The Flex 4-2-5 Defense 3-Pack

with Joe Woodley,
Drake University Head Coach;
Grand View University Head Coach from 2019 to 2024;
2024 NAIA National Champions;
In 2024, was named in ESPN's "Coaches Who Will Define the Next Decade" of College Football (the only NAIA level coach to receive the recognition):
2023 North Division Conference Head Coach of the Year;
North Division Conference Head Coach of the Year in 2019, 2020, 2022;
Grand View University Defensive Coordinator from 2008 to 2017;
2013 NAIA National Champions;
2013 Football Scoop Coordinator of the Year;
2011 Mid-States Football Association Midwest League Champions;
2009 Mid-States Football Association Assistant Coach of the Year;
played college football for Iowa State University

In 2015, Joe Woodley's defense led the nation in points allowed, giving up just 13.9 points per game. His defense has finished in the top 10 in points allowed in six of the past seven seasons (2010-16).

Offensive football has evolved in recent years due to high-tempo and spread-the-field schemes. Being organized on the defensive side of the ball is more important than ever. Coach Woodley shares his blueprint and the Grand View Viking philosophy, organization and coaching responsibilities on defense.

"Lay It Down" is the attitude developed in everyone in the program. It dictates a mindset that "It doesn't matter who you play, or where you play them, just lay down the football so we can play our way." In 2008, Coach Woodley helped create the "Lay it Down" philosophy that led to Grand View to the 2013 NAIA National Championship. This philosophy is based on great effort and getting the ball carrier to the ground.

Defensive Philosophy

Learn the six key points that make up the Grand View defensive philosophy. You'll learn the importance of: playing with effort, knowing your role, getting over yourself and how to tackle the ball carrier. Points include:

• How to implement the "Lay it Down" mentality within your program.
• Five keys to excel within a defensive philosophy.
• How to teach your scheme philosophy, whether it be man or zone principles.
• How to get your team well-versed in the opposition's formations and alignments.

Practice Philosophy

Coach Woodley shows you how he gets players engaged in practice whether they're fully healthy or injured. You'll see how a weekly practice is conducted and how to get players to get the most out of each rep at practice. Learn how to:

• Delegate responsibilities in practice and throughout the week to your staff.
• Choose what to implement and focus on depending on the day of the week.
• Set a weekly practice schedule and daily defensive practice script.
• Divide reps between your ones and your twos.

Grading Out Players and Goal Setting

Once you have the defensive scheme and philosophy in place, you must be able to set goals and grade out players. Coach Woodley teaches you how to:

• Give a player a grade out of 100 at the end of the season.
• Weigh your performance rating system based on the importance of a category and the opportunities a certain positional group gets.
• Implement performance and outcome goals with your team.

Coach Woodley gives you the necessary tools to implement a defensive philosophy when you first take over a program. Defense wins championships, and this video gives you the necessary keys to implement a championship-caliber defense.

74 minutes. 2017.

with Joe Woodley,
Drake University Head Coach;
Grand View University Head Coach from 2019 to 2024;
2024 NAIA National Champions;
In 2024, was named in ESPN's "Coaches Who Will Define the Next Decade" of College Football (the only NAIA level coach to receive the recognition):
2023 North Division Conference Head Coach of the Year;
North Division Conference Head Coach of the Year in 2019, 2020, 2022;
Grand View University Defensive Coordinator from 2008 to 2017;
2013 NAIA National Champions;
2013 Football Scoop Coordinator of the Year;
2011 Mid-States Football Association Midwest League Champions;
2009 Mid-States Football Association Assistant Coach of the Year;
played college football for Iowa State University

and Travis Johansen,
University of South Dakota Defensive Coordinator;
Grand View University Co-Defensive Coordinator/Secondary Coach from 2012 to 2018

In 2015, the Grand View defense was first in the nation in both total defense per game (237.5) and scoring defense per game (13.9). They were also second in the NAIA in both pass defense efficiency (90.4) and rushing defense per game (91.3). Grand View finished top 10 in the country in pass defense per game (4th-146.2), opponent fourth down conversions (4th-29.4), total sacks (7th-35.5), and opponent first downs (9th-178).

The 4-2-5 defense is one of the most common and effective defensive schemes utilized at the college level. Each defensive position has one clear key which determines run and pass, getting the defense to the ball with proper leverage quickly. By replacing a traditional linebacker with an additional safety, teams are able to more effectively defend today's spread offenses that feature more skill players.

Joe Woodley begins this video explaining his basic philosophy of defending the run: outnumber the offense at the point of attack and bounce all inside runs. Also, Coach Woodley explains how he tries to give each of his players one key to focus on to increase confidence and reduce conflicts the players may get from their keys.

Travis Johansen then discusses all of the keys and reads, as well as responsibilities in the split coverage for Grand View's Base Weak 80 defensive scheme. In split coverage concept, your defense is divided into two halves with each side independent in its coverage, which leads to fewer mistakes.

Base Run Defense

Coach Woodley diagrams the defense that he calls Weak 80. This defense aligns to the passing strength in order to get the nickel or "Stud" backer involved in the run game in the case of two-back formations. The "Stud" outside linebacker is put in a position to force the run and be at the point of attack on plays to the strength of the formation. He covers how to use the "BOB" call to shut down the open "B" gap in spread formations by having the defensive end cross face and kick out blocks by the offensive tackle.

Coach Woodley also describes how the weak safety, or the "Rover," will be involved in the game to the weak side in the case of a two-back run to the weak side. By utilizing the "Stud" and "Rover" players as primary run defenders, the defense can handle all two-back runs without having linebackers playing two gaps based on the flow of the backfield.

You'll learn the alignments, keys, and responsibilities for the front seven. Coach Woodley uses game and practice footage to show examples of the defensive alignment against two-back formations, and one-back 2x2 and 3x1 formations with and without a tight end. See how Coach Woodley defends the most common plays from these formations: Iso, Zone Read, Power, and Stretch Zone; and, learn two ways to adjust to a trips formation which are simple and don't change the front seven assignments.

Split Coverage

Coach Johansen diagrams Grand View's Weak 80 coverage against a variety of offensive formations. He demonstrates how the Rover will be the adjuster when the offense gets into a two-back set in order to create an eight-man front. Coach Johansen also diagrams and uses game footage to show the defense's alignment against a variety of one-back formations and how the defense will adjust to each formation without putting additional stress on the linebackers.

You will also see drops and responsibilities against twins, pro, and trips formations. The "Zip" call uses the Rover to "rob" and help with the third defender to the strong side

Coach Johansen also explains each secondary players' keys and responsibilities against both one- and two-back formations. He tells why the secondary players are responsible for fitting on their key if their key blocks on a run play. By teaching his players to fit on their keys, Coach Johansen can ensure that the defense won't be out-leveraged or out-numbered by the offense.

If you're looking for a 4-2-5 system that's easy to implement and easy for players to learn, this is the video for you!

122 minutes. 2017.

with Joe Woodley,
Drake University Head Coach;
Grand View University Head Coach from 2019 to 2024;
2024 NAIA National Champions;
In 2024, was named in ESPN's "Coaches Who Will Define the Next Decade" of College Football (the only NAIA level coach to receive the recognition):
2023 North Division Conference Head Coach of the Year;
North Division Conference Head Coach of the Year in 2019, 2020, 2022;
Grand View University Defensive Coordinator from 2008 to 2017;
2013 NAIA National Champions;
2013 Football Scoop Coordinator of the Year;
2011 Mid-States Football Association Midwest League Champions;
2009 Mid-States Football Association Assistant Coach of the Year;
played college football for Iowa State University

and Travis Johansen,
University of South Dakota Defensive Coordinator;
Grand View University Co-Defensive Coordinator/Secondary Coach from 2012 to 2018

The Flexbone offense is a modern adaption of the Wishbone offense, which was one of the most potent rushing offenses in the history of college and high school football. The Flexbone is a headache to defend because it forces the defense to be assignment sound so they don't give up the big play. In this two-part video, coaches Joe Woodley and Travis Johansen outline the base scheme for defending the Flexbone offense. The Grand View scheme will allow you to keep adjustments as simple and sound as possible and can be worked on year-round.

Coach Woodley begins the presentation by explaining his philosophy behind defending the Flexbone. He explains the simplest approach is the best approach because it will allow players to play fast and with confidence. Using a four-man line and three linebackers, the defense is a mirror to the offensive formation and each defender is assigned a movement to their key read, which requires them to have a responsibility versus having a man to defend which may be the dive, quarterback or the pitch.

Coach Johansen explains the alignment, keys, and responsibilities of the defensive backs against the most common Flexbone schemes. He uses game footage to illustrate how the scheme works against some of the most common looks Flexbone teams will give you. You'll also learn how he trains his safeties to key the slot backs and fit off their blocks, as well as how to cover the pass.

Stopping the Run

Coach Woodley explains the basic alignments for the front seven players against the basic Flexbone alignment. You'll see the keys and responsibilities for each of the seven players for the various looks that each player's key will give them. He explains how they are able to gain a "plus-1" advantage on the offense to both sides of the formation by slightly modifying the middle linebacker's alignment and responsibility. Coach Woodley goes on to give the keys and responsibilities for the defensive ends and outside linebackers, and explains how their keys allow them to work in unison so there's no conflicting assignments and duplicated effort.

Demonstrated are the run fits against the four most common plays Grand View defends when playing Flexbone teams. These four plays are the Inside Veer, Veer Arc, Counter Option, and Iso. Game footage demonstrating the defensive scheme against each play is utilized to illustrate key coaching points. Coach Woodley also explains some of the most common issues that that his team encounters when defending each of these plays.

Secondary Play to Stop the Flexbone Offense

Coach Johansen shows the run fits and responsibilities of the safeties based on the most common paths the slot backs will take in the Flexbone offense, including: arc, pin, insert, and release. Coach Johansen describes each fit and responsibility based on each of these paths to keep the defense at a numbers advantage in the run game and sound against the pass.

Coach Johansen shows responsibilities with a PowerPoint before using game footage to coach up secondary play versus the inside veer and the different blocking combinations the offense will use on the play. A "Trap" call between the near corner and safety switch responsibilities between the two and is used when the wide receiver is aligned in a crack position on the safety.

Counter option, iso action and play action responsibilities are all covered and the consistency in play is mirrored on both sides of the ball.

Often teams will try to stray too far from the style of defense they play all season to defend the Flexbone, which creates confusion and doubt in your players. Using Coach Woodley's approach will ensure that your players can play fast and confident.

84 minutes. 2017.