Coach-K

Coach, I have never been a big fan of teaching the option or other complicated offenses to 8-12 year olds. I would prefer to focus on teaching the fundamentals of blocking and tackling and run a standard Power I or Split Back formation. Simplicity is the key for the younger boys, so keeping your play book to 15-20 plays mostly between the tackles is key. If you "coach" them and focus on running those plays correctly, the kids will have fun and win a few games. More importantly they'll have a better understanding of the game in the end.

Wolves, At the HS and Colege level the DB's will usually backpedal until they can read the QB's drop. A 3 step drop generally means a drag, cross, out or hitch, so the DB will always want to keep the WR in front of him. A five step drop is usually a deap pass and the DB will cross over and go vertical or cross over to 45. Depending on your D scheme's and the DB responsibilities you should be prepared to use both. If you press the WR be prepared for Safety help and the safety will generally use crossover tech.

Coaches, Thanks for the info. The 4-4 thread was helpful. I'll print out both thread to present at our next coach's meeting and see which way they decide on.

jag, I received some of his material at a Rutgers Youth Football Clinic this past Spring. I have a minor problem in that my son is only 7 years old, but he is already 4'6" 85lbs. We needed some agility and speed drills to correct the "awkwardness" that comes with his size. Brian Grasso's material has helped tremendously and I 've seen rapid improvement in his footwork and general mobility in just a few months.

There is a great article on the homepage of this site specifically addressing this topic. http://www.y-coach.com/speedtrain.html

Coach, We run a 5-4 with 2 CB at the same depth as the LB's but 10 yards outside the OLB's (basically a 5-6). Our 5 DL are head up on the Center, Guards and Ends (by league rule) with the Tackles left uncovered. The 3 interior DL are told to penetrate and create as much havoc as possible in the backfield and the DE's box the ends 3-5 yards deep. The corners strictly protect the edge and force plays in. This leaves the C gap in question. We have several coaches with different opinions on positioning and reponsibilities of the LB's. What should the ILB's and OLB's positioning and responsibilities be?