ILB Reads

If you are looking for a specific aiming point for your backers to start when they are reading, I feel it very much depends on how good your opponent is.

I would agree with Coach Kelly's coaching points on the guard because at the middle school level it is extremely hard to read lineman unless they are pulling or are good. Even at the freshman level full back dives look like passes if you are only watching the lineman.

At the varsity level generally the good teams have good lineman who take great steps which can tell you everything. Literally my backers will just watch their guards inside foot at times. 45 degree step down block, 90 or back pull or backside seal, possibly zone. etc.... all the rest are easy and then they move their eyes accordingly while reacting to that step, but it all starts with their feet. Now maybe a kid doesn't have good quick exact step, then we look at the hat and hands. Is the hat trying to cross my linemans hat or is it staying in the hole. If that doesn't work and you don't know what the Olineman is doing then generally neither does he. Get pissed and fly to the ball.

I let my backers decide what they feel is best but they need to understand if you have lineman with bad feet, you have to watch something else and heck against bad teams we will just have to read through the line to the backfield. Which is what I would recommend at the middle school level.