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1
Volume 13 ● Issue 2
Editorial Advisory Board
Football Training Room ....................................... 3
Zach Even - Esh
Bill Williams
Football Coaches Professional
Growth Association (FCPGA)
San Diego, California
Offensive Line Techniques
in Option Offense ................................................. 6
Bruce Bendix
Gino Arcaro
Head Football Coach
Niagara College
Welland, Ontario, Canada
Chet O’Neill
Mikey Marotti
Clinic Director
Coordinator Strength and
Big New England Football Clinics Conditioning
University of Florida
Centerville, Massachusetts
Castrating
the Bull Rush ........................................................ 8
Mark Miller
GRIDIRON Coach College Spotlight
Georgia Military College ..................................... 10
Georgia Military College
3-5-3 Defensive Coverage ...................................... 11
Rob Manchester
Bob Crable
Head Football Coach
Moeller High School
Cincinnati, Ohio
Tony DeMeo
Head Football Coach
University of Charleston
Charleston, West Virginia
Jerry Campbell
Head Football Coach
Victoria Memorial High School
Victoria, Texas
Mike Roark
Assistant Head Coach
Pasadena City College
National Recruiting Coordinator,
Offense and Defense Camps
Pasadena, California
Bulldog Football .................................................. 14
Christopher Behan
GRIDIRON Coach Staff
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Dawn Palazotto - Assoc Publisher
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2
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GRIDIRON Coach
Zach Even - Esh
Owner - Gridiron Gladiator
Central, New Jersey
Football Training Room
I
walked into a high school weight room last summer in
which the football team was training. First thing I noticed
was what was not going on! There were no athletes on the
squat rack, there were no athletes dead lifting on the platform
that was made for dead lifts. I saw no athletes doing any flat or
incline pressing, no heavy rowing, nor did I see any athletes
doing chins, pull ups, dips, push ups or any other basic exercise!
Here is what I did see….One athlete performing strict barbell
curls with his back braced against the wall. Another student
performing a one arm dumbbell preacher curl with his arm
wedged on a high incline bench. The rest of the team was
socializing, laughing and having a good ol’ time! Laughing and
having a good time is what we want, but, what happened to hard
work and blasting away at the basic lifts? Did I tell you this team
recently set a state record for most consecutive losses. I believe
it’s been three seasons now with the varsity squad going with out
one victory.
Let’s take a look at what a football squad should be doing in &
out of the weight room. First of all, after the season ends, have
your athletes take 1 – 2 weeks off from training to let them
physically & mentally recuperate. This rest period is critical in
motivating your team to get back into their training.
The first month will be a break in period consisting of moderate
weights and moderate reps, more of a bodybuilder type set – rep
scheme. Notice I did not say bodybuilding program exclusively.
For athletes, machines are out. Free weights, body weight and
some cable work can be used. If your team has access to medicine balls and Russian Kettlebells that is a big plus, but for the
sake of assuming that your school is equipped with the bare
minimum, free weights and body weight training done correctly
will transform your football squad into a stronger, faster and
more powerful team than ever before!
The first month will include 3 days of training (i.e. Monday,
Wednesday & Friday) each of which will be full body training.
Sets will be 3 or 4 per exercise and reps will be in the 8 – 15
range. Choose one basic exercise per muscle, changing that
exercise every workout. This set & rep pattern is very beneficial
for hypertrophy as well which gives the athletes a great base due
to the fact that a larger muscle has the potential to become a
stronger muscle. I like to use the analogy of a car engine. The
larger the engine the greater the potential to generate more horse
power. If your athletes can gain muscle mass they have greater
potential for becoming stronger and more powerful.
Young athletes, especially high school athletes, all have a
glaring weakness in their body, specifically the posterior chain.
This is the entire back portion of the body, from the calves all
the way to the upper back & neck area. The flip side to this is the
fact that the posterior chain is the area of the body that is largely
responsible for helping athletes run faster, jump higher, hit
harder and gain weight (these muscles are so large, when they
grow in musculature the athlete gains weight easily).
The best exercises for attacking the posterior chain would be all
variations of the deadlift (straight bar, trap bar, bent leg,
GRIDIRON Coach
Romanian dead lifts, sumo style), variations of the lunge
(barbell or dumbbell, forward or reverse, walking or alternating, front foot elevated), barbell squats (preferably on a box),
variations of the step up on a bench (dumbbells, barbell), back
extension on a 45 degree angle or on a parallel back extension
bench, sled dragging of all variations and strong man training
(which will be addressed shortly). There are more exercises but
the exercises listed are assuming that your weight room is
equipped with the bare minimum.
The following exercises attack the upper portion of the
posterior chain: bent over rows of all variations (barbell, 1
arm DB row), pull ups & chin ups, shrugs with a barbell or
dumbbell, barbell upright rows or barbell high pulls and lat
pull downs of all variations (standing using a rope pulled to
the face or neck, seated using all different bars and grips).
It is essential that young athletes perform plenty of unilateral
exercises to bring up weak or lagging muscles, and often times
these exercises will be done with body weight only. For
instance after doing squats or dead lifts the athlete should also
include a lunge or step up variation. The inclusion of unilateral exercises will help balance the body, address weaker
muscles and in turn will reduce injuries. The reduction of
injuries should be the priority in a training program because
the less your athletes are injured the more they can play at full
capacity!
Now, the last part of your strength program will include a trip
to the local hardware store, creativity and perhaps some help
from the shop teacher or a local handy man. This will be
perhaps the most beneficial as well as the most enjoyable
portion of your athlete’s strength training program. They will
LOVE the strong man training. The tools you will use are the
following: sand bags, dragging sleds, tug of rope (50 ft. length),
and large tractor tires (tires are the icing on the cake if you can
get them!).
To make a sand bag simply buy a bag from the army navy
store, then place 1 or 2 sand bags inside them from home
depot. You can make a few sand bags of various weights and
they will be relatively inexpensive. To get a sled, you will need
a sheet of steel or metal that is approximately 18" x 18". Have
a pole welded in the middle to put weight plates on, and drill a
hole through the front of the sled (have a lip on the sled) to
hook a tow rope or tug of war rope to. The tractor tires can
often be free or donated from a local junk yard or tire yard.
Especially if the place knows that this is for a local high school
athletic team I am sure they will be more than happy to be of
service. You will need tires ranging in size from 200 – 600 lbs.
The sand bags can be carried in several ways: arms underneath, bear hug or on shoulder, all of which can be done for
distance or time. Relay races are awesome with these! Your
athletes can also do rotations with them, picking them up off
the ground explosively and placing them on top of a table or
barrel.
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3
The sled is used in endless ways. One way is walking forwards
with a tow strap attached to a weight belt around your waist as
you walk forwards. You can also walk backwards and hold the
tow strap in your hands to attack the quads. The athletes at
Gridiron Gladiator use a tow rope that was purchased from a
water sports store. The rope is shaped like a Y and was originally used for jet skiing. In addition to walking backwards, we
can pull the sled in a rowing motion, or press it which can
simulate the work of a D Lineman. The forward drags help
work the posterior chain and improve the athlete’s overall
conditioning which is referred to as GPP (General Physical
Preparedness). We also attach the 50 ft. rope to the sled and pull
it towards us trying to beat another player or pulling for distance
in short time bursts (10 seconds). The tug of rope is also used for
1 on 1 or 2 on 2 tug of war.
Your last item is the tractor tire used for tire flipping. This would
be the best overall exercise / movement for your players as it
attacks the posterior chain as well as the pushing movements
that is critical in football. Your entire body gets worked here and
the confidence your athletes will get from flipping huge tires will
be priceless! Your athletes can do this for time under tension
(flipping for 10 seconds or 30 seconds) or with a partner, taking
turns after each flip until they have reached a specific number of
flips.
Now, let’s delve into a simple way to apply all of this information. First of all, the team should be training 3 days a week
using basic exercises for no longer than 60 minutes per workout.
The three workouts can all be full body, with Monday being a
heavy day, Wednesday a heavy or moderately heavy day and
Friday being a strong man day with some lighter unilateral
work added as well. Another variation would be to train upper
body on Monday, lower body on Wednesday, and Friday is a
lighter, higher repetition day which helps aid recovery as well
increases muscle mass with the higher repetition / bodybuilder
style training. Friday can also include strong man training or if
the athletes are feeling energetic they can add a fourth day
devoted entirely to the strong man lifting on the weekend. To
help keep progress flowing smoothly, athletes should not and
can not train with heavy weights at high intensity year round.
The last week of every month can be a week of light weights or
body weight calisthenics and no strong man training to give
them a physical & mental break. Or, as the athletes become
more in tune with their body, they will simply train lighter and
with less volume & intensity the days they feel tired. In addition
to varying the intensity of the workouts, vary the exercises each
workout. Try not to repeat the same exercises more than two
workouts in a row. For example after two workouts of flat
benching, next time perform an incline dumbbell press and the
next workout perform dumbbell floor presses. The variation will
keep the nervous system less stressed and in turn will speed
progress.
Rest is crucial if an athlete wants to become bigger & more
powerful. So encourage your athletes to get to bed early in
addition to taking a daily power nap. Encourage your athletes to
consume a healthy meal immediately after a workout to speed
recovery as well as regular eating through out the entire day. In
conclusion, don’t feel like you need fancy equipment to get your
team stronger, faster, bigger & more powerful!
4
At Gridiron Gladiator our athletes push trucks and carry logs.
The training is not fancy or pretty but we do get results and have
tons of fun in the process! In the end, we are all successful! And
that’s what it’s all about.
Take a look at some of the training our athletes go through and
you’ll see it’s not about looking pretty!
Log carries and Russian Kettlebells are awesome for building
strength & power (See Picture 1)!
Picture 1
Sled drags with a forward lean (See Picture 2).
Picture 2
Log carries can be used in similar ways to a sand bag! No
excuses here, we use what we have available and make the best
of it (See Picture 3)!
Picture 3
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GRIDIRON Coach
Wood chopping to increase GPP and core strength. This is great
for conditioning your athletes. Try chopping wood for 10
minutes in clips of 10 seconds work, then 10 seconds rest. Talk
about a work out (See Picture 4)!
The author, Zach Even – Esh after some wood chopping and
strong man training (See Picture 5).
Picture 5
Picture 4
Zach Even – Esh is the owner of Gridiron Gladiator located in
Central, New Jersey. To learn more about his football strength &
conditioning methods visit his web site at
www.GridironGladiators.com.n
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5
Bruce Bendix
Heritage High School
Saginaw Township, Michigan
Offensive Line Techniques
In Option Offense
O
ffensive line play in an option offense is predicated on
aggressiveness, angles, and techniques. We want to seal
off the inside of the defense and protect against penetration while coming off the ball (“hitting out”) at full speed.
Diagram 2
B
To accomplish this we use two basic combination blocking
techniques (in addition to fundamental one-on-one blocks such
as the base, reach, gap, etc.) We work on these techniques every
day and our improvement in executing them usually corresponds
to our success running the football.
Triple Wedge: This is a 3-on-2 combination used by the center,
play side guard, and off side guard on the inside veer vs. an odd
(‘50’) defense; by the center, play side guard and tackle on the
inside veer vs. an even (4-3) or split (4-4) defense; and by the play
side guard, tackle, and tight end on the outside veer or lead
option vs. an odd front.
All three blockers will fire out at the defensive lineman. Depending on his movement, we will get a double team on the defensive
lineman and one blocker on the linebacker. There are three
techniques the defensive lineman may use:
1. Slant to the play side.
N
Inside offensive lineman: He fires out at a flat (approximately
45 degrees, depending on the split) angle aiming for the defensive lineman’s far hip, expecting the defender to veer towards
him and a hard collision. If the defender slants out (See Diagram 1) or goes straight ahead (See Diagram 2), the inside
lineman will turn up field on his second step to base block the
linebacker through his outside number, fighting to maintain
contact.
If the down defender veers towards the inside blocker (See
Diagram 3), the blocker will meet him “head-on”. He now
becomes the “lead” blocker in the double team.
2. Play straight into the offensive lineman; or
3. Slant or veer away from the play side.
Covered offensive lineman: He must fire out and make contact
between the numbers and belt of the defensive lineman using a
base block technique. He can be very aggressive in his take off
because he knows that should the defender slant either way, he
has help. He is the “post” blocker in the double team that occurs.
Wedge Angle: This is a 2-on-2 combination block (commonly
Diagram 3
Outside (play side) offensive lineman: He takes a short jab step
at the hip of the defensive lineman expecting a slant technique in
his direction. If the defensive lineman does charge towards him
(See Diagram 1) or fires straight ahead into the covered offensive lineman (See Diagram 2), the outside lineman becomes the
“lead” blocker in the resulting double team.
B
N
Diagram 1
B
referred to as “zone” or “scoop” blocking) used on outside plays
(dive-option, counter option, lead option away from the tight
end). The center and off side guard would use this method on
the outside veer, called dive, and lead option to the tight end as
well.
N
The offensive linemen can see the same three defensive techniques as above, but now we will end up with one blocker on the
down lineman, instead of a double team, and one on the
linebacker.
Direction of play
If the defensive lineman disappears (veers away) from the
outside blocker (See Diagram 3), his second step will be up field
into the path of the scraping linebacker. He will block the
linebacker high thru his outside number, maintaining contact.
6
Covered offensive lineman: He fires off the ball, leading with his
play side foot, aiming his eyes and forearms at the play side
number of the defender. If the defender slants towards the
direction of the play (See Diagram 4), the blocker will make
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contact in the middle of the defensive lineman, and he must now
work to follow through by moving his feet to get his helmet and
off side shoulder pad beyond the defender’s play side armpit. His
shoulders should be squared to the line of scrimmage as he
finishes the block. If the defender fires straight into the blocker
(See Diagram 5), the result should be a perfect shoulder block,
and the offensive lineman should accelerate his feet to try to
knock the defender off the line of scrimmage.
If the defensive lineman veers inside or away from the direction
of the play (See Diagram 6), the blocker does not make contact
with him, but continues up the field on the same course to block
the scrape linebacker, much as the outside blocker on our Triple
Wedge technique.
Diagram 6
B
Diagram 4
B
B
N
T
B
N
T
Note: We have had success with some of our centers using a
cross-over, rather than lead, step when blocking a quick or
aggressive middle guard. We have also allowed our centers to
“cut” this type of player instead of running with him when he
slants to the play side gap.n
Diagram 5
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By Tom Marshall
This Book has been designed from many books, articles and notes that I
have acquired over the past thirty years of coaching against the Wing-T.
Many coaches have contributed their ideas and I am fortunate enough
to have been able to put them all in this book.
The Wing-T is the system, but this book will give you some different
weapons to open up the offense to complete agains the many defenses
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7
Mark Miller
Samurai Football
Lafayette, CA
Castrating
the Bull Rush
I
n a previous article on Bull-Rush counters, I demonstrated a
particular counter that deflected the pass rusher’s energy as
the hands are about to contact the offensive lineman’s chest/
shoulder area. Metaphorically, the bull has already begun his
charge and gets stopped in his tracks. In this version we disrupt
the transition move between a down position (3 or 4 point stance)
towards a standing one. In this technique (called the elbow pinch
in the Coaches video), the blocker captures the pass rusher’s
elbow and drops them downward and slightly forward (from the
Defensive Lineman’s perspective) in the direction of the forward
triangulation point ( See Pictures 1-3). If executed correctly, the
elbows are captured (pinched) as the rusher’s hips are snapping
forward underneath his shoulders, the rusher will drop to the
ground. Here we’ve stopped the bull before he becomes a threat.
Bio-mechanically, the weight of the upper torso is dropped to a
place where there is no support. Imagine a camera on a tripod
where one of the tripod leg’s collapses and the camera falls in the
direction of the collapsing leg. A heavier camera will fall
harder. The more momentum generated by the defensive player,
the harder he will fall. Now, think of a sprinter whose feet don’t
get underneath his torso coming out of the start blocks. If the
off-balance defensive lineman tries to regain his balance by
moving backward, this action can be exaggerated by “helping”
him back (See Pictures 4-7).
Picture 3
Mark Miller can be reached at 888-942-5453 or at
SamuraiFootball@Yahoo.com.n
Picture 4
Picture 1
Picture 2
8
Picture 5
Picture 6
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GRIDIRON Coach College Spotlight
Georgia Military College
2005 Season Outlook
T
he coming season for Georgia Military College is filled
with promise and opportunity for the Bulldogs. The
Bulldogs look to erase a disappointing 2004 season that
was plagued by injuries, and return to their traditional ways of
making a run for the NJCAA National Championship in 2005.
However, the road will not be easy as the Bulldogs will face first
time opponents, tradition rich programs, and rivals.
GMC’s opponents have other things in mind. The Bulldogs will
have a formidable task as they open their schedule with three
very tough games. The first two will be home games against
their Texas counterparts. The opening game of the year will be
on August 27, when they face Kilgore College, and the second
game will be against Navarro College. Kilgore and Navarro
are tradition rich programs that have always had great games
versus the Bulldogs. GMC looks to avenge a close loss to
Kilgore in 2004, and an overtime loss to Navarro on their home
turf. GMC will then travel to Snow College in Utah for their
third game of the year. Snow has beaten the Bulldogs the past
two contests. The Badgers came from behind to beat the
Bulldogs in the 2003 Golden Isles Bowl, and won a close game
on the road in 2004. The remainder of the schedule highlights
new opponents and some familiar foes. GMC will play Division
II foes Valdosta State (twice) and North Alabama. Both of these
programs have continually been the top Division II programs in
the country. GMC will face three opponents that they have been
playing year after year. GMC will play two teams from New
York, Erie Community College on the road and Nassau Community College at home. GMC will also play another Texas
team as they make the trip out west to play Ranger College. The
remainder of the schedule pits GMC against a first time opponents. GMC will host Louisburg College to round out their
home schedule.
The GMC Bulldog Defense has finished the last four seasons
ranked #1, #3, #3, #3, respectively in the country in total
defense. In 2004 the defense also ranked #1 in rush defense and
#11 in pass defense. The Bulldogs have an extremely talented
linebacker corps returning, anchored by sophomores Jasper and
Casper Brinkley, Fred Wilson, UGA transfer Josh Johnson,
freshmen Boston McCornell, among others. The defensive line
also returns several sophomores with game experience. The
defensive line is anchored by Joel Reaves, Corey Thomas, and
Gabe Clark. The addition of freshmen Pedro Bennett, Corvey
Irvin, and others, will provide extreme depth for the 3-5-3
defensive front. In the secondary, only Rod Jones and Scott
Broughton return from 2004. Freshman Antonio Bellamy had
a very promising spring, and several freshmen were signed to
help fill out the secondary.
Offensively, the Bulldogs return several starters across the
board. The offense will have more depth going in to the season
than they have had in a while. Starting up front, the offensive
line has Terry Freemen, Chris Huffman, Montrell Neal, Willie
10
Barton, and Dante Wayman to provide a strong nucleus of
returning starters. Dion Smalls, who had a great spring, will
provide a key role playing his first season at GMC. Freshmen,
Jamal Rowell, Elisjah Ford, Joe McDaniel, Vince Vance, and
others will provide even more numbers for the offensive line.
The 2005 season will bring a seasoned look to the quarterback
position. Returning sophomores Diego Dixon and Ferlando
Williams provide experience and leadership as they hope to
improve during their second year. Incoming freshmen Carlton
Fears and Kelvin Todd will provide depth and will push for the
starting job at quarterback. In all, four quarterbacks will
compete for the job, the most at this position in a long time at
GMC. The running game at GMC is relies heavily on its two
back offense. The tailback position has two starters returning
that have tremendous game experience. Both provide different
types of running styles which brings an added dimension to the
offense. Sophomores Antroun McDaniel and Ricky Hill will
provide the one, two punch at tailback. In addition to these two,
highly recruited freshmen Ranier Rackley of Jacksonville, FL,
will provide even more depth at the position. At fullback,
sophomores Corey Smalls and Sammy Milton provide that
bruising type of running style that is perfect for GMC’s offense.
Finally, at receiver, Phillip Morris, Octavious Everett, and
freshmen Kenny Thomas, Tyree Burnett, Kemuel Spivey,
Bobby Taylor, and several others provide excellent depth.
The 2005 football season is one that the GMC Football Family
is extremely excited about. We at GMC are especially proud of
the tradition and respect that we have gained throughout the
country, and we anticipate building on that in the 2005 campaign.
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GMC has had 157 student-athletes earn scholarships to play
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Division I football since the reinstatement of football in
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1991.
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GMC has had 253 student-athletes earn scholarships at all
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levels of NCAA football since the reinstatement of football in
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1991.
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There is an average of 18 student-athletes a year that sign
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scholarships to play football.
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GMC won the NJCAA National Championship in 2001.
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GMC was the NJCAA national runner-up in 2002.
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GMC has produced 38 All-Americans: 15 first team, 10
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second team, and 13 honorable mention.
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GMC produced Bert Williams, the 2001 NJCAA head coach
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of the Year.
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GMC has had 17 of their alumni go on and play in the NFL.
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GMC student-athletes are also members of the cadet corps.
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Did you know...
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GRIDIRON Coach
Rob Manchester
Georgia Military College
Milledgeville, Georgia
Georgia Military College
3-5-3 Defensive Coverage
G
eorgia Military College’s, 3-5-3 Defensive Package, is
an extremely easy package to implement on any level.
We as a defensive staff, feel that this package gives us
the greatest advantage of being successful against our
opponent’s offense. GMC has been running the 3-5-3 Defense
since the 2001 season. GMC has experienced tremendous
success since implementing this attacking style of defense.
While running the 3-5-3 Defense, GMC is known as having one
of the top defenses in the NJCAA. Since 2001: GMC won the
2001 NJCAA National Championship, was the NJCAA
National runner-up in 2002, was the #1 ranked defense in 2001,
was the #3 ranked defense in 2002, 2003, and 2004, was the #1
rush defense in 2001 and 2002, has created 116 turnovers over
the last four seasons, and has had 10 defensive NJCAA AllAmericans. Throughout the following text I will explore how
our 3-5-3 Defensive Coverages are executed.
In order to run the 3-5-3 Defensive package you have to have the
personnel to execute the defenses that are called. The key to
executing this defense is to have the Corners, Safeties, and Dogs
that can play man coverage. Because of our defensive calls, our
coverage package requires us to play man coverage about 95%
of the time. The other five percent of the time we are playing a
three deep zone with fire zone concepts. Our defensive package
is one that consists of applying constant pressure to our
opponent’s offense. With our blitz packages, we have several
options in regards to how many people we can blitz. We will
blitz between four to six individuals per call. Depending on
who we designate to blitz will determine what coverage we will
execute.
At GMC we are a man coverage defense. We will always have a
player covering the #1, #2, and #3 receivers. Our coverage
package consists of a number and color coding system that
alerts our players as to who is blitzing and who is covering the
offense’s receivers. For example, Blue (zero) coverage, alerts
our players that all three middle linebackers are blitzing. Blue
also alerts our players that the Corners have the #1 receivers,
the Dogs the #2 receivers, the Free Safety the #3 receiver, etc.
GMC’s 3-5-3 Defense only has five different coverages, but our
system allows us to blitz from all types of angles and areas. The
five different coverages that we run are 1, 3, White, Blue, and
Black. All five of these coverages alert us as to who is blitzing.
In the following diagrams, I will give an example of each of our
blitzes and the coverage that goes with them.
Cover 1: Five man pressure, man fee concept with the Free Safety, and it alerts the two inside
linebackers to blitz.
E
D
N
B
M
E
B
D
C
C
FS
Corner: Both have the #1 receivers
Dog: Both have the #2 receivers
Free Safety: Man free helping the Dog to the split #2 receiver side
Bat Strong: Has the back, #3 receiver
Bat Weak: Blitz “B” gap weak
Mike: Blitz “A” gap weak
GRIDIRON Coach
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11
Cover 3: Five man pressure, fire zoneconcept, and it alerts the players that the two inside linebackers
are blitzing with 3 deep coverage behind it.
E
D
N
B
E
M
B
D
C
C
FS
Corner: Both have deep outside 1/3
Dog: Both have the curl to flat to their side
Free Safety: Has the deep middle 1/3, butt will shade to
the split #2 receiver side to help the dog if necessary
Bat Strong: Blitz “B” gap strong
Bat Weak: Has the middle hook area
Mike: Blitz “A” gap strong
Cover Blue: Six man pressure, zero coverage, and it alerts the players that all three middle
linebackers are blitzing.
E
D
C
N
B
M
E
B
FS
D
C
Corner: Both have the #1 receivers
Dog: Both have the #2 receivers
Free Safety: Has the back, #3 receiver
Bat Strong: Blitz “B” gap strong
Bat Weak: Blitz “B” gap weak
Mike: Blitz “A” gap weak
12
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GRIDIRON Coach
Cover White: Five man pressure, and it alerts the players that the two Dogs are blitzing.
E
D
N
B
C
M
E
B
D
FS
C
Corner: Both have the #1 receivers
Dog: Both are contain blitzers
Free Safety: Has the #2 receiver to the strong side of the form
ation
Bat Strong: Has first threat, or the #3 receiver to his side
Bat Weak: Has first threat, or the#2 receiver to his side
Mike: Watch for leakage in “A” gap weak, and then becom
e a low hole player
Cover Black: Five man pressure, and it alerts the players that the Dog and Bat to the called side
will blitz.
E
D
C
B
N
M
E
B
D
FS
C
Corner: Both have the #1 receivers
Dog: The Dog to the blitz side blitzes, and the Dog away has the #2 receiver
Free Safety: Has the #2 receiver to the blitz side
Bat: The Bat to the blitz side blitzes and the Bat away has the #3 receiver
Mike: Watch for "leakage" in "A" gap strong, and then become a low hole player
In conclusion, our 3-5-3 Defensive package allows us to have a
pre-snap alignment that looks the same to our opponent’s quarterback every time he comes to the line of scrimmage. This consistent, pre-snap look enables us to bring pressure from many various
angles. In turn, we have five different players that can blitz at any
time using several different combinations. These combinations
present our opponent’s offense with an element of surprise in regards to which one of our players is blitzing. I believe that the 3-53 Defense is a highly effective defense given the fact that it causes
GRIDIRON Coach
problems and mismatches for our opponents. Also, I believe the
way the coverage package is organized makes the defense even
easier to learn and execute. With our color and numbering scheme,
it leaves no room for error in relation to who has the #1, #2, and
#3 receivers. Lastly, I hope that this article has given you an
insight as to how we execute our coverage package at GMC. I
would like to thank Gridiron Coach Magazine for giving me the
opportunity to write this article and give you some insight into our
program and its defense. n
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13
Christopher Behan
Palmyra, VA
Bulldog Football
W
ith the first half of play nearly over, the Manhattan
Bulldogs’ undefeated season is in danger. The
opposing team has already scored once, and the
Bulldogs can’t get anything done on offense. Even in junior
league flag football, the quarterback needs protection and time
to set plays in motion, but the normally impregnable Bulldog
offensive line leaks like a sieve today. One player in particular,
not very large but blessed with explosive speed, has cut through
the line untouched on virtually every play.
“Jacob, block your man!” I shout from the sidelines. My son
plays offensive tackle, and he happens to be the one getting
victimized by this speedy defensive lineman. Nothing like this
has ever happened to him before. He isn’t the fastest player on
the team, but he is big for his age and blocks well. He takes
pride in not giving up sacks, but today, he’s already given up a
season’s worth of them. He is discouraged, ready to give up. I
can see it in the hangdog expression on his face and his slumped
shoulders every time the offensive unit trudges off the field after
another three-and-out offensive series.
I worry about his self-esteem. Already he has concerns about his
speed and athleticism. “You don’t know what it’s like, Dad,” he
once wailed to me after finishing last in every sprint during
practice. “I’m the slowest guy on my team.” His chin quivered
and he burst into tears.
I understood far better than he knew. I was always one of the
slowest guys on my Little League baseball teams and on my
junior high and high school football teams. Sometimes it is a
painful thing for a father to consider the genetic heritage he has
passed on to his children. I remember looking up from the
bottom of a pile of defensive lineman at high school football
practice one day and seeing my father, who had been a star
player in high school, shaking his head in bemusement at the son
he had begotten. Dad’s athletic genes went recessive with me.
Thus Jacob, who wanted to play quarterback or running back,
has been relegated by genetic limitations to the offensive line, a
chip off the old block, an apple that didn’t fall far from the tree.
He does not run like a gazelle; rather, as I did at his age, he
chugs along on his heels like a slow freight train, the little engine
that could.
He has, however, discovered a knack for blocking and a love for
the battle in the trenches. It began one Tuesday afternoon during
a game, when he and a like-minded opponent of similar build
spent the entire game grappling with each other with no apparent objective other than to make physical contact. Jake’s
opponent never tried getting to the quarterback or pursuing a
running back; all he wanted to do was to hit and be hit by Jacob.
The two of them took turns slamming into each other and
knocking each other down, fighting their own battle, oblivious of
everyone else on the team. Afterwards, the exhausted warriors
gave each other high-fives, and Jacob paid his adversary the
ultimate compliment: “That guy was pretty cool.”
14
But today is different. Jacob gives up yet another sack and turns
toward the sideline, his face screwed up in frustration. The team
lines up to punt. “This isn’t like Big Jake,” remarks my friend
John. John and his wife Chasity have no children of their own
yet, but they are big fans of Bulldog football and faithfully
attend nearly every game to cheer on my sons.
“I know! It’s a total mystery to me. I’ll go talk to him at
halftime,” I reply. “Something’s up. This guy he’s up against is
too fast for Jake. Maybe Coach B can switch Jake to defense for
the rest of the game.”
I watch Bulldog football because my two sons play on the same
team, but John and Chasity watch because it is possibly the most
entertaining spectator sport in existence. The Bulldogs are in the
8-and-younger division of the Junction City Kansas YMCA
Flag Football league. John became a fan his very first game,
when Jake’s teammate Chance (aka “Wrong-Way”) almost
scored a touchdown for the opposing team. The Bulldogs were
ahead by several touchdowns, and Coach B was trying to
achieve his goal of giving every player an opportunity to score.
He put Chance, normally a defensive lineman, in at tailback.
Terrell, the quarterback, Coach B’s son, took the snap and
handed the ball off to Chance. Chance took a step towards the
line of scrimmage, saw the congested conditions there, and made
an eminently sensible decision for someone who knew little about
the rules of football: he turned around and ran away from the
crowd, toward the opponent’s goal. “Stop, Chance! Stop!”
yelled his teammates, until Terrell caught up to him from behind
and stripped off his flag.
Each team gets to have one coach on the field, a few yards back
from the line of scrimmage. This is necessary because no more
than two or three players on any team know what they are doing.
Coach B, a giant African-American man with an enormous
belly and a booming voice that rings with laughter, walks back
and forth between every play, encouraging and directing his
team. “Joseph! Joseph! You’re on defense, man!” he shouts to
my youngest son. “You got to go through that line of scrimmage
and get the quarterback! Understand?” Joe nods his head and
lines up with his back to the line of scrimmage, facing the wrong
way. Coach B gently grabs him by the shoulders and turns him
around to face his opponents. “You go that way,” he says, his
voice mirthful yet commanding. “You go get that guy.” When
the ball is snapped, Joe runs through the line of scrimmage, right
past the quarterback and into the open space of the backfield.
The whistle blows for halftime, and the boys tramp wearily
towards the sideline. “Get you a drink, now!” commands Coach
B. I approach Jacob, who is sitting off to the side by himself.
He is conscious of letting his team down. I try a tough approach
with him. “Jake, buddy,” I say. “You’ve got to block your man.
The team is relying on you.” I’ve always had a helpful talent for
stating the obvious. He turns to me with a mournful expression
on his face. His chin begins to tremble as he fights back the tears
and the emotions of failure. “But Dad,” he sobs, “I can’t. MY
MAN IS A GIRL! And you told me we aren’t allowed to hit
girls.” Jake’s nightmare is far worse than I had thought. The
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GRIDIRON Coach
whole game, he has been on the horns of a dilemma, caught
between the shame of being beaten by a girl and the parental
edict never to hit one. I try humor. “Just pretend it’s your sister,”
I advise. He and his brother regularly violate the no-hittinggirls rule with their sisters. “I can’t,” he sniffles. “It isn’t the
same.” I try a lawyerly explanation. “Son, if a girl decides to
play football, she’s agreeing to play by all the rules. And then it’s
okay to hit them. They’ve sort of assumed the risk, if you know
what I mean.”His blank look tells me I’ve made no impression
on him.
Coach B lumbers up to us. “What’s goin’ on, Big Jake?” he asks.
I answer for him. “He’s having a dilemma, coach. That guy
that keeps blowing by him is a girl. And we have a rule at our
house that he isn’t supposed to hit girls. I’ve been trying to tell
him it doesn’t make a difference in league sports, you know, it’s
an inherent part of playing the game and all that, but I don’t
think I’m getting through to him.” Conscious of my own
inability to communicate an inspiring and effective athletic
message to my son, I hope that Coach B’s years of coaching
experience will provide the right answer. I want him to salvage
Jake’s self-esteem, yet improve his play on the field.
Coach B does not disappoint me. He squats on his heels, smiles
at Jake and puts his arm around him. “Jacob, I want you to
remember something,” he says. “We’re playing football here,
you understand?” Jake nods. “Good,” he continues. “Because
out on the football field, there’s just two kinds of people: there’s
Bulldogs, and there’s everyone else. I don’t care if they’re girls,
boys, or whatever, if they ain’t Bulldogs, we hit them. Got it?”
Jake nods again. “All right then,” Coach B concludes.
“Remember that. Two kinds of people in this world. Bulldogs
and everyone else.”
Then Coach B calls the team together. Halftime is over. He
directs the boys to gather in a group and put their hands together
in the middle. “Who are we?” he shouts.
“Bulldogs!” they answer.
“I can’t hear you!” he says. “Who are we?”
“Bulldogs!!” They are louder this time, but not loud enough for
Coach B.
“I still can’t hear you! Now, one more time. Who are we?”
“BULLDOGS!!!”
“That’s right. Now get out there and play some football.”
The Bulldogs get the kickoff, and the offensive team trots onto
the field. Jake lines up, his “man” in front of him. He looks
bolder, more confident. The quarterback calls the cadence, and
the center snaps the ball. Jake fires off the line and flattens his
opponent. Terrell runs through the hole for a big gain. Jake
does this twice more. Each time, it takes the young lady a little
longer to get up, and finally, the opposing coach moves her to
defensive back, safely out of Jake’s reach. The coach calls out a
slow, mastodon-like boy who lumbers onto the field and lines up
opposite Jake on the defensive line. He and Jake exchange
smiles and spend the rest of the game hitting and blocking each
other until both are covered with grass stains and dirt.
The Bulldogs win again.n
Christopher Behan can be reached at 434-589-1712 or at
behanchris@yahoo.com
13/2
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