The Front Row

You can teach everyone the idea and the theory (where to hit, wrap the ankles, hit with your shoulder, drive through) but only some have the mindset (some call it "bad intentions") to actually remove the other player from his feet. Giving the ball carrier a hug and hoping he falls down is tackling, but not good tackling.

If you could just teach everyone "how to tackle" then every LB would turn in to Ray Lewis. That man has bad intentions. And because he has bad intentions he uses his body like a weapon to remove the other player from his feet and sometimes from the ball. That is what makes him so great.

Tackling in pee wee is not the same as HS, HS not the same as college, college not the same as in the NFL... each has a significant leap in difficulty. A bad tackler in HS can work on his form, but will probably not become known for his tackling. The guys who have the "knack" are usually identified early on these days... those are the guys that improve by leaps and bounds when "coached up."

well said nalancia

Can we wait until the kid gets on the field?

I agree with you completely. I was actually just thinking of a similar example on a much smaller scale. Like most high schools we had a rival. Back then we were always known for great offenses, particularly throwing the football, and our rival was well known for always having great, fundamentally sound defenses. While our talent pool was comparatively even, it was the coaching that separated our two teams. They were very proficient in teaching defense while we were very proficient in teaching offense. Year in and year out both teams were remarkably consistent in how well they played on their respective sides of the ball. While there are certainly other factors, the one consistent variable was the coaching.

Duane said:
The part of this that you are not getting i the desire. You have to want to hit. It is a mindset. Williams has not shown it yet. I hope he will. I doubt it happens. The last time we had one it did not happen. Marcus Freeman had all the great tool that Williams has plus size. He was a drag down tackler who failed to make plays simply because he would never stick his head in there. I see no reason to be optimistic that this one will be any different.

I'm not sure how in the world you are saying that I don't get the 'desire' part of this equation. I have said over and over that is absolutely part of this equation. And Freeman was a perfect example of someone with talent and technique but didn't have the killer instinct. But that still doesn't change the fact that being sound technically is a part of the equation as well. How many times have we seen defenders fly up to a ball carrier, hit him with all he's got, only to see the ball carrier spin out because the defender didn't hit and wrap? Or come up hard to make a play but over pursue and miss the ball carrier? We have been fortunate over the years that our coaches have done a good job teaching our defenders how to tackle well. I agree with you that last year they were not good at it, but over the last 10 years, sound tackling (especially in the open field) has been a strength of this defense.