Coach ,

As Central Michigan and Northwestern are battling it out right now in the GameAbove Sports Bowl, let’s take a look at how the Northwestern HC, David Braun, has restored order to the program through sound defense.

Before he was the head coach, he was the architect of the defense at the perennial national champions, North Dakota State.

As Braun puts it, if you’re a 3-4 guy listening to a 4-3 speaker, the diagrams don’t always translate. The structure, however, does.

It starts with moving away from the old idea of just "sounding the fit."

Video: How to Structure Run Fits

The RPO Problem

Ten years ago, run defense was simple. You see run, you hit your gap.

If you do that today, you lose.

Modern offenses use your aggression against you. If your linebacker triggers downhill the moment he sees a run read, he opens a window for the slant behind him. The RPO game killed the "fast fit" mentality.

Braun argues that you need to categorize your run fits. Your players need to know how they fit, not just where they fit.

The Three Categories

To fix this, Braun teaches three specific types of fits. Every call in the playbook falls into one of these buckets.

1. Gap Fit (Fast Fit) This is old-school football. It’s downhill. You see it, you go. The linebacker knows, "I am hitting this gap now."

2. Layered Fit (Flow Fallback) This is the answer to the RPO. The linebacker plays with patience. He pulls double teams off the D-line, but he maintains the ability to fall back. He is a "natural, instinctual football player" here rather than a robot hitting a gap.

3. Funneled Fit This happens when you run a stunt or pressure. The D-line is moving to force the ball to a specific spot. The linebacker shouldn't just run to a gap; he needs to understand where the D-line movement is sending the running back.

Video: Which Run Fit is Better?

Build Your Identity

The goal isn't to simply copy what Coach Braun does or any other coach. 

The goal is to give your players the tools to solve problems on the field. When a linebacker knows, "This is a funneled fit," he stops guessing and starts playing.

That clarity allows you to be multiple in your fronts without confusing your kids.

Video: Building a Great Run Defense

Enjoy the bowl games this week.

Always be growing,

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P.S. If you want to see the full breakdown of how Braun installs this, the complete system is available HERE.