Football's Eagle and Stack Defenses

Football's Eagle and Stack Defenses

by Ronald Vanderlinden

NEW, 248 pages

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About Football's Eagle and Stack Defenses

Multiple formation and motion offenses of the modern football era present many defensive challenges. Football’s Eagle & Stack Defenses will prepare teams and individual players to not only defend but also attack and dominate whatever offensive tactics an opponent might employ.

Author Ron Vanderlinden has been coach and architect of several of the most formidable defensive teams in the past 20 seasons. From the University of Colorado’s national champions in 1990 to Northwestern’s Big Ten title–winning team in 1995 to the revitalized, high-pursuit Penn State attack, Vanderlinden’s well-drilled defensive players and units have enjoyed tremendous success.

Now, in this book, you can learn all the details of the defensive tactics and techniques as well as the coaching points that can make these two defenses so effective. No other book combines these fronts, and there is no one better equipped than Vanderlinden to put them together in a variety of game situations that will allow your defense to control your opponent’s offense. Football’s Eagle & Stack Defenses will be your best defensive co-coordinator for this season and many seasons to come.

About Ron Vanderlinden

Ron Vanderlinden has been Penn State University's linebacker coach since 2001, where he is recognized for developing one of the top linebacker units in the nation. He coached the 2005 and 2006 Bednarik Award winners, the 2005 Butkus Award winner, two-time first-team All-American Paul Posluszny, and consensus All-American Dan Connor. Vanderlinden began his coaching career in 1978 as a graduate assistant for Bowling Green State University in Ohio, where he had earned his master's of arts degree. He has enjoyed great success in his career as a Division I coach with stints at the University of Colorado, Northwestern University, the University of Maryland, and his current position at Penn State. Vanderlinden has been an integral part of four Big Ten championship teams, three Big Eight championship teams, and one National Championship team. He and his wife, Lisa, live in State College, Pennsylvania.

Reviews of this Book

"Football's Eagle & Stack Defenses depicts Ron's successful defensive systems. This book is applicable to all coaches and players. It will be required reading for all defensive coordinators."

Pat Fitzgerald
Head Football Coach, Northwestern University

"Coach Vanderlinden possesses a tremendous amount of football knowledge. In Football's Eagle & Stack Defenses he details many of the schemes and techniques that helped our defense rank among the top 15 in the nation in each of my last three seasons at Penn State."

Paul Posluszny
Linebacker, Buffalo Bills
Chuck Bednarik and Butkus Award Winner

About American Football

American football, known in the United States as football, is a sport played between two teams of eleven. The objective of the game is to score points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. The ball can be advanced by running with it or throwing it to a teammate. Points can be scored by carrying the ball over the opponent's goal line, catching a pass thrown over that goal line, kicking the ball through the opponent's goal posts or tackling an opposing ball carrier in his own end zone.

In the United States, high school football, college football and professional football are played under slightly different rules. High school football is governed by the National Federation of State High School Associations, college football by the National Collegiate Athletic Association and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, while the major professional league is the NFL.

The sport is also played in Europe, Japan and Mexico. The International Federation of American Football acts as an international governing body for the sport. American football is closely related to Canadian football but with some differences in rules and the field.

Because the game stops after every down, giving teams a chance to call a new play, strategy plays a major role in football. Each team has a playbook of dozens to hundreds of plays. Ideally, each play is a scripted, strategically sound team-coordinated endeavor. Some plays are very safe; they are likely to get only a few yards. Other plays have the potential for long gains but at a greater risk of a loss of yardage or a turnover.

Generally speaking, rushing plays are less risky than passing plays. However, there are relatively safe passing plays and risky running plays. To deceive the other team, some passing plays are designed to resemble running plays and vice versa. These are referred to as play-action passes and draws, respectively. There are many trick or gadget plays, such as when a team lines up as if it intends to punt and then tries to run or pass for a first down. Such high-risk plays are a great thrill to the fans when they work. However, they can spell disaster if the opposing team realizes the deception and acts accordingly.

The defense also plans plays in response to expectations of what the offense will do. For example, a "blitz" (using linebackers or defensive backs to charge the quarterback) is often attempted when the team on defense expects a pass. A blitz makes downfield passing more difficult but exposes the defense to big gains if the offensive line stems the rush.

Many hours of preparation and strategizing, including film review by both players and coaches, go into the days between football games. This, along with the demanding physicality of football (see below), is why teams typically play at most one game per week.

Football's Eagle and Stack Defenses