Youth Football Green Dog?
Green dogs are a part of an evolution. This explains why youth football green dogs are not common. Wisely, most youth football coaches do not overload their young players with rules. Teaching the fundamental techniques and skills is usually the best route.
A green dog is when a linebacker has a running back man coverage. The linebacker is coached that if the running back blocks in protection, the linebacker now has permission to rush the quarterback. This will often times result in the green dog linebacker rushing free to the quarterback.
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The very nature of playing defense in the game of football can at times mean reacting to what the offense does. Defensive coaches don’t like to say it that way. However, the truth is that everything the offense does more often than not dictates what the defense does.
When you coach a youth football defense, you are going to play some man coverage. You may play man coverage 100% of the time. Why? Well, for starters it is simpler to teach. What you may find though is that sometimes man coverage can have one of your players standing around covering no one.
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This is the case when your linebacker is covering a back and the back blocks in protection. Often times this will result in your linebacker standing there watching the play. There are really two things that you can teach this linebacker. You can teach them to drop and read the quarterbacks eyes. In essence what you are teaching them is to spy the quarterback.
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Another option is to teach your linebacker to come on a green dog. We like this approach because it instills an aggressive demeanor and usually a youth football offense has no answer for it. This will make a youth football coach think twice about spreading their formations out. This youth football green dog makes you strong against the pass and the run.
Today’s short video talks about the benefits of teaching your young linebackers the “green dog” technique that will allow them to be a force on the football play regardless of what the offense does…
