"Tagging Off" Helps Create Turnovers

7 comments so far March 31, 2008 by Darren K. Carlson

One of the main items reported during the first week of NU's spring practices was the level of energy on defense, particularly the players' pursuit of and to the football. It wasn't just the enthusiasm that comes with Spring and a new coaching staff creating that pursuit. It's a forced practice habit, a routine that Bo Pelini uses to get as many hats around the football as possible and create gang tackling. It can help generate turnovers by putting players in position to recover fumbles and intercept tipped balls. It worked great for NU in 2003, and I hope it can create better habits for them again in 2008.

"Tagging Off"
The routine is called "Tagging Off." The prospect of this particular habit is simple but important. Every player within a certain area of the ball carrier on a play - say 10-15 yards - absolutely must go over and "tag off" or touch the ball carrier, even when the whistle is blowing. Middle linebacker Phillip Dillard described the scene from the team's first practice last week this way.

“Out there on defense today, every play he’s [Pelini's] yelling, ‘Run to the ball.’ Everybody, D-line and everything. ‘I want you running 10 yards to the ball, no matter what, fumbles, draw play, anything. I want everyone sprinting to the ball every single play.’”

The point is to create relentless defense that gang tackles; one that always finishes the play. It also leaves NU with a number of players around the ball to recover any fumbles that may have been caused, or to grab any tipped passes in the area. To win the turnover battle, it's not enough to cause fumbles; you have to recover them, too. You can't just talk about turnovers being a priority. Players have to have new habits - new muscle memory - drilled in to them. They must be taught to always finish the play.

Prime Example
The 2003 NU squad used this practice technique, and that turned out very well. The Pelini-led Blackshirts were 11th in the country in total defense and at the top in the country for turnover margin. The prime example is the 2003 game against Texas A&M in Lincoln. NU forced a school-record eight (8!) turnovers that day, with more than one being returned for a touchdown. It turned the game in to a laugher even if NU's offense didn't fire on all cylinders.

Since a picture is worth 1000 words, save yourself some time and look at this image from that '03 A&M game. The lone Aggie in the photo is quarterback Reggie McNeal, who fumbled the ball. Now count how many Huskers are in that frame, and you can see why "tagging off" pays off big.

The End of "Rip and Strip" Tackling?
Sadly, NU's dogged pursuit of the ball left with Pelini following that 2003 season. Instead we were introduced to a new form of turnover-minded tackling -- the "rip and strip", where a tackler is trained to try and strip the football away. Sure, this can force a fumble from an insecure ball handler. But, in my opinion, it's fundamentally poor and leads to missed tackles. I'd prefer players aim to create violent - sudden - collisions, and let those jar the ball free. Besides, lacking the dogged pursuit from teammates, the defense isn't too assured of a recovery. I hope we see less of that technique in the future.

One game from the Bill Callahan and Kevin Cosgrove era of defense that will always haunt me is the Texas game in 2006 in Lincoln. No, I don't mean Nunn's infamous fumble late in the game. I was haunted by NU leaving golden opportunities just lying on the turf.

UT fumbled five times that day, and NU recovered only one of them. That is four opportunities squandered. NU lost both of its fumbles, the turnover margin, and ultimately the game. I can only wonder if NU had as much pursuit drilled in to them as the 2003 team then they might have capitalized on those Longhorn miscues and won a very important ball game.

So, Husker fans attending the Spring Game or looking forward to the Fall have a concrete item to watch for - gang tackling. How many Huskers are in on a play or around the ball or - if the game is on TV - in the frame of the close-up picture? Too often, members of the 2007 squad were making (and missing) one-on-one tackles. More defenders flying to the ball could mean better tackling, as well as more turnovers.

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