Coach -

The best pass rushers don’t just attack—they detonate.

Winston DeLattiboudere III, defensive line coach for the Arizona Cardinals, doesn’t settle for vague coaching like “go hit a move.” He arms his players with intent. Every rush has a purpose, a plan, and a path. It's a symphony of violence composed in three distinct movements: get-off, decision point, and finish.

1. Get-Off: The Urgent Elimination of Space

The rush begins with a bang. “Tick, tick, tick—boom,” DeLattiboudere tells his players. That first step isn’t casual. It’s an urgent explosion meant to eliminate as much space between the rusher and the blocker as quickly as possible. It’s the ignition that sets the entire rep in motion. No hesitation. No wasted time.

You’re not easing into contact—you’re detonating into it.

2. Decision Point: The Dance or the Fight

As the rusher meets the offensive lineman, he hits the moment of truth: the decision point. This is where the plan materializes. Do you jab and go? Spin and slip? Long-arm and drive? DeLattiboudere doesn’t force one-size-fits-all answers. Instead, he meets players where they are.

If a guy loves UFC, it’s a fight. If he’s into TikTok, it’s a dance. Whatever metaphor gets the player locked into that violent, critical instant—use it. The key is awareness. The pass rusher must know who he is, what he's doing, and why it works—because the decision point doesn’t forgive indecision.

3. Finish: Outside Arm, Outside Hip

Once the move is made, the final phase begins: the intentional close to the quarterback. It’s not just about running fast. It’s about technique carrying the rush home. DeLattiboudere emphasizes a phrase over the typical “point the toe”: outside arm, outside hip.

It’s a cue that engages more than just a foot—it activates the entire body in alignment. It naturally creates the angle needed to finish the play and flatten to the quarterback.

Coaching in Sound Bites, Not Paragraphs

At the core of DeLattiboudere’s approach is clarity. He and fellow Coach Dennis Dottin-Carter condensed the entire pass rush process into something unforgettable: tick, tick, tick—boom. It’s simple, sharp, and game-day ready. That’s intentional.

“You want to coach in sound bites,” he says. “You don’t want to coach in paragraphs.”

Because when the bullets are flying, the brain doesn’t have time for essays. It needs a spark. A trigger. A bomb about to go off.

And that’s exactly what Winston DeLattiboudere’s rushers become.

Video: 3 Phases of Pass Rush

Thank you to Coach DeLattiboudere for donating his time and presentation to support Lauren’s First and Goal Foundation and help families with children with cancer.

The Lauren’s First and Goal Clinic Team

P.S. You can see Coach Dottin-Carter’s presentation here