Handling Motions & Shifts

This is a guest post from Kyle Cogan. Kyle is entering his second season as Head Coach at Lexington HS in Missouri. Lexington has a 47-17 record, 15 shutouts and 2 conference championships in his 6 years at the school (previous 5 as Defensive Coordinator). Kyle is also active on twitter, be sure to give him a follow if you don't already. @CoachCogan 

Motion/Shift Adjustments

A question I often see pop up on twitter frequently is “How do you handle motion?” Usually defensive coaches are so concerned with getting the call in and lining up correctly that this portion of the game can become an afterthought. Yet it can have a huge impact on whether we win or lose the down. Regardless of coverage being played, in my eyes, we have 3 options… Sling, Slide, Spin

When we like to Sling (Run the Star/Sam LB across the formation)

• We want to match speed with speed (match up rules). We want to ensure that the Nickel LB/DB stays as the nickel and is removed from the box.
• Present a man to man style adjustment even though we might be playing zone.  
• This will commonly be used in cover 1, and 2 man coverages, but could be used in any coverage.
• Limited moving parts
• Keep LBs in the box
• Issues can be leveraging Jet Sweep style plays

When we like to Slide (Adjust with the LBs)

• We have no true Nickel in the game and the Sam and Will LBs are essentially the same style of athlete. Such as a 43 or 34 style defense.
• Present a zone style adjustment even though we might be playing man.
• This will commonly be used in quarters, halves, and weak cover 3, but again this could be used in any coverage.
• A lot of moving parts with LBs
• Decent leverage on Jet Sweep style plays

When we like to Spin (Adjust with the DBs)

• We are playing with a 3 safety system where either left or right safety can be the Star or FS and the middle safety can play as a SS. Such as a 425 or 335 style defense.
• Present a zone style adjustment even though we might be playing man.
• Commonly used in cover 1, strong cover 3
• A lot of moving parts with DBs.
• Keeps LBs in the box.
• Can leverage Jet Sweep style plays

Each adjustment has their own purpose, some pair better than others within certain coverages. Working adjustments to motions and shifts are a must throughout the week to ensure you are putting our athletes in the best possible position to succeed.

Interested in more from Kyle be sure to check out:

Man Match Cover 1 on the MDGA Podcast

Even Front Zone 1 Run Fits on CoachTube