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Systems/3-4 Defense/Short Yardage Bear
SpecialBest for: Short yardage14U+ · Advanced

Short Yardage Bear

Uses the Bear front with backers crowding the line on third-and-short.

Concept: All interior gaps are covered and backers press the line to win the initial surge low and hard.

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RushBlitzDrop to coverage
14U — Introduce: Line up right and own your gap — win with alignment, pad level, and pursuit to the ball. Add get-off and block destruction so the front controls the line of scrimmage. Layer in the called blitz — one timed gap-shooter on the snap. Teach the coverage drops behind the front and read run vs. pass. Combine front, pressure, and coverage — and disguise it pre-snap.
Play movement — schematic, not to scale

Every position's job

NG

Head-up the center, jam the A-gaps low and win the surge.

Coach it with
DL Stance and Get-Off DL Shed and Block Destruction DL Gap Control and Two-Gap Read
DE (strong)

Play a 3-technique on the strong guard, cover him and jam the B-gap low.

Coach it with
DL Stance and Get-Off DL Shed and Block Destruction DL Gap Control and Two-Gap Read
DE (weak)

Play a 3-technique on the weak guard, cover him and jam the B-gap low.

Coach it with
DL Stance and Get-Off DL Shed and Block Destruction DL Gap Control and Two-Gap Read
Sam

Press the line and set the strong edge/C-gap.

Coach it with
DL Shed and Block Destruction LB Read Keys and Shuffle LB Downhill Fill
Will

Press the line and set the weak edge/C-gap.

Coach it with
DL Shed and Block Destruction LB Read Keys and Shuffle LB Downhill Fill
Mike

Press the line and plug the strong interior gap low.

Coach it with
DL Shed and Block Destruction LB Read Keys and Shuffle LB Downhill Fill
ILB

Press the line and plug the weak interior gap low.

Coach it with
DL Stance and Get-Off DL Shed and Block Destruction DL Gap Control and Two-Gap Read
SS

Support the run edge or cover the tight end.

Coach it with
Edge Rush & Bend the Corner
FS

Deep-middle center field or fill the alley.

Coach it with
LB Downhill Fill Team Inside Run Period Scrape & Fill Over the Top
CB (strong)

Cover the strong receiver and support the edge.

Coach it with
Edge Rush & Bend the Corner
CB (weak)

Cover the weak receiver and support the edge.

Coach it with
Edge Rush & Bend the Corner

How to teach it

  • 1The Bear front covers all interior linemen and the backers crowd the line on third-and-short.
  • 2Win the initial surge low and hard so no interior lineman reaches a backer.
  • 3Backers press the line to add immediate gap plugs at the snap.

Common mistakes to fix

  • !Interior linemen playing high and getting moved off the ball; fix by firing low with leverage.
  • !Backers crowding so tight they can't read and get trapped; fix by pressing under control and firing the gap on the snap.
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