2013 - 01 - Afm

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VOLUME 19
JANUARY
2013
M O N T H L Y
T
I
L
"
S
K
C
A
"

G
ZIN
Disrupt any offense

Its all in the timing
DONT CALL HIM COACH

John Gagliardis
amazing career
ONE TEAM,
TWO OFFENSES
Double trouble for defenses
THUNDER STORM WARNING

Tackling and Turnover Circuit
PLUS: SUPER STOPPER The Dime 4-1-6 Package
Letter from AFM

Speed Report Is Your Off-Season
Football Speed Training on Track?
By Dale Baskett, Football Speed Specialist
to: LSU
6/,./*!.5!29
Sports Info
rmation
- John McKay
Cover Pho
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A genius in coaching is a
guy that won last week.
Strength Report A Year Round Strength

and Conditioning Program, Part I By James Frazier,
Strength and Conditioning Coach, Harvard University
Safety First Stronger Necks = Fewer Injuries

By Ryan Cidzik, Strength and Conditioning Coach,

Columbia University
and turnover circuit covers all the essentials of

effective defense.
By the Trine University Defensive Staff

Zone Blocking, Part I Philosophy and Concepts
Drills Report Improving Your Quarterbacks

Throwing Mechanics By Sonny Wolfe,
Offensive Coordinator, McGill University, Canada
Coach to Coach Want to Use a Faster Tempo

as a Weapon? Be Creative in Deciding How
By Bryon Hamilton, Head Coach, Foothill High School (CA)
Blitzing Backs Keys to Effective

Defensive Back Blitzing Packages
By David Purdum
Legendary Leader John Gagliardi retires

after 64 years, 489 wins and countless changed lives.
By Bo Carter

7(!43
.%84
Heres a sample of the articles
you can look forward
to in February:
Thunder Storm Trine Universitys tackling
By Ken Wilmesheer, Offensive Line Coach, Grossmont College
One Team Two Offenses By Jeff Hancock,

Offensive Coordinator, Siena Heights University
and Jason Mensing, Head Coach, Whitehall High School (MI)
Spare a Dime The dime 4-1-6 package can

be used in certain passing situations, providing
solid man-to-man coverage.
By Chris Willis, Defensive Coordinator, University of North Alabama

Web Exclusives Articles only available at AmericanFootballMonthly.com
From the Coaches Bookshelf - Dream Chaser

4th and Goal by Monte Burke
t AFMs College and High School Coaches of the Year for 2012
t Zone Blocking, Part II: Footwork and Blocking Schemes
t Formulating a Defensive Game Plan
t Maximizing Tight End Play
t Defending the Power Play With the Stack Defense
PLUS much more including online articles for subscribers only!
Not a Subscriber? Dont miss a single issue.

Subscribe today and get 10 issues for the low introductory price of $29.99 (Reg.$39)
Offer valid for new subscribers in the USA.
Online Priority Code: AFPR1301 t www.AmericanFootballMonthly.com
,%44%2
M O N T H L Y
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www.AmericanFootballMonthly.com
Editor & Publisher: John Gallup
jgallup@AFMmedia.com
Managing Editor: Rex Lardner
rlardner@AFMmedia.com
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Scott Corsetti
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Contributing Writers:
Dale Baskett, Steve Dorsey, Bryon Hamilton
and David Purdum
Director of Audience Development:
Charlotte Vann
cvann@AFMmedia.com
Video & Internet Coordinator: Mark Taylor
mtaylor@AFMmedia.com
Directory Coordinator: Carolyn Clark
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s/PTION
NFL HSPD Regional Director John Austinson
Two Regional Directors of the NFL High School Player Development

program presented by the National Guard discuss how coaches everywhere can give back to the game.
ost successful coaches recognize that

they are fortunate to have made a career
out of football. Thats what motivates so
many to give something back to the
game by participating in activities that can make
a difference using football to be a positive influence with youth in their communities.
Hundreds of coaches give back to the game
every year by participating in the NFL High
School Player Development program, which is
presented by the National Guard. The NFL HSPD
provides high school players, primarily in underserved communities, with multi-day football instructional camps that also emphasize character
development at no cost to the participants.
In 2012, there were more than 200 camps that
mentored nearly 40,000 young athletes in all 32
NFL markets and 43 states plus Puerto Rico.
www.nhspd.com
The HSPD camps provide an instructional curriculum with drills and on-the-field activities designed and provided by a leading college coach
this year the University of Miamis Al Golden.
Off the field, the athletes participate in a character development session conducted by coaches
and often by members of the National Guard.
The sessions provide valuable guidance to participants helping them to be more productive
and successful individuals in the classroom, in
the community, and at home.
HSPD Regional Directors are responsible for
overseeing multiple camps and ensuring that
sufficient numbers of local coaches participate in
the program. HSPD provides many great opportunities to coaches everywhere, from promoting
attendance to players at your school and in your
community to staffing the camps and helping
everything run smoothly to organizing and coordinating a new HSPD camp in your area in association with the NFL.
AFM recently spoke to two HSPD Regional Directors about how and why coaches should get
involved with the camps in 2013. John Austinson,
who is Head Coach at Byron High School (MN)
and Regional Director for six states Minnesota,
Wisconsin, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota,
and Nebraska. Hes been involved with HSPD
for five years and was responsible for 11 HSPD
camps and two HSPD 7-on-7 Regional Tournaments in 2012. Eloy Ledesma is Regional Director
for Southern California and six additional states
Washington, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Alaska, and
Hawaii. 2013 will be the 2nd year with HSPD for
this former Student Manager/Football Operations assistant under Pete Carroll at USC.
Special Advertising Feature
AFM: What are the most important benefits for

athletes who attend HSPD camps?
Eloy Ledesma: Individuals that attend HSPD
camps are provided with unparalleled resources
and a very unique experience that centers
around developing high school athletes both on
and off the field. No other camp supplies participants with materials prepared by the NFLs Player
Engagement Department that provide critical
information on time management, social media
responsibility, and a multitude of other pertinent
topics facing high school students. On the field,
players go through a strict practice regimen put
together by an elite college football program each
year which focuses on basic football fundamentals
that would benefit players from every skill level.
John Austinson: The most important benefit

from attending our HSPD camps is the sound
techniques the athletes will learn from our character development, football skills and teamwork
portions of our program that will make any football program stronger.
What are the different ways that active or
retired high school coaches can get involved
in the HSPD program?
Austinson: We welcome all coaches, active or
retired, who want to be involved in the HSPD
program. They are the keepers of our game.
They can visit the HSPD website (www.nflhspd.
com) and find out where camps are being held
around them. They can send an email to us from
the website, which we will respond to, or find
the contact information on the website of the
Regional Directors and/or Site Managers of the
sites in their area and reach out to us. We love
hearing from coaches who want to be a part of
this wonderful program and will make any effort
to see what can be done to get them involved.
Ledesma: There are numerous levels of involvement that current/retired high school coaches
Special Advertising Feature
can choose if they would like to be a part of the

HSPD program.
From deciding to run an HSPD camp in their
local community, participating as a coach in an
already established camp, or simply volunteering or speaking at a site, high school coaches are
essential to the overall success of the NFL HSPD
program and development of student-athletes.
What benefits does a coach receive from being
involved in the HSPD?
How have the HSPD camps made a positive

difference in their communities?
Austinson: I see the positive in the faces of
the athletes in my area at the camps I run. They
are excited and appreciative of the chance to
come to a quality, free camp, which maybe they
couldnt otherwise afford. When they are taught
sound skills from high school, college, and sometimes pro coaches and athletes who they know
care about them, you can see the excitement in
their faces. And for me, thats the best part.
Ledesma: Coaches that participate in the HSPD

program are provided with the opportunity to
associate themselves with the NFL brand and
further develop their knowledge of the game.
HSPD camp coaches are all supplied with a DVD
Ledesma: HSPD camps are designed specifically to bring communities together. The camps
are structured to break all associations among
teams and schools by dividing players solely
filled with hours of position-specific drills outlined and thoroughly explained by the coaching
staff from the University of Miami. This camp
provides a forum to bring coaches together from
the local community to one location, all coaching one universal style and technique that facilitates the growth and a greater understanding of
basic fundamentals.
by their position. The HSPD camp facilitates the

development of a mutual respect among participating players and coaches that carries beyond
the duration of the event. They serve as a bonding opportunity by breaking down barriers and
having all parties involved working towards the
same goal to compete within themselves to
bring out their very best.
Austinson: The benefits are many. The biggest

benefit a coach receives by bringing his players
to an HSPD camp is the chance to work with their
young players to make their football programs
stronger and make them better players and citizens. If coaches decide to work at an HSPD camp,
they get the benefit of working with other local
coaches and National Guard members in their
communities to make the young athletes at the
camps better players and people.
The NFL invites all football coaches to get involved in the HSPD. Whether its coaching at a local camp, organizing and hosting a camp in your
area, or promoting the camp to your players and
to other coaches in your league or region, the
NFL HSPD program presented by the National
Guard is a great opportunity for you to give back
to the game and help young athletes become
better football players and better citizens. p
GET INVOLVED IN 2013 If youre a coach who wants to share your expertise with athletes in your area, you can
contact the NFL HSPD program and volunteer your services as a coach at your local camp. If you can spare more time and
would really like to give something back to the game, you can organize a new HSPD camp in your region. Either way, youll
be part of the nations best summer camp program for deserving athletes improving football skills and building character
with the NFL HSPD program presented by the National Guard.
For more information, visit www.NFLHSPD.com and enter the promo code AFM113.
www.nhspd.com
2%0/24
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QQQM;GMIH?KOCJG?HN=IG
Is Your Off-Season
Football Speed Training
on Track ?
By Dale BasketttFootball Speed Specialist
f you have been reading my articles over the

last six years, you know that I try to point
coaches in the right direction for true football speed development.
My hope is that you will apply useful teaching methods that are currently not available.
The first step is having an open mind for learning new concepts. Whatever you have chosen to
use as a method for speed development requires
time to install. Time is the greatest commodity in
life. We only have so much time to utilize and we
want maximum results for the time we spend on
whatever we do.
Joe Vitt, the interim head coach with the New
Orleans Saints, hired me in 1986 when he was the
strength and conditioning coach at that time for
the Seattle Seahawks. What Ive learned and formulated over 31 years is a better way to teach football
speed to football players who want to play fast.
Whats required is precise methods that are
relative to the mechanical functions for football
movement. Formulation of a system must always have a premise. The premise must be factbased relative to the objective activity required
for the sport. All movement must relate to the
core premise thats established. If any movement
doesnt relate to the established mechanical
premise then it isnt valid or shouldnt be used
and must be removed from the system. If not,
athletes motor processing will receive mixed sig-
nals and impede muscle contraction potential.

In addition, mechanical movements will be
erratic as you execute game speed transitions.
Any system is only as good as the core premise
it is built from. Random choice of the order in
which your drills are applied will determine how
well your developmental processing will turn
out. The way they are taught will also determine
the success you will have.
Are you off track with the current methods
youre applying? The methods have to be proven
to be relative to football speed. As the coach, youre
responsible for knowing what you use for maximizing movement effectiveness for your athletes.
If youre using track techniques that have been in
place for decades and dont follow the drills and
Diagram 1. Maximizing Speed
techniques I am going to share, then your time

spent is just that spent. Many track drills are not
football-oriented drills for acceleration and the
movement control necessary for football speed. If
youre using these drills or others that are similar,
youre off track. Motor processing must be the key
to your system when cycle movement is involved.
Use the series I give you and put aside previous
drills. You cant mix the two. Everything must be in
line with the premise.
Before you worry about agility type training
in the early part of the off-season, you should
train the entire team lineally first with technical
mechanical functions. When your players begin
to accomplish mechanical effectiveness from the
basic foundational training in a few weeks, then
you can start moving the players faster. As that

develops, you can begin lineal change of pace
movement. Remember, until the players run well
lineally, you shouldnt begin football movement
drills. When an athlete displaces velocity from a
lineal sprint or stride, the mechanical control is
initially disturbed upon the first cyclic step taken.
I advise to hold tough to this fact and youll reap
the rewards.
The Premise for Drills Being On Track
The following drill series is in an order for you
to follow. The reps are at the end of each drill. You
should use these drills twice a week for a month.
After that time frame you can start with stride
work and agility movement.
The core premise is simple Line / Synchronization / Foot Strike Placement the three factors
that control effective human movement.
First LINE - (Leg, upper body and head). They
must stay connected horizontally as force comes
up from the surface on every step taken.
Second SYNCHRONIZATION (Upper arm
rotation and leg cycle rotation must be synchronized evenly as they move front to back).
Third - FOOT STRIKE PLACEMENT ( The leg action as it comes to the front of the run must move
directly down to the ground, slightly ahead in
front of the hip).
These three principles constitute the premise
for running correctly. All drills used must adhere
to the three principles working together with
each stride taken. Any movement that doesnt is
destined to produce less than maximal results for
speed potential and control.
Diagram 2 High Knee Rhythm Run
(25 yards x 3 reps)
Main focus is on two factors line remaining
connected and slightly forward from the ground
up but not bent at the waist. Eyes remaining forward and level at all times.
Diagram 2: High Knee Rhythm Run

Speed Report continued on page 49
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2%0/24
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Presented by
Harvard Athletic Communications
A Year Round
Strength and
Conditioning
Program
Part I
By James Frazier
Strength and Conditioning Coach
Harvard University
s strength coaches, it is our job to maximize the performance of our athletes and
to minimize their risk of injury. Proper
programming and organization go a long
way in ensuring our athletes are prepared for
each season. Periodization, in its simplest terms,
refers to the organization of training phases to
maximize performance for the competitive season. The year is broken down into different cycles. The cycle traditionally goes:
O-Season, Spring Season, Pre-Season,
In-Season, Post Season
FIRST THINGS FIRST

There are two things that should be a part of
all programs, no matter the time of year - mobility and stability. These two principles work
together to create movement. Mobility is the
ability to move through a range of motion, and
stability is the ability to control movement. For
movement to occur, the deep muscles have to
contract to stabilize the joint, while the superficial, or outer muscles contract to move the
muscle. So, these two areas are both extremely
important to movement.
As Olympic wrestling champion and coach Dan
Gable once said, If its important, do it every day.
Mobility and stability are two things that should
be addressed daily. Each athlete is different, so
they will have different needs in these areas.
Some athletes may have shoulder instability and
great mobility, but others might have extremely
10
strong shoulders, but not great mobility.

One way to figure the needs of your athletes is
to do a functional evaluation. Gray Cooks functional movement screen is a great way to watch
how your athletes move, and to locate any energy leaks in movement, or other areas that are
causing a lack of efficiency in movement. A few
other tests that we use to evaluate stability are:
inverted rack row (8 reps), glute ham raises (3
perfect reps), SL jumps (locate power discrepancies between legs) and a 60-second bridge march
(posterior chain endurance and torso stability).
Once your athletes are evaluated, a program can
be put in place that will allow them to improve
in areas that are weakest. But there are times that
it isnt possible to perform these evaluations, due
to either a lack of coaches, time, or abundance of
athletes. In these situations, an organized warmup can be implemented to work on these areas
in a time-efficient manner.
We sometimes see up to 120 athletes at one
time, so separating a group that large into their
areas of weakness isnt always possible. Instead,
we use a systematic warm-up to address mobility
and stability. The two mobility warm-ups we use
are an in-place dynamic series and a hurdle mobility series. Both focus on different areas of the
functional movement screen patterns such as
the overhead squat step, active straight leg raise,
and upper body mobility test. After mobility, we
will use an activation series, using either a mini
band or a 1 super band. Once we finish with the
bands, we will look to create stability, especially
through the torso (abs, hip, posterior chain) area.
This torso training area is going to be important

because the ability to stabilize the spine during
movement will allow for more transference of
force throughout the body for running, jumping,
cutting, etc.
Since we should be aiming to focus on them
daily, each workout should begin with mobility
and stability. They are vital to our goals of maximizing performance and reducing the risk of injuries.
POST-SEASON TRAINING
This is a transition phase from the in-season
practices to the off-season program. The objective during this time is to restore lean-body mass,
facilitate recovery from the season, and build
work capacity for the off-season phase.
This is the time of year where the volume of
lifting will be high, but the intensity will be lower.
During this phase, we typically will use higher reps
with moderate weight as a way to improve technique on the key lifts, develop hypertrophy, and
improve movement patterns. Through an 12-18
week season, the body can break down from the
volume of running and contact. These high-rep
workouts can help with restoring range of motion
through the large number of quality reps. Finally,
it is our goal to finish these workouts in 40-50 minutes. This means that we are asking our athletes to
increase the overall amount of work they are doing in a short amount of time. This is where we are
looking to build work capacity for the off-season
program they are about to endure.
OFF-SEASON TRAINING
Everything we do as strength and conditioning coaches is designed to get our athletes ready
to compete at the highest level during the season. This means working to make our players
stronger, faster, bigger and more athletic. We
are, in essence, trying to increase the amount of
tools in the tool bag that can be used to get the
job done. The winter off-season training phase is
one of the most important times of the year for
setting the tone for the upcoming season. There
arent any formal practices and all of the hours
allowed are used in the area of strength and
conditioning. Winter is a prime time to increase
strength levels and acceleration for our athletes.
This is also the time to incorporate general conditioning methods into the program.
Strength development should be a major part
of winter training programming. Without the
large quantities of conditioning that are typically
seen during the season and pre-season periods,
the winter is one time where strength can be
achieved at high levels. Overall volume of each
training session can be increased which will lead
to increases in lean body mass.
Additional lean body mass will help make
athletes bigger, stronger, and leaner. We will
typically lift three or four times a week during
this cycle. Our three-day-a-week lifting schedule
will consist of an acceleration and agility session
followed by a lift on Monday, Wednesday, and
Friday, with Tuesday and Thursday used as days
for general conditioning and team building. Our
four-day-a-week lifting schedule typically consists of a acceleration and agility session Monday
and Thursday, with a lift and general conditioning/team building session Tuesday and Friday.
No matter how the schedule is set, there are
obviously a lot of days that can be dedicated to
training for strength.
Speed training is another area of great importance during the winter. The two main components of our speed training are acceleration and
agility which are great indicators of performance
on the field. Acceleration is the ability to achieve
top speed in a short amount of time, and agility is
the ability to change direction without decelerating. Acceleration is the king in sports, especially
football. Whether its a running back making a cut,
or a defensive lineman coming off the ball, acceleration makes their success possible. Agility training
is also going to be important in ensuring athletes
can start-stop-start again as quickly as possible.
These two qualities must be addressed, and the
winter is a great time to increase an athletes ability
to accelerate and change directions faster.
General conditioning is the last part of the
off-season training cycle that should be incorporated into the overall program. We look at
general conditioning as a way to generate great
team chemistry and bonding. A lot of this time
HAMMER
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2013
CLINICS
For the most up-to-date information on

schedules, speakers and topics, visit
www.HammerStrengthClinics.com
For more information call (866) 994-3742
2012 Life Fitness, a division of Brunswick Corporation. All rights reserved. Hammer Strength is a registered
trademark of Brunswick Corporation. USV-041-12 (11.12)
Strength Report continued on page 49
11
SAFETY
FIRST
STRONGER NECKS
= FEWER INJURIES
Neck testing and training methods for football are critical ways to reduce injuries.
#Z3ZBO1$JE[JLtDirector of Strength and ConditioningtColumbia University
ven though research studies have shown

that increases in neck strength decrease
the chance of a head injury, there is no
national standard for neck testing in collision
sports. At the University of Memphis, we developed an innovative program to test, monitor,
and strengthen the neck that has decreased our
concussions and missed playing time 50% in one
year. This past season at Columbia University,
we decreased concussions 59% from the previous year. Our system addresses four main areas
of concern: 1-Is the athlete insufficient in neck
strength? 2-Is the athlete insufficient in neck
size? 3-Is the athlete insufficient in neck range of
motion? 4-Are we training the neck year-round
to address both individual and team deficiencies? We believe that our innovative system gives
our athletes the best protection possible when it
comes to fighting concussions.
HEAD INJURIES AND A STRONG NECK
Concussions occur because of linear and/or
rotational acceleration-deceleration of the head,
as well as axial compression to the cervical spine,
which damages brain tissue. Hits to the facemask increase the chance of a concussion due
to the rotational acceleration with these types of
hits. Concussive hits can cause a buildup of toxic
tau protein within the brain, which damages the
neural fibers that connect brain tissue. Since the
brain is the most complex organ in the human
body and is incapable of regeneration, protecting it is critical.
A 2007 Neurosurgery study proved that
having a stronger neck reduces your risk of a
concussion because, with an increase in neck
strength and stiffness you decrease the amount
of head acceleration following a hit. Not only
will strengthening your neck muscles decrease
your risk of a neck injury, but it will also likely
decrease rehabilitation time in the event of an
injury. As strength coaches, we cannot control
football technique, injury history, or anticipating

a hit. We can, however, control how strong our
athletes necks are, how big our athletes necks
are, how much range of motion (ROM) they have,
and how our athletes train.
RISK FACTORS FOR A CONCUSSION #1:
INSUFFICIENT NECK STRENGTH
My main area of concern when looking at all
of the neck strength tests that have been done,
was that all have been done in a research or rehab setting. What I did was take all of the principles supported by science and research and
come up with a method to safely, effectively, and
reliably test neck strength in a weight room setting. Ten things should be present when testing
neck strength:
1. Warm-up properly.
2. Test isometrically.
3. Test static strength endurance.
4. Test in a neutral head position.
5. Test forward flexion.
6. Dont use complex instruments.
7. Use a firm fixation system.
8. Keep the chin tucked.
9. Load the chin and forehead.
10. Use enough weight to be safe and effective.
Once you have tested all of your players, rank
them. If an athlete is insufficient in neck strength,
extra neck strength work is needed. For strength
work, heavier resistance using 6 reps or 15-20
seconds of work per set is ideal.
RISK FACTORS FOR A CONSUSSION #2:
INSUFFICIENT NECK SIZE
Besides neck strength, other objective tests
that can expose potential concussion risks to athletes are neck length, head circumference, and
neck circumference. Articles in Spine, the Journal
PRESENTED BY
12
W W W. X E N I T H . C O M
of Biomechanical Engineering, the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics have

suggested the importance of these measures in
regards to head injury risks. If an athletes neck
circumference is not proportionate to the length
of his neck and/or the size of his head, extra hypertrophy (size) work is needed. For hypertrophy
work, a medium resistance using 12 reps or 40
seconds of work is ideal for each set.
RISK FACTORS FOR A CONCUSSSION #3:
INSUFFICIENT NECK RANGE OF MOTION
An article in the Journal of Athletic Training
showed that if an athlete has decreased cervical spine ROM, he/she compromises the ability
to move out of the way of the path of the torso
during impact loading, therefore increasing the
chance of a neck injury. If an athlete is below the
minimal clinical standards for ROM, first get with
the medical staff and find out if the athlete has a
current or past injury. Second, extra re-lengthening (stretching) work is needed, in which we utilize a variety of methods suggested by manual
therapists.
RISK FACTORS FOR A CONCUSSION #4:
INSUFFICIENT NECK TRAINING
Too many coaches put very little thought into
actually training the neck. More often than not,
coaches just tell their athletes to go do one or
two sets of 10 reps on the 4-way neck machine,
and that is the case all year long. If you wanted to
increase your strength in the back squat, would
you do the exact same workout every day? No.
So, why is the neck any different? While predominantly slow twitch muscles, the cervical muscles
need different forms of activation and stimulation just like anything else. We approach neck
programming and training with the same, if not
more, meticulous and serious thought-process
as any other muscle group.
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#
What your athletes can handle in training is

dependent on their current level of work capacity. If they have only been doing neck strengthening exercises with one day per week, dont expect
to jump into a four day-a-week program without
getting someone hurt. After a thorough level of
training has been established, we train the neck
3-4 days per week. The upper trap, which is also
very important for dissipating forces, should be
trained 1-2 days per week. It is suggested that a
Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale is used on
all exercises. This is important because, while any
muscle group can be trained several days per
week, the intensity cannot be high every day.
For recovery purposes, there must be a balance
between high, medium, and low intensive workloads. We use three RPEs in our neck training
program: high RPE (9 on a scale of 10), medium
RPE (6 on a scale of 10), and low RPE (3 on a scale
of 10). A proper warm-up is always required, especially on high or medium RPE days. Whatever
training methods you chose to use with your
athletes, it is very important that they are not losing ROM due to training or competition. A stiff or
sore athlete cannot properly absorb force, hence
increasing the chance of an injury. Be sure various stretching and re-lengthening methods are
included in your year-round neck program.
NECK STRENGTHENING METHODS
We utilize a variety of exercises, tempos, methods, and ranges of motion in our neck strength
program. The neck should be trained in 10 different patterns, and rotations should be done at
least one-two days per week. While most of our
training involves manual eccentric-based work,
we use various resistances including manual
work, weighted resistance, bands, neck machines,
stability balls, Airex pads, and combo methods.
When performing manual work, it is suggested
that coaches do all manual work on their athletes
until all athletes thoroughly understand how to
perform it on each other. Always be very critical
of technique with anything you do with your athletes, especially when it relates to the neck.
Our yearly collegiate neck strengthening and
testing progression is as follows:
Early O-Season (January)
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length, head circumference, and ROM are tested
at the start of January.
t5SBJOUIFOFDLEBZTQFSXFFL
(Monday is a high RPE day, Wednesday is a low
RPE day, and Friday is a medium RPE day).
Early O-Season (February)

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(Monday is a high RPE day, Tuesday is a low RPE
day, Thursday is a high/medium RPE day, Friday is
a low RPE day).
t6QQFSUSBQXPSLJTEPOFUXPEBZTQFSXFFL
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for the physical demands of Spring ball.
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- Improves reaction time.
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are tested before Spring ball starts.
Spring Ball (March-April)
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day of (or day before) the practice with the most
contact.
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increased stress of practice.
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workout and practice.
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Summer Phase I (May, June)
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tested at the start of June.
day, Thursday is a high RPE day, Friday is a low/
medium RPE day).
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strength and/or circumference score.
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including perturbations one-two days per week.
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are tested at the end of July.
Pre-Season Camp (August)
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lower RPE with full range of motion.
In-Season (August December)
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range of motion.
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ume than the summer to accommodate for the
stresses of the season.
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ceptive in nature.
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workout and post-practice.
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and make adjustments to the training program if a
significant amount of hypertrophy has been lost.
t30.JTUFTUFEBTOFFEFE
While we cannot truly prevent all injuries from
occurring, we need to do our part in providing
our athletes with the best protection possible. If
we can determine if an athlete is insufficient in
neck strength, size, ROM, or training, we can help
minimize head injury risks by addressing those
issues. Dr. Robert Cantu, who just received a $1
million grant from the NFL to study brain injuries said, Its just straight physics. If you see the
blow coming and you have a very strong neck
and contract the neck muscles, you have a much
greater chance to have significantly reduced the
forces the brain will see. p
t#FHJONPSFBEWBODFENFUIPETPGUSBJOJOH
t1FSUVSCBUJPOTTIPVMECFEPOFPOFEBZQFSXFFL
t/FDLDJSDVJUTBSFVTFEUPSFGPSNVMBUFDBQBDJUZ
Summer Phase II (June, July)
t3FUFBDIUIFBUIMFUFQSPQFSGPSN JODSFBTF
work capacity and begin re-educating the neck
muscles.

day, Thursday is a high RPE day, Friday is a low/
medium RPE day).
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the month.
t&YUSBXPSLJTTUJMMOFFEFEGPSUIPTFXJUIB
lower strength and/or circumference score.
About the Author: Ryan Cidzik

is the Director of Strength and
Conditioning at Columbia University. He has been a strength
coach in the NFL with both the
Cleveland Browns and New
York Jets. In addition to eight
years of college coaching experience most recently at the
University of Memphis he was
the Strength and Conditioning
Coordinator for NFL Europe for
four years.
15
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#Z4POOZ8PMGFtQuarterbacks CoachtMcGill University
THE THROW (BODY)

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to eliminate over striding. He should stand tall with a slight bend in both
knees.
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t5IF2#QVTIFTPUIFCBDLGPPU XIJDITIPVMECFQFSQFOEJDVMBSUPUIF
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CFZPOE
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t#BMBODFJTSFHBJOFEGSPNUIFUSBOTGFSPGXFJHIUGSPNUIFCBDLGPPUUPUIF
GSPOUGPPU XIFOUIFGSPOUGPPUJTQMBOUFEPOUIFHSPVOE&OTVSFUIBUUIF
knee of the front foot remains bent throughout the throw.
THE THROW (ARM) FOR RIGHT HANDED QB

t #BMMJOCPUIIBOET QSPUFDUUIFCBMM

t &MCPXTEPXOBOETIPVMEFSTMFWFM
16
t #BMMJTQVTIFECBDLJOCPUIIBOETUPSJHIUTIPVMEFSoCBMMJTiDPDLFEwo
left arm is high across chest.
t 3FMFBTFCBMMBOEESJWFMFGUFMCPXEPXOQVMMJOHSJHIUTIPVMEFS IJQTBOE
throwing arm.
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t 5ISPXJOHBSNXIJQTGPSXBSEBOESPUBUFTBDSPTTUIFCPEZUPUIF
opposite hip.
t 1BMNTIPVMEOJTIEPXOBOEOHFSTQPJOUUPHSPVOE
t 2#TFZFTTUBZPOUBSHFUoOPUUIFJHIUPGUIFCBMM
WARM UP / THROWING PROGRESSION

t *OFBDIPGUIFESJMMTUIF2#TTIPVMECFUISPXJOHCBMMT
t 4FBUFEo5XP2#TTFBUFEZBSETBQBSUoCBMMPOUIFHSPVOE
UPEFWFMPQCBMMIBOEMJOH
5IFEJTUBODFDBOCFEFUFSNJOFECZ
players ages.
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VQQFSCPEZBDUJPOPGUIFQBTToUIFJNQPSUBODFPGUIFDIFTUMFBEJOH
UIFUISPXJOHBSN TPUIBUQSPQFSUISVTUJTBEEFE&OTVSFUIBUQSPQFS
follow through occurs.
t ,FFQGFFUQMBOUFEoFNQIBTJTPOTIPVMEFSSPUBUJPOBOEGPMMPXUISPVHI
Photos: McGill Athletics
Here are a number of coaching points and drills to help improve your
quarterbacks throwing mechanics.
oSFMFBTFCBMMIJHI
t 3JHIUTIPVMEFS MFGU
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NPWFGFFUIJHISFMFBTF UISPXMJLFBEBSUoUBSHFUUIFUISPXT
t #VMMQFOoMJLFCBTFCBMMQJUDIFSoXPSLJOHXFJHIUUSBOTGFS GPMMPX
through with an emphasis on shoulder rotation.
t $SPTTPWFSoQMBOUBOEUISPXoXJUIBOFNQIBTJTPOQSPQFSUFDIOJRVF
and accuracy.
t $SPTTPWFSoQMBOUoIJUDIBOEUISPXoBTBCPWF
t PSTUFQESPQBOEUISPXoRVJDLBOECJH XJUIBOEXJUIPVUIJUDI
Throwing on the Run

Diagram 1
Roll Out Drill oDiagrams 4 and 5)BWF2#TPOPQQPTJUFiIBTINBSLTw

GBDJOH POF BOPUIFS ZBSET BQBSU 2#T VTF SPMM PVU CPPU PS TQSJOU UFDI
OJRVFBOEUISPXUPSFDFJWFS T
QMBDFEDMPTFUPPQQPTJUFTJEFMJOFBUWBSJPVT
EFQUIT2#GPMMPXTUISPVHIBOEUIFOKPHTUPUIFCBDLPGUIFPUIFSMJOF
Diagram 1.
Back and forth o2#TZBSETBQBSUo2#TUBSUTGPSXBSEUPXBSE

QBSUOFSoTUSJEJOHBOEGPMMPXJOHUISPVHIoSFEVDFTUSJEFMFOHUI CBMMIFME
UXPIBOET
BUQFDMFWFMoUISPXPGSPOUGPPU'PMMPXUISPVHIoGPMMPXUIF
CBMMoDPOUJOVFUPUIFCBDLPGUIFPQQPTJUFMJOF
Circle Drill oDiagram 2o2#TSVOJODMPDLXJTFBOEDPVOUFSDMPDLXJTF

EJSFDUJPOToBSBEJVTPGZBSETBOEUISPXPOUIFSVOoXPSLVQQFSCPEZo
opening hips and maintaining a high elbow despite movement
Diagram 4.
Diagram 5.
Diagram 2.
Down the line o Diagram 3 TFQBSBUF 2#T CZ ZBSET XPSLJOH
BDSPTTUIFFMEoTU2#UBLFTCBMMoTJNVMBUFTSPMMPVUBDUJPO IFTRVBSFT
IJTTIPVMEFSTBOEDPNFTUPXBSE-04BOEUISPXTPOUIFNPWFXJUITIPVM
EFSTTRVBSFBOEDPNJOHEPXOIJMM4FDPOE2#SFQFBUToSFQFBUESJMMBDSPTT
UIFXJEUIPGUIFFMEoOPXXPSLCBDLTPFBDI2#HFUTUPUISPXSJHIU
and left.
Avoiding the Sack DrilloDiagram 6"MJHOB2#POBZBSEMJOFo

BOEIBWFEFGFOTJWFFOETBMJHOFEJOUIFJSOPSNBMBMJHONFOU5IF2#ESPQT
TUFQTXJUIUIFDPBDICFIJOEUIF2#BOEEJSFDUT XJUIIBOETJHOBMT
UIF%&
SVTI*GUIFDPBDIEJSFDUTUIF%&UPDPOUBJOSVTIoUIF2#TIPVMENPWFVQJO
UIFQPDLFU*GUIFDPBDIEJSFDUTUIF%&UPSVTIJOTJEF UIF2#JTFYQFDUFEUP
BWPJEUIF%&5IJTDPVMEJODMVEFSVOOJOHBXBZGSPNEFGFOEFSPSTQJOOJOH
PQQPTJUFUIFEFGFOEFS5IFSFDFJWFSTTIPVMECFUBVHIUiTDSBNCMFSVMFTwUP
BEKVTUUPUIF2#TNPWFNFOU T

Diagram 3.
Diagram 6.
17
DECISION MAKING
5IFOFYUQSPHSFTTJPOJTUPQMBDFSFDFJWFSTEPXOFMEBOEIBWFUIF2#FJUIFS
TUFQVQBOEUISPX PSBWPJEBOJOTJEFSVTIBOEUISPX(Diagram 7)'PSBO
BEEJUJPOBM QSPHSFTTJPO UIFSF TIPVME CF UXP EFGFOTJWF FOET SVTIJOH UIF
quarterback.
"MJHOB2#POBZBSEMJOF5IFO ZBSETVQFMEBMJHOUXPSFDFJWFST
ZBSETBQBSU)BWFUIF2#UBLFIJTESPQBOEUISPXUPUIFiPQFOSFDFJW
FSw5IFDPBDIXJUIIBOETJHOBMTXJMMJOEJDBUFXIJDISFDFJWFSXJMMPQFOIJT
IBOETUPUIF2#UPJOEJDBUFIFJTPQFO*UJTWFSZJNQPSUBOUUIBUUIF2#VTFT
QSPQFSUFDIOJRVFoCBDLGPPUQFSQFOEJDVMBS BQQSPQSJBUFMFBETUFQ XFJHIU
USBOTGFS IJHISFMFBTF BOEGPMMPXUISPVHI(Diagram 9).
Diagram 7.
8FBSFUSZJOHUPFODPVSBHFUIF2#UPNBLFQMBZTXJUIIJTGFFUoBWPJE
UIF SVTI EPOU UBLF UIF TBDL
)F IBT UISFF PQUJPOT B
OE BO PQFO SF
DFJWFS C
SVOXJUIUIFCBMM D
UISPXUIFCBMMBXBZ (Diagram 8).
Diagram 9.
5IF OFYU QSPHSFTTJPO DBO BEE B UIJSE SFDFJWFS 5IF SFDFJWFST DBO CF
QMBDFEJOBQQSPQSJBUFQPTJUJPOTPOUIFFMEUPEFTJHOBUFBQBUUFSOJOZPVS
playbook (Diagram 10).
Diagram 8.
"CJHLFZJTUIBUUIF2#must feel the rush OPUMPPLBUUIFSVTI
Diagram 10.
18
5IFOFYUQSPHSFTTJPOHPFTCBDLUPUIFEJBHSBNESJMMBOEBEETBEF
GFOEFS CFUXFFO UIF UXP SFDFJWFST 5IJT DPVME SFTFNCMFiNPOLFZ JO UIF
NJEEMFw5IFRVBSUFSCBDLTIPVMECFUBVHIUUPiMPPLPwUIFEFGFOEFSJOUIJT
drill (Diagram 11).
SideWinder
A New Perspective On How To Look At Coaching

The
best one-on-one
training tool I have seen
in 50 years of coaching.
- Dan Radakovich:
Pittsburgh Steelers Steel Curtain D-Line 7174, O-Line 74-77 / Rams 79 / Robert Morris
University
Diagram 11.
Grab and Go - anytime, anywhere
5IFOFYUQSPHSFTTJPOJTTJNJMBSUPEJBHSBNBOEBEETBOPUIFSEFGFOEFS
UPNBLFUIFDPOEJUJPOTHBNFMJLF:PVDBOUIFOBEETVCTFRVFOUEFGFOEFST
BTUIFRVBSUFSCBDLCFDPNFTNPSFQSPDJFOUJOSFBEJOHUIFEFGFOTF (Diagram 12).
Perfectly balanced for easy use

Digital camera w/quick release base
Telescoping mast, goes up quickly
Hi-Quality Monitor & remote control
Heavy duty battery system
Carrying case for all components
Diagram 12.
t1BUUFSOFYBNQMFTWTPOFEFGFOEFSDPVMEJODMVEFoIJUDIDPSOFSDVSMBU
BOETMBOUBU
t1BUUFSOFYBNQMFTWTUXPEFGFOEFSTDPVMEJODMVEFoBOZUSJBOHMF TJEFMJOF
PSPPESPVUF JF BHP PVU PSBUSPVUF
p
D. J. Welde
Ball State
Video Coordinator
About the Author: Sonny Wolfe just completed his first season as Quarterbacks
Coach at McGill University in Montreal. He has also coached at Sir George Williams
University, Vanier College, Acadia University, St. Francis Xavier University, and the
University of Montreal.
It is the best piece of

video equipment that
I have seen and used
in the last 20 years. I
would recommend it to
every coach.
Stan Parrish Head Football Coach,
Ball State University
Use for all QB Drills,

Dropbacks,
Pass Protection,
Blitz pick-up,
7-on-7, Chute Drills,
Inside Run Drills,
Kicking/Holders,
Defensive Pass Rush
Any Coachable Skill
After seeing the new
perspective with the SideWinder, our
coaches realized its value and now they
all want to use it for everything.
Brent Thomas Video Coordinator, Auburn University
..............................................................................
The SideWinder is professionally made .

It provides the perfect height and viewing angle for all practices.
Joe Harrington Video Coordinator, University of Tennessee
800-556-8778 www.USsportsVideo.com USsports@en.com

35
#
#/!#(
4/
#/!#(
By Bryon Hamilton
7!.44/53%!&!34%24%-0/!3!7%!0/.
"%#2%!4)6%).$%#)$).'(/7
CAA bowl games started on December 15th and finished on January 7th, and, like many
of you, I watched almost every game. Of all the current football trends on display, there
was one that seemed to present itself in almost every game - the no-huddle, up-tempo
offense. Spread offenses have been a football standard for many seasons. However, the
pace at which teams are executing their schemes is becoming more and more of a key factor in
their offensive philosophy and identity.
In todays football terminology, the word

tempo refers to how quickly a team can get a play
called, a formation set and an offensive play efficiently executed. Teams take great pride in determining how fast they can run a series of plays
and how many offensive snaps they can achieve
in four quarters of football. The dizzying pace at
which teams can run their offense was on display
in one of the very first bowl games of the year.
In the Gildan New Mexico Bowl, Nevada and
Arizona combined to run over 110 plays in the
first half alone. In the second half, Arizona scored
14 points in the last 48 seconds to win the game
by one point. An almost inconceivable feat was
accomplished partly due to the fact that Arizona
was able to navigate two scoring drives, aided by
the recovery of an onside kick, all in less than one
minute. Tempo was a key factor in that win and it
has been and will continue to be a key factor in
20
the future of football. With this in mind, I would

like to share with you some of the ideas that we
have implemented at Foothill High School to
help our team become more efficient in the area
of play calling, play execution and tempo.
In 2005, I knew that our team needed to do
something different on offense. As a result, I developed a new package of the spread offense
that is now known as the Shotgun Zone Fly . The
SZF Offense was initially installed as a no-huddle,
up-tempo offense. Trying to efficiently run a new
offense without huddling and at a fast pace presented some early difficulties for our players and
staff. We found out early that there is more to
becoming a no-huddle, up-tempo offense than
simply not huddling and moving fast. Logistical issues like play calling, personnel packaging,
conditioning (high school teams often utilize
two-way players, adding a different dynamic
than most college teams) all presented problems that had to be addressed.
Over a span of several seasons, I spent countless hours developing a system that helped
solve these problems for our team. I found a way
to call plays, execute them at a high level and expand the playbook while maintaining the ability
to work at a desired tempo in an efficient manner. Although it is not possible to give a detailed
explanation on every aspect of our schematic
installation and play calling system, I will share
some of the basic ideas that we have established
and used over the past five seasons.
To start, I will tell you that we do not have a
traditional playbook at Foothill High School. Our
typical game day call sheet has over 200 plays
on it and we rarely make assignment errors. On
the surface that may sound impossible but our
play system is built on a simple, position-specific
spreadsheet that is displayed on a wrist coach
(play bands) worn by all skilled position players
as well as the center. The benefits of using the
spreadsheet-style wrist coach are too numerous
to describe. I can tell you that in my 21 years of
coaching, the change from traditional play calling and play installation to what we are doing
today is the best thing I have ever done.
edsherphotography.exposuremanager.com
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In our system, we have replaced formation

names, personnel packages, play assignments
and snap counts with colors and numbers. What
used to be 10 personnel trips right, zoom 50
delta Y option on two is simply Yellow 5 today.
We have replaced the need to call personnel, formation, play call and snap count by simply calling out or displaying a color and number. This
simple change has allowed us to execute plays
at various tempos based on our game plan. If we
want to go fast, we can, and if we want to slow
the game down, we can do that as well. In the
above example Yellow is the column that represents our trips formation, and 5 refers to the
box (cell) in that column that will display a players specific assignment. If the play calls for the
Y to run an option route, the Y wrist coach will
say Option Route in the fifth box on the yellow
column. As far as the snap count goes, we always
dedicate certain colors as specific snap counts.
Yellow might be dedicated as a on two snap
count. This eliminates the need for the QB to call
out a snap count and it allows us to practice with
the same snap counts all year long. This helps to
eliminate mistakes and allows us to get off the
ball very quickly. The wrist coach also eliminates
the need to huddle. The players simply look to
the sideline to get the color and the number.
Once they have that information they know the
formation, their assignment and the snap count.
The system is very easy, fast and efficient.

Expanding a playbook without having every
player memorize every single play is another
advantage of using this system. Regardless of
how many pass plays we put in, our receivers
only have to know the passing tree and where
to line up and that information can be applied
to countless pass plays. We may have ten plays
that have the Y receiver running a corner route,
but as long as he knows what a #7 route is (designated on our passing tree) and where to line
up (based on the color which is a formation), he
can run the play. His wrist coach will simply say
7 Route in the colored play cell that I call. This
eliminates the need to have him learn the entire
play call. This system also allows players to play
numerous positions if needed simply by changing wrist coach bands.
Another advantage is that our receivers never
know if they are only a decoy or if they are a primary target. Due to the fact that they only have a
route on their bands, they do not know if they are
a primary or a secondary choice. This promotes
100% effort on each route. In this example, our
offensive line would have their protection identified in their designated play cell. Where the Y receiver was told to run a 7 route, the OL wrist coach
would display their protection for that particular
play. Each player would have their specific assignment identified on their wrist coach band simply
by identifying the called color and number. This

applies to all run and pass plays.
Developing the software to set this system up
was a lot of work but simpler systems can be used.
If you want to use something similar, you can use
any basic word processing software to manually
fill in each box and use colored font or the colored fill option to create and color the columns.
Another option would be to use a more advanced
spreadsheet system to create your bands. We developed our wrist coach software by utilizing Excel spreadsheet functions. Our Excel spreadsheet
formula allows me to input each play assignment
to each specific position. Once the plays are inputted, I simply print out each position wrist coach
sheets and place them into the position-specific
wrist coach bands. We laminate each card before
we put them into the wrist coach to assure that
they will not be affected by rain or sweat.
Our system is by no means superior to any of
the other systems that are being used on many
campuses throughout the country. My purpose in
sharing a few of these ideas with you is to demonstrate that you can be creative in installing and
developing a system that is right for you and your
team. If you desire to use tempo as a weapon,
dont be afraid to think outside of the box and
have some fun with it. Tempo is one of the new
weapons in football. It may definitely be a fad but
its a fad that I believe is here to stay.
Have you visited AmericanFootballMonthly.com lately?
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15
43
S
K
C
A
"

G
N
I
Z
"LIT
22
Keys to Effective Defensive Back Blitzing Packages

By David Purdum
"
litzing defensive backs is a high risk/high reward gamble that requires deception and precise timing in order to be successful. What are
the best times to send your corner or safety, which players make the best blitzers and what should they be aware of to increase their
chances of a sack or a hurry?
American Football Monthly enlisted the help of four defensive coordinators all blitz experts to share their insights about the who, when, how,
and where of D-back blitzes. Edinboros Wayne Bradford, Arkansas-Monticellos Keith Scott, Minnesota States Joe Klanderman and Prince George
High Schools (VA) Joe Daniel shared with AFM the thought process, philosophy, and strategy behind their blitz schemes.
Photos Michigan State Athletic Communications
What are the best situations to bring pressure

with defensive backs and against what formations?
Bradford: We have to be smart about how were
handling formations. If youre getting twins to
the field side and a tight end to the boundary, we
like to bring our boundary corner there, because
obviously hes down in a 2-by-2 look and you can
still show cover 2 to the field.
When we bring a boundary corner, wed prefer to bring him from our right hash, the offenses
left, because most QBs are right-handed. Well
bring our boundary corner against two-back
twins, with a tight end on the back side or against
three wide outs on the field side with one back.
Scott: We definitely like to come from the boundary, depending on if were facing a boundarythrowing team or a field-throwing team. Most
teams in a 3-by-1 set like to throw to the field side,

so you can bring pressure from the boundary.
tant than actually making sure the blitzing player

is in position to quickly get to the quarterback?
Daniel: Coming from the edge, were going to

look for two things. Were going to use a edge
blitz against a pocket passer from the short side
of the field. If its a zone read team, were also going to bring pressure from the weak side to mix
up the read for the quarterback.
When we bring pressure up the middle, were
going to bring our Mike linebacker and strong
safety into the A gaps. The strong safetys lined
up on the left and will cross behind off of the hip
of the Mike linebacker into the right side linebacker. Well bring that blitz in run situations. Its
also the best blitz, I think, if you have a pocket
passer that you want to get on the move, because hes going to move one way or the other.
What are the best ways to disguise your pressure packages? And is the disguise more impor-
Klanderman: If you want to be good at blitzing,

with safeties in particular, it cant be an unusual
look for the offense to see a safety dropping into
the box. You have to some complementary plays
in your package to not make it so unusual, if you
do decide to bring one of those guys. You have
to drop him down in there and play some base
zones or man.
You can drop him down in there to be a hook
player or you can drop him down in there to be a
hole player in man. You can do some things that
get him moving pre-snap down in the box, just so
the quarterback doesnt immediately check out
when he sees the player rolling down in there.
Well play man across the board with a linebacker on the back. Well drop that safety down in there
to be a low-hole player that can help with crossers
23
and can help with quarterback scrambles, while

also allowing us to have a deep middle safety.
Well also expand our linebacker to become
a flat player, and then well drop that safety down
inside to play some cover 3. Those are a couple of
ways we get our safety down in there that help us
set up some blitzes.
Bradford: We try to stay in our cover 2 shell as
long as possible. When we bring the boundary
corner, obviously he has to be able to get there.
You dont want him to have to sacrifice being able
to get there because of the disguise, but he has to
be in a position to show cover 2 and also be able
to get there in a hurry (See Edinboros defensive
back blitz packages vs. various formations).
Daniel: Disguise is important, but the biggest

thing is to make sure we get there. We dont want
a guy blitzing from nine yards away. We want
him at linebacker depth, 4-5 yards from the line
of scrimmage or closer.
Most of the time we will run a zone blitz,
three-under, three-deep zone. Depending on
the formation, our safeties begin 9-12 yards out.
If were playing a running team, we might be seven yards out. If were playing a wide-open spread
team, it would be more like 12 yards. When the
blitzing safety begins coming down, the remaining safety is moving to the center of the field.
start off making it look like two-shell. Were a

big-time cover 4 team. If were sending one of
our linebackers, the safety has to replace him
and the other safety has to roll. Thats how we
get into our one-safety look. If we were trying to
show that nobody is blitzing, well want to walk
that weak-side safety down to show that its onesafety high. Then hell roll back at the snap. Thats
how we disguise our zone blitzes.
Scott: We want to make everything look the

same. If youre a two-shell team, you want to
Daniel: One of the biggest things that we look

for right before the snap is the quarterbacks
What types of pre-snap indicators do you instruct your players to look for when trying to
time their approach into blitzing position?
Edinboro Universitys DEFENSIVE BACK BLITZ PACKAGES

VS. FORMATION INTO BOUNDRY
24
VS. FORMATION TO THE FIELD
hands because we are playing a lot of shotgun

teams. We look at when he is opening those
hands, when he flashes them. The hand flash is
an indicator to get moving. We want to make
sure our blitzers never cross the heal line of the
defensive lineman no matter what they see until
that play has started. We are just trying to get a
feel of the cadence throughout the game.
Scott: We teach our linebackers and safeties to
watch for the quarterback to flash his hands.
During film, we want to see if the quarterback is
a hands or a leg guy. Sometimes, a quarterback
will raise his leg, before he flashes his hands.
We also key on the clock. If its down to five
seconds or less, we should be in position to go.
If its earlier on the play clock, with 15 or 10 seconds to go, were more relaxed and looking for
other signals like the QBs hands or leg.
Bradford: We actually played a team that we
keyed when the quarterback put his mouthpiece
in. Our secondary coach Kim Niedbala does a
great job and we watched one tape that the QB
would do all the fancy stuff no-huddle, but when
he put his mouthpiece in, they were going.
Another time, we saw a QB who always had
his hands by his side until hes made all his calls.
Then, hed raise his hands up right in front of his
chest to get the ball.
Also, in terms of run or pass, look at the quarterbacks feet. If the quarterbacks feet are parallel, we found that they are going to run the ball,
throw a bubble (screen) or they might run boot.
If his feet were staggered, it was a traditional
pass, three-or-five-step.
Klanderman: Most offenses will have something
in terms of a pre-snap indicator to let you know
when that ball is going to be snapped. Maybe
its when the quarterback puts his hands up or
when the center picks his head that means its
time to go. As coaches, we have to look at those
indicators and, based upon those, that will tell
our blitzing players when they can get out of

their pre-snap look and get into a functional presnap alignment.
him. We want him to be wider in that case.

We spend time with all of our defensive backs,
if were going to blitz.
What type of players are generally the best

blitzers?
Klanderman: Were not a huge blitz team, but if

were going to blitz, we want to rep it a lot during
the week. We want to rep it vs. different protections. Were not always going to rep it in such a
way where its always going to hit. We want to rep
it in ways where the scout team can pick it up, so
the guys know who might end up blocking them.
Daniel: The best that weve had is a kid whos

roughly 6-foot, 200 pounds and pretty fast. Hes
able to make open field tackles and play man
coverage. Hes probably your best player, which
in our case is usually a Mike linebacker or safety.
Klanderman: Hes got to be a guy who can finish
when he gets there. You need to have speed, but
also have to be a guy that doesnt slow down on
contact. We dont want to blitz someone in there
whos going to be timid. We want someone thats
going to run through contact, even if he gets
picked up. And even if he gets picked up in protection, we want someone that can beat blocks
and continue to come.
What techniques do you teach your blitzing
player when coming from the edge?
Daniel: Aiming point is always the back shoulder
of the quarterback or back elbow. Even against
the zone read because what we dont want to
happen when were bringing that safety in from
the edge is for him to get beat around the outside. He is the contain rusher, so if he gets beat
around the outside, theres just no help at all. We
want him to force it back to the middle.
What are the priorities for the players who are

left in coverage behind the blitz?
Daniel: When we play three-under, three-deep,
our corners and our safeties that our the threedeep are in that nothing gets behind you mindset;
keep backpedaling and get depth. If something
goes wrong, make the tackle so we can play again.
What we dont want to do is gamble up front
and and on the back end. On the back end, were
playing pretty soft. We dont see that many quarterbacks that can read hot and play that effectively. Were not blitzing a ton, but when were
blitzing, were trying to make something happen, get a bad throw or get a sack.
Klanderman: The number one thing that they

have to understand is that the ball is going to
come out quickly. Youre not going to have time
for double moves or longer developing route
concepts. They have to trust that the ball is going
to come out of the quarterbacks hand quickly.
And it has to. The guys that are blitzing have to
Bradford: We want our blitzers to have the abil- make sure that takes place. The worst-case sceity to take on the block. He has to understand if nario is that they pick it up and have a bunch of
hes coming hard against a running back, he has time. In that case, we have a bunch of one-onto know whether that back cuts and is going to ones up front and we have to win those battles.
The thing that we talk the most about is going
attack him low. In that case, he has to be ready to
off the quarterbacks intentions. Hes not going
settle and make a move.
Or, is the tackle fanning to him, where hell to have time to look two ways. That balls got to
need to beat the tackle with speed? We dont come out and get out of his hands. We have to be
to defend
shallower
throws. p
want that tackle to takeCopyright
one, two2011.
kicks and
get towithable
Reprinted
permission
fromthe
Diversion
Books.
Swing Your Sword is available wherever books and ebooks are sold.
25
28
Legendary
Leader
John Gagliardi retires after 64 years, 489 wins
and countless changed lives.
By Bo Carter
Opening Photo: Tommy OLaughlin; Right: Evan Gruenes
mos Alonzo Stagg coached college

football for 57 years in the first half of
the 20th century, winning a then-record
314 games. Bobby Bowden tallied 377 wins in
his 44-year coaching career at Samford, West Virginia and Florida State. Eddie Robinson coached
Grambling for 55 years and won 408 games.
John Gagliardi bettered them all.
In a coaching career that spanned 60
seasons at the helm of Division III St. Johns
University in Collegeville, Minnesota, and
four prior seasons at Carroll College in
Montana, Gagliardis teams were victorious 489 times in 638 games played, making him the winningest coach in college
football history. When he retired, at age
86, after the 2012 season, he left a record
that may never be broken.
Gagliardi also left his mark on the
thousands of student athletes who he
coached. While he was obviously a dedicated football coach who was driven to
succeed, he was also known as a gentle
man who truly enjoyed being around his players,
and vise versa. He is genuine, smart, unique, fun
to be around, and does all the right things to remind the players to represent the university well
and that they are student-athletes, according to
St. Johns Director of Athletics Tom Stock, a 21year employee of the university.
Stock has the unenviable task of finding Gagliardis replacement someone with the courage
to follow the most successful football coach in

college history. Gagliardi was legendary on the
field, of course, but off the field he is a humble,
approachable man who insisted that players call
him by his first name instead of Coach.
John always has preferred just being called
John instead of Coach or Coach Gagliardi, said
his son Jim, who just completed his 21st season

as an assistant coach on his fathers staff. Hes
very unassuming in that regard, and John is
polite enough to tell the players just to call him
John especially the younger ones when they
slip up and call him coach in practices or meetings. It is just ingrained from the time most players start the game, so he will tell them to use
John and get a bit of a laugh most of the time.
The players respond to that, too.

Tom Stock added more praise for Gagliardi and
reinforced the qualities of leadership that he possessed and developed over decades. John epitomizes all the qualities you would want for a coach
in any sport, but especially football, he said. He
gets the most out of every young man he coaches, and his practices are among the most
efficient I have ever seen. Players and administrators see the same qualities in him.
At first impression he is a no-nonsense
guy, he stresses results, repetition and execution, he believes people from players
to coaches need to get it and get it right
away; John also has the philosophy to
hire good people and get out of the way.
Not only has Gagliardi coached for
more years than perhaps any other coach,
he has definitely mentored more athletes
than any coach in history. The reason
St. Johns has a long-standing tradition
of huge rosters, approaching 200 players each year. We really max out at 188
players as we have that many lockers in the field
house, Jim Gagliardi explained. It has become a
case of participation. John wants to see as many
people get out and have the experience of being on a college team as possible. It causes a few
hardships at times, but the kids can tell their children and grandchildren they played for one of the
all-time greats at St. Johns.
Gagliardi himself appreciates giving more stu-
29
503%430%#)!,
*
Evan Gruenes
ohn Gagliardis ability to innovate and adapt to situational football were evident
early in his career and gave St. Johns the capacity to pull off such stunning upsets
such as the 33-27 shocker over Prairie View A&M in the 1963 NAIA championship.
Eighteen of the PVAM mostly-scholarship-team either had tryouts or later played professional football. Four members of that team made it into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Many still call it the Football Upset of the 20th Century, and copies of the DVD regularly
make coaching clinics, the St. Johns campus and alumni meetings nationwide.
The key to the victory was St. Johns moving a defensive back to the wide side of the
field and shadowing PVAMs Little All-America and future Football Hall of Fame WR Otis Taylor. The defender was called the monster man and was the
prototype of todays strong safety. The strategy did not stop the Panthers vaunted passing offense, but it did slow down the scoring and big plays enough
for the Jonnies to build an early lead and hold on for the championship victory.
We had two major factors going for us entering that Prairie View A&M game ignorance and confidence, quipped John Gagliardi.
I get asked about the Prairie View game all the time, said Gagliardi, who guided the Johnnies to four national championships (1963 and 65 NAIA, 1976
and 2003 NCAA Division III) and a record 27 MIAC football crowns. Prairie View was the most dominant team in the South at that time. Integration had not
occurred at most of the Southern schools, and we had no scholarship players.
Brace Hemmelgarn
dents a chance to participate, but laments that

he was not able to get as close to all his players as
he did years ago. My assignment has been tremendous, he reflected. Because of our admissions standards and the kind of kids who attend
the university, we have had the cream of the
crop with no baggage academically. My only sad
thought when we expanded the rosters and I
think we hit close to 200 a couple of times when
we doubled up people in some of the lockers - is
that you dont get to know as many players as we
did with the smaller squads. I appreciate the relationships, and I still speak with people we had
playing here 50-60 years ago. They have become
and remain good friends after their careers.
While you would expect any coach with such
a long tenure to evolve his coaching philosophy
over time, Gagliardis reputation is clearly that of
an innovator. In the 1950s, 60s and early 70s we
recruited and won with the local kids still do,
he noted. Then in the 70s, many college teams

started running the option, triple option and
Veer. Well, we pushed it two steps further and
developed quadruple and quintuple options.
They really confused the defenses, and we had
the personnel and skill people to run it. That
(new option plays) was the difference when we
won the 1976 national championship.
When the rules covering defensive pass coverage changed and offenses evolved to the spread
and pro-style, Gagliardi adapted again. In the
1980s, we had some quarterbacks who could
throw the ball, he observed, and we moved into
that mode of attack. Much of it was repetition and
good routes, and it just seemed to click. We didnt
copy the Houston Run-N-Shoot, but we just spread
people out and just started throwing the ball.
John is creative in that sense, said his son.
If we try a counter play with a pitchback, and it
works in practice, it will be in our playbook that
Jim Gagliardi (left) has

been on his fathers
staff for 21 years.
30
week. He just has this great vision of the whole

field and situational football. Its like his recall of
past players, their parents and events; he has an
amazing knack for it.
Unorthodox Philosophy
Gagliardi has developed a unique approach
to coaching over the decades a philosophy
surprisingly based on the things that he doesnt
do that most coaches do. He doesnt use a whistle. He doesnt use blocking sleds or dummies.
He doesnt allow tackling in practice. Practices
are always short, but efficient. No tackling. He
doesnt require players to participate in strength
and conditioning programs.
There is no scripting of plays. Gagliardi and his
son Jim look over the defenses, analyze what the
defenses are giving their offense and try to build
on what works early in the game. His theory
what happens if you script plays and then get
sacked, penalized or fumble?
Gagliardis philosophy also includes lots of interaction with the student body now numbering approximately 4,000 undergraduates. He
is always interested in a persons background,
noted Jim. He asks questions in a complimentary
way and finds the things he can build on especially in the players.
I tell our guys and coaches every day at practice to treat people the way they would like to be
treated, said Gagliardi. It is a simple philosophy,
but there are many parts to it. St. Johns students
have responded in kind. Student ticket sales run
just over 3,000 per home game - one of the largest percentages of students attending football
games at any college.
Tommy OLaughlin
Streamlined Practices
Gagliardis desire for efficiency and philosophy
of making game plans strong through repetition
translates into one of the shortest and most organized practice schedules in college usually
no longer than 90 minutes. Our practices are
organized with no wasted motion, according to
Gagliardi. We have repetition of every formation
until we get it down to where we wanted it, and
we adapt to our personnel.
It makes the players concentrate, said Jim
Gagliardi, and we get enough repetition of the
basics to work some new things into the offense
and defense from practice and tape study. John
is always open to new things and ideas, and he
looks at them all as a means of getting the edge
and winning.
teacher, Gagliardi said with a smile. In several

of my first classes in football coaching, students
made all As, and so the administration changed it
to a pass-fail class. We were supposed to have 20 in
the class, and then we squeezed 50 desks into the
room. Later we had 80 people in there, and I think
the young ladies have as much enjoyment as the
young men who hope to become coaches or business people. I told them if I could coach 180-200
players, I can teach a class with 80 or more.
I also spoke to the 2012 state convention of
Minnesota County Commissioners, he added,
and told them I was using one my three talks
the one I give, the one I think I give, and the one
I wish I had given. Ill keep using those at some
speaking engagements when I am invited.
John Gagliardi is not sentimental but is reflective on a career record and legacy that may never be surpassed. Im just coming to this conclusion, he noted. Some will win conference and
national championships, but no other coach is
the winningest coach of all time. This is all quite
a thing for me to ponder. Some are saying its a
record that will never be broken. When I passed
Eddie Robinson I was stunned to think it happened, and I just kept breaking that record.
It makes you think that you should enjoy the
moment in coaching, he continued, and then
that moment is gone. It all is uncharted territory,
and I honestly dont have definite plans. Dont
even know what Ill be eating for lunch or dinner
later today. Im just taking it a day at a time. p
A typical midweek workout for

St. Johns includes:
3-3:15 p.m. Stretching and special teams
work on the side.
3:15-3:30 p.m. Agility and individual technique drills.
3:15-4:00 p.m. 11-on-11 drills The first
teams on offense and defense against the
scout team units with rotation among the
scout teams due to the large squad size.
4:00-4:30 p.m. More 11-on-11 repetition
with emphasis on special situations, goal line
work, two-minute clock management drills,
and some specialty teams review.
Most workouts are conducted in shorts or
sweats with helmets. Some midweek drills are in
full pads with very limited contact. Gagliardi believes that fresh legs and bodies are a must as
game day comes closer. There is major repetition
of play execution until the coaching staff reaches
a comfort level in the 11-on-11 phases.
Looking Ahead
While now retired as a coach, Gagliardi still
plans to teach his wildly-popular course at St.
Johns Theory of Coaching Football. Im a great
Copyright 2011. Reprinted with permission from Diversion Books.

Swing Your Sword is available wherever books and ebooks are sold.
31
THUNDER
STORM
Trine Universitys TACKLING AND TURNOVER CIRCUIT
covers all the essentials of effective defense.
By the Trine University Football Defensive Staff
here is little doubt that great tackling and creating turnovers are
the two most important things a defense can do to help its team
win. We have employed a tackle and turnover circuit that we believe not only teaches our players to tackle with great technique, but also
teaches an understanding of how to create turnovers when given the opportunity. As a result, we have been at or very near the top of the turnover
margin statistics for our conference over the past few years. We led all of
Division III in turnover margin in 2010 at plus 1.92 per game while collecting a school record 38 turnovers in twelve games.
During our pre-season camp, we use this circuit for 18 minutes (six,
3-minute segments) every practice. During the season, we will spend 15
minutes (6, 2.5 minute segments) a week completing the same circuit. We
believe that this time is well spent as it allows us to focus on the fundamentals of defensive football. This is an emotional and enthusiastic period.
We want our players and coaches talking, having fun, and getting after it.
From an organizational standpoint, we assign our coaches one aspect
of creating turnovers or tackling, and they become the resident experts on
that phase of the game (Diagram 1). For example, the defensive coordinator teaches a station focusing on the edge rush and correctly stripping a
quarterback in the throwing position. Our defensive ends coach teaches
32
a defeat the cut and tackle drill. Our inside linebackers coach focuses his
efforts on a drill that teaches proper pursuit leverage while our interior line
coach and linebackers coaches teach an open field tackle drill. Our corners
coach teaches an angle tackle drill and our safety coach leads a stripping
station. We will switch our drills from time to time to teach the rules of the
game and also to keep things fresh. However, we must hold true to our assigned goal of tackling and creating turnovers.
THE GREAT EIGHT: 8 INGREDIENTS

FOR PROPER TACKLING TECHNIQUE
Our inside linebackers coach, Maury Waugh, is a veteran college coach.
We have adopted his philosophy of tackling. Here are the key points of
proper tackling technique:
1. Settle into a bent knee position as the approach to the ball carrier is
made.
2. Take the extra step and get as close to the ball carrier as possible step
on his toes!
drive the far foot around after contact and force the ball carrier back perpendicular to the line of scrimmage. We also believe that this same shoulder/same foot contact also limits yards after contact. For this reason, we
will finish this drill once the tackler has driven the ball carrier backwards
approximately two and a half yards.
INSIDE
AND IN FRONT DRILL:
INSIDE LINEBACKERS
COACH
(Diagram 3)
Diagram 1.
3. Do not raise or lower yourself from a good hitting position.
4. Keep the elbows close to the body and do not wind up. Winding Up is
a common reason that players drop their heads and get caught in dangerous situations.
5. Make chest-to-chest contact with the head up, the back arched, the neck
bulled, and the eyes open.
6. Wrap up with violence. Shoot a double uppercut for the nameplate on
the back of the ball carriers jersey and grab cloth.
7. Move the feet on contact and run through the tackle until the ball carrier
is on the ground.
8. Do not trade a solid tackle for a big hit!
ANGLE TACKLE STATION: CORNER COACH

(Diagram 2)
In our angle tackle portion of the curcuit,
we will have the ball carrier and defender five
yards away from each other and cones set up
in a diamond shape. The ball carrier runs directly to the outside edge of the cone of his
choice. The key coaching points on the angle
tackle drill mirror those of the Great Eight
already mentioned. We want to add a few
coaching points to this drill.
First, we believe that we will have better
leverage and power on an angle tackle if we
make pad contact with our near foot to the
ball carrier in the ground. This allows us to
In this drill, we are teaching

Diagram 3.
our players how to establish and
maintain proper body positioning while in pursuit to the ball. Here is how
the drill is run:
1. On go call by coach, the ball carrier will run to a side.
2. The defender to the side of the ball carrier will work to keep the ball inside
and in front of him until making contact with the inside shoulder. The defender is working to establish and maintain leverage or contain position.
3. The backside defender will move toward the ball carrier while working
to be in cut back position, never allowing the ball to cut back.
4. Once the contact is made with the leverage player, the ball carrier will
cut back, forcing the cut back player to make contact with his outside
shoulder in good tackling position.
5. As a variation, we sometimes add a third player to the outside and put
the cut back player head up to the ball. The third player becomes the fold
player. When using a fold player, we have the ball bounce all the way back
to the opposite side of the initial flow once the cut back player has properly
fit and released the ball carrier.
STRIP STATION: SAFETIES COACH
Diagram 2.
This is a standard ball strip drill with a ball carrier and a defensive player
attacking him from behind. On the coachs signal, the ball carrier will run
at half speed. As the defender approaches him from behind, he is looking
at the elbow of the ball carrier and determining if it is wide or tight. If the
elbow is wide, he will punch inside the elbow of the ball carrier while simultaneously securing the tackle with the opposite arm by grabbing cloth on
the shoulder of the ball carrier.
If the elbow is tight, he will work for the same simultaneous contact,
clubbing down on the football. If he is unsuccessful getting the ball out of
the running backs hands, he tries to pull the tip of the football away from
33
the backs body, loosening his grip and therefore giving the next hit a chance
to force the fumble. The key teaching points to this drill are the simultaneous
contact of the fist and tackle hand and the execution of a stripping technique based on the positioning of the backs elbow on the football. Many
coaches teach to secure the tackle first and then attempt the strip. However,
most running backs will be quick to secure that ball when they feel contact
from behind. Therefore, in order to create a greater chance of getting the ball
on the ground, we emphasize the simultaneous contact.
As a variation of this drill, we will also use the pin and pry technique
from more of a side angle and usually with two defenders or, a two-on-one
situation. In this drill, defender A will execute an angle tackle while, soon
after contact, defender B approaches the ball carrier. Upon player Bs approach, he will pin the backs elbow to his body by pushing it into his ribs,
then grabbing the tip of the ball with his other hand prying the ball away
from the backs body.
In yet another variation of this drill, we will have all rushers lock up with
a blocker and work toward the ball carrier. After a quick one-thousand-one
count, the rest of the players will yell draw and the running back will take
off at half speed. Upon hearing the draw call, the rusher will retrace his
steps and attack the ball carrier from behind, executing a strip or punch
technique. We teach our players that any time a player with the ball cant
see you, its a great opportunity to create a turnover.
OPEN FIELD TACKLING DRILL: OUTSIDE

LINEBACKERS COACH/INTERIOR LINE COACH
(Diagram 4)
In setting up for our open field tackling drill, the defensive player and
ball carrier will stand twelve yards apart, facing each other. Place cones at
each of the players starting points and a third cone five yards in front of
the ball carrier. The tackler starts in his position stance and on the coachs
whistle, sprints downhill toward the ball carrier. Make sure the tackler plays
at one level and his eyes are focused on the belt buckle of the ball carrier.
Once the tackler reaches
the cone five yards away
from ball carrier, the ball carrier goes to the right or left
at a forty-five degree angle.
The tackler will come to
balance upon the ball carriers movement. The tackler
should have his feet underneath his body and accelDiagram 4.
erate his feet. He must not
stop his feet before changing direction. The tackler must continually cut
down the distance between himself and the ball carrier. The tackler wants
to change direction by taking a lateral step and not crossing over. After
changing direction properly, the tackler wants to attack downhill on the
trail hip of the ball carrier. Emphasize stepping on the ball carriers toes
when making the tackle. The tackler can always take one more step. Make
sure the tacklers head is across the ball carrier and he shoots his hands up
and through instead of around the ball carrier. The tackler must grab cloth
on the ball carriers jersey, accelerate his feet upon contact, and drive the
ball carrier straight back toward the line of scrimmage.
CUT BLOCK TACKLE: DEFENSIVE ENDS COACH

(Diagram 5)
In this drill, the main focus is for the players to defend the cut block and
then raise up to an athletic tackling position without standing up and getting out of balance. Additionally, we want to make sure the tackler gets his
eyes on the blocker and defeats the cut block first. We want to attack the
cut block with both hands, punching down at a forty five degree angle with
our gap side or playside hand punching the front/back edge of the shoul-
34
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der pads and the other hand punching down
on the back of the helmet of the cut blocker.
Too often our skill players and linemen
will make the mistake of punching straight
down. When this happens, often the blocker
is able to get into the defenders legs. Therefore, it is common to hear coach hollering
45 throughout this drill. After the punch
blow is delivered, the defender should kick
his feet back six inches to give ground to
gain ground. Once the cut destruction is
complete, we want the defender to perform Diagram 5.
a good angle tackle and then push the ball carrier back five yards perpendicular to the line of scrimmage.
EDGE BLITZ AND REACTION/QB STRIPSCOOP AND

SCORE: DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR
(Diagram 6)
To teach this drill, we will first break it down into simple teaching points.
We start with a simple get off and quarterback strip by tackling a stand up
dummy. We will then have a partner standing with a football, tossing the
ball on the ground to allow for a scoop and score or fumble recovery. When
we do this portion of the drill, the defender will execute a simple punch
over or rip on the coach and then attack the quarterback. When we get to
the quarterback, we want to hit the quarterback high and make simultaneous contact with our hands, striking down on the quarterbacks throwing
arm and around his body. We want the defender to grab cloth on our follow
through and take the bag to the ground.
Once on the ground, we want the defender to get to his feet immediately
and find the football. If the football has been fumbled forward, we want the
defender to execute a proper fumble recovery by getting to the ball with
urgency, covering the tips of the football and surrounding it in a fetal position. If the football is behind the quarterback, we want the tackler to execute
a scoop and score. On the scoop and score, we emphasize bending at the
knees rather than the waist and scooping up a stationary football by getting
both hands underneath the football and bringing it to the players chest. If
the ball is moving, we teach the players to put their thumbs together and
actually push the ball into the ground while surrounding the football with
both hands. This stops the movement of the ball. We then want to see our
players properly carrying the football and sprinting ten yards to a designated
cone. We typically run this drill from the defensive right side, due to the fact
that most hits on the quarterback happen from his blind side.
As a variation of this drill, we will have the coach simulate a teams offensive tackle and imitate protection schemes or down/zone blocking
schemes. In this addition to the drill, the partner holding the ball will stand
next to the dummy and will also read the coach. If the coach pass sets, the
ball holder will simply step up simulating big on big or half slide protection
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Diagram 6.
and allow the defender to execute the quarterback strip, then tossing the
ball out for the fumble recovery or scoop and score. If the coach shows a
run block, the ball holder will simulate a ball carrier cutting back to the
C gap. The defender, reading the zone steps of the offensive tackle, will
square his shoulders to the line of scrimmage and shuffle, then execute a
proper tackle with his inside shoulder from an outside leverage position.
Because we use edge blitzes with all of our linebackers, corners and safeties, this is an important drill for us and allows the position coaches more
time during individual periods to focus on other drill areas. p
The Trine University defensive staff contributing to this article 5SPZ"CCT %FGFOTJWF$PPSEJOBUPS
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Advanced Tackling Circuit Drills March, 2012

Tackling Fundamentals Teaching Progression and Circuit July, 2011
Tackling Circuit Drills September, 2005
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GROSSMONT COLLEGE
t is important for offensive linemen to learn to block through a detailed

progression so they understand the overall concepts of the position.
The zone blocking concept is an important element of Grossmont Colleges running attack.
In part I of this three-part series on our zone game, we will introduce
our offensive line philosophy and the basics of the zone offense, emphasizing coaching points for offensive linemen.
OFFENSIVE LINE PHILOSOPHY

The success of every team is based on the strength of the offensive line.
Therefore, it is imperative that offensive linemen establish a presence.
There are eight things we look for in an offensive lineman:
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38
Offensive linemen need to be fundamentally tough and fundamentally

sound in both the run and pass game. To be effective and fundamentally
sound, offensive linemen require patience and many hours of hard work on
and off the field.
Offensive linemen need to understand that run and pass blocking are
unnatural tasks and can be developed to a greater degree than any other
phase of the game.
Successful offensive line play depends on the the mastery of the techniques required in the run and pass game. The more techniques an offensive lineman can master in the run and pass game, the easier it will be for
him to cope with various situations.
An offensive linemans success can only be brought about with tremendous work ethic and confidence in his ability in both the run and pass
game. Concentration, self discipline, communication, and the willingness
to pay the price are part of being a respected offensive lineman.
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ZONE BLOCKING
PART I:
PHILOSOPHY
AND CONCEPTS
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dence in their ability to master the techniques in the run and pass game.
BLOCKING PROGRESSION
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Diagram 1).
SPLIT
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- Defensive structure, defensive personnel.
- Offensive play and individual personnel.
- Linemans ability, confidence, and quickness.
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linemans ability to beat his opponent to contact.
CONTACT
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hand leverage.
FOLLOW THROUGH
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STANCE
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eyes allows for the lineman to make proper adjustments.
Diagram 1.
39
ZONE CONCEPTS
The zone play is different than most other offensive plays because there is
no specific point of attack. As a result, the whole defensive front is stressed.
Inside and outside zone is not a man blocking scheme, but rather an
area or zone blocking scheme. The zone play can break anywhere, so it is
imperative that all linemen know that both playside and backside blocking
assignments are crucial.
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stunts, slants, etc.
Zone blocking features co-ops, which consist of two or more adjacent
linemen working together blocking defenders either on or off the ball in
specific playside or backside gaps.
On inside zone, there will be double teams, while on outside zone there
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lived and evolve into a co-op block between the tackle and tight end.
On an inside zone blocking scheme, all offensive linemen are working
vertically through their playside gap. Inside zone blocking is designed to
get vertical movement on the line of scrimmage by creating double teams
on down defenders while getting vertical movement to the second level
defender.
The vertical movement created by the offensive linemen and the double
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and find the crease allowing for a cut back.
Outside zone blocking is designed to stretch the defense by getting the
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back, defenders will move laterally across the field, creating seams for the
running back. As the back stretches the defense and the offensive linemen
push defenders laterally, the running back will puncture the defense as he
finds the seam.
QUARTERBACK AND RUNNING BACK AIMING POINTS

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guard (Diagram 2).
Diagram 3.
If the edge blocker controls the defender, the back will bounce the edge
to the sideline. If the edge defender is not controlled, the back will work
upfield and cut under the defender.
COACHING POINTS FOR LINEMEN

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in the zone concept.
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covered lineman.
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covered lineman.
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inside and outside zone.
Vertical and Horizontal Splits
Diagram 2.
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and confidence level of your offensive line personnel and your offensive
philosophy. The tighter the vertical alignment, the faster the offensive lineman can engage the defender and use his size and power.
A zone team will have deeper vertical splits because there are two-man
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allows for two steps in the ground before contact.
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personnel, splits may vary on the play side and the back side (Diagram 4).
The running back is reading the first down defender from the center out.
The back will press the hole and cut back.
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the callside tight end or the callside tackle. The running back is on an angle
to the edge blocker (Diagram 3).
Diagram 4.
40
Uncovered and Covered
Diagram 5.
Diagram 6.
Diagram 7.
In the zone concept, we speak in

terms of uncovered and covered linemen, which are designated by the
down defenders alignment. The footwork will vary between uncovered
and covered linemen. A lineman is
covered if he has a man on him, and
he is uncovered if he has a man on him
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as having a defender aligned in the
playside shade or gap on the LOS
(Diagram 5).
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as having no defender in the playside
shade or gap, but having a defender
head up or in the backside gap on the LOS (Diagram 6).
#FJOH VODPWFSFE JT EFOFE BT IBWJOH OP EFfender either backside, head up, or to the call side
shade or gap on the LOS, but is covered at depth
by a second-level defender (Diagram 7).
Uncovered linemen will zone with the adjacent
lineman to the call side. Covered linemen will zone
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MJOFman. If both backside linemen are covered then
they must man block (Diagram 8).
Diagram 9.
Dening Zones
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[POFPSBSFB'PSFYBNQMF UIFCBDLside tackles zone is from his nose
to the backside guards playside
shoulder. The backside guards zone
is from his nose to the centers play
Diagram 8.
side shoulder, the centers zone is
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the playside tight ends zone is from his nose to the sideline (Diagram 9).
Landmarks, Aiming Points

The landmark for covered and uncovered linemen is outside the boEZMJOF QMBZTJEFIJQ LOFF BOEBSNQJU
PGUIFSTUPSTFDPOEMFWFMEFGFOEFS
Offensive linemen want to rip the far landmark.
On the inside zone, an uncovered lineman is reading the near hip and chasing the far hip of the down defender. If the down defenders hip disappears
DPMPSHPFTBXBZ
UIFVODPWFSFEMJOFNBOXPSLTUPUIFTFDPOEMFWFMEFGFOEFS
If the near hip comes to him, he takes over the block (Diagram 10).
5IFMBOENBSLGPSPVUTJEF[POFJTUIFPVUTJEFUIFCPEZMJOF QMBZTJEF
IJQ
of the defender.
On the back side of zone we can also use cut and scramble blocks. The
scramble block is performed mostly by a backside lineman to stop penetration and pursuit by a defender. It is important for a lineman to not chase a
scrapping linebacker because he is usually replaced by a slanting lineman.
Hand Placement
Inside zone: The covered lineman needs to keep his playside arm free while
doing a one-arm bench with the backside arm. The aiming point is the play
TJEF PVUTJEF BSNQJU
PG UIF EFGFOEFS 1VODI UIF QMBZTJEF CSFBTU QMBUF PG
Diagram 10.
the down defender. The covered lineman will squeeze with the uncovered
lineman creating a double team to the second level defender.
The uncovered lineman will one-arm bench the down defenders near
breast plate with the playside arm and keep the backside arm free. The
uncovered lineman will piggyback the covered lineman to be in position
to handle slants, stunts, and blitzes.
Outside zone:"MMMJOFNFOXJMMSJQXJUIUIFCBDLTJEFBSN SJQQJOHUIFGVOOFM
5IFPFOTJWFMJOFNBOJTUSZJOHUPHFUIJTCBDLTJEFBSNUISPVHIUIF
EFGFOEFSTQMBZTJEFBSNQJU SJQUIFGBSUBSHFU
5IFFOUSZMFWFMPGUIFGVOOFM
is the elbow and the ribs. The end of the funnel is the arm pit. Keep the
PVUTJEFTIPVMEFSGSFF8IFOSJQQJOHUIFGVOOFM UIFMJOFNBOOFFETUPTUBZ
TRVBSF#ZSJQQJOHUIFGVOOFM UIJTXJMMLFFQUIFEFGFOEFSGSPNIPMEJOHPS
grabbing the offensive lineman. p
(Part II of the series will introduce the footwork, co-op blocks, and schemes
of the zone game, while Part III will cover the line drills we use to teach the
fundamentals and techniques of the run game).
About the Author: A frequent contributor to both "NFSJDBO 'PPUCBMM .POUIMZ
and Gridiron Strategies, Ken Wilmesheer is the Offensive Line Coach at Grossmont
College. He has over 30 years of coaching experience on the high school and college
level. Wilmesheer previously coached at Southwestern College and holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Chapman College.
41
ONE TEAM - TWO OFFENSES
RUNNING BOTH THE SPREAD AND DOUBLE WING GIVES

DEFENSES THAT MUCH MORE TO PREPARE FOR.
#Z+F)BODPDLtOffensive CoordinatortSiena Heights University
and+BTPO.FOTJOHtHead Coach, Whitehall High School (MI)
wo years ago the Board of Trustees voted to start football at Siena

Heights University and we were fortunate enough to be a part of
the very first staff. Among the overwhelming number of things that
go into starting a new program was this question because of our
limited senior leadership how were we going to recruit enough players
to field a team when we have made the decision to focus primarily on high
school seniors that were captains? Before we can explain how we did this,
we first need to explain why we decided on running two offenses.
involved by having and using two completely different groups of players.

This gave us the ability to recruit more kids that were captains and allowed
us to recruit the non-traditional height and size you would look for in a
certain position. The final consensus was, why not? If ever there was a
time to experiment with something like this, its while starting a brand
new program. Most importantly, the head coach was all for it and gave his
stamp of approval on our new project.
HOW TO RUN TWO OFFENSES

WHY RUN TWO OFFENSES
We decided that we needed to recruit and sign at least 100 studentathletes to have productive practices. To do this we needed to think outside of the box. This meant discussing the possibility of running two entirely different offenses. We decided to go all out and have two groups that
would switch in and out like hockey line changes.
We also wanted to be able to be competitive with our opponents during
our very first season. If nothing else, having two different offenses would
force opposing defenses to spend practice time learning two sets of defensive keys as opposed to one strategy. Finally, we would get more players
42
Our base offense is a spread, zone running, multiple personnel group,

drop back passing unit that uses the entire width of the field (Diagram 1).
What is the complete opposite of this? The double wing. We were able to
bring on an assistant to help with the double wing, or as they would eventually be called, The X Unit. Now we had our two different offenses in place
one that spreads the field and one that compresses it tremendously (Diagram 2). The next step was the recruiting of players specifically for either offense. This expanded the field of potential prospects well beyond the norm
which, in turn, allowed us to bring in enough kids to field a team.
The next hurdle was the practice planning and organization of two offens-
Diagram 1 Example of a Spread Formation Using the Width of the Field

Diagram 3 - Double Wing Power Play
Diagram 2 Example of a Double Wing Formation Using Very Little of

the Field
gram 4) on one play and then defending power running out of the double
wing on the next play is a tremendous amount of conflict for a defense.
The biggest factor in determining which offense would be on the field
was down and distance. If it was third and long, chances were that we
would get the spread offense out to run a pass play. If it was fourth and
short, we would probably have the X offense out on the field. We also
changed which group started a series as well. This was a process that took a
while for the offensive coordinator to get used to. Having two offenses and
making the decision after each play as to who was going on the field for
the next play took some major adjustments. As the season went along, this
process went smoother and smoother.
The sideline procedure was that the X personnel always stayed near their
coordinator and the spread personnel always stayed by the coach that signaled the plays in. Both coaches were on headphones with the offensive coordinator who was upstairs in the press box. As you can imagine, by running two
completely different offenses we caused confusion for many of the defenses
we faced. The fun part for us was to get both groups out in the first series to
see how a defense had decided to prepare to play us. We saw a lot of different
answers from defenses - from not changing anything to bringing in a new set
of players when we did. We would generally decide which offense was going
to play more that day based on how the defense answered our shifts.
es and one defense. One of our many issues that first fall camp was finding
enough space to practice while the stadium was being completed. A great
asset of the double wing offense was that it didnt need much of a practice
area. For example, the base play (power) can be practiced within 8 yards of
space (Diagram 3). One coach had the X offensive line and the other coach
worked with the X skill players all in about a 10 yard x 20 yard area.
The spread offense needed the most area with so many different skill positions. The two offenses stayed apart for a good portion of fall camp, each
working on refining their own set of skills. Eventually, when both offenses
got together, it was to primarily work on the exchanges of one unit coming
off the field and one unit running on. Since the spread was a no-huddle
offense and the X was a huddling group, working these exchanges on
air was very important in the beginning. The toughest part of the practice
planning was when and where the scout defensive players would spend
their time working because there werent enough to have two complete
sets of these groups. Some serious sharing was needed in this area.
The final and most important aspect was the game day planning and execution. The game plan every week was to work a lot of exchanges during the
course of the game to create confusion on the defensive side. For example,
defending a four wide receiver formation that releases five and throws (Dia-
Diagram 4 Example of Spread Formation Pass Concept
43
BENEFITS OF TWO OFFENSES

Having the two offenses helped us win games and allowed us to compete with more veteran teams. We finished 2011 with an 8-1 record playing
teams ranging from Division II and Division III junior varsity teams, club
teams, to two Division II varsities. Nearly 40 offensive skill players had rushing, passing, and/or receiving statistics at the end of the year, not to mention the two different offensive lines we used.
Having two offenses gave us much better depth for special teams by
having more kids to draw from. It also minimized conditioning time (our
conditioning was generally working rapid exchanges at a quick pace during practice) and allowed each offense to work on specific down and
distance situations. For example, with our spread offense, we never really spent any practice time working on short yardage plays and with the
Double Wing, we never really needed to work on any third and long plays.
Probably the biggest positive to running two offenses was that if one
was having a bad day and not moving the ball, we would just play the
other one. How many offensive coordinators would have liked to have that
option at some point in their career?
through any problems they were having during the game. That is, would it
have hurt overall confidence? The answer in hindsight is simple. If they are
struggling, get them out and let the other offense work for awhile.
To help avoid any conflict between the two offenses, presentation is
the key. Always talk in terms of we and not us or them when addressing the players. This is something that was a little difficult for the coaches
because no one had ever had two offenses on one team. Always let the
players know up front that both are equally important, both will help us
win games, and both will help each other out at certain times of a game
when one or the other is struggling.
Lastly, we would be lying if we told you that there werent any growing pains and disagreements. In spite of all that, it was a very successful
endeavor when you consider we went 8-1 in our first season, brought in
over 100 student-athletes (retaining over 80 heading into 2012), and averaged over 38 points and 417 yards of offense per game. The positives far
outweighed the few negatives we faced. If we could continue doing this
without worry of exceeding NAIA scholarship limitations and travel roster
sizes, we would without hesitation.
Because of these limitations, we primarily ran the spread offense this
season but incorporated elements of the double wing. p
WHAT DID WE LEARN?

If we were to run two offenses again this year, there would be a few
things we would do differently to optimize the use of both more effectively. The first would be to work the exchanges earlier in fall camp practice
and also work on them against a defense, not just on air. Secondly, there
were a few teams we played earlier in the season that we were fortunate
enough to get a lead on early. For this reason, we didnt work the exchanges very often and we should have continued to work them more often.
Another reason that kept us from perhaps working exchanges as often as
we should have was the dilemma of whether or not to let a group work
About the Authors: Jeff Hancock is the Offensive Coordinator and Assistant Head
Coach at Siena Heights University in Adrian, Michigan. In his 20th season of coaching, he previously served as Offensive Coordinator at Adrian College. Hancock has
also coached at Eastern Michigan, Louisiana Tech, and Grand Valley State. He holds a
bachelors degree from Eastern Michigan and a masters degree from Louisiana Tech.
Jason Mensing Is currently the Head Coach at Whitehall High School in Ottawa
Lake, Michigan. He was previously on the staff at Siena Heights University as Assistant Offensive Coordinator. Mensing has over ten years experience as a high school
coach. He played at Adrian College and was a two-time all-conference player of the
Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association.
Gridiron Stategies
Coaching Reports
& Books
View Full Catalog & Order Online at www.GridironStrategies.com
Send me the next 6 issues of Gridiron Strategies for ONLY $34.95t0OMJOF1SJPSJUZ0FS$PEF GSBG12
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44
THE DIME 4-1-6 DEFENSE can be used in certain passing

situations,providing solid man-to-man coverage.
#Z$ISJT8JMMJTtDefensive CoordinatortUniversity of North Alabama
e use the dime 4-1-6 package in third and long situations as well as other long yardage situations. We also like to use this package
against passing teams who have a pocket passing quarterback who is not very mobile and does not look to run when pressured.
This package has also been used in two-minute situations when the game is on the line. We only want to rush four and have tight
coverage behind them. We know the weakness of this defense is running the football against it, but if teams decide to run the football in this
situation, we will take that chance. Time remaining and where the ball is placed on the field will also determine if we will use this package.
FRONTS
COVERAGE
In our 4-1-6 package, we like to bring in our

four best pass rushers. We like to widen the ends
on certain occasions to create a better pass rush
threat. At times, we run different variations of
stunts and twists up front with our interior linemen in order to find different ways to get pressure. We also rely on running stunts to help cloud
up any run game possibilities.
On the coverage side of this defense, we

bring in what is called our dime and nickel backs.
These two positions replace the outside linebackers. We want these athletes to be our best
cover guys. Their job is to play aggressive man
coverage defense on routes such as slants and
outs. While we do not teach trail technique, we
believe with the pass rush we get and with safety
help over top, it gives us the best opportunity to

get off the field in these situations. We have been
very successful in playing this very aggressive
style of underneath coverage over the years.
The Mike linebacker or best coverage backer
will be the lone player in the middle assigned to
cover any back in most calls. We also like to play
with two high safeties. Their job is not to allow
anyone to get behind them. These are usually
the two starting safeties in our base package.
45
The corners that are currently in the game could

also be moved to dime or nickel depending on
the situation and the depth of the secondary.
The corners that started the game are usually the
same ones used in this package.
Two-man (Diagram 1) defense provides solid
man coverage underneath with two high safeties over the top, splitting both halves of the
field. We teach our corners to play the receivers
to their side with inside leverage, never allowing
that receiver to get an inside release. We teach
the dime and nickel players to cover the inside
receivers with the same technique as the corners. The linebacker has the back in the backfield
man-to-man.
If the back blocks, we teach the LB to add up
and hug the back for screen routes or to possibly add pressure to the QB. The strength of this
defense is covering short routes and being able
to play press coverage across the board. In any
3 x 1 look, we want our defense to play on different levels.The weakness of this defense would
be like any man coverage which is susceptible
to crossing routes or pick routes. Another weakness would be a mobile QBs scrambling, or any
consistent run game. Thats why we run twists
and play stunts up front in order to help with any
kind of run game with this package. When using
this call, we obviously like to be in passing situations such as third and long.
The 1 hole (Diagram 2) provides us with playing a robber-type coverage which allows us to
play on top of digs and any crossing routes by
spinning a safety down to be a hole player. In play-
46
2X2
3X1
Diagram 1: 2-Man
2X2
3X1
Diagram 2: 1 Hole
ing this call, the dime and nickel in a 2 x 2 set shift
to outside leverage. In playing a 3 x 1 formation,
we will just make the dime, who is covering our
#3 receiver, to move to outside leverage. The hole
player comes down with the intent of looking off
the inside receivers and helping on any routes
over the middle such as slants, crossers, and digs.
In a 3 x 1 look, we want all defenders to play on
a different level so they do not put themselves in
position to get picked off by routes. The safety not

doing the robbing will play normal single high
rules. The linebacker will play the RB and, if he
does not release, he will add to the rush. We leave
it up to the safeties based off film study of our opponent as to which one will be the hole player.
We use Thief coverage (Diagram 3) to double team the best inside receiver of our opponent.
Based off film study and our opponents tenden-

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561-627-3447.
Diagram 4: Bracket Coverage

cies in specific situations, we will predetermine
the targeted receiver we will be thieving. When
thieving an inside receiver, the dime or nickel will
give a signal to our safety to that side as to whether or not he will play inside or outside leverage.
The leverage is determined by down and distance
and where we are on the field at that time.
In a 3 x 1 set, we will either thief #2 or #3 such
as the diagram indicates. The linebacker will cover the RB and, if he doesnt release, he will be an
add-up player. The corner to the side of the thief
will know he is in 0 coverage depending on the
route of the receiver being thieved to his side.
In most situations, we like to thief to the weak
side or boundary side So, if a corner has to play
0 coverage, we like to make it the corner to the
field side because of the longer throw involved.
The safety not involved will play normal two man
rules to his side.
Bracket coverage is very similar to thief coverage (Diagram 4). The difference is that in bracket
coverage we use both safeties where we double
team two receivers. The corners know in a bracket call they will be in zero coverage. Based off of
film study of our opponent, this is used for heavy
inside routes.
In 2 x 2 coverage, we will always bracket the
two inside receivers. In a 3 x 1 set, we will either
bracket the #2 or #3 receiver to the trips side or
add a single receiver to the back side. The linebacker will still cover down the back and be an
add-up player if the back does not release. This
call, as well as the others discussed, are used in
long yardage situations or against teams that are
behind and have abandoned the run. p
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About the Author: Chris Willis just completed his 11th
season on the staff of North Alabama and his first as
both Defensive Coordinator and Linebackers Coach.
He previously served on the staff at Delta State University. Willis went to Itawanda Community College on a
football and baseball scholarship and received both
his Bachelors and Masters Degree from Delta State.
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7!.4-/2%
Articles on this subject are on
Stopping Power, Part I: Basics of the 4-2-5
January, 2012
Zone Coverages for the 4-2-5 Defense April, 2010
Pressuring the Offense with an Effective Front Eight
November, 2008
47
Name____________________________
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Articles and features only available at
(1.9)
HOW TO IMPROVE THE WON-LOSS RECORD

STRATEGIES AND TACTICS
STRENGTH WEAKNESS
NOTES
A. QUALITY ATHLETES
PUSHING THROUGH THE MENTAL BARRIER
1. Must identify them
2. Must find them
3. Need some blue chippers
4. Players w/ extraordinary determination
B. QUALITY COACHES
1. Hiring quality coaches
2. Working long and hard hours
3. Great teachers
1. Two-man depth for each position
2. Create new sub-varsity teams
1. Specialized coaches
2. Good ratio of coaches to players
C. SUFFICIENT QUANTITY OF ATHLETES
D. SUFFICIENT QUANTITY OF COACHES
By Bill MountjoytRetired high school and college coach
1. Speed, agility and quickness training
2. Year-long strength program

E.TEAM DURABILITY
ften there is a very fine line between a winning and losing effort. More often than not, this is due
to the athletes degree of mental concentration. This concentration cannot be developed in the
span of a few days or hours before the contest. It must be worked on weeks and months during
the training season to develop sound habits.
Athletes must be prepared to compete in a variety of situations. Namely: (1) heat, (2) cold, (3)
wind, (4) fatigue, (5) falling behind, (6) injury, (7) emotions, etc. All these situations require that they
show more concentration than the opponent. How do you prepare for maximum concentration? Lets
start with the basics. To read the article, go to www.AmericanFootballMonthly.com
STUDENT OF THE GAME: USING ACADEMIC

RESOURCES TO ENHANCE YOUR PROGRAM
VOLUME 3: The 10,000 Hour Rule, Athlete-Controlled Feedback and Inside-Out Circuits
By Jack ByrnetDefensive CoordinatortWindham High School (NH)
y previous articles have focused on our philosophy of creating realistic environment for athletes and providing as many opportunities to learn as possible. In this article, we will continue
that theme by discussing more efficient practice methods that can be backed up by academic
concepts and studies. This installment will explain two key concepts, the 10,000 hour rule and athletecontrolled feedback. I will then show you a simple way that we implement these ideas into our practices. To read the article, go to www.AmericanFootballMonthly.com
3. Nutrition program
4. Off-season programs
5. Off-season camps

F.TEAM ADAPTABILITY
1. Built around players strengths
2. Cross-training
3. Practice against competitors strengths
G.TEAM DEPENDABILITY
1. Strong discipline
2. Mutual respect between
players and coaches
H.TEAM BALANCE
1. Offense
2. Defense
3. Special Teams
I.TEAM QUICKNESS
1. Strength training
2. Running drills
3. Agility drills
Continued on next page

CHAPTER 1: Overall Program Organization
www.gridironstrategies.com
27
(/74/)-02/6%
4(%7/. ,/332%#/2$
Every coach wants to improve his won-loss
record. This form lists a series of strategies
and tactics to do just that. Categories include
identifying quality athletes, hiring quality
coaches and analyzing the teams overall
durability, adaptability, and dependability.
Exclusively at
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ubscribers can now access flip-page versions of each issue anywhere, anytime. You can view every page
and click on live links to get more information from advertisers or check out other AFM articles that are
geared to your particular interests. To check out AFMs digital edition, log in at www.AmericanFootballMonthly.com and click on Digital Editions under the MAGAZINE tab. We hope you enjoy this new service!
&2/-
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December, 2007
AFMs 1,500+ online features from back issues is

the largest coaching library in the world.
Its available FREE to all subscribers.
en Wilmesheer is now in his 13th year as the Offensive Line Coach at Grossmont
College. A frequent contributor to AFM, the first of his three-part series on zone
blocking begins on page 38. Coach Wilmesheers first article in AFM appeared in
the Drills Report of December, 2007. The article, which focused on Zone Blocking Run
Game Drills, included seven important points for coaches to emphasize. Two of the
most critical are the importance of repetition and making sure the drills you are teaching transfer from practice to the game.
./4!35"3#2)"%2
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48
Speed Report continued from page 9
Strength Report continued from page 11
Diagram 3 Short Cycle Drill

(25 yards x 3 reps)
of conditioning is going to be weight based, and

is going to be geared toward power-endurance,
or the ability to generate force even in a fatigued
state. Sled pushes, tire flips, barbell complexes
and team competitions all would go in this category. The idea is to build an athletes ability to
do a large amount of work in a short amount of
time and to put the athletes in a tough position
that will cause them to have to cheer for each
other and support one another.
Same as diagram 2 with shorter and

quicker leg cycle. There is a short and
quick shoulder rotation while setting
a ryhtym. Maintain the hips being up
and eyes forward.
Diagram 4 High Knee Run
Progression (8-20 yards x 3 reps)
Diagram 3: Short Cycle Drill (25 yds. x 3 reps)
Execution of high knee must be the same in the

short zone as it was before. Watch for these issues
when transitioning to zone two takes place.
t)JQTXJMMESPQ
t'JSTUDZDMFUBLFOJTUPPMPOH
t&ZFTESPQ
t"UIMFUFTCFOEBUXBJTU
Diagram 5 Short cycle Progression

(8-20 yards x 3 reps)
There is a short cycle of 8-20 yards in a stride progression. The cycle speed is short and quick prior
to transitioning. Control acceleration to 80% at
the end of zone two.
Diagram 4: High Knee Run Progression (8 yds. / 20 yd. x 3 reps)
Diagram 5: Short Cycle Progression (Same as Diagram #4) x 3 reps
Diagram 6: Lineal Triple Progression

(3 zones of 10-yards each) x 3 reps
Diagram 6 Lineal Triple Progression
The zone length for each zone is 10 yards x 3 reps.
Each transition is about control, not acceleration,
and easy transitions with control. p
Coach Baskett began his career as a football speed coach in 1979. During the last 33
years hes consulted and trained hundreds
of coaches and thousands of athletes nationwide. In the last year he has worked directly with high schools in California, Texas,
Minnesota, Kansas, and Pennsylvania. Over
the last few years he has also consulted with Texas Tech,
Ohio State, USC, University of Washington, and the University of Mount Union. You can reach him directly for
more information or if you have specific questions on
your training program. Coach Baskett is at dbspeedt@
hotmail.com and 858-568-3751.
SPRING SEASON TRAINING

Now that we have put in a great deal of work
during winter, spring becomes a great time to
put those new skills and strength into use. During this phase, strength can continue to improve,
but through less volume and more intense workouts. This is also a time where speed and conditioning in the weight room can be paused due to
the large quantities of both during practice, but
resumed once the practices are done.
During spring football, we typically like to lift
twice a week. Most schools will practice three
times a week during this phase. This results in fivesix hours of running, cutting, jumping, and hitting
that they werent doing in the winter. This means
that the athletes are getting plenty of speed and
agility work through actually playing the game.
Now is the time to lower the overall time and volume of work in the weight room. During this time
we normally spend 15-20 minutes on our mobility
and stability work, followed by 40 minutes of lifting. The lifting sessions are shorter, and we will use
less sets, but we will still use fairly high percentages during this phase. Without competitions every
weekend, there is more energy for the athletes to
expend in continuing with strength gains.
After spring football season, there are few
weeks left in the school year. This is a great time
for what we call a peak speed phase. Our goal for
this phase is to train for and test a 40-yard sprint.
We will resume our three-or-four-day-a-week lifting program, but now we will add the additional
focus of top speed training. This way we get the
full amount of speed training possible. The lifting
portion for this phase will be almost exclusively
training for speed with a focus on compensatory acceleration and bar speed. This will help us
transition into the upcoming summer workout,
or pre-season phase where this can be used with
more conditioning.
(Part II will include a strength and conditioning program for both the pre-season and an
in-season training schedule).
About the Author: James Frazier
became Harvards Strength and Conditioning Coach in February of 2009.
He previously served with the Iowa
football program for two years. A
2006 graduate of Brown, Frazier was
a four-year letterman playing defensive end and linebacker.
49
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For some, coaching football is simply in their blood. In his new book, 4th & Goal, author
Monte Burke tells the amazing story of Joe Moglia, who left coaching to pursue what
would become a monumentally successful career in financial services. Moglia has since
returned to the sidelines and fulfilled his life-long dream of becoming a college head
coach. Here is an excerpt.
ow sixty-two, Joe Moglia is standing on

the sidelines of a football field in Nebraska, wearing a headset and a white
polo shirt with the words Omaha Nighthawks stenciled over the left breast. It is a Thursday night in the fall of 2011, chilly and sprinkling
with rain. The stadium lights are aureoled in the
mist. Joe can see the vapor from his breath.
Joe has become head coach of the Nighthawks, one of four franchises that constitute
the United Football league, a professional minor
league in only its third year of existence. Constantly teetering on the brink of obsolescence
because of financial troubles, this is a league
made up of football players and coaches who,
for one reason or another, are currently either
National Football League castoffs or wannabes.
The UFL provides them with a chance to get back
into the biggest, most powerful sports league in
the world, or to make it there for the first time.
The league provided Joe an opportunity, too.
In a life filled with overcoming challenges, he
has sought out another in his quest to become
a coach again. He had been born and raised in a
rough-and-tumble inner city New York neighborhood from which half of its kids never made it out.
He was an audacious young football coach who
scratched and clawed his way up the profession
for sixteen years. After leaving coaching in 1984,
he embarked on one of the most remarkable
and unlikely business careers of the last half
century, one that was completely self-made. With
no experience or pedigree, he somehow willed his
way into a new career on Wall Street. In his seventeen years at Merrill Lynch, he rose quickly to a top
management position and, along the way, actually changed the way Wall Street does business.
In 2001, Joe made himself again, shocking the
financial world when he left his very comfortable
and highly lucrative post at Merrill to take over
50
a money-losing, left-for-dead online broker. In

his eight years at TD Ameritrade, he rescued the
company from the bursting of one financial bubble, helped it to completely sidestep another,
and in the process created one of the strongest
financial services firms in the country.
Then, at the top of the financial game, he
walked away. Voluntarily. He was almost sixty.
Deep inside, Joe knew there was one more task
left undone, one more challenge to face. He never had become the head coach of a college team,
and now, he decided, the time had come.
This guy is totally insane, said members of both
the financial and football worlds, as Joe embarked
on his dream chase. When he couldnt find a job
right away, he became at age sixty, an unpaid
intern for the University of Nebraskas football
team to regain the experience, the brushing up,
he believed that college football athletic directors
required to take a chance on him, to prove that
he wasnt some rich Wall Street kook. He did this
for two seasons, working eighty hours a week
at Nebraska. But it wasnt enough. Joe got five
coaching interviews, and had some nibbles at a
few other places. But in the end, no athletic director was willing to stick his neck out to hire a sixtyyear-old man who had not coached in a quarter of
a century. After all, athletic directors are naturally
nervous critters, their own job security hanging
on the success of their hires.
For nearly three years, Joe looked for a college-coaching job to no avail. Then came the offer from the UFL. True, it was not a college job,
but it was the only job hed been presented. It
would give him the opportunity to prove himself. It was a risk he had to take. If he succeeded
here, he believed then those skittish athletic directors would find themselves out of excuses.
Joe has one more thing he thinks will differentiate him from the other UFL coaches: The quar-
ter of a century he spent out of the game. He believes that experience contrary to conventional
wisdom will make him a better football coach,
one with wisdom about life both on and off the
field. Football, he tells his players and staff, is just
a game. Nothing more, nothing less. But everyone
on the team himself included has chosen to
be a part of it. Thus their actions within the game,
how they choose to practice it and play it, are
manifestations of the way in which they choose to
live their lives. Be a man, he reminds them at least
once a day. Stand on your own two feet. Accept
responsibility for yourself and your actions.
It all seems a little college, or maybe even
high school, and, indeed, it is how Joe coached
in both of those places. But it is also how he ran
businesses. Joe believes that being a man is
the fundamental principle of life. Its why he left
football in the first place. And its why he wants
to return. And it is self-serving in a way: he also
believes that responsible people make for better
football players.
Editors Note: Joe Moglia finished his one season
in the UFL with a 1-3 record. He realized his dream
in late 2011 when he was hired as head coach at
Coastal Carolina. Last season, he led the Chanticleers to a 8-4 record and the Big South Conference
Championship. He was also named conference
Coach of the Year.
4th AND GOAL: One Mans Quest to Recapture His
Dream by Monte Burke. Published by Grand Central Books. Copyright 2012. Reprinted by permission of the publisher. All rights reserved.
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Safety First Stronger Necks = Fewer Injuries

Zone Blocking, Part I Philosophy and Concepts

Coach to Coach Want to Use a Faster Tempo

Blitzing Backs Keys to Effective

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