COACHING THE RV 3-5-3COACHING THE RV 3-5-3

JASON LYNCH

Head Football Coach

River Valley High School

JLynch@rivervalley.k12.oh.us

OUTLINEOUTLINE

PHILOSOPHY FRONTS

– Base– Gap – Solid– Bear

BLITZ PACKAGE– Fire Zones

COVERAGES

WHY RUN THE 3-5-3?WHY RUN THE 3-5-3?

It suits the available personnel.It allows the defense to be aggressive and

dictate tempo. It keeps the defense active. We want our

LB’s to “prowl.” Never be static.It’s easy to teach and learn.Players can be active and have a part in the

decision making process.

PHILOSOPHYPHILOSOPHY

We will be a gap control defense, and utilize stems.

Our goal is to score on defense, or at a minimum, set up a score.

We will make the offense adjust to our defense. We will force offenses to max-protect, thus

minimizing the the number of receivers we must cover and how long.

We will attack!!

ALLOWS FOR BALANCEALLOWS FOR BALANCE

BASEBASE

GAPGAP

SOLIDSOLID

BEARBEAR

LINE STUNTSLINE STUNTS

RV BLITZ PACKAGERV BLITZ PACKAGE

We will blitz over 75% of the time.To run this defense, you must be willing to

take risks and live with the results. You must be able to play (teach) man-to-man techniques.

We spend extensive time game planning our blitz package for each opponent.

RV BLITZ PACKAGE (cont.)RV BLITZ PACKAGE (cont.)

We use BTF (blitz-to-formation) calls. We entrust our LB’s to make these calls. Therefore, the LB’s must be schooled in our tendency breakdowns and scouting reports.

We give written quizzes, to all players, every Wed. Scouting reports are distributed on Mon.

Our LB’s never make a “wrong” call as long as they blitz the gap opposite of where they deal the defensive line.

1-MAN BLITZES1-MAN BLITZES

We can blitz to any particular gap by calling Strong A, Weak B, etc.

We can blitz off the edge by calling Bam or Ram.

In one backer blitzes, we typically play Cover 3. We will either blow a zone or roll coverage to the blitz.

2-MAN BLITZES2-MAN BLITZES

These are our most common blitzes.We play man-free behind this.We teach LB’s to blitz through blockers,

and don’t let anyone cross their face.The 2-Second Rule:

– If you cannot reach the QB in 2seconds or less, the blitz is useless. LB’s must “spark” through the gap.

DOUBLE “B”DOUBLE “B”

DOUBLE “C”DOUBLE “C”

DOUBLE “D”DOUBLE “D”

STINGERSTINGER

THUNDERTHUNDER

SLAMSLAM

WHAMWHAM

3-MAN BLITZES3-MAN BLITZES

We use these when we need a big play or sudden change.

Must be willing to play man-free (cover 1) or cover 0.

Teach a “peel” technique to account for flares and swing passes.

DEALDEAL

HOUSEHOUSE

ZONE BLITZESZONE BLITZES

Allow us to be aggressive in our scheme. Multitude of possibilities in developing defensive

pressure schemes. Allow us to blitz and still be “safe.” We are no longer gambling with one-on-one

coverage. Feel we are better at stopping the run in zone

coverage, with all 11 defenders keyed to the ball.

FIRE ZONE - MaRkFIRE ZONE - MaRk

FIRE ZONE - WilliaMFIRE ZONE - WilliaM

FIRE ZONE - WeBsterFIRE ZONE - WeBster

FIRE ZONE - MattheWFIRE ZONE - MattheW

COVERAGE RULESCOVERAGE RULES

We typically play a Cover 3 Zone or Cover 1 (Man-Free).

We want a player in the middle of the field as much as possible.

You do not need exceptionally “fast” players to play “Man” but they must have good technique.

We will not give up the inside in man coverage. Force QB’s to throw “outs” and “fades.”

Stop “slants” and “curls” at all costs. Take the penalty if necessary.

COVER 3COVER 3

Bandit/Rover have curl-flat. Sam/Will have hook-curl. Mike has middle underneath. Corner/Free have deep thirds. Keep eyes on the QB. Get in passing lanes. Get contact on crossers. Completed passes are not a problem. Yards after

catch are problematic. Focus on teaching good open-field tackling skills with your DB’s.

COVER 1 (MAN-FREE)COVER 1 (MAN-FREE)

This is our base coverage.C’s have #1. B/R have #2.S/W have #3.M has FB Circle route or mirrors QB.Inside leverage is crucial.

COVER 0COVER 0

Keep use at a minimum. Can play with “press” or not. C’s have #1. F has #2 to the strength. R has #2 weak. B has #3 strong. S/M/W have any backs out of the backfield. We do not believe in running man-to-man against

Wing-T or Option teams.

COACHING THE RV 3-5-3COACHING THE RV 3-5-3

RVVikings

The River Valley coaching staff would like to thank Jake Bruner and Bucyrus football.

JLynch@rivervalley.k12.oh.us