Shutting Down the Pistol Flex Bone Option With Your 4-3 Defense
There is nothing tougher than stopping a great option Offense. No matter how physically superior your guys are, the option guys are going by a simple mantra: If you can’t block ‘em, read ‘em! The power of the option attack…
Key to a Successful Power Read: QB/Sweeper Mesh
Having a week one bye has allowed me some extra time to watch both high school and college football for the last few weeks. A play that I’ve seen numerous times is the inverted veer or “power read.” It’s a…
Rob Taylor talks to Detroit Lions Strength and Conditioning Coach Ted Rath
Ted Rath is now in his fifth season as the strength and conditioning coach for the Detroit Lions. The previous two seasons he was an assistant strength and conditioning coach at his alma mater, the University of Toledo. Rath…
“Bread & Butter” Power Run For Any Offense
The 46/ 47 Power O was my best running play for years. I won a lot of games running this play out of 21 personnel. The play required having a tough fullback who had to take the right angle to…
Lead Speed Option
On this play, I like to read the first defender passed the DE. This gives the QB ample time to attack the perimeter with force. The B-Back is looking for the first wrong color to block (make sure he does…
SHIELD PAT/FG
The 2013 football season is upon us and it’s time for some pigskin! One thing I look forward too is the new and innovative schemes implemented by high school, college, and professional football teams. I have been somewhat considered a…
Play-Action Made Simple
The key to any successful play-action pass is the ability to sell the run. But, there are a few other things to consider when trying to maximize a play-action. First, make your routes simple enough so that they can be…
Slanting 3-4 Defense
Swarm, tackles, and takeaways is the specific type of defense we play. The 3-4 is just the way we choose to play it. My philosophy is to be able to get lined up quick, get the calls, and put pressure…
Underneath Zone Coverage for ILB’s
Working to get inside linebackers to fully understand underneath zones in coverage is critical. Our philosophy here is that we will cover deeper routes, and break up on shorter ones. The big play occurs when your underneath defenders are out…
Maximizing Tackling With Circuits
In my last monthly blog I shared some tackling drills we do without pads on to help us continue to improve our tackling fundamentals. As we get into our season, we want to be able to carry over the techniques…