Take the Advantage Away from an Offense by Using these 3 Techniques
Oct 10, 2022 2:26 pm
Coach ,
The focus this week is taking away aspects of the offensive attack, and the techniques shared come from the Temple Defensive Staff led by Defensive Coordinator DJ Elliot.
They are definitely what would be considered a top defense in the country with Top-25 rankings in nine statistical categories:
Temple Defense 10/10/22
#1 Team Sacks - 4.0 per game
#3 Passing Yard Allowed -149.0 YPG
#3 3rd Down % - .237
#4 Tackles For Loss - 9.0 per game
#8 Red Zone Defense - .667
#11 First Down Defense - 79
#12 Total Defense - 280.2 ypg
#20 Sociring Defense - 16.8ppg
#25 Team Passing Efficiency Defense - 115.61
Let’s take a look at the fundamentals taught by the Owl defensive staff and what they take away from an offense.
#1) Stopping the Run Starts Inside
Offenses like to distort a defense and that begins by keeping that defender on the line moving him horizontally to open a lane, or driving him off the ball to dent the defense. Neither is desirable.
On the other hand, the offense does not want penetration because it immediately forces a bounce or a cutback and constricts running lanes. Defensive Line Coach Antoine Smith teaches an “edge” technique on the interior. The objective is to Set the vertical edge with two hands on the man allowing for good gap leverage. Coach Smith explains the important coaching points here (click on the image for video):
#2) Track and Razor on the Backside
Whether it is an inside zone read play or a naked away from the run, having a sound plan to chase down the back and protect the quarterback from hurting you on the backside, and sound technique will help take this away from an offense.
For the Owls, it is assigning one player as the “track” defender and the other as the “razor” defender. This gives a “chase” player down the line taking away any cutback on the run, and another player defending against the quarterback keeper on a zone read or naked away. Coach Elliot explains it here (click on the image for video):
#3) Red Zone Clamp Man
The “clamp” is an off-man technique that helps with back-shoulder fades in the red zone. Off-technique gives the CB a chance to see the ball and keeps them in a position for both a PBU and a turnover. It eliminates the likelihood of the back-shoulder fade being completed or DPI.
It’s similar to a man-catch technique. Temple Safeties Coach Marvin Cledidor explains it here (click on the image for video):
Taking things away from an offensive attack starts with great fundamentals and techniques and clearly, the Temple staff is excelling at that this season.
Get all 3 of these clinic talks here - Winning Defensive Fundamentals. Proceeds from these talks support Lauren’s First and Goal Foundation for Pediatric Brain Tumor Research and cancer services.
Keep learning from the best to refine your players' techniques. As you know, this sets them up for success on game day.
Always be growing!
Coach Grabowski