The other day, I ran a piece about Florida State’s defensive philosophy, as communicated by new linebackers coach Raymond Woodie. And Woodie went into specifics, particularly with regard to pinpointing the most crucial constituent element of a successful defensive approach: pursuit. Below is an image that Woodie used to define this critical term.
Just as the overriding philosophy emphasizes the mental approach to defense, so does this onus on pursuit stress what’s between a player’s ears as a prerequisite to what ultimately transpires between the sidelines. That is, per the slide above, if pursuit is the key to defense, then what it takes to excel at pursuit is largely a function of attitude.