Zagreb Patriots

Football

Defensive Playbook

PATRIOTS DEFENSIVE TEAM PHILOSOPHY

1. Mental Preparations: Concentrate and prepare each day during the week.

Concentrate both in the meetings; walk thru, and on the field. The better you know

your assignments during the week, the better you will play on game day. Many times

teams beat themselves with mental mistakes not because the other team had the right

play called.

2. Fundamentally Sound: Football is a game of individual techniques. Each

position-Defensive Line, Linebackers, and Secondary must execute for the defense to

work. You must work and concentrate on your techniques every day.

3. Be a Physical Defense: Playing defense allows you the opportunity to be physical.

This is what defense is all about and you can become known as a physical defense. It

is a mindset but it must be a total team effort. A physical defense is one that is flying

to the football and the opponent is going backward not falling forward. Note:

Football is a Contact Sport.

4. Hustle: You cannot beat it. You cannot be a physical defense if you do not hustle.

Hustle is as old fashion as it gets but is still what it is all about. Offensive and

Defensives schemes change from time to time but one thing that has not changed and

never will change is hustling (running) to the ball.

5. Quickness: The quicker the defense, the harder it is for the offensive team to

score. It only makes sense if your defense has overall team quickness the better the

opportunity to swarm and gang tackle. The best of both worlds is size and quickness

but if something has to give, take the quickness. What is more important than size is

strength and is why a weight program is important.

6. Consistency: Do not be up and down. Be consistent day in, and day out, and week

out. Be a player that your teammates and coaches can count on.

7. Physical Toughness: Fight through the bumps and bruise. If you can be on the

practice field, be there; know the difference between pain and injury.

8. Be Disciplined: Take pride in paying attention to detail. Without a doubt, little

things make the difference in the execution of the defense. The things will take care

of themselves but the little things are the ones individually you must concentrate on.

The success of the defense called is dependent on each player playing the technique

and if you breakdown, the whole defense break down.

9. Gang Tackling: Eleven guys getting to the ball. Nothing is more discouraging to

an offensive back or receiver knowing his going to get machine gun (hit) by the

PATRIOTS’ defense.

10. Team Unity: Play as a team. Be un-selfish and put the team first. Everyone does

not have to be buddy-buddy but appreciate and respect your teammate. No one can

play perfect and realize that any of us can make an honest mistake. Do not be afraid

to admit if you messed up because if you are a good player you will make up for it

eventually. Be positive – not negative. Football is fun when everyone is working

together.

11. Leverage: Leverage is really what tackling is all about on defense. Forcing the

runner back inside to towards the pursuit. In fact, f he breaks a tackle in the middle of

the field, however, there will usually be about four other guys in pursuit to bring him

down. It's not necessarily about making the big play yourself, it's about making it

harder for the runner to make the big play.

12. Don’t Until You Know: One of the most critical factors about beating the

offense is learning to understand your keys. In fact, this is how you read the offense

by going through your progression on keys. Therefore, in order not to over pursue or

be out of position it is important to make sure you have read the play properly.

Hence, don’t go until you know what the play is and where the ball is going.

13. Multiplicity but Simplicity: I believe in the KISS method which is “keep it

simple stupid” I learn this while a young soldier in the army so my goal is to keep the

defense very simple and not overpower you with a lot of terminology or schemes. We

need to be multiple enough to take advantage of opponent’s weakness, but simple

enough that the terminology and actions are repetitious.

DEFENSIVE OBJECTIVES

1. Turnovers: Sometimes the offense will turn it over and other times you as a

defense can force the turnover. Pursuit and gang tackling will cause fumbles.

Pressure up the middle, from the outside and reading the QB in your zones will lead

to interceptions.

2. Win 1st Down Run: (3 yards or less) Force 2nd & long so we can get into our

blitzes and zone reads for rush and our seven (7) man fronts. When you win 1st

down, your odds go up to force the 3rd and long which is the key on defense.

3. Get off on 3rd Down: Every time you win on 3rd down, you automatically have

picked up 6 snaps on your opponent and maybe more. It for sure is three (3) less

snaps for them because they are off the field and it just gave our offense three (3)

more snaps because we are on the field.

4. Don’t give up the big Play: Make them earn it. Sometimes they will stop

themselves if you do not give them the cheap one.

5. Eliminate Foolish Penalties: No excuse for foolish penalties. Avoid foolish off

sides, late hits out-of-bounds, taking a swing at the opponent, and unnecessary

roughness etc. There will be enough bad judgment calls as it is. We cannot afford

penalties that we actually can control.

6. Score on Defense: Whenever we intercept a pass, yell “Oskey” and think score.

Everyone go immediately to near sideline and get a BLOCK. Your block can make

the difference.

7. Stop the Run & Don’t Give Up the Big Play: You do this the odds of you winning

go up tremendously.

8. Sudden Change: Have pride in sudden change. Our offense certainly did not turn it

over because they wanted to, just like we did not let a team score on us because we

did not care. Take the field with a positive attitude with everyone pulling together.

DEFENSE SCHEME PHILOSHPY

1. Basic 4-3 alignment: four (4) down linemen Liz and Rip

2. 4-2-5 alignment on four (4) down linemen Liz and Rip against the Spread

formations

2. Basic 5 – 2 alignment: five (5) down linemen on the Goal Line

4. Basic 6 – 2 alignment: six (6) down linemen on the Goal Line depending on the

down

5. Gap Control – 1 Gap Control Football Each Lineman and Linebacker will be

responsible for a gap

6. Defensive line coming off the line in an ATTACK MODE. Stepping first and

reading on the run.

7. Basic 4 Man Front with Front LB’s and Secondary coordinated.

We will refer to as STUNTS or BLITZS, ZONE BLITZS, FIRES, STRETCHES and

ROBBERS.

8. Mix of Zone, man, and combination Zone. Change up by the Secondary in Zones

and man concept. Cover 1, Cover 2, Cover 3, Cover 4. We will refer to our coverage

as Gold coverage, Inverted Gold and Posse Coverage

9. Enough change up in defensive package so as not to be predicable but not to the

extent that it cannot be learned or executed by the defense.

OFFENSIVE IDENTIFICATION

A. PERSONNEL GROUPINGS:

1. I FORMATION……………1 TE, 2RB, 1QB, 2WR

2. I SLOT LEFT………………1 TE, 2RB, 1QB, 1SR, 1WR

3. PRO SET….………………..1 TE, 2RB, 1QB, 2WR

4. I SLOT RIGHT.……………1 TE, 1RB, 2WR, 1QB

5. DOUBLE TIGHT………….2 TE, 2RB, 2WR

6. STRONG RIGHT………….1 TE, 1RB, 3WR, 1QB

7. BLACK SLOT LEFT……...3WR, 1,QB, 2RB

8. THUNDER RIGHT………..4WR, 1QB, 1RB

9. THUNDER LEFT………….3WR, 2RB,1QB

10. THUNDER STACK RIGHT…4WR, 1RB, 1QB

11. THUNDER OPTION………….4WR, 1QB, 1RB

12. GENERAL DOUBLE SLOT…4WR, 1TE, 0RB, 1QB

B. OFFENSIVE PLAYER IDENTIFICATION:

1. QB………………………….QUARTERBACK

2. RB………………………….RUNNING BACK OR HALFBACK

3. FB…………………………..FULLBACK

4. WSR/SSR……………………………. SLOT RECEIVER FLANKER

5. WR…………………………….SPLIT END/WIDE RECEIVER

6. TE……………………………TIGHT END

PERSONNEL GROUPS

RB FB

WR QB TE O O X O O WR

Formation I FORMATION

Group 1TE/2RB/1QB/2WR

RB FB QB WR TE O O X O O WR Formation I FOR STG LEFT SLOT RIGHT

Group 1TE/2RB/1QB/1F/1SE

RB RB WR QB TE O O X O O WR Formations PRO SET STRONG LEFT Group 1TE/2RB/2WR

RB FB WR QB WR O O X O O TE Formation I SLOT LEFT STRONG SLOT STRONG RIGHT Group 1TE/2RB/2WR

RB FB

WR QB TE O O X O O TE Formations: I FORM, DOUBLE TIGHT GROUP: 2TE/2RB/2WR RB

RB QB WR WR WR O O X O O TE Formations: STRONG RIGHT SLOT RIGHT GOURP: 1TE/2RB/2WR

FB WR QB WR T G C G T WR Formations: I FORM, BLACK SLOT LEFT GROUP: 3WR/2RB

QB RB

WR WR WR T G C G T WR Formations: SHOT GUN RIGHT GROUP 4WR/1RB

RB RB QB WR WR T G C G T WR Formations: POWER LEFT SLOT LEFT GROUP: 3WR/2RB

QB RB WR WR WR T G C G T WR Formations: SHOT GUN STACK RIGHT GROUP: 4WR/1RB

RB

WR QB WR WR T G C G T WR Formations: SINGLE BACK OPTION GROUP: 4WR/1RW

QB WR WR WR TE T G C G T WR Formations: SHOT GUN STG LEFT GROUP: 4WR/1TE

RB QB WR WR WR T G C G T WR Formation: Pistol Personnel Group 4W 1RB

RB QB WR WR TE T G C G T WR Formation: Single Back Option strong right/trips left Group 1TE/1RB/3WR

QB 2/WR 3/WR 1/WR

1/WR T G C G T 2/WR Formation: Empty Personnel Group 5WR 1 QB

PASSING TREE

Passing Tree

1. Chair Route 15 to 20 yards

2. Stick Route 20 yards

3. Wheel Route 5 to 10 yards

PASSING TREE

Fly /Seam Route

Flag Post 20

15

Hitch Curl

Out In 10

Flat Slant 5

Above is a standard passing tree, which I believe we will see in our league. Currently,

I don’t believe we will see anything more sophisticated than what is drawn here.

However, my scouting reports may demonstrate something else but will make

adjustments each week and add new routes as needed. However, for now I would like

you to learn each route along with depth of the routes.

DEFENSIVE HUDDLE

BASIC HUDDLE PROCEDURES AND RESPOSIBILITIES

FORMATION OF HUDDLE:

Form huddle quickly- do not walk to the huddle and do not be the last man in the

huddle.

Break the huddle quickly- do not talk in the huddle and then hustle to your position

on the field

Keep a constant huddle- Nose tackle and tackle form the huddle on the ball. The

shape and hands on knees appearance is the responsibility of each player.

PROCEDURE FOR CALLING THE DEFENSE:

1. FRONT

2. LINE TECHNIQUE

3. COVERAGE

4. ADDITIONAL EMPHASIS AND RESPONSIBILITY WITHIN THE BASIC COVERAGE

EXAMPLE: 43 Base

1. RIP

2. Inside Twist

3. Inverted Gold Coverage

4. Corners play leverage inside 7 yards off the LOS

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BREAKING THE HUDDLE:

1. After the completing the defensive call, Signal Call will say: “Ready-Break” the

team will clap hands on break and hustle to your position

2. After break, align in the approximate position for the defense called. Be looking at

the offense as the they break the huddle. If possible, free safety will identify what

offensive personnel are on the field.

3. Mike make “Strong side” call to identify the location of the TE if significant.

Defensive Calls Responsibility:

The Mike Linebacker is the designated defensive signal caller. The defensive signal

caller responsibility is to:

- Call base defense (front line) and pass coverage

Strong Safety’s responsibility is:

- Personnel Alerts

- Support call to strong side

Free Safety’s responsibility is:

- Down and distance-make sure that the total defensive unit is aware of the

defensive situation

DEFENSIVE LINE TECHIQUE

(0 zero technique) would mean a nose tackle aligned nose-to-nose with a center.

(1 technique) the defensive lineman is line up in the middle of the A gap.

(2 technique) defensive lineman is nose-to-nose with the offensive guard.

(3 technique) defensive lineman is line up in the middle of the B gap or outside shade of the guard. He is responsible for maintaining outside leverage and not letting himself get hook or reached blocked by the offense.

(4 technique) defensive lineman is line up nose-to-nose with the offensive tackle.

(5 techniques) meant that the defensive lineman had his nose on the outside shoulder of the offensive tackle.

(6 techniques) was nose-to-nose with the offensive tight end.

(7 technique) meant the defensive lineman had his nose on the inside shoulder of the offensive tight end.

(8 techniques) meant that the defensive lineman was aligned on air outside the outside shoulder of the offensive tight end.

(9 techniques) meant that the defensive lineman has his nose on the outside shoulder of the offensive tight end.

DEFENSIVE LINE NUMBER AND GAP RESPONSIBILITY

9 8 7 5 4 4I 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 4I 4 5 7 8 9

IDENTIFYING DEFENSIVE GAPS

Alley D C B A A B C D Alley

1. A GAP AREA IS BETWEEN THE CENTER AND THE GUARD

a. Be aware there is a strong side A gap and a weakside A Gap this depends on where the tightend

is line up.

2. B GAP AREA IS BETWEENT THE GUARD AND THE TACKLE

3. C GAP AREA IS BETWEEN THE TACKLE AND THE TIGHTEND

4. D GAP AREA IS FROM THE TIGHTEND AND EXTENDS TO THE ALLEY

5. ALLEY GAP AREA IS OUTSIDE THE D GAP

DEFENSIVE TERMINOLOGY

Patriots Blitz Scheme

1. Blitz: a blitz is when additional players are sent to "rush the quarterback"--that is,

try to tackle the quarterback or disrupt his pass attempt.

A blitzing defense is a sore spot for most offensive schemes. The biggist advantage

blitzing gives us is the threat of blitzing. We need to be multiple enough to take

advantage of opponent’s weakness, but simple enough that the terminology and

actions are repetitious

2. Coverage:

Zero: (0) is our term for man coverage. We will use this coverage when blitzing

Bail, Press, and Bump: we use to tell the corners what technique we are using

3. Count System: We count receivers from outside in 1, 2, 3,

The read side will have a #3 reciever

4. Corners have #1 WR to their side, if there is no WR then he will flip over and the

count the next available WR (counting outside in).

5. The strong and (Rover safety/WL) have the #2 receiver respectively to their sides.

The Linebackers have #3 strong, #2 weak, if #2 is in the backfield.

6. The free safety is free at this point with no one blitzing.

7. Alignment for the Linebackers is determined by the front call.

8. The safeties follow their zone alignment rules.

9. The hardest point for the safeties to learn is thea the Free Safety may not be

reading to the passing strength. He is reading to the blitz side in most cases.

Blitz Terminology:

- Bullets – Linebackers both blitz

- Dogs – Linebackers and Safety from the same side

- Smokes – Safety blitz

- Mob – Both Linebackers and both Safities at the same time

- Patriots – Strong Safety blitz

- Bullets Patriot – Both Linebackers and Tight End side safety

- Bullets – Tell both Linebackers to blitz. We signify in the call which gap they

will run through

SECONDARY COVERAGES