Riverboat Defense 3-Pack

with Anthony Pratley,
former Concordia University (Ann Arbor) Offensive Coordinator;
innovator of the Pistol Spread Option Offense

The Riverboat Defense is built to defend and stop the spread offense. With this video, you will learn a defense to stop the spread from Anthony Pratley, an innovator of the spread. This defense doesn't have a true label because it can morph into so many defensive looks, such as 3-3 stack, 5-3, 5-2, 4-3, and 4-4.

The Riverboat is a multiple formation system with positioning based on offensive alignment. It's designed to take away 80-90% of the best offensive plays for each offensive alignment by positioning players in the box to eliminate double teams and your opponent's running game. With a defensive backfield that's good with press-man coverage, and a free safety with the only responsibility "to find the football," this defense can dominate your opponents.

Coach Pratley walks you through the Riverboat Defense using an animated PowerPoint. He provides a color-coded schematic with explanation of each players' responsibility for the six categories of offensive alignments (2x2, 3x1, two backs, three backs, empty and quads). Learn simple and quick adjustments to balanced and offset formations that create multiple defensive looks. For example, you will see how Pratley positions the defensive lineman and middle linebacker so that they're responsible for stopping the run or creating a pass rush 100% of the time.

Pratley demonstrates formations and explains where personnel substitutions may be beneficial for providing better press-man coverage, coverage of the slot receiver, and having linebackers and safeties play on the line of scrimmage. An innovative coach can also build on this system by adding stunts, pressures and blitzes based on scouting reports of their opponents.

Eliminate your need to make adjustments to your defensive scheme based on your opponent's offensive system. This is a simple system that is easy to install and adjust to the strengths of defensive players on your team. Gamble this season and take the risk with the reward of the Riverboat Defense!

67 minutes. 2017.

with Anthony Pratley,
former Concordia University (Ann Arbor) Offensive Coordinator;
innovator of the Pistol Spread Option Offense

One word best describes the Riverboat Defense: "Attack."

Anthony Pratley shows you how the Riverboat Defense can bring pressure in a different location each week depending on the strength and weakness of the offense you're playing against. Using simple words that identify who's involved in each pressure, the Riverboat can dial up an unlimited number of blitz schemes.

Using an in-depth PowerPoint presentation, Coach Pratley walks you though his devastating attack defense. The Riverboat scheme outnumbers the offense at the point of attack because of the simple adjustment rules for each position. Pratley covers his line stunts, four-man pressures, and his blitz scheme. This is a defense that will help level the playing field for undersized team.

In this video, Pratley shares how to attack offenses in a multitude of ways while keeping it simple for your players. He covers:

• A defensive scheme that can bring pressure from the field, boundary, the strong side or the weak side of the offensive formation
• How to simplify multiple pressures using one word
• Corner crashes that take away the perimeter game of an offense
• Inside pressure that will destroy a blocking scheme

Stunts

Pratley diagrams the various stunts that he utilizes with his system. These stunts are used as passing down calls that involve twisting of two defensive lineman, and involve a penetrating rusher and a looping rusher. Pratley diagrams how the play call determines which lineman is the penetrator and which lineman is the looper. He calls these stunts with the same directional tags that determine which lineman are involved in the stunt. These stunts can be called in conjunction with a slant, or with a pressure or blitz.

Blitzes and Pressures

In Coach Pratley's system, pressures involve one blitzing linebacker or defensive back, and blitzes involve two blitzing linebackers or defensive backs. He describes how the calls determine which player is the blitzer and which path he is taking. Pressures and blitzes are called with the same directional calls that are used with the slants and stunts.

Coach Pratley concludes by diagramming the blitzes he uses, which involve a combination of two blitzers. All linebackers and defensive backs can be involved in the various blitzes depending on the call. Coach Pratley also explains how the coverage is adjusted to account for the blitzing players' coverage responsibilities.

This video is a must if you are looking for an aggressive, no-nonsense attack defense that will easily align to any offense!

63 minutes. 2017.

with Anthony Pratley,
former Concordia University (Ann Arbor) Offensive Coordinator;
innovator of the Pistol Spread Option Offense

One of the primary objectives of the Riverboat Defense is to disrupt the offense. But it not only disrupts an offense - it dismantles it! This defense will help coaches at all levels confuse quarterbacks while providing multiple ways to disguise coverages, press, and disrupt receivers routes. You'll force offenses into making mistakes, leading to turnovers and empty possessions.

Though a huge part of the Riverboat coverage package is an in-your-face press coverage, it's complemented by a vast zone concept that is simplified because of rules for each coverage. Anthony Pratley walks you though his incredibly versatile coverage package for the Riverboat Defense. The unique cover scheme allows you to adjust to the opponent and move from bump and run to a zone in which players listen to colors to determine the side of the rotation. Multiple ways of playing Cover 2 and Cover 3 are presented, which allow you the flexibility of taking away the strength of any offense.

Pratley uses a color-coded PowerPoint presentation to give you a clear picture of the drops and responsibilities of each coverage. All 13 possibilities create an incredibly confusing defensive package for any quarterback to execute the passing game against.

Coverage Overview

Coach Pratley categorizes coverages into man, zone, and special coverages. He utilizes a Cover 0, Cover 1, and a Banjo coverage in which defenders match routes in their area rather than running past each other as in traditional man coverages. Additionally, Pratley diagrams the zone coverages that he teaches players. The coverages presented are several variations of Cover 2, Cover 3, Cover 4, and Cover 5 and 8. The Cover 5 and Cover 8 are "prevent" type coverages that can be utilized at the end of a half or the end of a game.

Special Coverages

You'll learn Pratley's "robber" coverage, which changes the free safety's responsibility to match the route of a specific offensive player. Directional tags are used to tell the free safety which offensive player to read. Robber technique by the free safety is discussed in detail, as well as the other defenders that have different assignments due to the robber call. Robber can be called with Cover 3 and with Cover 0 coverages, and Pratley discusses the advantages and disadvantages of each variation.

Coach Pratley concludes the video by describing the technique that he teaches to his corners when executing the various coverages. He discusses how he has his defense show a Cover 0 man-to-man look on every snap and move after the snap to execute the coverage called. You'll learn the "bail" technique that he teaches to his corners that enables them to play zone coverage from a man-to-man alignment. Also, Pratley describes the press technique he teaches to his corners from the same man-to-man alignment. By varying the corner's technique from the same alignment, the defense can confuse the opposing quarterback and coaching staff.

Spread offenses rely on multiple formations and tempo to confuse the defense. The problem of defending the spread is solved by using the Riverboat Defense! Because of simple alignment rules, players are allowed to confuse the offense, leading to negative plays and turnovers.

59 minutes. 2017.