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The
pass defense is only as good as the pass rush. If the defensive
front allows the quarterback to much time, the quarterback will
pick the coverage apart. It's important that the rush puts pressure
on the quarterback to force the quarterback to keep moving his
feet or throw the ball early. A good pass rush will give your
defense opportunities to bat the ball down, hit the quarterback
as he is throwing or even sacking the quarterback.
Pass
Rush Technique
Take-off
The
most important factor on successful pass rush is the take-off.
From the moment of movement, the defender must close the distance
between himself and the blocker as quickly as possible, so the
blocker has little time to set up and prepare for the move.
Target
The
defender must know prior to the snap where he wants to aim and
at what points he wants to take a blocker on. The defender should
punch into the offensive lineman, forcing him to retreat from
the line of scrimmage as quickly as possible. The defensive
lineman should work to get their hands and arms fully extended
to gain and maintain seperation from the blocker.
Plan
The
defensive lineman should have a plan to execute when he reaches
the target point. The plan should be based on the following factors:
- His
ability and best moves
- What
moves he has executed before.
- The
blockers strengths and weaknesses.
- His
physical advantages over the blocker, such as speed, strength
and agility.
Counter
The
defender should always have a counter move ready in case the blocker
picks up the initial move. One of the key points is that the defensive
lineman must be moving upfield at all times. The defensive lineman
should never come to a stop, or make a lateral or stationary move.
The second effort is the difference between success and failure
with the pass rush. Pass
Rush Lanes
It
is important that the defenders remain in their pass rush lanes
when rushing the quarterback. If a defensive lineman gets out
of his lane, it opens a "window" for the quarterback
to look downfield and could lead to losing containment on the
quarterback. With a base four-man rush, teach your outside ends
to rush with contan responsibilities to the shoulder of the quarterback.
The two inside tackles have inside rush responsibility aiming
for the near number of the quarterback. As the quarterback moves
out of the pocket, the defenders should keep the same target on
the quarterback to help constrict the pocket and keep contain
responsibility. |
