Coaching the linebacker stance for your defense seems like such a simple thing. Feet apart, squat down, eyes up, back flat… you know the basic coaching cues.

But I see a lot of coaches making just a handful of mistakes that really cost your defense. You may not even know it.

The cost of mistakes in stance isn’t as obvious as bad tackling or poor key reads. But the cost to fix these stance problems is cheap. You need to do it.

I've done a lot of experimenting with different schemes, but half-slide pass protection has been the primary protection scheme in the Pistol Power Offense for several years. It just makes sense with what we do.

That's the critical key. It makes sense with what we do.

The protection scheme is intricately tied into the entire passing scheme. The check release by the back is critical to the Quarterback's trigger reads.

We usually only hear the 5-3 Defense associated with youth football defense today. For coaches trying to learn the defense, it’s hard to find as much information as you might find about a 4-4 Defense.

There’s great news though. This is a great defense for stopping the run at the youth level. But it’s actually being run at High School and College programs across the country. Just by a different name.

This episode takes a look at the basics of the 5-3 Defense, and how you can learn more about running it if you decide it is right for your football team.

When they hit the football coaching scene a few years ago, defensive coordinators were scratching their heads defending RPOs. But while it's a great tool for offenses to attack, run pass options are not as mystical as they may seem.

If you've got a good RPO team on your schedule this season, you don't need to panic and change your whole defense. Follow the 5 tips for defending RPO's in this podcast to shut 'em down.