The Riverboat Defense: Blitzes, Stunts, and Pressures

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.