Stick it up the middle

Borrrrrrredom!!!!! As is expected of the NFL between late June-early August, nothing at all has happened today. Maybe some coaches were watching film somewhere. Maybe an executive was rearranging his desk. Maybe Terrell Owens's agent was still trying to convince his client that he's good, but not to the tune of $5 million per year. All I know is that nothing worth relating happened today. So I wandered the web, lost for something football related to keep me happy. I headed over to http://www.gridironsource.com/ to check out their latest videos..... and I stumbled on a gem. Even better, I've finally figured out how to embed their videos to this blog so I can show you the gem without you having to run around the Internet following links. So I present to you (in a bit) a scouting reel of Dallas McClarty, DT from Clear Springs High School (League City, Texas). And like all good scouting film, there's no damn marker at the start of each play to point out where he is. But that's irrelevant. In fact, I don't even want you to focus on McClarty all that much. What I want you to keep an eye on is the performance of the entire front line in general. What you're going to see is penetration (stop giggling at the back). Which is important why? Because (yes I know, bad grammar) it's the fundamental key to unlocking the potential of any defense. And even though the Cougars appear to be running a 3-4 front, the lesson still holds true for 4-3 teams. This is important because the 4-3 is a dying breed in the NFL. Last year the Packers were the latest high profile team to switch to the 3-4. And I think it's a shame. In my article last Thursday about running the football I briefly bemoaned how we're constantly being told that the old style running game is dead and attempted to offer up some advice on how to get it breathing again. Well, we're also being constantly told how the 4-3 is dead (or dying). We're told that it's outdated. Hopefully this video clip will inspire some hope and maybe bizarrely serve to get the 4-3 breathing again. Hope that Defensive Tackles can be taught how to effectively break in to the oppositions backfield. Hope that the art of the 4-3 will not be lost in a quagmire of 3-4 hyperbole (or worse, the dreaded 3-3 stack). And hope that coaching the necessary skills at each position will once again supersede thoughts about which scheme is better. So here we are and enjoy: Have a great day everyone.