Linebacker Play

This post came off our discussion board that we have created on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/groups.php?ref=sb#/group.php?gid=59835380816. Join in on the discussion.

Watched the Ohio State/Texas game with my son the LB'er coach. Some of observations lead to the following coaching point question:What technique do you use with your LB'ers? It was PAINfully obvious that the OSU LB'ers were taught to 'lOOk' at the QB when they drop.

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far, away, I played LB'er in college. It did not take me long to figure out that those QBs could throw the ball faster, esp in the short passing game, faster than I could react to it. I could align properly, read the pass key, drop to my area of responsibility (hook to curl) square up and play pass defense. The problem was that the inside receiver to my side would break off the ball to a depth of like 12 yards, curl right around me to the inside, and catch the ball at a depth of 9-10 yards between me, and the other LB'er. We would then have to make a tackle in the open field. That was back in the 60s when people were not passing the ball for 440+ yards a game.

McCoy set a PB passing mark last night because the OSU defense allowed him to do it. What I learned is that ALL passing defense is MAN defense. You have to defend the R'er in your zone of responsibility even if zone coverage is called. If you are looking at the QB and not playing the R'er in your zone, you will lose on that play and all other plays similar.

Lester Hayes of the Raiders redefined pass defense in 1980 with his aggressive pass defense which you will see a lot of over the next few weeks in the NFL playoffs. What he did is to disrupt the timing of the play by molesting the receiver, hence, "Lester the Molester" (a nickname he detested). It's what you have to do defend against the pass happy boys.

When they sit in shotgun (instant pass defense), have a rocket arm, can read the secondary, and your pass rush is not getting to the AB to disrupt the timing of the play that way . . . you have to collision the receiver early in his route to disrupt the timing of the play.

To do that you have to be lOOking at the R'er, not the QB. So . . . we want the LB'ers even if they are in zone, to align properly, read pass, make their drop and while dropping look, pick up, the assigned R'er to your side and collision him. Then get on his hip and trail him through your zone. Of course, if you should happen to de-cleat the R'er in this process, you would not have to run with the R'er making your job a bit easier.

So . . . when we are confronted with this style of offense, we like to do all of the above and also get ourselves into a 5 Under Man and 2 or 3 deep zone behind. At the end of the game last night, we would have been in: three man line for the contain rush, 5 under man on the R'ers, and a three deep zone behind.

At the snap, we would position the under guys inside the R'ers and prevent them from getting to the inside on a route. We would have collisioned the R'ers in the first 5 yards of the pattern and then played inside and under the R'ers; the three deep zone guys are to stay outside and over the R'ers.

Now if they go empty, we would only play 2 deep back there. Another thing we would have done, is to man up on that record setting R'er in the second half. Like in basketball's box and 1 defense; we would have manned undered him and play a box of 10 and 1.

I have the basics of what I am talking about up online at: http://jvm.com/coachfree/NickelStuntD.htm Basically, the OSU coaching staff got out coached again; just like they did against Vince Young's team and just like they did against FL, just like they did against USC. They are OK in the Big Ten but outside, in BIG games, they get out coached.

Of course . . . things might have been a tad different if Wells would not have been injured in the second half, if if if if. If ifs and buts were candy and nuts, we'd all have a Merry Christmas.

So . . . .how do you have your LB'ers and secondary play against the shotgun, one or no back offenses?