Preparation during the week is key to a successful weekend.

Games are not just won exclusively on Saturdays. Everything you do during the week and how you approach every day leads to success on game day.

Our in-season practices are structured for 20-30 minutes of special teams every day, 20-25 minutes of individual every day and 20-25 minutes of “goods-on-goods” every day (1- on-1, Skelly, Blitz, 2-minute drill, etc.). This does not leave as much team-for-team scouts as most places have. With this in mind, we want to be very structured and organized to make sure we cover everything our athletes need to see before Saturday. But the most important things we do during the season are our tackling circuit, turnover circuit and pursuit drills every week.


Here is our defensive day-by-day preparation:
 
SUNDAY
 
• Watch game film with defensive staff.
• Finish inputting film of next opponent in computer.
• Run all cut-ups.
• Secondary Coach - Top routes by formation (boot/screen).
• LB Coach - Top runs by formation (run fits).
• DL Coach - Top protections by personnel – goal line formations and plays.

MONDAY
 
• Start working on game board (done on Monday night).
• Watch previous game with players by position/lift.
• Monday practice (sweats) - Go over top 4-5 formations and top 2-3 plays by those formations.
• Pursuit drills for conditioning
 
TUESDAY (FULL PADS)
 
• Tackling circuit.
• First & 10 - Top Runs/Boot.
• Goal line plays.
• Skelly (7-on-7) – “Goods vs. Goods”.
 
WEDNESDAY (FULL OR UPPERS)
 
• Turnover circuit.
• Blitz.
• Third down sequence.
• Third down or 2-minute drill – “Goods vs. Goods”.
 
THURSDAY (UPPERS)
 
• Red zone skelly.
• Team down & distance - First & 10; second and long (Screen/Draw); third down sequence/blitz; walk through goal line plays.
THURSDAY SCHEDULE:
4 pm – On field
4:10 – Stretch
4:20 – Independent
4:30 – Team Script
4:50 – O/D on Air
5:05 – Announcements
 
THURSDAY PRACTICE SCRIPT
 
Unit        FP
1.     Kickoff       -30
2.     Offense
3.     Punt       -40
4.     Defense – third down (nickel)
5.     Punt return – safe       -45
6.     KOR
7.     Offense
8.     Punt (TIGHT) – take a safety       -3
9.     Kickoff after a safety       -20
10.     Defense (base) – third down – INT    -30
11.     Punt return – beyond/behind       50
12.     Offense/bazooka   FG
13.     Overload onside       -30
14.     Hands team – coaches drill
15.     Defense victory     (rover)
16.    Offense – eagle eye
 FRIDAY WALK THROUGH (Sweats)
 
In addition, each defensive coach is responsible for specific items related to the overall game plan, what their individual responsibilities are at practice, game day duties, scouting report responsibilities and playbook information (See Chart). p
 
About the Author: John Graham just finished his sixth season as defensive coordinator and fifth as assistant head coach at Eastern Washington University. He previously coached for 13 seasons at Central Washington University. A 1992 graduate of CWU, Graham played defensive back for the Wildcats.