PASSPROTECTIONSYSTEM

Last Revised: 12/24/08

Table of Contents:
Fundamentals Slide4 CommonPassProMistakes Slide11 DefeatingPassRushMoves Slide14 IntrotoPassProSystem Slide16 61/62QuickGameProtection Slide21 67/68SprintOutProtection Slide32 51/52EmptySetProtection Slide41

ThereisaquotebyVinceLombardithatstates MentalToughnessisessentialforsuccess and wewillabidetothatbelief.Wemustallpossesthe desiretobethebestateverythingwedo.We mustwanttowinineverythingwedoonandoff ofthefield.Youmustattempttowinevery individualbattle,Wemustattempttodominate everydefense,YoumustattempttoWininevery classwithanAandwhenyougetknockeddown, getbackup.Withtheproperdesireandattitude youwillfindsuccessineverythingyoudo. WHATEVERITTAKES

TheStance:ReadyPosition
BEFORESNAPPINGDOWN,YOUWILLBEIN READY POSITION QBCadence:PLAYNAME NUMBER(i.e.Vermont6783)SET GO, ONSET YOUSNAPDOWNINTOSTANCE

TheStance
Feetslightlymorethanshoulderwidthapart(maybe adjustedbasedonbodysize All5fingertipstouchthegroupinaclawlikeformbutbe abletopickupdownhandwithoutfallingforward Backshouldbeasflataspossiblewithkneesbentandheels slightlyofftheground Eyesupwithneckboltedback Offhandshouldrestontheside ofthethighwithhandina relaxedfist

TheStance:Example

PassProtectionFundamentals
FEET
Thefeetmustbeflatwithyourweightonyourinsteps.Toeswillpointforwardto maintainthepowerangles.Ourfeetwillbenonarrowerthanourarmpitsandnowiderthan slightlyoutsideourshoulders.Thiswillgiveusthebestcombinationofbalance,strength, andtheabilitytomovequickly.Thefeetwillbeeventoaslighttoetoinstepstagger.Only theoutsidefootcanbestaggered.Theinsidefootmustbeupatalltimes.

KNEES Itisnecessarytokeepthekneesbent.Ourkneebendwillenableustomovequickly
andreacttothemovementofthedefender.Kneebendistheway welowerourcenterof gravity,whichisessentialinallofourblocking.

WAIST

Wecannever bendatthewaist.Whenlinemengettiredtheybegintostraighten theirkneesandsotheybendatthewaisttostaylow.However, thisdoesnotlowertheir centerofgravity.Itdoesnotmatterhowlowyourhelmetis,itisyourcenterofgravity whichisimportant.Bendinthewaistmakesyoumoresusceptibletobeingpulledforward andbeaten.Nobendinthewaistwillkeepyourchestupandformaslightarchinyourback. Wewantourelbowsrolledinside.Frombehind,youshouldnotbeabletosee yourelbows.Thiswillhelpustogetinsidehandsandkeepthe defenderfromgettinginto ourchest.

ELBOWS

PassProtectionFundamentals Continued
HANDS Hold your hands chest level in ice pick position. When defender comes near we deliver a blow and continue to deliver blows until we hear the whistle. SHOULDERS A linemen's shoulders must remain parallel to the L.O.S. for as long as possible. If they are not parallel you will not be able to stop the defender from getting up field. Think of the wall as the L.O.S and the door as a lineman. When the door is parallel with the wall the door is closed and no one can get in. When the door is not parallel it is open and people can get in. Turning your shoulders will also shorten the path to the QB. So often a tackle has a fast speed rusher to the outside. He is afraid he will get beat around the corner so he turns his shoulders thinking this will help when actually it aids the speed rusher. If the defender makes a move back to the inside when you have turned your shoulders you must drop your inside foot back which opens the door to the QB. Keep your shoulders parallel. CHIN Pull your chin in against your chest when you punch. This will help prevent you from overextending.

MOVEMENT You must be able to move and change directions quickly and at the same time maintain your demeanor. For example, if you are moving to your outside to cover up your target and you take a step with your right foot and then your target moves back inside your next step can not be with your left foot. If it is, you will have to drop your left foot back, opening the door to the QB. Your footwork must be right , right, left, and right. If you move to your outside to cover up your target by taking a right step then a left and your target moves back to the left your next steps would be left, right or you will narrow your base to much. Remember we must always step parallel to the L.O.S. when we move to the inside. We can give ground to the outside particularly at the tackle position. Whenever giving ground to the outside, we must widen the defender. TARGET We must have a target on our pass protection. Most of the time our target will be a small area slightly inside or slightly outside the midline of the defender. This will enable us to cover up the defender keeping him from getting up the field. If we took a target directly down the midline we would be suspect to a quick inside move or a quick outside move. By moving our target slightly off the midline, we eliminate the potential to be beat with a quick move to that side. PUNCH The power from our punch must come from the Lats. The punch itself will only travel six inches. Make contact with the heel of the hand instead of a flat palm. The heel will serve as a more penetrating punch. If you pull your chin in against your chest it will keep you from lunging. The punch should travel slightly upward in direction. The tackles should use a one handed punch vs. a speed rusher. A good punch becomes more critical as the defenders become bigger and more powerful. A good punch is penetrating and slows the pass rush. We will strive to punch and lock out.

PassProtectionFundamentals Continued

CommonPassProMistakes
1.Notestablishingtheproperrelationshipwiththerusher.Coverup,Foottocrotch,Vof neck.Notconcentratingonthetarget. 2.Failuretosetquickly.MovefeetfirstThehandswillfollow. 3.Overaggressiveness Tryingtoknockhimoutinsteadofpunchinghim.Bendatyour knees,notatyourwaist. 4.Droppingyourheadandlosingyourbalance. 5Basetowide,toespointingout,losingmobility. 6.Straighteningthelegsandlosingmobility. 7.Turningyourshouldersparalleltothesidelinegivingtherusheranopeninsidelane. 9.Raisingtheelbowsgivingtherusherhandlestograb. 10.Jumpingonoutsidefakessuchasheadmovements.

CommonPassProMistakes Continued
11.LACKOFAGGRESSION.Itisacommonmisconceptionthatinpassprotection, yousitandwaitfortherusher,wewillbeaggressiveandpunishtherusherevery chanceweget.Donotjustwaitandcatch. 12.Beingsurprisedbyachangeinarusherstechnique.(FilmStudy!) 13.Allowingtherushertokeephishandsonyou. 14.Failuretosqueezetheoutsiderusher. 15.Allowingtherushertogaintoomuchdepth. 16.FailuretogetenoughdepthontheLBsetcausinghimtogetcaughtinthe LOSandbecomingunabletoexecutehisassignment.

DefeatingPassRushTechniques
SWIM Swatthedefender'sclubhandwithyouroutsidehand.Punchyourinsidehand throughthedefendersinsidenumber. RIP Clotheslinedefenderwithoutsidearmandpunchinsidearminthelowerbackofthe defender,orpunchyouroutsidearmondefender'sinsidehipand runhimpastQB. BULL Useanuppercut,liftingstyleofpunch,tolifthisheadandgetseparation.Ifhishead isreallylowonhisrush,snatchthetopofhisshoulderpadsandsnapthedefendertothe ground.Ifthedefender'sarmsarelockedinsideofyours,popthedefenderup,pushingup underneathhisforearmsneartheelbow.IfyouarestillbeingbulledintotheQB,cuthim SPIN Importanttostaysquareandkeepyourhandsonthedefender.Whenheinitiates thespin,keepyourhandsonhimandmaintainseparation.Mirrordefenderwithyourfeet. Dontlosecontact. PULL Ifyoumakecontactwithyourhelmetandloseyourdemeanoritismorelikelythatthe defenderwillusethistypeofpassrush.Snapyourheadbackoncontactandgivethe defendernothingtograb.Sinkyourbuttdownandgetseparation. DELAYEDRUSH Donotoverextendorlungeatdefender.Bepatient.Letthedefender makethefirstmove.Lethimcometoyou.Thispassrushiscommonwithlinestunts.

- GENERAL COACHING POINTS Dependingondefensivepersonnel,defensivestructures,blitzes, dogs, linestunts,slants,twistsandpersonnelmatchups,itisimportantto incorporatehalfandfulllineslideprotectionschemesintothe3and5 steppassinggame.Slideprotectionisazoneprotectionscheme. This meanswedontchasedefenders. Itisimperativethatoffensivelinemenareveryefficientwhenthey executetheslideprotectionschemeasitrelatestothe3stepor5step launchpointofthequarterback. Halflineslideprotectionisazoneprotectionschemetotheslide(orcall) side.Thecenterwillmakethecallandtheguardswillechothe call.Each offensivelinemantothecallsideisresponsibleforblockinga specific gap.Itiscrucialtheoffensivelinementothecallsidemaintainthe properspacinginordertodecreasethepassrushlanesforthedefense. Mostofthetimewewillslideawayfromthetightend;however, that mayvarydependingonouropponentsdefensivestructureandblitz packageforthatweek. WEWILLPUTYOUINAPOSITIONTOSUCEEDBUTYOUMUSTEXECUTE

TeachingProgression
1. Onair,focusonfootworkandeyes PreSeasonand INDYTIME 2. 1stlevelassignment INDYTIME Including1on1drills 3.1st,2ndlevelassignment,blitzpickup INDYTIME 4.Fullgovs.defense(team,blitzpickupperiods)

SlideProtectionTips:
1. Eyesmustalwaysbeinyourgap 2.NEVERgiveinsideleveragetothedefender 3.Knowwhereyourhelpis 4.Thelengthoftheslidestepshouldbeinaccordancewiththe alignmentof thedefender 5.Stabandridewithinsidehandandalwayskeepoutsidehand/shoulder open 6.SLIDESIDEFOOTALWAYSMOVESFIRST 7.BALANCE Itisimperativethatyoukeepyourweightcenteredbetween theiranklesandhips;ontheinstepsoffeet.Leaningtoofarforwardor backwardsisarecipefordefeat

Whatismygap?

LT

LG

RG

RT

i.e. : 68 Sprint Out Protection

3StepHalfSlide:61/62
*61(ShownBelow)=6ManProtection,BackgoestoOdd#side,B Gap GapProtectionScheme:Eyesmustbeonyourgap AllLinemenwithexceptionofbacksidetacklewillslidestepoppositeofcall

QB

5StepHalfSlideAdjustment
61(ShownBelow)=AllRulesstillapply,fortimingpurposes,RB crossesfaceofQB, QBcangivefakeifneeded

QB

61vs.42 B E N B T E

Widthofslidestepwilldepend Onalignmentofdefender TackleswithCgapthreatmay cutdefenderifgameplanned Ifuncovered,youwillexecuteslide Stepthenkickstepbackwardswith eyesopenfordelayedblitz

QB

61Protectionvs.42 B E N B T E

QB

Click to Play

61vs.33 B T B N B T

QB

61vs.33withBlitzThreat B T B N B T

QB

IncaseofawalkedupLB thelinemenwiththepotential gapthreatwillcallsmoke notifying histeammatebacksidethathemay havetotakeahardslidesteptopickup thedefenderclosesttohisgap

Wherethere'ssmoke,there'sfire

61vs.33withBlitzThreat B T B N B T

QB

Click to Play

Wherethere'ssmoke,there'sfire

VariousOtherSituations

61Protection:SmokecallmadebyTE, QBresponsiblefor7th defenderin61/62 protection

61SmokeSwitch: Apossibletagwiththe UseofanHback,makeasmokeswitchtag puttingtheHinmotionandonsnaptaking theresponsibilityofthetailbackin61 protection.Couldpossibleaddthistoa flareoutbytheTBorevenoutofanempty backfield

VariousOtherSituations

61Protection:Bygameplan,thiswouldbe probablybeaknifetagaddedduetothe gap alignmentofdefenders,alsoaDog tag echoedalertingtheTBthathewillhaveto comehard,TEwillalsomakeasmokecall alertingtheRTtotakeahardslidestepto gainleverageontheSam

62Protection:RTmakesDog (mascotname) CalltoalertTBofimmediateresponsibility

CreditforDiagrams:KenWilmesherr

CuttingtheDefenderKnife
AimPoint:Yourbacksideshouldertotheirfar thighpad(i.e.blockingleft,rightshoulderto thefarthighpadofthedefender) Getyourheadacrosstheirbodyandkeep yourheadup WhenshouldIcutthedefender?Whenheis closeenoughforyoutosteponhistoes

67/68Protection
SprintOutPassGame GapProtectionScheme Rules:
BackwillgotothecallsideDgap(7left,8right) RBisalsoresponsibleforrecognizing+1rushthreat (defenseisbringing1morethanwecanblock=scat release) Linewillalsoslidesteptocallside BST(andBSGifuncovered)willstepandhingebut stillprotectiontheirinsidegap

67/68Protection(68)shownbelow)

QB

68ProtectionwithStaycallforTE

QB

68Protectionvs.Even B E N B T E

QB

68Protectionw/StayCallvs.Even B E
Y

B T N E

QB

Click to Play

68Protectionvs.Odd B T N B T B

QB

If LB is walked up on LOS PST must make Mascot Name call to alert RB of immediate threat

68Protectionvs.Odd B T N B T B

QB

Click to Play

68ProtectiontoTEvs.Odd B T B N B T $

QB

TE makes Smoke Mascot Name call to RB alerting him he is leaving and there will be an immediate gap threat

51/52Protection
5ManProtectionSchemeforEmptySets 51=QBisresponsiblefor6th rusherfromleft 52=QBisresponsiblefor6th rusherfromright ManProtectionScheme 5on5,QBisresponsiblefor6th defender OLisresponsiblefordownlinemenandmost dangerousLB CoveredOL=Manon UncoveredOL=Poststepinsidethenvertical setwitheyesopen

52Protectionvs.32 B T N B T

QB

QB should declare vocally any possible blitz threat from trips or twins side

52Protectionvs.33 B B B B N T

QB

52Protectionvs.33 B B B T N T

QB

Click to Play

52Protectionvs.34 B B B N B T B

QB

51Protectionvs.42 B E N B T E

QB

51Protectionvs.43 B E N B T B E

*if there was a 7 man box vs. empty set our first thought is to throw*

QB

51Protectionvs.Bear B B B T N T B

*if there was a 7 man box vs. empty set our first thought is to throw*

QB