I
t is an honor to share a few observations
which I have made over a 42-year career
regarding the principles and techniques of
linebacker play. In some instances, I will
offer the suggestion of drills to aid in the
development of those techniques. My
thinking has been influenced by two great
linebacker coaches, Jerry Sandusky and
Lou Tepper, whose books and publications
have assisted many of us.
Football is a game requiring execution
on defense, but linebackers must be able
to perform with a degree of reckless aban-
don. When coaching talented linebackers,
one must avoid falling into the “paralysis
by analysis” trap by overcoaching them or
making their reads too difficult.
Stance: Since most linebacker move-
ment is made in a lateral direction, the
stance should lend itself to such move-
ment. Many high school linebackers come
to us with a stance in which their feet are
much too wide, resulting in false steps.
The desired stance is one with the feet
parallel while assuming football’s basic
“breakdown” or hitting position. The feet
are shoulder width apart. The knees and
ankles are bent with both heels on the
ground, but with the weight on the balls of
the feet.
The waist is bent slightly so that the
hands dangle at approximately knee level.
I do not favor linebackers resting their
hands on the thigh pads in their stance,
but this will be tolerated if it is a habit they
cannot break. The upper body should be
coiled, but not tense, and the eyes should
be focused on the offensive key or keys. It
is important not to assume a stance in
which the linebacker has to raise or lower
himself before moving laterally. Again, so
many young linebackers come to us with a
stance with far too much knee bend, or a
straight-legged stance with far too much
waist bend. Most of us are looking for
“knee benders,” not “waist benders.”
Up Stance: In the “up” stance, the
inside foot is up with the toes pointing
toward the near back, and the weight is
mostly on the front foot. The back foot is
significantly staggered. The front foot is
even with the nearest defensive lineman’s
feet. The linebacker must appear that he
is blitzing from his up stance. If the line-
backer is blitzing, he should roll over the
front foot as he goes. If he is “punching
out,” he will push backward off the front
foot, ending up in a parallel stance, read-
ing his normal keys.
Diagram 1 - Punch Out Drill
Linebacker
(Stance Drill)
Principles as
Observed by
an Aging
Movement: The shuffle is the initial Warrior
form of linebacker movement and should
be drilled virtually every day. The line-
backer should lean in the direction he
wants to go and move the back foot first.
Moving the front foot first will result in
becoming over-extended, making it difficult
to change direction. After moving the back
foot, the linebacker then moves his front
foot laterally. Obviously, the shuffle is exe-
cuted without crossing the feet. The
elbows should be close to the body while
shuffling, and the linebacker should avoid
using a “galloping” motion with the arms
and shoulders.
When the shuffle is not fast enough, a
transfer to the lateral run (sometimes
called the crossover run) should be
made. The lateral run is the most fre-
quently used form of linebacker move-
ment. The linebacker will cross over with
his back foot and make a smooth transi-
tion to the lateral run as the hips are
opened. He will run laterally with his
shoulders parallel to the line of scrim-
mage (or nearly so), the hips open and
the arms swinging naturally (hammer
motion) as though running forward.
In general, linebackers should not
waste motion or become over-extended
while moving. The shoulders should be
turned only as a last resort. Movement
drills should be incorporated into every
practice. All movement drills must be exe-
cuted with maximum effort because any
Diagram 2 - Shuffle/Lateral Run Drill
(Movement Drill)
 Diagram 3 - Four-in-One Drill
(Movement Drill)
Diagram 4 - Alley Shuffle Drill
(Movement Drill)
effort less than maximum can become a
bad habit.
Shedding Blockers: All blocks will be
played with the hands. The linebacker will
concentrate on the blocker, but be able to
see the ball carrier peripherally. When line-
backers stay blocked, it is often because
they are “peeking” at the ball carrier as they
attempt to get off the block. This is espe-
cially true when playing cut blocks. Our
philosophy is that if you are engaged in a
fight, you had better be looking at the per-
son with whom you are fighting.
If the block is high, the hands should be
placed on the blocker’s breastplate with
the thumbs up, using the “same foot-same
shoulder” principle. An example of the
“same foot-same shoulder” principle is that
if the linebacker needs to escape to the
right, he will take a short power step with
his left foot down the middle of the blocker,
shoot the hands and prepare to escape to
the right. The linebacker controls the
blocker by locking the arm to the side in
which he intends to come off the block. He
should use a rip technique or other escape
method, while keeping his shoulders paral-
lel to the line of scrimmage.
If the block is low, the linebacker will get
significant knee and ankle bend and mini-
mal waist bend. The linebacker should
focus his eyes on the blocker. When the
blocker’s helmet goes low, the linebacker
should get his hands on the blocker’s hel-
met and/or the top of his shoulder pads.
The linebacker will then thrust his feet
backward and get off the block as he
“stuffs” the blocker. He should keep his
shoulders parallel to the line of scrimmage
and be the first to move after separation
from the block.
Generally speaking, crack blocks
should be played by going through or over
the top of the blocker, while using the
hands and keeping the shoulders parallel
Diagram 5 - High/Low Drill
(Shed Drill)
to the line of scrimmage. The linebacker
must not give too much ground in the
process.
Pursuit: A linebacker who is not a pri-
mary support player will keep the ball car-
rier even with his outside shoulder versus
a wide play to his side. He should pursue
laterally, until the ball carrier has turned
upfield, and then attack from the inside-
out. It is important to mirror the proximity
of the back to the line of scrimmage. The
ball carrier should be forced to run east
and west and not allowed a seam in which
to turn upfield.
Against a run which goes away, a line-
backer who is not a primary support player
will maintain a position which will take
away the cutback. It is wise to have the
back side linebacker “press” or attack the
line of scrimmage if a “window” or gap
opens. Generally speaking, a deeper
angle should be taken when the football is
farther away.
A linebacker who is not a primary sup-
port player will play the option by “slow
playing” the quarterback from a position
one yard outside the quarterback and one
yard upfield from him. As long as the quar-
terback’s numbers face the sideline, the
linebacker will move laterally with him. If
his numbers turn upfield, the linebacker
should make the tackle. If the quarterback
pitches the football, the linebacker will
come off the quarterback on a flat angle
and narrow the alley by running toward the
pitch man from the inside-out.
If he is in primary support, a linebacker
will support with his shoulders parallel with
the line of scrimmage, while keeping the
ball carrier on his inside shoulder. A sup-
porting linebacker will be given the free-
dom to occasionally come underneath a
lead blocker if he is clearly over-reached.
However, if he comes under a block, he
had better make the tackle! All lead blocks
will be played with the hands.
Against a run away, a primary support
linebacker will keep his shoulders parallel
with the line of scrimmage as he runs lat-
erally, checking for cutback. The line-
backer should run a path parallel to the line
of scrimmage to at least the middle of the
offensive formation. If the ball carrier
crosses the line of scrimmage on the far
side, the linebacker should deepen the
angle and aim for a point on the far side-
line, 20 to 25 yards downfield, becoming
the second-to-last defender in the pursuit
pattern.
Tackling: Quite obviously, tackling is
the most vital technique for linebackers.
Too many linebackers are more interested
in making the “big hit,” as opposed to mak-
ing the sure tackle. The tackler should
approach the ball carrier in a bent knee
position without raising or lowering himself
from a good hitting position. He should
keep the elbows close to the body without
“winding up” (throwing the arms back-
ward). Winding up will cause the tackler to
have too much weight forward as he
approaches the ball carrier. This will result
in lunging and is one of the most common
causes of missed tackles by young line-
backers.
The neck should be “bulled,” the eyes
should be open and the chest should be
placed upon the ball carrier. Leading with
the chest will keep the tackler from having
too much weight forward and, more impor-
tantly, result in a safe tackle. Linebacker
coaches have a responsibility to avoid
teaching players to lead with the head
while tackling. The tackler should acceler-
ate the foot movement with the feet, shoul-
der width apart and the arms should be
wrapped with authority. His head should
be up and his back arched. This will
enable the tackler to get his hips into the
tackle. The tackler should drive through
the tackle.
When tackling in the open field, we do
not believe in “breaking down.” We feel
that breaking down results in the tackler
stopping his feet and allows the ball carri-
er a “two-way go.” The ball carrier should
 Diagram 6 - Chute Tackle Drill
Diagram 7 - Rapid Fire Tackle Drill
Diagram 8 - Open Field Tackle Drill
be forced to make a decision, and the tack-
ler needs to know where his help is. When
possible, the sideline should be used to
the tackler’s advantage. The tackler
should be under control and the cutback
should be taken away.
Zone Pass Coverage: As soon as a
pass read is determined, a “pass” call
should be made, the hips should be
opened and a lateral run toward the land-
mark or aiming point should be executed.
The linebacker’s head should be on a
“swivel,” and the No. 2 and No. 1 receivers
should come into vision, as well as the
quarterback’s shoulder, as the eyes move
back and forth. (Some zone coverages
may require reading No. 3 to No. 2, looking
for the two-three exchange, merely looking
for crossing routes, etc.) Initial depth is
important. When the football is exactly on
the hash and the No. 2 receiver is in the
backfield, the boundary linebacker can
back pedal to his drop.
The No. 2 receiver should be walled off
when applicable, but if the No. 2 releases
shallow underneath, the width of the drop
should be decreased. A linebacker should
anticipate receivers coming through his
zone, and he should collide with them
when possible. He will not follow receivers
in zone coverage, but will anticipate cer-
tain routes according to game plan. If the
quarterback takes a three-step drop, a
“quick” call should be made, and a much
flatter drop should be made initially. The
dropper then will gain depth when the
proper width has been established. The
dropper’s shoulders should be squared up
at a depth of 10 to 12 yards or the depth
required by the coverage, and he needs to
be ready to react to the football.
The linebacker will read the front shoul-
der of the quarterback in anticipation of the
direction of the pass. The elevation of the
quarterback’s shoulder is also significant.
The dropper will anticipate the beginning
of the throwing motion. The quarterback’s
shoulder will point in the direction of the
pass, and, when the quarterback’s front
hand comes off the football, he is commit-
ted to throw. If the quarterback’s front
shoulder is high, the pass is going deep. If
the quarterback’s shoulder is low, the pass
is going underneath.
Communication is a must in zone pass
coverage. It is our belief that when line-
backers are talking, they are thinking.
Adjacent defenders should be alerted
when a receiver is crossing into their zone.
A “ball” call will be made when the football
is thrown. Other underneath defenders
may not have the quarterback in their
vision when the ball is released, making
the “ball” call significant.
The interception should be made in
front of the receiver, and the football
should be caught at the highest point pos-
sible. It is virtually impossible to catch the
football at its “highest” point, which would
be about halfway between the quarterback
and the intended receiver. The interceptor
will put the football in his outside arm and
run toward the nearest sideline, thus
avoiding the majority of the offensive play-
ers who are making the transition to
defense.
Man Coverage : It is our belief that it is
best to employ only aggressive or man
under, man-to-man coverage with line-
backers because loose coverage accentu-
ates mismatches. In aggressive man cov-
erage, the linebacker will focus his eyes on
the receiver and immediately close the dis-
tance between defender and receiver. The
defender will not allow the receiver to get
inside position. If possible, the linebacker
will collide with the receiver by stabbing
him in the near breastplate with his outside
hand, without lunging. The receiver must
be allowed to come to the defender. When
the receiver is outside of the linebacker,
Diagram 9 - Stair Step Buzz Drill
(Man Coverage Drill)
the backer will run with him, staying to his
inside and slightly behind him. The
defender will maintain “man eyes” and play
all pass routes from underneath. When
the receiver’s eyes get big and his hands
go up, the linebacker will turn into the
receiver and make the interception or
breakup.
Stunting and Blitzing: Stunting and
especially blitzing techniques are often
system specific in nature, but there are a
couple of thoughts to keep in mind. On
stunts that involve a change of gap
responsibility with a lineman, it is neces-
sary to work tight off that lineman. The
linebacker must not allow separation
between himself and the lineman. He is, in
effect, replacing that lineman’s technique
Diagram 10 - Linebacker Replacing a
Lineman’s Technique
alignment (Example: see Diagram 10). In
either blitz or stunt situations, it is still vital-
ly important to get a run-pass read quickly.
In a blitz versus pass, it is dangerous for
the rusher to assume that he will not be
blocked. He should attack half a man ver-
sus the blocker, use his hands, and apply
an appropriate pass rush technique.
 Points to Remember – Some final
thoughts regarding linebacker play are as
follows:
1. A linebacker should leave his feet to
make a tackle only as a last resort.
2. A defender should use his hands
when playing blockers in the open field.
He should never assume that he will not be
blocked.
3. Tacklers must be patient. Not every
tackle can be made for a loss or no gain.
4. A linebacker needs to recognize
blocks and react to the pressure of the
block. He must not run around blocks.
5. If a player performs the first part of
his technique really well, the remainder of
the technique will be easier and more
effective.
6. Defenders should take care of imme-
diate problems first.
7. Players need to concentrate on In 2003, the Wayne State defense finished ninth in the Great Lakes
blockers while seeing the ball carrier Intercollegiate Athletic Conference by giving up 408.1 yards per game. Two
peripherally. Warriors, Alvin Mask and Mohamad Bazzi, finished in the GLIAC top 10 with 11.8
8. Linebackers should eliminate wasted and 10.8 tackles per game, respectively.
motion and make great effort on every down.
9. Linebackers should keep their shoul- play with reckless abandon and make make excuses. (Definition of excuse: any
ders parallel to the line of scrimmage when things happen. “reason” for not doing what should have
playing run. 11. Tacklers must get a good arm wrap been done.)
10. Defenders should avoid becoming on every tackle. 13. Linebackers should play to win.
“push button” players. Rather, they should 12. Players must not be allowed to 14. LOE’s (loafs) will not be tolerated!

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