Thank You – Out of 57 million children ages 12 & younger in youth sports in America, only 7 million still participate by their sophomore year in high school.

The Power of Life & Death The power of life and death lie within the TONGUE! It’s the most important 2 oz. in the body! Be tougher on the kid who HAS the ability and does not work very hard, than the player who DOES NOT have ability and works hard.

The 3:1 Ratio – Before you ever correct a player on the field, you must give him three positive comments. – You can also use the sandwich method if in heat of moment. Give him a positive, correct him, and send him off again w/ a positive.

Position Tryouts Using a fundamental circuit on the first days of tryouts is a great way to take an in-depth look at what each player has to offer. Let every player, play every position on the field during the first few days. This eliminates future problems…”they have now been evaluated”

Position Tryouts (Fundamental Circuit) All players can contribute in some way…this is the time to figure out where they fit in your program.

What are we trying to find?

TO PLAY DEFENSE: 1)MUST be TOUGH 2)MUST be COMPETITIVE 3)MUST be able to RUN

Philosophy Develop a philosophy that meets the needs of everyone on your team. Our defense is built around speed, pursuit, and simplicity. Be able to have speed on the field, adjust easily to formations, motions, and various personnel groupings. Allow players to “react”, not “think”

Philosophy… cont’d A)Must be able to STOP the run, be strong in the middle B)Stop the run on 1 st down, create 2 nd & 3 rd and long C)DISCOURAGE the Quarterback!!!!!!! D)Keep fresh players on the field (especially the big guys) E)Sudden Change defense!

Philosophy…cont’d F) Create Turnovers

Philosophy…cont’d G) Create turnovers, Eliminate explosive plays! -Create Schemes to feature your best pass rushers & cover guys. H) Win the match-ups I)Keep production points (ex. Turnover, extra effort, QB hurries, etc)

TEACH TACKLING EARLY Before players get into bad habits, begin teaching tackling fundamentals early. This can easily be done on non-contact days, by teaching players to use their body properly to perform a tackle NEVER ASSUME players know how to properly perform a tackle Just to CYA, read the sticker! (not a bad idea to video tape you teaching this and checking the understanding of ALL players)

Players need to know that we DO NOT lower our head on contact, we drive through the ball carrier with our MASK *We want our head across the body, mask on the ball *Often times we use the phrase “put your face on the ball carrier”, so that players know that we are clear and do not want to lower our head under any circumstance *We want our pad level low, the bolts on our facemask should be at the “V” of the ball carriers neck *SHOOT our hands through the ball carrier, “GRAB CLOTH” on the back of the ball carriers jersey *We want to emphasize keeping both feet on the ground on contact, running through not to! Keys to Tackling

o o x o o CC F $B SMW * * * * * * * * FORCEALLEY RNA O

o o x o o CC F $B SMW * * * * * * * * FORCEALLEY RNA

o o x o o C C F $ B S M W * * * * * * * * FORCEALLEY R N A COACH

o o x o o C C F $ B S M W * * * * * * * * R N A COACH

DEFENSIVE SCHEME Whatever your BASE defense is, believe in it strongly. You should be able to line up and stop the run, let your players “play fast” and not “think”, and execute any play that is called.

CARDINAL RULES (DL) NOBODY RUNS BETWEEN US (LB) NOBODY RUNS THROUGH US (DOGS) NOBODY RUNS OUTSIDE US (DB)NOBODY RUNS BY YOU (TEAM) SEE THE BALL, HIT THE BALL

Defensive Line Stance- Feet slightly wider than shoulder width, staggered no more than heel to toe Ball-side hand down Weight distribution= 60% hand/40% feet

Defensive Line Must be able to launch off the football (like a plane, not a rocket) Attack to neutralize Run to the heel line of the offensive lineman, head on a swivel

Linebacker Feet parallel and shoulder width apart. Weight on the balls of your feet, knees and ankles bent, butt down and shoulders square

Linebacker Our wrist are flexed, ready for contact Read guard/back keys, everything down-hill, no “false step” We are the Quarterbacks of the defense, be a leader!

Defensive Backs Stance should be staggered, heel to toe, eyes up and knees and ankles bent Chin out over toes, weight on the balls of our feet, alert but relaxed

Technique When in “man” coverage, have your hands ready to jam a receiver off the LOS. We want to abuse receivers and deny them the route they want to take. Take pride in coverage sacks, stay “in their heads” Must be able to move in any direction at any time, be an athlete.

Gaps, Shades & Blitz Gap Numbering

Gap Identification AADCBDCBYTGYTGC

Blitz Gap Numbering

WSEE MT N CC WS BASE ALIGNMENT SS NOSEEND WILL SAM TEDMIKE CORNER STRONG SAFETYWEAK SAFETY ODD BASE COVERAGES: 2,3,4,6

WSEE MT N C C WSSS CURL-FLAT HOOK 1/3 CURL-FLAT 1/3 HOOK 1/3 ODD COVERAGES COVER 3

O O O X O O OOO O O A N R A N R S M W S M W$ B CC F STACK BLUE VS PRO 20

QUESTIONS?????