Coach -

One of the most effective ways to stop RPOs is to play man coverage. You take away the easy throws, you put stress on the quarterback's timing, and you force the offense to execute against tight coverage instead of reading soft zones.

But here's the tradeoff: man coverage puts a lot of trust in your DBs. And if you're going to press, your guys need more than effort—they need technique. They need a system.

Daryl Ely, former Defensive Coordinator at Mount Union (two championship game appearances) and current assistant DB coach at UConn, builds his press coverage around a core technique with built-in variations. His system gives every DB a foundation to work from—and the flexibility to adjust based on what the receiver gives them.

Video: Press Technique

The Foundation: Mirror Press

Ely starts every DB with mirror press. The technique is simple in concept but demands discipline in execution.

Alignment is a yard and a half to two yards from the receiver—not from the line of scrimmage. That distinction matters. You're setting your depth based on the man you're covering, not the ball.

Eyes go to the hip on the lever side. The footwork rule is non-negotiable: feet before hands. DBs who lunge with their hands before their feet are out of position before the route even starts.

The goal is to stay square as long as possible. Mirror press won't always give you a forceful reroute—that's not the point. The point is to disrupt timing and buy time for your pass rush. In the clip, Ely breaks down exactly how he drills the footwork with his DBs.

Mirror Press

The Toolbox: Cut Off, Counter Hip, and the Two-Hand Jam

Within mirror press, Ely teaches three specific techniques based on how the receiver releases.

Cut Off Step: When the receiver releases outside the framework of your body. You're forcing a wider release, making him work to get vertical.

Counter Hip: When the receiver releases one direction and then tries to work back through your body. This is your counter move when he tries to set you up.

Two-Hand Jam: The only time Ely uses a two-hand jam—when the receiver tries to release vertically through you. Any other release, and you're using a different hand technique that Ely walks through in detail.

These aren't three separate installs. They're tools within the mirror press framework that your DBs pull from based on what the receiver gives them.

Tailoring to Your Players: Hard Press and Motor Press

Some guys can execute the mirror press cleanly. Others can't. Rather than force a technique that doesn't fit the player, Ely adjusts.

Hard Press: For DBs who can win at the line with their hands. You're putting hands on the receiver earlier, but the goal is the same—disrupt timing.

Motor Press: For DBs who need to give ground before striking. You're giving a little cushion initially, then striking and rerouting.

The underlying principles don't change. Eyes on the target. Feet before hands. Stay square as long as possible. But the application changes based on what your player can do. The clip includes film of motor press so you can see what it looks like in action.

Three techniques built on the same foundation. Mirror press is the base. Hard press and motor press are the adjustments. And within all of them, your DBs have tools to handle whatever release the receiver gives them.

If you're going to play man coverage to take away RPOs, this is the work that makes it possible.

Always be growing,

Coaches Clinic Community of Coaches Helping Coaches

P.S. Just to counter the wildly popular RPO Clinic that all of the offensive coaches attended last week, a group of Defensive Coaches have put together a Virtual Think Tank this week on Stopping the RPO.

To learn more go here:

https://stoprpo.coachesclinic.com/

Should be awesome.