Press coverage-the michigan way

Like i illustarted on my blog a couple of months ago.  I have been employing shaffers coverages for few years.  i listened to him speak years ago when he was a secondary coach at illinois.  and when he was at western michigan iirc.   i have about 4 tapes from him as well. i was always impressed with his secondary technique kowledge. Almost every thing i have drawn up over on three and out, came from shafer.  He likes press coverage, its a little different press coverage then what you are use to though.  You wont see a lot of straight jam technique,  rather the press is an inside shade,  outside foot back, inviting the fade (michigan corners will know how to play the fade better than any other corners int he country) then on the snap of the ball, they execute what is called a shadow technique.  Shafer describes it as imagining that the sun is setting behind the offensive player, and the defender gives ground, with short shuffle steps, and tries to stay in the shadow as long as possible. Forcing the offensive player to make the first move, makes it harder to get a corner off balance with a missed jam.  After the offensive plaeyr has declared whether they are trying to release out or in, the defender will then cross over step, and jam with the opposite arm and foot.  then ride the offensive player.

This shadow technique is what you will see michigan running when playing man, but also when playing a lot of their zones (i broke down some of his main zones as well)

the other press you will see will be an outside shade, bump see squeeze technique,  where defender is on an outside shade, forcing an nside release.  they have about 2 seconds to press the reciever, then they open their hips to the qb and aqueeze their deep zone...   you will see this a lot when michigan runs their zone blitzes and any time that corners are pressig yet have deep zones.

 the other thing with shafer, is that since he has a rep for blitzing, his okie package is so good agaisnt the pass,  because he has 10 of the 11 players sugaring up to the los showing blitz.   once again,  check out some of the stuff i have here www.gsimmons85.blogspot.com

I have a couple of other tapes of shafer, that im getting out of mothballs, about safety play that ill pass along too you. 

The most impressive thing about shafer is his focus on details,  from the correct position your elbow should be in when striking a blow (low elbow is a strong elbow, high elbow is a wet noodle) to the aiming point of your claw hand on a reciever when running in stage. 

Its actually very ironic that he got the michigan dc job. I really had no idea of his conection to RR, and thus never felt he was interested in michigan, or that he had the "pedigree" to be considerd.  The passion he coaches with is as simular to mine of any of the big name guys i know.  The first thing i thought about when i saw him running into the end zone to congradulate a defender for the pic 6 in the spring game, was last year during our first 7 on 7 of the spring in helments, when my olb got a pic 6 and i ran him down in the endzone,  head butted him, and knocked him down....    didnt realize i was bleeding so bad till i started getting light headed....     cant wait till august,  the only thing better then finally getting to watch a well coached michigan defense, is the excitment i feel when the lights go on friday night.

Im not a writer like brian or my friends over on the WLA, but i love to teach the game of football, and im thankfull for brian giving me a little bit of a forum to help teach the game to fellow wolverine fans.  Thats something i never thought i would have the opportunity to do.

later

G