Guard read drill
Why it works
The guards are the closest offensive players to a linebacker and the most honest: they cannot fake a pull or a pass set without giving the play away. A linebacker who learns to read them gets to the hole before the ball does, instead of chasing a back who has already gone.
Run it
10 MINTwelve reps for each pair, mixing the four looks at random. Ten minutes. Keep contact to thud and stop when the reads get slow.
Say this
“Eyes on the guard, not the ball.”
The guard tells you the play before the ball moves.
“Guard pulls, you go with him.”
A pulling guard leads you straight to the hole.
“Iso: meet him with your outside arm free.”
Keeping the outside arm free spills the play inside, to help.
Good looks like
- The first step goes the way the guard went.
- On a pass set, the linebackers drop to their landmarks without a false step forward.
- On iso the linebacker meets the fullback in the hole with his outside arm free.
- The backside linebacker checks the cutback on the sweep.
The mistakes
Linebackers watching the quarterback and stepping to the fake. Have the quarterback fake every rep the wrong way so the eyes are forced back to the guard.
Say: “Eyes on the guard, not the ball.”
Freezing when the guard leaves, because nothing is coming at you. Count one and go; standing still is the wrong answer every time.
Say: “Guard pulls, you go with him.”
Taking the fullback square and getting washed out of the hole. Line a cone up as the inside gap and make him hit the fullback on its outside edge.
Say: “Iso: meet him with your outside arm free.”
One guard and two looks only: pull or set. Walk it until every linebacker steps the right way, then speed it up.
Add a centre and a tight end, mix in counter and power, and let the guards fake a pull before blocking down.