Defensive Line Coach Workbook

When building your defensive line, you must work through the different scenarios that opposing offenses will put you through. This workbook will give you a variety of exercises to complete to ensure that you’ve addressed all the major points that you need to think about to put your team in the best position to defend the offenses that you will see.

Here’s a few topics you’ll work through and the questions you’ll answer:

Personnel – Who are the starters for your defense? Do you have lots of depth or are you thin in certain positions? Is your next best defensive end the backup linebacker? Will you build in personnel packages?

Stunts and Fronts – What are the main fronts that you want your defense in against the offenses you will see each Friday night? What are your go to stunts that you will use when you need pressure? What coverages are you going to live in this season?

Packaged Calls – Will you package blitzes and the coverages with simple call? How will you communicate to the defense?

Game Organization – How will you organize your coaches? How do adjustments get made?

Practice Plans – How much time do you want to spend on individual defensive drills? When do you want the box to come together to work against the run? How much time should the linebackers and defensive backs work coverages together?

Practice Drills – What drills are most important? Key coaching points? What drills should your assistant coaches emphasize?

Opponent Breakdown – While this could be an entire book, this workbook will provide a few templates to use as you breakdown your opponents.

Think of this workbook as a tool to help think through all the situations your defense will encounter this season and in future seasons. The goal is to be as prepared as possible.

And while a coach can never predict the future with 100% certainty, we can be as prepared as possible. The goal of this workbook is to have a finished product at the end of the workbook.