On this episode of the Coach and Coordinator Podcast, your host Keith Grabowski continues our “Deep Dive on Defense” series with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s defensive coordinator Jeff Dittman. Hear how Coach Dittman helps instruct, disguise and execute multiple formations and looks in his defensive scheme at RPI.

 

0:20 Intro

0:46 Coach Dittman’s background

2:40 RPI’s defensive scheme

4:27 Multiple, but simple scheme

7:56 Base defense

11:21 Structure on defense

15:00 Technique from drills to gameday

20:25 Assessing drills

22:45 Stopping the run

25:59 Techniques in maintaining gaps

29:56 Defensive walk-through in practice

31:40 Adjusting to new offensive attacks

35:25 Communicating new concepts to players

38:45 Keys to defending against play-action

41:29 Getting pressure with fewer people

43:23 Helping linebackers recover off play-action

46:43 Eye discipline

49:16 Defending down-field screens

52:50 Facing challenging offensive play calls

55:38 Having multiple checks on defense

59:13 The winning edge

1:01:17 Closing

 

You can follow Coach Dittman on Twitter @CoachJDittman58 or you can email him at dittmj@rpi.edu.