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It's a simple drill. In fact, simplicity is the whole idea. It's called the "Lions' Den," and Penn State's new coaching staff initiated it this spring as part of its effort to get fully ac- quainted with an unfamiliar roster. On offense, there are three blockers and a ball carrier. On defense, there are three linemen and a linebacker. When the whistle blows, the blockers and defensive linemen engage and the ball carrier looks for a gap. When he sees it open up, the linebacker rushes in to plug it. "It's a big competition drill," corner- back Jordan Lucas said. "It has every- thing to do with the game and nothing to do with the game. It's just about compet- ing. That's what the coaching staff wants us to do – compete." The positions in the Lions' Den don't necessarily correspond to players' spots on the depth chart. "The linebacker can be anyone from an actual linebacker to a safety," Lucas explained. "The blockers can be offensive linemen, tight ends or wide receivers. Same thing for the de- fense. You're just lining up head to head and playing smashmouth football. You're playing gap defense. The linebacker sees the gap open and he comes down and has to lay a hit on the running back. So it's a very physical drill." The drill's simplicity is what makes it such a valuable measuring stick, coach James Franklin said. There are no assign- ments to memorize, so the Lions' Den becomes a test of players' physical ability and competitive will. "It gives you a great opportunity just to evaluate them without any scheme," Franklin said. "It's mano a mano. Can you get off a block? Can you make the block?" The coaches have been using the Lions' Den to evaluate their entire roster, from starters to backups to walk-ons. During the Nittany Lions' practice session last Saturday, Franklin said he was impressed with Brian Tomasetti, a redshirt fresh- man safety from Old Forge, Pa. "He went up there and put his hat on the guy, made a big hit," Franklin said. "That's how you can earn a job covering kicks or something like that. "So it's just another opportunity to evaluate. It's another opportunity to step up in front of your teammates and show what type of football player you are. I think there's a lot of value in it, I really do. Because a lot of times when you're out there running offense or defense, [players'] brains are spinning with scheme. [Coaches want to see them] just go play football. So that's been good for us. Plus, it gets the juices flowing to start practice." A P R I L 9 , 2 0 1 4 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 8 'The Lion's Den' Penn State picks up the pace with high-intensity drill M A T T   H E R B | M A T T @ B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M

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