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It is truly an honor to be able to presentto you the philosophy and basic ele-ments of our defense here at Catholic

University. On behalf of our players and our

coaching staff, I would like to thank the

American Football Coaches Association for

allowing us to contribute to this years

Summer Manual.

Our philosophy is adapted from the

pitcher/hitter baseball analogy; hence, thetitle of the article. A good pitcher needs

three pitches: a fastball, a change-up and a

curveball. He also needs control and good

pitch selection. These ingredients prevent

home runs and drives into gaps.

The same philosophy holds true in

defensive football. We need a fastball (five-

or six-man pressure blitzes), a change-up

(three- or four-man pressure with two-deep

and route reading coverage), and a curve-

ball (zone blitzes with three-deep cover-

age). We also need control (good tech-

nique teaching and sound key progression)

and good pitch selection (game planning

and defensive game calls). At this time, I

would like to introduce to you our defensive

coordinator, Bob Larson. He will discuss

our defense more fully.

History

Over the last five years since Tom Clarks

arrival at Catholic University, a major

revamping of the program has taken place.

This pressure blitzing style of defense has

developed with the hope of putting us in a

position to compete, to contend, and to ulti-

mately be as successful as any program in

the nation. With the effort of our defensive

staff Steve Ghent, Clay Goldston, Tom

Mulholland, Billy Harris and Pat Swoyer

we have committed ourselves to this plan.

We hope that you will find our approach

informative and useful for your program.

We are sold on this defensive philoso-

phy with its potential for multiplicity and

flexibility. Because of the potency and pro-

ductivity of our our own offense, matchingwits with their expertise has encouraged us

to be more proactive in our approach to

defense. We believe that with todays mul-

tiple offensive climate, an attacking,

aggressive, disruptive and multiple

defense forces offenses to narrow their

scope to account for the unexpected on

defense. We wanted to look multiple and

complicated with our fronts and coverages.

But, at the same time, be simple in our

techniques and sound in our execution. We

wanted to create a defensive scheme that

could adjust to and disrupt the differing for-

mations, shifts, and motions, while still

being able to overload and attack weak-

nesses in both pass protections and run

blocking schemes. This scheme would

have to give us the opportunity to effective-

ly prepare our players for the diversity that

we could potentially face. As coaches, we

set out to develop an effective time-man-aged approach of integrating common

defensive fundamentals and techniques

needed by all of our players in our teaching

progression and installation. If successful,

the possibilities for multiplicity and flexibili-

ty in both schemes and personnel would be

boundless.

We challenged ourselves to find the

answers to four basic questions:

1. Could we stress the passing game

and protections with a blitz while still disrupt-

ing routes and the rhythm of the quarterback?

2. Could we stress the running game

with more hats than they could block at

the point of attack or with gap exchanges

and movements?

3. Could we be fundamentally sound

and expert technicians?

4. Could we cover our weaknesses and

rally to breaking points with this fastball

approach?

Pressure Defensive Philosophy

Our starting point begins with the follow-

ing seven tenets of our pressure defense:

1. Cause offensive assignment and

play-calling confusion with multiple defen-

sive alignment

No-huddle defense.

Pre-snap stems (movement), bluffs

(fake blitz), prowls (line of scrimmage

movement).

Post-snap movements, base align-

ment blitzes.

2. Stress line of scrimmage with multiple

fronts and blitz.

Blitz to alter pre-snap offensive block-

ing assignments. Blitz to narrow or dictate offensive

audible system.

Blitz to force poor decisions by offen-

sive personnel.

3. Disguise and mix coverages.

Man-to-man look pre-snap stem, post-

snap movement to zone.

Zone look pre-snap stem, post-snap

movement to man-to-man.

Multiple look to confuse pre-snap read

or hot choice.

Bob Larson, Defensive Coordinator

Three Strikes, Youre Out!:The Cardinal Way

Tom Clark

Head Coach

CatholicUniversity

Washington,D.C.

Bob Larson

Def. Coordinator

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will pressure with any combination of five,

drop three underneath zone defenders and

three third field defenders.

Integrated Blitz Techniques and

Fundamentals

Our entire defensive unit must be profi-

cient blitzers. Therefore, we use a cross-

coached blitz technique circuit and an indi-

vidual position/group blitz period. The blitz

circuit concentrates on stems, bluffs, prowls,

ball key, cadence, gap control principles, plus

run/pass read diagnosis. The individual posi-

tion/group blitz period builds on the circuit

principles, adds the primary and secondary

key progression and playside/backside

responsibilities. Our starting point in both is

always vs. air. We then add the variables to

bring us to full speed game situations.

Integrated Coverage Techniques

and Fundamentals

Most of our defensive unit must be profi-

cient in our multiple coverage. Therefore,

common techniques and fundamentals are

coached in all individual position groups and

built into the cross-coached group periods.

We will devote one day/practice session to

each of our three packages: man-to-man

with no help, man-free and zone. We inte-

grate and mix our coverages and personnel

daily with our pass skeleton period in a rota-

tion with our pass rush (blitz) periods.

Keys and Progression

Pre-snap keys to post-snap execution

activate our position key progression. As a

starting reference point, our linemen key

ball movement peripherally for get off. They

sight an aiming point on a man for contact

and control or an imaginary reference point

for non-contact take-off. In any predeter-

mined movement, they will key ball move-

ment. Our linebackers, because of our man

emphasis, key their man-to-man responsi-

bility. If their read is unclear pre-snap, they

will key a focal point between two potential

responsibilities. Our secondary will followthe same progression as the linebackers in

man coverage. The free safety in man/free

will key the quarterback for lane of the ball,

to the strongside receiver; alley key if

option pattern shows. We generally follow

this simple coverage principle: key ball to

man in zone, and man to ball in man.

Good Pitch Selection

In our weekly practice preparation,

game planning, and game plan execution,

we focus on strong tendencies. Personnel,

down and distance, field position or forma-

tion tendencies, if available, will be exploit-

ed. However, if we do not recognize con-

sistent tendencies either during preparation

and planning, we will dictate the tempo by

scripting, rotating our calls and rotating our

personnel. If they begin to settle in to a

plan, we plan to take it away. If they do not

settle in, we are multiple. If we can be

proactive and throw our three pitches,

keep them off balance and strike them out,

we can win: The Cardinal Way!

Diagram 5: Four-Man Pressure/Zone

Diagram 6: Three-Man Pressure/Zone

Diagram 7: Zone Pressure

(Note: These guidelines have been prepared in conjunction with

Article Nine of the AFCA Code of Ethics. It clarifies the actions aken

by the AFCA when a members institution is on probation).

I. The coach that creates a major probation problem at

his present institution:

The coach must abide by the following ruling until the major

probation is lifted:

1. His institution is not eligible to be voted on in the USA

Today/ESPN coachespoll.

2. The coach is not eligible for GTE Coach of the Year honors,

and his name will not appear on such ballots.

3. The coach is not eligible to serve on the voting panel for theUSA Today/ESPN coaches poll.

4. The coach cannot serve on any AFCA committee, speak at the

AFCA national convention or contribute to any AFCApublication.

5. The coach cannot take part in any all-star games.

II. The coach that creates a major probation problem at

his present institution and moves to another institution

which is clear of that status:

The restrictions listed in Section I will follow the coach to his new

institution, with one exception. His new institution is eligible to be

voted on in the USA Today/ESPN coaches poll.

III. The coach who leaves an institution in good standing

and moves to another institution which has major proba-

tion problems not brought about by the new head coach:

The first two restrictions listed in Section I will apply to the

head coach, since any success his present team enjoys will be

due in part because of advantages gained by breaking NCAA

regulations before his arrival.

The head coach can take part in the following:

1. The coach is eligible to serve on the panel that does the vot-

ing on the USA Today/ESPN weekly football poll.

2. The coach can serve on AFCA committees, speak at the

AFCA national convention and contribute to AFCA publications.3. The coach can take part in all-star games.

IV. AFCA probation is not affected by delayed probation.

If an institution cannot take part in televised games, but gets

its television penalties delayed a year because of a previous tele-

vision commitment, there will not be a delay from the AFCA. It is

our feeling that a coach would be punished instead. Therefore,

the AFCA will have the television penalty go along with the pro-

bation period.

Failure to adhere to these standards shall be grounds for

probation, suspension or expulsion from this organization.

A F C A Guidel ines Regarding Probat ion