How to corral an elusive quarterback

ne of the most frustrating things a defensive lineman can face is letting a QB break contain. I have nightmares about this! That's why for this week's D-Line Examples I'll be breaking down how to corral elusive quarterbacks.

Tip #1: Rush as a unit

The most practical way to corral an elusive QB is to apply pressure without giving him anywhere to scramble. To do this your D-Line has to understand their responsibilities and rush as a unit.

Below I've linked to two of my posts that dive deep into how to rush as a unit when executing a 3-4 and 4-3 base rush

​How to rush as a unit (4-man rush)

​How to rush as a unit (3-man rush)​

You'll need to scroll down to the rush responsibilities section to get the goods

Tip #2: Use a spy

For an especially elusive QBs, having one of your most athletic D-Linemen "spy" the QB is a great way to make sure he doesn't escape the pocket.

To spy simply have your spy player entertain his blocker, drop shallow with eyes on the QB and shoot large gaps.

To go more in depth check out my full breakdown on how to execute the spy technique here.

Tip #3: Practice chasing down QBs

D-Linemen generally aren't use to chasing down quicker/shiftier athletes in the open field. That's why you should use drills like UGA's rodeo drill to practice this. The key with this drill is to have your D-Line start 2-3 yards away from the RB and simulate a similar bend as if they were pass rushing.

Well that's it for today. Hope you enjoyed it!

See you again next week.

And whenever you are ready, there are 3 ways I can help you:

1. Learn how to turn your D-Line into a block destruction machine here (1,100+ students)
2. Learn how to develop top tier pass rushers and a lethal pass rush attack here (1,000+ students)

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