Coaching Football Defense: To Spill or Not to Spill, That is the Question!

 To Spill or Not to Spill!

That is the question many of us ask in designing our defense and taking on blocks on the perimeter with our defensive ends in our 4-2-5 or 4-3 defense.

How you teach your players to take on blocks or lineman that are pulling is important part of your 4-2-5 defense. This is pertinent at the defensive end position in a 4-2-5. The 3 plays you may have to teach this technique against is counter, long trap, or outside belly. It is important how you teach your defensive ends on taking on blocks.

There are many thoughts today about whether you should box pullers back to the rest of your defense, or spill vs pullers and overlap with your LB to make tackles as the ball bounces. Some of it has to do with whether you are a zone or man scheme defensively. If you like to play more man, then boxing may be a better option, because your DB and spill defenders on the 2nd level may be man coverage. By playing man, you may create running lanes if you spill the football on the 2nd level. If you play zone a ton, then maybe spilling has it’s advantages because you have better 2nd level support.

It’s important to have a philosophy on this and be solid with teaching it at the 1st and 2nd level but it also has to tie into your defensive coverage schemes.

Offenses have gotten really good at running LB and DB out of there in your man schemes so you really not be smart in how you develop this integral part of your defense.

Box Technique

Box technique is an important way to play spillers because it attempts to force the ball back inside. This can be utilized if you don’t have the speed at LB and safety to spill the football. It is also good because it can be utilized with different coverages.

Again, this technique is used to turn the ball back into the rest of the defense. This is a good example by Arkansas using the technique.

Colorado

4-2 cover 2 Box Technique

They get long trap, the defensive end is a little up field but flattens out late. I like the way the ILB plays it as he takes on his block and fights to get to the C gap, which allows the backside LB to knife in and help on the tackle.

The ball is boxed back inside and the LB makes the tackle

Film

Clemson running an inside twist stunt while boxing with the Defensive End.The De doesn’t run upfield, stays on the LOS and forces it back inside.

Spill  overlap Technique

Spilling is a term teams will use when they get a kickout block by either a guard or h back. The Defensive lineman will take it on and try to attack the offensive lineman's inside shoulder.  It could be a fb or other lineman as well kicking out but most times it will be a guard in the counter game or h back in the zone slice game.

There are two trains of thoughts when teaching how to take on this block:

1. Wrong arm Technique- it and take it on with the inside shoulder. The disadvantage to doing this is you don't have the ability to come off the block and make a play. Your defensive lineman gives himself up.

2. Dent Technique-Having your de play it with his hands. This allows him to dent it and punch through the inside number. The 2nd way allows you to get off the block and make a play.  Don Brown teaches this and would be worth studying how Ben Albert, Keith Dudzinksi and the staff teach it at UMass. It’s a great way to allow your DE to not give themselves up and be able to make a play.

Both will hopefully have the desired effect which is to bounce the ball outside. Your LB will overlap and your Sam and Safety will hopefully fill as they expect the ball to be spilled to them.

In the 4-2-5, again we teach to get it spilled and have the safety(press quarters) filling outside in and the inside LB overlapping to anticipate the spill. We practice this often. LB plays C gap and the FS plays the D gap. Mike will play cutback.