Cutoff & Cleanup Drill
Setup
Cones are placed as pictured in the diagram above. One offensive player with a football stands ten yards away from the center of the drill.
Two defensive players lay face down on the ground, ten yards away from the center of the drill, pointing away from the drill.
Purpose
Teach defensive players how to work in unison to “cutoff” the ball carrier from the outside, and “cleanup” the tackle when the ball carrier cuts back into the inside.
Drill Description
A coach starts the drill with a verbal command and the ball carrier runs in between the first set of cones and then selects to run around the next line of cones to one side or the other. After the runner gets to the line of scrimmage, he may use his creativity to avoid tackles and get past the defenders.
The defenders jump up off of the ground and run to meet the ball carrier close to the line of scrimmage. The defender on the side that the ball carrier runs to must realize his position on the field and aim to cutoff the ball carrier from getting around him to the outside.
The defender opposite of the ball must trail towards the runner and prepare to cleanup the tackle after his teammate redirects the runner back to the inside.
Both defenders must be aware of their position on the field, be aware of their cutoff/cleanup responsibilities, and work in coordination to either execute a solo or group tackle.
