Coach Valesente's expertise is developing the complete linebacker against the run and pass. He believes that great technique and angles can make up for talent - good players are always in position to make the play. Pad level and leverage are two main points made by Valesente. Good linebackers recognize the run, identify the blocker and sting him, shed and go to the ball. Drill work for linebackers is a big part of this DVD. He begins with drills that should be run every day in practice. In teaching man-to-man coverage, Valesente stresses speed, aggressively pursuing angles and building a wall. Four keys to coaching linebackers include formation, distribution, responsibility and technique. Distribution comes down to flare, flow and flood. Using an overhead, Valesente diagrams coverage, reads and finer points of successful linebacker play.

51 minutes. 2007.

FD-02770B: with Bob Valesente,
Green Bay Packers (NFL) Defensive Backs Coach (from '95 - '98, included Super Bowl XXXI win in '96)

To demonstrate his defensive philosophy he uses NFL game footage from the Green Bay Packers. The basic 4-3 defense run by the Packers presented a balanced defense and attack. This allowed the Packer to take advantage of the talent they had on their defense. Building a championship defense begins with teamwork with everyone on the same page. Other aspects are fundamentals, technique and knowing where players fit into the team. Goals are important and provide a roadmap for winning defense. Average number of possessions, takeaways and limiting opponents to three scores are key defensive goals. The philosophy of pursuit states that pursuit is a burning desire for all 11 players to get to the ball. Teaching elements of how to pursue and what to do when players arrive at the ball are covered. Developing a swarming defense is all about creating an attitude. Coach Valesente's 42 years of football coaching at all levels is wrapped up in this information-packed DVD!

46 minutes. 2007.

With 37 years of experience to his name, Bill Young's success and knowledge of defensive football is hard to match. Coaching stops at Ohio State, USC, and the Detroit Lions dot his resume as one of the nation's top defensive coaches. In this DVD, he shares his thoughts, diagrams and drills on zone blitzing. At KU, blitzing has been a huge part of their overall defensive scheme. Blitzing is an attitude and requires an aggressive, attacking style. Players must commit to getting up the field and making things happen by putting pressure on the quarterback and penetrating the run. The element of surprise and disguise are keys to a winning defense. Areas covered are the blitz vs. the pass where the goals are to hit and harass the QB, create confusion and deflect the ball. Blitz vs. the run makes any team's base defense better. Keys are tackling for losses, stripping blockers for LB's and safeties and disrupting offensive timing. Coach Young spends time breaking down and analyzing his #1 zone blitz, the Smash. In great detail, Young explains roles and coverage for all 11 defensive players. The Field Smash is a variation that features the "Check Jam" for the tackle. Also, the "Switch" call is used for the safety and Mike backer. "Check Strike" and "Swap" are additional variations that are used with success. Following the diagram segment, Young accentuates his instruction with game footage to completely unwrap his zone blitz system. The progression of teaching new blitz technique allows players to learn all positions on the field. This process takes coaches and players through several stages, from the meeting room to the turf. This DVD will help any coach build a winning blitz package from the ground up. As Coach Young can attest, great defense is the foundation of winning football.

52 minutes. 2006.

FD-02559B: with Bill Young,
University of Kansas Defensive Coordinator / Defensive Line Coach;
#1 in in takeaways (27) and Interceptions (19) in '05 (Big 12)

Controlling the line of scrimmage can set the tempo for your team every night out. Coach Young believes that the big men up front set the tempo for the entire team. This DVD includes many fundamental drills used throughout the season. Starting with the step drill, a series of four stances (Take Charge, Go Stance, Goal line stance and the Gap Super stance) are demonstrated and drilled. Players are taught to "Get off and take charge." The tag drill emphasizes two stances, using both the right and left hand. Use of drill bags is prevalent as Young describes drills against the run. Every drill ends with an aggressive sprint and finish. Other bag drills are the serpentine drill, backpedal drill and the two-footed quickness drill. Defensive linemen improve play with the Stem drill and the block escape drill. The "dead spin" is mastered with the "pad and go" drill. The one-man sled drill works on "punch and separate" and keeping the traveling foot back. Also illustrated are the goal line directions drill, the Rip move drill and the Reach block drill. Combination drills end this presentation with the X club, grab and swim and the window washer, reverse and rip behind. This complete presentation on defensive line play pinpoints the fundamentals, drills and attitude that make for winning football. Few know the intricacies of defensive line play as well as Coach Young, and now he passes his decades of knowledge of defensive coaching on to you.

43 minutes. 2006.

Coaches at any level can use this defensive template to help improve defense against the run. In this DVD, Coach Ellis Johnson has taken his defensive system and simplified it to fit his players. With consistent and repetitive drill work, you can develop a defensive consistency that will allow fewer yards and fewer points. Coach Johnson uses diagrams and game footage effectively to illustrate clearly his defensive system against the run. The main defensive look in this presentation is an 8-man front, where the weak safety rotates down in the box to become the fourth linebacker. Coach Johnson's emphasis is in practice where repetition is the key to defending many types of running attacks. Basic leads are covered with the use of diagrams and full explanation. Two key terms in Coach Johnson's system are BOS and BOW. BOS indicates backer over strong, as BOW means backer on weak. Against offensive pull plays, getting leverage is the key to stopping the run. The split flow is covered where the linebacker reads "no flow" because of no lead blockers. Excellent use of game footage also enhances Johnson's discussion of the slant look. As you control the run, success will be imminent!

34 minutes. 2006.

FD-02575B: with Ellis Johnson,
Mississippi State University Defensive Coordinator

When Mississippi State Head Football Coach Sylvester Croom tabbed Ellis Johnson as his defensive coordinator, he was also getting a veteran teacher with head coaching credits on his resume. In his first season with MSU's defense, his group whacked more than 100 yards per game off the opponent's total output from the year before. Within two years, the Bulldog defense rose from the bottom of the NCAA defensive rankings to 29th. A big part of this major improvement comes from the blitz package that he presents in this DVD. Coach Johnson's blitz philosophy comes from pieces that he's picked up during his years of coaching. All zone blitzes are given team names, both pro and college. Mascot names signify man-to-man blitzes. For example, the Temple Owls are used because it represents a zone blitz to the Tight End side. To further simplify the system, coaches tap all zone blitzes with colors, and man blitzes with numbers. Philosophically, he feels this is a great teaching tool and it allows coaches to group common movements together. In great detail, Johnson dissects Temple and Owl by showing actual game footage. Jet Ohio/Jet Buckeye are explained and analyzed, as are Split Arizona/Jet Wildcat. The S/W/M concept describes an odd look on passing downs that has been very effective. Safety blitz options are named after super heroes like Zorro and Batman. Defensive improvement is a slow and painful process in the game of college football. Coach Johnson's presentation symbolizes the need for simplicity and execution when developing a zone and man blitz package. Use the concepts in this DVD to accelerate your teams' defensive execution and improvement!

36 minutes. 2006.

Coaches at any level can use this defensive template to help improve defense against the run. In this DVD, Coach Ellis Johnson has taken his defensive system and simplified it to fit his players. With consistent and repetitive drill work, you can develop a defensive consistency that will allow fewer yards and fewer points. Coach Johnson uses diagrams and game footage effectively to illustrate clearly his defensive system against the run. The main defensive look in this presentation is an 8-man front, where the weak safety rotates down in the box to become the fourth linebacker. Coach Johnson's emphasis is in practice where repetition is the key to defending many types of running attacks. Basic leads are covered with the use of diagrams and full explanation. Two key terms in Coach Johnson's system are BOS and BOW. BOS indicates backer over strong, as BOW means backer on weak. Against offensive pull plays, getting leverage is the key to stopping the run. The split flow is covered where the linebacker reads "no flow" because of no lead blockers. Excellent use of game footage also enhances Johnson's discussion of the slant look. As you control the run, success will be imminent!

34 minutes. 2006.

In this DVD, Coach Slade echoes his primary goal as a defensive backs coach - to stop the big play. When devising drills it is important for your players to see that you are practicing that which happens in the game. All defensive backs must have a good stance with a good body lean. Back peddling is also a key skill for all DB's. Slade emphasizes the ability to recover and that arms must be kept close the body. To be explosive coming out of the break depends on how violent the foot hits the ground. The Cone and "M' drills work on developing that explosiveness, and teaches players to "get as many spikes in the ground" as possible. The "Back Peddle and turn" skill is properly taught by using a pivot before running. Slade calls it "Back Peddle, Turn and Burst." Also drilled with the back peddle are the recover and turn across. To defend the post route, players learn proper technique with the back peddle, burst to the post, burst to the corner. Slade responds to questions and shares two drills, the Phase drill and the Out drill, that are a part of his teaching methods. Video footage of 10 practice drills augments Slade's teaching points. By incorporating some of the strategies and drills in this DVD, coaches can strengthen their attack against the run and the pass.

2006.

FD-02607B: with Larry Slade,
University of Tennessee Defensive Backs Coach

Coach Slade enters his seventh season on the UT coaching staff and continues turning out some of the nation's best defensive secondary units. Slade's 2000 and 2001 secondary units established school season records with 64 and 72 passes broken up, respectively. The Vols have batted down no fewer than 61 passes in the three years since. In this DVD, Slade discusses basic defensive football using the Cover 8. In this scheme, the safeties are independent and are responsible for calling coverages. A key focus is to stop the run first. Slade makes use of diagrams to illustrate the Cover 8, called "Adjust." The corners are 8 yards off the line of scrimmage and have the option to bump and run. Coverages by the safeties are Shoot/Read, Cloud/Read, Cloud/Cleo and Cleo/Shoot. Trips, Double and Split are different looks that match up with the alignment of the offense. Game footage shows different coverages such as shoot call, read call, 2 check and Cloud call. This DVD provides various looks and coverages out of the Cover 8.

2006.