Brian Flinn, WR Coach, Princeton

Full video on Glazier Drive: Championship Level Practice Habits for WR’s

This video captures Coach Flinn's philosophy on player development, mistake management, and building team culture through daily practice and feedback.

EMBRACING MISTAKES AS LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

The coach emphasizes attacking aggressively rather than playing cautiously out of fear. He references Coach Leach's mentality of "swinging your sword" - committing fully to plays even if it means making mistakes. The key principle is that mistakes only have value if players learn from them. When a player drops a ball, simply saying "catch the ball" isn't helpful - the focus should be on understanding why it happened and how to correct it moving forward.

IMPROVING POSITION AND NEVER GIVING UP

Through film examples, the coach shows players fighting through bad positions by being physical, violent with their upper body, and always finding "the escape." He stresses that how a rep starts doesn't determine how it ends - players should focus on winning the rest of the play rather than keeping score during it. The emphasis is on continuous improvement throughout each rep, asking "how can I do better?" regardless of whether it was good or bad.

MENTAL APPROACH: FROM FRUSTRATED TO FOCUSED

The coach addresses the mental challenges receivers face, particularly when not getting the ball. He teaches players to move quickly from negative emotions (frustrated, angry, complaining) to productive ones (focused, aware, competitive). This transition, which he credits to Tom Green's framework, is essential for staying in the fight throughout the entire game. Players must move from ego to gratitude and competitiveness.

DAILY ACCOUNTABILITY AND HONEST FEEDBACK

Every practice functions as an "exit meeting" where players receive immediate, honest feedback about their performance. The coach makes it clear that waiting until the end of the season to understand where you stand is too late - attention must be paid daily to coaching points and film sessions. The players who perform best in practice earn the best reps, and film doesn't lie about individual and team identity.

BUILDING CULTURE THROUGH THE "THREE A'S"

Drawing from Nick Saban and Kobe Bryant, the coach emphasizes that culture is built through how players act individually, interact with teammates, and react to adversity. Players are responsible for maintaining standards ("that's not how we do it here"). The goal is that when film plays on Sundays, it should reflect the team's identity and values established in practice.

Julian Wilson, DB Coach, North Texas

Full Video on Glazier Drive:  DB Stance, On-Snap Footwork, & Press Technique

DEFENSIVE COVERAGE BREAKDOWN: COVER 3 PRINCIPLES AND TECHNIQUES

DEFENSIVE ALIGNMENT AND STRUCTURE

The defense operates from a 4-3 base with four down linemen and three linebackers. Corners align outside on #1 receivers, with the nickel positioning varying based on splits and coverage calls. The defense shows a two-high safety shell pre-snap with linebackers positioned off the defensive line.

COVER 3 PHILOSOPHY: VISION COVERAGE

Cover 3 is taught as a "vision coverage" where defenders must read the quarterback rather than turning their backs. This prevents corners from being run off on run plays, ensuring all 11 defenders stay engaged. The coverage features four underneath defenders (mirrored curl-flat and hook-curl players on each side) and three deep defenders splitting the field into thirds.

CORNER RESPONSIBILITIES AND TECHNIQUES

Corners play a 60/40 or "overlap" third, meaning they lean 60% toward the #2 vertical receiver and 40% toward #1 when facing two vertical routes. The base alignment is 1x7 (one yard outside, seven yards deep), but corners must gain additional depth by the snap to properly midpoint two verticals. On run plays, corners must keep their outside arm and leg free, serving as the force player to turn everything back inside. Their primary pass responsibility is defending post-streaks and post-corners, letting underneath players handle their zones.

TEACHING PROGRESSION AND DRILLS

Individual drills focus on zone turns with eyes on the quarterback. Coaches simulate 3-step and 5-step drops, teaching corners to recognize when #2 eliminates himself from vertical threats. When this happens, corners can zone-turn and maintain ball vision rather than man-turning. Corners practice gaining proper depth and maintaining quarterback vision while reading route combinations like double verticals and switch vertical concepts.

NICKEL/CURL-FLAT RESPONSIBILITIES

The curl-flat defender (often a versatile corner playing nickel) has dual run and pass responsibilities. On runs, they fit outside #2 or take the first available gap if #2 is in the backfield, serving as the force player. In pass coverage, they drop to 12 yards at the top of the numbers with three key jobs: reroute any vertical release by #2 to help the corner, hold the curl of #1 until the quarterback's shoulders turn them down to the flat (playing high-to-low), and cover any wheel route by the #3 receiver (typically a running back).

ALIGNMENT ADJUSTMENTS

The nickel's alignment adjusts based on backfield alignment. When the running back aligns to their side, they can play more head-up on the receiver since run threats develop slower. When the back is away, they must apex (split the difference) between the tackle and #2 receiver, tucking inside to avoid being "dug out" while maintaining force responsibility. The key is never getting pinned inside while remaining the edge defender.

Sam Hullender, Asst Coach

Full video on Glazier Drive: RPO Game out of the SMU Power Spread Offense

OFFENSIVE PHILOSOPHY & FIELD MANAGEMENT

The core philosophy centers on exploiting defensive alignment and spreading the ball across the field. The offense acts as a "point guard," forcing defenses to cover sideline to sideline while making them defend both run fits and perimeter plays. Pre-snap reads allow the quarterback to eliminate one side of the field based on linebacker positioning and available space, simplifying decision-making to attack the open area immediately.

FIRE DRILL - QUICK RELEASE TRAINING

The primary quarterback development drill focuses on catching and releasing the ball as fast as possible, similar to a shortstop turning a double play. The emphasis is on immediate ball delivery rather than perfect footwork mechanics. For throws to the left, the sequence is right foot then left foot; for throws to the right, a small step back enables the throw. The faster the ball reaches receivers' hands, the less time the defense has to adjust and the more successful the play becomes.

BUBBLE SCREEN EXECUTION & BLOCKING

The bubble screen package requires the outside receiver to read and react to defensive positioning. The receiver must first protect against trap coverage (safety or corner with inside eyes), then stem inside to block whoever commits—either the safety or corner. The goal is eliminating one defender so the ball carrier only needs to beat one player. The blocking technique emphasizes getting to the outside pad of defenders and maintaining leverage.

BALL CARRIER PRINCIPLES - CIRCLE THE FIELD

Receivers catching bubble screens follow a progression: catch at the hash, push to the numbers, then get vertical to the sideline. This "circle the field" concept forces defenders to continuously adjust their pursuit angles, making tackles more difficult. Ball carriers should always work to get outside on corners rather than cutting inside where additional defenders can help, as making one corner consistently tackle in space is preferable to facing multiple defenders.

TRIPLE THROW OPTION CONCEPT

The quarterback can pull designed runs and throw late bubbles when flat defenders commit to tackling him, creating easy touchdowns. If the flat defender takes away the bubble, the quarterback keeps it for positive yardage. This constraint play keeps defenses honest and creates additional stress on perimeter defenders who must respect both the quarterback run and the bubble throw.

Happy Holidays to you and yours!

Below are the links to the final Glazier Free Videos Channel for 2025.  We'll be putting out more great football coaching videos in the coming year!

Master LB Footwork: 4 Drills That Separate Good from Great

The Gap Run Footwork Mistake 90% of Linemen Make (Fix It Fast)

8 Explosive Pass Rush Drills That Create Instant Pressure

How to Coach Wide Receivers to Destroy Press Coverage (Stance + Release Drill)

Tackling Drills That Fix Bad Angles (Coaches Save This)

Sam Bennett, Co-DC/LB Coach, Incarnate Word

Full video on Glazier Drive: LB Fundamentals: From Indy to the Game

LINEBACKER AGILITY DRILL BREAKDOWN

This coaching video demonstrates fundamental linebacker footwork drills using agility boards, emphasizing how each drill directly translates to game situations. The coach breaks down three core progressions that develop lateral movement, burst speed, and tackling technique.

ONE FOOT IN DRILL

The first drill focuses on explosive movement through the boards with one foot placement per hole. Key coaching points include pushing with proper pad level, throwing the elbow, tucking the chin, and keeping arms loose rather than balled up. The emphasis is on staying tight to the boards rather than going wide, maintaining square shoulders throughout the movement, and keeping elbows close to the body.

Players must burst to a specific target (dot, cone, or coach) rather than just making quick, short movements. Game film examples show linebackers sliding laterally, throwing elbows, and generating velocity to become factors in tackles, even when not making the primary tackle.

ONE FOOT OUT (RIP AND RUN)

This progression adds cutback action while maintaining tight positioning to the boards. Players push laterally while staying incredibly tight to the obstacles—so close that "you couldn't fit a needle through." When contact is appropriate, the drill incorporates tackling technique: pointing the inside toe, leaning back inside, getting the hat across, overemphasizing the wrap, and running feet through contact (minimum three steps).

For injured players or non-contact days, the drill focuses on coming to balance and working through the hips. The coach stresses avoiding being too wide, which creates creases and prevents defending cutbacks effectively. Game clips demonstrate this same tight lateral movement naturally occurring during plays.

PEDAL BURST DRILL

The final progression combines bursting movement with breaking down and driving to contact. The fundamental principle remains: shoulders over knees over toes while staying tight off the boards. Players work on planting the brake foot and driving the opposite foot while coming to balance. When pads are on, someone should work the tackle.

Critical coaching points include squaring up, closing the cushion aggressively rather than waiting, keeping the upper body loose, bringing hands and hips through, and maintaining proper pad level. The coach emphasizes not giving ball carriers a "two-way go" by breaking down too far away.

LATERAL MOVEMENT WORK

The final segment shows pure lateral movement through the boards with hot feet, focusing on gaining ground with each step while staying tight to avoid creating creases. The movement mimics working counter steps and emphasizes maintaining position rather than getting wide outside the boards.

Throughout all drills, the coach stresses showing players how these "begin the day drills" directly correlate to game situations, which increases buy-in and proper execution during practice.