By Spencer Leno
Inside Linebackers Coach
Massillon Washington High School (OH)
Twitter: @SpencerLeno

There are three main points of emphasis that are communicated to our inside linebackers at the beginning of the year. They include:

• Know Alignment/Assignment
• Read and React
• Be Great Tacklers

While block destruction, tackling, footwork, and pass defense are all important aspects of playing ILB, our players really take pride in reading their keys and then reacting to the football. If we get good at reading our keys, we can always make up for a lack of talent or speed. Stopping the run is our first team defensive goal, so we really emphasize the importance of being disciplined with our eyes and reading keys. For us, we believe the easiest and most efficient way to read effectively is by reading “guard to near back.” Out of our three or four individual periods each day at practice, our ILBs will spend at least one period or more each day practicing our reads, whether it’s in the form of a drill or a walk through.

From an overall defensive perspective, we are a multi-front, 3-4 defense. We will start off in an under front with a stand up 5 technique in the boundary and then branch off from there. Most of the time, our two inside linebackers will align in 30 techniques (outside shade of the OG). We believe in being gap sound in the run game, but understand that gaps can move based upon whether an offense is running gap scheme or zone. Although we are a base under front defense, these reads, rules, and terminology can be applied to all ILBs in any defense in some form or another.

This article will focus on the progression of how to teach inside linebackers to read “guard to near back” effectively. When teaching players how to read their keys, it is important that we work part-to-whole, utilizing specific and simple terminology that all players can reiterate without hesitation. Our linebackers will hear the terminology being used constantly throughout drill work, film study, and chalk talk. The part-to-whole teaching and drill work progression includes the following:

1. Walk Through of Drills and Reads
2. Chalk Talk/Film
3. Half-line Read Drill
4. Flow Drill (Near Back Flow)
5. Whole Line “Fast” Read Drill
6. Inside Run
7. Team Run

Guard to Near Back Key Principles

As opposed to reading primarily guard or primarily the running back, we read guard first to the near back second. Once we get our initial read from the guard, we eye our near back to read his shoulders to determine whether he’s running inside, off tackle, or outside. Their eyes should always be on the guard first because of the potential misdirection of the RB on run plays such as counter and QB counter. This is one reason why we do not just read the RB. It is worth noting that before we teach the primary reads, we review our read step and basic footwork. When the ball is snapped, we teach our ILBs to take a read step mirroring their primary key (guard) taking short six-inch steps until our key tells us to react and attack. When reading guard to near back, we initially focus on three primary reads to start off. They include:

• Open Window
• Closed Window
• Pull Read

An open window read can be identified as a clear open read in our gap with full RB flow towards the gap. When we read this we will “plug” the gap, either making the play or taking on a fullback’s, H-back’s, or pulling guard’s block.

A closed window read can be defined as down blocks by the OG and OT. When we read this, our ILB may take his six-inch read steps mirroring the down blocks, but should redirect and scrape “cloudy to clear” tight to the wrong arm. The running backs shoulders will most likely be square to us still. Whether or not we are getting a “pull” call from the opposite ILB will help with this read as well.This read will occur when teams run gap scheme based plays.

A pull read can be defined when the OG or OT pulls behind the center. When we get this read, we teach our guys to communicate “pull-pull” and then to “press play side A,” working “cloudy to clear.” We teach our guys that when pressing the play side A, if it’s “clear” we “press” it, if it’s “cloudy,” we work over top the down block from the play side. Since we read guard to near back, it is important to note that a pull by the OG trumps any directional flow of the RB (counter plays). The pull call tells the opposite ILB, who is getting a closed window read, to redirect to scrape. In the “Half-line Read Drill” clips below, you will see a rep where the ILB follows his guard as opposed to the misdirection of the near back.

By Mike Kuchar

Senior Research Manager

X&O Labs

Researchers’ Note: You can access the raw data of this report – in the form of graphs – by clicking here to read: 9-Technique Statistical Analysis Report.

This report will focus on our research findings regarding the play of the 9-techinque defender.  What we’re calling a 9-technique defender is the player that lines up on the outside tip of the tight end or three-man surface.  While we realize this player can be a defensive lineman, we chose to detail the linebacker technique exclusively. This week our focus will be on how coaches train their 9-technique LB’s to play various blocking schemes.  These are the main defensive structure’s we will focus on for the report:

• Even Front: Mainly an Under or Eagle defense with a walk-up outside linebacker playing the 9-techinque (Diagram 1)
• Odd Front: a 3-4, 3-3, or 5-0 structure with an outside linebacker playing the 9-technique (Diagram 2)

It’s important to note that the 9-technique survey generated the most responses that we’ve ever had at X&O Labs with 2,457 high school and college coaches completing the survey. When we get responses like that, not only does it prove the validity of the responses, but also provides for a broader spectrum of coaches to share their knowledge.  We appreciate your feedback and hope that you’ll continue to be active participants of these surveys.

Before we get into the specifics of what we found, we thought we’d share some interesting statistics based on the survey.

• 50.6 percent of coaches will use a 9-tehnique defender any time there is a three-man surface present, regardless of the front structure. Just goes to show how important it is to put immediate pressure on the tight end.  You don’t need X&O Labs to tell you that most run schemes are three-man surface oriented.  The presence of the 9-technique puts a first level player in the D gap for immediate force of the football.

• 57.8 percent of coaches will use a traditional defensive lineman type IN THE EVEN FRONT to play the 9-technique, more so than an outside linebacker type. The teams that do use a linebacker to play the 9-technique will be more of an Eagle or Under front by nature thus making a five-man front.  It’s not as common to see a four down front with a 9-technique defender.  Teams that run a four-down structure will mainly utilize a 7-technique defender.  But, for now, we’ll focus on the 9-technique. 

• 63.3 percent of coaches will use an outside linebacker type in THE ODD FRONT to play the 9-technique, more so than a defensive lineman type. We didn’t find this surprising, but what we did find interesting was the fact that these same coaches will spend more time training this defender to rush the pass than anything else.  It’s something we’ll detail in next week’s report.

• 54.4 percent of 9-technique linebackers work with the DL in practice, while 45.6 percent work with the LB’s. This surprised us.  While we knew it wasn’t uncommon for these types of perimeter linebackers to get work with the defensive line, we certainly didn’t think it would be in the majority.  In fact, most coaches that utilize a 9-technique linebacker train him to use the same fundamentals that a defensive lineman would in the run game.   The only thing that separates their job description to that of a defensive lineman is the linebacker’s responsibility to cover receivers.  At least we thought, until we found that 67.1 percent of coaches will not even use that player in coverage schemes, he will rush the passer.  But again, a topic to be covered next week.

Case 1: Variations of Stance and Alignment

We’ve found that deciding between a two-point and a three-point stance is relative to whether your 9-technique is a defensive lineman in nature or a linebacker.  Today, we’ll focus on that player being a linebacker.

We’ve found that the stance of the 9-technique linebacker will vary based on the support structure of your defense.  If that 9-technique is the primary force player, he will use more of a tilted stance in order to maintain leverage on the perimeter.  Conversely, if that player is not a force player, his shoulders may be more square to the line of scrimmage.

Regardless of what responsibility the 9-technique defender, we’ve found that 58.1 percent of coaches teach the inside foot up in the stance.  This ensures a quicker read on the player’s visual key, who is mainly the tight end.  As it pertains to horizontal alignment, 46.4 percent of coaches will have their 9-technique split the crotch of the tight end, while 40.5 percent will play with their  inside foot further than outside foot of tight end in a wide alignment.  While it seems like coaches are split on this matter, Mike Eddy, the head coach at Gallia Academy High School (OH) doesn’t do either.  He has his outside linebacker line up in what he calls an “ability alignment.” 

“If the 9-tech is a better athlete we use a tight alignment of inside eye to outside eye,” says Eddy.  “If they are close to ability we align shoulder pad to shoulder pad.  If the TE is the better athlete, we align even wider at the tip of pad to tip of pad.  We align as wide as needed to defeat a possible reach block while still being able to squeeze a down block and keep the tight end off our inside defender.  Stance is slightly staggered with inside foot toe to instep.  This allows him to balance his step when he executes his read step on the offense’s initial movement.”