Bryant University Football 9-Pack

RPOs are a great way to manipulate defensive box counts into the offense’s favor and place individual defenders in conflict. Even the most disciplined, intelligent defensive players are forced into making tough decisions against a well-executed RPO.

In this instructional coaching video, Coach Chris Merritt puts forth a terrific game plan for offensive problem solving and using an opposing defense’s own leverage against them in live-game situations.

Maximizing RPOs

Using a progression of offensive practice drills and examples taken from game footage, Coach Merritt demonstrates different types of RPOs for using a defense’s leverage against them and uses game and practice footage. In this footage Merritt highlights Bryant’s practice “mesh drill”, their RPOs at different levels of a defense, and their pre-snap access “gifts”. 

Merritt provides in-depth commentary with the game footage and stats to show how Bryant’s offense has become more efficient and explosive with an RPO game, and, more importantly, gives you the answers on how your offense can replicate this success.

Drills to Enhance RPOs and Implementation Strategies

Throughout the course of this essential lesson in offensive efficiency and maximizing RPOs, Coach Merritt focuses on his favorite drill to improve RPO execution – ‘The Mesh Drill.’

Coach Merritt details how ‘The Mesh Drill can be repped everyday in practice to teach your QBs how to read certain defender keys (which is crucial for an effective RPO game). The drill also helps your QBs and RBs with the crucial ‘RPO exchange,’ which, if run effectively, results in less fumbles and more confident QB reads.

Coach Merritt shows game footage of Bryant’s RPOs against various defensive looks. In this footage explanation, the Bryant head coach walks you through why his offensive coach has built each RPO to have success against each defense and what the read keys are for the QB in each example play he shows.

In addition, Coach Merritt shares key RPO concepts (on whiteboard), as well as showing the critical keys for RPO success against live defenses.

Coach Merritt gives you everything you need to know to build a dynamic RPO offense that can help solve unfavorable defensive box counts. 

The coach also shows various RPO tags that work to get the ball into your most explosive players hands in space. Coach Merritt, does a great job of identifying a problem that faces many offenses, and offers practical, effective solutions to that problem.

This is a must-see video to improve your team’s offensive execution!

Customer Review: 5 out of 5 Stars. ‘ Coach Merritt did a great job of showing how RPOs can help take advantage of defensive looks, while still giving your offense the ability to gain explosive plays!’

71 minutes, 2023.

In this valuable instructional coaching video, starting with the basic drills, Coach Steven Ciocci, teaches you the fundamentals of offensive line play in the counter run game.

Coach Ciocci also provides four different double-team techniques used for every position on the line, including using the ‘high-knee gallop’ to dominate defenders in the trenches.

Through the use of both practice film and game film you will get in-depth instruction on how to train your linemen to own the trenches. 

Teaching Combo Blocks

Learning how to teach the different gap scheme double-teams used by each pairing of linemen across the front is the critical concept in running the football successfully. In this section, Coach  Ciocci breaks down each combination of tandem blocking in great detail and sheds light on new teaching pointers that will make it simple for you to teach these techniques to your linemen.Critical concepts Coach Ciocci covers includes…

• Two different types of pull techniques to combat defenses that change how they play a puller.
• Tips for getting similar-sized offensive bodies matched up against similar-sized defensive bodies to ensure that you aren’t at a physical disadvantage.
• How to place opposing linebackers in conflict by changing your tags on the play to stress different defenders. 
• Teaching the important concept of both vertical and horizontal double-teams to accommodate your run game philosophy.

Helpful Usage of Game Film, Using RPOs

Coach Ciocci uses game footage to show how each of the drills shown earlier in the video and how the skills they developed while performing those drills, translate to proper execution in live action.  

The use of game film also accentuates the problems your defense may present and offers the solutions to fix them. 

Diving into a helpful section on protecting your counters by using RPOs, Coach Ciocci showcases…

• 1st-, 2nd- and 3rd-level RPOs to protect your counter from defenses. 
• How to use a pre-snap RPO to take advantage of free yards.
• Tips on how to incorporate RPOs into any offensive formation.
• How, Why and When you’d use each RPO.

Coach Ciocci breaks down all aspects of the run and RPO game in great detail – using both practice and game film to illustrate his teaching points. He explains and provides multiple in-game situations and explains the in’s and out’s of this related to the run-game concept. 

This video provides an incredibly in-depth breakdown of not only how to run the counter play, but how to protect it through the air. By tagging RPOs onto your counter game, it creates that tried-and-true tenet of ‘holding the chalk last’ and putting opposing defenses in a bind! 

Customer Review: (5 of 5 Stars). ‘This video teaches you how to run the counter play from the ground up. This is essential for anyone who already runs counter or is thinking about adding it to your playbook. It not only gives you the drills and techniques to run the counter, but how to use RPOs to protect it from overcommitted defenses.’

58 minutes. 2023.

Bryant University’s Anthony Barese discusses building a dependable defensive secondary, critical skills to emphasize and showcases 15 drills to improve your defensive backs.

Defensive Secondary Development Plan

Coach Barese covers the importance of having a game plan that is accountable for developing defensive personnel that execute and make good decisions in games, but also helps their development into great people who make the right decisions off-the-field too. Barese covers the best training methods for preparing defensive backs to cover the most-critical receiver routes, including how to attack out-routes, in-routes and deep routes.

Essential Secondary Skills and Drills

Showcasing the other essential defensive back skills that need to be developed, Coach Barese also provides his favorite DB drills, including the ‘Proper Weave Drill’ that teaches players the important and proper footwork that naturally places defensive backs in great position to make plays. Using drills like the ‘Lane-of-the-Ball Drill’ and ‘Pedal Box,’ Coach Barese teaches secondary players how to avoid movement mistakes, while maintaining proper balance to make the necessary breaks on the ball and closing on opposing players.

Barese also covers how he coaches his players to play an opposing team depending on which route the opponents are utilizing. To help develop this area of the defensive secondary, you’ll be shown terrific drills like the ‘Lean-In Drill’ and the ‘In-Phase OR Out-of-Phase Drills’ to teach the best practices for attacking in-routes, out-routes and deep routes. Each drill in this section of the video improves all aspects of the defensive back positions, while improving the overall knowledge of all your secondary players. This is a must-own video for anyone coaching defense!

71 minutes. 2023.

A relentless, consistent and smothering kickoff coverage system can be a real weapon that stifles the rush and momentum an opponent feels to begin the game or start of a half, and most-importantly, can further demoralize an opponent in those moments after your offense has just scored.

John Sielawa, Special Teams Coordinator, shines the spotlight on his smothering Field-Zone Concept for Kickoff Coverage in this highly valuable instructional coaching video!

Field-Zone Kickoff Coverage System

Coach Sielawa begins this presentation with a detailed explanation of the key factors that help kickoff coverage units be successful, as well as discusses other critically important skills relevant to kick-coverage players, including proper get-off, correct lane distribution and containing the returner by assigning specific players to spill or box the returner. 

Diagramming each player’s coverage and responsibility in the Field-Zone Kickoff Coverage System, Sielawa includes in-depth information on force players, contain players, alley players and what he calls, ‘safeties.’ 

Examples of kickoff coverage are shown using game footage with specific coaching points for technique and assignment, including…

• Field-Zone Kickoff Coverage: How to coach the get-off and correct lane distribution.
• Field-Zone Kickoff Coverage: How to coach the contain and alley players for both front side and backside responsibilities.
• Field-Zone Kickoff Coverage: How to coach the four field zones of kickoff coverage.

Field-Zone Kickoff Coverage Drills & ‘Must-Know’ Skills

Using practice film footage, Coach Sielawa places attention on several drills that teach the proper fundamentals and technical skills found in great kickoff coverage, including: best practices to avoid kick-return blockers, using 2-gap technique, mastering the ‘fold technique’ and how to ‘net’ the returner. 

Coach Sielawa follows up by showcasing several highly effective Field-Zone Kickoff Drills, including: the ‘11-on-11, Playing-In-Close-Proximity Drill,’ the ‘3-on-3 Lions Drill’ and subsequent ‘Gazelles Drill’ to teach specific fundamentals of kickoff coverage in a competitive situation without having the players run the entire length of the field for each rep. Next, Coach Sielawa provides a look at his highly effective ‘Contain-and-Fold Drill’ which teaches proper leverage on the football for specific players and teaches important kickoff cover concepts. In all, within the time constraints of limited special team’s practice segments and time, using these excellent kickoff coverage drills improve critical skills such as…  

• Kickoff Coverage Drills – teaches your kickoff coverage players how to avoid kick-return blockers and 2-gap technique (using the ‘Lions’ and ‘Gazelles’ drills).
• Kickoff Coverage Drills – teaches kickoff coverage players to defend specific return schemes and doing so without running the length of the field.
• Kickoff Coverage Drills – teaches your contain and fold players how to react to the kick-return schemes and execute responsibilities accordingly.

Coach Sielawa has produced an in-depth and extremely valuable special team’s instructional coaching video – one that provides you a comprehensive look at the game-proven Field Zone Kickoff Coverage. This is a must-own special teams video! Coach Sielawa loaded every minute of this lesson with instructional coaching information and can’t-miss kickoff coverage strategies – information that should be a part of any coach’s library, regardless of the level of competition of your team!

Coaches Review: 5 out of 5 stars.‘This is an excellent video … is packed with information, drills and film clips – best special teams kickoff video to come along in ages! All coaches should own it!’

53 minutes.  2023.

From philosophy to performance, Coach Ali breaks down the key concept and proven training plans to put in place everything you need to build a complete back.

Running Back Philosophy, Defining Three-Down Back Roles

Coach Ali begins by explaining the successful player development program they’ve put into place and specifies their expectations for the running backs.  

Explaining that a strong player development philosophy for running backs begins with a heavy emphasis on ball security. Coach Ali says that their culture of winning football makes ball security a priority; if a running back can’t be trusted with the ball on every carry, he will not be on the field during critical 3rd down situations.

Ali shares his ‘Four B’s Of Ball Security’ -- where he discusses each ‘B’ (Ball security, Balance, Belief and ‘Balling out’) and outlines each one’s relevance to the importance of being a three down back. 

A byproduct of adhering to the tenets of football culture based in ball security, Coach Ali explains how it all provides critical motivation and a mental toughness that’s important for every running back that earns time on the field.

RB Play Calls, RB Drills and EDD’s

Coach Ali walks you through the finer-point details for why his running backs need to prove that they can turn every ball-carrying inside zone-run play into a possible big play. He breaks down how Bryant University offense utilizes different offensive formations, but adds that the running plays are all essentially the same -- which turns into an advantage because different formations of the same inside zone running play can often break big due to defensive confusion. 

Highlighting a set of eight highly valuable running back drills, Coach Ali details how to run each drill, the skills they emphasize and outlines the importance of doing each of the eight drills every day.  Coach Ali adds that doing the drills daily and repeatedly stressing the high-priority RB concepts prepares their running backs both mentally and physically as part of the cultural Bryant University mantra for the RB group.

Pointing out the importance of setting up drills in a way that simulates game-like situations, Coach Ali covers every aspect of daily RB work – from executing jump cuts, to doing bag drills, to route running, to pass-protection responsibilities. He explains how each drill can add in specific dynamics to build in that needed atmosphere of a game-like situation.

Finally, Coach Ali utilizes game film to cover how he addresses the good and bad grade performances of his ball carriers in games, what he looks for and how he judges maximum effort.

This is an excellent video for football coaches who want to improve and refine their running back group. Coach Major Ali does a great job of keeping high-level coaching concepts understandable and effectively explains the protocols and benefits of their style of running back training. 

34 minutes. 2023.

Wide Receiver Technical Skills – Matter!

More than almost any other position group, the Wide Receiver position is dependent upon mastering the techniques and moves that seem more subtle on the surface, yet they remain the key differentiators for success. Especially as it pertains to players who move on to higher levels of competition and face opposing defenders with greater athleticism. All things being equal physically, it’s the technical aspect of the receiver position that will make or break a player’s success on any given snap; technical things such as:

•  the receiver’s ‘first step,’ 
• separation technique,
• foot placement while making cuts,
•  body-weight distribution, 
• balance and hip movement,
•  precise route-running, 
• mental focus, 
• hand placement to make the catch, 
• using explosion while making perimeter blocks and 
• many other skill-based techniques – 

These technical elements are ’what matter most’ in being a dependable wide receiver that a quarterback, and offense, can trust.

Best Practices: Lessons For Building WRs and The Top 12 WR Drills

In this video, Coach McKaig shares some of his important theories and philosophy on what it takes to be a great receiver and game-changing producer on your offense. Providing the building blocks for producing meaningful progress and improvement, McKaig stresses the importance of quality over quantity and gives valuable insight on the need for game-like preparation.

Along with the structured blueprint for building a complete wide receiver, including the philosophy of what offenses need from the position, Coach McKaig introduces and explains how to execute a proper WR warm-up and spares no detail in showcasing his ‘Top 12 Wide Receiver Drills.’ 

Coach McKaig features highly valuable drills that are designed to help receivers improve at executing the wide variety of route cuts they need to execute during each play. The ‘Proper Warm-Up Drill’ – featuring work designed to get the body warm and ready for training – is followed-up by proven practice drills such as, ‘The-Drop-Step-To-Cut Drill,’ ‘WR Figure-8s’, and ‘WR Proper-Speed-Cuts Drill,’ all designed to specifically improve wide receiver skills that are practical for all aspects of the offensive game. Coach McKaig finishes this highly valuable instructional coaching video by highlighting important wide receiver drills that help receivers get off the press-coverage applied by the defense.

This video is a must-see lesson for not only wide receiver coaches, but also for any coach of any offensive position group. Coach McKaig provides a step-by-step process for building and training the best receiver group possible, as well as gives coaches the proper mindset and perspective on the drills and skills that can transform a good wide receiver into a viable and productive offensive weapon on every play.

77 minutes. 2023.

Highlighting the need to be dominant on every snap, Coach Goodwin also includes a goldmine of D-Line information such as the importance of defenders in the trenches to trust their teammates.  

Additionally, the video outlines six essential skills needed to become grounded in great defensive line play – which include the importance of toughness, the ability to ‘Get-off’ on the snap and the need for relentless pursuit on every play. Coach Goodwin also shares his ‘Defensive Linemen Outline,’ that emphasizes why D-Linemen need to play with great effort and aggression snap after snap. 

Developing a Defensive Line ‘Run-and-Pass Game Philosophy’

A simple template for addressing two critically important areas of defense are detailed in Coach Goodwin’s next segment. All of the techniques shown in this section are highlighted here with a mantra of possessing a ‘Family Within a Family’ mentality, which reinforces the belief that good D-Line groups need to possess a sense of brotherhood on their units if they’re to succeed in their live-game missions. 

Coach Goodwin shares his Key Defensive Tenets, which emphasizes line-of-scrimmage rules for controlling gaps, knowing alignments and using proper hand placement.  

Next up, Goodwin shines the spotlight on his unique numbering system which utilizes hand placement signals that allows defensive linemen to quickly and easily identify how to attack the offensive lineman. 

Another great defensive coaching gem is on detailed alignment keys, and how to successfully use pressure and visual keys.  

Within the pass game, Goodwin explains pass rush philosophy and lanes with a 4-man rush and a 5-man rush, which establishes a great pass-rush plan without overloading linemen with information. 

Scouting Tips and Using DL Drills To Foster Competition

Coach Goodwin shows his system for defensive linemen to scout an opposing offensive line’s tendencies – both for game plan purposes and to show which techniques need to be used to defeat each.

A highly informative section on using different DL stances, such as ‘Strike & Attack,’ ‘Read & React’ and ‘Money Down’ are covered as well as how you can explore using different stances and attacks to create a multiple pass-rush plan. 

Coach Goodwin usesfilm clips to reinforce coaching points and details twelve drills to create a competitive nature to your play. As an example, the ‘Ball Disruption Drill’ and ‘Recovery Drill’ are shown as fun, yet intense practice drills.  

Other terrific defensive line drills include a progression of ‘Stance-and-Start Drills’ followed by the ‘Hands-and-Hips Drill.’ Plus, the ‘Lock-and-Tear Drill’ and the signature ‘Slingshot Drill’ rounds out the fundamental segment. A compilation of fun competitive drills rounds out the segment.  Coach Goodwin finishes with a great series of game and practice clips that illustrates real-time defensive line skills being used for run and pass destruction purposes. 

Defensive line coaches looking for a comprehensive approach to building the optimal defensive line group can rejoice – they have found the ‘must-have’ video with Coach Goodwin’s! With a list of essentials and indicators, the run and pass game must-haves, and the development of a competitive mindset, this video will round out your repertoire of defensive linemen play.  

Customer Review: 5 out of 5 Stars.‘Coach Goodwin covers all the bases when it comes to building a prototype defensive-line group … all coaches will pick up some valuable insights and knowledge from this video. Keeping it simple is a theme throughout the video, yet these are DL skills that can be used at the elite level. Great video!’

64 minutes. 2023.

Quarterback coaches, in particular, spend their time training their QBs to execute strategies to continuously catch opposing defenses off-guard, while simultaneously preparing for any contingency thrown at them in return. It’s a tall task!

Tom Sydeski, Bryant University’s Passing Game Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach, has provided a valuable instructional coaching video lesson to help QB coaches clear out the clutter and utilize an efficient, proven method for building quarterbacks and trains them to maximize execution and perform their best when the unexpected happens.

QB Teaching Progression, Skill Building & Turnover Reduction

Beginning with critical insight on the importance of building a teaching and training progression for quarterbacks, Coach Sydeski explains why developing specific skills in the correct order, allows for all subsequent techniques to make sense to QBs and helps them to master other key skill sets more quickly. He also provides insight as to why efficiency in the skill-development process is invaluable for the offense in the big picture.

Coach Sydeski moves on to a highly valuable lesson on the importance of reducing turnovers, providing a deep-dive into why turnovers are even more costly than you may realize – especially when committed by the quarterback.

To reduce turnovers that stem from the quarterback position, Sydeski covers the skills and drills work that you can use to improve a quarterback’s ball handling, ball security and decision making under duress.

QB Throwing Accuracy, Game-Like Feet and Executing Unorthodox Throws

In a smooth transition from the topic of reducing turnovers, Coach Sydeski covers the specific skills, traits, movements and throws that quarterbacks need to develop to overcome those times when the game plan goes out-the-window on a given play and executing well on-the-fly is paramount.

Coach Sydeski covers what he calls ‘Game-Like Feet Movements’ and shows off the best drills and exercises needed to train for movements to become reflexive, which leads to better execution under pressure.

Moving on to a valuable session on executing ‘Unorthodox Throws,’ Coach Sydeski provides drills that train the quarterback’s body and mind to make the throw that’s needed in times of chaos. Sydeski explains how the ability of a quarterback to successfully make throws in unorthodox situations is an extremely valuable and often overlooked skill that can keep a game-winning drive alive.

This is a must-own instructional coaching video for coaches and football programs that want to consistently develop quarterbacks who successfully execute, maintain their poise while under pressure and help you win more games!

Customer Review: 5 Out Of 5 Stars.Lots of great QB-related content with a focus based on the fundamentals and plenty of terrific drills. The concepts at the end of the video about making unorthodox throws are very good - valuable, unique information I’ve never heard before!’  

67 minutes. 2023.

If your LBs lose control of the MOF, an opposing offense will shred that area all-day long and force you to abandon your gameplan, your preparation and all the strategies you counted on to win the game.Bryant University’s Jordan Frost-Dixon has put together a highly valuable instructional coaching video that provides the essential game plan for ensuring that the 2’s in your 4-2-5 Defense are prepared, capable leaders of your defense – and that those two middle linebackers act as a key lynchpin of your defensive scheme!

Linebacker Fundamentals & Technical Skills

Coach Frost-Dixon begins this presentation by going over the fundamentals that he teaches to his linebackers as a critical component of the 4-2-5 Defense.Critical middle linebackers skills covered in this segment include key 4-2-5 essentials: coverage-stance-positioning technique, keys-and-reads, footwork, block destruction and pass-coverage fundamentals. 

Coach Frost-Dixon places a high-priority emphasis on coaching tips to ensure that your MOF linebackers play under control, while maintaining the ability to change directions at any point during the play. Clips of drill work in practice and game footage are shown to emphasize several coaching points applicable to all linebacker positions, including:

• Linebacker Run Defense – fundamentals, skills and rules that apply to any defensive system.
• Linebacker Pass Defense – footwork and fundamentals for both inside and outside linebackers. (With examples of techniques applied in game situations.)

MOF Closed Coverage

Coach Frost-Dixon then covers MOF coverage concepts he uses successfully, beginning with an in-depth explanation on the philosophy of MOF coverage, when to use it, and some unique advantages that it provides the defense as a unit. Alignment rules and run fit responsibilities are also covered in detail and can be applied to a variety of different defense structures. 

Coach Frost-Dixon also includes run fits – used against several common offensive run schemes; they are diagrammed and examples are shown using game footage.This video by Coach Frost-Dixon is a thorough, complete overview of MOF closed-coverage concepts out of a 4-2-5 defense structure and a must-have instructional tool for any defensive coach!

Customer Review: 5 out of 5 Stars. ‘This is an excellent defensive video … loaded with lots of great information … worth owning even if you don’t run a 4-2-5 Defense!’

72 minutes. 2023.