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Danny Hope looks like this 100% of the time. |
This past weekend I attended the Nike Coach of the Year Clinic in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Several coaches at my school visited, and we all headed up on Thursday afternoon. Due to some commitments after work, I left later than most of my colleagues. I missed some talks from a Kutztown coach about the 4-2-5 and a Villanova coach about the Wildcat, but I was going to arrive in time to see Danny Hope, the head Boilermaker.
Since the clinic was held at the Holiday Inn, we checked in and headed down to the room. While we were waiting for the elevator, I glanced back and a familiar face was walking through the door. Danny Hope himself came around the corner and said, “How you guys doin’?” I said, “Good, Coach. How are you?” He said, “Good to see you guys” as he sauntered down the hallway, presumably toward his room.
Let me tell you something about Danny Hope – he walks like a cowboy. I assume he has old joint injuries, because he walks all bowlegged and stuff. He was an offensive guard at Eastern Kentucky in the ’70’s and ’80’s, and offensive linemen often end up with bad knees from bending down all the time and lifting so much weight.
Shortly afterward Hope was the main speaker on Thursday night, and as I entered the banquet room, I noticed a familiar face sitting about two rows back. He was wearing a baseball cap and a heavy coat, but I tapped my friend on the shoulder and said, “That’s Matt Millen sitting a couple rows behind us.” Yep, the guy who drove the Detroit Lions even further into the ground was there, too.
Hope talked mostly about pass blocking fundamentals for offensive linemen. We watched a lot of film of drills, but here were a few key points.
- Offensive linemen should keep their nose on the defender’s inside number and have a “tit in each hand.”
- Defensive players shouldn’t threaten the depth of the pocket. In other words, he doesn’t want interior blockers (mostly centers and guards) to give ground when creating the pocket. This refers mostly to defensive tackles and blitzing linebackers.
- Defensive players also shouldn’t threaten the width of the pocket. That means offensive tackles who hinge back shouldn’t allow defensive ends or outside linebackers to squeeze the pocket from the outside. The tackle should keep his inside toe pointing toward the line of scrimmage to prevent from getting turned.
- Tackles should only hinge backward immediately if the first player outside him on the line of scrimmage is “loose.” In other words, if the man is close enough and fast enough to beat the OT to the inside, then he’s “tight” and the OT should protect the depth of the pocket by not hinging backward.
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Neil O’Donnell tries to avoid Sean Jones |
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Thanks for the info. A few quick things:
– Not surprised Hope didn't crack a smile. I don't follow his team, but when I do watch it, I don't think I've ever seen him look happy.
– Matt Millen being a jerk & not paying attention? Shocking! I'll never forgive the Ford's for letting him ruin the Lions (and for that franchise, that's saying something).
– (Funny) unintentional typo: "In the middle of Hoke's speech, a tall, well dressed guy…" – – while it would have been awesome to have Brady Hoke come in, Matt Foley-style, and start giving am inspirational speech in front of the Purdue coach, I'm pretty sure it was still Danny "Hope"!
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@ Rob Pollard 11:12 a.m.
I don't think Millen was paying attention during the NFL Drafts, either.
You're right – it was still Danny Hope. Oops.
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Millen's comment about high school kids not understanding this stuff seems misguided to me. He was speaking to high school coaches, not players. I assume the point is to explain minutiae to the coaches and let them determine how much detail is appropriate for their players?
Millen is a better color analyst than most, but it's hard to appreciate that through his giant ego.
Interesting that Hope has trouble moving around. He looks to be in pretty good shape from the sideline shots they do of him. Football training back in the 70's was probably not as "joint-conscious" as training today.
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Good stuff, Thunder. I think everything you saw from Hope is what we see at Purdue…but this guy can flat-out wreck someone when he wants to. Last season, he jumped on an offensive lineman's back to get him to keep from coming out of his stance.
He walks like he's a bit crippled…but he doesn't play like it.
Hopefully Purdue's line shows some of his knowhow in the coming season.
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