University of Northern Colorado Football

Post Season -Spring Ball Practice #4

Tuesday- March 26th , 2019

Head Coach: Ernest Collins
Practice duration:
150 minutes
3:00 pm- 5:00 pm
Objectives:
(For Quarterbacks)
1. Be able to make decisions under pressure
2. Learn new plays
3. Improve speed and accuracy of footwork
(For receivers)
1. Learn new routes/plays
2. Work on breaking from defender
3. Improve speed and accuracy of footwork
Location:
University of Northern Colorado Turf fields
Equipment:
- 30 footballs
-30 cones
- 6 pads
-10 bags
Notes going into training:
 It is spring ball, which is where there is no pressure. Look to try new things and really
take off. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes.
 We will be reviewing old foot skills as well as basic routes, formations, and plays that we
have used in the past.
 We will be looking to learn new offensive plays, so pay attention to details in order to
fully understand positioning and timing of each route.
 With new plays, stay focused and patient.
 The practice will build in intensity so take the time at the beginning to truly understand
and ask questions about things u may need modeled or explained more
 Keep these in mind going into practice to prepare your mind and body.

Teams:
Get with positions for all drills except:
Oklahoma Drill:
1. Defense – Biggs… Desir… Talkington
Offense – Ergenbright… Reemts… Bendele
Running back – Hall

2. Defense – Gonzales… Golden… Noel

Offense – Williams… Stephens… Delacroix
Running back – Ison
 3. Defense – Lee.. Gilliland… Nelson
Offense – Moreka… Gaitor… Warren
Running back - George

4. Defense – Rogers… Bobo… N. Johnson

Offense – Ibarra… Sol… Keenan
Running back - Gadek

5. Defense – Knighton… Sandau… Adebayo

Offense – Saddler… Root… Fairmen
Running back - Hall

6. Defense – Cotlong… Dreiling… Laing

Offense – Steele… Betty… Turnbull
Running back - Gadek

7. Defense – Harris… Walker… J. Johnson

Offense – Flowers… Mitchell… Sarria
Running back - Hall

8. Defense – Laday… Vinson… Adams

Offense – De De… Warren… Saur
Running back - Ison

9. Defense – Lester… Pope… Tate

Offense – Sol… Benavides… Hall
Running back - George

10. Defense – Ditzenberger… Critton… Dubose

Offense – Saur… Hall… Benavides
Running back - Gadek

8:20am -8:30am (10 minutes) Oklahoma Drill (See table 1 for set up)
 Set up 6 pads, 3 on each side to create a lane for the drill
 Assemble the QB and the running back on one end at the starting line
 There will be three sets of offense defense match ups about 5 yards apart
down the lane
 The QB hands off the ball to the running back and the running back stays
in the lane while trying to get past all three sets of offense defense match
ups
 The defense is trying to tackle their match up partner in order to in turn be
able to catch the running back and tackle them
 See teams to know your match up and round # you are a part of
 The goal of this drill is to instill toughness and perseverance within
both the offense and the defense to either get through for the
 touchdown or for the defense to stop the running back from getting
through
 This is a fun game to play at the beginning of the practice to get
the team moral going and the motivation levels up before going in
to skill training
 This drill pushes the objectives on the players before breaking
them down in individual drills
 (Modification) make the lane smaller to push the offense to have
quicker feet and better cuts in order to get through to score
 (modification) make the lane bigger to push the defense into
making the tackle and chasing the running back. It will also give
the running back more freedom to run if he is struggling to break
through
 As a QB focus on accuracy in your hand off to hit the running back in step
to continue his stride
 As a running back, take smaller steps when in a tight space in order to
have more accurate cuts
 When running with the ball, keep the ball tight in between your
arm/armpit and your chest to make sure not to drop it
Table 1

8:30am - 8:40 am (10 minutes) Circle and Bubble (See table 2 for set up)
 Set up different screen plays
 Position a QB with a slot receiver and a wide receiver on the outside
 Position a DB in-between the receivers in order to set the screen
 Rotate sides in order to ensure X,Y, and Z are getting reps
 The goal of this drill is to prepare our offense to simulate screen
plays
 This drill will help prepare our wide receivers to get in the habit of
blocking for the slot receiver to run their route
 Put different combinations of players to gain familiarity of each
player
  (Modification) If struggling to make the screen, take away the DB
from the drill to take the pressure off the receiver and allow them
to focus on catching and running their route
 (Modification) If players aren’t taking it seriously, initiate full
contact between DB and receiver to make it more game realistic
Table 2

8:40am – 8:50 am (10 minutes) Ball Handle (See table 3 for set up)
 Assemble 10 yards apart passing lines for the QB to throw
 Move distance in order to make it harder and push for more accuracy
 The goal of this drill is for the QB’s to practice their grip on the
ball
 The goal of this drill is also for the QB’s to work on their touch
and reaction when catching and throwing
 Work on technique when releasing the ball
 Focus on the ball until it reaches your hands
 (Modification) if too easy, throw different types of balls to push
the QB to correct and problem solve as he would have to in a real
game
 (Modification) change distance to push QB’s to work on accuracy
and strength behind their passes
 (Modification) if too easy, have them pass to a moving target
instead of a standing target.
 Keep your eye on the ball to ensure you catch the ball
 See the ball all the way in to your hands
 Focus on your grip to ensure you have total control of the ball
 Follow through to get the most power behind your throw
8:50 am - 9:05 am (15 minutes) ROA/POA (See table 4 for set up)
 Coach will call a route and the QB will organize the play with his
offense
 The receivers will get into position and run the proper route while
the QB throws to them
 There will be three receivers, the X,Y, and Z, and they will run
their route according to the play
 The goal of this drill is to establish and get familiar
with the new plays that the offense will be running
 The goal of this drill is also for QB to work on his
accuracy of his passes and his footwork stepping
back to create separation
 The other goal of this drill is for the receivers to
work on their footwork and their break from the
defenders
 This drill won’t have actual defenders, but it is a
simulation for the receivers to understand their
positioning and where they need to be to receive the
ball
 This drill stresses the importance of learning the
new plays
 (Modification) Add defenders to apply more
pressure to the offense to make it more game like
 (Modification) add pressure to the QB to ensure he
works on his step back for better visualization
 Receivers focus on quick feet when breaking out of their route to
receive the ball
 This will fake out the defender and allow you to find a pocket to
get the ball with less pressure
 Keep shoulders low to ensure speed and efficiency
  Don’t look at where you are running the route or else it will give it
away to the opponent

9:05 am – 9:15 am (10 minutes) 9 on 7 (See table 5 for set up)

 Assemble a small sided scrimmage simulation with 7 offensive
players and 9 defensive players
 Put together everything you learned earlier in practice
 Apply new plays to a game situation
 The goal of this drill is to be able to apply the new routes
and plays as well as the coaching cues to a game like
scenario
 The goal of this drill is to be able to translate the skills we
worked on previously but under pressure
 The goal of this drill is to have the offense focus more on
runs than passing
 This drill will push the QB to make decisions under
pressure rather than relaxed as he was in earlier drills
 It will test both the receivers as well as the QB on whether
they can apply what they learned
 (modification) to apply more pressure, allow full on
tackling and body contact
 (modification) to make it more game like, add a player to
hike the ball to push the QB to work on their step back
under pressure
 (modification) let the QB run the plays to give him more
responsibility and ensure they fully understand the routes
 Focus on breaking away from your defender when making your
route if you are a receiver
 Stay low and have quick feet to juke out the defender
 QB focus on creating separation from the line in order to gain more
time to pass and find their receivers
9:15 am – 9: 35 am (20 minutes) 7 on 7 (See table 6 for set up)
 Assemble a small sided scrimmage simulation with 7 offensive
players and 7 defensive players
 This is an equal playing field now that there are 7 on each team
 The goal of this drill is to focus more on passing rather than
running.
 This drill utilizes the receivers more than the running backs
 The receivers have to make sure they break from their
defender in order to receive the pass under less pressure
 (modification) Allow the QB to run if there are no options
with the receivers- this makes it more game like
 (modification) if offense is struggling to connect passes,
ease the defense to two hand touch so the pressure is still
applied but the offense can work on perfecting their routes
 Keep eyes on the ball in order to catch the ball more effectively
 As the QB lead the receiver so when they break from their
defender they can meet the ball
 Focus on quick feet to ensure speed and efficiency in creating
separation from defender
9:35 am – 9: 45 am (10 minutes) Blitz Pick Up ( See table 7 for set up)
 Assemble the drill into offense and defense
 Set up 5 offensive linemen and 4 defensive linemen with 3
linebackers behind them
 The QB will be positioned behind the offensive lineman
 The goal of this drill is for the offensive lineman to
learn how to block different blitz combinations
 The goal of this drill is also for the quarterback to
learn how to make quick decisions while under the
pressure of a blitz attack
 Vary the plays in order to test the knowledge of the
quarter back
 (modification) Add more defensive players to test
the offensive lineman’s blocking and problem-
solving abilities
 (modification) Have the Offensive lineman try a
different formation to better prepare for the
defensive blitz
 Be able to identify the middle linebacker as a QB
 As a QB focus on getting your eyes up and getting off a pass early
to ensure if you get tackled that you won’t get sacked
 Mix up cadence to throw the defense’s timing off

9:45 am – 10:00 am ( 15 minutes) Team 1 scrimmage (See table 8 for set up)
 Assemble an 11 on 11 scrimmage on the field
 Team 1 which are the starters play against each other with no
tackling just easy two hand touch
 The goal of this drill is to put it all together with the starters
to get a better idea of what you need to work on with the
best players on the field
  The goal of this drill is to apply footwork, new
plays/routes, and high pressure in a game like situation
 This drill will test the knowledge and abilities of all
positions to see if what they have been working on as set in
with them
 (Modification) For more pressure and quick decision
making add the tackling aspect back into the game
 As a QB, mix up the plays by running the ball and passing in order
to be unpredictable
 Create separation from the line to ensure you will have time to
make a quick decision in case your offense isn’t in proper position
 Focus on quick feet to be quick off the break and get away from
your defender

10:00 am – 10:05 am (5 minutes) Bags (See table 9 for set up)

 Assemble the bags spaced out with enough space to jump over
 Each QB has their own set of bags to use
 The QB’s will jump over and work on their quick steps and speed
of their hops
 They will hold the ball in hand in order to make it more game like
 The goal of this drill is for the QB’s to work on their
footwork
 The faster they can move their feet the faster they can
change direction
 The goal of this drill is also to work on their step back
which will improve their quick decision making
 ( Modification) make the bags taller or bigger to truly focus
on the footwork aspect of the drill
 (modification) arrange the bag in different step patterns to
challenge the QB’s footwork
 Keep your head up and eyes on the field
 Keep the ball tight to your body while working on footwork
 Focus on precise footwork to ensure that you have proper form
  To get a feel for this drill, it’s okay to pump knees high to get used
to the height of the bags

10:05- 10:20 am (15 minutes) Team 2 scrimmage(See table 9 for set up)
 Same as Team 1 scrimmage but with the second-string players
10:20am – 10:25 am (5 minutes) Review
 Allow time for any questions from players or for the players
 Provide feedback about the practice.
 Evaluate practice and take the time to go over positives and take
aways going into next session
Coaching Comments: