Tim Salem Special Teams - Kickoff Coverage

Kickoff coverage sets the tone for your defense, and Tim Salem's kickoff coverage unit at the University of Central Florida finished third in the nation in return defense, allowing only 17.48 yards per return. In this session, the first of his four-part special teams series, Salem lays out how to maximize kickoff coverage: the attitude he demands, the type of player who fills each role, and the coverage principles that keep eleven lanes intact all the way down the field.

What you'll learn

• Why attitude on the kickoff coverage unit sets the tone for the entire defense
• The "lead the team down the field" effort and the unit motto: Deliver, Disengage, Finish
• Lane integrity, the single most critical element of coverage
• How to find the right group of players, and why nasty, physical, courageous effort is the price of admission
• Coverage principles and the flying forty mentality of covering the first 40 yards as fast as possible
• Coverage timing off a 4.0 hang time plus a 1.0 returner adjustment, giving the unit five full seconds before impact
• How to take on blockers inside your specific lane
• Kickoff coverage alignments and responsibilities, plus what coverage players must avoid
• Game film of UCF's left kickoff, right kickoff and left-or-right coverage

Who it's for

Special teams coordinators and head coaches at the high school and college levels who want a kickoff coverage unit built on effort standards and lane discipline instead of leftover personnel.

About the coach

Tim Salem coached special teams at the University of Central Florida, where his kickoff coverage unit finished third nationally in return defense at 17.48 yards allowed per return.

Part one of Coach Salem's four-part special teams series, with UCF game film throughout. Runtime: about 43 minutes.