Are Your Drills Lying to Your Scheme?

Author

Chad Wilson
February 14, 2026

Hey Defender of the Airways,

Ever heard the phrase, "The curtains don’t match the drapes?" Well, get your mind out of the gutter.

To make my point: you can’t have floral print curtains with pinstripe drapes in your living room and expect it to look right. Likewise, on your defense, everything must cooooooooordinate when it comes to your drills and your scheme.

The Clinic Trap

I see it all the time. DB coaches fall in love with a flashy drill they saw on social media or at a coaching clinic and immediately make it a staple of their regimen. There is nothing wrong with adding new tools to the box, but you have to ask yourself one vital question:

“Is what we are doing daily in practice what we are actually going to do on gameday?”

Match the Tool to the Job

You wouldn’t take a hammer into the woods to cut down a tree. So why send your guys onto the field with the wrong set of tools for their specific job?

  • The Press Team: If you are a predominantly press-man team, why is 70% of your individual period spent on backpedaling and T-steps?

  • The Off-Man Team: If you rarely play press, spending a massive chunk of time on mirror-press drills might give your guys "great feet," but will it help them play off-the-ball for 60 snaps on Friday night?

Determine the scheme you are running, look at the movements your players make the most during a game, and apply drills that maximize those specific movements. It sounds simple, but many coaches get "drill-happy" and lose sight of the scheme.

The Corner vs. Safety Divide

In most schemes, cornerbacks and safeties have vastly different responsibilities. If you are the only DB coach on staff, you have to be intentional. Don't let your safeties get bored doing corner drills, and don't let your corners get rusty on their transitions because you're focused on safety "alley-fills."

My Pro-Tip: If you have an assistant you trust, split the unit up during the Indy period. Let the corners work their specific island skills while the safeties work their halves, quarters, or post-reads. If you're solo, split your time 50/50 so everyone gets the position-specific work they need.

When gameday comes, your entire unit will benefit from work that actually applies to what the coordinator is calling.

Master the Scheme with the Right Tools

If you're looking for drills that actually translate to the field, I’ve got the resources ready for you:

  • The Manual: My book 101 DB Tips breaks down the specific skill sets needed for both Corners and Safeties so you can build a practice plan that makes sense.

  • The Lab: Join the All Eyes DB Camp Member's Area to see how I structure individual periods to match different defensive schemes. We show you the "why" behind every drill.

Things of Interest

Have questions or topics you’d like me to cover? Reply to this email or connect with me on social media—I’d love to hear from you!

Stay sharp, keep grinding, and always keep your eyes on the ball.

Chad Wilson
Founder, All Eyes DB Camp
@alleyesdbcamp on Instagram

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