Need Help With Defense

[navman28 0]

This is my first season to coach 9-11 yo's 5 on 5 flag. We have been going with a 2-3 zone and have done well against the run but get beat every time on the deep passes. It seems it happens most when there are two receivers on one side and the front defender releases from his receiver because he went out of his zone and now leaves the back defender to cover the two receivers. I tried getting my defenders to shift when two or more receivers are on one side to go M2M but then sometimes there is a mismatch between the defender and receiver and my defender will let the receiver get behind him. I have been thinking about switching to a 3-1-1 with no rusher since there is a seven second pass rule, but I am not sure what to do against the receivers. Also, how well does the 3-1-1 work against the run? In our next game, we play a team that only passes because the quarterback is very accurate and the receivers can always get open. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[Orange 26]

When you say 2-3 zone are you sending a rusher? If so how effective is your rusher? Does he typically blow by the QB? Most rushers do that. This is a quick video of a typical rusher and what my QB does. My QB isn't even that fast (he's one of the slower kids on the team) he just sidesteps a little and then has time and a clear throwing lane to the receiver. You can stop the video and see what the rusher does. He's really fast and jumps at my QB. That's a mistake too because that gives him even more time to throw if he wants it:

You cannot give the QB time or a clear throwing lane. I don't care if you sack him or not, you have to stay in front of the QB and place pressure on him to make a play. I attempt to teach our kids to come in fast, then slow down in front of the QB and contain him. I know it's easier said then done but that's the best way to give your secondary the best possible situation to defend. The QB needs to be hurried and have someone in front of him while he's making his throw. The worst possible scenario is that he has time, a clear lane and can step up to the los thus making the throw even shorter. As for sitting back in a zone and waiting 7 seconds for a good throwing QB, I'd say is a mistake. He will simply pick you apart.

Once you place the QB in a situation where he has a more difficult throw it will do several things. The QB will have to throw it sooner. The receivers won't have as much time to get open. The QB will have a more difficult read. He'll have a longer throw. It will likely be less accurate and have more arc. All these things favor your defenders making their job much easier.

[navman28 0]

Thanks for the tip on rushing! That is exactly what my rusher usually does is blow right by the QB. We played this team once and we rushed everytime with one sack but the QB was well adapted at reading his receivers and the rusher that he usually made the passes by the time the rusher was at the los. I figured if we keep the rusher back and have him try to read the QB or double cover the main receiver, that might lead to increase pressure on them passing or maybe an interception.

[Orange 26]

Thanks for the tip on rushing! That is exactly what my rusher usually does is blow right by the QB. We played this team once and we rushed everytime with one sack but the QB was well adapted at reading his receivers and the rusher that he usually made the passes by the time the rusher was at the los. I figured if we keep the rusher back and have him try to read the QB or double cover the main receiver, that might lead to increase pressure on them passing or maybe an interception.

If the QB is making the pass before the rusher reaches the los he can't be throwing it that far. The rusher starts from 7 yards back so theoretically the receivers can only go about that far in the same time. If that's the case then long passes shouldn't be a concern which is what I thought was the reason for your original post.

One of the plays I had success with against a 2-1-2, similar to your 2-3 if you rush the middle guy, is to line up twins wide right. The outside guy runs a go pattern and the inside guy runs a diagonal straight at the rush marker (our refs use a little cone that marks the rush line 7 yards from the los in the middle). I like to use that because it gives both the QB and receiver a visual guide as to where the pass is going. The go pattern keeps the safety on that side occupied and when the rusher vacates the middle it leaves that spot wide open. My QB gets the pass off before the rusher reaches him so its a really quick play.

Is that the kind of thing you are facing? If so you can do a couple of things. One, stunt the rusher. Have him line up as usual, start his rush maybe 1-2 steps then drift in front of the slanting receiver. Two, go with a 1-1-3. Your middle defender can step in front of the pass and your middle safety is also there to make a play. Three, have the safety on the side opposite the twins line up and usual and then on the snap have him run quickly towards the middle spot to make the play. One team used this against us and got a pick because my QB didn't see him step up. After that we faked the middle pass then threw to a go pattern on the side he vacated for a TD so it is a bit of a gamble.

[navman28 0]

Yes, that was one of the problems we had was the receiver that was running the slant was faster then my defenders and the QB was good enough that he would always throw in front of the receiver as to have the catch in stride. Also, on the deep passes the QB would see the rusher coming and roll out and pass or my rusher would as you already said fly past him. It seems as the long passes were completed due to my defenders letting their man get behind them.

[Orange 26]

Then you should try to fool the QB. Have the rusher line up as usual, fake like he's rushing and then step into the passing lane for the slant. If the QB sees it and holds the ball the rusher can continue rushing or drop into a middle deep zone. Also, have the safety on the side of the twins line up a little bit deeper than usual. Well, I don't know what he usually does but I'm thinking in the 10-12 yard range off the los. If the QB rolls towards the twins side have the weak side safety drift over towards the middle. Another thing you can do is have the corner on the twins side play off the los and take a deeper drop, like 10 yards. And if the QB rolls a lot towards the twins side have the rusher line up no that side instead of directly in the middle of the field. Push him in 5 yards or so giving him a shorter distance to the QB if he rolls.

[navman28 0]

Thanks for the help. I will try it at our next practice.

[Coach Rob 26]

Gotta rush, a lot. I watched an old video the other night from our first season in flag, we only rushed a few times in that game and got beat long every time.

Couple of thoughts on rushing:

1) Like Orange already said, you're not necessarily going for the sack, you're trying to pressure the QB into a quick or bad throw. Most kids that rush think they have to pull the QB's flags. Teach your kids the concept that they're making it hard on the QB to throw a good pass.

2) Teach your kids not to over pursue, show them what that looks like in practice. Practice the rush using a coach or older sibling as QB.

3) If the QB is right handed, have your rusher come in from the left side forcing the QB to their weak side.

4) Don't give away who's rushing. Tell your rusher(s) not to put one foot in front of the other looking like they're ready to charge forward. Tell your non rushers to do that, so if the offense looks they think someone else is rushing.

5) Mix it up, especially if you're sending the rusher from the same spot each time. Rush from a different spot, don't rush, act like you're sending a rusher, etc. If it were me though, I'd be rushing most of the time, especially against a passing team.