Dear Coach Cunningham...

I know it's a tough season and things haven't been looking too bright..  and I know it's hard to stay motivated when the season looks so harsh.  As such you might become somewhat lazy or a bit lax in your duties as Defensive Coordinator.  Due to this, I thought I would offer my services to you in good faith to try and take a little pressure off of you this season.  I've taken the time to google a little bit of information that you may find very beneficial in coaching our defense into a more productive and effective unit.

ahem...

How To Tackle In Football

Step 1:  Identify your opponent.  This will be the individual running furiously towards the endzone with the football under his arm.  (It's very important that you don't skip Step 1.)

Step 2:  Run toward the ball carrier at full speed, keeping your head up at all times.  Aim your facemask at the center of his chest or inside shoulder.

Step 3:  Run through the ball carrier, wrapping your arms around his waist.  (This is where I've noticed our most inconsistent technique.  It is imperative that you wrap up the ball carrier, if you do not wrap up the ball carrier, you will not tackle him.  (see game film for example of any of the 194 missed tackles in today's game.))

Step 4:  Pull the ball carrier into you and drive him to the ground.  (The ground is a good place to put the ball carrier after you have effectively wrapped him up with your arms.  If he's on the ground, the referee will blow his whistle and the runner will not be allowed to run anymore.  This is very effective in preventing touchdowns.)

Step 5:  If you get up first after a successful tackle, offer a hand to help your opponent up and give an encouraging pat or slap as you run back to your team. This shows good sportsmanship and preserves the spirit of the game after an extremely aggressive act.  (This part is kind of important, but let's focus on the essentials for the time being.  When the boys do learn the task of putting a ball carrier on the ground, good sportsmanship will be our next focus.)

I hope you'll take the time to consider these points, Coach, as I believe we could highly benefit from this interesting action known as tackling.

Thanks Coach,
Tyler