Joe Daniel Football Quick Clinic

When you look at that exchange film and find out you’ll be defending a running quarterback this week, it gives you the chills. The best athlete on the field is going to have the ball in his hands on every single snap. But don’t worry. There is hope. Check out this week’s JDFB Quick Clinic for a few simple tips to prepare your defense for that tough assignment. You can listen to the episode using the player at the bottom of this post or wherever podcasts are available. Game Planning for Defending a Running Quarterback There’s a few big mistakes coaches make when preparing to defend athletic QBs. We’re focusing on shutting down a quarterback that is a primary runner here. This is NOT about defending the extremely dangerous Dual Threat Quarterback. That’s a whole different discussion. The first step to defending a running quarterback is making sure you’re really seeing what you think you are seeing. Is that play really a Zone Read? Or is it a designed QB keep? While they may look the same, the blocking scheme co