INSIDE LINEBACKER PLAY
Larry Whisler
Assistant Coach - Inside and Outside Linebackers
Marion Harding High School
AS IN THE CASE
with most defenses, our inside linebackers are the hub of our defensive schemes at Marion
Harding. They are expected to recognize and aggressively attack both the run and the pass.
Consequently, we try to teach our ILB’s the skills we believe are required to
succeed in recognizing and attacking both the run and the pass within the context and
structure of our defenses. The purposes of this article are to: (1) provide a brief
overview of what we take into consideration in preparing and teaching our ILB’s to
react to the wide variety of offenses they see over the course of the season, and (2)
describe more specifically the alignments, keys, and read progressions that we believe
provide them with the greatest opportunity to successfully execute their run
responsibilities.
We use the following outline as a
checklist from two-a-day practice sessions through the season as a means of ensuring that
we are teaching and reinforcing the mental and physical skill we believe to be
essential to linebacker play. Various aspects of this outline are emphasized or modified
throughout the season depending on the ability and experience of our players and according
to the offensive tendencies and strengths of our opponents.
I. NOMENCLATURE (as related to alignment
and run
responsibility)
A. gap designation: essential
to understanding run responsibility.
B. technique
designation: indicates alignment position.
C. LB designation
(“SAM” OR “WILL”): determines strong or
weak alignment.
II. STANCE
A. foot position: straight
downfield at or inside shoulders’ width.
B. body attitude: knee-bent
position, shoulders slightly forward
of hips.
III. ALIGNMENT
A. base alignment rules versus
base formations.
B. adjustments based upon
cover, initial formation, shifts, and
motion.
C. adjustments to
backfield sets and unbalanced formations.
IV. GAP RESPONSIBILITY: BASE RULES
A. “Nose to me, play to
me, I have “B”.
B. “Nose to me, play away, I have
opposite “A”.
C. “Tackle to me,
play to me, stack “C” to “D”.
D. “Tackle to me,
play away, slow play my “A”.
V. KEY PROGRESSION
A. pulling linemen (including
fold schemes).
B. pass set-draw check.
C. RB’s shoulder
angles to LOS.
D. option recognition
and responsibilities
VI. PRE-SNAP ROUTINE - MUST:
A. know huddle call and
corresponding run and pass
responsibilities
B. know game situation (score-
d&d- time-field position).
C. know tendencies
(formation/backfield set-personnel-d&d-hash
mark).
D. know proper alignment
given the call, offensive formation, and
situation.
eyes on keys.
VII. INITIAL MOVEMENT: read step in direction of gap
responsibility-this is used as a trigger for key focus and foot movement.
VIII. RUN REACTIONS
A. attack gap responsibility
with a downhill shuffle while
maintaining correct body attitude.
B. recognize
the play - take the most direct course to the ball with
leverage on your gap responsibility and on the running back.
C. know
who can block you - attack the block with the correct base
and shoulder -engage
and escape to the ball.
D. be
aware of your own “color in the hole”- mirror the back’s
shoulders - maintain
leverage on the ball - make the tackle
IX. BLOCK EVASION, ENGAGEMENT and, DISENGAGEMENT, e.g.
A. versus
iso: meet lead back on his side of the LOS - attack
with your inside
B. versus
downblock: attack the far number with your inside arm and drive your outside hand through
outside shoulder - lock out and escape to the ball.
X. PASS
RESPONSIBILITIES AND REACTIONS
A. receiver
awareness (pre-snap read)
B. cover
3 and cover 2 responsibilities
C. zone
retreat techniques
D. QB
indicators
E. pass
action recognition
1. 5 - 7 step drops
2. sprint
3. 3- step
4. waggle
F. route
recognition and adjustment
XI. PURSUIT
XII. TACKLING
This is a general description of the outline we use in developing the basic teaching
progressions we employ in preparing our linebackers to execute their responsibilities
within the structure of our defensive schemes. We then devise drill checklists for each
technique and skill required of our linebackers as identified in the outline.
Next is a basic description of our
base alignments, keys, and read progressions. Our WILL LB aligns in a “20”
technique (on the head of the weakside guard), when our NOSE is aligned to the same side,
at 4-41/2 yards from the LOS. This alignment gives WILL an advantage in executing his far
“A” gap responsibility to the strong side of the formation when flow declares in
that direction. SAM aligns in a “30” technique (shading the strongside guard to
the outside), when he is aligned with our TACKLE, at 4-41/2 yards from the LOS. Both
LB’s first key the offensive line from tackle-to-tackle to determine if there is a
pulling lineman. If there are no pulling linemen, we then locate the RB’s and
determine fast flow / slow flow reads, reading the angle of attack of their shoulders to
the LOS. These reads, along with whether we are aligned with our TACKLE or NOSE, determine
our gap responsibility versus a running play. (See Section “IV” of the
outline above.) If the ball comes “off-the-line” with no line pulls, our
LB’s hang until the QB clears the last RB. We
do this to check for the draw before executing our pass responsibilities.