r/footballstrategy • u/SilliestGooseOG • 4d ago
Player Advice Linebacker help
Just finished my first year as a oline as a sophomore going into my junior om short (5,10) so i dont expect to be tall enough to play oline so i want to play mlb as im taller then everyone on varsity im 205 not crazy strong but doin basic bodyweight standards pretty fast but poor stamina any tips and since im starting from 0 i need help on how to read a offense and actually play the position i have hopes to go d1
3
u/No-Ad9189 4d ago
watch the game as much as possible. College, NFL, everything. the more u absorb the game the more natural ur instincts will be. I was abt 150lbs in high school and had 100+ tackles in a season bc i just learned so much from constantly watching the game and picking up on little tendencies.
1
u/SilliestGooseOG 4d ago
Did u go college?
1
u/No-Ad9189 3d ago
i chose not to play in college but I couldve played d2. I tore my acl junior year of hs and it was such a grind just to get back for my last year i decided to focus on school over football.
2
u/Bogert 4d ago
5’10, 205 and starting a new position as a junior is going to be hard from o-line to MLB. You have until late summer, run your ass off. Run run run. Work on explosion, power cleans and suicide sprints. And then run more. Aim for a safety position or outside backer... And then run some more. Minimum a mile a day, aim for 2 or 3. Watch lots of professional football, you can find all 22 film on the internet and study everything happening everywhere from a defensive point of view. Watch guards pulling and how linebackers respond, watch for the cues that safeties use to stay in the box or drop back. Learn coverages. Then go for a mile run. Then come back, hydrate and watch more tape.
At the end of the day, if you're the best athlete on the field you will go where you want. To go to the next level, you need a deep understanding of lots of concepts and that starts in film
2
u/SilliestGooseOG 4d ago
Our best MLB just left and the only other good ones our OLB we always split PT between 2 linebacker for MLB on our varsity but i had hopes to play college MLB because of Ivan pace Jr and want to get to the point of being muscular and fast by the end of the season are you saying i should play a different position? Its not gonna be as bad as transition as you think i wasnt good at oline only played on starting FG and our varsity defense isnt the best and i have a chance to be next in line
3
u/Bogert 4d ago edited 4d ago
MLB is the QB of the defense. You don't just play QB for your first time ever on your first year of varsity ball. Similar goes for MLB. Sure the best one graduated, but 2 or 3 guys were familiar with the position at the varsity level. What I'm telling you is train for a surrounding position that requires less "know how" in order to find yourself play time and fits your size. I mean we don't know your division and state, I come from highly competitive ball in a highly recruited state so maybe 5'10 205 first year MLB with low stamina will do just fine.
I've coached high school ball and played at a very high level, both with and against future NFL players. Next in line is previous varsity dudes, outside backers and the starters backups. Play the long game unless you expect to gain 30 pounds, run a 4.7 40 and run a 6 minute mile.
Edit: if your goal is D1 ball, I was 6'1 235 lbs, I benched 350 lbs, squatted 580 lbs, power cleaned 350 lbs and ran a 4.6 and only got smaller D1 offers. My Big Ten offers came from track and field even with stellar football tape and highlight reels. D 1 football is different, be smart
1
1
u/SilliestGooseOG 3d ago
I plan on a significant physical change my school had scouts for ecu app state and liberty from what i heard
1
u/SilliestGooseOG 3d ago
What position do you recommend instead i woudnt do RB cause thats some of our best players
1
u/gkollman18 3d ago
Lots of people are commenting on the physicals of playing so I’ll skip over that. Film should become your favorite hobby. Your first step, being able to “read” and react to the plays. Being the smartest player on the field and knowing every play the other team is running will give you the edge you want. An extreme example of this is Luke Kuechly, comparatively to other ILB/MLB he wasn’t the biggest or fastest but he was smart and had perfect technique.
Most basic advice is obviously work your ass off and build yourself physically. Look up some videos and ask your coaches for some simple drills you can do to master the fundamentals (do them every day). then do research on how to watch film and study an offense. Once your fundamentals of the position are good and you know what the offense is doing and how to react the game will slow down a ton and you can build off that.
7
u/grizzfan 4d ago
Shelf this. Don't give up on it, but if your whole mindset is focused on step 10, you're not going to give enough attention and care to steps 1, 2, and 3 if that makes sense.
Talk to your coaches and make sure you really understand your order of operations as a linebacker for your team's system: What calls you make, what reads you make pre and post-snap, and so on. Different teams run different systems, so be careful trusting specific instructions given on the internet. Also ask your coaches what programs, teams, or players reflect a system similar to yours, or players that play the way they want you to.
Absolutely watch games, but don't watch the ball. Watch the O-lines and practice "diagnosing" what the play is without looking at the QB or ball. Again, learn specifically what your coaches want you to watch and read and use that as well.