Brandon Lacy Sr., Edges, Florida Atlantic

Full video on Glazier Drive:  D-Line Pass Rush Fundamentals & Increasing Your Success Rate on Rushing the QB

GET-OFF TECHNIQUE

The first priority in the pass rush is developing an explosive get-off. Rather than keying the football, teach defensive linemen to key the outside knee/leg of the offensive lineman. In a two-point stance, the offensive lineman often moves his outside leg before the ball moves as he begins his kick-slide. The emphasis is on reacting to movement, getting the first step down quickly, and gaining ground.

PASS RUSH TREE

Use a pass-rush tree with anchor points to teach edge rushers how quickly they can get upfield and bend the corner. The goal is to reach the intercept point—approximately 3½ to 4 yards upfield—and turn the corner at roughly a 90-degree angle. The concept is that the edge rusher and offensive tackle are essentially engaged in a race to the quarterback.

HIGH, EVEN AND LOW GROUND

At the intercept point, teach rushers to recognize whether they have high ground, even ground, or low ground.

• High Ground: The rusher has won the edge and should continue using speed.
• Even Ground: The rusher and blocker arrive at the same point. Compress the tackle with a power move rather than running around him or dipping underneath and potentially giving the quarterback an escape lane.
• Low Ground: The tackle has over-set and the rusher has gotten underneath him. This is the opportunity to use a counter move.

A useful drill is to have players rush toward a bag while the coach gives a late verbal command—high, even, or low—forcing them to recognize the situation and execute the appropriate response.

HAND FIGHTING

Hand combat is critical because “if they can't touch you, they can't block you.” Teach defensive linemen to attack and control the offensive lineman's wrists and hands. A simple hand-fighting drill can develop the ability to grab, knock away, and remove the blocker’s hands.

THREE PRESSURE POINTS

For edge rushers, focus on three pressure points:

• Wrist: Controls the hands, which influence the blocker’s feet.
• Elbow: Controls the arm and can effectively disable it.
• Shoulder: Controls the blocker’s body.

Whether using a long-arm stab, two-handed power rush, or bull rush, attacking the shoulder helps move the offensive lineman's entire body.

MAINTAINING THE RUSH TRACK

Defensive linemen must maintain their track even when the offensive lineman makes contact or bumps them. Emphasize a tight core, bent knees, and strong body position so the rusher doesn't get knocked off his path. The objective is to continue working toward the quarterback rather than allowing contact to disrupt the rush.

POP-RIP AND SNATCH ESCAPES

Teach rushers how to escape when they encounter a power rush or get stuck on the blocker. The pop-rip involves quickly popping the blocker’s hands and ripping through while moving around the edge. The snatch is another escape technique in which the rusher removes the blocker and immediately gets vertical.

The key coaching point is speed and violence in the escape. The arm-over or rip should be quick rather than dragging behind the body, giving the offensive lineman less time to recover.

COACHING EMPHASIS

The overall progression is to develop pass rushers who can react quickly, win the initial race to the intercept point, recognize the relationship with the blocker, use the appropriate rush, control the blocker’s hands, and escape contact without losing their path to the quarterback. The drills should train both individual technique and the ability to make quick decisions based on what the offensive lineman does.

Jay Long, Head Coach, Chadron State

Full video on Glazier Drive:  Teaching Your O-Linemen a Progression on How to Stay Low

OVERVIEW

This transcript is from an offensive line coaching clinic walking through a progressive teaching sequence called the "power walk circuit," designed to teach O-linemen proper leverage, movement, and drive-block technique using a "silverback" body position as the foundation.

PHASE 1: THE SILVERBACK POSITION

The base teaching point is a low, powerful stance ("silverback position") — pad level down, chest/pec on the knee, elbows pinched in tight to form strong "triangle and arch" shapes. Linemen move at a 45-degree angle rather than pushing defenders straight back, since defensive linemen are too skilled to be moved backward directly. The key movement cue is driving the second step up through the crotch, which generates the walking/driving motion. Base width matters — feet should track like railroad rails; too narrow causes tipping, too wide limits mobility, and too much weight on the toes causes falling forward.

PHASE 2: PUSH THE CAR

Once players can hold and move in the silverback position, they progress to "push the car," where a defender sits back into a "wall sit" against the blocker (defender facing away, so he's forced to sit into the block rather than stand up naturally). The lineman's job is to maintain low pad level, tight elbows, and square shoulders (never turning the shoulders, which is described as a cardinal sin in zone-blocking schemes) while walking the defender out. The coach stresses coaching the "dummy" defenders as much as the blockers, and highlights that this drill format (small group boxes) maximizes reps and minimizes standing around during limited practice/indy time.

PHASE 3: WINDSHIELD WIPER

This final phase corrects poor head placement/aiming points. If a lineman's head ends up on the wrong side of the defender after his steps, he "rips" his head across to the correct (playside) aiming point — compared to a wrestler's duck-under — timed with his third step as part of the drive.

COACHING NOTES

• Individual players are called out by number with specific technique feedback (good pad level, base width, hand/elbow placement).
• The system is built to be teachable to all experience levels at once — clips show veteran, all-conference players next to first-rep freshmen ("the good, the bad, the ugly") within the same drill.
• The coach emphasizes repetition efficiency: using grouped box drills to keep every player working simultaneously rather than standing in line, which matters given shrinking practice/indy time as a head coach.

AJ Cooper, LB Coach, Arizona State

Full video on Glazier Drive: LB Tackling Progression

OVERVIEW

This video breaks down Arizona State's linebacker tackling progression, using a "backward teaching" approach — starting players in the fit/contact position first to build confidence and feel, then gradually working them backward into full-speed, in-space tackling.

PHASE 1: FIT POSITION PROGRESSION

Players start already in the tackling fit position with their face already on contact, emphasizing near foot up, same foot/same shoulder, and an exaggerated "uppercut" arm swing while driving their feet for five steps. The coaching cue is "get a leg, take a leg" (squeezing and lifting the ball carrier's leg). From there, the drill backs players up incrementally — one step into contact, then two steps into contact — while keeping all the same fundamentals: same foot/same shoulder, face centered on the near hip/near number, and driving through contact for five steps.

PHASE 2: TACKLING IN SPACE (SEVEN CONE DRILL)

Designed to simulate open-field tackling. Linebackers must take away space, keep leverage, and force the ball carrier in one direction while staying inside-out and avoiding a head-up position (which gives the ball carrier a three-way go). Starts as a non-contact drill with one player as the "linebacker" and one as the "ball carrier," working the same collision point, footwork, and leverage principles.

PHASE 3: ADDING AN AGILITY BAG (SPEED/GATOR TACKLING)

Once pads are on, an agility bag is added to mimic speed tackles — the kind needed on screens, bubbles, and stretch plays. Players work to stay inside-out and track to the near hip/near number, a technique also called a "gator tackle" or "roll tackle."

PHASE 4: ADDING A "CRASH MAN"

A blocker/crash defender is added to increase realism. The focus stays on loading up the strike (uppercuts or palms down, based on player preference) and finishing with proper near hip/near number contact.

PHASE 5: COMBINING DRILLS IN SPACE ("REVERSE L")

Players now work around a cone in a reverse-L shape, combining the earlier fit and space-tackling drills. Coaching points include closing distance quickly, breaking down properly, keeping hips and shoulders square on contact, and avoiding getting too wide or head-up on the ball carrier.

PHASE 6: LIVE TEAM PERIODS

Arizona State runs live tackling at least once per week during the season. The coach reviews game-speed reps (jet sweeps, gap schemes) showing linebackers matching the ball carrier's path, staying inside-out, closing ground, and executing the same near hip/near number technique taught in the drills — while acknowledging that in live football, technique won't always be picture-perfect.

PHASE 7: GAME FILM APPLICATION

The video closes with real game clips (quarterback scrambles, tackles in space) showing the direct carryover from the drill progression — players closing distance aggressively, taking good angles, and finishing tackles using the same speed-tackle and gator-tackle mechanics developed in practice.

KEY TAKEAWAY FOR COACHES

The progression is built to move from controlled, confidence-building contact to fully live, game-speed tackling — with each drill reinforcing the same core fundamentals: same foot/same shoulder, near hip/near number, staying inside-out, and avoiding head-up contact.

Benny Boyd, Assistant Coach, TCU

Full video on Glazier Drive: KO Coverage: Drills for Success

OVERVIEW

This is a coaching breakdown from former Wyoming special teams coach Benny Boyd, covering two core kickoff coverage drills: the Landmark Drill ("Punishing Party") and the Bully Drill. Both are designed to build discipline, leverage, and physicality in kickoff coverage, with an emphasis on celebrating good execution to build game-day energy.

DRILL 1: THE LANDMARK DRILL ("PUNISHING PARTY")

Purpose: teaches proper horizontal spacing in coverage lanes so returners can't find vertical creases, and reinforces landmark discipline using the 50-yard line as a checkpoint ("magic barometer") for lane integrity.

Setup:

• Cones placed at the right hash, bottom of the numbers, and across eight total spacing points.
• The kicker has no assigned landmark.
• The L1 and R1 (safeties, per scheme) target the inside shoulder of the leverage player on their side as their landmark.
• All other coverage players count in from the outside toward the middle (R2 to L2), each sprinting over their designated cone.

Key coaching points:

• Coverage doesn't begin moving downhill until the kicker passes them.
• The team plays "left deep, left" — bending left to reach landmarks.
• If every player hits their cone, it's a clean rep; if not, they repeat it.
• After leveraging the ball, the group performs a full-speed "celebration" ("the party") — intentionally building habitual enthusiasm so it becomes natural on game day, even if it starts as manufactured energy in practice.

DRILL 2: THE BULLY DRILL

Purpose: teaches players how to attack and defeat blocks once within 15 yards of the football, replacing generic "button press" language with a more physical, mindset-driven term: "bully."

Setup:

• Blockers start three yards inside each hash.
• Defenders start seven yards away, aligned on leverage (never head-up).
• On the snap/command, defenders sprint to attack the blocker.

Technique cues:

• Eyes below the blocker's eyes.
• Hit on the rise, uncoiling the hips.
• Use inside hand to shock and shed.
• Always play through half the blocker's body, never straight through the middle.

Fit rules based on ball carrier direction:

• Ball carrier works toward the defender → cage (get outside and leverage the hip).
• Ball carrier works away → capture (sprint to the near hip).
• Ball carrier runs middle → both defenders cage, forming a "two-man vice."

Additional coaching points:

• Defenders shouldn't slow down after winning the block — hit with speed and drive the blocker back, since the blocker is often stationary.
• Don't peek for the ball early — win the block first, then find the ball.
• Successful reps are finished with the same "punishing party" celebration used in the Landmark Drill.

CLOSING PHILOSOPHY

Coach Boyd closes with a mantra tying both drills together: "If you're juiceless, you're useless" — reinforcing that competitive energy and celebration are trained habits, not just game-day reactions.