The Dickinson State Blue Hawk Defense philosophy is to defend the inside or middle of the field first. They want to defend inside to the outside.
DC Jason Thier goes into their system in detail during his Glazier Drive presentation Two High Safety Run Fits out of a Hybrid 3-4/4-2-5 Defense.
In the video below, he provides an introduction to their system.
We have included some key takeaways below the video.
Philosophy of the Blue Hawk Defense
"In all situations, we will defend the inside or middle of the field first--defend inside to the outside. Against the run, we will not allow the ball to be run inside. We want to spill the ball to the outside. Against the pass, we will not allow the ball to be thrown deep down the middle or inside. We want to force the ball to be thrown short and/or outside."
I Scrape, I Spill run Fits
Scrape--A player's post snap read takes them away from their original pre-snap gap responsibility. When scraping, it is vital to be tight off the down block.
Spill--Take on all second level blocks with your outside shoulder, sending the ball carrier outside. Cross the blocker's face.
Force--The edge of the defense, take on all blocks with your inside shoulder, keep your outside arm and leg free. Don't let the blocker cross your face.
Gap Player--Player with a Gap in the box and no responsibility to hold off an RPO throw. Can be aggressive in all run action.
