Defensive Techniques that Win in Critical Situations
Oct 03, 2022 8:18 pm
Coach ,
In watching some games this weekend, many came down to a few plays, and that’s the theme around the coaching points for this week.
Whether it’s defending the red zone and keeping points off the board, breaking up a pass that will score the touchdown, two-point conversion or move the chains in a must-win down, or making that critical tackle when the game is on the line, the coaches who share their insight in these situations have some great answers that will be helpful to you and your players moving forward.
#1) PBU - Hook & Swat + RZ Finish
Here are some impressive numbers to consider:
#1 Passing Efficiency Defense 79.99
#2 Scoring defense 8.4 ppg
#2 Red Zone Defense .500
#4 Total Defense 229.2 ypg
#9 3rd Down .257
#11 Passing Yards Allowed 159.0 per game
If I told you to guess who that is, you might say Alabama. However, those number belong to the Fighting Illini of Illinois under Head Coach Brett Bielema and Defensive Coordinator Ryan Walters.
The Illini are flat out getting it done in 2022, especially when it comes to the passing game. That’s where attention to detail comes into play. You can bet that they are drilling it all of the time, and an effective drill to accomplish this is the Hook & Swat Drill from Defensive Backs Coach Aaron Henry. He explains the technique and drill which they use to break up passes here (click on image for video):
Being able to have great technique in critical passing situations when the game is on the line is important in getting your defense off the field with nothing for the opponent to show on the scoreboard.
The Red Zone finish technique is something that WVU DB Coach Shadon Brown teaches and drills constantly. He explains it here (click on image for video):
#2) Defending in the “Loose Red Zone” 12 yard line to 4 yard line
Western Michigan Defensive Backs Coach defines the Loose Red Zone as that between the 12-4 yard lines. It’s an area which allows the offense to have the full playbook at their disposal. Coach Marvin Clecidor defines it here (click on image for video):
In this area they like to play a coverage which they call Moose. It’s a Cover 2 Look with a different technique and Sam and Will play low wall receivers with Mike providing a 5th man in pressure. He shows it on game film here (click on image for video):
Video: Loose Red Zone Game “Moose” Film
#3) TFL technique - The “Lion” Roll Tackle
Almost every tackle for loss is a roll tackle. The running back almost always stops his feet when he sees a defensive lineman in the backfied. The DL who tackles high will usually bounce off and the running back drives ahead to get yards.
TFL’s put the offense behind the sticks which is critical in helping the defense to get off the field. Manny Diaz implemented this system in 2014.
He illustrates TFL created by the “Lion” Roll Tackle on game film. (click on image for video):
Video: Almost All TFL are Lion Rolls
Those are some useful techniques that can work in any defense. It’s a game of inches and the inches are won by coaching the details!
Always be growing!
Coach Grabowski