Drills Report: Punt Safe: Defend and Return

In certain situations, whether due to field position or when leading in the latter stages of a game, teams will leave their defense on the field to protect against punt fakes and employ a ‘Punt Safe’ scheme. We employ a scheme that first guards against the fake but at the same time will look to block the punt, and if the ball is punted, use a set wall return (Diagram 1).Diagram 1: Punt Safe Scheme    Here are the responsibilities of each defensive player: Sam and Will:  They align in a loose outside shade on the end man in the box. They pressure the punter and make sure the ball is kicked. Once the ball is kicked, they get back to the end of the wall and look to block the safeties. If #2 is an eligible receiver, they have him man-on-man and must communicate with DEs telling them to block/force kick. Defensive ends: They align head up on the tackle and