In this instructional video, Chris Gizzi and LeCharles Bentley break down fundamental techniques for linebackers and offensive linemen, focusing on hand placement, point of attack, and leverage. They begin by emphasizing the importance of the "point of attack" for inside linebackers, especially when approaching a lineman off the ball, and discuss how this concept adapts to both 1‑gap and 2‑gap responsibilities. The coaches introduce the "break the stick" visual—a line from the eye to the shoulder—to help defenders strike underneath an opponent’s pads rather than using the head or mask. Bentley mirrors this with the offensive perspective, describing the "dip and rip" method for linemen to get low, stay low, and drive upward, stressing that maintaining a low pad level is crucial. Throughout the dialogue they repeatedly stress inside control, pad‑square alignment, and the battle between extending elbows to create separation versus keeping elbows tight to maintain engagement. They also touch on safety, warning against head‑first contact, and reference practical tools like sleds and face shields for drilling these concepts. The conversation ends with a mutual acknowledgment that mastering these nuanced details—hand placement, leverage, footwork, and pad level—can give players the incremental edge needed in a game of inches.
Chapters
Alright, here's your free 90 free lesson. Now we're laughing about it because again, we're not so full of ourselves that other people aren't teaching this, but kids, pay attention. Coaches, maybe you learn something here too. We're going to go over just some of the subtle things that can make all the difference. You know, in a game of inches, you look for every advantage you can. We're taking care of our bodies, we're working on what we're eating, we're studying the game. Let's find some of those little nuances here. Obviously knowing what we have to do as a linebacker, knowing what you have to do as a lineman, finding a way to better ourselves by mastering our own domain and then learn a little bit something about what our opponents do.
Absolutely, I'm always for it. Awesome, awesome.
What we got today? What we want to do is let's do point of attack. This is such an important thing for a linebacker, especially those inside linebackers who are playing a little bit off the ball and are getting a running start at a lineman. Now we know we have certain gaps, certain assignments. Sometimes in some defenses you might have to 2-gap a guy. This concept, we want to make it so that it could work for a 2-gap technique as well as a guy being able to play a shade. Now you as a lineman, you've just got to get me out of that space.
Out of the space, right.
And whether that means sealing me or washing me, same concepts apply. I've got to know what he's doing. I'll let him know kind of what I'm doing as I attack him and I look to strike. I never want to teach a young player to hit with their face, mask, or head. It's litigiously irresponsible. That's your polysyllabic word for the day. Alright, but it's also, it's not quite as effective. I want to stop his forward momentum, I want to bow his back, but this is a big body and a lot of times I level football, it's 300 pounds plus, at least, at least. But the idea is that I want to break my stick. I'm going to have a stick imaginary from my eye to my shoulder that allows now a lot of beef from my upper body to look to strike underneath this man's pads. Now, I don't want to just run into him because now it's, it's my 215 or 225, even my 250 against his 300. Yeah, it's not always going to work out. I want to get underneath and stand up and hit on the rise. It takes work. That's why they have sleds. That's why they have face shields. But this is where I want to hit.
This is so ironic because I've always been taught, and I teach offensive linemen, dip and rip. You call it breaking the stick on the defensive side, but offensively we call it dipping and ripping. You want to literally dip and rip your opponent out of the shoes. That's the concept. Now, if you're dipping and ripping and I'm dipping and ripping, the old adage, low man wins. Yes. The challenge for most offensive linemen though, I will say this, it isn't getting low, it's getting low and staying low. Most offensive linemen are able to drop, but once they get to this position, they want to come back up. And most offensive linemen may be a little bit taller than the bulk of linebackers, so you're automatically going to be at an advantage. But the challenge for me, you're running this way.
Hopefully, yeah.
Hopefully you're running this way.
If I'm doing my previous segment right and I get my angle and now I can come home, stick my teeth into you.
Exactly.
Now I've got a chance.
And there are so many different variables with offensive linemen where you can literally catch them off guard. I probably shouldn't be telling these guys this, but it just is what it is. Most of the time you're obviously getting over somebody's feet. Uh, there might be another backer that's inching up and you may think that you have to go that direction, or there's a slant or a spike or whatever it may be. There's other variables. It's very rare that you line up and I got a clean shot on a backer. If you comfortable and physically understand the scheme, you have the advantage. The challenge that you're going to face is the fact that if you're playing a big, strong, physical offensive lineman, regardless of all the variables I just pointed out, if he's taught properly the dip and rip technique, it's very difficult to get out of.
Very difficult, very difficult indeed. Well, I think what I would want to do is I'd— boom, I'm going to do my best to create as much contact as I can. I want that natural separation to occur. As we foe this sort of collision, boom, even we both dip and rip, bodies collide, we're gonna bounce off each other. I've created a little bit of separation. Separation good. Okay, I want to extend my elbows and maintain separation as best as possible.
That's the hard part. Offensive line, you don't want them to extend their elbows. You want to stay here. So while you're fighting to extend, I'm fighting to stay in tight. That's where the battle comes in. As much as we can try to explain the nuances of this game, most of the time in situations like this, the baddest man is going to just win. Mm-hmm. That's just the reality. You know, the baddest man will win this. As Coach just said, you do all that you can to create that collision and naturally create the separation. But if I'm doing the same thing and approaching the same way, I want to just create a collision. And we collide, boom! Hopefully, hopefully, hopefully I can collide and stay engaged where I don't end up like this. Because once you get out here and if running back's over there, I'm getting shed. Hopefully I can just stay in tight.
Look, did you notice how we're both fighting? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So again, inside control, guys. You've heard this a million times, but it's got to be so ingrained. We're fighting to get that inside.
We're both uncomfortable Yes, I'm like, yeah, let me get mine back. So once you get up to that point that you're comfortable and understand what you're trying to accomplish, it just naturally comes out.
Yeah, that's exactly it. You're trying to maintain, or you're trying to shorten separation. I'm trying to maintain it or extend it. I'm not gonna fall for any sort of rip and dip. Now, be the uncle to my daddy, and I tell guys all the time, don't even bother.
Well, I would love that.
You would love if I ripped? Why?
Please tell me. First of all, you're taking half of your body. Now you're ripping here. Any good lineman, or halfway decent, is gonna put his hand here, hand on the hip, and drive. That's a very awkward position to be in. And on top of that, from the defensive standpoint, you pick a side when you don't have to pick a side, and you probably shouldn't be picking a side, because if you commit by a rip, now the running back is gonna see this, they're gonna feel that, and cut off. If you can just learn how to play football as I teach offensive linemen, hips north and south as much as possible, probably the same way obviously with defensively. You want your shoulder pads as square as possible. Once you start guessing and picking sides, you can potentially put yourself in a, and your team in a very bad position, to say the least.
Oh yeah. And it's beautiful. It is the same thing conceptually. We want to keep our pads square line of scrimmage. You're trying to get me close to get the meat hooks in and to win with your feet. I'm trying to win with my feet and keeping him off me and be able to do my job. Hey, if we can keep playing off each other, iron sharpens iron, right?
