Achieving Proper Alignment & Assignment Execution

In previous blogs I’ve discussed establishing philosophy in a college football program, how to ascertain required effort from within a college football program and provided suggestions on how to create easy to learn terminology. In this blog I’ll discuss how to address two of the most important aspects of defense; achieving correct pre-snap alignment and executing proper assignments.

Defensive breakdowns, loosely defined as plays where the offense succeeds in moving the football due to an error by the defense, are often attributed to blown assignments.³ A blown assignment occurs when a defensive player fails to cover his assigned area or assigned player on a given play. In many instances the root cause of a blown assignment can be traced back to a failure to line-up properly against the opponent.  So how does a defensive football coach go about getting proper alignment and execution from his unit? This simple, 5-step approach, could help; (1) tell them what you’re going to tell them, (2) teach them, (3) show them, (4) walk-them, and (5) rep-them.

An example diagram that could be included in a read-ahead³

In step one of the process, the defensive coach provides a read-ahead document, or hand-out, precisely describing the required alignment and associated assignment for a series of defensive calls versus a series of offensive formations. This read-ahead is generally distributed the night before a scheduled meeting and the players are instructed to have read the document prior to the meeting. Steps two and three (teach them and show them) occur in a meeting room. The coach “teaches” his unit proper alignment and assignment using a whiteboard or PowerPoint presentation or a combination of both.  The coach then reinforces what his unit has read and been taught by showing film examples of proper alignment and assignment execution.

Steps four and five (walk-them and rep-them) occur on the practice field a very short time after the meeting described above. Step four occurs during what most teams refer to as prep-practice, the fifteen minutes or so prior to the formal beginning of practice.  In this period the coach executes a walk-thru of exactly what was covered in the meeting room. He does this by aligning and walking through assignments against a scout team lined up in various formations. The coach signals the calls from the sideline and the defense executes. Some coaches call this a “line-up straight period.”  This period should be filmed, graded and shared with players.

Elite performance requires mental and physical repetitions.² This leads us to the final step in the process, “rep them.” This step occurs in a multitude of situations throughout the practice from position specific drills, often referred to as “Indy”, to group drills like an inside-run period or a 7-on-7 passing drill and most often culminates in some form of team scrimmage activity against a scout team. This is the culminating step in the process, and in many regards the final test of the day, where the player applies what he’s learned under game-like conditions. Here again the session(s) are filmed and later graded so that any and all deficiencies can be addressed.

Achieving consistent proper alignment and assignment execution is not an easy task for a college football defense. A coach that follows the above prescribed sequence of events is very likely to see improved alignment and assignment execution almost immediately resulting in fewer defensive breakdowns and improved overall defensive performance.

References:

¹Bowen, M. (2014, March 28). NFL 101: The Basics of the 3-4 Front. Retrieved from http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2007958

²Meyer, U. (2015). Above The Line. New York, NY: Penguin Press

³Stephens, D. (2012, December 19). Seahawks' run defense: Gap control & assignment discipline.  Retrieved from http://www.fieldgulls.com/2012/12/19/3783300