Stuff You Should Know: Delay of Game & Reading Zone vs Man

Did you know… If you signal for a fair catch and then advance the ball, you will get a penalty for delay of game.  In the Notre Dame vs Michigan State game, Irish punt returner Davonte’ Neal signaled for the fair catch, then bobbled the ball.  When he recovered it, he took off running.  They […]

Training Camp: Playing Defensive Back

Training Camp for Playing Defensive Back I attended football camp at Columbia University and with the assistance of the Educator, a defensive backs coach (who works with the Source), I learned the intricacies of the defensive back position and what to watch for. What does a defensive back coach look for? Feet. And that actually […]

Training Camp: Playing Offensive and Defensive Lineman

Linemen. What are they doing?  It looks like they run at each other and just start pushing.  But the fact is that the play of the linemen can determine the success of the team.  I learned more about this at Columbia’s football camp and from watching game film with the Source. To get an idea […]

Who Are the Defensive Backs?

Who are Defensive Backs?  They are the players that make up in the defensive backfield.  This is the third line of defense, yet it is also called the secondary and to further complicate matters, they aren’t always lined up on the third “line.”   The defensive backs typically consist of two safeties and two cornerbacks and […]

Training Camp: Playing Inside Linebacker vs Outside Linebacker

Training Camp:  Inside Linebacker vs Outside Linebacker I attended (i.e., watched) football camp at Columbia University and learned some of the subtle differences between the Inside Linebacker and the Outside Linebacker and what to watch for. The second line of the defense (read more about each position group on the field) consists of the players […]

The 3-4 vs the 4-3 Defense

“A&M is running a 3-4 scheme on defense that Oklahoma State isn’t used to” was the explanation given by the broadcasters as to why the Cowboys went scoreless for almost the entire first half of the Thursday night’s Texas A&M vs Oklahoma State game (2010).  While the 3-4 Defense is not currently the norm in […]

Zone Coverage Schemes

Includes Cover 0, Cover 1, Cover 2, Cover 3, Cover 4 Please note that these diagrams and descriptions are truly over-simplifications, but they provide a basis of how different assignments and zones work.  In the end, the plays will vary significantly and the personnel used will move around in order to confuse the offense.  Defenses […]

Defense: Man-to-Man vs Zone

There are two basic ways to structure a defense: 1) Man-to-Man and 2) Zone. The true difference between these defenses is Coverage, or how they protect against the pass.  In Man-to-Man, as the name suggests, the pass defenders are assigned to specific players.  But in Zone Coverage, the pass defenders cover a specific area or […]