The Pillars of the Defense

We fondly refer to our defensive line as the four pillars of the defense.  As a base even front, schematically the metaphor makes sense.  The line sets the foundation upon which the rest of the defense is built.  But, what you build your foundation upon is just as important.  Build an incredibly structurally sound home upon a foundation of sand, and well, it won't stand for long.  Build it on bedrock, now you've got something lasting!  What are we built on?

Literally every program I've been a part of has their own acronym soup.  I remember learning in middle school the "GOO" rules (gap, on, over) for O-Line play.  We base our defense on the acronym C.A.S.K.R.T.  It doesn't exactly roll off the tongue, but if you play defense at Groves you better know it, live it, breathe it!  It's sort of like the math order of operations, PEMDAS.  It's a hierarchy of defensive football, and it's what we build our foundation upon. 

COMMUNICATION.  Let me say that again, COMMUNICATION.  The first tenet of playing Groves defense is to communication.  We say "over-communicate".  There should never be a doubt that all eleven players on the field and all coaches on the sideline know what call we are in.  Sounds obvious, right?  Of course, but it has to be emphasized ALL THE TIME!  On Friday nights when the lights are on and the crowd is hyped and the offense comes out in something they haven't done all year, or motions to something new, and the Safety checks the defense it better be communicated by every player.  Over-communicated.  All it takes is 1/11th to miss the call and we're toast.  COMMUNICATE.

ALIGNMENT.  Defensive football really boils down to three things.  Align correctly to have a chance.  Hustle to the ball (effort).  And tackle.  Alignment is controllable, it's mental, there's no physical effort involved.  Know where to be and be there.  But, if 1/11th is mis-aligned we're toast if the offense finds it.  Being aligned correctly is vital to success.

STANCE. So, we lined up in the correct spot.  Now what?  Get in a GREAT stance!  Not a good stance, but great.  At this point the ball isn't snapped, there's no physical battle with the opponent.  It's completely controllable, so do it and do it great!  The reminder of "stance" in the acronym again emphasizes that it's THAT important to playing great defense.

KEYS.  So, the players know the call, are aligned in the right spot and in a great stance.  Now, focus on the key.  Every position has it's own keys.  Now is when you find them and lock in on them.  Laser focus, burn holes though your key with your eyes.

RESPONSIBILITY.  This reminds each player to think about his role in the defensive call.  As an end, if the call sends an inside LB on a B gap blitz then I have to know I have QB contain on option now.  A corner needs to know what he's responsible for if we're playing cover 3 and the number receiver hard releases inside. 

TECHNIQUE.  Everyone has different techniques for different offensive keys, but this is the reminder that each athlete knows what to do.  Your coaching and drill work has prepared you for this role. Just DO YOUR JOB, and do it to the best of your ability.

I've seen many other "Tenets of Defense" for teams, and they're all good (mostly).  If it works for a team, then great for them.  I know that we believe in C.A.S.K.R.T. and it's the foundation we build upon.  The pillars rest on CASKRT!