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i*a,:!:xg S****:4.;,r

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ffi^***"
n

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WinnhrgDefunse

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All illutntids
A[ di.gMs

by Robcri HandviUc
by Fdt

R@n

: wrNNNc oEFsE (Revitzl Ediri") Copvrighl @ 1987

Pri.tcd in ih. Unitcd StdB of Amdt& No Pan of $is
ln.
AU
nghts
EseFd
by Tift
whalcv. wilhoul wrinen Pmissim
bok nay be ued or Eptod@d in tnv;dnd
For
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12?l
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iniomalion addessSDorlsIltushled
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Libary of ConsiessCatrlogi.g in PublicalionDan

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2. FmlbaU--Co*hing
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L Sporrsiltustnted (Tide. iE.) I!. Titl
ISBN 0-4J2,260361(pbt-)

l
i

COntentS

e
Introdrctrotr
1. Componntsof the l)ef$ive Team 15
DdctrsivePooitiot|s 20
Down Linmcn 20
Lincbockers 2l
Scrndar/ 22
2.Ihe Furdrmrtda 25
DfcnsivcKcys 25
Block Protcrtion 30
ProFr Anglc of Pursuit 32
How ro Tacu 33
How to R.ovcra Funble 38
3. Play ol the Dorn Llnmen 4l
D.fddcr PmtctsOnSide 44
Fisht ThroughPrsu.c a5
Phy of th NoeGu&rd 46
StuntChargcs 48
Pars-RushTchniqu!50
4. Pby of the Linhockers 57
Stanc 57
Kc''! 5E
SruntChar&s 60
PaseDfcft!Rdpomibilitics 60
5, Phy of the SecoDdrry Men
Stmce 68

67

=f
=
=
=
=
:
:
:
=
=
=
:
:

Kcys 68
Zoft Pals Dfensc 70
Man-for-Man Plss Dcfns. 7l
Play of thc Foui-D.cP Scondlry 72
Play of thc "Molst r" Scondary E3

6. DefenstreAliSnments 87

AdjustmotsWithin thc 4_1 Alignmcnt

Adjustin.ntsvr'ithin th 3_2Sct 93
coal-Linc Dfms 96
"PreYnt"Mcmes 99
?, The Def$iYe Kicking Gase 105
Kickotrs 106
DcfcndinSthc PuntingGatnc 109
FieldGoah rlE
PointsAftet Touchdof,! 121
t. Defen3iYeStrttgY 123
lmportane of Point of Er(chatr8e124
CralingOfrnsivErroN 125
Necdsity of AYoidinsBrakas'avPlevs r25
How to Crcatea Lory-YardageSitultion 127
Telrn Stunls 126
9. Coordimtd Dete$lYe Plrtr 135
the Al'gnmol l4l
CbmSinB
chlng.s
eajusiirry rtre ocienscegarnstMn ir Motion sd Fomttion
10. PreDaring the Gtme Phn 147
AmlyzinStne OpPonetrfsRunitg G!m' 147
Andyzins tbe OpPonmfsPassOtrens' l'/t9
Adiustin;rheDcfcns.Affer theStanot lhc Gane l5O
BuildingMotalc 151
U. Prsc-tlce Scheduletr 155
Wekly Practic! Schedul6 l5E
PhysicdCoodilioning l(o
GafleDaY PrcParation 161
SurnDary 16l
to Wrlch DefentlYe Foolltrll 165
DefcnsiveFootbrll on Tlcvision 169
Worl|s

173

t42

Keysto Diagrams

Circlesrepresnlollensiwp ayeB
circlewlh clossepresenlstrrecenr

oFFENSE

o
@ oerr,vse

a l?
:l:::-- ,1
c,

delnsiwlinemsn
Shadedsquarsrepresent
bacG
detensD
Shadedcirclesreprsent
Shadedlianglesrep.eentlinobackeB

IntroductionffiH,::x"3,jff
::l'i,':1",t.*1xl;:'"F*il.
nesotain the mid-1930s,and for most of the yeals
I coachedat the University of OL4ahoma,football
vas a on-platoon game. The same players werc
rquired to play both ofense and defense.
In rccent yean, through rule changes,football has bcomea two-platoon gameand, in rcality, a football team today is two sepaiateteams:
One team plays only ofense, the other plays only
defense.(Either ofrensiveor defensiveplayersmay
make up the personnlfor the specialteams,those
units, ofensive and defeNive, used on kickofs,
punts, extra points atld field goals.)
This clear division ofa squadinto two separate teamshas glven fans and spectatorsa greatr
appreciation of the value ard importance of defense.An ofrensiveteam rnay be good and scor
seadsof points, but if the opponentsscore more
points, the inadequate defensive team has been
responsiblefor a loss.
Though the media and fans are begioningto
rccognizegreat defensiveplayers-men like Ronnie Lott, strong safetyof the SanFrancisco49ers,
and LawrencTaylor, linebackerofthe New York
Giants-the fact remains that ofensive players

"lt your opponentdoes not scor,you cannot lose."

t0

foolball
the "shrs" in bothcollegeandprolessional
areslill considered
-lnded'

:ll;
;3il:.',,T'i':",''#*":lf:"':'#
ri:l*ln':litit,::

;::,,,}*it".i:-;.tttJ{i:",x"

,,5qLi'ff
tli:i*:ii*ff :j}*-j'm';'i,i"
;l:
"''f
'l*'h"i"1"J}tJ}'l'lt,
iil,:J"i'.{:{i
i:T:iftsir;"f
*'sestatisrics'
;l'*{*l*'nt

iT':!:lliff

i't''i:'rr'i
f ii;*;*ii[+*'iii*h+T
you cannotlose The worst you can
1. If your oPponentdoesnot score'
uo ttrlteTh"r"
the ball: when
,r"o *ays in which an ofrensiveteamcan8et
-"

{f#f*r#il;ilTrrT"$
ffi;ti.r#tF:ffi
possessron
winning record ro win' a teammust set
;;i;;il;;;";"
"
forcing a punt'
oitl" tul uy .topplng its opPonentand

phases
horthetbree
Eac
:t t:':Tlilitl""rXX
ll3,?
flfiis';f;o$.1:ilfi
;il1;ii{:i:!liiiii:'tii$,:iiil",,,"",ion
a
bycon,rasr
offmse
".;;"",.-p,*i'a',
assign'
denned
l:;1il#]il..,.':1ffi;:J:""illiT;;";l
t*tln
d"f*".,
every PlaY:

following problems ol
all players are confionted with the

l. where to line up' Sitce

offensiveformations have difrent

r:ili*$:
ffi*qr'$jjkji-lifr
-:ili:n$riiiir"ffi
'lifierent

2 The defenseis handicappedat the stat of eochp'oJ' The ofensive team

tlo*s when the ball will be snapped,and by proper execution of the starting
:cunt it can beat the defensiveteam to the punch. Thus, when the play beglns,
rhe defensiveteam is momentarily behind.
3. Offensi'repldysare desiSnedto misleadthe dqfetre All ofthe maneuvers
and fakes ofthe otrensiveteam are executedto fool the defenselegarding the
real Doint of attack. If a defensiveplayer is drawn out of position, even for a
splir scond,the ofredsehas gaind another great advantaSe'
To summarizerThe defensiveplayer doesnot know )t'rere he will line up'
He will be slightly ,ettind at the start of every play And after sutendeing
rhesetwo advintages, he mtJstiSnorethefokes of the offense,move to the ba1l,
and stop the play. All this requires tremendousathletic ability'
By way of contrast, the ofrensiveplayer knows before the play begins:
1. Exactly where he will line uP
2. Exactly when the ball wil be sflapped
3. Precisely what his assiSnmentwill be
Thus, the ofensive situation requires little in the way of reaction Given
averageability, a boy can be taught, through proper pmctice and repetltlve
offensiveplayer' Becauseof the difrcult physical and
ariil"ito t" un
"f."tiue
that are necessaryto play defense,however,it is very difrcult
mental reactions
for a boy who does not possessoutstanding athletic ability to become an
efective defensivePlayel.
That raisesinteresting coachingproblems How do you Placeyour playe$
in Dosition?who will be your ofensive linemen,defensivelinemerLlinebackers'
off:ensivebacks, wide receivers . ? The judgment involved in thesedecisions
is most dimcdt for the coach.
Becauseof the glamour ofofrense,the natural coachingreaction is to plac
the bstathleteson;he ofensive unit and then piecetogethel the defnsiveunit
from the talent that remains lf defenseis the most impoltant phase of the
same.lhouqh,and if it doeJrequiresupnoralhleticability the beslathletes
teamwouldconsequently
unir.Theoffensive
to thedelensive
ihould beas'signed
be mannedby-themost effectiveathletesremaining after the dfensiveteam has
teen set-with ttre exceptioo of one position on offense,quarterback' which
should be filled at the start.
Physical factors are vital in the assignmentof squadmembersto vanous
oositions.The questionarise(as to whetheror not speedand quicknessare
more important than heiShtand weighl.Generally'it is more imponant on

II

On defens,the gui di ng rul e i s: hi t or be hi t

defenseto have spedard quicknessthar height and wight, althguS-ha:ty

*oufa fo* io nuvea squadfull of targe,fast, dnd agile playeis D-efensiv
-n"rr
Dlaversmusl hrt, react, and the1luse thcir speedto move to the Dall rooloau'
in ii, o*"rt *"*". i. u gu.e of resction aod speedoffool, and defensivePlayers
who iack quickness ald sPdsurreoder the basic ingredients of succsslul
defensivepl8y.
The rnental anitude of defensiveplayersis also very important They must
or!
be highly aggressive-phFical frghte$. One ofthe axiomsoffootball is that
"Set
ale
hit" tle most
o"h-otav '\ou eittterhit or get hit." The playerswho
st'rt of the play
at
the
is
behind
team
th. oneswho lose. Sincethe defensive
be aggressive
it
must
count,
becauseof the ofense's knowldgeof the startinS
enoughrc hit, fr8ht. and ovcrcomethat disadvantagewith its willpower' deter.in"tion, *i plv.i".t skills The defensmust be Preparcd to "out-hit" its
opponnls if ir expectsto sIop the6.
This book explains the fundameltals atrd theory of defensivefootbatl-for
fans
vounq players, coachesat the cub football or junior high level, and those
ulderstanding of the Same'
,"bo i""i.i n .ot"
"o.pletc

1, ,

Football
Ono-Platoon

w
EEI

m GI ffi me
o ooooo o
o
o
lacld6 Guaid csnier Guad TrcUo

oo
defsnsiv6formationsvirtuallymirrorod
One.platoonfootball'sbasic offensivesnd
Blo.los bacl(
Cnadtba'l(

@
@

E]

F1

Tho off-tackloPleyfrom the 6lnglewing

the
football,this wasth mostcommonpl6yrun from
r"'itr. o"""
"i,i""pr"t"on
singlwing.

.=d hnebacke$. Sure, teamsdid throw the football, but almost always it was
so theycouldnot
linebackeNand secondary
:.srsnedto "loosen"the defensive
:!iin; up as quickly against the basic running attack Essentially, offensive
::ams expectedto win by running the ball, and they used passplays only as
: jurprise,
Th running attack wasconsideredthe brave, manly way of making yard3se.Jock Sutherland,the greatcoachofuniversity of Pittsburghteamsin the
the point by statingthat in his opinion"a forward passplay is
stressed
!9-10s,
not only cowardly-it is immoral"
In those days, the defensiveteams played exactly the same defenseo1r
e\ery play. The gamwas rugged and hard-hitting lt was not sophisticated,
ofensivelyor defensively.
The "T" formation cameinto being through Clark Shaughnessywhen he
coachedStanford Univedity just bfore world war II The formation wasfiIst
usedeffectively in th NFL by the Chicago Bars under Coach GeorgeHalas
and their great quarterback, Sid Luckman. When the war ended, a rapid
transformation took plac. Almost all teams changed from the basic singlewing formation to the new "T." This offensivepattem provided far greater
deception for th ofense and running plays developedmuch more quickly
Also, the quarterback ceasedbeing a blocker' Instead, he becamstdctly a
ball-handlerand passet.
The single-wing had been a compact formation The defenseneededto
defend a lateral front of only about 14 yards. Passreceivels were part of the
compact formation, and it took thm considerabletime to 8et downfield and
to the outside while running thei passpattems.
As the passinggamdevelopedand becameas important as the running
attack in moving the ball, coachesrecognizedth value of detachingreceivels
from the compactformation and using them as wide receivers.Also, the offen_
sivelinemen in the "split-T" formation took "large spacs"betweeneachothr
-that is, they did not line uP close together'
Those two developmentsrequired the defensiveteam to defend the field
from sideline to sideline,instead of aclossa narrow fiont. Sincthe samemen
wre stil1 playing both offenseand defense,their defensiveskills were limited
by both practice time and by the physical requiremntsthey neededto play on
ofrense,
With the advent of two-platoon football, the game becamemuch more
sophisticatd.Today, players are able to spendall their practice time leaming
and honing their skills as either ofensiv or defensivemn. In efect, this
doublesthei practic time and enablescoachsto usemuch more complicated
defenses.

t7

l8

ThoEvolution
of tho PassingGame

oooooo
o
o o
In the single wing {shownhr}andthe earlisst"T" tormation,rocoiversn66deda
greal daloftim to run wid pa3spattsrns(A).However,a6thoTformationsvolved,
on6 end and on6 back wrs movdto th otl$ido as "wids receivers" Tho passing
game was chsngedforvr{B)

Or- -

i' O O O O O O

i_i-- --- -+o

19

TheT-Formation
r\Aa)a)
O O Guard
Guad T&te

/1

oo

Note the spacingbtweenplayers-wider than that for the single wing

TheSplitT Formation

o ooo o

G@d ra*b

Guad

The "split-T"withdetachedwidereceivsrs.In th is formation.the dsfsnsewas forced

to dsfend ths field both from sidelinsto sidslineand d6ep down field

A dramatic example of the change which the two-platoon system has

brourht to football is a wide receiver like Clitr Branch of the Los Angeles
Raiiers. Clifi runs the IOO-yarddash in 9.4 sec.nds He is 5'10" and weighs
about 1?0pounds.For yearsin the NFL, he hasbeena dominant rcceiver'Were
footbal a;fle-platoon game,however,it is doubtful that he could havebecome
a football player: He would have remained a tlack man since he lackd the
DhvsicalEake-uplo be an efrectivedefensiveplayer'
'
Thereare a wide varielyofdefensivealignmentsusedin modemfootball'
Within thosedefensivepattems, however,the componentsare alwaysthe samel

20

l. Down (or interior) linemen

2. Linebackem
3. Secondarymen
A few yeals ago, there was a fourth defensiveposition--defensive end'
Men who playeddefensiveend rushedthe passerand defenddagainstrunning
plays. As the ofensive passing SamebecameInore sophisticated,men who
played defensiveend were forced to coler passleceiversin addition to rushing
the passerand stopping runs. Men who lacked the speedto cover rcceivers
could no longer be efective defendels.
In today's game,men who fomerly played end on a frve', six-, or seven_
man defnsiveline havebecomelinebackeN.Defensiveendsare down linemen
who play on the end of a three- or four-mafl defensiveline.

POSITIONS
DEFENSIVE
DownLinemen
They must be big, and they must have grcat arm and leg strength. Their
primary defensiveresponsibilitiesare to control the ofensive men in their area,
to rcsist the ofnsive blockrs at the line of scrimmage,arrd then to move to
the ball.
The down linemen normally include two tackles and two guards, or two
tackles and a noseguard. They take their Position within a yard ofthe line of
scdmmagefrom ofensive tackle to offensivetackle

Po6ilion of the down linomen

D e fe n s i vedow n ti nemenl ak thsi r posi ti onsw i thi n the area outl i n ed

2l

Stanco ot tho down linemen

NI os t dow n l i n e me n ta k e th e i r
s t anc e wit h o n e o r b o th h a n d s o n
the sround {A}.

A few coaches, however, feel that the

semi+rect stanc {B} gives the defensi ve l i nemana bettervi ew ofthe acti on

The term "down" derivesftom the fact that they have one or both hands
ground as they take their stance A recentdevlopmentin defensiveplay
the
on
usd by teams has the "down" linemen who play over the ofrensivetackls
assuminga semi'erct stancrather than a stancewith one or both hands on
the ground. Coachesusing this techdiquebelieveit allows their interior linemen
to get a better view of the action il1 the ofensive backfreld and to ftove more
quickly and preciselyas they play the opponentsimmediately in ftont of them

Linebackers
Linebacker is the most dimcdt position on the defensiveteam Linbackers
must be strong enoughto neutralize any ofrensiveplayer trying to block them'
but thy also must be fast enough to cover a tight end or running back who
is a potential receiveron a passplay. The Position requires both strn8th and
sDeed.a lare combination.
Linbacke$ usually take thir position 2 to 5 yards behind the line of
scrirnmage,oppositethe ofrensiveendsor at someposition to th insideof them.

22

o o

Po.itionof the linobackrs posrtrons

... - ,rnthe shaded6rsashownhers.
takstheir
linebackerc
Defsnsive
from moving farthsthan one
The rules Drohibit interior ofrensivelinemell
behindtheline

"*o

l
;;' pj"v' sv ti"ine up ut least

;:;iliil;

vards

li:Hlrffi:il#Ttai$:\T",';;i:T'"Tlll:ll
i*rn;"

""""",

move in to block them on passplays'

Secondary

divid"d
are
men
seco'dary
i'l:.,Y:"{:::Tl*:ffiffi
The comerbacksare the outsldedelenoe'

.ililti:f:i:;

pFys' their pdmary requiremnt is the

be able to "support" against ruffllng

p""*'"tr
,o"o"".
*a "uiriiv
.p..a
il ,1""'l,li""iiltor.n,iu",ig
"na,
musr
men
rhese
receiver'
*.oe
Jiil,ili"Trll"1ffiil'iotu,-J
il"rili
depdownfield'but they must also
rcrvErs
"".
gTealspedto coverPass
possess

asa.[l,,t;il?ll"l';.,,",
and
i.liii i" *pi,." cuickrr
n'*
-enectiverv
and a
Someteamsuse a free saletY
',

4 vard'f'oT:l-'l::
io*uta lo a spotabout
runnlng
quickly
agarnst
'nou'ohecansupponmore
rt'i,t ,ftisposition

* *il;:';,;;;**f
"i*1.*"*".
plays.

of tho comarmen and latctie.

HtE

o
oFFEMSE
o

o
ooo@ o o

Th! posltlon of tho fraa lalety sa "mon.ter han"

Notethstth6 "monstord6l5nso,"which taksits namefrom the po3itionotthe frsg
3afsty,b in reslity sn ovorchiftto th6 wid sid of the lield.

il ^
tv
i

o
\J

\-/

\J

\y

\J

\-/

iMM

MET

l@@A

"P
i

\&1,
Fledldyss"mnsLrmn

s9
shns sLly
\l'
6mn

ft

mfsw'do

sid.oltEfld

5 mn Nonds

n'@

!id6ottDr6ld

lS

The

Defensivemenin proximityto offensiveplayers-

''3n'ffFffiT:ii:ifrij:r"ffi
*:lT;
Fundamentab
force to neutralize their charge,conhol the opponents to avoid being biocked, locate the ball, and
then move to it. To do all these things in a few
scondstakesgreat athletic ability, and to do them
consistentlythroughout a gametakesthe skills of
a Leroy Slmonof the Tampa Bay Buccaneets,a
Randy White of the Dallas Cowboys, or a Doug
English of the Detroit Lions.

DEFENSIVE
KEYS
Meir who take their position farther than I
yards from aly ofensive player-linebackers and
secondaryden-must 'tead" or "key" asthe ball
is snapped.These tems mean watching one or
two offensiveplayeN whosemovementat the start
of the play usually indicatesthe t}T'e of play to be
run.
Sinc football rules prevent the offensive
tackls,guards,or center from being more than a
yard acrossthe line of scrimmageon forward pass
plays, the moment arl ineligible receiver moves

25
RandyWhite s ability to fight off attackersand move
to ths ball makes him one of the bgst defensive
olaversin th6 NFL.

lncorrectand CorrectSteppingTechnique
Lingman
WhenKeyingon an Offensive

OFFENSE

DEFETVSF

P61"r"r '{

".*ni "ra

(AlThe linebscker,fooled by ths quartsrbackand runningbacks'stepsln the wrong

ps
iiracrion. xissecondstep puls him backwheroh stafted Ho haswastsdtwo st

OFFEAISE

ooo
DEFEIVSE

ry
l/
o.Jo"o

{B)Thesmartlinebackertakesa short drop step,quicklyreadsths movementofths

lineman,then movesefficientlyto stop fte play

:nher than a yard downfield, the defensecan safely assumethat the play is
i run and closin to stop the ballcarrier.
By watching the ofensive linemen ard reading the following keys, linebackers analsecondarymen can leam the type of play aod its direction:
l. Ofrensivelinemen downield meansthe play is a lun.
2. Ofrensivelinemen pulling out either to the left or right indicates that
rhe play is going in that direction. (Occasionally,however,the linemm may pull
,
in the wrong direction to mislead the defense.)
3. Ofensive linemen drop-stepping back to execute a pass-protection
block indicates that the play will be a pass. (On occasion,though, they will
move in that way when the pLayis a draw play or a screenpass.)
It is important that men who are keying do not becomeoveranxiousand
move too quickly in the wrong direction. A stepin the wrong dircction requires
anotherstepto put the player back in his original position. Thus, two stepshav
beenwasted,delayingthe defensiveplaye/s ability to get to the ball. And since
football is a game of inches and split seconds,that can sometimesmean the
differencebetweenvictory and dfeat.
To avoid moving in the wrong diiection, linebackersand secondarymen
should take a short drop step with either foot while they read the movemmt
ofthe offensivelinemen. By doing that, they can hold their position until they
are sure of the type of pLaybeing run, instead of advancingthe wrcng way.

Keyingon an Offensive
Lineman
OFFENSE

oooo o
DEFElVS

T he r eady pos i ti o n :In th i s s i tu a ti o n ,th e l i n e backerkeys on the offensi veri ghtguard.

27

Keyingon an OffensiveLinoman(cont')

(#43' dark jrsev)keys on #75' 6n offensive

ln thse situations,the linebacker

the line of scrimmage Th plaY

Silualion # 1: The offsnsivelinsmancharges6cross
i3 a run, The linebacksrPnetra&s'

...'

}
i!-

-r: - at ion

The I

l e ft. T h e l i nebackermoves w i th the pl ay to

S,t uat ion #3r T h e l i n e ma n p u l l s to th e ri g h t. The l i nebackermoves to the ri ght.

Situarion#4: Tho linemandropsbackto makea psssprolectionblock.The linebackerdropsback in preparation

for the possiblepassin his zone.

l0

PROTECTION
BLOCK
The most important fundameritalfor all defensiveplayeNis "block protection "
To move to ihe ball, defensiveplayersmust keePtheir legs fre If an ofrensive
man is successfulin getting to the defender'slegs or body, he can effctively
preventthe defenderftom making further movementin the direction ofthe ball'
Propr block protection requiresthat, immediately beforecontact with an,
ofrensiveblocker, ihe defensiveplayer have his feet sFad about the width of
his shoulders,his kneesbent and his handsalrd a.rmsdangling down to plotect
his knees,thighs, and waist. From that position, the defendercan deliver a blow
with his hanis. arms, and shouldeN to ktrock the ofrensiveplayer away from
his legs and body and thereby mahtain freedom of movement
ihe defensiveplayer canflot protect ploperly ifhe doesnot bend his knees
enouch to lower his center of gravity and enablehim to delivr afl up_and-out
hlow:His hands and arms arc now so high that the blocker can 8et undel the
block Drotction to the defender'slegs and body to make an efective block'
A;other block-protection eror is to havethe feet too clostogether' That
eliminatesthe balanceand body control neededto fight the oppoflent' and it'
too, raisesthe defende/s center of Sravity

>'!rectingAgainstthe Block:
;3.rectandIncorrectPositions

In the correct block-protection

hitting position(A),the defensiv
player is ready for any move an
offensivsblocke.makeson him.

{B } show s w hat happsns w hen a

defensive man stands too upright. Th blocker has gotten to
hi s body and has sl opped hi m.

In (C),the defender'sstanceis too

narrow.He',slost all leveragefor
fishting off the blocker.

OFPURSUIT
ANGLE
PROPER
playenmustmove
ball'all defensive
iheplayandlocarijrqth
diagnosing
After
',
angleis lhecoursethe
ii"-uaT"t irt". pt.,i"r "angleof pursuir'" Theconect possrble
moment
ih" bultotti"t nt the earliesl
i"i.;
ff;d*;;
-'----The
fasterthe
Tle
of the two menis th controllingfactor'
rclativespeed-".t
must
r"[rt"t downfieldthe defnsivelinemanor linebacker the
Ur""J*,'in"
punur'
rtt* irte slowerthe ballcarrierand the fasterthe
f--it"-*ti"
the defendercarlmovedilectb at the camer'
more
"'"'i
getbehindrheballcamer
importa'cethatnod"fenders
tt;;;;";;i
havingro chasth play'
uy
-'' pen.tratiogaod end up
of pusuit to getm
i^t*a, in" aa*dels mustldoveon the properanSle
frotrt of the ballcarrierat the earliestPossiblemoment'
Proporangleof pu*uit
andstopshim al the line
or I ballcsrrier
' --'_'rhs
The dsfender{lisht jrssv)stavsin lronr

<l--lmproper angls of Purluit

gotten behindthe barrcar,; ;""", ths dfendsr{whiteisrseY)has
;;";;;;;
ri6r, who sasilYeludeshim

r
L
h.
EI

b.
ET

tn

33

TOTACKLE

i',-d on the ballcarrier, the defensiveplayer is now ready to make the

l'f,*
ftiJb lr te approachesthe areaofcontact, the defendershouldbend his knees
,!| ns!-. a balanced.base-the hitting position. His feet should b spread
as cride as his shoulders His eyes must focus on the target,
be
the belt buckle of the ballcarier.
should
-!tr:!:rnately
d:r
\Gn1_running backshaveexcellentbalianceand afl uncannyability to fake
d
rb<rr head,eyes,shoulders,arms, and even legs But it is dimcult to fake
rd 'i belt buckle. Eventhe elusiveTony Dorsett will b wherehis belt buckle
I bd by concnttating only on the belt buckle, th tackler will avoid being

ti.a

Having assumedthe hitting position and keeping his spifle straight, his
bii up and his eyesfrxed frrmly on the belt buckle, the tackler closeson the
i:Larrier. At the moment ofcontact, he drivs his helmet through the ball as
ir! handsand arms encircle the hips of the ballcarrier' By ddving the helmet

Target
TheTackler's

A t6ckler'stargst is th ballcarrieis
belt buckle.

Ths tackler should not look at

Makingths Tackle

Th tacklGbgins with ths

tackler zeroing in on ths
ballcarrier'sblt buckle {A)

At the moment of cont6ct,

the tackler's helmet butts
the ball,3nd his handsand
6rms sncirclsthe ballcaF
rier's hips (a).

The tacklsr lifts the ballcarrior otf the ground(C) ..

and driv$ him back (D)

,t

J)

a rll|- imed punch at the b6ll is

rErher legal methodfor causing

tuough the ball (when it is held at the runner's side), the tackler may knock
dc bil looseand causea fumble. The musclesof the tackle/s legs,back, and
rEs lift the ballcarder otr the ground and drive him back so that he cannot
6ll forward for extla Yardage.
The tackler must evet closehis eyswhen about to make contact la the
ricirity of the tackler, the ballcarrier will be using his most violetrt evasive
Doves. If the tackler closeshis eyes,he is "blind" and hands his advenary a
donumental advantage
lf he cannot seeihe ballcarrier, the defenderhas no chanceof making a
clan tackle.

Tackle
The Side-Body
Whn the ballcarrier is moving at an angle to the outside and it is impossible
for the tackler to meet him head on, the defensive player should use the
sid-bodylackle. Again, the target is the belt buckle. At the moment of contact,
the tackier assumesthe hitting position. He drives his head and shoulden in
front of the ballcaxrier, Sraspsthe min with both atms, and then rolls sith the
ballcarrier as they fall forward. If the tackler's headis not ddven acrossin front
of the ballca.rrier, the carrier's legs, almost certainly stronger than the de_
fender's arms, will enablethe carrier to break the tacllc and continue downfield. Arm tackting is risky businessat best; againstthe likes of a John Riggins
or an Eric Dickerson it is futile.

Tackle
TheSide-Body

(A )show sthe poi nt o f cont actf or t he

side-body tackle. Onco contact has
been mad,the tack lerencar clst he
bal l carri i s hi ps a s in a nor m al
tackl e (B ),butthen rolls wit h t he caF
rier to complet the tackle (C).

I
d;r.'

lnii Tackling

In (A),the tacklercommitsthe unpardonable

errorof usingonlYhis
6rms to try to tackle the ballcaF
Theballcarrier
breaks
rier.Result:
free (B).

,J

A FUMBLE
HOWTO RECOVER
In high school and collegefootball, a fumble or looseball cannot be advanced.
The player can sirnply recovq possessionofthe ball for his team. In Professional football, the rul3 differ and a fumble or looseball can be picked uP and
advancedby the man making the recoveiy. If the fumbled ball is in the oPen
and the man making the recovery is positive he has time to pick up the ball
and advanceit, he should pick it up and run with it, trying even for a touchdown.
But the man making the recoverymust be positive he can pick up the ball
clear y without bobblinS it afld risking another fumble.
When a fumble occursin high school or collegegams(or in a professiona.l
gamewhere the playe! is not positive he can pick up the ball and run with it),
the nearby player should fall on the ball, enci.clinS it with his body and arms.
The player making the recovery should expct that his oPpone[ts will try to
take the ball away from him-in fact, there is usually a Pile-upof otrensiveand
defensiveplayerswhen a fumble occurs.The refeleedoeslrot rule who actually
hasthe bal until all the playen arc untangledand he can cle.rly seewhich man
is in possession.By propetly covering the ball and holdidg it tight until the
refereerules on possession,the player maldng the recoverycan maitrtaln posses_
sion of the ball for his team,
How not to rcovra fumbl6
By scoopingat the ball,ths playerrisksbobblingit Iurthr'

Technique
for
P,roper
Recovering
a Fumble

39

Dd
i5od

.tl
chEII
nal

ir),
rDs.

rro
!trd

rlly

Ean
the

:u

ss-

1,

The playerliterallyfalls on the ball and draws it close to his body.

1
;

So much for defensivefundamentals.If a young player is ever going to

shineplaying defense,he should Factice thesefundamentalsuntil they bcome
secold nature to him. But pmctice alone is not enough. The gifted defensive
player is the one who concenhateson every play, as if every movement,every
hit, evefy tackle he makesis tte movemeat,tie hit, the tackle that savesthe
game.And in a way he's right, becausethe moment he lets his concentration
flag, the moment he naps on the job-that's when the opposition can score.
The best defensiveplayeN are pretematually alert.

Playofthef ffi 'lif["f,,.Tii',r'3]"-1],1#i;l';.lli,T,-li';

DownLinemenffi3f,:ilf,Tji:;ftH:'Tf#*fi::',.:'i
the chargeof their ofensive opponentsand not be
d ven back. They must also havesulncientquick_
nessto move to th ball after they have avoided
their opponents'initial blocks.
It is one of football's truisms that the team
that confols the line ofscdmmage wins the gam.
Defensivelinemen are responsiblefor controlling
the line of scrimmagefor their team.

STANCE
Therc are two standard stancesfor inte or line_
men, the three-point stance,$r'ithone hand on the
ground, and the four-point slanc. with both
handson the ground.other than the posilionof
the hands,the stancesare identical.To assume
either stance,the lineman should sPleadhis feet to
about the width of the shoulders,bend his kne$,
and coil his legs.The hips shouldbe slightly lowr
than the shoulders, and the tolso should be
stretched fofi{ard with a reasonableamount of
4l
l l ri r nc ipaliob of th e d e fe n s i v el i n e i s to c o n tro lthe

Stancos
Defsnsive
Th9 three-point

The fouFpoint detensive

stanc{B).

(orhands)
weichtr$tins on thehandorhandson lheground The groundhand
Ueop-"n,with the weight spreadevmly on tbe fingenip6'
stroito
- t pt*iooOv noted, some coiches occasionallyhave their interiot lineolav in a semi-erectsrance.This positionshouldb taken with the feet
to
-.o
,or"u'auiou, the width of lhe shoulders.One foot is dropPedbacksliShdy
give the defensiveplayer an opportunity to step and strike a sharpblow against
the opponent who chargeshim.
iiually the down lineman will clowd the line of scrimmageto get as close
to the oppo;ent as th nrles allow. On occasion,however,if the defensivenlan
has somewhatslow reflexesor if he has an assign$ent to "lead" the defense
he may play back ofr the line of scrimmageThis Siveshim a
"i1.
"t*eo,
momentlJread his key propelly beforethe offmsiveplayercan makecontact'
in most defemive aiignments,the interior linemen are given the responsibility of defeathg one opPonentand makirg sule that the opponent doelrot
Uto.i th"- to a'particuiar side. while being ready to defeat tlrc Primary
linemen
howeve;,the defendershoutdwatchthe other two offeDsive
oDDonent,
watching
in Lis immediarearea,sinceany one of lhe tlree may attack him By
the thfte men in hrs arca, the linemaq 8tsa fast key to thc play bhg run and
is ready to fght the block of the man who is attacking him'

Ulrsive

Preparationfor Attack

- - . def ens iv el i n e ma n{ d 6 rkj e rs e y )s s s s 6 l l t hree msn and i s preparedfor attack bv

OFFENSE

+--'-------\
v \ i/ \ r v v

--AA.)
,tttY

"\'ffi

DEFENSE

OFFENSE

ooQQo
.-7\*
{
DEFENSE

ProtectingOneSide

Here the defndsr uses his right

forearmto Protecthis left sid

ONESIDE
PROTECTS
DEFENDER
down linemarrcharees.the
To defeathis opponentand Protct his left side' the
driveshis fight
,rt! i"up of lhe ball He stepswith his right foot and
oo-.*i"t
of the ofeosiveblocker'keepingthe blockr'shead.to
;"fi;'il;;;;l"sr
arm H then raisesrhe offmsiveblockerwith lus
ii. rttio..iL"
the.ball
andmoves.lo
"elt, "pPr
himself'
r;icesthemanback'frees

il."ii..
*T;;;;tht.;A;'
-oi",J;,

with hisleft footandhitswith his

stPs
thedefender

shoulder.
left
^" arm and
with rheirhandsratherlhanusetheforearm
ii-lri*-o."ferro play
'For rhisrectrnique'
is exactlv
rhefoot movment
* ,#';it;:ffi;;;;;'.ni
shoulders
the
Ttreheelsof rhihandsdrive'|nder
ilH;fi;il'iauove
arms'andbacklift the blocker'sshouldrs
hands,
fi;;;;;;
;1"v".. The
It alsoplsents
i"- Li.tl iftfs styleof chargeis dimcultfor tall men.
."ii"t*
body alrdthe legsof
t" a"te". ;i ih" tl""L- jetting underthe handsto the
the defender.

'Uing theHands
. Somedefsndersusetheirhandstoward olf blockers(A).However,thisrunstheriskof
tE blockergettingunderthe handstoth body (B).

.r _:,1r.:

PRESSURE
FIGHT
THROUGH
Onethitrgthedefendermustlearnis that his mostimportantreactionis torglrt
throl/ghtheprcssurcof tie rlock As he feelswhich way the ofensivemanis
Eyingto blockhim, hemustfight that pressure.If hegoeso/orrd theprcssure,
bc will be taling himselfout of the play, sincehe will now bebehindthe ball.

Oftenaiv praaur
Alwaysfight through pressure.

H
/_\ n
4b /-\
"\" l9 "
\-rd:r

Never9o 6round pressure.

e-_o

o o Ql o o
./
m

46

PLAY OFTHE NOSEGUARD

The nose guard is a down linenan who plays opposite---or ..noseto nose',
with-the ofrensivecenter.The basicassignmtrtof the noseguard is to charge
and defeat the center, never allowing the center to block him to either side.
Somenoseguardscrovd the ball, which enablesthem to hit the center as soon
as the ball moves. If the noseguard is bigger and stronger than the ofrensive
center, then crowdi[g the line of scrimmageis the most efective way to play.
If the nose guard is not bigger and stronger than th center, he should drop
back off the line of scrimmageabout two feet. That will give him time to read

Position
of the NoseGuard

Any nose guafd biggr and strongerth6n rhe center shoutdcrowd th ba .

Any nos6gu6rdsmallerandlesssrrong
ptaybackoffthe tins
thanlhe cenrsrshould

47

'\. noseguard(darkjersv)is in perfectpositionto fendofi the cantsr;nd move

6c Eovements of the offensive guards as he makes his charge against the

guard
;.rrer. To keep the center from blocking him to either side, the nos
rhould step wi;h his rear foot, bringing it about parallel with tht forward foot
6 it was i; his stance.He usesthe handlift describedabovq raising the center
sD aDdforcingbim back.By havinghis feton line and his shouldersparallel
ro the line of scrimmage,he can sucressfullyfi8hl rhe pressuteof the center's
block to the left or the ri8ht.
In thosc alignments in which the down li[eman is playing opposite the
ofensive tight end, his mission is to avoid being blocked inside by the end' but'
couallvioionant, be must also neutralizethe end and keephim on the line
oi scri-mage. lf the end cannot get off the line. he cannol be an efrectivepass
receiver.Alio, by controlling and containing the tight end, the defenderkeepc
him from making a double-teamblock or getting acrossthe lin of scrimmage
to block a linebacker.
The charge and play of the lineman against a tight end is exacdy as
descdbedabove to defeat a single opponent.
Thcoretically, the dcfensewill always have one fie man, since only ten
ofrensiveplayersian block when one man has the ball If a down li[ernan is
ableto occupy two ofensive players, hc will free an additional defensivemafl'
By lining up on the outside shoulder of an opporent or in the gap betsen two
den, th; defenderc.rr charge either or both of then And if he can manage
to detaifl both at tie line of scnmmage,anothr defensiveman will be freed'

48

STUNTCHARGES
I1r addition to the basic chargeof the down lineman, the defendermust know
bow to executeother charges.If the offensiveplayersare sule that all defensive
linemen will simply chargeshaight aheadthey can block mote aggressivelyand
trectively.But if they are not sule exactly how the defenderwill move, they
must be mor cautious in mfing their own charge. By using a variety of
charges or "stunts," as they're called, the defensiveman will confuse the
blocking assigments of the offense.There are three basic stunt charses:tte
slont,the loop, and he penetrutingshoot-he-gap.

SlantCharge
In a slant chargeto the left, the defensiveplayer stepswith his right foot, aiqing
his forearm lift at the far shoulderofthe ofrensiveplayer. The secondstep with
the left foot must get the defenderpast the blocker's head.He then makeshis
shouldersparallel to the line of scrimmage,finds the ball, and movesto it. The
slant charge to the dght is made in the sameway, exceptthat the first step is
taken with the left foot.
OFFEA'SE

{--r-\\

,-c,-'\X
\-./
vau
DEFENSE

oo

Slant charge to tho lft

The nose guard starts his slant
chargeto the lsft by makingcontact with the far shoulderof the
center. He then turns so that his
shouldersare par6lllto the line
of scrimmageand movesto the
ball.

LoopCharge
The purposeofthis chargeis to gt outside the ofensive player. The defensive
player starts by dropping off the line of scrimmageabout I t4 feet. To loop to
the left, the defendertakes a lateral step with his left foot. Without advancing
forward, he stepsbeyond his left foot with his right foot, being certain to get
his right arm and shoulder past the head ofthe otrensiveplayer. He then steps
again with the left foot, makeshis shoulden parallel the litte ofscrimmage,fnds
the ball, and moves to it. The loop charge to th right is made in the same
manner, except that the first step is taken with the right foot.

-:EO

Chargeto the Left

l?-

The defender {l i sht j erseY )

begi ns hi s l oop l eft by tak
i ng a l ateral step w i th hi s
left foot {A). He then takes a
l ong crossoverstep w i th has
right foot (B), and with
shoul ders paral l el to the
l i ne of scri mmage, moves
tow ard the bal l (c).

ChargsLoft
Shoot-tho-GaP
Th defender Penetratssthe
linsbysteppingintothegapat
a 4s.dsgreeanglswith his left
foot (A).With his left shoulder
and hip Protectingagainstthe
block, he steps with his right
foot (B).Hs is now thro'rghthe
gap and can move to lhe ball

Shoot-the-GaP
the slant and loop
when the ofensive blockersare concemedabout pleventing
charge'
f.""." tulnrablelo the quick_penetratingsloot-the_gap
angletolne
"ft-go_,ft"v
to.iecut it ro hi.left. rhe linemanstepsquickly on a 45-degree
sruerq
shouoer
aDd
arm
His
left
inside,making penetrationwith his left f(rll
to
foor
riShr
bis
with
i'i- i.ii rt- uii t.c fro- the blocker.He then steps
penetrawill make
o"".""i". uv steppingfiist with th left foot' be
the pressure
to
withstand
".r,lir.i[
ground
on
ttre
;; ;ai. i; pb*'tris agniroot
;;";;;
lhe defensive
Playerrndsloe
ofrhe blockfrom his outside Havingpe-netrated'
right'
gap
th
defender's
to
the tackie ro shoot the
t,;";;"
;"fi;;;;;;';;
the frst step is taken with the riSht foot

TECHNIOUES
PASS.RUSH
opponeot from
Otr DassDlavs,t}e offensiveblocker always tries to keP the
man mal(es
detenslve
Wher
a
o*etratine ihrough rte line io the quarterback

ilt'td;:':,;il,;J

charge.hi will as ofrenas not be stoppedbv rhe

offensiveman, who can usually protect his area and keep the potential rusher
from getting through to the quarterback.That rnay not be disasterousfor the
defensivemar-if the play is a running play, he may still be able to fight
rhrough pressureand make a tackle. But whn the defensiveman ftalizes the
play is a pass,he should use pass-rushtechniquesthat will enablehim to get
post his opponent. The techniques are: the s\)im, the cross-cut,and the wide
loop Let's look at each.

TheSwim
As the ball is snapped,the defensiveman chargesnormally, sinche is not su
whther the play will be a passor a run, When he realizesthe offensiveman
is passivelyprotecting a zone to keep the defenderfrom getting to the passer,
the defensiveftan dlives his fist and foreaamup and over the shoulder ofthe
blocker. When his arm, up to his ampit, is past the blocker, he useshis arm
and shoulder musclesto pull down and raise his own body up and over the
blocker'sarm ard body. Oncepastthe blocker, h ftoves in on the quarterback.
The afm movemmt is like that of a freestyle swimmer.

B\

tbSwim

It ling ths swim pass-rushtech. rhe dfender(lighr jersey)

E
!t 3 makss conbct with the
dbrtsive blockeras he normally
this case using his
.ld-in
tsrG lA). Once he sesthat th
*r is a pass (a), ths defnder
around his blocker {C),
rngs
rd throws his neararm overthe
&cker's hsad{D),almostas if he
6 axecutinga swimming stroke.
lla is now frse to rushthe Passer

54

TheCross-Cut
The alm movementin this chaage,known as the ..cross-cut,,,is oppositeto that
of the "ss.im." Again, the defensiveman tnakeshis normal charli, sincehe is
not sure yet if the play is a pitss or a run. Whel! he realizs the blocker is
protectinSthe passei,he ddves his near arm and shoulderbelow his oDDonent,s
handsand pastthe blockingman'sbody.He thenmoveshis arm and shoulder
toward the line ofscrimmage, pulling his opponentforward and freeing himself
to move to the pasler. Someteamsrefer to the cross-cutas the ..dosn-under,,
passrush technique.

Th 6ro33au1(ordown undr)
As in the swim, onco th dfender (whitjersey)s6esthat
th play is 6 pass, he swings
around his blocker (Al. Howevsr, inslead of throwing his
n6r arm ovr th6 block6r,h6
drops his shouldsrand stip6
his 6rm under the blocker's
hands {8}. He thsn drives his
arm and shoulder forcefully
upward until he is past the
block6r and can mov to the
ball(C).

55

fhr Wide Loop

t

i
ftaa
J
f

b _1o[g yardage, sure-passsituations," two defensiveplayeN combine in a

called "the wide loop" to get penetmtion to the passer.The outside man
rr
insidethe opponentin front of him with enoughforc to get pnetlation,
the ofnsive guard seeshim slantilg to the inside and is prepared
though
a
-tE
u' Hock him. The inside defensiveman steps toward his opponent with a
sDal chargeto occupyhim while his teammateis Playing as descdbedabove.
E ttn stepswith his outsidefoot, crosseover with his inside foot and moves
the ofrensivetackle to penetrateto the passel
-c.rnd

/-\

fs
ha3
l|
p6

o
ooo o

ii3
llY
||e

o
o

tre

To summarize:The position taken by down linemen will vary depending

on the defensivepattem being used.The linemen will line up on, or slightly off,
the line of sorimmage,whether head-up with an opponent, shading to the
outside oi inside ofan opporcnt, or in the gap betweentwo offensivelineften.
Regardlessofthc podition,or the charge,the fundamentalsof eachplay remain
the same:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Take the alignment accurately.

Move s/ith the snap of the ball and executethe basic charge
Protect the designatedarea.
Locate the ball.
Pursue the ball on the proper angle.
Make the tackle.

Playof tne ff"fl.i{i}ffi:fi:Tffi'fii"*il:}i.'ff"'lf;

LinebaCkefg

theymustcombine
the
d."lTri:".teambecause

sk ls ol bolh the defensivelinemenand the secondary merl. They must be strcng enough to defeat the blocks of the ofrensivelinemen,quick and
ftobile enoughto cover passrecervers,and intelligent enoughto read their key$quickly and accurately. All in all, it require$ splendid all-around
athletic ability to play the position efectively. And
to seeit played by a Jack Larnbert of the Pittsburgh Steelersor by a Rod Martin of the L. A.
RaideN is to seeit played to perfection.

STANCE
The linebacke/s stanceshould be serni-erect.His
feet should be spreadapproximately aswide ashis
shoulders, with one foot-preferably the outside
foot-dropped back slightly. In his stance, the
linebacker must have pedect balance so that he
can move quickly in any direction.

51
Ou$tandinglin6backerssuch asformsr All-Progreat
J6ck Lamben po$ess consummattackling ability.

58

The linsbackr'ssemiarect
stance allows him maxi_
mum mobility in anY difec-

KEYS
Usually the linebackerwill key on an ofensive lineman not coveredby one of
his own tlown linemen. The movement of that ofensive lineman dictates the
reaction of the linebacker. (Sdiagrams on pa8s28 and 29 )
Wheir the ofrensiveli$man chargesat him, the linebackermovesforwald
to attack, using his regular block-protection technique. When the linenan
alouble-teamsto either side, the lioebacker should move forward quickly to
penetrate.He should drive at a point just ofr the hip of the ofensive blockr
;o that he will not be vulnrableto the trapping lineman moving from that side'
when the utrcoveredlinernan pulls to either side, the linebacker moves with
him. When the lineman takes a droP stp to executa pass-prctectionblock,
zone wlile
the linebackermust drop quickly back to his assignedpass-defense
dropping back, he must be alert to the possibility that the pals-protectionblock
is merely a fake to set up the draw play. If it is, the linebackerlnust suPport
quickly against the back who is running with the ball.
In each instance,after starting his reaction charge, which is dictated by
the rnovementof the uncoveredoferNive linemar, the linebackermust find the
ball, move to it, and mak the tackle When the pLayis a pass,he coven his
zone or the assignedman until the ball is in the air, at which time he agaio
moves quickly to the ball.

Ielt of Linebackers

o Q eo o
E
lE=\6.

o o re o o

6nY- i Fe

,tr"

:E
rind6ac*er

-r'r linsbackerksys on an uncovered

:filnsive lineman. lf the lineman
a..ges forward,ths linebackerrushes

l--"-."

lf the linemandoublstams
anotherdefender,th6 linb6ckerpnetrares.

\-,--r
oo000

odboo

GT

b.

irh
!&,
ile
pk
0n

*,',*
an*".r.,
lf t h lins m a n mo v e sto e i th e r s i d e ,l h e
linbackr movss wilh him.

lf the lineman drops back to make a

pass.protectionblock, the linebacker
should move to his passiefense zone
but be alert for the Dossiblerun.

60

STUNTCHARGES

brocking
theofrensive
ro confus
T"""i;T'.:'l;o,i:f l'"#$#"i""","11f;
rather than w:
snapped
move as the ball is

lJ,lI'Ti
il'Lljllii:fi
T,T,#ffiTr:Hlli;H:tx;:'"::::1if

,".iililir::l#fr
-*i,:i::"$:"1i1"$lHf
ltrfi1?l-;H:,:T
i"ii [:

"'a'""'L
ni?#"1;T:'**li'13i'il""T:l'i#'ll!:,:fr:;'n"
to it.
RESPONSIBILITIES
PASS.DEFENSE
pa\5 defen\e i5 a fundamental ingrediThe Iinebacker'sability to play effecli\e

**l1[:xm:*'l;:".""lJ1i;'1;*
?r,i" u""
."""i'"..

iiiii;;;;"
lTitri;,iliil# lil#".",11'"',i,
""ig'".
blocks,thlinebackercontmueslomovetohisdesignatedpass-defen
"" !l^l',*i;'fl;,,h"
#;;:
lt"lil:g::l-iti,:ii.J;:1,
;1,fi:":13"
thir i

teamswill try to disguise

ofrensiv
i""tun""s will quicklv indicateto the linebacker
in
il;;;;ii;";
-ost

*"|i:lT.3JJ-L:'""Xi?',iJ,:-.::t,X;T
;#g,i:
eliqiblereceiverswho start downfieldin

o":*^:
;;.?;.;;;;;';;ii"'
"t1
lliJllii:")l}illiiilffllJ:il

o'ir'i"ri'
:lil"J"l;:i:.:::i;:'lff,j.il';'ii'i'ili;;;'r'.ri*uu.-r"'
*"";:;:""11;:;t
,rru,iu"ll

ieamrocoverarerhot.
f[vm:,lT pu*.' ro' th" derensi\e

t.l.i'.t .tossingthe field-to lhe opposile'ide

j::l::i'::f#'.T11ili""1;
:f:;
r:'::
:;',::,
*:i
l*
"-]ru"::x

fleld.
qill look.lo!\at
mo\I passers
As.oon a\ theyare in poslltonlo throw
doinglhal bld
i"i."a.d recei'er'Pa'ser'are laughllo aloid
tf'"
"*" "iii.

Lirbacker Coverageon PassPlays

nd re@rcr

oFFE /sE

4d
f@o

DEFEIVSE

PassdleR zone lor liibacld

0n mosl passplays,the linsbackrcovrsa passdfensezone(A).However,whon

! backfieldman runsout to become3 r6c6iver,
ths linbacker
is resDonsible
for
eavinghis zone and coveringthe back (B).
Backteldme whorunsout

o
OFFENSE

oo o o o
DEFEAISE

compet'lron
onlv the hishlv skilled achievesuch disciplinein aclual Same
watchlngtne
fhus, as rhi linebackerdrops back, he shouldconcenlraton
receiver
pu.*t <nl"uv. t""ping in mi;d his responsibility to prcvent an eliSible
from crossingthe field).
__---*
immeditft" o'uaa".atntis brs thro$'ing motlon, the linebacker should
t}|e
in the direclionthe ball will be thrown On drop-backPasses'
bJ
-U"-ii""f.i.ft."fa
"t.1"
to rereat quickly mough to reachthe middleof his
""mPl
beforethe ball is rhrown This sPol is approxrmarely6 ro
zoneof proteclion
rtTl
lO yard; behild rhe line of scrimmagelf the linebackerdoes
Tt:1,"::lt1t

pr":""i." i" ,'-", l".bouldbringhisbodvtotalDlnaer9tLo1-1a-111

B: *ll'9,Ip
position

i**ti'"-

f ..i"i".rvmotionlesis

11-tl1l1:t:;l:
*pii lute,almoutmentto the sidethe passis thrownlhan
IiliJ.l..."
is delivered
he
-li if he is droppingback as the ball
-'- can
to
reachtheir zonesand then make
quick
enough
ire
il" iir**ii^
an
tte aesc;ea fateratmovementas the ball is thrown' they will establish
linethe
over
ball
the
to
arch
quarterback
requirethe
t"fi tl"*
"iff
"ittir"
*ho it b"yotto 10yardsdownfieldwhen the ball is
fti
n."".i""t
iu"i"it to
By movingbackto their zoneot protsction,the linebackersforce
his Da3sovsr them.

o)
OFFEAISE

DFEAISE

ooo

J oo
@

th passrtoarch

63
Inthispicture,boththe linejsrsey)andthe
backer{dark
receiver (light jerssy) are
playingth6 ball leg6lly.

H e rc th s l i n s b a c k e ri s pl aying the recivr illsgally.

rrched, it takeslonger to reachthe receiversthan when it is "lined." This extra

:me will give the secondarymen the opportunity to move to the ball before it
:eachesthe target,
It is offundamental import4ncethat the linebackers-and all other defenplayers-ftcognize
that the rules give both teamsan equal right to the ball
sive
lhe moment it is thrown. When the ball leavesthe passer'shands, there is no
offensiveor defcnsiveteam, yet many defensiveplayers subcorNciouslybelieve
that the offensehas a prior claim to the ball.
The rules prohibit defensivemer! from interfering with the receiver'sopportunity to catch the ball. They also prohibit the ofrensiveplayer frorn interfering with the right of the defenseto make an interception. If either side is

Not e how Tar _

sl ays w i l h d potentrd rec eiver .
Gi
ants
l
he
ot
l
avl
or
Law
rence
H e r e,
l o rs feet are ser to move i n anV d!recl ron

'-beman." it is guilly of Passinterferencelf both sidesare "playing

,-t.t are both ;ithin rh; rules Thus, whenthe ball is in the air' the
iIJmust go for it with abandon'
1lb;i=5
-E.
and watch for
o*rtine-ptuy.lhe linebackermust bolh play his zone
situaiionarises'the
,,.rrrr"o ,...iu.i co.ing out of lhe backfieldWhm this
*itt t" pt"yin! man-for-man defense This assignmentmatcheshis
tEi:r
,r"-tr rtt^t bt the offensiveplayer-which againilluslratesthe rigorous
for linebackersAt the businessof coveringrecivers'
requirements
-rlr=i
non. b.,,", ,han Hugh Creenof TamPaBay and Lawrmce Taylor
[-r::
d fr. Gianls.
on a
Paling the man-for-man defenseis essentiallya mattel of moving
enough
rapidiy
of pursuit.A linebackermust moveto the outside
aagl-e
rw'
or*tin. playerfrom beatinghim !o the outside lf the receiver
fts-ittt.
to breakbackto the inside,rhe rulesallow the linebackerto mainlain
Errs
and if he is in the right spot,he can lgallyhit the receiverand
l^iitton,
him lrom breaking back to the inside of the field'
rlFar
r'hile moving on the proper angle to covel the potential receiver on the
ussiitmettt, tire linebackershould havenoughperipheral vision
l*-io.--ao
ure of thi qoarterback's movements He should be esPeciallyalert to
L
"o
'rJ-orn.nt
*tten tite qourte6ack throws the ball, and as soon as it is in the
quickly to the
stouta ."te""" ttis pursuit of the otrensiveman and move
J.
]rJ ".
(and linrnen) pursue
Il is an essentialof team defensethat all linebackers
it lf they stop
5. b;ll when it is in the air, regardlessof their distancefrom
pursuit, they becomemere spctators The rceiver may catch the ball'
ir
itii. i-mediate vi;iflity, and bteak away toward the goal line'
*..iairr.
-f-.tia.i*.iu"
-*
u.e in pursuit, howver, someonewill usually be able to
defenit ,"""i"".-.tttto- behind, sincehis maneuveringtakstime Thus'
]J
"
will prevent the touchdown'
sre pursuit
.rF.

tr)

:l

1r
l

,i
3

Playof the i,iffij]i,ifii;:iil,ffi,ffiifff;

|jfff i:
SeCOndaf
---------t

V -lUfg11
----

:ll

manontheofeisiveteamfrom
ot"u"ntttt fastest

gettingbhindthemon passplays.Tbeymustbe
tough, agile,and strong enoughto tackle the shiffiest as well as the most powrful running backs.
That calls for a combinationofphysical attdbutes.
Since football has bcome a two-platoon
game,the skill of the ofensive wide leceivefi has
vastly improved Ofatsive wide receive$ possess
hack stars' speed.That requires that the second_
ary men have similar speedif they are to play
etrectively.
Today's wide receiverswould have beenvirtually inc&pableof playing football back in the
days when it was a one-platoon gam. In oneplatoon ball, the wide receiverhad to play defense.
But ihere is usually ao ilverse latio btwensped
and physical toughness,and the lack of toughness
prevents most men of grat speedfrom playing
vell on ddens.
An outstanding eiception is Roy Green, of
the Footbal cardinals ln the NFL, he has ben
an outstanding defensiveback and more recently
has beefl selectedby his p$ as the number otre
wide rcceiver in the 8ame.

coverag,the bst secondarym6n display

t-ng, 6nd catlik reflexes.

+
*

*
*

:ry

$i:

i;

I
1

lee

I
I

STANCE
secondary'the fundamcnlal
Reeardlessof th alignment being played by the
is similar

th" tno'eHisstance
o, iuif*v
i- ii"
'"oruin
stishtlvbackrhe.fet
one foorst'ouldbedropPed
-?""tt""r
lt';il-;;.
betrlsliglov'
with theknees
thewidthoftheshoulders'
.i"rfo u. sp.J
will
thedefender
"iJi
r'om thatstanc'
itre
il:"ffi ffi;oiiiioi
"toutae'"
quickly in any dirctioo

ilii*r?
ff#-;;

be able to move

Th rady stance lor a d6

f6n3ivg acond6ryman

KEYS
ofeach play They must
All secondarydefendersmust thiok "pass" at the stlrt
p*sibilitv of a pais until lhev arepositi'e the.plavwitl 'ol
l.?eJ;s;:,1-h;
afrerthe ball is snaPpedcan give them thal
b. o o*ri Onty two de"elopmeots
cercamty:
the line of scriE
l. An otrensivelinemal (tackle, Suard' or ceote!) crosses
mase and moves downfield'
2. The ball crossesthe line of scrimnage'
converge
when either of lhode occus. the secondarymen may-safely
ts,a-,lTa.T
lhe
thai
the ball to stopthe runner.But if thevgamble
Pl1I
lr-t:
an

i* i""*-"-n"fi*"""t
touchdown.

pass,the recivir maywell getbehindthemfor

ln mo6t defensivealigmenrs, the secordary men can look through an

Dvered ofrensivelineman to the ball. By keying on that lineman as the ball
r sppcd, they get a quick readinSas to whether the play will be a passor
a aE. This is the samereachon as was describedfor linebackers.
The panmount mission of the defensive secondary is to prevent the
LELa*ay touchdown.Thus, secondarydefendersmust cooldinate theft moveG!s, alwayskeepingthe ball in flont of and insidc of their unit until the tackle
r Drde or the passbroke! up.
There are two basic alignmerts fol defensivesecondariee:(l) four-deeP
d (2) the "monste/'or rover-back pattem ln both alignments, the basic
of the unit remainsto keepthe ball inside and irr front until the tackle
nrde.
i-sion
Secondariesplay two typsof pa$ defense,the zoneand the man-fof-man
b Eo6t situatioN, teamsshould usethe zone pattcm sinc it more efectively
Fwents brealaway plays.

Lyr of tho dofonsive aacondarY

h most csses,ths defensivesecondarykys on lhe uncovsrsdoffsnsivs linemsn.

OFFEIVSE

a)

o o Qo Qo
ffi ffi,t'

End rekr_e/i
A

DEFETVSE

_,/

tiM ffi

.Iackre Erd

Gua/d

Linbackor

@@

salety

ffi

A
Lmbackd \..

saJety

69

70

ZONEPASSDEFENSE
In the zone pattlrn, all men of the seco ary drop back, kping relative
disrancsbe;een themslvesuntil the ball fu thros'n Then they irDmdiately
jump
move to the ball. They should ftad the pa$er's cyes ard try to ger the
on the dirction of the passin the samemanner dscribedfor linebackers'
If one mernberof the secoodarydrops deep whilc his teanmate fails to
drop back to the same depth, one deep zone will b left c'4mplctelyopcn'
When the team is playing the zone-typpassdefense,the defensivelinemen
must rush the passerso thai he will not have an exraordinarily long time to
set up and thr;w. It is easyto maintain relative position in the secondaryfor
ive or six counts after the ball is snappd,but a longer tinle mak6it difrcult
to hold the pattem and cover ihe lecelvers.

Th zonopassdofon.a

O orrrrs.

DEFENSE

l.'
I

o o
o

71

IAI{.FOR.MANPASSDEFENSE
rhcn playing the man_for-manpassdefense,eacheliSible reciveris assigned
b . particulai rnat in the defensivesecondary.
In the man-for-man defense,a secondaryman lines uP relatively closeto
d. line of scdmmage.He looks thtough his receiverto the ball, and when it
r rnappedhe moveswith the receiver,keeping him sliShtly to the inside and
i, ro 2 yards in front ofhimsell When th ball is thrown, the defenderleaves
h6 man and moves to the ball.
Occasionallyit is necessary,and tactically sound, for the passdefenseto
rritch secoodaryflen after the ball is sflapped lf the tight end breaks on a
lhallow course to the outside, while the wide receiver breaks on a shallow
.ourse to the inside, the coverageis easierif the corneman and safety switch
En and cover each other's receiver.Of course, pmctice and communication
|'e vital.
Ian-f or-manps65dofns
e

Qo

oFFENSE

/\,

1 0\

Qit,,oq- op o
I

i
I

Al

Ai

L@4s
a
.4metud

DEFENSE

\J

!J

"Switchin0"
passcoveragoccursmost often when
curing manJor_man
o-"i"""it":"*it"r'i"g"
receiversrun crisscrossingpatterns.

o
o o ooo
),,

SECONDARY
PLAYOFTHEFOUR.DEEP

The fou!-dcep secondary has trgo separateunits-the cornerbacks aod the

Jeties. One safety is deeiSnatedas the "stroDg safety" He-lines-u-popposite
thc ofensive tight;nd. Thi othel safetyis called tie "free safety " He takeshis
position to thJsidc a*ay from the tight eod The two comermn line up 5 to
b vards from the line of scrimmage,eachopposilethe wide receiveron his side'
passiefensepatlem, the enrire unit must move
On the fout_deeP_zone
togetherand maintalnrelativeposilion with eachorherastheyreactto theplay:

Secondary
Defensive
TheFour-Deep

?ry
l. When the bal moves to their left, the secondarymen rotate in that

oooooo
-.lse

I
+_s

O
/saav

1'-''

: $aen the ball movesto their right, they rotate to the riSht'

orrtvse

?ooeoo
\lt

O co."oacr
\

-- - -I

tO-.*
saloty

.-1\^-\>

?
O.salety

\y*."".

v
'1'-\--,

3. When the ball movesback, as the passerdrops back to get ir position

ra rhrow, the secondarymen also dlop back.

o orrr"",

{+
oooooo

"-"#\
."t
.fr-*,*
f"*

14

4. When the ball movtoward the line of scrimmage,as on a rufiri[g

play, the secondarymefl close on it.

o \3
OFFENSE

,k^

01

ooo*qf

a.)

saau l,/

^:

*""s

salerylJ

DEFENSE

On all four basic movements,the secondary men must maintain their

relative positions with regaxdto each other as they react to the situation'

Secondary
in tho FourDeep
Playof the Cornerbacks
When the ball movsto his side.lhe comerbackreactsasan outsidelinebacker
would, by comingup quickly to turn the play in. When the ball movsin the
oppositedirection, the comerback dropsback quickly to be in position to cover
his third of the field.
When the quarterbackdropsback to pass,the cornerbackshould alsodrop
zone.
back quickly to cover his assignedpass_defanse
A dilemma for any cornerback is a play that begins as a run to his side
but then developinto a pass. The running fake, which is directed at the
comerback,is the ptoblem. To defendagainstthis t'?e of play, the comerback
should maintain a neutral position until the ball i8 approximately outside the
offensivetackle.
When the ball passsthat point to the outside,the comerback must come
up and force the play. If the passersetsup and preparesto throrv inside of the
imaginary line rundng behind the otreNive tackle, then the comerback must
drop quickly back to cover his assigndoutside passdefensezone'

bnerback Movement

ooo@ oo
-

DEFEIVSE

D' a runningplay or screenpassto his sids of the fisld, the cornerbackmovsin

E hlp m6keths tackle.

,FFEN*E

ooooo o
q

DEFEJVSE

)!
Whenth quanrbackdrops back to pss,ths cornerbackdrops back into hi5 zone.

"I

Fake
PlayAgainsttho Running
Cornerback
:

OFFEII.SE

a)

oo@ oo

a)

DEFENSE

@
runs
i$ tackl'fie Gornarback
Itths offenserunsthe ball pastan imaginarylin near
in to lor th PlaY

OFFEA(SE

a') ooooo

DEFETVSE

/
L
line, drops back to
It the quanrback,bfore reachingths im6grnary
cornerbackdrops back quickly to cover hls zone'

The ofrensiveteam will presenta vadety of formations to the cornerback.

*idest receiveris within 8 to l0 yards of the next widesi receiver,it is
for the comerback to come up on plays in his direction. But if the
eligiblereceiveris furthei to the outside,the cotuerbackmust cover him
sincthe dista[ce is too great for the saJetyto move over quickly erough
E
-+,;over that receive&who may run a dep outside pattern.
When the widst reciver is out so fa.l that the safety cannot get over to
@< him, the comrback'$ assigtment always remains the samerCover the
Gril er deep.

17

tr6.
ldle
dd

Coverageof a Wide Receiver

Gornerback

l
n ciagram A, the wide
=ceiver is within 10
.rds of the tight end.
--!s, the cornerback
:-, rush to hslp force
r. play,and ths satgty
:rn cover the wids

el

oFFENSE

oo o

ffi*o*

\ /

ooo

o
{

'L

/\

orrru /*'

.r-

\-''-

?\
\ orrs,vsE

h 8, the wide receiver

Lslarlher than 10yards
from the tight-end-too
hr away for the safety
to cover him, The corirback's assignment:
wid
Cover the

\I

oo o o o o

/ g{___r@
c"t"'u*t

I,t

f
/

1:

saletY

Thisdisia.cisioo14ior lhe elely lo.otaleovr

andcovdrhewideceLr
DEFENSE

Bumpand-Run

Th6 play st6(s with th cornsrback(dark

irsey)assumingthe '?sady" position I %
ysrds from th wide receivsr(A).

At the snap, the cornerD

movss to the receivsr, 'bu
him and rries to delav him (a)

Technique
Bumpand-Run
Most rcceiversrun xcellentfaking pattems, making it difrcult for comerbacks
lo atr
to coverthem.To prevenrthe receiversfrom havingroom to maneuver
technique'
ooenareadownfield,comerbackscan PIay the "bump-and'run"
nlt-or
cannot
the
"bump_and-run'_
football.men ptaying
In professional
line
the
F
om
yards
downfield
obstruct the receiver after he has moved 4t
hrs
to
use
of s"dmmage to 4', yards downneb, the defensivepleyer is free
technique.
"budD-and-rutr"
--T"li""
;[".o.a^d-run," the defenderlinesup on the irside shoutderof
rtrereceiveratour iU vards from him As rhe ball is snapPed'lhe defendef,
frec
.i-" i"a it" recei"*, hits him. and holdshim uP when the reciverSets
(alihouch a good hit might knock hin off his feet)' lhe delendertums atro
if he is lo
ii.. 6uuiorrfv' tie defendermust be as last as th-receiver
th
watches
"ft"to
te aUl" to teep tri- coueredas he movesdownfield' Thedefender
rcceiver as hi chaseshim. when the reoeivertums to look for the ball'

r the receivsr breaks free, the

:.rnerback turns and chaseshim

c)

Ths cornerbackconcsntraleson the relooks

csiveruntilthe momntthe receiver
for the ball, whereupofl the cornerback
also turns and looks for the ball (D).

ddcDder, too, looks back. Concenfation is vital. When the ball is thrown to
lts man, the defenderc.il1 b in the area, in position to bleak up the passor
E make ar interception.

Secondary
Playof the Safstiesin the Four-Doep
fhe two inside defendersof a four-deep defenseate known as the safeties.To
impli$ thei assignments,they usually change positions depending on the
roength of the ofrensiveformation. Most ofrensiveteamstoday use one tight
od and one split end, who is a widc receiver.The safety vho lines up to the
$de of the tight end is called the "strong" safety,while his colleague,who lines
up on the side of the split end, is called the "free" safety becausehe has no
inmediate responsibility for any particular receiver coming deep. He is thus
free to rcam the secondaryand give support where it is most needed.
The two safetiesalways react as a team. When the play movesto either
side, they move to the outside in that direction.

Secondary
Four'Doep
Playof the Safetiosin thE

OO
a)
t

oo

oo

OO
oFFglsE

r)

oo
oEFExsE
@

\t

oo

a\

the side of ths tiEht nd;the

Ths strong safotYlin3up to
sid6 of th wide rece|var'

freo saf

rk BstweenSafsties

OFF6NSE

r\

-,v

^n ".bac\
DEFENSE
J

st'ro'a'at
/ ^J

1.r

oooooo
P
/"""'a

'

oFFE/SE

oooo

o\

oo

""."m
^_--,

As these diagrsmsillustrate safetiesalwayswork as a leam'

As the comerbackcomesuP. the safetyto the sideof the PIay.hasdeep

lor
and the saletyawayfrom the Playhas rsPonslDrllty
outsideresponsibilily,
covering the deep middle zone.
on-drop-back passes,both men move back to cover theit assignedzones'
Safsw movmnton a droPbackPas6

{"'

oooooo

"lnvrtingi'
assignmentswith the cornerbackand rushesin to forcc
ri" li.ni
'
*"" "*it"rtescoversthe deep middle
r" olu. itt"""t"tv
""t"tv

^R-rc \

o.r.n* \

\n

\oooeoo

Ac"*,r*r
oEFENsr

I
I

lo"-,*'".
V

,O"*-*

o/

fo changethe paceand confusthe ofensive blocking, the safety may, on

siglal, changeassignmentswith the come6ack. This adjustment
tFlatrged
"inverting." Ifthe play starts to his sid,the safety comesup immediiirdH
dr ro force the play.
Th comerback flow coversthe deepoutside, while the safety on the side
from the play movesin to cover the deePmiddle.
E
goth safetiesmust recognizethe distancethe wide reciver is split away
ft[ the next widest leceiver. When this distancebetweenthe receivlsis so
that th safety cannot get wid enough to cover the wide reclver on a
lE
outside pattern, the cornerback has the deep outside responsibility.
i+
AFrsr such ofensive formations, the safetieswill play normally, or invert if
t dgnal has been Siven to do so, at the snap of the ball

SECONDARY
PLAYOFTHE"MONSTER"
Tbc secondpattem of secondaryPlay is the "moNter" defense.This pattern
r usdby collegeand high school teamsto take advantageof the "wide field"
rtcn the ball is on the hashmarks, and to exploit the skills of thei pefioflnel.

The monlter dotonlive 3acondary

Nore how much ciosrto the lin the monstrman (indicatedby arrow)playscom'
pard with the other 66condarymen

83

84

,li

to
The term "monstef' varies at diferent schoolsto 81vecolor and elan
other
At
"Wolf'man
the
called
At Michigaq the monster is
tft"
is
lhe "Husket." the "Bulldog"' elc'
he
schools,
-Jio".
pnys
In colleSefoolball,slatislicsrevealthat lhe majoflty ol long-galnlng
for the
ur" ,uo to ti" wia" side of the field becauseof the additional room
an
b,y
rhat
lhreat
lo
responds
off.n.. ,o op.,u,.. The monsterdefense
-having
lhedelensersan
lerms
extraplaye;onthe widesideoflhefield Io Praclical
to the wide side.
overshift
" -to
o""^ionutty, * u changeof pac,the monster alignment will overshift
side of the field to confuse the offense'
the
__--narrow
_ite
monster pattem enablesthe defensivesafty and the two defensive
side
tralfbaJs io maintaintheir positionswhen playsmoveto lhe monsteJ's
ln
when the pta, movesawayfrom the monsterman he movesbackand
react as the
to becomethe middle safety. The safety and halfback to that side
secondary'
defensive
safety and comerback would on the four'deep
-.
"When play is a drop_backpass,the monster man can assistin double_
the
ofthe
covering any dangirous receiverin his areaor elserelievethe liflebacker
u^meld manwho maycomeout asa receiver'The flexibility
iJ
"
and thc
'.t trri
"i"6*ti"*
on lhe linebackers
."",i"i a.ra",. greallyreducesthe pressure
by so
used
has
been
secondary,and this is the basic rcasonwhy the alignment
many colleSeteams in recent years
_-'
is
f,u..y"position on a football team is important, but the scondary
literally
_-''Fiw "the last lirc of defense."
football teamsare capableof sustainedoffensivedrives of more than
l0 to 12 plays. They are penalized.Offensiveassignmentsare missed'causrrlt
ballcar ers to be thrown for bi8 losses Furnbles occur'
The basic,cardinal rule ol defensivesecondaly play is alvnt's keepthe bo
insideand in iront of the defensivesecondary nit If that objectiveis achi
passor
there will never be a long breakawaytouchdown play, either by
By nevff allowing a brcakaway or evena gain of mote than 15Jards
a single play, the secondary$r'ill forc the offenseto make a sustaineddlive
lo sustaina dri
mostosensiveteamslack the consistency
;;r.: d;;"."
gains
a
of more than 10 to 12 plays, the defensivesecondary
advantagein its unceasingefrort to control the offense'

Movemont
Secondary

OFFENSE
^

IL*-6 ooo

.)

sairy
t

+
tho play movs to tho monstefs

ths defnsivo ssconda

o
o
OO

oo

ot

-Pr .*l

Movem6nt of the d{nsivescondarywh6n tho play i3 away from tho monater

DefenSiVe

Aliqnmentg

In previous
chaplers.
wehavediscussed
someof
the changesthat haveoccurredin defensive
align-

ments
andpatterns
of Plav

whm footballbecamea rwo-platoongame.it

was found that playe$ with the skills necssaxy
to
play olly one ofensive or defensiveposition could
opemtemore efrectivelythan menwho had to play
both ways.In addition, coachesswitched frotu the
single-wingformation to the "T', and beganto use
detached ofensive players as wide rcceive$ to
force the defensiveteam to cover the entire field.
That radically changeddefensiveshategy and tactics.
And yet . . . there is nothing new in football.
Changesin stlategy and tactics rcpresent evolution-mutation-fiom
older pattems of pLay.
Many coachesfeel that my greatestcontlibution to defensivefootball was the developmentof
what is commonly refeffed to as the "Okie defense." This defensivepattem has becomeone of
the three commonly used alignments in today's
game.But it was not a brilliant new idea. Rather,
it wasa mutation from an old defenseusedduring
the otre-platoon days.
A basic defensein the 1930sand 1940swas
the "7 box." The sevenofrensivelinemen olaved
87

A defensivs tsams alignmen$ reflect its ovratl

sengths .nd waknessos.

lineThe fullback and a haffb8ck played

defenson rhe line of scrimmage

iiliii ii. o"*."'""t

Tl l5$::jY*:* L'31"1#T'L,,o",."
defensewas a lol
The Okie

form8tigosT* df*:l:"-':*
stretsth of the commonlvtr*i'"e-ii*
i'r""si"lirnila."rsctimdEgeatdbcsoecomerbacksThefive,lelyrns

iil'l""ffi
i''-"'J;;*9e'ln$fJllHili,iiff
#i##;'il'*fr:
gua
PlayedoPpositethe ofrensive
the strong and free saletrcs

-q----:-f

Alignmonts
BasicDefensive

*
*'e
ffi.g
.w;c

Tho 7 box defons

The"7 box"defansewas
popular in tho daYs of
ons-plaloonfootball

o
Tho Oki dfona
The author's own "Okie
defsnss," a natr,ral xtensionof ths 7 box.was
designed to mst the
challsnoesof new off6nsiv formations,Panicu'
tarly thos that 6mpnasized Passing,

@
Ljmb@rts

"f"-"".*Y
f iw

***-

9..o" u-*

@l @ @

o o o o o oo
o
o

a)

A team in that dcfensive alignment could adjust easily to the valious

of wide receiversaad men in motion.
1-os
Ia today's game,thcre are two basic team defensivealignmelts; the four.q' |!d the "mooster" alignment. The four-deep alignment always includes
Do comerbacks,a strong safety, and a free 6afety.The remaining sevenmen
,- tso diferent ahgnments-four down linemen with three linebaokers,
as the 4-3, or three dosD linemet1with four linebackers,the 3-4.
br!
A team which has a grelter nufiber of capablelilcbackers than defensive
usually will usethe 3-2 st.Conve$ly, if a team hasa greaternumber
bcn
d dcctive defensivelircmen than linebackeis, they will use the 4-l set.

lh. four"dcopllignm.nt with th6 4-1Int.rior 3t

@ ,.rr,*.

@
@

.r**"* t-o" n,*V

v w w f f i@ v
ooe ooo
o
o

89

DEFEIVSE

linbac*d

ffi

Linbacker

V** *",oV r*,"

f f if f i

o oooo
a)

OFFE!/SE

The 3.2 int6riot let ot the fourdoop defona

To simplify the four-deep alignment even further, think of it as always

hovinc two comerbacks,a srong safety,a free safety,ard two outsidelinbaclen. Tire remaining five men arc either in a 4-l or a 3-2 set'
Aoolvinr rhis ipproach to the 3-4 alignment' we can say that thc defens
aeain ias-r*-o comJbacks, a free safety, a slronS safety, and two oulsi&
liiebackers, but the interior st now bccomes4 3-2 instlad of the 4-1'
The "monster" defensehas one man, the donstr, ovenhifted to the wide
si<tre
of the field. The interior portio[ of the defenscad be played as either a
4-l set or a 3-2 set.

WITHINTHE ALIGNMENT
ADJUSTMENTS
'Ll
arcalwaystrying to cleetea mismatchby havitr8a strongerdefensivc
Coaches
man Dlavioqasainsta physicallyweakerofensivcplayer'
tacklesplay againstthe offenslYc
in il.-t"iofu" 4-i ser,the defeDsive
tactles and thi guardsplay opPositthe ofrensivcguards ln this aligrlmelt'
ohvsicalmisrnatihesusuallydo not occur.The outsidelinebackerplaysovcr
ihi tight end and usuallythey are evenlymatched'

lb

9l

Over-Alignment

t! ,rate a physical mismatch, defensiveteams use what is called the "over_

The adjustment is sirnple. The down linernen all move over one
*Ercnt."
ro lhe side of the tight end. That put-sa defeNive tackl opposite the
-&sive tight end. The tackle, usually bigger and stronger than the tiSht end,
ftold be able to defeat his block ard should a.lsobe able to hold him up on
t cbablepassingdowns.The outsidelinebackerto the sideofthe tight end now
ta45 off the line of scrimmage and moves hside, setting up opposite the
&sive guard. The middle linebackermovesoneman awayfiom the tight end,
*ning himself opposite the ofensive guard. The other outside linebacker
up o1lthe line of scrimmagewhere he can get an immediatepenehating
-ies
t6[ into the ofrensivebackfield. That alignment is almost exactly the sameas
i. 3 2 interior set, but by having a big, strong defensivetackle oppositethe
4ir end-instead ofa linebacker-the defensehasvastly improved its strength
qrinst running plays to the side of the tight end.

(r,r6r-alignmentfrom th 4.1 dofensiye3l

r:,

iE
,TFENSE

c
OFFEiVSE

Unebacker

w\9
v

Llnebacker

cuard

ffi

ffiffi

o oooo
o

cuard

ffi

TheUnder-Alignment
When scouting reports indicate that the ofreNive team's runrung attack is
panicularlysriong ro the sideof the split end.a sounddefensiveadjusrmenl
The four down linemenall moveover
irom the 4-l is rhe "under_alignment."
in alignment puts the defen'sive
change
That
one mafl away fiom the tiSht end.
get
position
to
an unobstructed,immedrate
taclile on the;ide of the split end in
rush aod penetratiod into the heart of the defensivebackfeld The outside
linebackeito the side of the tight end now plays exactly as he would in the
+-f alignment. The middle lhebacker moves out and plays over the
r"t
"f
ofrensivetactle-to the side ofthe tiSht erd, and the outsidelinebacker' who was
Suard
ro the sideofthe split endnow movesio and playsoppositetheotrensive
the
abiltty
but
l-2
aliSnment
like
the
almost
look
set
inierior
Again,tle
ofthe p'ersonnel-particularly of the defensivetackle to the sideof the split end
thaJ
-to oenetrate into the backfield usualy results in a physical mismatch
the
split
to
efrectively
it almost impossiblefor the ofrensiveteam to run
-akes
end side.

t nder.alignmontfrom tho +1 dfen3iveset

aEFENSE

L nebacket

racktecua'd V

ffiffi

\ooe
\o

OFFEAISE

coard

ffi ffi

CO

93

WITHINTHE3-2 SET
ADJUSTMENTS
lL 3-2 set is perfectly balanoedatrd has men aligned to be atle to match the
tysicat skUs of ttcir offensiveopponents.Each man on tle line of scrimmage
who is playing on lhe tiSbt end-must never
--iEluding the outside linebacker
him;lf to bc blocked to thc inside by his offensivecounterpart' The same
.-* r[e of the two hside linebackers:They 6ust neverallow the offensiveguards
jobs, the1lthe
! frc out and t ke them to the inside lf all thos men do their
the
his
opponeDl,
of
Ec suard is the only one who must Protect both sides
dcosive center. Sinc he usually has the physical ability to neuralize lhe
d.trsrve celter, hc can cavq eithar side to stop the play And with everyone
& otr the teafl protectiog the outside, the defels can funnel all plays back
r rhc inside.
As with the 4-l defense,a coachcan stup physical misEatchesfavomble
E the defenteby adjusting the intedor aligndent of the 3-2'

Tho b!!ic 3-2 interlor dofnlivo 361

Linebacke.

DEFEvSE

acrle

Unsb&ker

N."" E/

\,sua'0.7

/+-ffiL\
@,
/o o @o

OFFENSE

,q
'^

94

TheOver-Alignment
On this set the noseguard and tackles move one man to the side of the tight
end. That puts the defensivetackle over the tight end and createsa physical
mismatch. The tight end is usually not abl to block a strong defensivetackle.
The outside linebacker, meanwhile,movesup on the line ofsc mmage,from
where he can penetrateimmediately into the offeflsivebackfield. The outside
linebacker to the inside of the split end also is in position to get immediate
penetration into the backfield. The two inside linebackersmove one man away
from the side of the tight end and now play oppositethe offensivecenter and
tackle. The alignmentremainsbalanced,but physical mismatcheshavebeenset
to pnettateimmediatelyinto
up and th ability ofthe two outsidelinebackers
the backfeld adds to the defense.
from the 3.2 dotonsive3t
Ovr.alignmnt
DEFENSE

L nebacker

r"*r"

Linebacker

Vlro"" s"",aV

rackleLinebacker

Y m H ffiy
\ootf^ooc/

\o,/

OFFENSE

StackDsfonse
The stack aliSnmentis played to make it virtually impossibleto run any inside
play etrectivly.It also puts the linebackersin position to read the blocks of the
offensive linemen and penetrate immediately across the line of scrimmage
wheneverthe offmsive tackle to the sideof the tight nd, or elsethe 8ua.rdaway
from th tight end, blocks to the inside. Fudhermor, the alignment allows
thrce men-the two inside linebackersand the linbackeraway from the tight
end-to rush the passerwhen the ball is snapped Such instant penetrationby
three men makesit aldost impossibleto run a play etrectivelyinsideand usually
results in a successfulrush of the passer.

DEFEAISE

Lnbacker L nbacker

rackre
Linebacker

,fr **

Y.1"o. .'**"**

,.m.v
v E . mr:"""

o o o o o.o

OFFENSE

The stack dolenso

DEFETVSE

OFFENSE

Pa$ rushfrom th 3tackdfnls

The alignment is played by moving the nos guard and tackles one-half
man away fr-omthe side of the tight end. The linebackeron the tight end's side
takeshis position slightly inside of the tight end and dakes crtain that the end
catrnot g;t downfield to his inside-he must be forced to go outsid or to try
to blocli the linebacker in. The inside linebacker to the side of the tight end
watches both the guard and the tackle. On a rundng play, he immediately
shootsthe gap to th side ofthe man who is blocking the defensivetackle The
same"readl' is used by the other inside linbacker. He watchesthe ofrensive
center and guard. He shoots the gap to the side of th block by the center or
the ofensive guard on the defnsivenose guard.

95

Fionl the $ttck, the effectivepassrush has the noseguard and th tackles
Denetratinqrbe sap in front of them The outside lilebacker to the side of the
ilcht end;she; to the outsideof rbe ofensivelackle The oppositeinside
liiebacker rushes betwn the cnter and the ofrensive guard The outside
linebackerto the sid of the split end rushesbetweenthe ofensive guard and
tackle. Sincesrxmen are rushing againstfive blocking lrtremen,someoneshould
be able to get peneration i$mediatcly to put pftssure on the passer' - The interior 4-l set and the i erior 3-2 set are balanccddefenssIf the
defcosiveplayers are as capable as the ofelsive blockers, both defensesare
sound and will b efctive.
Moreover, frod both sets,the olig@ent vaxiations describedabovc can
be used to set up physical llismatches. That not only confusesthe ofensive
blocking assignments,but it also enablesthe defenseto stop plays ru$ at the
streqJh of the adjusted alignments.

DEFENSE
GOAL.LINE
'lvhen the offensehas possessionof the ball within ive yatds of the goal line'
the goal-line defensis usd and the designatedpel3oflnel are substituted'
the most commonly used alignment is the 6-5, with six down linemen
setting up on the line of scrimmage slightly to the inside of the ofrensive
trlockin.'Wheq the ball is snapPed,they pnetrateto their inside, attmpting
to get through very gap into the ofrensivebackfield'
Tlle rdaining five men may be the regular four sco[dary men plus aD
inside or middle linebacker.

DEFENSE
l'3

FGsalelv

Lne$der

slons saretu

O .*.- u.""-V';"',""""'""q
* * -ffi @ ru

FFW ,]."*

-o.,*o

\ r\ r\ 6 O/O,/q
'{

Y\'-!5/

r' '/

StanceandCharge
Goal-Line
Lineman's
Defensive
lineman's stance at the goal line {A) allows him to make a quick
lb
charse
{B), shoot the gap, and gain psnetration (C}.
rFrDns
-fensive

to theil t*'iy
ooverthewidercceivers
Thecomerbacks

TaT^?:.:,
p"'j ; ;;;il"trv irl!"i:'T
"1"1t*:-ETL*:iT:i;i*ii
it' "r*"i*'itll
'J";';'::iJ;;':il;i'islt
:11-ll
vlll."l9ll!11,'lTl
rTlli:: ild-Pg*
ii' *one*r.'vi;T"di:F
il::Ji fi#;#iil.

.i; ;#;"i;s

::'"H#;"#li;;,i";;;

;:; #;"r.;;il

lil.""i t'i, .'i.li"

torris.siderhe
phvir it comes.

ptar
*f l:J11t-i:ll,Ylillli
uplritr"'u"ni"g
p-!tfl::.:
certai"
be
to
linemen
a.r-iive
9" F" t*.*iq

;'il,.in"J'A;iri!u""r.'y.y111.'1;::.:1'*:"
;ffi:ffi
ofanvrut'"irs
mii". n" r. Jv torushtothepointofattack
ill,iitl
"r."

p*y

all play man-to-man'

F"o^ u p... d"f-s standpoht'rie secondarymen
preparedto cove!the nriderecivers'the stloog salety
witftifre
andtheinsidt
"or'o"rt"cts
i'i*n t.-[-"" ao*"ntrato bea passreceiver
a passrecelver
as
oul
"lillJl'i."i"*
iin.i""*a, on'at *fay coveranybackieldmanmoving
to their side. ".

Pas6 covetaga in tho goal'line dfgn3e

DEFENSE

@ i6'".,""."""*"-4*,--r*".L6"
.i
r
"
;
*
f
f
iPP^
8
3
9
"
*
uutt
O
)

OFFEAISE

The goalline defnseis a gamble.The basic rule of the secondary-"keep

tu :6ll in ftont and inside"-is no longer applicable.The secondarymust be
rd) ro support quickly and take isks to prevnt the ofrensefrom making afly
gi,age. Any small gain in that area of the field can mean an instant touchIt should be noted that some teamsuse a goal_linedefensean''wherc on
ac jeld of play when the ofensive team has third down and short yardagec:< rhan a yard and a hall But I feel that playing a goal-line defensefar from
e goal line is an unacceptablerisk. Granted, the defensemay stop the play
::id and prevent the fi$t down. If the ofrensiverunning play breaks past the
.iD. of scrimmage,however, a long gain or a touchdown often results, since
:.ie are no dfensivemen in position to pu6ue well and support the Play The
g'le is true if the ofensive team usesa passplay, usually a play_actionpass
th man-to-mancoverage,if any one man is defeated,a long gain or touchdown
rrli result.

"PREVENT"
DEFENSES
sJlen the defensiveteam is aheadand time is running out in either the fiIst half
or the game,it is sensibleto usewhat is known as a "prevent" defense,to ensure
rhat th; ofrensewill not be able to break a play for long yardage Occasionally,
rhe "prevent" is alsosoundstlategy on extremelong-yardagsituations' regardlessof the time remaining
the 3-5-3 and the 4-5_2.
Ther are two standard"Prevent" defenses:
Teams always substitute to have their most efective Playersin the game for
either defense.

ThE3-5-3 PreventDefense
On the 3-5-3, three down linemen are used to rush the passer.The five [nebackersmay be defensivecomerbacks,safeties,or linebackers,but obviously,
the greatestspeedand reactionsshould bethe onesto play those
men possessing
positions. They covr the five short zons. By dropping back as the ball is
snapped,they give themselvessumcientroom to move to the ball ifit is thrown
to a receiver in thek zone.

99

The3.5.3PreventDefense

bh
$
..,.

.a,'

.:1.

The three deep men are either cornerbacksor safeties.Their assignment

|.b cover the three depzones.They are sumcientlyfar back from the quarterthat they have ample time, as the ball is thrown, to move to cover any
E
who is in thir area.
-dr-cr

Ih +5-2 PreventDefsnss
h the 4-5-2 alignment, four linernenrush the passer.The extra man rushing
tbould put morc pressureon the quarterback than can be achievedfrom the
f-5-3 defense.
The five rnen playing as mar-for-man passdefenderswill usua.llybe corftrbacks and safties.The two comerbackscover the two wide receivels.The
efety to the side of the tight end coven him. The two remaining short scond,ry men cover any ofnsive back moving out of the backfeld to their side.
The two deepdefensivehalfbacksdrop back deepand play the ball when
it is thrown. They are also in position to support the man-for-man coverageof
the short defenders.

t0t

:,,\'

r@j
c"*'r*i

A;,

*r."". @

,@

' Ix
' .LB mnunmfr

r(
U

q ^ry^
\I-,\-,
\\

oFFElvsE

The"Nickel"andthe "Dime"

Often, television or radio announcni will speak of the "nickel" or ,dime"

defense.
The "nickel" meansthat the defensiveteam haschangedpersonnel\rithin
rhe 3-5-3 or the 4-5-2 to put more efective passdefendeNinto the game.The
defmse is used when the defelrdersare confident that the offedsiveteam will
throw the ball. The most common personnel change on the ..nickel" is to
replacethe outside linebacker to the side of the tight end sdth a safety man,
*ho representsthe ffth secondaryman in the game.
On the "dime" defense,60r, outside linebacken leave the gameand are
replacedby comerbacksor safeties,That aligment hasfully six passdefenders
m the game.
Keep in mind, though, that theie is never a guaftntee that the ofensive
r.am will throw. Teams that go to the "nickel" or "dime,, pattem no looger
bavthek most effecfivepersonnelin the gameagainst the running attack. If
lhe ofense dos run, it could therefore be in a position to trample those men
beingusedas specialpassdefenders.
Ifthe offensemust make more than 10to 12yards on one play to maintain
possssion
ofthe ball, there is a minimal risk in using the nickel or dime, even
if the offenseruns the ball. Ifa six-yard gain will maintain position and a nickel
or dime defenseis used, the offensewill probably be able to make first down
on a ru'}.
Needlessto say, then, defensivecoachesmust carefully analyzethe situation before they decide to use either of those prevent aligfinents.

103

rr-

The Defensive
KiCkinO
- ---------,

Q21ng

Excllent execution of all phasesof the defensive

kicking gameis a team fundamental that can lead

torictov.

A truismisthat the teamwith lbe mostfavorable vertical field position when the ball is exchangedwill almost always win. Excluding interceptions and those fumbles that result in change
of posseEsion,all exchangesrcvolve around the
kickiflg game. If an opponent never gets possession of the ball beyond its own 20 yard line, it is
virtually impossiblefor that team to win.
For example, if on the first six changesof
possessionthe opponents have the ball on their
owrl'16,25,20,22,14,ard 2l yard lineswhile our
team gains possssionon th exchangeat oul 45,
the opponents'40, our 48, our 42, our 40, and the
opponents'41, our team,saysthe truism, is almost
sure to win.
Excellent execution of the defensivekicking
game will result irl favoruble field position.

105
kickinggam6 is jusl as tundamsnt6l-a nd impor!.rt-6s any oth6r phaseof dfenso,

106

KICKOFFS
When it kicks otr, the team's basic objectiv is to stop the oPponents'-retum
by having
,froJ oi,tt" ZOyu.Aline Obviously,that is mosteasilyaccomplished
\o
il cannol
that
zone
end
lhe
u ti.t", oo*.riut .noughto boolthebaltlhrough
rhisfaf'
ball
kick
the
h
to
rengr
l.'."i"ttiJ. ii tr'. li"ioff manlacksrhe leg-st
team
give
covering
the
i. aftouU p.o"ti"" ti"ting the ball as high as he can to
time to eel downheldand makeIhe lackleinsjdelhe 20'
enoueh
""-i"
f"otball. rhe kickoff teamPurslhe ball in plav from their
lnelr
yardline.Collegeand high'choolteamsby the rulesgovemrng
own J5 "i"r"J,ilr
kick from the 40.
Dlav,
t'"''rti"-rnut".,
tal.ve the kickoffretum is oneof the mostexcitingplaysin
ball con\i\_
tfr. nuri.. p*f..,ionuf teamsusuall)havea manwho can kick lhe
the l:
play
from
lhe
begin
i"",i"
tara" Bv havingrhi kickrngleam
leam
recivin
the
"i"",the"jruie-makersfeellhereis a Sreaterchancelhat
vard line.
or
go
into
';ii;;";
;t opportunitylo rerurnthe kick in'readof hating ir
throush
*'-l;;;;t;;,the end zone.
havebeenableto consistenrli
kicking specialists
"ollege
kicktheballbj yardsor more lnanatlempllohavelhekickoflretum.remar'
rulewaschangeo
rhecollege
wiLhlhe Iq84sea<on
pla\,beginning
a srtectacular
lear
Ihe
receiving
line'
end
the
ball
bevond
N;w if the ki:k;tr m;n kick\ the
line
2o-yard
the
;ill Dutlhe ball in plavat the 30- insteadof
'wnite rtrit rule changepenali/e<lhe most powerfulkickers it proba"l
will resultin morekickofsacluall)beingrelurned
acrosslhe fieldaboul6 )dr:'
The kickoffleamline\ up. erenlyspaced'
are to co\:'
bhindthe line from which th; ball will be kicked The menwho
the
ProJ' the 4! r:
flot closs theit restraining line- the 35 in
ti" ti"t
lhe kickerhashil theball As lhekicker't'-*, hiehschoot-before
and
coileee
bLllr<n. :
ior*ira, ,n" ti.t *t o arero coverlhekick slan forwardwith him
ball'
about I yard bhind him until he has actually kicked the
kick
are numb:"_:
For coachingpurposes,the men who will cover the
coverageTe.nlr.::'
u"ro,. itt" n"ta oiptuy. The two fastest,most aggressive
playe$
It is their i': :
10
number
2
and
th number
tiiton ii". trt
5
"fOu
who has.recer'
run downfield"with abandon,"driving straightfor the man
in
therr
stay
men have lane assiSnmentsand
ih" tict. me otttet
-:E
"overage
is covered They, too' run downfield as li": a
fi;ld
the entire
io
::'3
-ut " "ut"
When they approachpotentialblocke$ on the receivingteam
Dossible.
"hr:::i
get
the
into
contact
.fitft,iv ina ut ttt" moment of
ii""fi-.f.*
avoiil the blockers and continue on to the balic: '
oo"itiln to
"u*
"lea-or

to1

Honsiv covrags on
tayers 2 and lO move
s.aighl toward rhe kick
'Eceiver. Other players
:.ver thsir "lans."

It is a mistake if the men on the kicking team are about the samedepth
downfield as they cover the kick. Most of the time, this is not a problem since
the men on the line possessvarying speeds.Each man tries to cover as fast as
he can, but sincesomemen run faster than others, the varied depth rceded as
the line movesdownfield is assured.
Ifall the men are of equal speedand run downfield in a stnight li[e across
the field, each man in his lane, the receiying team has only to break that one
line ofcovring men to makea long retum or a touchdown. By betrg at difrerent
depths the c-overingmen can adjust their course to the ballcarrieis as they
avoid the men attempting to block them.
The kicker is the safety man fo! the kicking team. He does not move
donnfietd quickly. Rather, he aligns himself oppositethe man who has caught
the ball, watchesthe men o1lhis tam as they cover, and stays in position to
makethe tackle should the ballcarrier bre.k past the fi$t two walls ofcoverage.

OnsideKicks

scord a-touchdown or
When the kicking team is still losing after they have
of the ball by makiflg an
kicked a field goal, they may rry rc regarnpossessio[
onside
'"-'ifr" kick.
lecovered by r
*.ia" kick must travel 10 yards before it can be
yards'
it is a "frecgone
10
has
once the'kickoff
i.i"n"f*u-.
lgcoversit gainspossession'
-"-#.iirt"
uoit
"-'- *d th. t.u. 11'tu1
lesstic
tsually usediate in the flrst half' when there is
O*ia" n"t"
"t"
kici fails.or latein lh: c"tt: y*",it
fo. ai-ug. iith; on.lae

!^i 9:f:"1:

;;;ili;#il;J,ror.gvrogumot'onrn;T-.19:i"l-:'l':::f
ti
both:i
iv ooig o t*t sivesirsopponent
:;-"hi;;

;;;G;"

'o

"in"..

dnd favorable field Position

beginning
a surprise'leamsshouldconsider
ii""".."ii1,af,""grt.
"s
gamewith an oniidekick.It is almostsureto cal:h l" :?.!:,T:t:-X
th'i'

:;il.; ;l["

executi!-g "9t-"t I'-'l:T ::t-T^:

;"""."trarinson
'- 'KlcK
' The
surPrisevalueand the
l
onsloe

ihan defendingagainstthe

theonsidekick to oPenthesamemakeir an
;;iil;;i;;";.
"f
gu-Ul. O".pir"the lossof fieldpositionif thePlayfails'

Executinsthe OnsidsKick
ballin
i"-.-*."il irt".".'a. kick,whenthekickeris readvto put the
so
;* ."'e acrossthe ield just before the ball is kicked'
;;;;.;;;;
eight menire on one sideof the kicker'

to*a.a tfteull, thekickerdisgrlises.hit

In
ittTlt?i:1T.11:
ii"t t'-a the sid;Iine'hopinshehassivenit
-o"itg
.;#,;;;;"*'il;i.
andspinsothat it rollsno morethan l0
irr"'i-gii
"-."tii"ifuce
of an onsid6 kick
Movsment of the dsfnsive toam for rocovery
KEKCI

N
t
!

ltFri.ld. The first four men in the gangof eight ignore the ball and drive their
fr:,ate
opponentsback byond the legal distarce for recovery of the kick.
b :ther four men, who are behind them, try to gain possessionof the bal1.
L sually the rceiyingteam will adjust by moving thek men acrossthe field
! -1.unterthose eight men covedng as the ball is kicked. Occasionally, the
q:r
should kick away from the "loaded" side. When that is done, man
@ber l0 blocks any receiver remaining on his side of the field and man
@ber I I attempts to recover the ball aftet it has gone l0 yards.

Fcnalties
That Must BeAvoidedby the KickingTeam
:rd most damaging penalty for the kicking team is to have a man "ofsides"
m rhe play. It is the result of overeagemessand lack of concentotion on the
lE:i ofthe man who crossesthe restmining line before the ball is kicked, and
r' b6d coaching as well. There is simply no excusefor incuring this offsides
:6alty. Each man covering the kick should watch the kicker as he moves
i-'snfield. He should never crossth restraining line until he ssthe kicker's
i:--r hit the ball.
The major rnistake that must b avoidd on onsidekicks is a man on the
ccking team touching the ball before it has moved l0 yards downfield. Ifthat
r.curs, the kick cannot legally be recovered by the kicking team-but the
-rreiying team can chooseto accptpossessionof the ball at the point whrc
I *as touchedby the defensiveman. Obviously, that resultsin outstandingfield
:'ositior for the receiving team.

DEFENDING
THEPUNTING
GAME
When the opponent goesinto punt formation (usually on fourth down), the
defnsiveteam has two options: it can attempt to block the punt, or it can try
ao retum the ball as far as possible.
All mn rushing th punt must realize that the punter will move forward
aboutthree yards as he kicks the ball. The point they want to reachis 4 yards
directly in front of wherethe punter takes his initial stance. If the rushe$ do
not aim for this point, they will not be in position to block the punt, and they
run the additional risk of running into the punter, and incurring a ls-yard
penalty for "roughing the kicker." That is one of the most disastrouspenalties,
sincethe 15yards almost always result in a first down for the kicking team and
enablesthem to maintain possessionof the ball.

109

a-r*'r'tl

I@deep i

r 'L
,/ d*"\
/-\
/1

,/,,'

/'
'/vt

^l

l'

t rrl

tn\

\"\

o ,o l o \ o \o \
H
dn
nGua'n

Tac*e

AA
@

y rushing to a spor 4% yards in front of whr the Punterla

By
punt witho
efenssmanstands a better chance of blocking the

a Punt
!!iq: :.1mmonerror madeby menaltempringto blocka punt is ro charge
'!E (!r3r

B) doing that, they overlook the signifcant facl thal the kicker

6!_r:ea steDand a half forsr'ard and continue his forward motion as he

:E )all and preparesto kick il. By chargingroo deepal the kicker, lhe
{:apring to block the punt crill not put himself in the path ofthe flight
e ?l as it is kicked.
r{- artemptingto block a punt shouldalwaysaim for a spot 4t4 yards
:r-,r,:ri the kicker. By reachingthat spot, they will be in the path of the flight
E :3ll as it is kicked and will be in position to block the punt.
i.r:el)- dos an interior lineman get penettion to that point, since the
ffisfi. c teamis alwayszone-blockingto prcvent defensiveplayeft from gtting
d!.n!!: msidegaps.Nevertheless,the guardsmust chargeaggressivelythrough
r& 41-,_:
bet*een the center alrd the upbacks,and the tacklesmust attempt to
betweenthe ofensive guards and tackles.
=.etration
tr
:}e men in the best position to block the kick, however,are the defensive
!!!-<. Tley must ruil their cou6e as quicldy and aggressivelyas possibleto
Frrate to the spot 4r4 yards in front of the punter and therebybe in position
r :Nk the kick.
Sbce the defensiveteam is neverpositive that the punter will actually kick
!c rall, the linebackeisand defensivehalfbacksusually watch the play develop
Es:3d of trying to assistin blocking the kick. By so doing, on a fake punt they
r': :n position to cover any posiblepassreceiversor be in position to stop any
.1rmng play.
The safety plays deepdownfield in position to catch and retum the punt.
When the defensiveteam decidesto make an all-out attempt to block the
t:l:k. the linebackersmove up and play on the line of scrimmage,and ther is
. r :urious. concentratedteam efort.
The two defensiveends chargefor a,spot 41h yards in front of the kicker.
Tle defensivetackles shoot the gap betweenthe center and "upback" to his
Rde, occupying both ofensive men. The right linebacker charges straight
:xough the upbackon his side,attempting to knock the blocker back. The right
guard chargesbehind his linebacker through the open lane crcated and aims
:br a spot 4 yalds in front ofthe kicker.
The two defensivehallbacks watch the play devlopand remain ready to
lefend against a possible pass or run. The safety plays deep downfield in
Dositionto catch the Dunt.

l1 l

a)\
\'z

t]

oFFElvsE

\ \ t

/'

Y'\

,// to r \Q .\

/qa /o \o\p\
D M
AE

ffi 6 fl A

unebacNd Guard rac*e

End

punler
Propor delonsive movment when ru3hing tho

PuntReturns
i
Most of the time, if the centel's snap is accumteand the puntei's tchniqut
From
be.blocked
it
can
sound,the punter will get his punt off before

t"r"rtl ii"i."-

.ft""ra know its chancsof actuallyblockingthe kick lf

are not high, they should try to retum th punt'

ch^ances

L rlu-"t"""tia

p*i .etum shouldalwavsincludgl-r]rsh al th: k]

bad
That puts those men rushing in position to block the kilk if there isa

ft"i i*i"t

t*li"n aaaysihetimlngof thekck) or if thepunterfumbls

bdl.

The defensivelinemen on the left side of the kicker try to rush the
kick' they
as hard and fast as possible.If they are not able to block the
mn-ar
While
those
past the punter to becomeblockers.onthe-retum

ii" f,i"t',ft" m*t""

o" the dght sideof thekickerstePtowardtheir

themandusetheirhands,arms,andqdv t9 kfp t*i: Tryi:tj

opposite
get downfieldquickly lo covet
to that they cannot
ih. lin" of."ti-*ug.
opponentsto nake their getawayto the iffi&
their
force
also
kick. They
the field. ihen, men holding up their opponentsmove to the outside'

12
io ttt" fi"" of .".i--uge. Ai soonasthe retum blockersracha spot
Usuallj
kick
of
the
the
direction
tft"i tum downneldin
i.o.ift"
"ia"fi""t,

Darythe men trying to hold up their opponents move to the outside

y three or foul yards apart. They maintain this distancas they

rhe comer ard move downfield.
It men who tded to block the kick have pnetratdacrossthe line of
Ifthey have not blocked the kick, they, too, will b apFoximately
or fve yaxdsapart. They circle to the samepoint where their teammates
downficld, which results in an evenly spacdwall of blockers approrifour or five yards apart moving downfield in a line ard in position to
rdy
-.d
E t any of the men covering the kick. If the ballcarrier getsto their outside
d ihey have not had an opponent to block, they reversetheir freld and run
the ballcarrier downfield again and are readyto block a[y man who coms
-dr
t them from thet inside.

fot omnt of ths d6f6nse during sidline punt reium by th dlnsive 3.lety

ll3

114

#il,:"1;lf
::'
!,!!:ii{i:i
"]l;'ilr1lTf
":i*:'':iJ"il'
mi:tl,1,ili.:;ill
",",?,.111
trre
to
comes
usuarrv
uutt
rn.
l,i'...
ii"iiilii:l :T'.iil;:

:i';;;L,, rh",*o
..n'hodono'
ffljtlJ;, ::'"::'lf
yards
to the side
five
,o'll'lli.lii;.1
spotsfive yardsin front of and
iit"n ,i" *"i

-"".
:?';;:';;'i,;;;';;"**i,,*:l'.*lliiioJlil',:TJlf
"il':llX::::.
who getsnear' lnelr-(
man
first coverage
,;;;;;;; ;"."*,tli::Hff.:'"ffi
iii".n.,,
r,.0"0
l,l,'l,i,",ol.,if

:**ki:l{l***;n".llm'.nn;:T#1".*
for his retum
inside, giving the ballcarrier a clear lane

PuntReturn
TheReverse

out'kicks the coveraS'

whm scoutingrepofls revealrhal the punter usually
time to executethe reversepur:
rn"n, ,tt. r.."irrng leam kno\rs lhal il has

of keepingth,me.n--cor"fl9"
ihe playhasthe sreatadvantage
ll: I::
;:"1

on'r'i
o","'oli'!'ii""t'-iiii-.I'i,:::11]t-t:":"i,"
"**
ofrhe-J:,lT'I:]t:
brings.all
"i"' lil.l'"r"ii i.r"vlir''ii'ou"ug'
tralso
rur 'r
the manwho will eventuallvhave,theball to

;il;fi;k";i;'.;i;;'for

il" ."i"*
if,;.

of blockersfor a clearlanedownfield

.f ti"l"u

f"J*
*. riit'.ii"';t;;

;J;;;

mar
l. calledto the rceivinsteams rigil andlh-

keeps
irt. ball.hefakesgivingir to histeammare'

.ion, *A urr"rnp,t ro reachthe watl of blockers

&dro::
J;; ;.t;i;;'"nts justasthev

'il:'T"1?:li:"offiffi
t"*tf.HlL':T";;,
thedeepmenwhoarein positionto catchthe.punr-r:
q"lcklvwitheachotherat to "h:.:itl,T:1L1t::,::-L:

andmove
"r*"i"""i".iJ"""
carchmusrkeephiseyeson the,ball
iii'ih."."""."*"'rhe
t:*ilg
hisopponent:
ii""Jrr'""ra notw-atch
ItI:
' -":iiq
closeto lhere''
when theopponenlswho ale covrlngtnekickareso
ao:t",n:.",:':l'
to hirhim
."" ;;;;'iil; Ji'ru in po";tion
-immediatelv
t'"u'''"u'"''r'oura'r'""::

lilliliill"*"it"it.-1,

.t:l'.:11"^l'.,Illitheoppor' :
he,rrades
which
in
carch'
fair
ror
rhe
.isnal
il.';;;';;;ii;;:;
that he will not behit bv anyopponenr::
Uf f.i assurance
il
forcing a fumble
on"a""^".,tt"

Th6 rovol3e ount r6tu]n

It is imperative that the man catching the punt catch the ball on the f!
and neyeralloyl/it ta hit the goutrd, Most punters arc able to kick the ba.ll in
the air about 35 yards beyo[d the line of scrimmage.Wheo the ball is caught
in the air, the kicking team will o[ly gain the distanceof the kick-about 35
yards. But if the ball is allowed to hit the ground and bounc. forward l0 to
15yards, as it usually does,the additional distalce resultsin greatly improved
field poition for the kicking team.

when the kicking team puts the ball in PLayon or about the.rceiving

to-catchlh: B,lt Y"y *"1 1: l,llT

team's45yardline,themenpositioned
inside-lheir20 yard line-or
.ltft"t'"i"-pi
"ii*f
il'ei *JJ.ti
ti![

to Ltck the ball out of bounds-

tbelo v"td,l'""Tl':-i1-:Y-::.sjhl
arabout
ir tands
rctum
"Jtr'"t
.ftoura *t"ft tft" ball, either with a fair catch ot an-attefipted

do"" 9*"id:6:.: ITltr-i:,

u.".low,if theballcoms
not touchthe
yard
line'
thevshould
"o.n".ug"
5
-"n
lheir
,il" iii *iir""Jo*p.r than
into the
will
bounce
it
hop
ground
and
Lt it hit the
i",io ,i"v
"rtl"ra
for a touchback.

,r,"

In every situation then, the defensivepunting Samemu$t be

a gt". ii"-i.*"itg
exc[ange.

"am

well

on
poiorof possession
theirmosladvantageous

Whentho KickingToamMayNotKickbut
PuntDefonso
lnsteadRunor Pass
can nevet I
When the ofrensiveteam goesinto punt folmatioo' the defense
to us'
nay
decide
The
offense
certain that they will actually kick the ball
plav or throw a Pass.
runnins
'- "
to"o or" fakedependson tbe score'the time remaining'and
if.iith
lnro a
vertical fild position ofthe ball Wheneverthe ofensive team Soes
field
beyond
yad
line-just
35
45
to
io-Jarioo on tle a"tensive team's
a
runnlng
to
stop
ready
and
range-the defenseshould be particularly alert
passplay,
Wheneverthe defensiveteafi is not reasonably$ule the ofrensiveteam
actuallypunt. they must be preparedto play a sounddefmsagainstthe.l
or run insrcadof putting maximumpressureon lhe kicknS leamto block
kick.
As the ball is snapped,the two defensiveendscomeshaight aclossth
of scrimmageand play in position to ptevent alry ballcarrier from getti
their outsid;. The defensivetacklesshoot the gap betweenthe ofensive
and tackles. The guards charge at the two upbacks
Thosechargesput all men in position to adjust to any play being rutr"
by gtting good pnetration on the anglesdescribd,they are in
Dosition to continue to rusl the kicker.
The two linebackers and the two defensivehalfbacks use their
reactions to stop a nrn or a passif the kicker doesnot actually punt the
The defensivesafety plays deepdownfield in position to catch the pI
the ball is kicked.

'i

a\

OFFEIVSE

o
DEFElSE

o
t
/o o \

/ o ro l e f

ffi

ffiH

Tackle

Guad

or o\

ffi ffi ffi

Glard

Tackl

AA
Linbacker

Linebacker

Llnebackec aid sconday playld run or pss

Salty

Punt dfn6ewhn th kicking toam may not punt but in3tad run or pea.

FIELDGOALS
When the kicking team liner up irr a freld-goalformation, there is no crtainty
that it will actually kick the ball. It might run or throw from the ficld-goal set'
The defending team, rlerefore, while fundament lly trying to block the kick'
must always be prepared to stop a passor a tun.

Alignmsnt
BasicDsfensivo
Substitutionsare madeso that the field-8oal defensiveteam is composedof the
most capableplayers available.
Thi linernen who are used should be the quickest, strcngest dlen on the
team. They take their Position on the lioc of scrimmageand shoot the 8ap ltr
Basicfield-goaldf6G

o / r t \ \o\C
o

,z do 0

m
6@@@
@
Guai
En

.***9

DEFEI\SE

\\

G@,! Y"
\

@
5

t
@

':rnr of them, attempting to get penetBtion to a spot 3 yards in front of the

ir-].
If the ball is not kicked, they react to the pattrn of the play being run,
r{usting their courseto tacklethe ballcarrieror rush the passer'
Each of the two defensivehalfbacks keys the tight nd and wingback on
:Ii side. If either of those men doesnot block, but instead comesdownfield as
r possiblepassreceiver, the defensivehalfback must cover him
The safetyadjustshis depth from the line of scrimmageto the distancethe
scker is fiom the goal line. Ifthe safety is sule the kicker is strong enoughto
kick the ball beyond the efldline, he should line up 5 to 8 yards behind the line
move forward to stop a running
-.i scdmmagein position for a fake. He will
play,or back to dfendthe deepmiddle zoneon a pass.
When the kicker is attempting a long fie1d8oal-more than 40 yards ftom
goalposts-the
safetyshould line up about 20 yards from the line of scrimrhe
magein position to field the kick if it falls short and can be retumed.

Blockinga FieldGoalor ExtraPoint

To block a place kick, the defensivetam should substitute men who have the
best skills neededto executethe play.
The kicking team will always be in the same formation. They have the
cmter and six ofensive linemefl on the line of scrimmage, with flo spac
btweenthem. The oths two blockeN set up as wingbacks. The holder is 7
yards from th line of scrimmage.The kicker is a step and a half behind the
holder.
when the ball is snapped,the ofensive players form a solid wall in an
attempt to prevent any defensiveman ftom getting penetration to the flight of
the ball asit is kicked. The cntersnapsthe ball and holds his ground Th other
linemen drop stepwith their outsidefoot. They attempt to keepany man from
penetrating through the gapsto their inside. The two wingbacks step up with
their inside foot and attempt to make a solid wall betwenthemselvesa.ndthe
offensiveends.
How do the defenderscounter?
The middle defensiveguard chargesthe center as hard as possible,in an
effort to disrupt his ability to snap the ball and then, if possible,to drive him
back.
The other two defensiveguardschalg through th gap betweenthe offensive suard and tackle on their side of th center.

119

t2.a
Q r<**
Q

nooer
Mn
musrr4ch lh|sspol nvrd.per
'ushlng

OFFEIISE

DEFETVSE

Dtonsivernovemntfor blocking a field goal

The dfnsivet ckles chargethrough the gap betweenthe ofensive

and ends.
The two defensiveends charee at the inside shoulder of the
wingbacks.They attempt to knock them back and to th outside.These
should open gaps betweel the ofrensiveends and wingbacks.
That enablesdefensivehalfbackslo shootthe gapbetweenthe wi
and offensiveends.The too haljbackspenetratethrough thoseSapsto the
of the flight of the ball. The spot for which they aim is 2 yards in front of
holder, They aft the men likeliest to block the kick.
The other two defensivehallbacks watch the play dcvelop ard st t
position to adjust to a possiblebad snapfrom cnter that might rsult in e
to their side by either the holder or kicker.

AFTERTOUCHDOWN
{de football and the USFL, the team that scoresthe touchdown has the
b of kicking the ball to make one point or using a run or passplay to take
bll the three yards to the end zonefor two points. In the NFL, teamsmust
for the one-point colversion. I believeit would improve the NFL Same
.llEr rule were changedto include th option of going for one or two points.
A.fter a touchdown, when the kicking team lines up in a field-goal formathe defendeNshould use the "block kick" play describedabovebcause
almost certainly will kick the ball. But if the otrensiveteam lines up
crfmse
-r
oormal
formation and the quarterbackis setto ftceive the s[ap fiom center
- a
position, or from the "shotgun" set,the other team must immedi_
-i tb regular
substitute itr regular goal-lin defensiveteam.
d]
On a two-point conversion attempt, about 90 perclt of the time the
&sive teafi will use a "pass-run" option play, throwing the ball if a teciver
. open or running it if the receiversare covered.
Th goal-line defenseshould operateexactly as describedfor the reguLar
!61-line defense,but every man on the tam should be alert for the most fitely
tlry, the "pass-ru[" option.

t2l

';"ET'",:LlX""":1:
DefensivelTl:';*ili":,iij'Tf
StfateqV
- -- -- -9r

they
cemedwith merelysloppingtheiropponent,
mustattacktheofensiveteamon everyplay.By
attacking the opponent-that is, trying to shut
them do$n for no gain or evena loss-they force
the ofensive teafi into worrying about what they,
the defense,c.ill do next. That charlgothe mental
balanceof the game.The confidenceof the offensive team beginsto break down, They start making mistakes.And before long they are unable to
executetheir offensiveplays with any kind of precision.
Effective defensivefootball has a direct relationship to the vertical field position of the ball.
when the opponentshave the ball outside the defender's 35 yard line, they have only thrce downs
to make a fitst do*.rl, sincethey must kick the ball
on the fourth do*n or risk surrenderingit at that
spot. Inside the defendeN' 35, th ofense has the
luxury ofa fourth attempt in each series,since if
they are stoppedshort ofa tust down they ale still
giving their defeNive team favorable field position. Inside the 35 the offeosalso may be in posi
tion to try for a field goal on fourth down.
123

Ths harder. dfensoattacks,the morlikglvitisthat

rhs opponent'sg6me plan will break down.

Thr"downand fourdown aras lrom a defensivo standPoint

OFPOINTOFEXCHANGE
IMPORTANCE
In planning the tactics and strategyto win a football game,the "point o:
exchange"is ore of the two most important factors.(The other importar:
of the ball rh:
The team that has possession
factor is "time of possession."
majority of the time usuallywins.For example,ifour teamhasthe ball for +:
minutes, and th opponentsfor only 20, our team should win )
The point of exchangerefe$ to the spot on the fild where the offens
surrendGthe ball to the opponent The team that has the most favorablefieli
position, cumulatively, on the exchangeswill almost always win the?ame
Favorablefield position on the exchangesis the result of a strong kickir!
game,a consistentoffense,the avoidanceof tumovem,and a solid defense'
The strong kicking Samecombinesthe ability to kick the ball out of ri:
end zoneon kickofs, or to kick it high enoughand coverso quickly that ti'
opponentis stoppedon the retum insideofhis own 20 to 25 yard line. Whe:
forcedto punt, it is the ability to make35 net yardson the play That rqulrr:
a punter who can kick well and team speedin covering the kick.
A consistentoffeflseimplies the ability to make at least two or three fir;:
downs mch time a team gains possessionol thq ball.
The third factor in gaining and maintaining favorable field position is t:'
avoidanceof the two major erro6 of fumblesand passinterceptionsEachlir'
either occurs, generally speaking,the offensiveteam has surendered a mrr_l
mum of the 35 yards it could havemadehad it puntedon the play

.\ssuming that the ball is in possessionof the ofensive team in its osn
t-:on -lhJrhree_downarea-the defensehas the problemof keepinglbe
3\ yards pr play lf lhe offensefiEkes thal much
from
Jt*
^vetugtng
,E=jee on eachof th; threeplays.it will havemadea first dosr' When the
r.-inrhefour-do*n areaofthe field.the ofrenseneedonly average2t4 yardl
-F flay.

ERRORS
OFFENSIVE
CREATING
t5suming sound, consistentexcution on the Part ofthe ofense, the percntres are i-nits favor ifit avoids errors such as fumbles,intelceptions, penalties'
mistakes Most ofrensiveteams can avoid those erors for a
ei a^ssignment
iorted iumber of snaps.But the mole times it must put the ball in play to
i.:-.re.thegreaterthe oddsate thal the ofense\ ill commitan ertor' A success'
i:- otrensiveplay requires the coordinated execution of elevenmen, and that
:r a dimcult feat to achievefor more than ten or elevenconscutlvesnaps'
By attacking the ofensive team and using a vanety of alignments and
sfensive stunts,ihe defenderswill be able to force a "bad" play-a play that
vardageand creaEsa long-)ardagesituation
-.:!ses
Ii sho;d benotedthat somerhinglike 75pereni ofpenaltiesgoingagainsr
Lre offenseagain result in long_yaldagesituations'

PLAYS
BREAKAWAY
OFAVOIDING
NECESSITY
point
The difrculty of avoiding erors on offenseis th prime leason why the
lfthe
opponent
outcofte
ultimate
in
the
of exchangeis so vitally important
always get-sthe ball a long way from the defenders'goal, and if the defenders
. olav sorlndlyby avoidinglong gainingplays.the defensewill be ableto force
down'andon ihe part ofthe offenseThat willresult in an unfavorable
^n.rror
yardagesituationfor the offensiveleam
Ii is comparativelyeasyfor the ofense to make 3X yards on any one play'
But, ifthe offensecan be forced into a situation where it must make six yards
or more on a successionof plays to make the first down, the advantagpasses
to the defense.Thus, a prime objective of the defensemust be to crcate a
Iong-yardagesituation. There is, however,one prior objective-the avoidance
of a breakaway PlaY.
.L treakaway ilay may b defind as one that gains 20 yards or goesa1l
the way for a touchdown. Gains of that length can be avoidd if the defensive

playsresultfrombadtacke!
Breakaway
llnemenor from errorsby defensive
coverageby the defensivesecondarY

secondaryplayscollectly and alwayskeepsthe ball in front of and r.: :"

its unit. A ball thrown 20 yardsormore downthe 6eldis in the air longe_
for the secondaryto get to it and breakit up if the membersare readl:-! :
passkeysproperly.

Breakawayplays result fiom erors by the secondary.If that udt executes

ri -.asicobjectiveand getsreasonablesupport from the linernenand lineback<r no breakaway plays can be made.

SITUATION
A LONG.YARDAGE
HOWTOCREATE
wrrh the secondaryplaying error-free football, it now becomesthe mission of
ie linemen and linebacke$ to create a long-yardagesituation by any of the
:Jllowingmeans:
l. A penalty against the ofensive team
2. An ofrensiveball-handling error rcsulting in a loss on th play
3. An offensiveassignmenterror enablingthe defensiveplayer to makethe
rackle behiod the line of scrimmage
4. A well-executeddefetlsivemaneuvet by the linemen and linebackeN
resulting in a loss of yardage on the play
It may appearto b negative thinking to assumethat the opponent will
be penalizedso that the defensiveteam is trcated to a long_yardagesituation.
But it remains a fact that the vast majority of ofensive tams will incur a
penalty if they are requird to put the ball in play 15 or 20 consecutivetimes.
Someofrensiveplayer will hold, jump otrside,clip, botch the formation. Thus,
a defensiveteam that plays sound freld-positionfootball can, except against a
truly excellent opponnt, expectto get a lon8-yardagesituation as a result of
a penalty if the team combinesperfect defensaSainstbleakaway plays with
excellentfeld position at the point of exchange.
Th sameis true of backfeld ball-handling errors. while ofrensiveteams
.are expected to haddle the ball flawlessly, the fact lemains that if they are
required to put the ball in play a number of times in succession,sooneror later
sorneooewill mishandleit. And eventhough the ofrensemay recoverits fumble,
yardagewill more than likely be lost on the play and a long-ya.rdagesituatiol
will be created.
All offensivelinernen have blocking ruls that, if properly followed, will
have eachman taking out an assigneddefender'Again, while mistakesshould
not occut, the defensecan sooner or later expectto force an ofrensiverrol if
it plays intelligently and vades its alignmnts Then the defenderssrill move
in, throw the ballcarrier for a loss, and once again create their covetd long_
yardage situation.

t27

128

TEAMSTUNTS
The preceding thrce means of crcating a loflg-yardage situation require the
cooperationof the offensiveteam. Excellent opponents-afld there are few of
thosein actual competitiol-wi1l not make thoseself-defeatingerrors. Against
such good teams, to deny the ofense the 3x-yards-per-play average,it will be
necessarylor the defenseto employ a stunt that will enable it to penerate
behind the line of scrimmageand throw the ballcarier for a loss. Such stunts
arc relatively simple to executeand are a combination of a slant or loop charge
by a lineman or end and a "read-key" by the linebacker. (Seepage 27).
There arc alrnost unlimited numbe$ of ways these combinations of lne
chargesand keying by linebacke$ put pressureon the ofense.

Ifi

l,i

SlantChargeto the Right

For example,the linemen can start a chargeby slanting to their right. Th left
end must step with his right foot ard hold up the offensivetight end so that
he cannot block a linebacker. If the ball moves to the right, the right-side
linebackerwill shoot the gap betweenthe guard and the tackle. Four men are
now penetratingifthe play goesthat way, and a lossis almostsureto result.
The left-side linebacker,by readinghis key (the sid to which the ball is going),
simply moves to his right and plays as a regular linebacker.
Ifthe play goesawayfrom the slantinglinemn,the defense
is still sound.
The linemen are slanting to the right, but the play goes to their left. That
changesthe key ofthe lirebackers. When the ball movesto the left, the lft-side
linebackershootsthe gapjust outsidethe otrerNivetackle. That charge,coupled
with the slant of the linemen on the tackle, hastwo men penetratingon the side
where the ball is. The dght linebacker, also by reading the key, movesto his
left to support normally.

G1
C

r'

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\-/ I

r'

Q/o

ffi
ffi racrb

ffi

Gua'd

A
."6""p"f(-1,

GJ

I
ia
/@ d

,Y/

a)

A1@kre
a*'
rin"t""r'"'

p|ay to th6 d6f6nse,sdght

thir right, o|fns run3
to
6|ant
|inoman
Df.nsivo

r')

OFFENSE

D6|n3iv |i n 6 me n 3 l a n tto th s i rri g h to ff6ng6runsp| aY l odefsns6' 3| 6ft

SlantChargeto the Left

Let's say, though, that thc linemen slant to the lelt, and the ball movesto the
left. The linebackersuse the same keys decdH above. The left lirebacker
shootsthe gap betweenthe guard and tackle, Siving four_ma[ penehation on
that side. The right linebackel rcacts nomally, moviltg to his lcft. Sometimes'
ofcou$, the linemen may slant to the left and the ball movesto the right But
by shooting the gap outside the ofensive tackle, the right linebacker may get
through. Th left linebacker supports normally.
By using defensivestuntj of that kind, particularly when a running play
is expected,ii is possibleto break into the backfield and stop the ballcaffier for
a losi. Such maneuversweaken the passdefense,but the unexpectedrush of
the linebackersmay enablea defensiveplayer to 8et to the passerbefole he can
throw and thus again create the long_yardagesituation.

131

orrr"",

DEFENSE

Defensivelin6m6n llant lfL offonse run3 play to dgfn6'slett

r-

u *""o\"(H
\

--" .f
\\
KoK
ll
\O\C O\@ O\O i

tutu m /tsfr
Er

racrJh

Lneb&

DEFENSE

Guad

\------------l

rac'<reEno

Lrebacle,

Defen8ivclinemon llant left offonso runr play to dfrue's right

r)

b e s r defensi vesquads seem to sw arm to the bal l on every pl a y

On every play, all defensivemen must be consciousof the "down-anddistancr" situation. That meansthey must be awareofthe yardageneededby
ofthe ball.
the ofensive team to makea frst down and therebyretain possession
Once a long-yardagesituation has been achieved,the objectives of the
situation has been
defnsechange.When a scond-down-and-15-yards-to-gain
yards
on the next two
ceated, the defensecalr allow the offenseto make seven
plays (if it is in the three-down area of the field) and still force it to surrender
the ball.
In such situations, the defenseshould not attempt to force the play with
so much vigor that it losesthe swarming efect of every man being part of the
pursuit pattem. The defensiveplayersshould all thinkr "We can let them make
6veor six yards on this play and still be in control of the situation." The mental
adjustment will make it extrcmely difrcult for the offeflse to make the first
down.
By following the sound defensiveplan outlined above, waiting for an
ofrensiveeror, and limiting the ofenseto relatively short gains,the percntages
will favor the defensiveteam.

133

" D e fe nsi ve si gnal cal l i ng i s al w ays somethi ng of a guessi nggam e '

COOfdinated ' - - p1211

DefenSiVe

AU foorballfollowersrecoCize that ofensive

teltrnsusea variety of formations. From eacbfor-

rnarion
theyhavea complere
offense.
wbichmables them to cal straighFabeadruDnirg plays,
counters, reverss,and all types of passes.The
defensiveteam must also have a variety of plays
with which to attack the ofensg regardlessofthe
formation the otretrseis in.
The defensebeginsits strategy from its chosen basic alignment-the most common, as we
havesn,being the 4-l interior stor the 3-2 set.
The defensive"quarterback" i$ the man who
calls the defensivesignals. He is usually a linebacker. Rarely in today's game does he &ctually
selectthe defenseto be usd. Instead, he looks to
the sidelineswheie a coach will signal to him the
defensiveplay he should call. In most casesin
collegiate or professionalcompetition, the coach
who signalsin tbe defensiveplay has bn instructed on the call from a coachin the pressbox,
who has a much better view of the entire field.
To b certain the entire defeffive team on the
field gets the corect signal, it huddles about a
yard and a half behird the line of scrirnmage.
There they can hear the signal called by the defeasive quarterback and be in a pGition to break the
13 5

136

ir

the
huddle quickly should the ofrensiveteam (which, remember,controls
''lretusual,
quickly
than
mucn
more
play)
snap
the
ball
put
Iine
up
and
into
ball is
in an attempt to catch the defensebefore they can proprly line up.
Defensive signal-calling is always something of a guessinggame. The
defensivecoacheshavecarefully studiedtheir scoutingreports and the "tendencies" of the offensiveteam. The facto$ they consider are remarkably varied.
What doesthe offenseusually do on flrst and 10-run o! throw? lvhat run are
they most likely to use?What type of pass?The same facton are cofsiderd
for every down and for every distanceneededto make a first dosr'n.
In addition, the defeosivecoachesmust considerhow the weather conditions may alter the offmsive planning and throughout the gamemust be constantly aware of the field position, the score, and the time remaining.
The actual defensiveplay to be usedin any situation simplifies itself to a
great degreesince, for practical purposes,the offensiveteam has only a few
options. They can run an inside play; they can run to their right side;they can
run to their left side;they can throw a pass.The dfensivecoach dcideswhat
play he expectsthe ofensive team to run and then calls the defensebest able
to stop that play.
For example,if the defensivecoachexpectsthe offenseto run a play to the
inside,hemight call "pinch." With this call on a 3-2 st,the guardsand tackles
shoot their inside gap.The noseguardattacks the center.The insid linebackers
"key" the block and movementof the ofensiveSuards.On a 4-l set, the
guardsand tacklesshoottheir insidegapsand the middlelinebacker"keys" th.
Basicdefsnsto stop insidplays

o or..r".

o/g^^ o
At ri

n
o

block of the ofensive center. This defensiveplay should stop all inside plays
either for no gain or a loss.
When the defensivecoach expctsa play to b run at the dght side of bis
defcnse,he will signal "slant dght." The t ckles and tlle noseguardslant to the
right. The outsidelinebackeron the right side crossesthe line of scrimmageand
placeshimself in position to turn the play to the inside. The inside linebackers
"key" the movemcntand blocks of the ofrensivguards.That stud should stop
any play run to the defensivedght side.

Easic doten3oto stop play3 to tho right 3id.

o
o or.."o

\
.^^

o/o/o
A &;'

-""*"'-,,A
@

nl

ql
64
E iNA

Glad

arad'e'j"eb.*s

I'?

lVhen the defensivecoach expectsthe ofrenscto run a play at the left side
of his deferse,he will signal "slant left." The down linemen and the linebackers
would then perform the samestunt on the opposite side'

Beiic dolonso to dop plaF to th ltt sido

O.\
\"

\n\
\

\x ??'8\
r

x.

rackrs
Linbacker

Gmd

ungbacker

DEFEIVSE

\JK

rackretineba'ker

unebftkr

When the defensivecoach expects a pass, he has two choices____ither

defend the passby covering all recive$, or nrsh the passerin ar attempt to
get to him before the receive$ have time to get open downfield.
When the defensivecoach wants to cover the passrather than put great
pressweon the oFensivequartlback with a rush, he will signal "cover." The
tackland noseguardrush the passer,but since only thrce men are rushing,
usually the quarterback will have ample time to throw. But since the outside
and inside linebackers,together with all the secondarymen, are ready to drop
back to cover every potential receiver,eight men are deployedto react to th;
ball whed it is thrown.
When the defensivecoach expects a pass and desires to put exheme
pressureon the quarlerback.he signals..blirz."

Paaadfonse to cover all rcoivsrs

OFFEVSE

OQC
Linbacke/,Am

reata
Linebackq/44
^

/
/

-2
DEFEME

Slrongsaisly

I o
qil I
E oo
Gi:il

ffi {.'"0-*,
*\

Tac{e
A
fr\Lnbad<er

'\..\^

Comeba.l

re sy

?1

.L L

qJ

139

Slrong salely

Pa33dfns io rush pa$r-th6 "blitz"

passer
The objectiveof any blitz is to 8et a defensiveman free to rush the
the
ball'
he can drop back and set up in position to throw
before
An effectiveilitz must be disguisdso that the offensiveteam will not
passr'
know that the linebackelsafld,/or a safety may actually be rushing the
passer'
the
men
rushing
In arl all-out blitz, there ale lro fewer than eiSht
..
The noseguardshootsthe gap to the left side of the centet The left insidc
tinebacker sho-otsthe gap betweenthe offensiveguard and tackl lo hir side'
The rieht inside linebackir shootsthe gap betweenthe cetrterand the offensivc
his
su;rdio his Sae. The left defensivetackle shootsthe gap to the outside of
guard
the
gap
betwen
ifienslve tactte. The right defensivetackle shoots the
and tackle on his side.The left outsidelinebackel shootsoutsideofthe ofrensivc
his side
end. The right outsidelinebackerdrives straight at the run[in8.back orl
stance
his
normal
He
takes
The frie safety, too, becomesa passrusher'
he.starts
is
snapped'
aboutsevenyardsbehindthe lineofscrimmageAs theball
llDeforward ar full speedand goslhrough the gap betweenhls tacKleand
backer.
The two cornelbacks and the strong safety Play their normal three_deeP
wbilc
zone oassdefense--the comerbackseach covering one-third of the field
rhe stiong safetycoversthe rniddlethiro'
execur the chargesas described'one of themIf thi eighi pass-rushers
quanerbact
the most likely is the freesafety-is almostcenai! to get lo the
accurac!
any
beforehe can ieleasethe ball, or at leastbeforehe can passit with

CHANGING
THEALIGNMENT

l4 l

The defensivepla, describedaboveare simple and easyto execute,They put

great presswe on the ofrensive team and might even ftsult in fumbles or
interc.eptions.A well-organized,poisd offensewill, however, b able to pick
up defensivestunt pliays.Therefore, to confrrsthe ofeisive blockers further,
tbe defensecan alter itJ aligmetrt, requiring the ofrensivelinemen to reod;ast
their blocking assignmentsand increasing the possibility of their making a
blocking mistake.
When the defensivecoach decidesto try to c.nfirs the blockers, he will
signal, "stack left," In the 3-2, the nosguardand the right interior lineman
move a halJ step to their left, and lhe up io the gaps. The linebackersplay
dircctly bhind them. From that alignment, down linemen cat! chargeback to
their original positiotrs,shoot the gap in front ofthem, or chargeto their right,
while the linebacken step lcft alld "key" the movement and blocks of the
ofensive guards.
How to confu3eoffen.iv blockinga$ignmentsby movingdsfnsivllnmen
tu.t bforthe b.ll iBsnappod-tho"stack lft"

OFFETVSE

+ ^O +
t r ) lr ) r ) la

r\l
a)
*,JX
"J#
ls-FJ*ro
E41. Es
w\\Tackle dL
LinebackrTac&e,,'
cusrd
U.eba.kr
AA
AEFEIVSE
@

6r

t42

That adjustment-or its miror image, "stack right"-ioes not require

any time-con;uming coachingol specialprepamtionby the defensiveteam Yet
the "stack" alignme[ts put great pressureon the ofrensivelinemen since they
ate not sure which charge the defensivelinemen will use
Ofensive teams always try to recognizethe dfeosivealignment before
they call the snapcouflt. Offensivetamsthat take an inordinate amount of time
to iall the snap sigrtal alter setting up on the line of scdmmageusually are
vulnerable to a quick changeof alignment by the defensejust before the snap
signal is called. ihat is, after the offensivetam has set in its formation, ifth
quarterbacktakesa long time to call a snapcount, the defensivelinebackerwho
calls the defensiveplays to his teammatescan call "teft" or "ri8ht " When they
hea.rthat call, the linemen and inside linebackersmove to the stack alignments
describedabove.That changein alignment, after the ofensive team has set and
has recognizedthe initial defensivealignment, causesa readjustmentof block_
ing assignmntsjust before the ball is snapped.Almost always, this results in
poor execution by the offensiveteam.
It should be noted that the samegeneraldefensivestunts can be usedfrom
the 4-l alignment. On "piflch," the four do{n linemen shoot the Sapsto their
inside.On;left," the four down linemenslantto the left On " ght," the four
down lineme[ slant to their right On "cover," th four down linemn rush the
passerwhile the remaining sevenmen covertheir defensivepasscovenge zones'
bn "blitz," the lour down linemen,linebacken,and the stlong safetyrush
while the comerbacksand the lre safety play man-for-man passdfense

MENIN MOTION
AGAINST
THEDEFENSE
ADJUSTING
CHANGES
ANDFORMATION
Afier selting up al the line of scrimmage.the offencecan easilychangeir(
in motion. Th man in motion is usually a wide
formation by u"iog a
^utt
receiver who, after the ofensive tam is ready to put the ball in play, move:
acrossthe field to the oppositeside The comerback assignedto him must more
lhe fieldwith him lo bein po()lionlo playeithera Toneor man'[or-maf
across
should a passplay be used.If the play is a run, the defnsiveman immediatel)
reacts to the play and supports against the ballcarier'
Since the comlback is moving laterally, and sinc the two safetiesar'
likely to think "passdefense"lather than "run defense,"the movementof lh3
wide receiverin motion weakensthe ability of the seconddrymen to suppo'
as efrectively against a running play as they can if there is no man ln motro:
to distract them,

a)

r)
a)

o o o oo
IA

ffiffiffi
Guard

rackr
A

r&kre

Lirebacker

linebackq

&

Adju.ting th6 doferue when a man on off6ns. goes in motion betoro rh6 ball is
anapped
Hsr the left detensivocornerbackcoversthe man in motion,

a)

i.)c--o

oooooo
ffi

ffi A,"*"*.

rd,"
f-l!1_.....r*1:_.4,
ll, j._-6
DEFEIVSE

uneb&reril!-i

Lneb&rer

k-,

Adjurting tho defen. whn the offenriv beck! change their politions beforo
th b8ll i3 sn.pped

-.',;r*,mi$'^+r
rsfffg#$ffi'td#$

'i1,?.'
'ffiiffif,gtrf
play is used.

SUMMARY

}i;tl
s"TJl:Hi:,T5i,i".'T:;siti"Tti
:-il:{i*:ff

{$:d;r***-rt#T*,m;*ln*$
or tht woT"l!:,-"IT-t:':"J:Al'::i;
'o rn. o"r.n..krowsnone

:i:.*,"";:;;"':i'J;";.J"y::":,*l*i
I
,".#;i"f
inrormatio
roanvchanses
l,"j$: il1"[:"ftT'iLJ;.;;;;j;"

to men in motion and they must defeatthe opponentattempiing to block them

cventhough the ofrensiveteam,kno\ring the count, s'ill havea slightjump. The
defensmust also ignore all fakes and move to the ball and stop the play. All
of that requires quick decision-maLiogability and fast reactionsto each situation.
Anyode with physical rkills can b taught to play etrectivelyon ofense.
It takesa fne athlete with the reactionsofa masterdetectiveto play efectively
on defeNe.

145

l"i

fl@
Preparing the
Game Plan

Any offensiveplay, whether a passo! a run, always looks successfi in the di.g:rao. Fortunately
for the defense thre is a marked diference between a pLayar it is diagrammedand as it is executed by an ofensive tam.
Moreover, in preparing their ofrense,teafis
usuallyseekperfecrbalancbetweenlbeh running
and passingattacks. In rality, though, such perfection is rarely the cas. Indeed, the ofensive
team, when carefully analyzed, will always have
defnite srrength8and weaknesses,which are deiermined by the skils of their penonnel.
In preparing their game plan, the defensive
team should ftake it their major objctiveto rtop
whot their oppoients do ,esf. It is a truism that
"the defenseshould forc. the ofense to try to
sucaessfullyrun plays they have never usdefectively in prcvious games."

THEOPPONENT'S
ANALYZING
RUNNING
GAME
The opponent'sofrensiveteam will usually usetwo
or more formations.They may also use men in
147
bst dofensiveteams arc always prspared to
what thek oDDonsntsdo best,

j:i':";":*""'o
Iru';:"*'"u:".:l;ii

B v anal Y zi ngscoui i ng
c ies and w eaknesses

*;***r**rs***
l

g**+*$**.i,*r':'l'

PASSOFFENSE
THEOPPONENT'S
ANALYZING
The samekind of defcnsiveplanning is usdin stopping the indiYidual opponent's passinggame.Once again, an opponent'sfonnations are chartd from
films and scouting reports, and now it r.ill be clear where the ball has bcen
tbrown from eachformation. Below are a pair ofcharts showingthe passthat
havebeenthrclen fiom two ofensive formations. In Chart A, it is immediately
epparentthat the short outsidepattems must be defendedat all times ln Chart
B, it is apparentthat the dcfensemust be dsignedto stop deeppassesdirected
at the dcht side of the defense.

ooo o o o

(A)Fromthis formation,ths opponnthasthrown 22 times to the shon outsidsand

only twice downtild dsp.

o
o o o o oo

{B)Fromthis formation,the opponenthasthrown 13 timsto ths dsep righl side of

the defenssand only once to the short right side.

149

150

the timing of the

The defensiveplarl should also take into considemtion
from the thremostlv
I
;ff.nsive team lf the offensethrows
r".; ;;J;;;.
and thesecondarycloser'
plav
deeper
should
linebackets
;;;;;;;;.1;."p'
team
f" tf." the ball will be dlivered quicklv lf the otrensive
Ji.'-"ri
dropby lhe quanerback'.the
"i
from a 6\e-\tepor a \eten-step
normalllthrows
can play lheir normaldistancefrom the line ol
secondary
ii""#l'...
thev will
""0.;
readtheir kevsasthev normallvdo' because
;;;;;;
ol
^nd
ball is thrown, to move to their designatedareas
ufo.. the
l"r" ii--", ";;
cove@ge.

OFTHE
THESTART
AFTER
THEDEFENSE
ADJUSTING
GAME
gameshouldbe onethai
As a rule, the defensivealignmentat the start of the
p'"uiou" ga-ts That canbewilderthe ofensr"
i* t"iui"" tJ
its practicesin the weekbeforethe game'the ofrenseh3!
-.rto*n'in
iJln. a-* utf, ao.ing
when onthefirst pl:l
*o.t"Ju*uin"i ,ft. ai"nsive alignmentspreviouslyused
team6reaksthi huddle'getsto th line of scrimmag:
.f"tfr"
and seesan alignmentthat it has nor pracd":
r""ognit" th" defense,
t.i.. ti"#e-,it""f*.ive
and confidenceis sapped The,,individtil rltrtl:ll.
"*"i*,'"""ir.." :'o* -lses
*aching stafrhasbeenoutsmartedwe haven'tPracll':':
press::
"ir""t'ifri.t a.r**r"
'
Ueanihile, the opposingcoachet-bothin the
5nir"'lti.
immediatel\
They
surprisedby the ner^alignmenl
,""Ji" ,i..ia.fi"",
wnal
f
-" from the flowol lhe gamewhiletheydeclde
diven lheir altenlion
set
defensive
new
the
ihev
*- think can be run effectively against
long es r:
iil-a"f"n.iu. team should stay in the new alignmentas
tn' :_
move
to
begins
When the ofensiveteamadjuststo it and
successful.
forma:r:
plays
and
retum to its nomal delensive
ii"
''
' J"iltti"" i""- .rt.ulal
leamhaqaccompli'l'(r
Bv u"inethe new alignmenl'the defensive
in its coachesano rl " teams confidence
rhinss:Il has
-.""..shakenrhe offen\ive
:
the new defensivali8nment' and it has forc3: _:'
ii
Ih'
lo
"g"it.t
"ii-rt'?v
io spendtheir time and attentionon adjusting
nm"n"iu"
team c r' ' I
"ou"tt.,
defense.And while that damageis being inflicted' the defensive
and stunl'
further confusionby retuming to their standardalignments
its ;::- :
When a ilefensiveteam doesrcturn to its nolmal defenses'
on p3' : _;
shouldcarefullyanalyzewhat playsare being run successfully s:
' ':
.ft"ations, and then usethe defensivestuntsthal
a"*"--J"".alg"
theseplays

Ofensive teams almost always repeat plays that have b!tr suoc'r*j a
s-snicular down atld yaldage situations Fol example,if the team h.5
:.illy run inside plays on short yardagesituations, the next time that dorE 4
turiase situation occurs, the defenseshould call the "pinch" stunt- li c6'
:revious third-andlong yardagesituations the ofensive team has benco|E_
:ently successfulin throwing long passes,the dfensive coach should call
-bli;." That defnsiveplay will place great pressuleon the Passerand malc
lt virtually impossible fol him to complete a long throw downfield'
To make those kinds of situational adjustments,defensivecoachesmust
Lep meticulous records of the plays an opponent is running successfullyin
certain down and yardage situations.

MORALE
BUILDING
Usually thete is a key back or passreceiver on the opposition who must be
lroppedif the defenseis lo be succssful
ln Draclic.the "scout leam"-rhe team that in practiceis runningth
formations and plays of the opponent---{hould havethe playe6 wear the same
numbe$ as the key opposing players to be faced That $r'ill familiarize the
defensiveteam with their particular opponents,give the defensespeciic men
on whofi to focus their attention, and help motivate them'
Practicshould be organizedso that the defNive coachesknow what play
will be run eachtime again;t the defenr. That enablesthem to call the defensive
Dlar.or slunl, that wilt be mosteffecliveagainstlhe play beinSrun Repelition
of ihe appropriarestunt for eachplay builds the defensiveteam'sconfidenc
will be able to stop the opPonent'
th^t it can
^nd
The coachingstaff should alwaysbe honest with their team regarding the
a ruly great
offensivestrength of the opponent.When the opponent possesses
in
all offensive
the
confercnce
of
ofrense(they ale, say, thJitatistical leade$
not to be
players
mentally
catesoriestihe coachingstaff must conditionthe
over-bconcemedifthe;ffensiveteammakesa seriesoffirst downs TheysimPly
explain to the defensethat in all probability the opponent'soffensewill move
the ball.
The team is taught to adopt the "bend-but-not-break" defensivePhilosounit will
phy,which meansrhat lhe playersremainconfidentthat rhedefensive
treatu*ay tou;hdownplay by eithera passor a run and thai they
loi
"
"tlow
will never allow a single play to gain over 15 yards Those objctives are
attainable.

phi l osophyto i t s st er nestt esl

A g o al l i ne stand puts the " bend_but_not-break

Th most consistentstatistic in football at alry level is that the ofensive

reamwill get the ball on alr exchangeof possession14 times during any game.
The defensiveteam knows that the opponent'sofrensemay be penalized,fumble
the ball, or miss oferNive assignments.\lfhenever any of thosethings occw, the
ofrensewill be udableto make a first down, They will hav to give up the ball.
By properly undeNtanding the "bend-but-not-break" philosophy, the defensivteam gainsconfidercethat it will be ableto limit th opponelt's scoring.
The defensiveteam should kep track of the number of times it has stopped
the opponentsand forced them to give up the ball. After the first possession,
the defensiveplayersknow that they needonly stop them 13 more times, then
12, 11, and so on, Ifthe opponent occasionallyputs points on the board, the
defensiveteam can gaifl heart by recoSrizing tie number of times they now
need to stop the opponent bfore the game ends. Meanwhile, thy must be
taught to believethat their offensiveteam has the ability to put more points on
the board than they have given up to their opponetrt'sofrense.

153

flt
Practi26- -

A recurring m'4h in foorball is that there is a

'gameplayer." The myth would haveus believe

Schedules:i;:fr:T:,g; jj;Tl.Yilffl$
performsbetter than he everhasin practice.In "l;
my

long experiencein football, I have never sena

"gameplayer."
Repetitive practice is the only way a player
can leam to perform efectively. When the ball is
snapped,defensiveplay$ do not have time to
think. Iflstead, they must instinctively react to the
play being run.
To teach eachplayer to rcact accurately, the
coaching staf, during Factic, m'ustcreateerery
rifrotion the defensiveplayer will face in a game.
The player then repeatshis reaction to eachsituation until he can respond perfecdy.
To 6eate everysituation the playerswill face
requires meticulous planning by the coaching
staff. If an opposing offenseuss any maneuver
that the defeflsive players have not practiced
against, it will probably be $uccessful.The fault
lies with the defensivecoachingstaff, not with the
players. They have not been proprly prepared.
It is a loflg, tedious, difrcult assignmentfor
each player to be totally prepard to meet evely
lJl

The best practicesegsionsduplic6tegams situations.

l"'
I

Iil
Ill

I
i!

possiblesituation. However, it is the oflly way playerscan truly be considered

ieady to play. There are no "game players." There aie only mm who, thtough
diligent practice, are at theh peak
Th; practic time allowed for high school and collegeteamsis governed
by conferenceand national rules. Obviously,professionalteamshaveunlimited
pmctlce hm.
Collegesand high schoolsusually have three sparatetimes of practicespring, eaily fall, and in_seasonpractice every week to prepare for the next
opponeni,
From a coaching standpoint, spring practice has two objectivs Players
must be taught to erecut efectivly the fundamentalsof their Particulal posi_
tion, and the skills of eachplays must be analyzedand evaluatedso that each
man is assignedto play the positiofl in which he can best use his talents All
meo work;n agility drills, block protection,and tacklingtechniquesln addition, linebackers and secondaly men work on man-for_manand zone pass
defense,while the down linemen work on their pass-rushskills
In early fall practice, the playerssharpenthek executionof the fundamen_
tals of their position and the coachingstaf leevaluatesthe positions assigned
to each marron the defensiveteam. Any playel who is "out of position' and
has the skills to play better elsewhereshould be movedto the new position For
example, if a cornerback lacks the speedto cover a swift wide receiver, he
should be moved to one ofthe safetypositions. Likewise, an outsidelinebacker
who lacks the quicknessto b an efrectivepassdefendershould be moved to
inside linebacker,wherehis passcoverageskill is not asimportant ashis ability
to stop running plays.
During in-seasonpractice, sessionsshould be designdso that the players
can lamiliarize thems&es with the expectedofrensiveplays of the upcoming
oDDonent,
In a1l three pe ods ol practice, meticulously timed planning is a must
Amateur players;in additionto leamingto Playfootball,must keepup \r'ill
their school work and family and social respoflsibilities on the average'ea"
player can daily devote no more than three hours-including time necesse_'
io be taoed and dressed-to football practice. Demands on athletes' time r'
euer,*ore s"u"t" at th military service academies Becauseof the tigor'''
of thoseschools,footballplayerscan only devotet hour :::
daily schedules
45 minutes a day, including dressingtime, to football practice
To best utilize the limited time available for practice' the coaching s::i
should conduct position and group mtingswith the team befole anyone: c'
to the practicedeld.At thesemeetings,the playersare told exactlylt'dl I::'

will do in each d 1l and lro)t they will executeachdrill. By knosring what is

expctedof them, playe$ becomercady to executetheir various ddlls as soon
asthey reachthe field, and the coachescan devotthemselvesto correcting any
erlo$ that occur.
It is a serious mistake for coachesnot to explain in meetingswhat will
occur at practice beforc the team goesout on the field Teaching the players
what to do and how to react can be donebttel in a classroomsituation. When
on the practice field, playersoften havedifrculty hearing,sincethey are weadng
helmets and the wind may b blowing And they may be out of breath and
unabl to concentrateon coaches'iflstructions becauseof the physical etrort
they have made in the previous drill
The attitude of the playe$ toward practice is obviously a key factor in the
improvement of the team. Th coachingstaff must teach each player that th
only purposeof pmctice is to improve the ability of the individual playen on
the team. Playersmust be taught to make an all-out etrort in every drill du ng
practice.That resultsifl a habit of total etrort, which transformsitself into total
efrort on every play ifl a game.
Fans and coachesoften talk about the importance of th "will to win." Of
cou$e, that is importanton Sameday. But unlessthe teamhashad the much
more important "will to prpare," thefu desire to win will be unimportant.
It is easyfor each man to be emotionally high on gameday. The stands
are full, the bands are playing, parmts and friends are watching.
Thetoughtestingtime ofa team's"will to prePare"is the momingpmctice
on the fifth day ofthe two-a-day practice sssionsin early fall. Th playe6 are
tired and bruised. They would prefer not to p@ctic. But if they simply live
through the sessionwith the thought of getting it over as soonas possible,they
will not improve. Il they havethe tru "will to prepare," they will executeach
drill crith an all-out etrort. Through that personaldiscipline-a total besteffort
in each drill-players develop th habit of always doing their best.
In gefleral,coachesshould talk to players at the start of practice and then
devotthe rest of the practicscheduleto improvingthe players'skills and
techniques.After all, practice is for practicing, not for listening to lectures.
B$ids leaming the needdskills and techniques,playersshouldbe taught
the basicdefensesthe team will usethtoughout the season.Then the defensive
stunts should be leamd,followed by the goal-Iinedefense,the prevent defense,
and the defensivekicking plays.Through the teachingprogression,all elements
of the team's defnsiveplay ar assimilated.
A week before the first game,practice should be planned to prepare the
team for the opponentto be played. The usual drills remain a part ofpmctic,

TF

t57

158

but greater emphasisshould now be placed on preparing for an opponent's

probable ofrensiveplan.
Players will pmctice diligently until they leel comfortably confident of
their assignmentsagainst an upcoming opponnt and are confident they can
ex@utethe assignments
with eas.When a playerrcachesthat poitt mentally,
further practice is unnecessary.Indeed, he may lose valuable incentive and
purpose if drilled further. Thus, coachesshould plan practice schedulescarefully so that lor a gamebeing playedon Saturday,no playet is totally comfortable about his prepantion until the end of practice on Thursday.
Coachsshould also realiz that as the seasonprogresses,Iesstime need
be spent on fundamentals.When a player has bem through spring and early
fall practiceand playdhalfolthe regularseason,he will be aboutas capable
a fundamental player as he can possibly be during the seasonin progress.At
that point, grueling practice sessionsare foolish. Instead, practice should be
shortenedand ge[erally designdto maintain fundamental skills while simultaneously preparing the team for its next opponent.

WEEKLY
PRACTICE
SCHEDULES
The following practice schedulesassumethat the team played a game the
previousSaturdayand that the playersate availablefor pmcticat 3rl5 in the
aftemoon.The pedodbetween3:15and 3:30,whennormalpracticebegins,will
be used to "loosen up" and give the specialty men-kickers, holde$, punters
-an opportunity to work on their skills.
Monihy

3:30
3:40

Stretching and s,arm-up exercises.

Playe$ who participated in the game on Saturday will be in sweatsu'ts
They will come together as a team to practice the new defensiveplays and
stunts that will be usedin the coming game.A comfortableamount of time
to allow for that is about 20 minutes.When the period is over, thoseplayer!
should run two or three laps around the fild and retun to the dressing
room to shower and change. Players who did not play in tle game on
Saturdayshould scimmage againstan otrensivtam for about 30 minute\
That will maintain their "real-game" skills and keep them in a "hitting

Tu3&y
l:30
3:4O
400
4:25
5J0
5:10
5:20
5:30

Stretching and warm-up xercises.

Isolat.d group work. The defensivelinemen, linebackeA, and secondary
men ach work in a separategroup to practice tlek skills and techniques.
The linebackers and scondary men join to pmctice Pass defens.The
defmsivelinemetrconrinuelheir group work
The defensivetearn joins together and pmctices the defenssto b usd
against tle coming oPPonent.
Practice punt dfensesand retums.
Practice ffeld goal defens.
Pmctice kickoff covrageand onside kicLs
End oi practice.
Wedneadey

3:30
3:40

4120
4150
5'00
5:10
5:20

Stretching snd warm-up exerclses.

Isolated group work.
The linebackers and scondary men join to Practice pass defense.Th
dfnsivelinemenconlinuether group work
The defensivetam joins together and practrcsthe defenssto be used
against the comirg opponent.
Pmctice punt defeffes and rtums.
Pnctic field goal dcfense.
Practic kickof coverageand onside kicks.
End of practice.
Ttulsday

3:30
3t45
4,o5
4:35
4t45
4:55
5:05

Stretching and warm-up rercises.

Isolatd goup work.
The linebsckrs and secondary men join to pmctice pass defens The
alefcnsivelinemn continue their isolated group work
Thc deferBivet3n joins togetler and practices the defeNes to be used
aSainstthe coming opponent,
Practic putrt defefts and retume.
Practicc feld goal defcnse,
Practicc kickof coverageand onside kicks.
End of practice.

159

160

Fridry

3:30
3:35
3:55
4:05
4:15
4t25

Stretching and wam-up exercises.

Defensiveteamwork mphasizingshort yardage and goalJine defen*s.
Rview punt defensesand punt returns.
Revies, kickoF coverageand onside kicks.
Review field-goal-block-kick plays and defense.
End of practic.

PHYSICAL
CONDITIONING
Through learning and executingthe "will to prepare," players will achievethe
physical conditioning neededto perform well. In addition to the physical and
mental work dudng practice, players must understandthe vital importance of
eatinga well-balanced
dit and gettingenoughsleepand rest to achieveand
maintain prime physical condition.
At the collegeand professionallevels,playerseat at a training tabl. Their
diet is desigoedto provide the nededcalories and prope! balance ol dairy
products,meats,fish, fowl, vegetables,
and salads.
Playersat the high school level and blow do not havetraining tablesand
musteatthe foodprovidedby their farnilies.At thebeginningof springpractice
and againin the fall, high schoolcoachesshouldarrangea meetingwith rhe
parenl$of all men on the team.At this meeting,parentsare told, in depth, hor
the football program qdll be operated, how their sons will be coached,whar
their diet shouldbe,and how much rest they will need.The parentsshouldb
askedto coopemtein assistingtheir sonsto developthe proper mental attitude
and achievelheir top potenlialas playen.
Ditrerent families havevarying economicresources.While a wll-balancec
diet is desirablefor every player, somefamilies do not have the neededincome
to provide, on a continuing basis,well-planned "training table" meals.At the
parents'meting,coachesshouldshow the parentsways to provide an adequately balanced diet for their sons even though they may not have large
financial tesources.Cereals,for example,arc inexpensiveand contain most c:
the vitaminsand fiberneededin a balanceddiet.Many vegetabls
are inexperproperly
prepared,
quite
sive and, when
nutritious. Eggs ar a relatively cheaf
form of protein, and fresh fruits in seasonare inexpensiveand complete th3
neededfood requirementsfor a football playr's diet.
Parentsshouldalsobe instructedabouta desiredliqhts-outschedulefo:

their sons.Under normal circumstances,parents should b asked to seethat

their sonsare in bed by 10:30eachnight. The boys will be tired from pmctice.
By retiring at this hou, they will havesumcienttime to get their neededamount
of rest.

GAME.DAY
PREPARATION
Teamsusually play their gamesin the aftemoon or at night. In either case,the
samegeneralscheduleshould be followed:
Playersshould eat a pre-g trLemeal3t1 houm beforethe gamewill begin.
That will ensure that the meal is digestedproperly and that players will not
becomehungry before the game has ended.
The team should have a final meetiflg two hours befote the game.At the
session,coachesshould re-eftphasizeall phasesof the defensivegameplan and
rmind each man, one last time, what he must do in each situation to Dlav
effectively.
After the meting,players report to the locker room to be properly taped
for the contest.
The team should go on the field for warm-up drills about,{Ominutsbefore
the kickon That will give them ample time to prepare themselvesphysically
and leav mough time for a short pre-gamepep talk by the coachesbefore
returning to the field for the kickotr

SUMMARY
Another recurring mylh aboutfootball is that coachescan deliver a tousing !,ep
talk to the team beforethe game---orat halftime-which somehowremarkably
makesthe team more efective than they have ever been.
In practical tems, unless the team has had the ',will to prepate," no
last-minute exhortations on the part of the coach can damatically afect the
team's performance.
Players must leam during spring pmctice and early fall practice how to
play the gameand they must develop the habit of making their best efort at
all times. If thoseobjectiveshavenot beenachieved,the team \rill neverbe able
to perfom to its potntial. Ifthe twin objectiveshave beenachievd,the team
can always play to its fullest capability.
An intricate part of each player's self-unde$tanding should be that, for

161

T h e great pl ayer i s the one w ho pl ays to hi s ful l est pol entral

12
HOW

tO Watch
DefenSiVe
FOOtball

Fansattendfootballgamesto enjoythe c.lorful

crowd, pageantry,and bandsas well as the game

itself.Theenjoyment
of simplybeingthereoften
ls moreimportantto thespectator
thanthegame
For many fans,sophisticatedmodem football
appea.rsto be too confusing to understandin any
technical, strategic sense.The players are obviously excellentathletes.One team hasthe ball and
the other team does['t. Both teamsare usinEw11practicedplays.but wby they do preciseli what
they do is not unde$tood by the averages[,ectator.
Everyonewho attendsa football gamewould
enjoy th spectaclemore, I think, with a basic
krowledgeof how the gaoe is played.As in any
leaming process,that requires a small amount of
study and understandinS.
Sincethe rnovementof the ball is alwayseasy
to se,and sinceit is the object of the gameto get
the ball acrossthe goal line for a touchdown or rc
kick a field goal when the kicker is in rang,mosr
spectatorsarc content simpb/ to follow the ball
instead of expandingtheir knowledgeto comprehend why the otrensiveteam ussthe formations
and pLaysthat it doesand why the defensiveteam
to)

when watchinga footb6llgame,1ry

notto warchthe
ball.

deploys as it dos to counter the play of the ofrensiveteam.

In previous chapters, w have describedthe basic ofnsive formations
used in modern football: the "T" formation; the Pro set; the "I" formation;
three wide recivels;and four widc recivels.We havealso carefully exambed
how ard why the defenseadjusts to the ofensive fotuations.
Knowldgeofofrensiveformations is vital to a soundunderstaodhg ofthe
game.When the ofensive teambreaksthe huddle, what is its ofrensive8t?How
many wide receiversare being used?How many running backsare in position
to carry the ball? It is also helpful to understandthe defenssusedin modern
football, which are describedin this book.
It requiresdiscipline and pmctice on the part of the spectatorto watch a
football gameintelligltly. The basicfurdameotal the fan must leam is ,ot to
watch the ball, Instead. hc should. in order:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Recognizethe ofensive formation bing used

Note the numbd of defensivedown linemed
Note the number of defensivelinebacke
Recogrizc the pattein ofthe defnsivesecondary

in ModernFootball
TheFiveBasicOffensiveFormations

oooo
o

ooo

The "T" formation

oo oooo
o
o

Ths Pro s6t ltwo wide receivsrs,two running backs)

ooo ooo
o
o
o

The "l ' lormalion with two wide receivers

ooo oo
o
o

Threwide receiv6rs,two running backs

oo

o
o

Fourwide receivers,ono running back

oo

Afte rre c o g ni zi ngtheoffensi veformati on,thespectatorshoul dcount t henum ber of

d o w n l i n e men and the number of l i nebackersand shoul d note the p at t er n of t he
d e fe n s i v esecondary.

The spectatorwho mentally notsthosefour points in the order Iisted will know
before the ball is s apped both the offensivefomation being usd and the
defensivealignmentagainstit. Is the inte or defensivealignmentthe 4-l or
the 3-2? Is the secondarythe regular two comerbacksafld two safetiesor is
it a "monster" alignment? Is the defenseplaying a "prevent" defenseor a
goal-linedefense?
When the ball is snapped,what would haveseemedto be a confusingmelee
players
now takes on a certain shapeand order as the spectator beginsto
of
understand what the defensis trying to accomplish on the play being run.
As the play develops,the defensivespectatorshould train himself to make
the following observations:How did the defensivelinemen charge?Did they
slant to one sideor the other?Did they shootthe insidegapsl
readtheir keysand simplyreactto the play beingrun
Did the linebackers
or did they penetratacrossthe line of scrimmageor start immediately to drop
back to be in Dositionto covera Dass?

Hoqrdidthe secondary
playl On a runningpja),did lhe] quicklv\uoDon
- poinr of atack? If
al rhe
lhe offensi\e reami, J"*i"g pu*.
,h; ,'".;,ij;"
menplaying a zoneor a rnan-for-mandefense?Dia
,ui"tv".Jo, u
immediatelyleavehis positionon a blitz?
"iti",
"or""Ji"i
you
As
readthis,it still may semcomplexandconfusing.With just
.. .
a little
disciplineand practice,however,you can leam to seethi play
developas
described.
Again,the cardinalrule is not to watchtheball By watchingthe
dfensive
team'(alignmenrs,
youcanlearnlo recognize
lt.i, puri"rn,of ptir unO.er;;u_
ally.asyou watchlhedefen\ereactlo rhepla] beingrun.thebali*ill
bicome
the focal point of your attention.

WATCHING
DEFENSIVE
FOOTBALL
ONTELEVISION
For most of the past 20 yearsI haveworked as a ,.colorcommntator,,
for
televisedfoolballgames.The play-b)_pla)announceris re5ponsible
for describ_
rng rne prayand reporttngwho carries.lhrows.or carches
the ball and \tho
mak$ lhe tackleor b_reaks
up rhe passplay.As rh.
announ"e.,I u,
responsrbte
"olo.rheplay
aIlerlhe ptay-by_play
announcer
hasdescribd
ro explain
, ny,rneoJlcnnvc.ptay
h)atvccessfulor whyit.[ailed.Time permirting _anj rhar
rsarways
a probtem-t.try to explainwhy theoffensire
teamis u\ingit\ tact|cq
andslrateg)and howthedelense
i\ atrempring
lo adju\rto theoffensive
olavs.
The major problem every color anno;nc; fucei l. tl. aif"ren".
U.iri'.n
- he can seby watchingthe
what
entirefild ofplay and what the home;ie;e;
can seeon his own screen.
Televisioncamerasrarely showmuch of the defensiveteam.
.
Usuallvthe
viewer can seethe defensivelinemen and occ".i..uflv tfr"
irrij" fi-r"J"i"r_l
Rarelydoeshe seeany ofthe defensive
second"ry
,",if *.fi
, irr. pi"l
"it
-",
ln lheannouncer's
booth.we havea TV monilorthar\ho\rsu\ lheDicture
see
at.home.
I
have
)ou
laughlmlself.beforerheballi. r"upp.a,,o
ii"
neld Al themomenltheballis rnappsd.I lookar our booth "ui"f,
Tv so lhar
:nrll:
r w r DeaDteto commenton r\hat lhe viewerhas\eenand
avoidmentioning
anythinghe has not seen.
Beforethe ball is snapped,the viewershouldfirst identify
the ofensive
^
formarionbeing
urd. Thecameraaluaysshow.rh" otr"".i"" li;.;;;;;;;;
posrronot lne runntngbacks,Usuallyit doe\ not (ho\r
\ride recei!ers,Ihe
vtewercan makean easymathematicalcalculation,though:
If a tight end and

169

t70

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When w atchi ng footbal l on tel evi si on,fans shoul d fi rst i dent if yr he

offensi ve formati on bei ng used, then l he posi ti ons of the def en
si ve l i nemenand vi si bl e l ;nebackers.

trvo runningbacksare in the game,therewill be two wide receivrs;if a tight

end and one running back are in the game,there will be three wide receivrs;
if no tight end and two running backsare in the game,there will be thre wide
rceivers;
and ifno tight end and only one runningbackis in the game,ther
will be four wide receivers.
Before the ball is snappedand after the viewer has idntified the ofensive
formation being used,h should focus his attention on th down linemen and
thei! preciseposition. Are there three or four down linemn?Are they playing
head-up$ith theh opponentsor in the gaps?If the viewer can seethe interior
is thereonly one or are theretwo?That will enablethe viewerto
linbackers,
know whetherthe inte or setis a 4-1 or a 3-2. How deepare the linebackers
playing?That will give the viewer a hint as to whether the linebackerswill read
their keys normally or be involvedin a forcing stunt.

As the ball is snapped,the yiewer should try to watch the chargesof the
defensive
down linemen and the linebackels.As the play progresses,tf,e viewer
notes wlich defensivemen frst aplrearon the screenas they-reactto the play.
That will enablethe viewerto underslandquickly the defensivepanem beine
used.eventhoughthe camerasdo nol show the entiredefmsivi team as tl!
play begins.
To watch as descdbedrequires a little study of ofensive formations and
defeosivepatterns. Thereupon,the viewer must discipline himself to watch the
play in the progressiondescribed.If he can do so, ihe result is a far greater
enjoymentofthe game-the yiewer can see,recogaize,and understandw-hyand
how the game is being played.

17l

f,3
LaSt

WOfdS

In lhe
few yearsdefensive
footbalthas
.pasr

changeda great deal. More changescan be erpectedbecausethe ddeI1semust always adjust to

the formations and plays used by the otrensive
team, and football ofenses are constantly being
revised.
When football was a one-platoon game,
ofensive teams did not have great versatility.
Rarely did they possessa fine passing attack.
Mainly, they relied on their ability to run the football.
Two-platoon football radically changed
ofrensivethinking. Playrswith the skill to throw
and catch the ball becameinqeasingly profcient
and passingattacks increasingly complex.
In today's game,the defenserealizesit must
play etrectivelyagainstthe running attack and at
all times be ready to defend well against a ve$atile, well-designedpassingattack.
A further refnement by today's defensive
teamsis the expandduse of the free substitution
rule, so that the proper playeN are always in the
gameto defend againstthe play most likety to be
run by the ofensive team, no matter what the
down and yardage situation. In fact, nowadays,
the only time the defensiveteam plays its starting
t73

Expanded
uscofthefreesubstitution
rulehasgreatly
refined defensive Dlav.

N o ma tterhow sophi sti catedthel evel ofpl aymaybecome,gooddef ensewillalwavs

personnelis on first and ten, sconddown and frveor six, or third down and
three or four,
The rest of the time, defensivecoacheswill substitute.On short-yardage
situations,
situationstheyput additionallinemenin the game.On long-yardage
one or two passdefenderswill enterthe gameto strengthenthe passdefense
enoughthat excellentdefenseis the key to victory.A
I cannotemphasize
of the ball beforeit can use
teammust stopthe opponentand gain possession

its own offense.The only other way th team can get possessionis by allowing
the offenseto scoreand then receivea kickoff. Teamsrarely win by getting the
ball that way.
The ofnsepossesss
the initiative.Its menknow what formationwill be
used,what play srill be run, and the momentthe ball will be snapped.Thus,
the defensive
teamis at a disadvantage
wheneachplay begins.It requirsgreat
athletic skill and preparation on the part of all membersof th defenseto
overcomethosedisadvantages
and still stop the play.
Most ofthe publicityand glamoursurroundinga footballteamis focused
on ofensive players-particularly the quarterback,running backs,and the pass
receivers.The coachingstaf must understandand acceptthe challengethat
presentsregardingthe placementof personnelon the offensiveand defensive
teams.If great defensiveplay is the key to victory, obviously the best athletes
on the team should be assignedto the defensivesquad.
The coachingstaffmustexplainandthe squadmustunderstand
that truth.
Perhapsth bestway of putting it is that the oflensivplayersare not in the
game vntll th team gets possessionof the ball. When the best athletes are
assignedto offense,while the opponent has the ball they are sitting on the
bench. When they arc not participating in the game, they cannot make any
contibution to help their team win.
Players know and recognizethat the most publicized players will be the
men on the ofensive team-particularly those who are involved in throwing,
running, and catching the ball. Players relish the personal recognition they
receive,and it is normal for them to $ant to play ofense. Each player must
be taught, however, to subordinatehis own selfishinterestsand play the posi
tion where he can make his greatestcontdbution to the successof the team.
That is one reasonfootball is such a fascinating gam.The men who are
the most responsiblefor s.inning or losing-the linemen rarely get much
attention or notice.The headlinesand glory go to the publicized ofrensivestars.
Yet to win, the unnoticed,unpublicizedmen must perform with maximum
efectiveness.
Fans are beginning to better understand the importance and value of
defense.I suspectthat this undemtanding and appreciation will grow in the
yea$ ahead alrd perhaps one day, defensiveplayers will finally receive the
accoladesthey deserve.
Until then, all defensiveteamsshould realizethat when they have held an
opponentscoreless
or limited them to only 7 or 10points,thy havemuch to
be proud of! They can say-and theh offmsive teammatesshould know-that
their perfofinanc on defensewas the most important ingrdient in achieving
the victory.

t75

sF.FOOfBAlt
Winning Defense
by Bud llfilkinson
cfcnseis wh t wins footballgames.and this brillianlupdateol ,t
classicis perlec(l!suitedto today\ playetco ch
sportsinstnrctional
and fnn. Herc. Rud WilkiDson.Ljniversit)of Okl homas tartred

em r)yedin deltnsivc
finrrcr coach.anrlyzeslhc basicp.rltemsandstralegies
wilkinson\ te{tincludes:
thft)ughoul.
illustrated
fix)lbrlllodav.La\'ishly
horvto tackleand createfumbls
I How to readan otTensc,
I Six techniquesfor becominga betterpassrusher
I Threestunt chargesthat everydefensitclinemanshouldknow
I

l he keysto becominga belterlinebackerand secondaryman

I I ifteenimportant defensitcformationsand \lhen to usethcm

dfensiregameplan
I Four wals 1obuild a successful
I A bonusViewr'sGuide 10DefensivliDtball, and much, much more.
aa Bud Wilkin\on is olrc of our gfeale\t iix)thall coachcsever.andthe\e are two
classicbookson the g rne. E\cry playef.coachor frn b'ho carcsaboutfooiball
shoulLl
own thc\etx1)books.fhcl- rc indispensable.
"
Head Coach. Penn State, on Spotls lllusltdQA hotbdll:
JoE P.^Tr,RN().
Winnins Ofli,tse)nd tvhnins D(tans(
iJ, , ,\ 'r I r.,*,\ $ho coachedthe tlnivcxity of Oklahomato ,17 straight
wins an all tinre Dationalrccord is a menrberol the Fixltball Hall of Fhnrc.
llc was a SpecialConsultanton PhysicalFitne\s lo PresidentJohn Fl Kcnncd-t.
rnd is PrcsidentElneritusol lhc Unitcd StatesGvmna\lics Federution.

Sports lllustrited
WinnertCircleBooks

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