Defensive Coordinator Grant Caserta has certainly applied pressure upon opposing offenses. During the 2019 season, his first at Illinois Wesleyan University (Ill.) his defense led Division III football in sacks and tackles for loss. Coach Caserta previously served as the defensive coordinator at Husson University (Maine) for four seasons, winning the Eastern Collegiate Football Conference assistant coach of the year award in 2017. On today’s “Deep Dive on Defense” tune in as Coach Caserta and your host Keith Grabowski discuss different ways to help create penetration and negative plays behind the line of scrimmage. 

0:22 Intro

1:08 Defensive philosophy 

1:30 Heavy lifting season

2:26 Base teaching principle

3:32 Philosophy on bringing pressure

5:03 Breaking down the opponent’s protection

7:55 Keys to blitzing

9:49 Basic stunts and twists

12:23 Indicators of either pass or run plays

14:52 Training to tackle 

18:12 Defensive plan in the secondary

24:46 Identifying indicators 

27:20 Defensive coverages to match pressure

30:26 Defending mesh and shallow crosses

34:40 Defensive back drills

37:02 Defending down field screens

42:16 XFL

43:10 Four and five-man pressures

44:10 Coach Caserta’s favorite pressures

53:00 Getting pressure against 11 personnel 

55:10 Tips for improving your pass rush

57:01 Winning edge

58:25 Closing 

Related Content: 

• Second level screens: https://blogs.usafootball.com/blog/7670/the-no-progression-third-down-and-red-zone-strategy

Film to Field Series: 

⁃           Part 1: https://blogs.usafootball.com/blog/7306/part-i-of-the-five-fights-film-to-field-series-on-usa-football-s-coach-and-coordinator-podcast-features-slade-calhoun-defensive-coordinator-at-munford-high-school-in-tennessee

⁃           Part 2: https://blogs.usafootball.com/blog/7330/part-ii-of-the-five-fights-film-to-field-series-on-usa-football-s-coach-and-coordinator-podcast-features-coach-ryan-fullen

⁃           Part 3: https://blogs.usafootball.com/blog/7349/part-iii-of-the-five-fights-film-to-field-series-on-usa-football-s-coach-and-coordinator-podcast-features-coach-rob-pomazak

⁃           Part 4: https://blogs.usafootball.com/blog/7366/part-4-of-the-five-fights-film-to-field-series-on-usa-football-s-coach-and-coordinator-podcast-features-coach-jacob-lord

⁃           Fight to Accelerate: https://blogs.usafootball.com/blog/7352/film-to-field-friday-on-coach-and-coordinator-fight-to-accelerate  

⁃           Fight to Connect:  https://blogs.usafootball.com/blog/7340/film-to-field-friday-on-coach-and-coordinator-fight-to-connect

⁃           Fight to Prepare: https://blogs.usafootball.com/blog/7321/film-to-field-friday-on-coach-and-coordinator-fight-to-prepare

You can follow Coach Caserta on Twitter @GCaserta1

For any further inquiries, email Coach Caserta at this address: gcaserta@iwu.edu

Check out our systems for skill development in blocking, defeating blocks, and tackling at footballdevelopment.com. Follow us daily on Twitter for content and interaction @FBDevCoach Checkout X's and O's analysis at USA Football Blogs blogs.usafootball.com