelinebacker and haveachievedout5tandrng I lr,\!tr)lrimsrartsthedefenderforward.Readingthetlcklt'tlr'wrr
We will look at this concept again when discussing 7 and 9 Fr|llr rrs nction to him. As he approaches,he feelsthe cnd (k)srrrll
nique outside linebackersin chapter 17.Referto figure l7.li in 0||, ', lirp with the tight end so he slides to the 7 gaP or irll('y (rl\'
chapter. f is rrl I l . l 1 ) .
Now the5l linebacker,upon recognitionofa downblock, filh
hole with penehation and attacksthe lead blocker with his
shoulder,or wrong arm. The intent is to closethe inside passn${ O-_
the ball carrier immediatelv and to spill him outside to def(
who can run him down. In figure 13.9,81 would go inside tht
back (dotted line) and bounce the runner to the end and safcty
fending the perimeter 82 will often overlap inside-out pursuinf,
the same play.
Fold c) fl
This was once a very popular method of blocking to the red
defensive tackle. In 51 technique dre linebacker approaches
squeezesjust as he did versus tlle down block. As the guard B1
aroun4 the defendermust sethis baseand explodehis hips to
stdct fie hole (seefigure 13.10).
At Virginia Tecb Ash]ey Lee, our 182-poundfreshman51 lvrlh flow away the linebackerfitls the near 1 gap when oPenln(l
backer,saw the foldblockoften- It led our staffto develop the all,r kfd. If there is no threat to that 8ap he continuesto pursue in-
lechniouethat we will discussin (haDter14. .lrlt,thefootball (seefigure 13.12).
ItO.Co rl.l.tln.b..lln! ll rndl, I..inliui. . lel

51Besponsibilities . tr l')80,thc undersizedAshley Lee startedfor Virginia Techas

This is perhapsthe most challengingtechniquethat I ev('r h
coach.It is a 2 gap obligation with a backfield read for flow (h
frontside, however, the linebackerhad to recognizeat l('nil
frontsideblocking pattems.V\tth action away the 51 linebr
cused on open and closed gaps.All thesethings happen very 11
and it takesan outstandins athleteto make it work. The lin
is responsiblefor the immediate5 gap with action to him. With
direction away, the defender is rcsponsible for the near l g,lF
then inside-out on the football.
.' 'l technique.Ashley was quick as a hiccup and made many
1'l,r!s,but he had difficulty with the ftontsideblocking schemes
rrrtlrt.5 gap due to his inexperience.
lv, .rdjustedwith a "Falcon" call.TheF in falcon was to remind
,\rlrlt'y that on all frontsideactiorythe end had the 5 gap. Now
lr,. rrrnto the alley on flow to him and ran to the near 1 gap on
ll,'!v .rway.lt eliminated the line reading and taking on all the
lr,wcrful5 gap blocks (seefigure 13.14).

Adiustments hr" l .rl conhasno 5

. When playing against a quick tackle, the linebacker sh
deepenhis atignmentand play more head up.
a''
. When an offensive tackle runs the linebacker past the 1 gnp,
probably becausehe is breaking down rather than prcl
7
through the open 1 gap.
. When ar-roffensive tackle takes a big split and then runs a
(D 5 a--)3 (D_tr
1\ - ?1
O
course to cut off the linebacker, have him play back door \e r = N
-\
squashthe tackle'sbody parallel to the line of scrimmagc. \.'
lineman has little power with his shoulders turned to the ...81...
line (seefigure 13.13).
ll2. Conpl.l.Un.b&lli!
Whon thc rcderctiorw.rs sfl l(, llr( sl)lit ( n(l srrl', w(.( n,r
compressingthc outsiclclincLr.rckcr (,v( f tlr( t.'r kli ,r'xl litv
him 5 gap responsibility.This pr'ohrct('ci
th( rrrlrrcrrl lirrr.tr,rr,
He wasnow off the linewithout a arccgnp irrlrorrl()l hinl
becameour first named,rather than nunlbcft (1,t(\.hni(l !
'.
calledit res, techniquebecausethe lincbnckorwas pft't( ( t(.{1,
ifin a nest (seefigure 13.15).
83 keys ihe back for action. He is protected in th. nesr and can run to rhc rll.'t
51TeDhnique
lypes
Becausetheselinebackerscan be shelteredsomewhat.thev do
haveto be the bestat taling on blockers.lhey do needn ondr'
movement skills, particularly when put in the alley. They neecl
qu icknessto crossthe faceof linemen based on backfield flow
and agility arerequiredbecausethey oftenplay in the alle, runnl
down perimeterplays and avoiding cut blocksby backsand pu I
linemen.When protecLed, 5izeis not a 5irongprerequi5ite.
GhoDlol l4
Haw[Iechnique
llrr'.r. .r classictechniquethat the defensivestaffat Virgirri.'lillr
I r,.,rt,1l.rtter
the 1979season. Thistechniqueformedthcconrtr*t0rrr'
tlrr,\'r_onsecutive top-10defenses and th(tI I,rr(
in Blacksburg | llrr'
',1
t.rrrr,l,rtion {or the outstandingdefensiveunits at Color.rdo,rrr,l lllt
rr,r' |lr the'80s ard'90s, respectively.
I l( first mention I have of lazot in my recordsis from tl)r wirtk l
l'lli,rving the 1979season.We introduced it on the field lrn Al't il 'r.
l,rrllI lt may have odginatedelsewherebeforethat,but w(' lnslru)lr(\|
rl r r,lr.Dendentlvthat wintex
lIll Dooleyhad brought the eaglepackagewith him fronr Norllr
|,'rr,lrnain 1978.Itformed ourbaseuntil we conceivedhnwL.Srrxl
tlu. l')80season,the hawk front has dominatedour gamc pl.rrrs.rrt,I
h,r',1'( comesynonymouswith the defensivephilosophy of thost 0rr
,,rl ,lcfensivestaffsfor nearly two decades.
lrhlt is the differencebetween the hawk and eagle fronts? Ilr('
tr,,rl four were nearly identicaLbut the linebackerconcePtsw( 11'
,lr,'rmilar.The eaelefeaturedtwo inside linebackerswho wcr' ,rs
rr1;rlcdto three gaps.They always voided the spacefarthcst ftrnrl
tlr I'all. Each linebackerhad two holes to defend-The hawk lirrc
lrr, kcrswere 1 gap players.We permitted them to pay more .)tlol
lr,,rrto that particular gap and didn't forcethem to make hasty df( i
'r,,rs basedonlv on backfield action.
lhe eagle seven-manfront had to defend the potential of t'iglrl
[rl's as shown in figure 14.1.The alleys(7 Saps)to both sidesw..ll
tlx .lutv of someonein the forcine unit.
193
 lea. C!rrl.l. Lln.i$llnl llnrl Illm||w. lF

Allgnment
'l
7 3 l,.rr'l. lrrrrtr,rrk r .rlrlirr',tlrr, L lo four yards decp hc witlcr
O LI (-) (D (|) . nt, r \t,lrl. rlr, lr)ilrr,r the h.rwk linebarLer sh"ulti
",, ',,j ' lo the ba-ll
B1 N ,i.,", r,,',,* tr ti,, ,t, r, r',t, r -h,'uld ddvdn(e closer
informationthat indicatesinside
ar,1t, r,l, rreicsor prc_snaP
82 B3
ll" l'.'r t , ,'n v.rr\ the width of hrs alignmentquite a bit We
to fhc
rr, l" " ' . * lr"rc liom :tacled behindhis detensivetaclle
The alleysare defendedby 81 and M. The six interior gapsan .tef.!!1,lt hy ",r gap (seefigure14.3).
five players in eagle.
,11,,'l lris I

The hawk defensewas aided by an overshifted cov(,r,I,{oI

brought a safetysix to eight yards deepinside a tight end. Wirrrrt i l ' , 1,,,'t l, Nba. ket ft a- )
tight end blocked,the saJetydefendedone alley.ihis permitkd l l , ,,, \', '! lhe
front to slide the reducedlinebacker(B2) inside as well as thr
side linebacker(B1).Now the seven-manfront defendedonly
gaps as shown in figure 14.2.
i- |.
;:-u-";:;,

ll, ",t ,,i.rchesin this schemedo not o{ten enough use this align_
75 57 r'l ll..rl.rtitv.A well-trainedhawk linebatler Inows formrti(trr
(D C} C) ul, " .. for eramPle,when the tight end i5 lrontside75 P(rc(nl
?O
/8 1 T
' "
th,.trrr)(in the running game,the hawk should usethat flex
ibili ty
r,'rvardthe tight eid. When run is away,hebenefits consi(l-
"tr,l,
82 B3 ,lr l'\' aligning closerto the center.
's
The alleys are defended by the safety and 84. The six interior gaps a'e de
by six players in hawk.
Keys
ll,r | , varicswith the ottensemorethdnany olher technique'i's
' l had n1r'
BZ in figure 14.2,becameMr. Inside.He not only had an in ,.," ,., ,t'ur fdr In I980,we readonly bdckfieldaction
l"eyI inum'n
gap to him but alsobecamea real thorn in the side ot the trt Ll, ' l' l' lievedthat linebaclerscould not effe(tively
with flow away. 82 aligns so far inside that it becomesdifficult l n t h e e d r l vl a l t l ) '
; 1 , ," lr! \ \ / e r e ( o v e r e d b y a d e f e n s i v e l i n e m a n
stop his pursuit backside.This was all possibledue to coverage ;{r'r' I ol,i\- causedour-hawl linebackermdn) false steps ()nt'
justments made by our superb secondary coacll Steve Berns q,,"'1 ,r'"eiperimentetiwith Suardreadsand have u'ed themt \-
who spent 12 years with me perfecting the support from our hr, r!r'lvcver since
ondary. ll.,,v( is a named techrique becausethe linebackeris initially
who alwa)s Pldyto\ er theAu'rr'l
A coachuseshawk when he wants to take away the inside F',.r,.t, d by the defensivetackle
ning attack.It is an aggressive,attackingstyle of play. f,' llu I'lwk linebacker's side
 Hr|| l..inl|0a . llt
7 lL. Co|ntldrl,lr.l..Iil

Guard
Reads
g a p ,h t r g
Mr. lnside respondsby prt'ssirrgtlrt irrrrlltrli.rt(.] g.rli l|L.rnr f h rl, rlr' lirr ' r r ,Il ' , ' l l t ( , l r ' r r r ,l l x l ' r x b . ' (k t f ' r t L r c k st h c 3
path he recognizesthat all thrcats.rrc in thc I g.rp. Witlr ('w I . , , 1 . " "r l " r , r ,I t , ' . . t , . * ' l l ' l , nI r l ' r r w ' l l P u t t l \ ' l i n c b d ( l e ro n
t u li
he shufflesand pressesthe first open scam.lt is th(.fcl(,f(,.rI rrl ,,,,1
rr r,l ' ,"
l r lr".r,1, li' llx
t , , lllr tt,
' l Irrtlr lll" Lr.rll
lr . 'll
pressand backsideshuffle style of play. l!, 1',rrr,ry,rl tlx [,](l L'lockvcrsus the eagle defensein chapter
Hawk requires the tinebackerto master only fiv(, bnsic ,+|nrrl t.r,|,l, i r ihai it.rsn PoPularschemein theearly1980s, when our
as opposedto eight when Lel rng guard in the (('mfl,. l| tn bgr',r,rl,rlrsl.rll wastixPcrimenting with hawk.WeJoundtheevo-
technique(seechapterll). Ha\ l also ha: few gra1.r'r rorrlr i ,,, r,,,rrr, .rglc tt, hawi was a real benefit to smaller linebackers
reads.Thereare two frontsiderun patterns,twobacksirle,itnd .r,,irrr1i
llrt hrld block(seefigure14.5).
Soundssimple.Let's take a look at thern.

Hal0n
When the guard puts his helmet within the cylinder of thf
fensive tackle's body, the linebacker should start toward
gap and read the near back's path. He should take the fu
away. If there is any doubt he should press the 3 gap,r
sively (seefigure 14.4).

itz (:_

I
IAtl Or
,f\
_
l.ir, '
lr.ker B l faceslold from the outside. Hawk 82 attacks inside ihe fold

|.,lil, linebacker81 faceda guard running on-histrack alrd kick-

\3
Elb N (D .O
a7
Iu ,,(rr tt L Hawk linebacker82 pressedinside the guard, who
i, ,,,lt",t atrdeet his shoulderstumed to block on 82. We found
had
this

'! B1 ezt
h,t" ., rrurh irore awkwardpathfor lhe guard.Haw-Lredction
h"' ,. I rln.bdlloutsideto dn overshifted
d]so
(o\ erdBeratherthal glvlnB
ll ,' ' lr,rrrccto run inside the linebacker
l{rtlr [uard pull to the linebackerand no Insideth-reatthe line'
81 md 82 facehat-on blocks.
h.'t, I beginsio p."ss Lh" 3 gap and Lhenallevs,finding the iir5t
l.\ rl\ to fill (seefigure 14 6).
LinebackerBl beginsto pressthe 3 gap and rccognizesa thr
the 1_gap. He naturally reactsback to the isolation.82 pressee hoop
and hugs the double team to tackle the fullback when he is wln l the cuard showsscoop,lhe linebaclershouldshuffleback-
the ball. x,l, 1..'li;B for a plate to press(seetigure 14.7).fiis is a huge
 N.rl lalinlq!. . l$
7 lla. Codtl.hUi.lraltnl

.rdvnnl.r8('l(,rtlr(,lr.rwl \vst( r A i'r'1,,i lx,||rr.\lll' t,t rx.vrrt

off a linebackcr'.rligrc<linsrrk lrirrr,r'\l)i\ r.,ltr'!vll.n t",,rr.,t !@E
the hawk defensiveLrcklc.l his playcr ( {}rList(rrtly nr.rk,
ve$us scoop offenses. ')1ust

Cu, r d p u l l .w e e p 8 l p rc \.p . d ' e r g d p.drenadj u.t- w i rh sdrh

by a scoop8uard. This L p<<-)

is fundamental to the
i \-Gr l*'
GualdPullAway
With guard pull away, we teach the linebacker simply to shufflc
press the first open gap. Now the line must block 6aik, and urr,
the ftontside tackle is responsible for the hawk defender We
him aware of this on every pull away. The linebacker must now
prepared to read the offensive tackle's block and fill the oDen
{ figure14.8)or go topsidetheoifencivetackletfiguret4.ol.
Cuardpull awayofLenindicdte.bootlegpass.Thelineba(ket
gins shadowing the guard. When he rccognizespass he
tl', r,rrle. Against bootleg he should oPen to the oPPositehook,
rrr,l lr, should run with any dra& just as the 32 techniquedid in
lt r. , r, l l. 7 .
hrr orDraw
Wrtlrlirrardpassprotection,the linebackeryells "Pass" and opens
Irt,lrrl'sto his key receiveror movesforward in man coverage.Draw
k ,rl,,' n strong possibility.Most oflenseschooseto run the draw
\,r! lrom the protectedhawk linebacker.When the offenseruns
h,rr.,rrd the hawk linebacket a lead back usually engageshim, not a
llr,1,r,)n (seefigure14.10).

200. Com0l.l.Llnabaalln!
hawk,82.
Now the linebackerscreams"draw" and retraceshis st{rlrsw
sp nting to the outsideedgeof the blocker.He should alwayn
the draw inside.
BackReads
The back keys are even lesssophisticatedthan the guard rt'adr,
simply have the hawk linebackermirror his key. When in a
read, an adolescentshould be able to perform without menldl
tots.
0neGap
When the 1 gap is attacked,the linebackershould attackit
keep his outside arm frce (seefigure 14.11).
Bl attacks1 gap.
IF
H l laainl$..201
lir!d Gsp
I t |, , rrt lr, ' 1 11 ro1r' t ! r ( l ( r r \ , r l l . r ( k t \ |l,l x l i r ( l ) . r ( l ( f r ) r ( ' s t P r c s s t h c 3
chapter
;:1, , lr,'w|l r liSrr'(s l'1.1,11.5,.rn(lI'1.6cnrlicrin this
hlk|||Away
Wln ,, l1(tr! is nw.ry, tht' lincbacker should shuffle backside to stoP
ltlrl',, l. . lirst, llrr'rrpursue staying inside-out on the ball Review
fig,rr,. ll7, 1.1.8,.1nd l4-9-
ftrr
llrr, | ,lrlli.utt t() recognizeversus strong Play-actionclubs. The
n,.! l|i,r rsl find a suitablekey or a covetagethat takesPressureo{f
llt l'.' ".1 lincbacker.Cuard readshave an obvious advantagehere
HawkResponsibilities
l|r' 1",,,I'.rckeris challengedwith taking away the inside running
{r!, ,t , lvith no inside resistance,the linebackershould ptusue in-
q,l, ,,,r1to theball.
Adjustments
\Vrll\big splits the linebackeralignsin the middle of the center-
r:,'",i gap threeyardsdeeP WePermitveteranlinebacler'to
r' rlir,'trgha ldrgegaP once they hrve proven themselve'
'r
trrstrvorthy.
\\ rth small splits aooss the line the linebackershould deepen
t,, tive yards,anticipatinga PerimeterPtay.He should shadeto
tlr,,sideof the offense'sperimetertendencieswhen possible.
!! lrcnthe center-guardsplit is cut down to the reductioD it gen-
,.r,rllydenotesa scoop block. The linebackershould slide to-
s,rd the center
HawkTypes
il,i . t(\'hniquedoesnot requireasmuch exPerienceasmany others
lh. l, vs are sirnple, and the duties arc not comPlex lt is an ideal
F r rtrrr for lessmatureplayers
l, , t , , s lin g l y e n o u g h , i w o o t h eb e t t I h a v et u h ' r e da t h a w Lh r v P
F\'r !.rstly different physically.Smalt Asl'LleyLee was extremely
202.Comtl.l.Lln.i|.ltnl

Dana Howard, thr I99{ ljLrtkr|sAvr,.r|ttwrrrrr|r, w,r: .tB

heavier than Lee as a truc fr('sh.I)nl.r r,,,.rs
lrr
.r ll,rli v,,,:,r.,tlr;.ll
Gh a |l te l t5
run. Big len oppon.nl- qLritir!int 1,,|l|'r llk.r.,t,rtr,,|l,,r lrfirl

Middlelinebacler
chewed up fullbacls.

Iechnique

llrr l,,rrticulartechaiquewas poPularizedin the National Football

I r r1lrrl Many NFL Hall-of-Fame linebackerswere middle line-
Fi, l,,rs lhat kids grew up wanting to impersonate.Each era had
tlr'r t,,.rturedguys in the middle, and many old-tirnersare still re-
rr r, ,l l()f their exploitsof decadesago.
\| lllrrrois,a real treasurewas the opportunity tob ngbackNFL
tl,rll ,'t lramelegendslike Ray Nitschke and Dick Butkus to speak
t,,,!,r squad.Their legacy was an intensestyle of Play that inJlu-
|lr , ,i thc demeanorof the Illini 30 years after they graduated.
ti.,r Nitschke,the GreenBay Hall of Famer,spoketo our 1990Big
I r ,,r h:rmpionsin Champaign Fdday evening before a game at
ll, rrr,'r'ialStadium.It was one of the most stirring messagesI have
r,ltr, rs.d on the field.
I r l l l the 1990s,collegedefensivepackagesused two inside line-
I'i, I , fs more often than a middle linebackeras the NFL did. As the
rl,, ',l, progressed,the 4-3 schemebecamemore popular in college
rr,l, '. nnd evenreduction ftonts beganto stacklinebackersto give
'
i I I rriddle linebackerappearanceoccasionally.
| ,'r lhc 4-3teamsthis techrique was the principal rnethodof play
l,,r tli( ir man in the middle. For the packageswith two inside line-
t,i, l.,,rs,this techniquewas a change-up.In both, the resPonsibili-
lrr, w( fe relativelv simDle.

203
 ttaata u||atttttl taci qra ! ar|!
201. Co|ntl.lallnalaallnl

Al'rosLnll1'l tln lrn, l',r,L, r" lr.rv,,r I lt,,t,,,tr'r lr('rrl l r,1,r, .rrr, l llr , llr l', r r Lr r l, r , l r r r r r lr ', r v. r lt lr r r r l',lr lr r llr t t t r t lt t is
"ll(l(lI
(,Pur (,l,lr'srt, (!! '|r rl . ' ., i ,,,( r l, , i t lr , , ' l', , ( L r , , l, l, r l'( lr r . As w( hnvr r n) t ed bcf ( ) r e, line
them and.r 3 t.rp t(' lh( srlt lrtir'ri l" l)
term this a 13 techniquob..c.rus(llx y ."1 url,r(ll,a k\l l,' lllf llrat rr,, \\ rl l lt ll oi l, l, r y , r rlr or r l) , r ss nnd I ) t isdir ect i( ) n, while r ur m ing
gap and backsidemust fill the 3 hoL. l ,r, I . l r\ lo ( lr r ( 'r v( ( ) ll lllt ) st ] Plnys.
\ tl,r,l ((nrsidcrntion f()r thosemixing the eagleor 50 defenses
n lrl r .,,l,r( k ltx)k iri to key the guard, Particularlyif the linebackeris
:lr, r,lr lr,rint'cl (chaPter
in thatkey,asis a hawk linebacker 14)or32
( c h
I r, 1 , , , , , t , r r . n p t e r
U).
tv, irrll now study this technique and how it va es with each

Reads
Backfield
llu,,,.rch'sfilmstudyusuallyidentifiesaplayerorcombinationof
ll ,\ , r. tlrat the linebackerwill key for flow as a middle linebacker.
i, rr,,.rrtionedbefore,if the quarterbackobstructsthat view, the linc-
l,n,l, r rnayhave to offset sll8htly.This can occur Particularly with
Middle lineba€kers 81 and 82 both have typical assigments of a nea. I rnf dftl
llr. I lormahon.
3 g"p
Flow
frontside
Alignment Wl" rr .rlignedin a 13techniqueand action coming toward the near
| 1ir1'thai is open, the linebackerfills it aggressivelywith his near
We ask our 13 techniquelinebackerto align directly over th(' 1,"'t ,rrd hands or near foot and shoulder
three yards deep. If his primary key is the backfield he rnay m.r,rl \!lr( n the frontside 1 gap is closed,he continuesto Pursue,look-
o{fsetstightly to seepast a quarterback and get good }'rsion on hii tr,t lr) pressthe first open gap availableas he feelsthe path of the
rrrlrr,r (seefigure15.2).
Keys
The majority of middle linebackerskey backfield actiorL y('t
other keys need to be consideredstrongly when assigning13 t r!' r Ll 'h is l gap on f low
nique duties. r" 1,,,n,udess €losed.If i!
Backfieldflow is attractiveto coachesand Dlaversbecausc l
simplicity.It is not cumbersomefor the innateornaive player in
middle. For schemesthat use this techniqueas a change-up,ll
very tempting to have the linebackeruse an unsophisticatedkcy
direction.I{ action goesto this side he Iills the near 1 gap. Whr,n
goes arvay,the middle linebackerpressesthe 3 gap- It's neat
easybut too neat and easyfor some.
A few,like SteveWilt, head coachat Taylor University in U
Indiana,still teachthe time-honoredcenterreadto their middle
backers.The advantaseis that the centeroften blocks the 13
,00. Comtrl.l.I Inahlllit mnth Un.i.ol.r hohilqla. lot r!

With nn i'll'n(\li.'l( l'( fi'|r( t, r tl ,,rt .r,,:,lr0rrrrrrr trli,'k, l,' I, hm

middle lincbackt'rnet.rlrrol clrLr k tlrt irritr.,lI ti,rl,I',rt I'r..t,,.',t
I l\ 1,,r llr'. lrr( llrt.l(l ,rrlr(,rl(,sl),rss,thc rnitldle linclrnckcrrcactsto
rue\ lopcrdethc Li nt' r '. hlrI I rrrr.r1'r.l r ,,l| t ,,t rlr,,L.\ | ,,l\. l
ll|| lrr' ,,rr.r,r rr,r|l t() nr,l|rnrl('s.I'l.ry nrli(rr pdssand bootlcgscanbe
to the ba ll.
,rl,,rlY , ll( ( liv( \,erstrs.r bnck re.rdmiddle linebacker
1,.',1,,

lhuffleandPress
82 goestopsidethe \tl,,.r ,,rrl,l1'yin8 otherdefenses as a base,suchas the 50,eagle,or
r'r,l, l,r(kl(, 6 schemes,the coach can simplify middle linebacker
no threat to the 1 gap. 1, lrrrrrlrrr' t'vcn further.Coachescan tell the linebackerto use a
li', I tr'1(lk('v for flow and to shuffleto the indicateddirectio4 look-
lrlt l,' l)r(,ssthe first openqeam.
ll,,\r llrr lincbackercanwork uninhibited by front or most stunts.
I r,|l .t.rll .hosc to usc this method when we would checkour line-
lir, l,.rr l()a stackedalignmentas in figure15.5.

Backside
Flow
When action is away from the immediate 1 gap, the 13 lineb,rr
has the_3 gap obligation. Now he simply prisses the guard-t,rr
gap. When it is open he fills it. When it is ciosedhe goei topsiLlrr
blockers,stayingbehind the ball (seefigure 15.4).

Bl<+X B2*X

82 fills the 3 gap on flow

tha! way He goestop
I i fc, 82 aligns in hawk technique(chapter14),and on the check
side C's comboblock
rll ilr|1'elinebackersstemto a 4-3look. Now 82 doesn'thave to con-
"r,1,I the gap rcsponsibilitiesof those aligned in front of him. He
fit
'1,"".not need to be aware o{ line twists or sames.He is free to
il' | ' ',1dnythingby simPl) rhufflLnB
and Pressingthefir.t oPenseam.

Reads
Genter
',r,!, Wilt, the head coachat Taylor University, sharedwith me re-
,, rtlv that at a clinic of nearly forty 4-3 defensivecoaches,orily two
 lil
201.Co|ntl.l.I In.l.llhl fl lddh lln.laal.t T.linlqla. 20t

staffs hld thernr(l(ll( lrxh.',k,r\ L(y tl! (,r't,r Wlrrl, rrrrtr llock Back
( (trrsr(l(
rarely use Iinc rcnds t()' this f(,srlr(nr,llr.y slrrrrrlLi r llt,lll
r. l. ' , , \lt lr, \ ' ' , l l r . l ( ' l | t i l r | s tr L . r r l s l o r t l rlti r r tb , r c k cwr i t h . 1 c e n t ekre y
theyusea limitednumberof technrqrrcs
rrrtlrtir rll.1,r*iv,. 1',rr
I
ir \ f l' 1 rllr . L , n t i r l , [ r t s t , . r t k . l h c h nt p l a c c m e nits ,i n d e e d a , ta
rlttt,.,,rt ,,rllh ll\.llr whcn the ccntcr reachcs or zone blocks. Or the
BaseBlock |,1,,| 1,,,,k, th( .cnler'seycsarefixedon that nearlineman.
As the center's helmet attacks him, the linebacker slllrl<l .rl'|tr ',r,\, Wrltlr.rir)shisLrylormiddlelinebackers to stePtowarddle
and sethis basewith his foot down the middle of tht' ccntt'r'r br ,' rr..r ', rrrltr.rlhnt placementand see the nearestguard. \4rhenhe
and his freearm in his assignedgap.Thecontactsurfncccnr) lx. ll I' , 1..tlx ltu.rrd pulling acrosshis face,the linebackerredirectsand
or shoulder The defender should then separateancl firrtl tlrr. trtl. lr0rrr insicleout on thc inJluencetrap, veer trap, and power or
ball (seefigure 15.6). rlrrrrt.rl'lockingpatterns(seeligure 15.8).

B takeson C's baseblock OFO

r =l T
-ro
I
a

tr. r, t, r,'ward centei'shat and then rednectson ihe G pulls-

Reach01ZoneBlock
As the center'shead attempts to reachhim, the linebackerkrr
that flow is in that direction.When the centerreachestowanl hh
gap dury the defender must play in that gap with his ncdr f(
!\rhen the center reachesthe other direction, he will combo lrl
with the guard. The middle linebackerimmediately presseslha
gap to that side (seefigure 15.7).
ClntetPull
Wlrl, we do not regularly seethis block during the seasorywe ex-
l" ",, thc linebackersto it in fall camp so they can recall it during a
qrr, r week or recognizeit when they do not expectit. Some toss
N$rtl) nnd counterteamsuse it (seefigure 15.9).
llr, middle linebackercan minor the pulling centerwith no false
rr, t'. Ile shoutdbe a\^/arethat the frontsidetacklewill probably be
r. .r1incdto sealhim inside.

The cente! rcach or zone

-off6oe
^;
..\Fr i '
-1* ,, 83
",
 tla{ll l|nara|.lr r||m|lx.'.r r
210.Com!1.1.
Lln.trlllrl

Pass
Areal benefitof centcrrcn(lis on f.rssPl,rys.NorvtIl rrrirIr||r,
backerrccognizespassinstantly,.rnciplny-lcti{rr1f.rss l( it!t
on him. Oncehe recognizespass,the defcndcr nrusl y(.lt'sr,:r
"l',trn"
keep the centerin his vision briefly fordraw (s{rffi8u,( lr;.Itt)

B drops to his coverage

duty on center'spass \frtlr lhc kt'y in passPro, the 13 techniqueyells "pass" and rc-
hr,,rl..to (('vcrageor respondsto draw (seefigure 15.13)

I lo'o
Guard
Reads
The third possiblekey is probably the least used by middlo ll
backersand their coaches,but it is a viable option. In fact, if
hawk techniquedescribedin thepreviou\chapieri, useJ,thr.pl
ers aheady know keys and reactionsto flow. Only the gap asn
ments change. l',,r!)nal1y,I find the guard read an easy transition to teachto
Review chapter 14. If the guard to the 3 techniquetackle plo hrrl,,r,kerstrained in hawk technique.It also avoids the falsestePs
his hat on the tackle or pulls toward him, the middle lineback(.r tl$t tlx. centerblock back readscan produce
actsto his frontside gap (seefigure 15.11). | the Perfectkey for the middle linebackercanbe ar-
'r't,'rmining
rlrr,,rrs.It has as much to do with fitting the entireschemeas it does
|| rllr rrst this technique.

B reacts to G's hat on

ID
T llx.rniddle linebacker is usually lesponsible for two inside SaPs
Wlen the guard key scoops or pulls away from the 3 techniq
tackle,the middle linebackerwould read it as flow away or play
his right in figure 15.12.
Middle Responsibilities
Linebacker
wlr, rr threatened. These can change depending on the defense
rlrrl,rl up by the signal caller' Nolmally he has a 1 gaP and a 3
t,rt, r'n either side of the batl Once the frontside gaP is defended,
l||, nriddle linebacker roams from therc to the sideline, always
trrr(lc-out on the ball. Versusoptiory this linebacker is iesPon-
rrl,I for the dive first. He can then overlaP to the outside Phases
rl lllc oDtron.
 . r. r 5i6r urtFtl l||.ll. tli.l..l.r l..inlQm' lll

Adlustments ' rrn

ll, .r r ' : d . r l w , r y rl r r ,1 ' r , 1 ' . r r r lr(l ' p , ( s s u p l i c l ( l t ( , t h c b a l l
Thelargerth€ offensiveljnc splits,th(,tiltlrr(.fUn, t.t tr! htr.\ | r. ,rlw.'ys.' tlr's, l)rrlil is not .rdcfiningqualityat thisposi-
can play to the line.of scrimmagt,.Wt. nor.rn,rlly,rli6rr
ll ll,.r' wt' rvnnl th(' compctit()r who loves to hit and hates to
of threeto four ).ardsandwoutj ncvr.rgt,rri6hi.r rliirr
t l!",\lr\1 n rrliddle linebacker to be near every running play.
a half yards. If the split b the 3 tcchniqut,srd(,w,r$lll
linebackercould bliti the near 1 gap.
. With tight line splitt the middle linebackcr
cnn rl(r'F. hl
yardt anticipatingan outsiderun or pass.
' Some 4-3 teams often assign the tackles both I 8.rPr
do this by-stuntingor plai ing borh tacklesin h(,n(l-
mentson the offensiveguards,but with in5ide lt
8aP d
lrgure15.14).

With both oflhe rackles

assigned to rhe 1 Sapt
B attacks on flow either
3 g"P.

o o1o'!'o1o

Middte
linebacker
Types
The termniddk linebocker
con;rups 1-or" unli(e orhers.Thr.
cnosentor Lrxsrote must have some
- specialqualities.
This€uy,mustbe the wild-eyed competitor ilis intensity
can
be doubted.He must portraythe fi." of fr;. a"r"r.i""-riii.
tnusrasmmust pour out to his teammatesin visible fashion,
fojqetthe frenzied
eyesof MikeSingr"ro.y
oiii;.
:11 Bearsor lutCrnq
cago. the toothles, scowling faceof Jack Lamtert
r-rftsburgtr'svaunted SteejCurtain.
Physically,the middle linebackermust be a heavy_contact
_-
Hr must be able to hit and shed ftom tight end to tiplrt end
al
line of scrimmage. He must prowl thit area as th"ough
it
 Gh a D l o 1 1 6

5 Techniques

' r'r,,vr,,rrschaptershavediscussedthe rnostcommon insideline-

1,.,t,'lniquei- The insidelinebackerroamsexclusivelyover the
rt' r ,l|r(i gu;rds, usually with dePth of{ the line of scrimmage.
t,r,l, lincbackersoperateexclusively{rom the tight end to the
.lrrr,. orr or off the line of scrimmage.The areawhere they fre-
,rl$h.rre various schemesis the tackle-tight end gaP (seethe
1,.,1,,r1'asin figure16.1).

91 9
') ONO
lnside Outside

de-
{,i I lrl in shadedareascould be idenlified as ituide or outsideLinebackers
scheme.
F,.r, ,)r.n rhc.oa€hes'

t lr,rpter13 discussed51 and 52 techniques.Thesestylesdefend

rrrr,lepth the shadedgaPsin figure 16.1.Somesystemsconsider
| ,rrrl 52 linebackersinside defenders,while in other defensive
| ,Ires outside linebacker coachesteach the 51 and 52 linebackers

215
 0l .$n\r..' .rl ri
Llnohrcrln0
216.ComPlolo
( ) r ( or r ot t cit r 't
Jrrrrtrr r 'r lI , lr r l \ \ 'r r r lir r r ) i'lt ! 'r w( r r l

lrir;:ii
l r,' ,' l

;riii;rri:,
'r r ( l, r I it lt ''lt ( 'f t it ne ot r r allcv
r l. l'r ll"r r r r t ''|

T";'.T::::i:l
,,,;,,' " t' ,' .,,", f ; ": ", r 'r r lr

[i'i i: .TiX'il i:1 Ili-lriil

#: ;,ll::.],ti.;',:l,l"l
;] "'''
l:;,:llil"'
ll:
, , r' . , ' , " ' ' * . i l l , ( l r ( L l t r ) rr r r r r r r vr sr r r l ' r g eW t ' l c a r n c c' rl
h a r dl e s -
' , . L t ' . , 1 , ' , - , " , ' , | ' l , ' I r t ' l l ! l \ ' f r r r xl ( r t ( l r " m ( ' n o l \ i c c ! e r s r '
"iiil::illl ; ' 1 . , " ' , , : : ; " , . r n r n * i l r ' m ' s c r n u t i l i " c \ ' l r r o u -P e r s o n n e l

*.l
r'i
*
. : ,-",r
'?:,lli.:;:';i[i:':?H::i l"]:;
1;d;rjt'',1'"I'il:,]'l; ', ..1.',f ,r'.s l r, h i' -ounJ 'rs
l"ng rs the frameplayer:

*:*x'.i;
' r orL.in-ide-ou t d n dr s
f ,| l - . r n . lt h er l l e y d c f e n d e w

*1**fr'il-itl'i':,';*ffit
,,,,
' , , ' |" , ' |" i f ' 1
r ,,,, ! l rr( l i ve Lt cklcr .
-' (on(ePtimPortant
,i,,. , .u. .r'".iof, fead-l,t dnotherdeiensive
u,,,,,,,.t..ti,''.U,,.i*15, Delen\ei\ lnowing rahereyour helPrs wnen
knuwsthdt he ls the m-
.',. "r '',l, l,n.br.kcr pla)t 5 techrique'he He mutt
1. ,.''l ,'!r oerimete,pi.r1t'urd hd' much outsidehelP
-
:; i,, runner
i:,,i;:i;;:laiin",na notp"''-'itLhe rocutinside
'il
rheir
" li l :li,:i:i:il*"#1"'lll"",l,iT;.""'0"rinebackersa,'d
Things happen more slowlv for line-
,,, ,;: .,;.;";,;;' i' trme
wnL)
i",.r' with thc 5 7' orq 8aP5as oPPo\edto.those
'.;nt.'tu"a
i""fl,:'[;
["fi:"J:
:l:l; ;l:;:1,';l:ii$'3::'.Jil':i:lii::::\:::
;;,1, .;.,'i,,;;;;;i';'".1:'.'.*,:,l""ll I;l::H
l:;:i'lx-":';
li,
ll:' i.;ff" ""i.ii"r-"u".ril'"
[:l]',:'i#il:]ilillllLiif
andpdhence
1,,,-, r-mu'l havediscipline
" ]',,',". i'r"tl". rv'ri.r""ll'argellwith tuvo digitoutsidcline'
'ingle In
a slngled lgrl
r ! u'!! m P c h d n j c | n d n c n ( t r v r
: rrbr t l , I tfLhniqueslhdt defend the 5 gaP Remember'
r\ ", is onth:]i"":f-"TTTs^:
The ptincLPle ot perimeteifln
deteGe
' ' ^ 'h P
;;; i";i.;Gy thelinebacker
ing gate ^*"s
a"r""aing only one gap' whetheractionis to or
.,',' ,''.,i""Jii
T::ffllii
."s,"-q:,'^?"j,ill'i*:::'*,f:;T:;::L,fJ.iffi
i $ ,,\ l fom h im

.r
must mdintainlhe line of
scrimmage Wide5 Technique
- $.""::0il:;"tt It is a rela-
acro.s
,-^.< the rinelor
theline negahvevartras'
forneFaLrvr
]q'"_6" l : li"-:tlllll.1]il1',:""i' l' ,,rrrscheme we callthis positionthe rushlinebacker'
and an opening,wtll I l eel c or J or tabl ew i l h
io"t,it-t" gnt"*ltt not tunctionProPerly ii' , i' - t.pi " p" 'ua" ,hat Pc r m i tsPl
d dy er to

"';ili,ff
exist {or the runneL
fiffi.*:i :i:or::1ii::'
.,
i:,:l:,
:--t,r- +Lp f$me rnadc lry
:ff:I iLll
, fJ::f:flJl
;in::if"'ilfi
lli,lJ;lnl'.1';:l;i:3'ii'".:f or
an offencivetacklettecau<e
The alley'
ande techniques
/ qil',1".,,",r""-"",""n." r''l l'.:uld-trike tear t1't"L"o4 el

,l$i'*nru;:*r':ll:irtlr;*;'ml:l:ll: rl.'"s i'..',., f

"torlon.
ft 'n cando lho<etwo thingswell he
",u*h
9,r' ','rJinary5uc(essat this lechnique
will hdve
With no tight eno' we ao-

rt:ui:ilij*:jnt'l:lr:'ll-illl::l*,:::'ri ii,'', ' '*r."r-q,i" 1,1,l1,9llT:l:l::11::I:t

'h"1'": $::i r'"' "i';il;vigiJ;i;"h, wehadour firctdominantrushin Robert

I;,i;;:lrrl'l'
:'J1#Tttri:I:::; i:Hll
lllliT'i:
I'i:: 1,,,",,.'iJ"tii"t"
"*
235,andhadbrutestrength
root-three. and

I
L_
r 218.Co phl. Lln.hi.lln0
trcmtnLlo(rsc()rrrprtrlrv(nr's\.Il(!!,r,llr(, lrr(,rl ,|!rl,l,rr'" I'v|l
Jt thisporilion I l, ll,,y,,l l{r\,.,r. \! rtl, ll,, (.,,1,, 11.,\l',,, t, ri
being dra{ted in the third round. Jtoht.rlw,rsrlurt l ,rr(l r'n.'rrrt
but he treated tight ends as secontl clnss cili/cr)r,.
By 1984at Colorado,we startedour first l.rnky rrrslrl{
McMillery a sit-foot-five,225 pound model. Dan w.ts.rninrl
passrusher and a rclentlesspursuer. Until thrt se.ls()|l,r)lrl
techniquesplayed in a two-point stancelikc.rll thc othff lirxl
Then Oklahoma State unveiled the outside ,one plav k.,rltl "i{
[hurman Thoma..The lisht end and tacklew,'ul.i ,1;r, ,'ll
double team McMillen, getting initial movement, whilo lhrl
would acceleratetothatspot. By the secondhalf, Dan w.rsirrn
point stance,and our rush linebackershave beenemployin,i ll
since.
The next premier rush linebackersin our defensewt'rt A
Williams and SimeonRice.Both were firsFround draft choi(r.n
had similarbody types.At six-Ioot-five,230as freshmen,th('y
elusive pass rushers and strong enough versus the run. In I
Alfred wa s an All-Pro after winnins the 1990Butkus Awa rci. S
Ricewas the NFL Rookieof the Yearin 1996and reeistercd,rn
record 12-1/2 sacksin his lirst season.
Alignment
Our wide 5 linebackersuse a three Doint stancewith the norl
back in a heel-to-toerelationship.The feet are normally sho
width apa( with the tail stightly raised and the back flat. l\4r
the player's body weight should be over his feet.He must fo(rtl
his kev once the centeraddressesthe ball.
The linebacker should align with his outside foot down thc n
of the tight end's body. This puts the linebackerfirmly insido
tight end and entrenchedinhis 5 gap. His depth wilt vary baltdd
his experienceand the quicknessof his initial step.Beginthe
rushes deeper so they can feel the plar-rtedbase on contact
scribedin chapter3. Oncethey havesuccesssettingtheirbase,
rush linebackerscloserto the blockersat the line. Whenevertho
is sloppy, move rush linebackers back. Too nany coaches
size hands over feet at this technique.Without a proper baut,
wide 5linebacker will not prevail.
lrl
i T..lralloar.lll
|'.,'r.1,, lrrr)tly.,,,,!lrr- rrrl 1'l,rI,rslrrr'l|r irritr.rllvt('keythctiSht
I',,1 ',, 11,,. l,! l||l|,tuI ll! lrElll(rr(l l)l(trkstlrt'nrofterr,andplayers
sr,1,,' , . r',rr,rlLcr orr llrt t)i)nrirl|nl L)l()cker. llavc them focus in-
t.,, ,l\ ,,,, rl,, t rr(l'slt('lnret.
\ r,1,,('rl\ ol wi(l('5 lineb;rck€'rs key thc offensivetackle while
!t, | |,',t','\.,rLl tl,, li]:hl, nri N,rw thc tJcUe become' their visual
l', ," 1rlr, rrr;l'r,r',l rpre.surcLel lhe) 'eethetacUeandIeelthe
rs agdinst the Past As
lrrl,' " .i llr"r,l\.Irlrgchrlh.rlackl'.Le)
s"" , . r,,, I.r,t l!.\h,'\a,-p.rr- protectron. the lineba(Lercan rush or
Jr,,l i,1, ) (r)vcfage. He knows immediately thatPass or draw is likely'
Itrri, rlr, light cnd key, he may not recognizePassas early
lllht EndReads
outlinethewide 5'sreactionto the com-
ll,, l,,ll,,wingdescriptions
rru',, ,,,,,v, mcntsby his tj ght end key.Eachgameweek requirestrim-
Frrrrttlr( number of blocks down to a manageablenumber so that
,,1'.rrt'petitioncanbe given.
l|ro Block
Wlr,.r'thc tight end's helmet moves, the linebackershould attack
Flllr ., \lrcrt power step, settingthe basewith the near foot to the
lllrr , rril. I{e should )aunchthe contactsurfacewith the hip explo-
rt"rt t,ll that base.We use hands as our pdmary way to take on
l,l," l., fs at the line o{ scrimmage.The linebackerseeksto Put both
ll,,',,| , r{ith thumbs up into the chestPlateof the blockerand imme-
rlr,,t,.l\ "benchpresses"to get seParationftom him
I l!, wide 5 Gchnique is only one step from contact,but it is the
r r,i, r,rl step.Without i firm base,the chancefor successdiminishes
ru1,',llySpendmuch time working this stePthat setsthe base,and
tl', '. L,.uuick handsto ensureproperconlact
r u s tf i n dt h a b a l l \ h i l e t o n l r o l l i n g h i t 5 g a p '
: . . s lh e l i n e b a c l e m
l! lr'n thc ball comesinto the linebacker's8ap,he should make the
t,l,r\ \\,ith his inside pad (seefiSure 16 3).
\!lr( n the ball carrier bouncesoutside 82 (dotted line in fiSure
lr, Il. thelinebackerworks acrossthe tiSht end's faceto the ball, but
|l,,rrrrrtilthen. The alley Playeris resPonsiblefor the bounce-out-
rrrrr,rnberthe swinging-gateconcePt.
220. Conplata
I Inai&ltn! i l.rhnlqufl.221 rl

82 controlshis 5 grf

r" ').
SS
"r/

Versusoptio& the wide 5 linebackerhas the quarterb.l.l I FS

the tight end's block. The linebackershould force the qu.rrtcll
outside to the alley help, then shed the btocker and pursue. It,,,ri r..l herea ch, st ayingint he5gapunt ilt heballcar r ier cr css€shist ace.
Reach
Block
The wide 5 player reactsto the tight end's outsidehat placenr(,||t
stepping with his outside foot and attackingthe inside edg(.of
blocker with coffcct hand placement.With toss sweep he mu|ll
catethe ball and defend the 5 gap for cutback.He is the insiclt
shown in fisure 16.2.This linebackermust maintain the lin('
push the bai to the alley (seefigure 16.4).
Oncetheball crossesthe linebacker'sface,he should quicklv nl
the tight end and pursue inside-out in the alley (seefigurc 16,
Often the tight end will reach too wide and allow the rush deft
to come undemeath his block. Now the linebackercan get kl
alley quickly and be disruptive as part of the swinging gate.
Zone
Block
At Colorado we feared Oklahoma State'sThurrnan Thomas
Barry Sandersrunning behind this scherne.Itput tremendous
sure on a wide 5 technique and forced us to play our rush in a th
POrntstance,
The tight end reachesand the outsidelinebackerrespondsjust
he did initially versusthe sweepin figure 16.5.The linebacker
then feel the inside pressureoathe offensivetackle as the tight n', .ross the TE's faceonly when the ball is outsidehim 82 cmrun underthe
tdes to combo off to any alley threat (seefigure 16.6). ',, ( dof t ed) .
^.,,.rchbythe TE
t2r. Com!1.1.
tln.t.!11||0
82 must maintain the ]ine by defeating the TT on rhe zone block.
We teachthe rush linebackerto de{eatthe tisht end and mal
conLact with him. WhenthetdckleLakes overtheblock.theJct(
needs to lean back over his inside foot if the ball has not g(
width. When the ball carrier has width, the outside linebacker sh
be able to run under the separatingtight end and away from
tackle.
In figure 16.6,82 must realizewhere his defensivehelp is. l,i
backer8i shouldpressthe 3 gap,forcingthe tdckleto comeofl
comboblock on 82. Now 82 can work alone asainstthe end.
0ulside
Blocks
A multifude of schemesare presentedwhen the tight end relc
outside.After the initial stepwith his outsidefoot, the rush will
ognizethat the end's helmet is gaining width and not attacking
frame of his body.
At once the defendermust counter by staying squareand
ping inside to constdcthis 5 gap from the next inside threat (thNt
the tackle,fullback, guard, or ball).
TackleFan. This is a commonblock and alarmsoutside
becauseit occursso quickly. This block puts a premium on
footwork. The rush steps toward the end and then must
instantly with weight over his inside foot to thwart the tackle
figure 16.7).
! l$lnll|||..llt
IME
(D
B1
towardtheTE
lr' I l' |||| nsouton82.Hemustconstri.tthe5 gaPafterstepPing
I Ir'l iker 82 need\to con5lrictthe 5 8dPand tdcklethe runner
|Nrtlx, l)ounce-out(dotted line in figure 16.7)with his outside arm'
llri, rs a schemethat is much easierto read and rccognizewith a
lrtrl'l, ley.
fcr0r. This is another ftequently used blocking Pattem at all lev-
rln ,,1cornpetition.It is less challengingfor the wide 5 becauseit
ar.,, lllm d lot of timetorea(t \ow ashe stepsbatk insidehetees
'r
ii' r,'llbrckchargingand setshrs insidefoot while launchinghis
l,,r shoulder off his coiled hiPs. The linebackerdoes not want to
!, | 'rt lield-he wantsto \tay nearthe line He should$uee/e tn-
.t t, .''rJ alwavsleep his outsidearm freefor thee\Pectedbounce-
l,v the runner. Usuallv a wide 5 linebackerhas inside helP as
'rrt
,lr nr,,nstratedby B1 in figure 16.8.
I elock. This is a ftontside Suardkick-out on the wide 5linebacker
llr,r'r'actionshouldbe identicalto fan and Power'The aliSnmentof
tlr, I rrshforces an outside releaseby the tight end, that permits B1 to
must
1,r,.,'inside 82 as shown in figure 16.9 Now, linebacker82
jrr,,t.tay squareand not get uPlield to oPena vertical seam'
C0unler.lhis popularblocungPatlemFivestheout5idelinebacler
dl,,t,'l fime to dectpherthe scheme.He needsPdhenceds hesqueezes
|,r,I to the blocker with his shoulderssquareand his inside foot uP
 tl| . c. f|||| Lhor*t.l ! l..lnl!|,.. . ttl

rromFB82 'quare
to Ljne
o,s(rimmd*,
illiil:::$lTt"'*at '< 'he
$,,.' , t' i nsidet o ba&sidePullingG

82 pf ot e c t 8 1 frc m th e IEb ) fo .€ j n 8th eTl around82.82 thenengdgesthc
InA guard with his iroide f@t.
The wide 5 technique wants to force the ball back to B1 and be
pared to.push off his inside foot in pursuit of the potential bo!
out (seefigure 16.10).
0pllons. A vadety of oPtion plays begin with the tight end block-
hrpi,,rrtside. We have oui rush stepback inside as the tight end arcs'
I i' r. ading option, we instructhim to featherthe quarterback
"
l,',", thc line of scrimmage.He should neverget uPfieldor turn
l,,r!,rfd the quarterback.He wants to be ableto push off his inside
t,,.r.r'ldove;ldpto the pitchversusa qudrterback who is an rmpos
r,',.,' ., nrnner.He shouldforcethe qudrterbacl to hold the ball as
l,,rrti.rshe can to give the other defendersrnoretime to Pulsue (see
lrriUrc16.11).
llre wide 5 look can Presentan oPtion dilemma for wishbone
t,,rrrrs.At Colorado our offense ran the thlee-back option every
-lhe basetriple-ophonplav leh unblocledall threedefend-
"r'rrrrr.
,,iih" aiu", q.to.t"ruacl,and pitch tseefigure l6.l2J
'i
trsses. With his key releasingoutside, the wide 5 linebackercan
f.l'( riencenumerous pass actions.Uiless on a stunt or rn cover-
,r1i, hc must get upfield and contain the quarterback
I his is a relativ-ty simPle recognition on long-yardage downs
\ | rsus pocket passes.With Play-action throws on run downs it
r,,ls sti;kier for the outside linebacker (see {igures 16.13 and
lr, I ' l).
?tl. Clmtlrhtlnair.lln! I l..iillr|| . llt

@trE
I r. r , l ll] 'r ( r r l. r l,
r,1,. r. r r r r lt xNi\ ( nl

B1
82 feathers QB md then pmu6 with depth behind rhe line to pit.h (dotk d

ffi

lr. G's pull md the QB off the line He useshmds to defeat th' C's (rrl
Br pressesFB. 82 feathers QB. The SShas pi rch on our base tripleoprion ',ids
221.Com!1.1.
Lln.b..llnl i l..lril!!ar . ll{

Inside
Block
The wide 5 linebackeralignsinsideth(' tight enrt,rrrtlsl|(rrrll
permit the end to block inside him. -l lris is a cartiin,rlt llor W
tight end triesto block inside,the linebackcrmust sqLr(.(.ru hirrl
inside to protect *re inside linebacker,81 (sccfigu'r. lh.l5)

TE and protectsB1

,rr,,r between himself and the nearcst inside defender while

lA/henthe next blocker attacks,the wide 5 linebackershould
him inside-out and bubble the ball carier to the inside li
81, who is working free in figure 16.15.
If a tight end is assigned to block 81, we force him to relea$o
side alrd around the wide 5 linebacker, never inside him.
, l^rrr1;for cutbacks,reverses,and naked bootlegs-
wrtlr reverse,the wide 5 techniqueshould seeit coming or hear
tr,\,.r\(." When he recognizesreverce,the linebackerneedsto 8et
rtrr,rlquickly and aggressivelyattackthe outsideedgeof the run-
I lr, should force the runner inside (seefigure 16 17).A looping
lrt ,,nd or quarterbackwill usually have the assignmentofblock-
}l1 tlrr.fush near the line of scrimmage.

Cut-0ll
When the tight end's headgear cornes inside the frame ol
linebacker's body quickly, it is a run play away. Often the end
attempt to cut the rush's outside leg with a low chop block to
him oIf his feet.
The linebacker stepstoward his kev and then rcactsto the low
met by putting his inside hand on the opponenfs helmet and
hand on the tight end's shoulder pads. The wide 5 technique
maintain inside leverage on the end to defend his 5 gap. The
must defend cutbackscurling back to him (seefigure 16.16).
Anytime flow goes away from a 5 gap player, he should
square, looking for inside blocking thrcats as he does with
counter,reviewed in figure 16.10.Then the linebackermust ll k , lrillenged with a reverse. He musi get uPfield md disruPt it
,t0. ConDl.l.Lln.tmlln!
Responsibilitles
The wide 5 linebackcris responsibl(, ti)r nny nrnr l() Iristn.ll,,
gap. With option frontside,thc linebackorhas th(.qU.rrr(.rlr,rfk
gardlessof the blockingscheme.When rht.riglrr,.rr,i,,n6,ry1,s
he should get help in the alley outsidethe end. Vcrslrsrru) rw,rv
5 gap linebackermust squeezeinside and chcck for errtlr,rckr,
verses,and naled bootlegs. Whenpass.hows.th(.(,ut\i(i,.1I|x.l
eitherd ropsin coverageor rushcswiLhcontdinrc.Lr,,nsil,rlity
a passkey the rush needsto be awareof draw. Whenhe hears ,il rr
or feels-
it,_heshould5printbacLto the Iineof scrimmd6t.. r(.tr
the pdth thdt got him there.Rusherstoo often run arounrltlrr,
protectorand open up a huge hole for draws (seefigure 16.lg),
82 is taught to retun
shaiSht to the line of
Adiustments
. The key can vary from tight end to offensive tackle by o
nent or by down and distance.C)nlong-yardage downs, we
ally have the rush key the football, not anyon; at the line, to
a jump on his passrush.
. ln passsituationsor when the defensehas spottedpassstat
on the offensiveline.fhe wide 5 techniqueshouldget ink,
best pass-rushstanceand key the ball.
r Versusa splitend, the linebackercan stayinawide5 align!
over the ghost of the tight end or move down to the h&le
Ioose5 technique,that we will discusslater in this chapte!,
eilherca"ehe would lev the neartaclle.
il$hnlq||x.lll
r \\1,, r llr" trt',lrt rt,l ll, \,- rrl' l(' lllttl y,rrils, llrt lrtxtr'rtktt'
'
1,,'rrl,i,,t,rvrrr,' \vr(1, ','IItIt||IL IIt 'rrr(lLe! tlrt ('n(l Whcn the
, ,,.1rr r,llrrs rl,rrc llr'rrrllrl't y.rrrls,tht linct'.rckershould close
,1,',rrr, rrri 1,l.ry.rl(x)s(5l('chr)i(luc
h
5 Types
i ' !,r,)l,r l)r'rf()rmcrcnn Play this techniqueif he has the physical
,1. lt r,rlirin's few ment;l adiustments,buta standoutmsh must
n r.,r1r,il p.rssrusher and alsobe able to Punish tight ends one-
r I 'rr. \ r'r\(rsthc run.
| \ ' , , , ' -l t l n u c t i v e r u ' h e s h . r v e b e e n i n l hAel f r e d W i l l i a m s a n d
rr". ' lrr., j r n , , l . l l.h e r r h e i g h t l. o n g a r m ' , a n d a c t e l e r a t i om
n ade
rr,rr',rr'.rrri: lrqure.. Surpri.ingly some'horternose gurrdshr\e
,t. rr" tr,rn.itionto witle 5 teihniqueraLher\ ell Traditiondlly.
r' r,1, 5 linebackerhas led our defensesin sacksand often in
plays.
r,rr.r arrlap;e
loose5 fechnique
r,lr,rrI tliscussedthis techniquePrcviouslyin this chaPterbecause
toII! p ri me method of play the rush linebackeruseswhen aligned
i, u .r,litcnd.He still his tle sameinsidesuPPortftom his team-
irut,.l1,.'thasno outsidethreatfrom a tight end.Now almostall
be-
|l' u l , rs corne frorn the bside, and the tackle becomeshis focus
i,r, llr snap.
I l, '.t rush linebackersPreferloose5 over wide 5 becausethe key
h Irr, t, the tight end doei not disrupt the passrush, and allthreats
r, rrrlhe vision of the linebacker'skey
lllgnment
I tt'r l,n)se5linebacker aliSnsin a three-pointstancewith his inside
relationshiPwith the outsidefoot
itr,r ,lightlybackat a toe-to-insteP
Itt, t,rt aie about shoulder-width apart, iust as describedfor the
N,,r, the rushputs his inside foot on the inside edgeof the offen-
.l\, l.rckle'sout;ide {oot. His depth will vary depending on the
r1r, lness oi his first stePand his expedence.As with the wide 5,
li,plrrinexpeiencedplayirs deeperuntil they cansettheir basecon
lt,l,!rtly ve$us thosebig tackles.
 ,ll. Codpl.l.Un.t.olh! I laohilqr.r'lll

Key
The linebackcrkeys thc t.rckle'sh(lnlt,runl(,sst.k,rl vlrllr n
![Em
(D
Passtendency. If passis indicatcdhc will kt,v rlrcl,,rll vr,lrih,
r
ing his pass-rushstrategy.

TackleReads
The tackle readsare simple and true comparcd k) ren(lirg llr I
end. Today'stacklesarehuge,but a linebacker,smovcnrc|ll lr a
advantage for him in the alley.
ft(D@./
Base
Block {Dl
When the tackle'sheadgearmoves,the linebackerattacksIli[l
a short power step with the near foot setting the base_I tr. r
Iaunchthehandpunchwith hip thru:.toffthribase He.h,,rrhl
bothhands in the chestplatewith thumbsup. Thelinebackt,r.
control the line of scrimmage, keeping his outside arm frco.
Abase block will generallyindicateaninside play suchar 16 r,r,,r ,\!.h, then machire guns ih.lB.
lation.The loo5e5 must squee/ethe tacklcs blockand .rntrclt
the batl bouncing out to his freearm. He must stay squarcby llr-.(, llvo teclmiquesare naturally compatible.The near foot is
ing his insidetoot up. Thdtlool posihoni<tundamentalfor hh r,1,.tof the loose5 and outsidefor the wide 5, but both have iden-
pursuit. He must be able to push off the inside foot and ( nl rl,rl)clutiesand reactto the non-tight end blocks alike
hips to the alley.
onsibilities
Reach
Blocl
are identical to those of the wide 5 technique (sec
The linebackershould stepwith his inside foot. As he readsthl
met of the tackle reachingtoward him, he should widen with
and drive upfield, keeping his shoulders square to the line. Thr,I
5's width and speedadvantagesover tht tackle should seruo ldlustments
well. Now the defender must lock out his arms to set . Ilr( loose5 keysthe tackleunlessit is an obviousPasssituation.
from the tacLle'sbody nnd keephis feeLmoving. llr. Iinebackerthen keys the ball and rushes the Passerfirst
Ac the linebaclercontrolsthe tackle'sreathf,lock,he sh,,uld \\ lrile reactingto run schemes.
to force the ball outside. He then acceleratesto the ball carier, . I ll(, loose5 can also widen his alignment extensivelyon defi-
ing the tacklebehind (seefigure 16.19). ,,rlf passdowns to add horizontal Pressureon the tackle.
otherBlock$
All the other blocks descdbed in the wide 5 section of this
pertain to the loose 5 techrfque. Review the figures 16.7 to
Only those in which the tight end engages the linebacker arc
propriate becauseno tight end existsfor the loose5linebackct
 Ghaptcrlt

I andI Techniques

ll' ,rnrl two te(hniquesthdt we will e\Ploreinvolveoutsideline-

I ' , , ! , r-. T h e s e t w o a r e m o r e c l o s er el l l a t e dt h d n a n y o t h e r s w e n a v e
, ..,rr\lneJ. MostoacLage- thatemployoneUsetheseconda' a varir_
t,,'r A*ainsta tight erid.Lhetwo .an be indistinSuishable Again't
., .r'l't.nd, the ditterence" aremore readilyaPParent'
iVc describe both techniques by single digits in our teminology'
| 1,.,1 meansthesePlayers are generally resPonsible lor one.SdP,and
of s(rimmage sPeclhcally' thc /
'nti || plry at or closeto the line comeone wilh (rrnlain
r,l nnioueis dn allev playerwho must have
,l,'rr.' io hi' out'ide, whlle the o techniqueis the "outsideposl" in
r1,,.swinging gate (seefigure 15 2) All his helP is to the inside (see
trllrrre17.1).
l,r rrqrre -t7.1.B I and 82 canlook idenlicalto the untrdinedeye
l ' ., t;ht end, however,the perimeterPlay of the two will be

diife$
lr Lrs a 7 technique while 82 is a 9 t.chnique' Notice how the corner supPort
r,,' lhe two techniques.
tll . Coirrl.l.I In.i..llnl t an,| l..inl$.a . tlt

distinctlyd ilh nrrt. ll(.71( \ 1 " ' r, t , r' ' , . 1 r' ii, ( | lr, , rrI rlr|, rrrt r
Post,whilc the9 t('ehoiqr'('(l]2) lu' r( ls ( v( r|t1,,,,)irt'si(l(,t,' ( .'
Key
Although the alignmcntsof thc 7 nn(l 9 lr\ lrr)i(lLr(
s (.l| r s,1,rr!tl l\lxi,,rlrtirr'(l 1,,,r lillrl (,,(1,thf ('rrlsi(l( lirt lrrLker lL vs tlr Itrrl'r
lar, the physicatcharactedsticscan vary dccid('(lty.lt is r||l,trl fl
l" ,r lylrrr lirsl ,rncltht n kt ys thnrLrghlht rrt,rrtstbkrt lt r kr llr' lr.rll
an athletewho canperform the techniqueseqtr.tllywr,ll. Irr rrryr \Vlr,rr 1,.rssrrrshingon obvious p.rssdowrr, lhr' lirrtt'.rtkcr r 'rrrlr'l
than 30 seasons,Ihave only had two: KanavisMc(lhcc ot ( irlrr tl!.lJ,r1lfifst.
an NFL second-round draft choice,and Kevin ll arctv o i Ill i nois 't
two could not only musclewith large tight ends but .rlsolx. titl
playersas wider-playing 9 techniques.
Usually a coachrecmits to aTor 9 techniquebasedon his s(
TightEndReads
(,
Often he changeshis defensivestructure becauseof thc orrlsi(L.ll I lr' loll()wing descriptionsoutline the reactionsof th€ 7 irnd tfrlr
backerpersomel available.
rd u rc .II begar-rmy careercoacnrng
oeS drrIy careercoaching7 t(,chntrl
/ r(!cn trl t rrr,lrrcs 1othe variousmovementsby the tight end kcy lhc tlt.rl
as a base.In 1980at Virginia Tech,we took a 191-poun<1 tr.rlir l, r,11krr tl,e coachis to Presentall theseblockingPatt('rnsirr(,rrlv
strongsafetyand moved him to drop linebackerRickMiley h,r. rr,,rrirrg but thencurtailthoseusedduring garnt wt.(.ku
sessions, I'
thc prototype 9 technique in our scheme tlu ,'Lrtside linebackers gain confidence defending a linritrrl rrrrrrr
The cunning Miley couldJl'tmusclewith the physicat tight ,
but he sure could finessethem. We sold him on the {act thdt {l
nesswas his ally and that ends fearedhis athletic ability. llick o BaseBlock
manr drop LinebacLerc thal iollowedhim wereproductivc(l(,rDl
theirId(l ofsiTebe(dusetheyundersLood theirioles. ll,rs block usually indicatesthat the offenseis running irrsr,h llr'
Becausethese techniquesare so closely bonded and simil{t r'||lv threatto the outside tinebackeris the ball bouncing (nrltr,lt ll
many rcactions, we will work through them together for thei r I ll r,,,ssentialthat the linebackerkeePhis inside foot uP .rndhi! lrlrrxrl
ment over a hght end. We will separafetheir pln) to d \plit (, ,l, rs squareso he can neutralizethe block, and more imPttrt.rrrt,hl
the adjustmentsection. lr.,.rn push off the inside foot to run down the bounccs.l:i8rrn l7,'
rlllrstratesthe baseblock.
Alignment
The 7 techniqueplaceshis inside foot to split the body of the
end. H€ is in a two-point stancewith feet shoulder-width apart.Hl
bendshis body at the ankles,knees,and hips to produce m;xinruil d\/
force in just one step.His eyesmust focus on the end,shelmet,!
the linebacker'shands are waist high ready to punch as the fn
foot hits the eround.
-1t\
Coachesset their 7 technique'sfeet in numerouspositions.
settingscan be effective.It is imperative only that on contact l\\
inside foot is in advance(that is, closerto the line of scrirnmage),
describ€din chapter 3. We prefer that the feet be nearly even I
rrN q i +'
cause the initial step can be with either foot. Ot
-t^
The 9 techniquealigns wider We have him placehis iniide
opposite the outside loot of the tight end. Review figure 17.1.
tedchthe B1
l"'
"amestancerto both techniques.
r lll. Co pl.l.lln.l lhl
t.ro ,rll(,r(I l(, tx \'l rh,,r(l',,nlrl t1,,.l'.,11
Ncitht r tt.chniilLrc
the linc of scrirnD1.1ge.N()f (.r'r ll1(,7t(\ lrr(lL'( run.'r{'u'rrIllr.ll
end's block. This would opcn .r Lrrgc5 g.rp st.rnr insrrh
{
','{
Most 9 techniques are overcoachecl on tht t'.rsr. l,Lx k. ( oru I
often browbeat this finesse player k) hunkcr (lowrr .rrrtl gt,t grl
againsta block he doesn'thave b master.Wh.rt if tho () lofh'ri(l||F
driven for width on an inside play? The 5 gap defertlt r' ,rrrrl
alley player should make the play for a negligiblcSdin .rnyw.'y (
figure 17.3).
82 is displacedon
Yes,I want dle 9 techniqueto be physical,and we work him (
on-oneagainstburly tight ends in camp-But I'm not going kt
come bent out o{ shapeor make him feel inadequateover a
priority block. For the 7 techniqueit's a point to emphasize,but
for the 9 technique.
Kanavis McGheeenteredColorado at six-foot-three.210.W8
cruited him to be a crafty drop linebacker By the time he w0t
senior,he was a substantial240pounds.As a fteshman,Kanavis
not have successin our one-on-onedrills versusthe baseblock.
understoo4 however, that it was not cdtical to his position. His
was not damagedin the process.
Whenthe tightend blocLsand optiondevelops,bolh lrne
take the quarterback.The 7 techniquedoes so becausehe al
has a teammate outside him assignedfor pitch. The 9 technique
the quarterback when engaged by the end becausehe knows
,.nd e l.lirlqr.r.2sl
rlr' . rlI r' Il . r v c r ( : ' | | r l r ) i r " , ' I 7 , l ) r r ' l l ( , v (
, , , , 1. l, l(, (k ( s ( . rl .r l u | r l 7 l ) .
'lnt
tt) thc pitch on the
? ?I
%,/ 1
S c
l rr,,1,\QB asa9t echnique. Thesaf et yisf r eet ot aket hepit chont heTE'sblock.
ioachBlock
llrrr sineleblock definesthe differencesbetweenthe 7 and 9 tech-
rri,lrrclinebackersbetter than any other. The reach block usually
$ ,||rs of a pe meter run, and that is where thesetwo stylesof Play
'lrtl, r most dramatically.
As the 7 technique seesthe tight end's head move outside, he
rt,.l'c toward it and attacks the end, much as he did versus the
l,r block. He wants to control the end at the line, keeping his
,,rtside arm ftee. He ddves the tight end backward and forces
rlr, ball to bounce outside to his help, the contain defensive back 1
t.. figure 17.5).
I he 9 technique, on the other hand, is d1e contain player. Of all
llx, blockshe faces,this is the one he must really anticiPateand en-
l,,r When the tight end's helmet gains width, this linebackerstePs
r\ rtIr his outsidefoot laterallyto maintain his outsideleverage.Then
|,. torcefullycrossesover with his inside foot and works uPfield to
,rr rdcalpoint that is two yards wider and two yards deePerthan
ilr( cnd's odginal stance(seefigure 17.6).
A savry 9 techniqueknows that his hetp is all on the inside. In
trllrre 17.6,{our teammatescan make a play when the 9 technique
trfns Lheball carier inside. None can make it for a negligible gain
r 0. Contl.l.Lln.b..ll.!

lnildoBlock
t |id I l.oinh!.. . lll

I lr.r .' n n h('sl r,l t)l.'ys.rrr(lsccondbl()ckingthreatsthat occurwhen

' a singleoffenseusesonly a
the TE's reach tlr. rr[lrl (.r)(lblo(ksitlsidc.Fortunately,
block ba.k (B2). we will discuss.
lr,rrr('rr{'f tlrc pictures
( n.r('r.rlly, when the end blocks inside, the linebacker should
*1l,r.zt' him. The 7 techniqueshould protect the inside linebacker
lr',r!' th(' end's direct Path.The 9 techniquealignswider and \nr'illbe
l, ,,.,rl,lr'k) disrupt thetight end.A defensiveback however,should
lrll 0ll the end's tail when the end blocks inside versus a 9 tech-

it,'th linebackersshould stePinside with thetuinside foot iam-

rrrrrli the end with their hands. As they closeinside they should
olrrrillcto get their inside foot up and shoulderssquarcto the line.
tlry should point their feet uPfield and searchinside for the next
l'l(! kinq threat.
( )rrtside linebacke$ must leam to tell the difference between an
trr.r,lcblock and an inside Passreleaseby the end.On Pass,the tight
.rr,l s head will be higher ind his path more ve*ical as he runs his
work for width veFus
the reach with a lateral t et's investigatesome of the standard inside blocking Patterns
over step upfield (b).
Power
3Y9e
, !v, l rain both techniques to Pldy the Power in the sane fashion. The
'i ) ' r,\ hnique,becauseot his alignment,cdn squeezethe hole more
h ./b , rl'\ iiveaydnd get a betterjam on the tightend.
ri"" Ih' Iinebaclermustslideinsideof{ hisjdmof the tightend "One
three is usually too many,two is just dght " is a
82 't,,f is not enouSlL
tI ',,r!jingJohn Gutekunst used at Virginia Tech while coachingour
,l',,p iinebackers.The key is to stay on the line of scrimmageand
c rrrt get upfield, which creates a vertical seam for the runner The
,t,,i;der ;hould take on the fuIlbackwith his inside foot and shoul-
,1,.iShould the ball bounceoutside,he is in Positionto push off the
when the ball goesoutside the linebacker.A smaller, active linebac rrsidc foot in pursuit (seefigure 17.7)
can thrive against big ends with this technique. JessePenn was 2 Scveraltimesin the past nine yearswe havehad ouroutsideline-
pounds yet mastered this method against much larger opponenta lrrckcrswrong shoulder the Power.Somedefensesdo it regularly
end. He was tremendousin spaceto a split end, and this !v( have made that decision based on our personnel. The theory we
technique allowed him successover tight ends, too. The Virgi lr,rveis that the wrone-shouldermethod is effectiveif the outside
Techproduct followed in the Rick Miley mold, and the Dallas lrrlrbackercan elirninite two blockershimsel{ Theq when the ball
bovs drafted him in the second round. lr)uncesto the alley a teammatecan make the tackle.
lal. Comtl.l.Un.ta.llnl t rrd I Tcoirlor.t.2al

@E 0Illorl
I rtt,,, ,-, r\( nr,rrvI'1,^lrrrli stherrrcs
for tlreoption,but whenever
(
lh r,lil,l,.'r(ll,l()(ks )n tlrt.outsidclincbacker or inside,our 7 or 9 is
*, t,,,,|,rl'ltl()r(lrnrtcrback. Bothwillhavc clefenders outsidethem
rrr rlr, I'rlL lr whcn thc cnd blocksinside
\ rl r||r, th( lincbackershould stay squareand Positionhis inside
l,',r rrl' r, lrt.can brcak to the pitch when the ball is dealt outside.
ll,,,,',r, Irosmustinformthelinebackerof thequarterback'soption
rl,rlrtr lliLh nn average quarterbaclg the 7 or 9 technique should
fl,,\ lr.ri(rth the line oI scdmmageand anticiPatea Pitch-He should
tr \ , r rr n toward an option quarterback,evena greatone.The line-
lli,1., I rlrst always slow play the option runner to give his team-
tr,r, tUrrcto pursue(seefigure17.9).

Wrongshouldermeansthat the 7 or q te(hniquewoul(l hlt

fullback with his outside shoulder and take the pulling gu,rrrl
him (seefigure 17.8).Now B1 realizesthat the ball should
and that he must replace the 7 technique in the alley or thr, 9
nique with contain. Often we felt that our inside linebackcr (lld
have the speedto make that tackleconsistentlyin space.

82 uses wronS

the FB and pulting G.

make an outsideplay.

0 S lo c k
l\,.rscd to seethis block a lot, butit still needswork in camp.Ifthe
lrrr.l'.ckerjust follows his inside block progressioohe will be fine.
llrr'linebacker should squeezethe tight end's block and set his
l,,r'.,with his inside foot to take on the guard putl- That will com-
l,r,-,sthehole and put the 7 or 9 techniquein position to Pushoff the
ir .r(lofoot for the bounce or quarterback(seefigure 17.10).
,aa. C!|||Dl.l.I In.ltllln0 t.rd Claainlauar.2ll

82.loses and attacks -- ----

the pulling G with
a---r'

plays thc QB.

O 6----1Q.
fl
-}
(D O rD,'
{/;:

81".-J
/l t
c

T Block
In 1978dt Virginia Tech we begancalling this blockinBp.lll
LheVirginid blocL becauseour bitter rival used it. lt is ntlll
vogue but not something we seeweekly during the season,
purpose is to get the outside linebacker to squeezewith th(
end and then hook him with the pulling tackle. Versusn 9
nique some of{enseshave tried to kick the linebacker out
run inside him.
The real solution is to get into the tackle'smustachequickly
fore he gets moving very far. The 7 technique can attack morc tld
The 9 technique must gain width to tuln it back to his insidc
(seefigrue 17.11).

Counlel
Once again this play begins with the end blocking inside. Thc 7
technique sque€zesand will seeall backs going away while thc
side guard and tackle pull toward him. He should continue to
inside with hips squareto the line and his inside foot setjust
contact with the pulting guard (seefigure 17.12).We want to
inside, and 82 is always ready for the bounce-out. ?iss
When the pulling tackle stays directly behind the guard, wc llr, maturity o{ an outside linebackeris often affirmed by his reac'
used the "bowling ball" adjustment. 82 dives at the feet of the In,|lto play-;ction pass.Though film study and exPerience,he can
tripping both pullers and forcing the ball carier to bubble. ,!.linzuish betweenan inside block and an inside passrclease.It is
lal . Conrl.l.Lln.iaallnl t .n, Cl..inl!!.. . tlt

difficulttofrxrl.rs.rvvyTor()ltrlrrrrrlrrr.,r'vcrrvyrllrl,l.ry.rilr'nl'd
becausehe discerosthc c.rrtl'sil)tt rrtionslry lris rt.l(!r5' ( )ltt. , t
will flex wider, ever so slightly,nn(l n vct(.nrrorrtsirL.lirrr,lrrt
will perceivepassbelore the snap.
Figure17.13demonstrates sucha relcnsc.lht.r'n.l'slr,,.rrlwI l
high and going downfield. As the linebackcr n'.rctslr.krrsr,,lrh
sion should go inside to his next key. He will usually srr. tlrr.
in a passset.

I (f
Y
t -] O O ? N

NT

BlI

lr ,,L|,n tight ihe natual tendencyto .harge the QB and stay in coverril,

The linebackershould iam the end with his hands and th(,1
to his passresponsibility.As a 9 technique he wilt usually bc fltl
zone coverage.A 7 technique normally would have a nore restrl
@
zone drop. Either could be in man or askedto contain rush (nl
key read.
Against action passto the outside linebackerin zone,it muil
very clearabout when he containsa scrarnblingquarterback.ln
system, a zone linebacker stays in coverage no matter how k
ing it is to chargethe passeron the m (seefi E.|f.e1,7.1,4).
In this paticular coverage82 is the only defend€rwho can
away the tight end's route. 81 is forced to help the defensivel0r
contairL while 82 can come up only after the quartetback cros$ct
line of scrimmage. )
N
Backside
Blocks
When the tight end's headgeargoesinside and the backfielda
starts away, the linebacker must first check for a lineman pulll
toward him. suchas lhe counterin figure 17.12or the revirm
figure 17.15.We call this a fiental trail lr.',i,ustbepatie.twith flow away to stop a reveis€.
,la. C!mDl.t.
t In.trllln! 7rnd0l..hrl0u...tae

L , t n rrs l s lrrlllr'(l(' wnllrr'lllu

Wh en run is aw,rr,,llrr'lrrr,l,,r,
scrimmagcwith hitrss(luitr(,(1,nrfrlssrrlillx .r(.r lttrvtl n hll
and the 5 gap defender. Ile cdnn()tt.rk(,r(l(\'|( r l,urs||rt,rrfilr.I
he is positivethe ball carrierhascross((ltl)( l||r( llri\,rtlr.rll||tl
detail stopsmany huge runs (seefiguro 17.l6).

82 will see diifeEnt

end but must sea.e

himself a.d the 5 gap

defenderon cutbacks.
o.L t
r,i- -..6J/^',

"1

If the defensivepackagehas the 5 gap player upfietd chasing

ball on flow awav,the 7 or 9 techniquemust fold under him.
two backsidedefendersmust coordinatetheir movements(sc(,
urc'17.'17).
When the tight end simply drir eshis helmetto the linebdc
inside jerseynumber,he is attempting to position himself be
the defender and the ball carrier The linebacker must attack
end with his inside foot aIId deliver a closing hip roll. He must d
the end inside and backward while he anticiDatescutback(see
ure 17.18).
l',r.ker Similarly,however, the arc releasecan point out the vada-
ArcReleases tr(nrbetween7 and 9 techniqueresPonsibilities.
These tight end blocks are distinguishable from the reach With each of the plays, the linebacker should engage the tight
becausethe end's helmet is higher and pointed away ftom the rrrrl and ride him as he readsrun or pass
210.Com!1.1.
Lli.tr.lln! t |nael.drihrx . lll

0ption ,l@@
The 7 techniqueknows thnt thc s(.con(I.'rvis r(,1ltalrl' ("rl'l (,
hirn and has pitch. He is also nwnfc {hat sorrr,orrr.irrsrth,I
shouldoverlapto the quarterback. th( 7 I( ( Ir,Ii,IIIr,
Thcrr.f()fo,
ride the tight end arc and defend the dump t.rss l,r lrinr (
optionshows,he cancomeofI tl-reend and help.rslhi .rllLy l'lo
When a teammatetakes the quarterback,he can stn.tr'lrt
pitch. If the option quarterbackis running frelr,th(. 7 t(\ llrl
can constrict and {eatherhim as describedpreviously (s(.r.ll[0
17.19).

82 defends the TE

in alley on QB to

r t , , L ,r, dr a w FB

qqq
The 9 techniquereactswith a completelydifferent set of cir.u N^I i
stances.Vvith an arc by the tight end, this linebacker has pitch .rk
He ddes the end for width and then disengagesto get upfield kl B1
back.His inside help, a defensiveback,defendsthe dump pass
figure 17.20).
!\t' are now seeing little of this play to 7 and 9 linebackers. Thc
SprintDlaw rrtlrl end does influence the linebackerfor width, but without thc
As the tisht end arcs,the linebackermust ride him as he did vr lr,l Lrlockinginside, the 5 gap defensivetackle is a thorn to this
the option. Quickly, he will recognize that all backs are inside
the near back is on a kick-out path toward him.
Now the spdnt draw becomesjust like the power described Pass
Iprint-Draw
lier The Tand 9 techniquesmust constrictand take on the near we seemuch morc sPrinFdraw Passto the 7 and 9
I'r,)portionately,
with outside leverage(seefigure 17.21). tn lrniquesthan we do sPdnt draw. Now the linebackerrides the
2l2. Conpbla n.bftllm t .ndI l.dnlq0r . tll

Responsibilitles
I Technlque
82 rides TE and then 11,,,l,rr.L'.,(kt.,
1,.,\ro||l.rinrll|lifsv(rsUsllr(fr|'rr'lr(rllr,lrril,l
, rr,l Lkr ks otttsiek.
lVrrlr an insidc block by thc tight ( n.1,lh(' lin( bn( kt f ls ,r'\l
'r\r(
r,, ll'( 7 t(chnique docs, but he cnnn()lt)('cxt)f.lo(l lo |rotrl l
tlr, insiclcIinebackcrfrom thc end.
\l,rsos opfion, the 9 technique uscs the block rcnd. Wlx rl llr'
trltl\l ('nc1blocks the outside linebackeror blocks insi(l(, lhc rr
t,\ hniquc plays the quarterback.When the end arc bk x ls, lln 'r
t,\ ltnique works to the pitch immediately.
. I ho 9 technique'sbacksidcrun duties are the samc.rstlrt i
'
. V, rsus pass,both linebackersdrop or rush as the covr'r'r1ir',lr'
rrr.rnds.

tight end. When he recognizespassby the quarterback'saction
the fullback's soft path, he must drop to his coverageresponsibl
(seefigure 17.22)or rush the quarterbackas his schemedictatcr,
PassBlock
When a tight end showspassprotectionimmediately,the lineb (
should drop tohis zone,recognizingthat draw is alsopossiblc.
block occurs regularly with some opponents when the end is on
backside of twins or trips as the widest receiver The staff may (
sider rushing the outsidelinebackerand voiding the zonewht'n
tendencieswarrant it.
7 Technique
Adjustments
lll',!l Llefensivepackagesplacethe 7 techniquelinfl).rrl',r li! il'r,
trrr,ntth of a formation.Wewill reviewhis adjustmcntswrll|lr llr,rl
. When he aligns to a wing, a 7 techniquecould mairrt,rrrlrrr rror
m rl .rlignment.A corner would outflanl<the wing so llr.tl llr ,l''
11,,1ment would look sotmdon paperas shownin figui( 17;'I
rr',n a normalT O O
, itriquealign-

7 Technique
Responsibilities
This linebackeris responsiblefor the 7 gap at the inside edgeof
at r c )-o - &'
(_,

alley. With an inside block by the tight end, the linebacker ir

pectedto protectthe inside linebackerbyjammingthe end and
o,
pressingthe gap.Versusoption, the Ttechniquealwayshas 82
back first and then overlapsto pitch. With run away the line
squeezes,checking fot counterc, reverses,and cutbacks.Against BI
the 7 techniquedrops or rushesas the coveragedemands.
2!a . Compl.l.tlmb.clln!
r I ' iI lrrly (llr. ' lr, , . t { ' r{
il tlx'wr'1liis . rrrrn ll{
Unfortunntcl),,
tightend)a st(nrg run thri..rtt()w.r(l lt2L rists l{r' tvorrlLlrrrrrr
stanceand ponotr.rt( th( 7 $.rl'wrll' lrrrrrw
put 82 in a thrce-point
facedwith this strong run potential.
If thewing were a wide receiver and tieemctl no l,kxki|lpi lh
our normal aliEnmentin figure 17.23would bc sdtisl.r({()fy W| wl
train the outside linebackerto recognizethe typc ('i {,p|{r$liotl
had and to adjust accordingly. We have even permitted ll illr l( rl
' \! lr, rr.rnoutsicielinebackerhasno tight end and no wide rt'ceivtt
to a line slant in that direction when warranted-
. With twins or t ps to his side there is no Ionger n lighl
Now the 7 techniquemust move out into spacc(sccfigu n. l7 2l[
82 aligns in spac
with the OT as key
Linebacker B2 keys the near tackle for run or pass. with
he attacks the line of scrimmage, ready to iam the nearest w
receiver with his outside foot or a backfield blocker with hll
side foot. Versuspass,82 opens to the Z receiver and followi
coverase rules.
I Technique
Adjustments
A 9 technique in our defensive package can play to the strong
weak side. When on the strong side, we attempt to adjust as we
with the 7 technique. When on the weak side, more adjustmentr
usuallv reouired,
t.nd I l.d lll...lll
. , \ rl , r r r r l r , . ' , r r i l , lr n t ' , , 1 ' . ' r , \ l l ( ) t , r t r r r t r l r , r l , r r r (l(r\rl r t r n v r ' l
(n
. t ) s lo l l { ' r s (s l ' , r v r$' ' r r n t l r l 1 r r
$ , , ' , t, l ,' l r ' | | rl l r . r ls r t r r , r t r ,'rrrl t r i r rM
il l, rl w ( { t r ' l (r . l r l ( , r r l ytu,r.(l('r-sf.rs()rl r , r l , r v ( ' r . ' t i .
W ( w o r l rl
, , , , r\ rv, r ' ( , h o w t ' v r ' r ; s i ) 1 ) u f P I n y ( ' r s . r r ( c ( r t n i , r l ( ) f ( . ( ) g l r i T rxil . r r
Lrr l! i|r l.rll ..tmp we teachour ()utsidelincbnckcrst() id(1)lily
ir,l , ('rtlll)unicntc unbalanced looks.We drill it in indiviclunlP('ri
,ul . tlr,,lirst wcek in sprin8Practiceand in teamshortlythercnlk'r'
t,,lr', si(le,he hasan unbalanced line He must fccl confidenttl),rl
|l, ,,rn irlcntify it and make the aPproPriatechecksto the defenso
| ||ly in my Big Ten career,WisconsinPlayed nearly the whole
lrr',r,lu.rrtcr in a vaiety of unbalancedlooks. It suryrised th(' sl.rll,
l,,rtol|f drop linebackerrecognizedit immediatelyand thw.rrlrtl
tlr. ll,rriger's extensivePlansin thosesets.By the samek)ko'r( ;rrr
it," ll.f had Michigan go for an important two-point PI.ry,,rrxl rl
r\,, . llro only unbalancedformation of the day.Our drop lirrr'l''rrL, t
rr)t make a quic! forceful adjustment,and Michig.rn sr |r'rl
'lr,l l, ssonwas that we must train our defendersso wcll llr,rl llrt'y
llr,.
fir,rl( thoseadaptationsthe first time.
f,l,'st unbalancedlooks we defend have about three bnsi( |l.ry\
I rr, plays designed specifically for an unbalancedset worrltl I'r'
lrr)ilrlvunusual.Be sotnd, but be able to adjust quickly an(l (()rrli
. \,vhenthe 9 techniquealigns to a sPlit end with a thrt't-tlrr1'
,,rr shellbehind him, he cansoundly adiustto a ?ralkor hil k)c.rlr{)rr
I lrc iorlk 9 puts the linebackerthree to four yards deeP,miriw.ry
h rwcenthe 5 gap defenderand the split end (seefigure 17.25)
F
OO
;I"-
O
!O O
N
.'. 'B2
1
B1
 2tl . Comtrl.l.Lln.brclllC
As a wirlk lineb.r.kcr,ll2 k( ys tlr. l.|t ll('i(,f n r or l,.rr! Wtlll
action to him, he has conhin nn(l nlwnys tllo Pit( lr 1'rr,,l,lr,'rr
nrn away,92 works with backsidcIcvcr.rge, nrrti.ip.rlrrr,l( rrll,||r'
\ rhen the tackle shows pass,82 assumcs his.t)vor.rl1 (lrIlr' r'
We use the fiip 9 alignment with somc sP(ci.)lilfti .(,vt'rrrllor
get the outsidelinebackercloserto the forcing unit. lt is nlsrt.rl,l
ite with the three-deepzone, particularly whcn th(' 9 tr{ lrrtl(lttr
into the high schoolor collegeboundary.It is an cxc('ll('ntlrlil,r
tion (seefigure 17.26).
82 ii in a hip 9 align- O \
O
O lirrly in the schemewe actually cockedthe far 9 toward lln' tl,lil
nO
N
As a hip linebacker,82 hasthe samekeys and responsibiliti('s
he had as a walk linebackerin fisure 17.25.With the ball on I
hash, however, 92 can still be a factor on throws to the sPlil
while being a strong run force ftom the hip.
. When the 9 techrique aligns to a split end with a two-deep
behind hirn, we adjust with a/ar alignment. The far 9lineb
beginswithhis outsidefoot coveringthe inside foot of the split
receiver,three to {our yards deep (seefigure 17.27).
The far 9 aligns inside the split end so he can be a forceful
rurr player The split end has poor leverageto put his body
the linebacker and a pedmeter run. on run away, 82 pursues wl
backsideleveragefor cutbacksand reverses.He is also critical
deep pursuit away.
Versuspass,the far 9 linebacker sinks shaight back to take away
verticalrouteof the split md until thehdl\ e. comercan breakto it,
I
t
t.nd I l.oi.lqu.t. ti7
a) f
n ol 'T
a)
N r
B1 \,
n . r r r a d d tu .ttr cn l o !p r th e M d e r e ce .ve r
' ', ,
rr r,l lcceiver,keying hirn. When the split end blockedthc linll'.tr klt,
r\, .rttackedhim and then played inside him at the linc. WI rlrr tlrc
rl'lrt cnd releasedfor Pass,the linebackerrctated his hips insitk' lor
r rri,rnon the ball as he retreated.
Types
7 andI Technique
I lr, player who can excelat thesetechniquesis an excellent.rthlct(
,rrr,lusually an experiencedpe orrner Strengthis a real Pri()rity |(Ir
,' 7 technique.A finessedefendercan Play the 9 technique.In f,r(1,
t\ lrcn he is in space,a strong safetyis ideally suited to Play hiP 9,
n,rlk 9, orfar 9.lnDass situationswe oftensubstifutea secondktnl
,l,,li'nsiveback {oiour drop linebacker.
Normally our 9 techniqueshavebeensix-foot-twoto six-fooFf()trr
,rrxl in the 215 to 225 range. They are usually excellentbasketbnll
r,l.rvcrswho have real ball sense.
llecauseof the coveragesthis is a more demandingposition mtn
t,rllythan the wide or loose5 teclmiques.Although it is not unconr
nronfor a freslunanto play our rush linebacket rarely doesa rooki('
r'lnv the 7 or 9 techniquein our scheme.
r PartU

TTAGHIIIG IIIII
l[[nililG

This sectionis dinectedprimarilyto coaches'but serlousslu-

aenls of the qame will also benefitfrom the information Each
chapterdeal;with a ditferentaspecto{ teachrngand learnrng
coi"n'ng teaching Learnlng is critical Lo the success of
'"
DlavinoInebacker.
'
6ha'pter l8 dlscusseslhe player-coachfelatronshrpand
teachrnqstvle. along with tlps tor increasedlearningin the
.t.ssroim and on tlie freld Chapter19 speaksspecificallyLo
the orqanizationof linebackertraining sessionson the field
Chaote;20 looksat how a gradingsystem can have speclal
benefitstor both coach and player.
 GhaDter18

StYIe
Teaching

A , ,,,kh's teachingstyle arisesfrom values he leams through the

,,urr* ofhis life. Tle home usually Providesthe strongestinfluence
r,rrrvlr.rthe believesis imPortant That was cetainli tme in my casc'
nr,I ll()se valuesgreatly'influencedmy philosophy on teaching
I rr.rsborn in S,-epternber 1945in Latrobe,Pennsylvania'known
llr,r ,rndnow for producingthe legendarvSolterArnold Pdlmer'I
x,' r,ri-edin K"yiton" n uiilrg" *ilh a PoPuldtion oi dightly ot et
nlr lt)c.rtedon a;ke about 40 miles southeastof Pittsburgh'
K, vstonehad a conveniencestorcthat was oPenonly during the
or,rr"nerfor the fishermenwho used the lake Therewas no gassta
lr',||,not evena ziP code.
I Irc men of Keystone were laborers and the wornery housewives'
N', one in our town's histoly had ever gone to collegeuntil my old-
, .1:istcr.Nancv,attendedIndiana StateTeacher'sCollege,about30
,,,,1,,s awav Mv {athel,Lou Senior,had an eighth-gradeeducation'
tlr rr was iot atypical in tov/ns like Keystone My mother,Frances'
1,.,. | .' hieh and alwal s stressed educdhonasthekc)
'ch;idiplomr proveto be an insPjration to all of usbv
r,,,rr nrltures. Mom would
to collegelate in her 4bsto earn a degreeBy the time Pat' my
11,rrrg
, ',,rrie".t .r-e ulong.we expected her to havea collegee\Pe
'irdt had seta standardWhatapositiveinfluenceourpur
rr.i. Nancv
"'
,,rrtshad been for education.
t \,vasthe secondin Keystoneto attendcolle8e,thanksto lootbnll
I,,.,tballwas mv pdssionMy parentsusedit Io motivdtem( 'l'n
,l' rricallv as thousandsof pirentsand coaches do eachyerr' lf tttv
r:r'Je' ;ere not a(cePtablet couldn'tPlay No other linesnt t rkrl

7[l
 Iaxrnl lrFl'E
202. CoDpl.l.Lln.i..lln0

to be d rawn for nr('.I workr.Ll,rr,rrh.rrrrr,rlly

to l'li.,rst.rrr l,lltly | l l x l t r r l g t ' r ' , ( n t r r | r r ' , I r r r ' l l l lr{l lr 1 1 r r r ' o ror It : t ' ! l t r ' s l r t r x r r I l r r ' r t
'r ' l r , l l ' -r r l t t w , ' I k r r ' lr n l r r l i l r h ' ' ' l " ' lt
to play college footbnll. r , i, . ,,i . , " ' . ' , i ' * , , , ' , , 1 rl '' '
W " l r ' r ' l ' rrrrrr' r \ 'rrrrr'\ ' rrrLl
By lc6l, four colle8r.5-l{ut6r.rr. Ii (i,,1,, 11 ,,'r(l l(,rll i' , ' . ' " l , ' ' , l w , t ' ' r l r w r r r r ' ' lt " l ' r ' l r '
"ir, r'
PolytechnicalInstitute-courted me seriously.I l( tl nry t,l.ryrrr i, " , . , i , r r r ,r , ' r ' * t r r ' r r . l ' h r l u i l l l r ' r t h ' r r ' r l r i g l r l v 1 1 ' r . l r r'lr r ' l
( ' v r ' rl r \ ( ' r r \
day that only thosefour institutions could ev('l) lirld Koysl(nr$, .,'',,- ,,'f ,,'.'.f'' ,r M"rri'Knrrll' lli6lr s'lr'''l l.r
Ilr'rvt rrs'l"v.t
that is shetchingthe truth just a bit. i, ; , : ' l ' : ; * , . ; ; " ' p , ' ' . . 1 . rc " m m ' ' n p h r l ^ ' ' 1 ' l r vt l r a t
t h i t w r ' rnyv(r\r('rr t'l
I remember distinctly two events surrounding Iny (lorirll|n . r" , , t l u w , ' I J t m . , y n , ) tb e v u r b r t i r nb' u t
f'rlir tl;' pru
attend Rutgers College. First was the officill visit to N , ,.,tt,,,f i. t b,,,'( 'om' l0 ve'rrt I'rk r' Oul.hrru'l
',,
Brunswick. I had never been on an airplane bcf()re. My pnri rlr',.i thistcachingphilosophy:
bought me an expensivecoat becausethey did not wnnl nlr lo (hr-
( \ll f.n,tballprogramshouldbe an integrJlPartt'l lhr'(
embarrassedwhile at Rutgers. On Friday evening, I irrriv {
, ,rlr(,r) \\ stem.F;otballitseltis neithergood nor bdd' tt r\ 'r
the fratemity house where T was to spend the night. I (i tu uPr'11 llrt
hung my new jacket inside the door The next morning | .tr{ r,",1.I i(e anl other tool whal it crealesdcPend\
.1,.r,:nof thecraftsmanBecaube of the immensePoPulnrrlv
and-you guessed it-my coat had been stolen. ln 17 y(.rtn uniquetoul in educrlir'rr
,'i it is perhapsthe mo't
living in Keystone, I had experiencedtheft only once. Thnt [i v0tttlfi
glar stole a saddle, a piggy bank, and a pistol. To this day I r, luv. lt canbe ured t" grertly influencethevaluesof
',i,rtoff,
' ftilt also influencesbehavior tllotl o[
not understand the mentality that prompts people to takc r( *lr.
"'""
. "-i"t" - our student-athletesand imit.t(' tlr.rtl
thins thev have not earned. ';;t;;;il;il."" I'rrl
The second defining event was the school visit by Dr. J f' .och ,s we work toward winning' let'sremenlhi'f
r(,lea<teachers and our resPonsibility to useiootb'rlllt) lrrl
Batemarythe Rutgershead coach.CoachBatemanmet me at l)
Area High School to finalize my commitment. I was in aw(', provethe lives of our YounSmen'
what he did next put Rutgers in the lead permanently and in
enced my recruiting as a coach for an entire career.
CoachBatenan took me out of schoolwith him to visitmv fnt
StaffQualities
Dad was pumping gas at a one-bay garageon Ligonier Stn\,| V\lr.rtqLtalities male a Iinebacker coachspetial?Certrinlvllt rxlrIn
erperiencebut therels much mttr('
Latrobe.He had no help. Dr. Bateman,in shirt and tie, rolled up '' l, 'r'uf lnowledgeard
.'
hard wor|' lity
sleeves and helped pump gas so he could talk to my father abr i:ir."" .rit".iu *i .titical ior successas a coach:
Rutgers.Dad could notbelievethat a man of his statuswould s rlr\ ., ) n da c a r ef o r L i d s A P e r s o nm u s t w o r k d i l i g e n t l v . i t' rt n v l t l r
rrullx'
hours helping a common laborer and his son. l' . : ) n t o h a v es u c ( e s sA c o a c h d o e > n o t p u n ( h a h m e c l ( ' ( k
a tedm lr)r vr(r'rfv
That evening after the visit, Dad asked me what I thought ||rr:t be sureto tum over all stonesto PrePare
and forged a detallr'tlA'lrlrr'
Rutgers.I told him that Rutgers was my first choice,and Dad l\ lrcna coachhdsstudiedall sifuations (l (rr'
sponde4 "Goo4 becausethafs where you are goingl" Dad di ,'l thenifs dme to qo home Lntil the coach stuolt 'rno has
'n th(
know if Rutgers was better for me academically. He rarely saw i, Ll" t-o-p.iit plal for example'hecannot(all Enrrrr'
play in high school or college, but he knew John Bateman to b.r ''ni""J r. a'..o wouid not be falr to dnyone in the ProBr'rrrl
'',,.,.li"i'i"J By signin8acontracttnoc(r'r( rr
honorable rna4 without a hint of arroqaJlce.He would entrust LovalwisastrongLeyondnystaff
mdle onlv p('\ilivt'
onlv son to TohnBateman. ,,'-tiri"ii.'"rr t"iteieam's eftort He 'hould
decisioryargunl('nlh
Keystoneof the 1960sseemslike a foreign town amidst ,,i"i"-""i. o"Utt.. Once the staff makes a
values.I do not remembera divorce or even a separationin mv - * f"f f-speedaheadto accomPlish it togethcr
,. ,."'r"i tl"t
ra.l they love their plavers That statemenl re(lulrt''l
yedrsthere.A man'sword rl a. hi. bond.lf you weren'tgoingt; r'"1r,-ru.oa.itei
hismerr.l k'
it you had better not say it. Men kept their promisesto theft wi r.iir'"ir.ti a ..1.1 mustbewiliingto getto know llv( i
and academlc
and children. r'rurt be witling to devote time to their Per\onal
,'l'n - Lrtrr t r lr lr L" r li. , ! |
'r "f
idw&ffi,S*diijr'fdjlt1tir;,i-rirr'4ii!1dJ&4r$i{,|t!*rrifliilJ,!tt}i!4
( l ( '( 'r t)l
1.,,, ' ,1, | , ', . r , l | , '1 , , \ , Lr ll\ , r ir ( l r |vr 'Llt 'r lJ5cl
\\l ' rr rt,,,, ' ,tr, i ' tl llr . r t $r r r r r I l$'i'ehit C'r lvin
i ) L
I L,1 l\ . iL' , r ( lr il\ ', lLr lnJlr r
{ )l l ,)r,i . I rl r,l l ,,t l r" rr Ir{v.rl
L tl i , I), r ll, r s ( i, ! \ 'L'( , \ 's lif si r ouncl choicc, ar ld cf eat ed
K i rt!1. l ), \\,.\ ,\. 1 ,, ,
' rl ,t ' l,- l\( rr rlrcn,I 1.. LiTcdthat thestuntcalicdbascduPon
K rr rg lrt: . , 1 ,t , r, r\ , , , , , , , l r , r, , ,
, . l,,,rLiir'lclrltolionis rvhatPut me in suchan advanta-
llc n,.rs.r I'ror,.f .l,.rl! I | | .',,.1 wisdonr e\'en
h.rci l(d th{ liIlrIr . ,1,1,ii.., r,,
, l\)srtion. Ioda)',I value Coach's!:lefensivc
, Llr.rrr I clidthcn.
n.rtioril |.('(rJsrrilr)n| ),,\\, \ r,,r,,
" |1,,r,I c()nsidercdPl:ryingprofessionallyfor a teamin Rich-
J cclelrrnt('dl)o(,( r )r 1i,,... ,l, t, r1r'
, ,!i,1.Vifgrni.r.t askadCoachKing {or adyice then, startjng a
entiiled /.rr ,r) | [ l.rlLr lrr rrrr,,r
Divisiolr I hc.rd .(tr( h ,,1:,.,,j 1,,!
| ,, lrcr ihat I har'e now {ollowed for 30 ycars Beforeevery
, L,,f DrofessionaldecisionI seckthe advice of the mall who
State. I Ic inflLrt'rce(l rri,ji, r,'r',
. , ,,, .i rry tmst rvith his love-By the way, he told me to Iorget
lives anclc.trccrs,irr.lrrrlrrrirrrrrrr
L ,r Ine with Richmond in the minor lcaguesand come helP
As a lrcshn_rar, I plar'Lrl,,rrr'.r,
, , . r,achin thc spring.Hethen adviscd me to getioto college
game schcdulens d runnr ijt l' ,, I
,,ll'.rll and called head coachesuntil he got me an oPPortI-
After the seasonCoachKing approachccl me nborl 1,1,,\,rtl r Lll h e U r r i ! c r ' i l ) o f l i t t s b u r $ h
\ . ' . . r er . r d u r t e . r - - i s L d. n
defensefbr him that spring. ' l'lill
RutgersCollege,nestledalong thc Radtan Itiver in \r'r lr.r " r, e r Ki n g a l s , , l r u g h l a c o u r : c ( , n c o . r c h i n g l , | o t b . r l l
,r c the textbookand someof mynotes ]{e made:t statemcnt
se\th.1donly about4000stuclcnts on thecarnpusin l.)hl llr
rl',rtI usealotwith my staff abouthandting youn8 mcD Coaclr
King family lived in a dormitorvon theQund.'Ihectorrrrrr,.t "
"If you call a kid a dog long cnough,he'll becomeonc
to theils $,asHegeman llall, and I lived at,ll:[ llcgcrr.rrr r rrr 'rcl,
l,, r'caretimes to beha]d on Players.but men live for encour
wafm days,shrdentscouldhearand seeDewcy'syour4q,lrrl
,rl mcnt. I was never a greai Playet b!1t I always thought I
drcry Doug and -li ger;frclic in the courtuard . Playels met rv,r .l l1
\\ ,rs,bccauseL)eh'eyKing told me so.
in his honre lor Fellowshipof ChristianAthlctes meetings ll
t , , a c hp e r r u a d e c i m e i n J uol )f l a t ' s t i " l c t e Pdl n d l l - c \ P e n _ c '
\'!'cre\'r,elcome.
CoachKinds \\,ife,Peg,was a mothersubstiiUh,
i.clvisitt!)Bld(k Vlounlnin,\orth Cdn'linr' t' ' worL out !\ ith
for man)r Wegot to know CoachKinEipcrsonallyI liked rvlr.rrI I ,,meNFL g;reats including RaymondBer4'.Don Shinnick,Fiim
saw.I$'antcdto pl.rv for him, and latcr I'd wamttoteachlikc lrrrrr
,,\enlon,rnd Jerry 51,'r all
What madc Dcwey King so special?He did, absolutel)',krx
his defensivcscheme.Thercrvasa lcgitimacy abouthim. \,Vlx rl
'rv Clarth Webcr and Doug Clark, fellow athlet€s at Rutgers'
,lrrve nc down. NFL Hall-of_FamereceiverRaymond Betfy
I heald hc n'asa Christian,my first impression\,\'asthat ho h.r(|
L.cnttimc runnin!:roulc.aAdinttme.IndthPnsh'rrcd hi< faith
to be soft. We all leamed soon enough that was not tuue.
hilc ch,rllenr:rnimetu commil m) lrfc to Chri*t Fiveddy{
Dcwcy King had an inlcctiousenthusinsmabouthis schrrlx
. . rt ,r I b e c . r m e .' :rn e wc r c a f i o n \ 2 C t ' r i r r l h i r n c 5 : 1 7 )
and his players. Fle bclieved in both- Fle brcd confidenc('i
RaymondBeIIy continuedto stay in contactantt inJuly-1992
thosearoundhim. I [c dcmandedeffoft, and \vc g.rveit becarsr!
{,nt;e a series;f scripturesto help me durin8 my coachinti
of our trust in him. I thdved under his tcachingstyle.
l{rvnond ivas thc feattued speakei at the 1997lllir-roisHigh
When my carccr endecl,I rerlly felt l'd sign an NFL contrn(t.
S.:liool&raches Associationalinic in Champaign,and we re-
My frarernity brothcrs faked a call to mc from the New V)rk
Ilcct€d on fhc relation$hiP startcd by Coach King in 1965 Detvey
Ciants beforethe draft, anrl I bouglrt it hook, line, and sinkcr.
Laiet I realizedwlat a limited corncrand linebackerlhadbecn, Kirre influenced mv li{e dramatica\ as a Playcr, coach/and
Christian becauseof his work cthic,loyalty to Rutgers,and d
but CoachKing nraderrc ht'lier.t'thatI could per{orm as wcll
as anyoneI playedat.inst. dcep love for his Young ncn
 2ll . Contl.l. Llnrt.dtn! Iaariha llyl. . l|r

Remembcr,"a kid clrtesn'tclr( how ntrrh v('rr krx)w rnlil lrr,kl I rlll'!l Wrtlr0rrl,' ( l,rrr l'rrrlhri .'rr(l l ) 1 . ' r ., r r r rl(r k ' r r s l r o t r r
how much you care."
If a coachhasthesequalitieshe canmakt'it subslnrrti.rl rlill(,
in the lives of his players.Organizationalskills will crrsrrn,lh,rt
work is efficientand not wasted.He will bc dcp|nclablt.in irr forMeetings
Prepate
plishing the little things for his players and staff.
1,,, ,,!r'r ll0 ycnrsI hal'c observedcoachcsh"rchin thc classlxrtrt
At Colorado,Bill McCartneybrought ro our campus:tnenllil lu.t,,r,th('ytikc their playerson thc field TheyuseconccPts nl(trlr
speaker,SteveMusso,to talkabout goal setting.Mussomad(,n in a lecture hall bcforc st rrLl
lrt , tlrostihatchemistiyprofessorsusc
ing imprcssionin severalareas.I tesolved,after he spoke,k) (h
r,ri tlr( ir studentsto the laboratory.Classroomtime is Prcciotrsrl
a mission statementfor mv souad.
tl',. Lrl's and practicesare going to be effective My exPeienc(' lrns
In December1991,Karen and I fashionedthe mission stak, .lr,'wn that tfie best meeting-roomteachersare usually th('fin('sl
after I becamehead coachat the University of lllinois.It hung in
' ' ' t r,l, l co . r r h eat s w e l l
most prominent areain the Irwin FootballComplex.Every day \\ rllr thc Dre.entNC {A time restriction- on meetingt'lnrl l'r 'rt
ctafr,rccretarie5, janitors,and playerswalled by it and wcr( d r l i g e n i h f o r t h e i r l i m i t e dl r m ' r t r l l t
r, , (, , . r c h c s
mu'l p r e p . r r e
minded of their DurDose. e d c h m e e t i r r t lr i i \ r r ' , 1
Each coachand player should have an individual statement ' 1 . ' f . \ ) m . t h P y . t i ' u l d t h o r o u g h l vP l a n
rl" " rl; h l t o r e v i e w i n gm a t e r i r lf r o m l h e P r e v i o u sp r d ( l r ' ' l ' ' l . ' r ' l r
purpose.For both long and short range,goalscan be designed
rrrlilhe new conceptsfor the daY
| ).lily tip sheetswere mandatory for our stafl beforcev( r'ysl'r rtlll
uird before hard work days during the season lirt lr 1'o't
',',,.tic'e
i',,', .ouch guve a copy so I could becomefamiliarwitlr llx'rt
,,, rv materiil. This -" forced them to organizetheir teaching
l.rch tiD .heet had to be three-holePunched,labelellwillr llt
r. l. ' v . r'" n a m ea n d p l a c e di n a b i n d e r ' T h e b i n d e r h atdo i n i l r r ' h ' r r I
''rr.',
hed pla-ticzipjlocl pouuhwiLhpencilsand a highlightIr'
I rr,.h;er weretlped or hand-writtenThey outlin('(l\^hrt lln
iinq would accr'mpli-h.urdreviewedtheinformationttrr' "'tt r
"u.
r, r Lhe"olaver lo performlrell in practiceThe bindert all.'wr"ltlr'
.t'rdenito;rganire the materialjnd write notesor hi$hlitlrt wlr'rl
lhePlalerslou'' rrrorr'llr'tlr
' 1 , v, d re l e a r n : n g . C o a c h e s e n c o r u . d g e d
r',-l J visLra l sen; in Iearning flayerscouldreferto thebltxl"r wl rr'll
rlrcvretumed to dleir dorms.
(i r' wlt
t'wrote out the linebackertip sheetsby hand Chris
,,,.rchedour inside linebackem from 1992until 1996,lvl't\l lll'
luesday'ssheet,usually the longest,included formati(nrlrtxh'lllltl
, lr|scailsfor first and i0 and teconddowns Wedn"s'lrv'r lll' lh
I ludedthree-dow n calls,blitres.thort yarddge,and tl')'rlllrrr'elFh
intions. Thursdayssheetsreviewed tendenciesinsidr' llr|. lll, ltlF'
! Ctuis "Crash" Cosh led Virginia Techin tacktes as a
ptu."., utti ,-o-point de{enses.Following an' r'rrtttphl d
Junior bur rnissed his ser '',i"..i"
season due to a nsk injury He became a srudenr coach for me and tumed trp sheetsfrom Chris and me
negative into a positive in his coaching .atEer. He may be the best inside
' lhi. i' Iqqo tip sheelirom luesd.rvbel,'r( .r ldll|l H
coachI have wihesse4 andhe,s like i secondsonrome. Wisconsin. -n
Itl . Clnllrlr l,ln $llil rar hl llflr.llr rl

tll{EBAGIGR
IIP SHEET lwi' r ( \ , r . " I ( . l l t ( r r:' l t i r s s )
I tJsr'tl.rl NW.ttrtl vcrsusus two ycarsago
wtsc0NstN ) C o v e r a g cw i l l b c 0 o r 2
Tuesday,
1990 ll. Like to run draw and waggle to the 5 techniquetackle
()
ProFormalions
A. Pro (25Rur-26Pass) a)
'-)
')
i .] .)OOOO O
1. Runs favor TE side 19 to 6
2, Passesfavot X rcceiver 1-10Calls 56%Run
(69Run-s5Pass)
3. Pro with "weal" backs have been 4 screens.ILts chccl
Fd Hawk, 2
a "clamp" coverage with this backfield set
Fd Hk Nose 2
O St'Fd Hk Loop, 0-2
O I Sht Hk (Star) 1
O Sp Tilt Check,2/5-ILB call Rip or Liz to TE and Play 32
OOO O OO(tr) technique
Sp Tilt Nato Swap, 2 / 1-ELB Play like GoPher
B. Twin Fljp I (24Run-5Pass)
1. Runs favor TE 17 to 7 with emphasis on sweep and
#1lolmalion.
3 WRs(37Run'78Pass)
2. Last year Wisconsinlan iso and bounceto split side Wewill hold our emphasison it until Wednesdaybut exPeriment
3. ILB check to hawk \ /ith a fin call to the TE side with TITE Hawk, 4 today. ELB cal RiP / Liz to TE
L ELB:play overOT at LB depth.TE hasbeenthrownfhebdllon
O 3 deliys'tshortdropperland 2 draSs Key OT tor reach'pa:"'
O pull, etc.
O 2. ILB: with TITE Play 32 Techand still short droP versus3 WRs
OOOO OO Favor the couniel i5x) and Zone (5x) You must stoP X under
when Y drags.
c. Unbalanced (3Run-3Pass) O
1. ALB will check cover O, ELB will check hawk
a O a)
2. Like to boot scleen to stub side of formation
OOC ')O qs
3. Run po\ /er, bounce,and iso to twins; ELB is H/C ve T I{T
the unbalanced check.
E
52Alion ,s
O
O !2
O
OOOC) OO FBcutsondtawandisoin lwobackl0rmalions.
 lt! | Goirphhlhat$ltil larolrlntyla.ltt

On pagcs27127:lis .r I()()5ty|r1l trI slI{.1tlr,rt( ll| rr (

beforeour Wednesclay p[rrti(e l()f l()t{,.r.
IIP SHEEI
TITIEBACKER
Thosetip sheetsareof trerncndous v.rlrrt.tlt, tolI rwrr11t,,rrorr,
coordinatoror coachcan quicklygct thc hcts l)olri|(l,rll lrit t,,d IOWA
ing from the previousyear.I still havea tip sht,r,torr nrirrrtrrllr
lr.rrrl 1, 1995
November
tlr$dnesday,
paper from a sping practiceonApril 18,1967.
Other points \re 5trett on prcpJr.rtir,r)rr,. l!,I,lrt ,l l, r l,ry's Installation:
-eefing
tional diagrams or notes on white boards or chilkbo.rrcls/,r,/dt,
meetingbegins.Have tapesmarked and in the VCII rcn(ly tr, I, . Short yardage
Inel'ficientcoacheswdsLetime bv \edrchingtor t.rg,..tLrrirr1i r||, . (loal line
ing time or fastforwd-rding to fhd d particularplrv. An,,r[n l,
tedcherhdsIho\e thing<rehedrsed dnd can(over morem,)tcflnl, . lru n ne l
Spokencommunicationand demonshationsalso mako h\rchl
more effective.Hdve the playersverbalizeconcept5to th(,rr
The coachwill hedrol rheir knowledgeir he forcesthem h, .l
I Irlfort Expedence-lt's not what haPPensto a man, it's what a man
Demonstrdtions usemovementto visuali,/e ,l,n.swith what happensto him
dnd walk themtlrnr
the learning process. Some of our finest meetinqs werf I
prepractice on the field in walk.throughsession\. 31d6+(7Run-3zPass)
17%Run
Most of all, the coach must take time to prepare for his me(,tl I l'ersonnelgroups
lhev arecrtlicalto theleamrngturve. Research .uggeststh.ttn . Pro: TRun-23Pass, I-backfieldis 100%runl
ing time and visualizationmay be as important as piactice timt
ceftain performance skills. . Double flanker = 0Run-5Pass, stop 3-stePPassinggame.
. 3 WR s : 0 R u n - 1 P a s s
. Flanker: ORun-1Pass
Prepare
forPractice .) Calls
Plan each practicedetail. A coachshould mentallv review how . St-Fd 40 FilL 4-2
improveeachproposeddrill to increase learningand thequality . St-FdDouble Rat, 4 or Dog O
repetifions.
A linebackercoachmust concentrateon the field. If he docs . st-Fd 40 Double Pick, 4
forvsduring practice. neitherwill his players.Tfiecoachshouldr!| . l^rk-Sht 40, Fumel Hot
quiredll ofhis playersto hearhi5inslructions and be awareof evdr.U . St-FdNickel Fi+ 8 Hot-8 ClamP
call.Toooftena coachpreparesonJl one playerat a time in a $!
cifrcdrill.The Jinestteachers
haveer erl one in theirgroupaware (7Run'lPass)
Yaldage
Short 87%Run
the calls.Onelinebackermay be doing a key drill bit the otherrti
his positionarebehindhim steppingphysicallyat thecorect angla! l. Hea\T

T.:). o,:-".!!.u"mentatlyon tiri,s'iajrwntreiheyar.euiewingilu . Strong placement will be made

d.rill
itselt.Whena playeris askedtor thedetense or coverage tfratli . Rush LB align head-uP the heavy tackle
abouLto be e\ecutedand doesnt hdvea clue he shouldbJsent
. Split back = pass
running. A serious linebacker leams a lot when he is watchine.
On the field, train the linebackersto move rapidly ftom on;( . I-back : run
to another.lt helpsit a codchis in good physiial (ondihon so
ttl. Co 0lrh Llial$llil l.$i||t| alyl. . Itl il

- SplltG8lllz,Ksy
Prs8sur8

( ) ()
Hoavy
COC)Gl(](-rt rt r ,a O
.'O r
2. Strongbackson 4 snaps
(_) OIO6OOQ I
R / :r | 1'l \ T \
3. StrongHeary Dart I-This call will be made whcn l-b.r(,ksrlt c i t-A to.
anticipated.Dart will be executedonly versusthe L l,{32 F/s MtB YS

Goalline(3Fun-4Pass)
42ol"
Run
. ' l' r()S p lit
1. Heary calls
. St. Hear.y, 4 O O
. St. Hea\,ryDart I, 4 oli ()
,j
O
. Pinch Run Check toward the strength i C)O o.opt )
c a /: t ..' \ T c
O El t-a
O nt
t, ML8 vs
!t,'O'
/o/oloi@lolol@lo\
S A TI.IIITE A S
I , stayshigh throughout Practice.When the horn blows [or the
'rergy period,
2. Pinch Run versus Heavy One Back ,"rd oi a stop the drill at onceif the linebackersare e\Pected
. ELB count to #3 t() ioin another goup in the next period. Do not make another coach
writ for you by running over the Limeallotment.
. Align inside #3
Do noicondbnemistakesonthe field.Many coachesyell and curse,
. 4 pt. Stance,key ball, and penetrate gap but the important issue is to make Players rePeatmistakes until they
O correct the errors. Al1 motivated Players want to execute ProPedy.
'l'hey appreciate Epeating poor snaPs, even though they may not
.) OO
show it. itather than saying "You rnoror; canlt you get this dght?" I
OOOOd @,O usualJyprefer saying, "John, that's not lile you" or "Thal s almosl
S T N 1{ T E A A S perfeci,do it againlike this and you'll haveit!" lfs theDeweyKinS
tc principle.Erpresscontidence in his abibty and affirm that he will
do it well
FunnelCoverage Do not condone Penalties. When a player hurts the team with a
1. ELB-Flat violatioq let the lin;backer know that it is not accePtable The entire
{edmpaysd pri(e for his lackof disciPline. Usually,we penalizethe
2. ILB-Hook to TE, with no hook threatthen short drop
cntire u;iL *ith inrtottt grassdrills for individual PenalhesBill
Mccartney oncemade a statementto our Colorado sta{f that haunted
t 2ta.Cofirl.l.Lln.i..ltit

mc as.rn ilssrst.Utt
(1).r(.ll, lr t, tlrtr, tt ,,
l)rrl Ilx,li(,vI tlr(,11,is,|lrr(
u n d i\i plrneJ pl.'\,.rr. r,,,,,1,,rtt , \ . , , , u n , t , - rt , t rr, , .,t, , , , , t , t l
presentsa challcngcto us r. te.rrhurs
Ghaotel19
An e\ceptionalLlefen\ci\ u\uJlly.r .
-r'l)r.rl,IrIrI, |,rIII, | ,i ,rI l,..r,I
co a ( hshouldtdle pride rn spend in gr. n lu 6 lrr r, , . , , r rlr, .I , r, il(lt t
block.of linebaclerplav.Plaler. who ,rrerun,l.rrrr,.,rl.r
confident and know that they are improving crch t1.ry.
y r,,urxld Practice
That reminded me of a story told by Bo Schembcchk,r in ln rrrlr
at one of our Colorado High School Clinics. Bo said thnr h(, tr
lookinB to hire a young, enthusiasticpoeition(i,aih i,n Lh.t,,n:(.dl
happened lo nhend a clinic in Calii,rrnia. He r^rr inlrr*u(.(l ltv
0rganization
younB Divjsion II collegecoordinatorwho *as a polishej sp,,,r[j
and quite iandsome. The young coachused all the modcr; l,u;i
words and seemedto have an answer for everything in his rlt.krtf
sive philosophy. Suddcnlya locdthigh schoolioach"saitt.ttrrrtoll
us.( oa(h,whvyou gaveupover400yard:perEame.,fheyorrnl.
srer responded. lt t^ a5n t becduieof scheme,iLr^,d5only tdclli
ll,r
Bo was no longer impressed.
l,' tlri. (hapter,we will discussways to organi/ePracticelo teich
Playersmust masterfundamentalsand teclmiquestobe succ(.rt fhePrachcetormatmayLhdnX(
.,r,1lrdin linebd(kersprogressivcly
fuL I f a5ked. to learn too many Lechniques, d plavercannotgnrnthl ,i | |fing the year to meet specificobjectivesand make adjustmentsas
Dol,oness to t'e8reat.| tusquotationhung for yearsin our dcf.,rrsrVl
, |ftumstancesdictate.
sr ar r o om:"ttwedon't havetime t o t e a c h itwe ll,le t , s n o tp u t il I n , ,
Most teams begin Practice with some forrn of stretching and total
Every ds"i\tdnL.oach (ould u.e that idea to get rid of any tx,W
luul\ movemenl.The purposeis usuallyto warm up the musLle\
scheme.Be known as a conJiden! fundamentaldefense.
, increase Afier spealingLoa numberof 'Peeddevel
fle..ibility.
T inebacker corchesshouldnot rorgetthatcodchingis tea(hing,A '.1
. r.rnente\perh', includingWillieWilliams,the Univer'ityof Tllinoit
nemdrtaOte academtcinslructurcouldbe a fremendouscoa(hil hl
.'1..'.iatehead tracl coach.we mddespeedimProvementa dail)
had the knowledge to impart. An effectiveathleticcoachcould br
successtuIchemistryteacherif he had the backgroundand desi(, hl
i t ,rl of our prepracticeiormdt We devotedthe initirl minutesof
teachit. i' .,1npracticeto totalbodv warm-up,flexibilit),and sPeed
Bccduse the warm-upand speedmovementsoftenincludedthe
Orre major difference exists between athletic education and lh,
.huft]e and backpetial,ihe lineLackercoachesdidn't need to rePeat
teachingof most other academicdisciplines.That is motivati()n.I
wdsa.sfrong rlroseactionsas often in their individual work.
5tudent.yet h hen I .at jn mv cdlculu\or physics(ldsr
in college,I would Irequenflywat(h theclo.L as we nearedLheend After shetching, our squad sPent20to 25 minutes daily on special-
t,r nrswork. This-period often included sorneexcellenttackling driils'
of the period.During footbdllmeetings.I alwavssdton theedgeo,
lvhen we ran taciling drills the linebacker coachescould skiP that
my 5edt.Football.tor mo5t players,i\ d aant fo. not a haoplo.A,
teachers Ir)rm of tackling in their weekly Progression dudng individual Pmc-
ol this activitv$e har e the potentialto su ay the live\ of
young men.Let'smakeit d po"rti\e e\perien(e. licepedods.
I have witnessed other staffs where the practice structure was qurte
(lifferent. ln some, the linebacker individual Periods began directly
,rfter 10minutes of stretching Now all warm-up and speedimprove
rrrentachvityfell into the handsof the Poqilioncoaches'

271
r Itl. ConDl.l.I In.i.olln!
Iirr this tlr,rpt|r's 1'Lrrl'(,s(
r!r.rvrlt ,r!jl|n,, tlr,'t rl,,, l't,,t,,ri ht
warmed up thonruglrly antl ,rLhlnsscrlstr\.(l
the individuat segment of pr.icticc. 'rrl'ro!,,rr,,,rt
Individual
Periods
Linebackercoachesare seldompleasedwith lh(,rr)r()u|ltol
vidual time they get. Linebackercoachcsmust do all tlr| rlnll
for_thefi-mdamentalsin chapters3 through 7 ancltho trni i r,l
S ',,1,.i
techniquesthey use from chapters11through l Z in th(.ir irx ltv ld
teaching.By the time their playersreachthe first grorrp pr,r111l,
rcst of the staff expectsthe linebackersto be perform;ng tlt,. rr
sary techniques properly.
Later we will review practiceschedulesfor various tinl(.s0l I
year. It will be noteworthy how the amount of time dc(ii(,rk,rl
fundamentalsand techniquesfluctuatesthroughout thc yc,rr (
thing should remain constant however.Never should a h.rrtl w
day go by without attentionto fundamentalsand techniqur.r.
Fundamentals
We discussedthe fundamentalsin detail in the opening chapt(,tr
this book. Work onhit and shed,pursui! and tackling &ilts Arlly
full-length practice sessions.Time constraints do not;lways p(,rntll
daily work on zone and man coveragefundamentals.
Duringearlyspringpractitesand fallcamp,spenddppro\i l,ttrlg
40 minuteson the fundamentdls.When the seasonbegins,th. c,,lid
can drill the ABC* with qudlity in l5 minutes.Rem;mberth,rtai
excellentschemebuilt on faulty fundamentalsis doomed to failu[r
If a linebacker.does not 5pendenoughtime eachday on the funrlt
menlals,hew l lepless.
Try to involve the nontraveling linebackers in the ABC drills, (il,
ten coachesexchange the freshmen and assign them to scout t(dll
dutiesdirectly a-fterstretch.This retardstheir growth and reallvhuri
their enthusiasm. someLimes it is simply unavoidablebecaurool
the small number ofpractice bodiesavailable.If possible,howcvll
fiBhtto Leepall playersinvolr,ed during the fundamenlalperi(dr,
Uver the courseof d year it will accelerdte theirdevelopmentdnd
bolstertheir ahitude.
Which firndamentaldrills doesa coachuse?We exposeout lint
baclersto all the fundamentalrlrill work e\plainedit the endsol
chapters 3 through 7 in the spring and again in fall camp. Once w1
|lrolh. or||nltdlln . ltl
lh( pl'ryors
l, I l,' tlr, w'\'l.lv l,rll l'r'r(tr(r's,\'!t 5(t'r f('rrltrx s(' ll\'rt
t i,,,ll ,,r,,nv(,1ll't (t,rlls.li.'11l\',111'wtvLr',.krwcrt'pcatanAllCctrill
r,,,,, Ir ()|l( w(lk. W( irrLf()(lrrc('ii'w new dills during the season-
l,.',1rrr1 rrrnt)yncw clrills during thc fall camPaign is distracting
ir,l|lx lliri('t1t.
| , r t()y('d the old Big Eight seasonalformat while at Colorado We
r 'l ' \ ' 1l tr,ur nr,n(r,nlercnceopponentsand then had a bye n eek be-
i,"' , rrr,ring.-rseven-weeklelgue 'chedule. That open weel Pro-
.r meniat and physical rest. It also Peimitted an emPhasis on
rr,rrring freshmen anda reernphasis on the fundamentals for the
r.rr.rty. tt was a particularly good time to introduce some new and
,.,'tr. drills.
Techniques
I lr, linebackercoachmust next deode how much time to devotc to
,II rIIi ng techniques. Usually o1u goat is to sPend 10minutes Per base
t,, hniiue eacli dav in individual time. We have two distinctly dif-
r, r, rrtoutsidelinebackersand two differentinsidelinebackersThcy
.,r' r,,,tmirroredpositionsds in mdny schemes
lr()rexample,the drop linebackermight require a 10-minutePe-
rtrl at 9 teciuriqueand the rush linebackera 10-minuteperiod for
wrilc 5 work. Without a graduateassistantorheadcoachto help, an
,,Lrlside linebacker coach would require 20 minutes to train one tech-
1,r(rue to his travelerson a given day
ih.rr i, orecitelvwhv we limit the numberof techniques we asl
.'r'.rthleteto playin or-rrpackagelt a lineba(kerrourinel)dliSnsin
r, rr or five tichniques,how .an he get cuftioenttraininBto masler
"
t|rcm?Our four lineiacke$, for nea y 20years,haveeach"maiored"
r r one technique and "minored" in another Seldom would they enter
,r contest required to perform three techniques well We don t coach
rlrateffectiv;lv!
Who is on ihe demonstration squad during the lineba&er d lls?
( )ften as I watch other squadspractice,I obseNe the outside or in-
side lineba&er coachteaching the drills each day to new scout-team
rnembers-How efficient is that? The same display team should be
lvith a position coach every day so they can learn the drills and get
rnoreripetitions. Better yet, donlt exchangescout Personneluntil
,rfter the technique work Now a coach really has a sPecial environ-
Inent. He will get more snaps and quality hat Placement on every
rcad. As a bonus, his younS;nontravelers will hear his teaching and
seethe intensity of the drills. They will learn much while serving
lta . Conpl.hLln.i|.|lio tr||lh| Otr lxlm. ttl il
theupPcrcl.sslinebixkcrs.ln 24yt.,rls,rs,rnasrisl.|trt t o,r h, I r
Save uP my scoutlinebrckcrs k) scr'vi((.olh(.fs
unlil .rlh,r rtr I
vidual periods.
When drilling a technique,how many lin('baekclsgr.t thl n
Usually our staff gives the two deep equnl ti 1(..Wh(. ,tl
schedule,a deseNing third-unit player may gain sonrt,r.xporlr
but that is not routine. The first two unifs need kr be f{)euH((|,
player not getting primary work in the drill shoutcltrt' rt'nPrr
to his key ard moving his feet behind his teammate.Thc tlr i rd t
must geL"mental reps" dnd review thosetip sheets.
The two deep can experiencemany snapsin 10 minuk's.
play is execute4 the linebacker should run back to read lrlr
key.Often we will challengethe de{enderby sayin& "Civr. nto
pefect reactions and you're done." The intensity picks up dnd
peers cheer each faultless esponse. When the player makes tn
ror, we explain the mistake, arld he repeatsuntil pedect. Wc r
age our coachesto rcply with, "Great thafs like you!" or "
not like you! Justpressthat open seamand it will be perfect."
Remember, rnen live for encoulagement, and great playeri
to be called to perfection. Tell them that if they wanted to bo
they should have gone to the rival school. When they chocr
program, they made a decision to be great.
The linebacker coach can rnake the linebackers much bettcr
formersif he (an find someonewho is willing and dbleto tcoah r Robert Brown was our scheme's fust sPstacular rush linebackea After nedly
quality technique period each day. At the high school level pc at that position His
-10yeds, he r€mairs the finest Iu Player we have coached
he can enlist a responsible volunteer; at the college level a grad ,j, Iier gentl€manly demeanor stdkty contrdted with the way he abused tiSht ends
assistant or even the head coach. That extra help allows twl(s
much teaching. Now in 10minutes, both inside or outside
can work an extra base tedudque drill. lo a motivated demonshation squad quickly, and on "Ready, hif'
We beqan this in 1992at Illinois and it was not coincidental thcv e\ecute the pldv. ln a lo-minute period, Clu'is Cosh could 8et
the staff generated two Butkus Award \ rinners and four tr^i'ceas manv repeti-tionsas most linebacler coachesWhy? It was
All-Big Ten linebackers in the following four seasons.Think ,rot just his enerfo but the organization of his drill work and the
through. Ten to 20 extra minutes a day developing technique ir efficiencv of the displav team. We could weal out the two deeP in a
a huge deal, but after six weeks iys significant. Aftet two or lrigh-tempo 10-minut; techniquePeriod. Itat should be the goal
years/ it can be monumental. As a head coach,I taught 10 to 20 ior both linebackerand coach.
utes of technique work daily in cooperation with our li
coaches.We had to trust one another to teach exactly the same
rial. It sure gave us an edge on the competitioD and our p Periods
Group
knew it. CrouDDeriodsbrinqtogethertwo or morepositioncoaches to show
The most efficient teachersof technique know exactly how larseior higher-q,ribtfpictu resto their lL
piayers. may be a teach-
looks an opponents'key willgive. The coachsignalsthose inidrilt in;olr ing theflr 9 technique with the halvescorner on
r ll0 . C0|n!1.1.
l,lral$ltn!
r ou tesinvolvigjlrsllhftw('(,t rlll, n rA lrllt rrrlllr rl' l, yr! rrrrlrlw rlll
individually,a clrill likc this.(, tifrrrsrII(, ( {,| ,( t. ,I tlr.rtrl,,i,. il| L
l no wing whercyour h,lp r".t ;n, u prt r. rs rrrrg lrr
I
, rl-, , ,r, " , . rt
, r, lrrq
.
ol s(rirnmaBe and pull tog"therlrnt'b.r( l(.rr . r.l r|'rtl rli lrk lr t I
one-on-onepassddll. This would have been.r lowt,r.irrrIrrrilv rlrlll
i n in d irridual.Now lhe one-on-o n b e rin l: . , 1 , rn f i. t rt j, ,.rrr, l rk rll
highly trained opponents.
Someot football'stradiriona I gr,'up d flll. r,,ll,w. Witlr,.,rr1,,wl
discus5themanagement of thed rill and the.prr irrch.rrrrllrrl;| tht
linebackers.
l-on-7
This is perhaps the most commonly used group drill in Anx.d(di
football.We describeit genetallyat the end ofchipter 6, but ht.n,wl
analyze it specfically for the linebacker coach.
Position the linebackers together 15yards behind the Ii ne of s.rl ||l.
magebetweenthe offensivehuddle and the boundary.That kr,aDl
the haveling linebackerstogetherwith their coachesind out rrl th
way of the offense.Normally, we travel with a maximum of six In,
side linebackers and three drop linebackers. Three of those nin(, w lll
be participating in the drill, so during the seasonthe drill is not clulr
tered with bodies-
TheLinebacler coaches shoulddlwa\s scriptthedrill$ rheyknow
.
S:.pl"V g9 the coveragecall.The signalcaltershouldsignat,nol
yell,thedefenseinto thehuddle.Thi: isercellentpracticef6r
6.rrnt.
day signaling.The 7-on-7pace is usually fast, and the playeis cln
test the signalsdaily in thii period, that usually runs 20'rninutr.r.
At the sametime, the coaChshoutdbe telling the linebackerswlth
him the <alland the offensiveplay.Or he <an-quizthem aboutlhf
pldy they e\pectwilh a specificformaLionor d6outthe che(l thry
would mdke.A pldyerwho is focusedard leamingwhile watching
will end up beingdependable. He will male thosejround him moru
Once the ball is snappe4 the coach and linebackers should focul
on their position and the reaction to the key rcceiver Before the :21.
secondcloc_k e'.pire.. the coachmust give tie linebackergcommentl
and issuethe ne\t cignal. I becometrustrated by coacheswho ar€
.ilentdu-ring7-on-7.Someteelthal tapereyiewwill erplaijrthetr-
rors after practice. hrnediate review is more effective. Thi linebackcr
longs to hear that he's done well or is closeto doing it at a champl.
omhip level.
h!lh. or!.n|t!ll!n' tt'l
!V| lt.lrr.vr.rrrful,rtir)u()r.||linebackt'r-s
tvery lour PL)ysto bcSin
r,n 7i. Wr (l() not ( xceeclsevcnc(trsecutivcsnaPs Wewant to fos
r,.rr).tpcrccntpu rsuit, discussedin chapter4, by {orcingthe defend-
,.r , l() sprint before the batl is thro\//n on every play. This drill is
, I Lr.inlto creatingour purcuit habits.
l:rckling is a real bonus in this drill but many coachesoverlook
rlr. possibilityof d lling it. For 20 minutes,linebackersbreakto the
l,,rll carrier and get to work on oPen-field tackling. They can see
rlrir teammates'pursuit anglesand learn where they fit in this co-
,,rrlinatedeffort to tackle. Once there,the linebackerfronts up the
r,r civer with respect-He should not tackle a teammate to the ground.
lVhcn he is not the first to contact the ball carriet he sPrints to cover
t,,r .r missedtackleor to stdP a receiverwho has beenftonted-
Dudng spring practice and fall camP our coachesgrade the 7-on-
, ilrills. Becausethe plaversknow that the coacheswill be evaluat-
rrg the period, it becomesa higher priority for them. The evaluation
'
,rlsoidentifies common errors that a linebackeris making that may
not be apparentwithout daily gading.
9-on-7
At Virginia Tedr,Bill Dooley calledit the middle drill At Cobrado,
lJill Mccartney termed it the inside d ll. At lllinois, JohnMackovic
fcfered to it as 9-on-7.Regardlessof the terminology,I believe this
,lrill tells a defensivecoachmore abouthis unit than any other drill
I've had defensive teams that have been marginal in their Pass
.overageor rush yet have beeneffectivedefenses.I/ve never seena
rveak intedor run defense be Part of a successful unit.
The tough run unit also has a mental edge. An offense can drive
,lownfield by throwing and a de{ensereacts by feeling that the of-
fcnse was lucky. A little more rush or tighter coverage, the de{ense
thinks, and they would have had them under control. Whery how-
cver, an opponent runs the ball ght at the gut of a defense and
shreds them, the defense can really lose conJidence. Luck is not a
factot, and the huddle is often full of hollow eyes.
Defensive olavers and coachesmust understand that their fufure
depend.on performinBin this drill Defendersmust hare
-uccet,
the attitudi that no one can nm through their defense. This drill
should always be a highlight of the day's practice (seefigure 19 1)
The 9-on-7 drill should be filrned {rom behind, nevel ftom a side-
line view. The back view gives the defenderc excellent pictures of
their atignments and pre-snap factors such as line sPlits and stances
lat . Con0ld.
tli.l..iln!
The 9-on-7drill
should be a highlight
of every practic€. B1s
play while B2s watch
with the coach behind
O I l('re are someeffectivevadations of the 9-on-7drill:
OO NO ( )( )
81 T N T a1
Alternate shooting the tape ftom behind the offense one day rnd
from behind the defense the next. When the defense faces a s(rul
team, the camera should be at its back. It is also an advantage for thl
linebackers with depth to have yard lines to check their dist.tnca
frorn the line o{ scrimmaee.
As with 7-on-Z linebickers should congregate, only now thay
should be 15yards behind the defensive side. Eachlinebacker should
hear the call from the script as his coach reads it. The tineba(kat
should then position himself to seehis key and monitor the rcactlon
of his peer.
The coachhas 25 secondsor lessto signal to the huddle and toll
to the players surounding him about the play that will unfold.
The 9-on-7 plays consist of live blocks. The tempo is game specd,
exceptthat we tackle the ball carrier high. We instruct defendrrl
neverto leavetheir feet to make a tacklein this drill. Wedo not wnnl
a varsity back getting live rat-a-tat-tats and risking injury
This is a very natural progression fron the technique ddlls the
linebackers do earlier in practice. lf he was keying only linemen bo.
fore, we add backsor vice versa.Before*€ tempo was so{terjnow
the speed is upgraded. Before the picture was probably incompletcj
now all the Darts are Dresent.
We normilly plan 20 minutes for this ddll on both Tuesday and
Wednesday during the season.Ideall, one period feafures a scout
team running the opponent's baseinside plays. We show every sfunt
or line movement on cards to the display squad. When they are ex.
ecuting a foreign of{ense,the scout team should not be surprised by
Ounltdlol ' lg |q
'rrdh|
S .( ! r r rt r( t r l | rS . r t r r k l nsyt r l , l x , " ( . | rhl n s . r n . t t t . r 'skod i f f c r -
t lr, , t r, l(. n r'(
, rl lrr,nr()Lrrslh.rl Utllr l(!nrint't( P('ri()ds i|re ngainstscouts We
t , , ,t , ' \ rl, lr ) A , r l r ' r r , r Lul r r l i L u s J r vt r r W e . l n t s d . rvr e r s u .I h ev a r -
r,tv ,,ll('nse.It cives both sides a fasterlook and better execution
rlr,||rtlre scoutscan uive. We limit the defensiveand offensivecalls
t,, tlrl)sethat arc similar to schemesoI that week's opPonent
. Challenge9-on-7:This is the most comPetitiveform oJthe drill'
We create a scrimmage mentality by Permitting defenders to
lcave their feet to make plays. Any run under thre yards is a
p,'int for the defense.A run over threeyards ic a Point for the
,.ffen.e.We selectdn odd numberof Playsdnd let them com-
pete.
. Teachins9-on-7:This has lesscontactthan our normal form of
the drill]Now we onlv front up the ball carlier' The blocks at
the line are live. Often we usi this variation when we lack
enough healthy bodies or when we wear shells (helmetsand
shoulder pads).
. Pass9-on-7:We initiaLedthi5 vdridtion in lqqb to give our of-
fense a chanceto passProtect against full-line twists and blitzes'
It has some benehts for defense in timing up those calls and in
de{ending the draw
Half-Line
I his is an outside ddll that favors the delense becausethe defenders
,rlwavsknow the direction of the flow. It is an outstandingdrill for
.1'ringpracticeand falt camPwhenteachingtheswinBinSSaLePrin-
we fdceleamswith su-
' ipleil.hapter lo). We alsofedtureit when
r,criorDerimeter dttacLs,suchas wishbone clubs Half-linePermits
,nany snaps in a l0-minute Pedod and can exPosea vadety of block-
IngPatterns.
L suall\ we fedtu re lwo or th reeperimeterruns along with a Pldy-
.r.tion pais otf one ot tho'e actionito both side' of thed rill'
Half-line taket d lot of organizdtion, but once set uP it moves
,ruicllv. l-our coachesare reqi.riredln fi8ure 192, coachesI and 2
worL w iLhthe strone-sideoff;nse and de{enseThey wor-rJdrun play
#1 on the scdPt, while the weakside offense and defense huddle to
{et callsfor play #2.
ln figure io.!, coaches3 and 4 worl the boundary-sideoffense
antl deiense. They would run play #2 on the scriPt, while coaches1
r tl'l . Conul.lr Llir||ollil

and 2 orSanizctl1('sl,1nr,t-si(l(.
be run to the field.
hLr(l(lLs in l,rr,l!.rf.rti(nr
lt'r l,lny
?tlallll ualallllrlri ' rt

llr h.rll lirrLrltltrin'snrrrrept'rsonnelthnn nny othcr drill work

*,.<kr. We use 14defcnsiveplaycrsand 17 offensivePlayers'
as
during the seasonfinding 17
rrr rrrr.s19.2and 19.3indicate.At [imes
..",,rttL'.rmcrs at the neededpositionscanbe a Problem
Wc soenrla completel0-minuteblocl of time on the nght hash
. ,"a thPnwe run all playstrom fhe left hashlhe ne\t Once
"",f,"i th" d.ill.e usu;lly'keeP it at that fieldPositionwedo
o "'j.,,r'r,rir"
r,,,t reiomrnend changinghasheswithin one period'
l'la vs flow s.r rapidl'yt"hatthe bestcodchingdoescome from taPe
I t
AD o .D! o Coach3 ) * tllr this drill. Ceathe reps and keep the drill movtng so the coacn
. TN ,,rrrteachfrom the film.
BB ihe lempoot the drill can be live but usuallywe liken the tack-
: B lr"r to a 7-on-7paceWefrontuP theoPtionquarlerb'ckorthePlay-
BNTB .,,lronreceiver. All blocLs,however,are full 8o'
:c c
Coach4

Coach2
Periods
Team
\ :ldtf must first determineLhepurposefor Lheirdefen5ivetedmPerl q-
,'.f- W" ott'uvt pr"."ae teamPeriodswith the individual teachin&
Half'line drill from the right hash working the field side ofiense and d.f(.n a ,,"-i, s""""t" we emphasized the inside nms in 9-on-Z I
Coaches3 and 4 huddle with the boundary-side persomel. .rldom want to repeatLhemin team Becausewe featureddroP-back
".Jz-.l*i.
in Z-on-2,we don t run as many of them in teameilher
'' ''-...
We feel team periods should shess the following points:
Perimeter plays, esPecially if halfJine drills have not been used'
ooooo o The swinging gate must be tested
Coach3
Coach 1 o Play-action Pass and bootlegs, that are ineffective in a 7-on-7
seftrng.
o re-
o ! a ro SPecialPlayr run by the oPPonentsucha5draws'screens'
Coach 2 verses,and so folth
NT
. Adjustments to motiorL shifts, formation into the boundary un-
BBNTB balanced lines, and so on.
sFc : communicated and rcinJorced with teammates
' Checks to be
: r'
Those five objectives require the lion's share of our attention dtr
: our playersmale in this scttitlAl( ll
ins teamperiods.The decisions
we havebeenWhentheoul:'i(1.' L r*
Coach4 ihEstaffwhat kind of teachers
ttrt
fuct". i--"dint"ty ,"cognire<formationinto thebound'rrv'rt
growswiLJnin Lhe whole unit wln'rrtlx'
luirn.J rin",
inside
".oi.fiaenie
linebackerchecks inst;ntly to a compellinSbackfiel(llt'tlil"r n y
Half-line dnll from the right hash working the boundary,side offense and defenra,
Coaches1 and 2 huddle with the field-side persomel his peers gain enthusiasm for the Same Plan'
r l|4. Co tldr Llmlfillnl

During eachtcdm perir)d,tlrr'lirrr .rrkr.rsr(\\'iv(.rip,

eachsnap.The coachcon now irrtr( u(r,.rll.rn.rti'rtr l,thf n
'rlr
lro

All nontravelersare with the offcnsiv(' sr(,ul s(|u,r(|.Ilx, lr,lv

trrdh orlanlnlht'l|t

r'\{,|lrnr(n(lttrisndjustnr('nlto tennr(ltrrint a hcavychcck-period

s l|fn krcuson rccogniti(tlis intcnseor when the teammay haveto
r, r!,rl r'l,rv\berJus(r)l n, w lcarning The PeerPretsuredLlringa
not in the huddle stay with their position co.rch,L'n rinB lftnn ,1,,,rl,[.]whrstleperiod normdllv in(reasesthe unit's energylevel
snap. They should constantly be communicating tlrr.eh0t.k| ,lr,rrn.rtically.
adiustments with thefu mentor
Ourgoalis to get 12to 14plays run in a I0-minutc tcnnrp(rkd,
dozenshould alwaysbe possible.Ifwe expectmistakcsb('cnuit Schedules
Practice
heary checkemphasis,we designonly 12 plays. ( )n the following Pages are examPles of linebacker Practice sched-
How do we divide the repetitionsbetween the first and f,,r springp'ractice,fallcamp,and in-teasonprdcticesThe e\-
units? Normally, we split the plays evenly. There have br..cn ',t,*
.",,,rt.' shouli help linebackerslndcoa(hesunderstandLhePrac-
when our first defensewas so young that we gave them eight tr, tl priorities of eaih phase o{ the year' We will review only selected
and the backups only four That is not how we prefer to do it. lrncbackerDenods.
a second-team linebacker enters the game, we expect him k) bo
countablefor his decisions.That's not possibleif he has nol
equal practice exposute.
Every practice day the staff met from 1:30 p.M.to 2:15 f.M,
revieweverypracti(ecard for group d rrllsand tedmperiods.
review is essential for developing a good defense. Assirt
coacheswere usually anxious about this meeting becausct
had scripted and drawn eachcard for their assignedpedods.
the whole staff and the head coach sclutinized everv line dr!
for the scout team. We always found errors and made bencflcl
changes.Anyellornotfound in this meeting could rneana wa
play in practice. Another payoff of this review was that it gl
the coordinator a real pulse for the staff's understanding of
game Plan.
At Colorado, we were frustrated initially that our players
down as practice reached the later team stages.We felt it was
mental than physical fatigue. We needed a jump start as we hea
into the team emDhasis and came uD with an idea we have u
consistently since then.
We called it double whistle. Wlen tagged to any team pedod,
simply meant that we must pursue full speed beyond the whietle.
was overtraininq. We blew one whistle when a defender fronted
the runnel, but the other 10pursuerscontinueduntil they got to thi
ball. Once there, they kept their feet moving in place until eveot
teammate reached the pile and the second whisde sormded. Thel
they jogged back to the huddle.
If one defender did not hustle, the entire unit did grass drills on
the spot. AI1 paid a price, just as they would on game day. I do
tll . Conplft Llirl.lllil h||h|mrmhr.ltl

SplingPractlce
#1
This initial practicecmphlriizcsindividu.rlk\r(11i,rl(80
with only one group and two team pcriods.
We divide the individualtime into 30 minLrt(.s(,1lurl
and 50 minutes of techniquework on practicc#1.
#8
SprlngPractlce
()l
ll! ilr(,rrrl t)l lrri(1Pt'irrtollht sPrintt(,xhin8, llx''rttr('trrtt irxli
vr,lrr.rIinstructionhasdecre.rscdsiSnificirntly(;r()1rPw{'rkrstrPlr'rtr
10 I)inutcs in prnctice #l k) 5(l minutcs l'l.rycrs nre now Sclting 'l l)t'l
t, f undcrstancling of wht'rc their hclP is in cnch front ancl covonrg("

Table
19.1 Iablc19.2
SPR GPRAGTTCE
#1-tltSDEUI|EBAC|(ERS SPNIilG #8_IIISIOELI]{EBACKEBS
PRAGTICE

3:45 5 minuteson pursuit drill

3:45
Us€d two hit-and-sheddrills (r.r
sheddnll 5 m inut eson hit - andsh\ l, lt , ll
Sledone stephit chapter3)

3:55 5 minutes on tackl. drill

3:55 Spent5 minuteson pursuit.trill
Bag45'drops
Confined tackle dJill 5 minuteson zonedrill
Spent5 minutes on ta.klinS drill
(seechaprer 5)
4:05 Group chalmge versusltUs
4:05 Spent 20 minutes on hawk read (|.i in rEn coverag€(s@chiPt(r 7)
chapter 14) and stunts
4115
4: 15 Key reads (s€€€hapter 14)
4:25 32 tedmique Spent 20 minut€s on 32 Eads
(r.hapter 11)md srunts 32 technique Key reads(seechapter11)
4:35
4:35 Soipted two periods with two
4:45 Installed huddle as a team hawk) differnt frontFtomPehhv. it sl
will show ILBS Progress
4:55 Took s-minute water breal-helpr

5:00 Usedbasezone dnll(s chapterd)

air drill
5:00 20 minutes of group Period
10 Technique period on Cover O r€adl discussed earler in this chaPtcr
Key receiver dri have a specific PurPose scliPttd
lLl 5; 10 7 on 7 (insid€ 20-
11 First group pedod to work Cover O yard line)
drill with OLBS routes venus whole LB corps
11 5.20 Scouts on cards run 12 Plays
72 Intsduce &is tundamentalddll
'12 Tem versus offense Varsity offense runs frcm a scriPt
of agreed middle-of'the-field Plays
for more speed and better ere.utnni
t ?lllll.| ontrtlllrln r rYl
m. clm atallmh*til

FallGamp
PlactlDe
#3 FallGamp #16
Practice
Now we will examinean crrly fnll pr.rclic(ll[ t,rt I lrrs or.rcticcscheclulcfor the outsidc linebackersis from the middle
linebackers.This morning sessionduring tw(F,r1l,ry 'ia Lionof 29 permissiblePracticesin August. ln contrastto Practice
up after the stretchand kicking work. x t. !lroupJriil\ in(rersedsdo theteamPeriods.lhis dfternoonPrdc-
r'..j Jur ine doublesessions includesd short5ituationalscrimmaBe
Tatle19.3 ll,eseare'vitalto a linebacker'sdeveloPment.He needsshort,com-
FAI.I.
CAIIIP
PRACTICE
trFOUTSIOE
TII{EBACI(ER$ r\.titive spurtsoffull-team scdmmagethat addressa Particularsitu-
,rtion.On this day it was short yaldage.

Table19.4
9:05 Bag pusuit drills FArfCAMP #IHIUTSIDEI.IIIEBAGKEBS
PBACIIGE
Both pursuit drills but push ,,tl
Basepush-off diill incorporatestackliDs(s.. (hit'trr al

9;15 Machire gu hit and

4: 10 Combine pu6uit and tackling

Sideline tackling (review chapte$ ,l and 5)
9.5 Zone line drill CovcrageABC drill (se. ch.tlrtf nl
4:20 1on r widrTEs OLBS work base and rcach blocks
9:35 Dotted line denotes a split |\ n'rl with tight ends
Eachtechniquewillbe workld hrr 4:10 Two coachesdivide OLB5 to double
15 minutes (s@.hapters16 and 17, teaching tim€ (se chaPlers16 and 17)

Inside drill emphasizing the

10:05 Cover 4, drop drilt Cover 4 is inkodu.ed individudlly couler and powel Plays to thc
OLBs
10:15 Grcup period on cover 4-team rtlll
in shorts practice so no 9 on 7 ylt 4r50 Hal ine (sweep, OLBS get "swinging gate" work

10:25 Tem versusscout Usually in shons thiB early in cimF

we .hoose to emphasize correct Rush LBs are sent to pass.ush,
atigMents and adjustm€nts in drop LBs to 7 on 7

Emphasize two coveiages versus

scouts and then aAainst the sPeed

As with the first spring practiceof 1990outlined earlier for inside

linebackers,we usemost of the individual time hereto teachfundd.
mentals and techniques. 5r25 Scouts Iu two formatrons to be
emphasized that daY
10 5r35
lt 5:45 A scriptedpenod of }1 and 3-2
yardase) situationsversusthe vamity offense
?t 2. Conl l rl i IIn i h rrl r U

Tuesday
Practice
#2
Thispracriceschitlult isl'()nrour ri !,,,.(i,' l,', ti.,, , !,,, r,, GhaDIer20
in October.Clh sCosh<lcsigrr(rlllr{ t\,,!,rt.. \\,,.., t,,i.,r,,1
backersin period 2 to givc thonr Irollr l-i rrrrrrrrr,,..,,t ,,,r ,
techniquc work.

TUESDAY
Table
PBAGTICE
19.5
linebaGker
Grading
#2_I1{SIDE
tIl{EBAC(ERS

3,50 l5 miNrtl' flrndnnrr.t.rl f, rrtrl

(se..hapt.rs 3 a i(r d,,Ll..l

I oncecoachedwith an old timer who liraded filn only bccausetht:

lrcadcoachdemandcdit. Acoach who gradedonly scrimmagcsancl
g.rmcs,he believed,was like a professorwho had only a mirltcrnr
15ml nutesof spl l tt.i .hLos (, I' .rnd a {inal exam.This coachclecidedwho o{ his athletesrvould pl.rv
tr!. grcups ELBS ilo coaches--agrcat w.y t,, l)v evaluatinfi daily practice situations,not their perfornranccelur
md lLBs Lnr the limited number of times thev were filmed.
:l?0 I I g rd . li n Bi s u n l ) r b o u l w h o . t d r l r , , r h o w p l r l * r - r ' r n k r n t h c
A n i n {. a s o n h i d i t i o n o n 1 u ( . . , i . '\
Jepth chart,thcn the old-timer may havehad a strong PoiDt.Grad-
4:30 9 on 7 lersus varsiq ing, however, can be much more than that, especiallybecausethe
,rdvancesin techaologyhave made it so much easier.
Usuallv trvo 7 on 7s rre st.n(lJ,,i When I begancoachingin 1967,most collegefootball gameswere
4:50 on Tuesda)'.ud Wednesd.t rccordedon 16-millimeter6lm. Filming was costly-The film rccluired
7 0 n 7 \ c rs u s\.rr\rty
processingso we had a de{inite time lag bc{ore we could vieu' it. It
5r00 'Ieam double wlistlc 30 minutcs oftelm versuss.,trrt. rvasn't until 1978at Virginia Techthat I rememberseeingPractice
Period 7ls a doublc a'histle t.r,trl film olsessionsother thana major fall_campscrimmage.BillDooley
E 5:10 Team splir Eachteam perbd rcflectsan permitted our staff to shoot a 2o-minute team drive Period for of-
ptacetneni emphaslsfor !pcdnng oppon,l'l fenseand defcnseevery Wednesday.We would try to caPtureon
film as many clrecks,adjustments,and new calls as Possibleso our
coachesand players could view it the next day.
By 1990we were taping with tfuee camerasconstantlythrough-
This is a typical Tiresdayformat that pcrmits adequatetimc i,, out prachce,often captu ng ddlls with both wide and ti8ht shots.
maintain the fundamentals.Wc split the tcchnique period to p|o The specialteamsoften had a separatecameraoPelator.We coPied
vide quality w,orkon keys and adjustments.Only the two deep $,r all tapesfor every position coachand were ready for viewing after
snapsin the group and team pciods. postpracticeshowers.Although the switch from 16 millimeter for
We would view postpracticcvideo on selectedplays from pcfi mat to video has made filming much easiet the value of video to
ocls3 through 9. The linebackersshould have an cxcellentunctcr playersand coachesstill hinges on how it's used.
standingof thc basedefenscby then.

253
 lllLaarl I'rarrl IL rq
2ea.Co|nDl.l.
Un.br.llnt

Evalu ati{)n nru.h nxr (, t lr. rr(' s t . rlrlrrlr

of t.rp('(lt)('s rL , l, t lrr lrn rlr,
It is centralto playerundershndingnrr(lnroliv.rtronl)orrr.Irr|l|; SHEET
WORK
erlt it can identifyspecificarcasin whi(h tll( li,r(l',r(1..(rs ('||t l|ni
GRADING
prove. It often spawnsnew drills f()r thc co.rchwh(' ir,sirll ( lrinA fitl
Name- lEJ- Dale 9/7 Aclivity Rrt,gtraldt/e
a solution to a Door technioueor fundamcntnl,
ln spring prictice and fall camp wc rcquirc thc positi{'n eo,xh lit I'ursuit f,rrorc
grade all 9-on-7sand many team periods. Why? lt nr('liv,rl('r tlE
linebacke$ to pedorm each day, to be responsiblcftrr tlrt ir rl,rlly (;rad€s
practicehabits.The coachcan identify their conrmoncrror's,rrrrlr$ 1. Run FS,GA ttx /t// // 2. RLrnBS.CA llu lllL-
inforce positive reactions. MA //// MA ///
3. PassFS,GA lr NJ 4 Pa\\BS CA ,u 711/
WorkSheet
Grade MA //// MA //
This is a form our stall used to grade inside or outside linebnclrn
on daily drills or an entire game.It would normally take m(, thrlt
hours to grade a full gane and compile the results in their fin.rl lo.m, lN //// Asststs ]L MTs ,L
Usually,I did it aloneafter churchon Sundaymornings.At Virglnh Minus Plays -/ / Fumbles Caused ,l- Fumbl€Rec
Tech,Karen and I graded the films together on Saturdayeveninll PBU Intercept
Sht Yd Stop -
so we could have some farnily time with Stacy and Matt on S(n.
days.Karen learnedto rccord on this form.It savedme a lot of wril. H"r4, Other
ing and gave us sornething special to share.
Following is a condensedversion of the grade work sheet.w. Run T€chnique Errors
wrote on it thename of eachplayer,the date,and on the activity lin, Hdwk Te.}miqtj€ 52 Technique _ Technique
the opponent(for example,WestVirginia) or the drill we were grsd' 1
1. fa, a/it,t,00tr/k, r'urlftss 1- E 1tlsrtt ta/l +6rda
ing (for example,9-on-7,7-on-7).
We listed all pursuit errors on the form. We described each pur. 2. f3, ttadd/ata Ht 4 rB 2 rS, q/rI/83 5ldr' 2.
suit erlor in sectionD under technique errors. For example, we mi ght 3. BS,q N/s, fa/s. sttls fs 3. E3' |t/|n"rr ta//,+| 2 3.
note that LB1 had two pursuit errorsfrom the backsidehook-to-curl
4. fS, tlss.lrdck/ton /6q 4 4.
esponsibility, and that he also overan the ball twice in 32 techniqu€,
for G and 12-yard gains. Those repeated mistakes will get this do.
Pass Te€hnique Enors
fense beat if LB1 and his coach do not correct them.
SectionB on this form requires a tally for every play that LB 1 took #/d Technique l/f Technique Ma, Technqlte
du ng the game. I grade penalty plays if the play was carried to 7. fA, C|vtl'Odr/ft/r!0nt ruw|. fS, ?u/ q rcc,lr/t/an 1.f3, faledto crttk c/dttf
completion.Many coachesdisregardthem.As long as a staff is con.
2. E, Mor trlovl 2. rA, 3-t O,loortult 2.
sistent it will be fair.
In sectionB, we separatedallplays into four grading groups.The 3. 83, loortcak tt ,a/// 3. 3.
purpose is for the player to recognize that frontside plays carry more 4. 4.
4.
weight than plays run away from him. For the coadr, it instantly
shows how a player perlorms with run and pass to him (FS) as op.
posedto plays backside(BS).
2el, Com0l.l.
llo.brolln! I In.i&l.r ondh!.2ll

( ) lt|r r .rvr)u|lt,l.rli,tll(\lI'l,rr'(,rwrll, \ (\ rrl,t t , ll\ ! rllrr' l l, I lrlrl F

ye t his po orb.rcksido lx'flol1l|,fi((w, ll k (r' l, lrrrrlr, rrrrl' l, r1 rrr1 llrti r
g r a d in gsystemwill show hinr lh.rl t v iilr , r(l(L \ lrlrs ( , , r ll' r &i
' l' l! r! ,
backside, he canchallengek) plny.( r wr,'vt lr,r(is,!nr.f\
'nvffs('l)r
journeymenwho providcdconsiit(nl l),r(ksi(it.,lr\{rl'll||.,
perienced
i:
but didn't performwell enoughwith the bnll.11th( nr Il! Ji'rrn r
man may gradewith a high totalperccnt.rgc yct h,rvrrrn,r( (, l'1,'l'h'
frontside execution. j
SectionC is synonymous with productivity. It l.rtrul.rt('s.'ll l[r,
big eventsthat a linebackerengagesin during thc ganrt . Sorrrr,r|r,
fendersjust have a penchantfor making big plays. Simply t.rki,tlt'J
number of big plays a linebackermakes divided by tht' sn.rl'r l|',
plays to determinehis "productivity quotient." The stntisliri.rr .'rxl
sports information department seek this kind of inf()rnrnti(,r, rt'h
i >:
easyto copy this sectionand give it to them.
SectionsD and E are the most important parts of the worl rl|l1.1
We put this into a more readable format for the lineback('r. l(|r. F
rg
ro
ally, we record here every error in pursuit, in other fundnnrr'n ur
tals, and in eachtechnique. We list them chronologically (as tlrr.y -ur
occur) on the work sheet but later we organize the sheet with lrll c
;.! a
plays first followed by BS plays. Frequent erors or thos('llr.rl 4
ct ?F ?s
particularly concern the staff we indicate with an asterisk. lltir
|rI
J3 g
ae
form is a work copy that no one other than the position c{\r( ll
usually sees, al -E
- :;
The grade work sheetmust include enough spacefor the nrrrrr E 3<
rg
ber of techniquesthat the linebackercuse. Rarely do we use nrot,
than three run techniques.We do need spaceto list more than fi!r. -
eflors under each technique.The example is abbreviatedfor dil'
play in this book.

Grade
Sheet :6;
e> Y
After we graded the tape,we trans{erredthe work sheetdata to th.
official grade sheetin pencil. Our secretarythen typed it on Mo|r-
day n-romingso we could passit outto the linebackersat their posi-
tion meetinss. +l
A typed copy of that form for player LBl follows. Notice that w('
list percentagesfor run, pass,and the total. The final column on the a=F
dght is the player's tackle-per-playquotient. Any linebackerovcr
.20has had an activeday.Also note that we list LB1'spursuit grado Z
and big plays on this page for his peersto study.
2 08. Com pl6lillnih i c l l n 0 I In.nicrrr . zee
0ridlno

L
1'
i-- l* :
r = - : i : = 2 i i . - , Ez a-'"j ' i
ij-:iZi i i
! : i1: : e: i i E-
lt!iii:i:iitiiliiit

e: l
R z EE,
i zi
-ti1'r
iZ.
4 - 2 tt- )
t"- -z =
E;z
A<+
i -
t+a
;,z- .i i
l tl tt
R ;;; r s !: i ; - q :
&-r 3-^; &.."i -: "i-
E F:

G Eii

::
E2 !

- ..? " ,i .
n i,=
t Now playing middle Linebackern the NFI. Dana Howard was p.rhaps th. sl r n, "ilii3-:8Ei
: e Z + : + 7 Eeiii
-;i
E'
gestinsid. player in my careerHis hip and leg sirengthwere legcndaryin the lrrr
Ten.He vas thc.onference Plaver of the Yearin 1994and Illinoist first 8!tl,r,

Ei!,
/1i,ii+4!i,iii
Seasonal
GradeSheet
Stapledto the lFade sheetis a seasonalcompilation of every play a.r
The linebackercan comparehis most recentgamegradeswith thosc
of past games.A{ter studying this form, we often set goals to inl-
prove a particular phaseof his game (for exarnple,backsiderun gradt. 12 -; i :- 4
or tacklesper play).
A 12-gamefinal-seasongrade sheet from 1990{ollows. Severnl 2 il2E i li: 72t i iz zz
things are striking about this fine defensiveunit. z
E
; -i ; . . i ii; i ; : t++;
f l : i : ^' ":: 1i : : ?: : :
100. Compl.h l.l|l.i|.lln0
Ouf st.rrt('rsrlrrf lr(.'lllr!. l l,(,l t'1.,r,1i,,,,,,l, ,r,'r, tl,.r, tlr',r'
backups. Exnnrinr th( pl.'y nunrl\'r ( ()1,,',r'r
Both startersperformed vcry w( ll. ltr)r|11(,w l(\l tlr( lllt Ir,h ttl
tacklesand was Big Ten I']ltrycrof thc Yr'.rItlt'h.rrsivr.lvI l,.rrk.l
was one of only two linebackersl've cvcr h.rrl !vlx, Hr.r(L\llttl
percent or higher for a whole senson. l hr' ()thrr wns lJ.I rI li,,rI
ington of Colorado in 1985.
Browilow made a lot ofbig playsl
Gomment
Sheets
Attachedto the two gradesheetsand three-holepuncheclwith tlrr'rrr
so the players could keep them in their weekly binder was a comnt('rII
sheet.This sheetaddressedeachlinebackerabout his perfornr,rn,,,
during the week. We even had commentsfor those who clitl rrrt
play but rendereduseful serviceduring practiceor on the sid('lirx,
After the linebackerssurveyed the numbers on the two Ur,r(li.
sheets,they turned to the commentsheetsfor the coach'sinterpft t,l
tion of the numbers. Playersadrnire a good coach.They walrt ht
pleasehim, and they respecthis opinion becausehe is knowledgt,
ableand has oroven that he caresfor them.
A short paragraphusually sumsup the linebacker'spedormanrr.
We also list every error. The linebackerlooks for the asterisksth.tt
note the mistakesthat he must remedy or that have continued t(,
occur and especiallyconcem the coach.
After the linebackershave reviewed every error on paper, th('y
view the tape of the game for nearly 90 minutes with their coaclt
ano tev$lr everv snaD.
Following is a sarnplecomment sheetfor linebackerLBl's ganx.
from lhe ti(tiondlcontesL with Rutsers.lt claborrle'on errorsth.rt
we noted in his grading work sheet.
COMMEl{I
SHEET
I. LBl: Four pursuit effors stoppedyou from having a magnifi-
cent game.Avoiding any one of them moves you over our 93
percentgoal.Thoseerrors are not like you! You had a winning
Pertormance,but I am concernedabout your overrunning thc
ball on backsiderun. This cannotcontinuelShowedconsistent
plav versusnm and Dass.
I In.i.ah or.dln!'lot
lil|rl
l. I l.,wl |S, .rlitr t()()widr' .rnddon't Prcss3 gap.Why?
2. llarvk FS,you recognizelead driw, but cut by FB.
3. l{awk Ft missedtackleon 16G.KeePhead uPl
4. Hawk BS,G pulls and you don't follow. Concentrate.
5. 32 FS,G pulls and you must acceleratethrough 5 gap.
Too soft.
6. 32 BS,overrun ball twice (+6 yd., +12 yd ).
B . Pass(H/C: Hook to curl, H/F:Hook to force)
1. H / C F drifting on throw. Pull uP with QB.
.2. H/C BS,twice loafed on throws away Breakbefore the
ball is thrown!
3. H/F F play-actionpassand G shows Pass DroPl
,+.H/F FS,third and 10 you were only 6 yd- deeP?
n5.Mental error Failedto checkus to man coveragevcrsus
the flat backs.Can we trust you for checks?
PursuitFotms
In a 1o-minuteunit meetingbeforereleasingthe Playerswith their
positioncoachesto revjewlhcir Srdde.heetsdnd gametdPeslhe
coordinator would reflect on the unit's Pursuit and our defcnsive
obiectivechart.
Weemohasized oursuitwith lhemin oneof two fd5hion", bul we
alwavsexposedthe pursuit resultsto the entireunit. We did this for
no oiher individual data from the game We felt it was imPortant,
however,that the unit knew whohad committed themselvesto our
93 percentpursuit goal.
At tirneswe have simply listed every Pedormer with his Pursuit
percentage.This may stitl be the most effectivemanner to disPlay
ihe efforts.When we exposeeachplayer's Performance,the rnood
is serious.
Below is a chart we have used often.This is a rePrint of our chart
from the 9-7 upset over nationally rar*ed Ariona Herc we revealed
eachposiLionas a group.ln thi5 Particuldrgame,we seParated the
outside linebackersby rush (RLB) and drop (DLB) ard could have
iust as easilywritten their names.A1l four linebackerPositionshad
!02'Comtl.l.tln.i.olh! I Inrhrct.r0rrdlnC'l0!

ARIZOl{A
PUNSUIT
GNADTS OBJEGTIVES
OEFEIISIVE

Total #3 tll #5 #6 *7
gro'rp 3rd,4th Control Contiol
Ta.kling Control
down sudden 2 minule
196 pl.ys shutdowns ch.nge

OpponenL A;zona
Rush LBs 931' 1,

DrcPLBs 80 95 0'1 (lrcit i(n,1 93.2i" 95.50/, No long 7 /2r (None) StoPPcd
9-7
pa$,1 lu (33%)
16y. ls
149 931'/. Right on l.,.E.l

949%
Colurnn5 speaksto the unit's ability to stoPdives and forcc?unts
!v('
Column6 addressesthe challengeofstopping an oPPonent;rftof
E88 82E 93.2%
have turned the ball over VersusArizona,our offensenever tufned
it o \ e r e \ c e p tb v p u n t i n g .C t ' l u m r 7 i n J i ' a t c so u r t \ ' F m i n r r l "l ' r _
tr,rmance, tilal $ a. ccrt.rinlycritical.rt theenJ 'ri thi' closer: rnx
outstandingpursuit that day. We usually projcctedthis on a lnr$. I see football as a living, moving art form that can be evalu-
and
overheadscreenin the meetins room. aterl on tape. Crading linebackersis a labor of love- Players
coacheswant to know how pJayersperform and improve; game
evaluationsshould accuratet measureboth Many coachescion't
0bjective
Chaft lile g ra d i n gb e c a u ' ei t t . 1 k e sl i m e ,d n d b e ( r u s eb e i n g c o n ' r ' t e t r l
Also in that lO-minute unit meeting before showing the previtxrs , n a in ir.i. i r r a i n g i . h a r d w o r l B u t p l a v e n a p p r e c i a t e lhefced
game film to the players, the coordinator would review this chnrt b a c ka n d w i l l i m p r o v eb e c r u t e l h e v r e \ P e ( t t h e c o a ( h .t.Rnowl
edg,ernd dccur.rcyit he hasearnedtheir re\Pect bv wof|.rnP' ollr
with its sevenobjectives.The rcsults in this one are also ftom thf
Arizona 8ame.We listed pursuit as the secondobjective.The oth(.r gently in evaluating them.
columns were items we emphasizedas keys to victory eachweek.
Obviously.column 1 was paramount.But in many victories,only
three or four of the other columns would contain a "Yes." We ccl'
ebrateonly when colurnn 1 is a wir! but we make it a real celebra'
tion. Don't make a victory feel like a loss!
Column 3 indicatesour tackling efficiency.Column 4 shows that
we gaveup no long passes(25yards or more) and just one long run
(15yardsor more).Thesedistancescanbemassagedto fit the matu-
dty of the team.Moving them both up 5 yards would not be out of
line in today's game,especiallywith a younger defense.
 lndex
Note Page numbe$ in italics refer to figurcs

correct 28,29,58, 60 61
a.ademictest s.ores 14
drills for 39-40 42-43,66 67
actionaway blocts 201
opposite foor-and shoulder 29 31,
30,58,6263
descriptionof 96-106
pmcake 31,31 32
drills for ll3
in pulsuit 58, 60 63
play against 245-246
in tackling 72
agiliry S.s dire.tion changes; sPced
Bernstei4Steve 101,194
Berry Raymond 265
descriphonof 139
blitz coverage12112
of specihctcchniques 159,775'la3'
block back blocks 209
1a6,1.95,204,21a, 237' 2i6
body fat, diagnostjctest of 9-10,11
Booke! Eddie ("Buzzsaw") 18,s4
desaiption of 19'54,50,57,52 53
break before the ball 5t 9'r-96
dJills for 59, 67-68,80 82
Browr Iulyon 83
Amed.an lootball Coaches
BroM, Robert 157,217 27a, 279
Association72
Browdow Dal:rick 5, t 10,23-24 92,300
Butkus, Dick 203
apprcach 3& 41
ar. releases 248 249 c
dm position,jn tackling 73 74 Camegie,Dale 19
altitude,of lineba.kers 16'17 center pull blocks 209
B centernads 207-210
backfield reads 205-207 chalenge .€adiness,of linebackers 21-22
backpedalrctreat 93,111,U2 chan8e of diicction (COD) sdd
direction changes
description of 144 145, 147 character, of linebackers 14
178, 184,200-201 "€h€w ear" 12s
fTes of 169172,176 of communicatior 136
backsid€ blocks 246 24E .ldity,
Clark, Doug 265
baclsidc flow blocks 206
ball movement. Str Pursuit skills
ball se.urifY 7t 116117 qualities of 2$-257
base blocks 160,184 208,219-220 232, tea.hing style of 261-274
237-239 cohesiv.nest of teams 20
r
I . r r nnr r ' ls l i f, r.. l i rl r 1 rl
. om nr uni.rtn rrs l i l l L l rl ,e l , Lr, l r,
conli.teDce.in.ontrnuniciti(!r\ l.lll
, |I.'I|'
''II'
! ,rL LL'1r,r l .
,!nLri rr l ,'l
j
,) ,
.
"
'i i l :
',,Ll
l 'rl l
!l r I rl rL
l ,,1i ,l i 'l l
( I r | \ { r I L\ I i r tr !,",tr!
' ' '
contusion,inrnan b man cd L'r.gc I2| ((!n (l rl l \ +i r)
contactsu ac.s,upperbody 37 3iJ L(t)l Ir\l l .i ,l l ',,l i ,||l L,r,1,
conect base 28,29,5& 60 5l .o!rr l j (tr|r(l ,l Il
Cosh,Chiis ("Crash") 72,266,262 .ross l k l (l fufsl rl
270,279,292 cul bn.l i .xl h (l ri l l 7()
counter blocks 223-224 244 .l oubl c-w h,nh(l rl l 7(l
couage, of linebackers 23 24 .l ()p-vcrna ri , rl ri l l l l I l l ' i
coveraSc skills 3, 91 eye opencr.tri l l7e 8l )
man+o-mancoveGge 119{32 follo* the lcadcr a,4
zone coverage91 117 goal lihe ta.kling drill 87 88
crackback blo.ks 49 51,52-53 half line drill 283-285
crossoverbotwork 176 idcntifi.ation drill 130
crcssove. rerreat 92 93, 112 inside lnd in'f.ont drill 83 8t,
cutbnckfrn$, defending 49,51,66 jnrSle-jdgle 6 e, 10, 67'68
clt blocks,drills fo! 1B line drills U1 112
cut-off blo.ks 228,229 frachine-gundrill ,12,49
D 9 on-7 drill 281 283
oklahoma (one-on one) drill 42 4:l
DeBeiry Fisher 87 one on one drill 42 43
pass9 on'7 drill 283
dep pulsuit 55'56, 69, 82 power tackle drill 78-79
dependability,of linebackers16
sevcn-mansled,onc-stepdrill 39-4t)
diagnosli. test ,1-11 sevcn-man sled approach drill 40-4I
diagrams, key to xiii 7o-7 diill 115{16,132,280281
sideline tackling drilt 83, 84 85
diagnosti. test of t9,10
sled apprca.h drill 40-41
in pursuit 4t 45, 67-68
slide,one-stepdrill 39-40
in zone coverage113 spin rackle drill 79
discipline,in huddles 137,138 tea.hing 9-on-7diill 283
team plrsuit drill 56, 68,70
Dooley,Bill 58,71 101,181,793,2a7,293
t mpo tackling drill 89 90
down blocLs 16t 1E7-188 for 31 technique 179 180
clrag route 94 100 for 32 technique 179
drift 93-94
drop-backpasses96-106
for agility 58 E group activities, in practices 279-285
aiidrill 39 eagledefense 181,185'186,193
alley tackling drill 80-E2 eligible recen{rs 97
bagdrills 65
bag45sdrill 112-113
ball diills 116-U7 F K
basepush off drlll 65 67 "Falcon'.all 191
baseroutedrill 130{31
box drills 59-6s Favrc,Brctt 121'122
bull-in-the iing drill 43 44 ietalposiiioryin tumble rccovery 7t 75
l l
rl
Ll r'l l l ri l 1J
' l ,' rrl ' i l l . ( hr r r ( t r k\ l8l lLr l1i
l,
lr r r r r (t I 'r r "s ( l'11\ )( , . t l
ri Ir n.(1!nl( 1nr $, eul( r ( r , n 29119+ I i.tuly, Kevin 4, 7, lr, 21, 56,236
. l ..l ,ni qur s 215233 hawk te(hnique 188,193-202, 210'211
rhl zone 103106 helmets, correct placement of 71-72
ll I ll I ll,p flopping, ol sides 157 158 HeDkel Bill 58, 300
r, ) rn, Hill, Calvin 71,265
hip location 255-257
foot position 28 3? 4G47 S.. 4lsoslances hip positio[ in tackling 73-74
forcams, as contdctsurface 37-3E hip rcll 33-32 J5-J7
formations,idenfificationof 152 hit-and-shed bases 28 32
40-yarddash (diagnostictest) a 4 10 hit dd shed skills 3, 27-44,45
4-3 defense 182,18E,203
hontside flow blocks 205'206 bases28 32
tumbles, recorcry ot 75 d.ills for 38-44
hip roll 33 37
covcrag€ skills 3, 91 132 pad level posidon 32
hii md shed 3,27 44,45 upper body posihon 37-38
pta.ticing oI ?76 277 Holecek, Iohn st 55, 148
pursuit 3, 45 70,71 hook to curl (H/C) zone 96-100
lackling 3, 27, 71-90 hook io force (H/F)zon 101 1l)3
Ilosmer leff 157
G Howard, Dana 55,73-74,)4a,Za2,zt{
days, dliIs fo! $4r huddle pro.edurcs rl7'l 38
8me
21
8me-plan.hecks
C blocks 223, 243 I
Ceorge,Eddie 72 indicatioa getting an 96, 111
G.orse, leff 59
Gibbonr Cardinal 18
gradePoint averages14 playinS with 24
prevention of 72, 75
comments 300-301 iGide blocks 228,241-246
official 296-297 iNide routes 124-125
Purs{it 301-302 iNtincts, of linebacke$ 24
seasoml 298-300 intelligence, of linebackers 14-16
work shccts 294-296 intensity, of Iinebackers 17 18
grading, of Linebackers 293 303 interceprions96,711,\17, 127
creen" Chris 83
I
guard pull away blo.ks 198{99 lackson, Andrew 23
guard rcads (keyt 160-169,183,196 jingl.-jangle 6 t 10,67-68
200, 210211 JohNol! Mike 6, 15, 54,56,96
Guenther, Eric 24
Gutekunsl Iohn 241
key receive$ 97,9E, 100,103
H keys 143
hamstring pulls, prrvention of 10 linemankeys 145-146,147
hands,as contactslrface 37-38 tuming-back keys 144-145,147
 lnd.r.lm

,l rl i r l ',r l l l r l 1' ll, ( . , 5, , , ur ' 7+, l / 6,218,2: r 1

ois p. . ili. h r1 ,l k t,r* t' )e J i .,. tt' , r' r,\l r| | ' .
l7lJ, llll Illil, llt(r lir), tt),; ' ,r l .' r I r1 .t.ll( f.rs\\ 9l) l0(), I ll, 1.152'11)
l vl r\ l rr l -' .' I' i Lrr!l i n g up ll4 ruminS-ba.k keys 144-1,15
201,201-21t, 219, 23?, 137 M r rr r, l )(i Irl /,' d(rf bnck prsses 96 106
bian8le keys 146{47
passnrterferencerules 125 rush linebackers217'218
Kin& Dcwev 26.1,264 265
pa5sor d.aw bb.ks 154 164199-200 Ryan, Jim 4, 54 74 129
L s
M.{nrtn.y.lIll 5.),125,tr,'i,tri,, ,)i | .,Nl Patton,Antwoine 21
Lambert,lack 2i2 Seders, Barry 20
Mccurdlr Cfu'6 31 penalties 273 274
leadershipskilts,of linebackers18_21 Smdusky,lerry 65-66
M.Ghce, Kanivrs 211,,?it8
Lee, Ashley 72, /6,788, t97, 207 202 S.hembechler Bo 274
Mc M i l l en,D an 11r),2rr perimeterIu defcnse 216-217
lifts. S.. weightlifting ski s S.hube.k Ddin 24
meetingt prcprratnrn f\r 2{,7?7lr peripheial visio4 Mintaining 49, 65
linebackers. 5e. ,/so middle lineba.kers s.oop blo.k 168-169,197'198
messenSers142 118 pow.r blocks 223, 241-242
attitude of 16 17 seasonal8!ade sheets 298'300
middle linebackers212 2t3 power .lems (tiJts) 9, 33-34
body fat of 9 10,11 7 and 9 techniques 235 257
middle linebacke.lechniqu. 2tl:l-l I
.hallenge readiness of 21 22 seven-stepdrcp 106
Miley, Rick 236 orSdization oi 275 292
minus-yardageplays 54 prep&aiion of 20 270-27.1 Shealt Dal 150
.ou.a8e of 23 24 Shelby,Aaron 23 24
hissed tackles(MTs) 76,77 sample schedules for 282 288-292
dependabilityof 16 Shinnick,Don 265
Moeller, cary 25s
diagnosiictestsfor 4-11 Press 54 59 short yardageta.klcdrill 79
movementskills/as tundamenral ir psychological testing 13
direction changesby 6-t 10 shouldeis,as.onta.t surfacc :J7l8
grading of 293-303 pull backsideblo.k 163-1&
for hawk techniques201 202 N pull fmntside blo.k 162-163
pull up shuftle 45-49,46, .16,59
named te.Iniques 1s5 152 des.ription of 93-94 shuftlc and pressblocks 207
int€liige.ce of 14-15 Nalional lootball League (NFL) 203 Shr l, Sleve("The Animil") r), Lr
intensity of 17 18 drills for 111,112,113-114
nest technique 192 puposc/ playing with 20 sidelines,actile 139
leadershipskills of 18,21 93 peicent pursuit 56-5E siSnalcallng 18, 19,2() 135 116,l:18
physical characreristics of 3 1t pusuit skills 3, 45-70, 71
Nitschle, Ray 203 alley 49-54 SingletaryMjke 212
psychologicalresti.g of 13 sinSlewint formation 1,13
numberedtcchniques155152 bnal b€tore the bal 56 slidin& of feet 46',12 18
for specifictechniques173,178, nutdtion edu.arion 11 special teams 5Z 83, 275
185,192,237, 257 dep pulsuit 55'56
sPeed4-t 10 275
sp{d of 4-4 10,275 o ddlls for 58-70
splitt offensjveline 1'19151
strcngth oi 257 grade of (93 percent) 5Gs8
objectives302,303
weightlifring abilfty of 9, 10 grading of 301 302
oif.nsive line splits 149 151 sprint draw blo.ks 250-251
lincmankeys 145,144147 Oleszewski,Bill 17 Press 54 sprint draw passblocks 251-2s2
line of scrimmage (LoS), dcfense of shuffle 45 49
sprjnt pass action 109
2t 6, 23 5
Logar! Steve 21,89
opposite-foot,andshoulderbase29-31, a squaredbody position !t5-46,46,49
30,54,6263 qudterba.ks, srmbling 121,130 Stallings, Demis 54
Lombardi, \4nce 18 stances.sec 4lsofoot position
loose 5 technique 231-233 outsidcblocks 222-227 R of linebacke$ 739-144,710, 111
1owbody posirion 48 outsrcleroutes 126-128 Rappold,Kyle & 8'9 of offensive line 147'149
M reachblocks 161'162,187,208,220,
P
Mackovic,lohn 5 59,281
232,239240 passstance 138
padtevel positions 32 puI stance 138
Mallory, Bill 83 Paige, Tony +6
man-to-mm coveiage
Redde.,Barry 150 run stance 138
pain, playing with 23 Rega( Bill 263 thre-point stance 218
advanragesof 119-120 p a n cakebase31,31,32 Remington, Ba.ry 7,29,47,17,96,3N twepoint stance 236
disadvantagesof 120122 passbloc](s 201,202 210,252 refreats92 93,111-U2 Stovall,leny 265
3 1 0 . lndt r

stri ppint 7. 1,I l. r , ll7

Swindoll,ahu. k la l 7
T
tackle fan blocks 222'223
tacklercads tE3-184232 233
tacklc-tightend tap 215
tacklinSskills 3,22 71 90
drills for 78 90,275
foas and helmetplacemcnt 71-72
frequen y of practice 77
hrmble recov.rr 75
hips and arm positions 73 74
missediackles 76-77
stripping 74, ll4 117
tailbackoutside 170 171
talent 22
Iirkenton, Fran 255
T blo.ks 244
team adn'itics, in practices 285 287
l,
fi l :1 2 srttrnl s l .l 1 L ' .j
fi rt:1 2 \..rn \ l :15l l l
t{ i n s f()fl nrti (n,de[Ise r8rIr' l l l r.'
tw o d e c pzonc 108l l 0
U
unbddrccd lhes, dtfens. rgrinsl :l ' '
uddncaih zones,defens.of l(r3 10.1./i) I
uppe. body position,in hit iDd sh-1
37 38
v e e rb l o cks162189
vertical routes 125-126
walk locatnrn 255 256
AboutInGAulhor
Lou Tepper is one o{ football's
most widely respecteddefensive
coaches.He has coached20 line-
backerswho have gone on to PlaY
prof essionalf ootball, including
three Butkus Award winners-
Alfred Williams, Dana Howard,
and Kevin Hardy-and oneButkus
Award runner-up. He directedna-
tionally ranked defensesat the CoI-
legeof William and Mary, Virginia
Teih, the University of Colorado,
and the University oI Illinois, the
last of which became known as
"LinebackerUniversity" duing his

pta.ti.j,ng oI 277 279

terminolog_v of 155 158
51and 52 techniqucs181-192,215 s,ide 5 techniquc 2U-231
5 techniques215-233
hawk technique 188,193-202,
210-2 [
middle lincba.ker tec.hnique
203-273
ncst technique 192
7 and 9 techniques235 257
3l technique 175 180
32 technique 159 173
3l i€chDique 175 180
12 technque 159 173,179
Thomas,Thurmm 21E,220
three deep.oncept,rcvival of 96
ihree deep zonc 107-108
threegap blo.ks 201
three stepdrop 106
tight end reads 219-229,237252
Afier servinq as Illinois' delensivecoordinator and as assistant
weightlifling skills, diaSnostictestof head coachto iohn Mackovic from 1988to 1991,TepPerwas Pro-
9, 10 moted to head coach.In five seasonshe Suided the llini to three
bowl dppearan(Pr, in(ludinga 30-0victorl in thc l'ra4Libe'lv B''wl'
wide receivcis 9a, Il7, 124, 129 Drllne i,i' tenurea- he.rrlcoachat lllinoi. 'rl pertentof the team't
Williams,Alfred i3a 218,231
seniorisrrduated. lepper.rls,,devel,rpeda racialharmonypolicr
Wiliams, Willie 275
Wilt, Steve 204, 207,209 Ior whic"hhe receivedJ Martin LutherKrngJr Award
wing-T fonmtion 143 Tepper graduated from Rutgers University, where he was a
&'ishbone9,160,225 standout dlfensive back He went on to assistJim Root at the Uni-
rlong shoulderconccpt 188 versitv of New Hampshire and the College of William and Mary
z tuomig68lo 1977,Bill Dooley at Virginia Tech ftom 1978to 1982,
zoneblocks 208,220-22
and Bill Mccartney at the University of Coloradoftom 1983to 1987
zonecoverag.skilis Tepper was named the 1990As;istant Coach of the Yearin the
actionpasss 107 110 Bip fenConference by fhc SportlnR Ntu' He serred aschatrmanof
brcak beforethe ball 9,195 th! Bie Ten Head to,'tballCoachit organiz.rlion in Isqb For three
drills for 110'117 u""rr i. .nt o mcmberof the AmericrnfootballCorchet Associ't-
drop-backpasses96 106 headedby Ameritan FootballCoarhesA'-
pull-up 93-94
iion tthir:. ComrniLtee,
sociation executive director, Grant Teaff.A charter member and
311
|ll.llril|. Hr

chairman of the tllinois StateBoard of thc liclkrwship of Chrirtlrn

Afiletes (FCA), Tepper is an active speakerfor FCA and I'romlrc
Keepers,an organizationheadedby his former coachinlicollcoguc
Bill Mccartney.
Tepper and his wiIe, Kare4 have two childrery Matthew and Stacy
Ann. His favoiite leisur€ activities include readin& iogging, and rac.
AFCA'g DefeD.lvc Foolball Drttls
quetball. Ammd F@lb.llCMchesAssocittion'Forsord Dt
i*"ir"un' tegO' pup."b..[' l6a pp'lt'm P^rco'l7d
IsBNGS6oll-4769 ' tt5.05 (S2i05c8Mdi.n)
Containsm i movstieFd rills thsl ddelop th'fudanetr-
talr 6en defenderneeddlo competcitr lodaX3gme
i.ut',""JOrtt" intlsn|l rom ltmv ot r@lballsfftr'cl
-O

Footbal Coachtng SrrateCes

Amendn nootball Coaches A3socrahon
Foword bt CFntTdff ' 1095' Paperbaclr
sr6 DD. tte; PAFCOS0o' lsBN 0-87t29_E00_5
$rs.i6 $s8.05ceadiaD)
dl-dme $eat coaches3l all levelscovereverv
mciar a;DeciDl the 8me I rcludlng !8 drth le'
on oten$t l0 on defens€;7on speclll teamtitrn'l
15 or lhilosolhJ, moulation, and mf,nflf,em'trL

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tunerion footballCoach* Asso.lslion' For*itrd.liv
b; lTesf r ' lgas'Paper bach' 184pp'lr emPAFc05zd
ISBNG8a0| l-526-2' $1595 ($21.95canddian)
Mdv utfoolbdlfsbeslolTensiveco6.hes pro\ide 75
oosi;oB-soRillr strdleamdrills ro dseloP lundamcb-
Lisoo nl'e-un" pert"'ome. E\P'j drittic @rerul\
diaemmcd and on b. readjl! Iocard $ith a speoal

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