The biggest problem many coordinators will run into this season is not going to be not having enough play calls. It’s going to be having a defensive playbook that is too big. And for no reason.
When you’re using a Coach Simple approach, that defensive playbook needs to only include the calls you absolutely need. Especially with a shortened off-season. Check out this podcast to find out just how much you need in your defensive playbook this season.
This concept is a big one in run fits. Understanding horizontal and vertical seams, and how to pull the levers to fix those seams for your force defenders, is one of the fastest ways to improve your defense.
Seams is a fancy word for run lanes… or run lanes is a fancy word for seams. They can happen horizontal to the line of scrimmage, or perpendicular to the line of scrimmage. But the issue remains, when you have seams in your defense, you create run lanes for the offense.
In this episode we’ll explain what horizontal and vertical seams are, how they create run lanes, why they happen, and how to fix them. This is a critical episode if your defense has had trouble maintaining force on the perimeter.
Bishop-Fenwick High School in Massachusetts is a perennial title contender and their 4-3 Defense run by Defensive Coordinator Dave Dugan is a big contributor to that success. Coach Dugan joins The Football Coaching Podcast to talk about what’s worked in building his defensive attack.
Find out how this brand of the 4-3 Defense teaches simple Linebacker reads and a pattern match Cover 2 coverage to shut down their opponents. Plus you’ll find out how you can prepare your team with a short off-season - because in Massachusetts they do it every year!
There’s a reason defensive coaches make strength calls. But there’s a lot of thought that needs to go into those strength calls.
In this episode we’ll talk about how to make your strength calls fast, make them easy, and make them work for your defense. Because if they’re not helping your defense, they’re making your defense worse.