Level Up Your Scout Team Defense | FBCP S21E17

Your scout team defense should do more than give your starting offense a look at Friday night's opponent. In this episode of the Football Coaching Podcast, Joe Daniel and Daniel Chamberlain explain how to simplify scout team defense using your existing defensive terminology, run fits, and core principles while preparing your offense for different fronts, blitzes, and coverages. Learn how to maximize practice reps, develop backup players, and create a more competitive scout team that makes your entire football program better. 14:53 - Scout Team Defense Overview 17:55 - Multiple Front Defense for Scout Team 18:38 - Evolution of Defensive Systems 3-5-3 to 4-2-5 24:20 - Running Your Own Defense on Scout Team 27:40 - Umbrella Run Fits Principle Across Fronts 35:50 - Discovering Concepts Through Scout Team 40:01 - Scout Team Player Development and Depth 46:15 - Weekly Scout Team Practice Plan 48:50 Preparing Your Offense With Scout Team 55:02 - Making Practice Harder Than Games Make Every Scout Team Rep Count on Both Sides of the Ball Step 1: Build Your Scout Team Around Your Own Defensive System Stop trying to install a different defense every week just to imitate your opponent. Learn how to identify the core elements of your defense, including your base front, coverage, run fits, blitzes and stunts, so your scout team can give the offense different looks while continuing to develop within your system. LISTEN: Trimming Your Defensive Playbook | FBCP S16E18 Step 2: Understand the Run Fits That Make Multiple Fronts Possible Learn how the Umbrella Run Fits Principle keeps defensive responsibilities consistent regardless of alignment. Understand how Spill, Force, Alley and Stay in Coverage allow your players to move between even and odd fronts without learning an entirely new defense. READ: Coach the Umbrella Principle to Get Perfect Run Fits for Your Defense Step 3: Teach Players to Execute From Different Alignments Moving a defender to a different technique changes his alignment and may change his key reads, but it should not change the fundamental principles of your defense. Learn how to use Alignment, Stance, Key Read and Assignment to help players execute familiar responsibilities from different positions without overwhelming them. LISTEN: Our Defense is too Undisciplined | FBCP S18E12 Step 4: Make Scout Team Reps an Opportunity for Player Development Turn scout team defense into meaningful repetitions for backups and younger players who may not get enough work during regular defensive team periods. Focus on teaching the same fundamentals and responsibilities they need to earn playing time, rather than asking them to imitate an opponent's techniques they will never use. LISTEN: Keep the Playbook, Fit the Defense to Your Players | FBCP S20E19 Step 5: Organize Scout Team Defense Into Your Weekly Practice Plan Give scout team defense a specific purpose each day. Use opponent fronts and coverages to prepare your offense, introduce different looks to test blocking rules and adjustments, and create competitive situations that challenge your starters. Script those periods so both the offense and scout defense get valuable repetitions without wasting practice time. DOWNLOAD: Free 90-Minute Football Practice Plan Templates Step 6: Challenge Your Offense With Different Defensive Looks Learn how to script effective team periods that prepare your offense for more than the opponent's expected alignment. Include different fronts, blitzes, coverages, unusual alignments and situational challenges so players must recognize the defense, communicate their adjustments and execute their rules against unexpected looks. LISTEN: Practice Planning: Organizing Your Team Period | FBCP S21E11 Step 7: Develop Both Sides of the Ball With Better Scout Team Practices Apply the same principles to your scout team offense. Use familiar blocking schemes, formations and techniques to simulate the important parts of your opponent's offense while developing your younger players. Build a practice environment where every scout team rep prepares your starters for game day and improves the players who will eventually replace them. ​LISTEN: Level Up Your Scout Team Offense | FBCP S21E14