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Designating Attack vs. Free Rushers to Defend Screens and Draws

Designating Attack vs. Free Rushers to Defend Screens and Draws

Posted by | Mar 8, 2021 | , , | 0 |

By Rick Scheidt
Defensive Coordinator
Fresno City College (CA)
Twitter: @ScheidtRick

 

 

One of the most frustrating outcomes for any defense is when a draw or screen hits for a big gain. This was a common problem for me as a young coach especially against teams that had success throwing the ball. In this report, I will go over various concepts for either controlling a pass rush or controlling a pressure out of a 4-2-5 defensive scheme.

The most important point when introducing a controlled pass rush or pressure to your defensive players is the concept of attacking technique. Attacking technique in a gap-controlled defense emphasizes using two hands engaged on the offensive player (sternum and bicep) while creating an air pocket for vision in each player’s respected gap. When introducing a controlled pass rush or controlled pressure, it is important to identify the players that are responsible for attacking technique because these will be the players designated for recognizing draws and screens.

Designating which players will attack technique versus which players are free to rush the passer can be communicated either by a word or it can be communicated numerically.  For a controlled 4 man pass rush we use words or numbers based on the personnel of the offense as well as the down and distance tendency of the offense. I’ve listed the following examples of communication from the military alphabet for a controlled 4 man pass rush:

  • Tango – All 4 defensive linemen are attacking technique
  • Alpha – All 4 defensive linemen are free to rush the passer
  • India – The defensive tackles are free to rush the passer, while the defensive ends are attacking technique
  • Oscar – The defensive ends are free to rush the passer, while the defensive tackles are attacking technique

 

Scheidt Diagram 1

 

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Split Field Pressure Coverages From Odd Stack Spacing

Split Field Pressure Coverages From Odd Stack Spacing

Posted by | Mar 1, 2021 | , , , | 0 |

By Travis Roland
Head Football Coach, and Defensive Coordinator
Flagler Palm Coast High School (FL)
Twitter: @COACH217ROLAND

 

At Flagler Palm Coast, we utilize what we call 30 Stack or what most call a 3-3-5 defensive front. We transitioned to this front for two reasons, one because we had an abundance of hybrid style players, and this front (or personnel grouping) allowed us to maximize the talent we had.  Secondly, we chose this front due to the lack of size on our defensive line unit, and using this front allowed us to slant, loop, twist, and turn, utilizing our player’s strengths at the point of attack. This front allowed us to become much more athletic as a total defense.

Our philosophy at Flagler Palm Coast High School is to use the strength of our kids, which is their aggression and speed. Our sole goal on almost every defensive possession is to try and create all one-on-one matchups at the point of attack. We feel that if we can get to one-on-one matchups, our players’ speed and aggression will put us in a place to be successful. Upon my arrival at FPC, I was a big man-to-man play-caller. Our Linebacker coach, Brian Cox, sat down with me and discussed how we could slow up the QB’s reads versus our pressures if we split the field coverage with a man side and a zone side. There are also situations where we split the field with two different zone coverages. This allows us to present a multitude of looks to the opposing team to create confusion and flexibility in certain situations to allow us to be successful. There are times we take a basketball approach to our 6-man zone coverages and play matchup zone. We understand that there are always hots but our players understand the leverage they start with they must keep.

Who’s Who: Look at the following chart to see what names we call our positions. Our defense is broken down into Strong and Weak, but not your typical way. The left side is considered the “Strong Side” of the defense and the right side is considered the “Weak Side” of the defense.

Roland Diagram 1

 

In this diagram, you could see how we line up versus a balanced 2×2 formation if we chose to be one high pre-snap. As stated in the introduction, our players do not have to ever flip sides. Our Strong End, Sam, and Bull are always on the Left/Strong side of the defense. Our Weak End, Will, and Dog are always on the Right/Weak Side of the defense. Our Corners also play Left & Right (Strong and Weak). The “F” (Free Safety) is always the High Safety and in the middle of the field. He does not declare a side until post-snap (that’s our goal).

SE Left Side Defensive End- 4 TECH
NOSE Traditional Nose Guard- 0 TECH
WE Right Side Defensive End- 4 TECH
Sam/S Left Side Stack Backer – Stack on End
Mike/M  Middle Stack Backer – Stack on Nose
Will/W Right Side Stack Backer – Stack on End
BULL Left Nickel Safety
DOG Right Nickel Safety
FS Free Safety
C Corner

 

 

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Listen, Learn and Advocate: Inside the Re-Branding of the Iowa Culture

Listen, Learn and Advocate: Inside the Re-Branding of the Iowa Culture

Posted by | Mar 1, 2021 | | 0 |

By Mike Kuchar
Co-Founder & Senior Research Manager
X&O Labs

 

Wednesday, June 3, 2020, is a day cemented in Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz’s memory just as permanently as his wedding anniversary and the birth of his five children. This one, however, is significant in a more dubious distinction. It was two days before the first tweet that questioned racial disparities within the Iowa football program, composed by former Iowa offensive lineman James Daniels. It was when two separate, but current, Iowa football players (one senior and one first-year player) reached out to Ferentz directly to petition him in allowing them to tweet their feelings about the social unrest occurring around the country in the wake of George Floyd’s death. Sure, they knew about his longtime Twitter ban policy, but they didn’t care. They wanted to be heard. So, after calling a staff meeting to discuss it, Ferentz allowed players to make their statements about how they felt. Little did he know what would come next.

The allegations started to pour in. Over 60 former Iowa players spoke publicly about a football culture they say demeaned their racial identity. It resulted in the firing of former strength and conditioning coach Chris Doyle and an ongoing lawsuit involving 13 black former players that claim they suffered racial discrimination under Coach Ferentz’s watch. It rocked the longest-tenured coach at the FBS level to the core, making him completely question his purpose as a coach. “You coach 21 years thinking we had a little bit of grip on things, but you don’t,” he said. “There is always a better way to do things and always something to be learned.”

Looking back, he should have known. They all should have known. Maybe they did. There were signs. In January 2011, 13 Iowa players were hospitalized with rhabdomyolysis, a stress-induced syndrome that can damage cells and cause kidney damage, following a strenuous squat workout led by Doyle. Offensive coordinator and Kirk’s son, Brian Ferentz admitted days before the scandal broke that they didn’t respect the Twitter platform enough and they weren’t doing enough to support the African-Americans demographic on their roster. A roster where over thirty percent is African-American, at a university where black students represent only 3.3 percent of the student body in a city that is 82.5 percent white. “If you’re a minority here in Iowa City, you can stick out,” the younger Ferentz told me. “It’s the corn belt.”

But admittedly, Iowa was mired in its hubris, wrapped up in feeling good about themselves fresh off its first 10-win season since 2015 that culminated in a 49-24 win over USC in the Holiday Bowl. “Anybody that was on the field that night would have assumed this was a healthy team with a healthy culture,” Kirk said. Yet here they were, several months later, a proud program marred under the alleged dredge of inequality. It left Ferentz feeling blind-sighted and searching for answers. So, he did what any competent coach does. In a moment of despair, he put his ego aside and re-connected with his network, personally calling 25 of his former players dating back to his inaugural season in 1999. He was only a few calls in when he got the answer he was afraid to hear. A former Hawkeye great turned NFL coach (we’ll let you connect the dots) told him, “The answers are in your program. Talk to your players.” It was the push he needed to begin the process of re-evaluating, re-branding, and re-committing his program’s culture. Not sure of what he would encounter, he prepared his staff for the worst, sending a mass text that Saturday morning on June 6th when he said bombs were flying off. “I told them I wasn’t sure what the days ahead were going to bring here, but it’s going to be rough. Whatever the issues are, we are going to work through this.” But before his staff went to work on repairing its culture, they had to be willing to listen, unequivocally, to the concerns of their players. So, on June 8th (three days after the tweet that shocked Hawkeye nation), staff and players held a town-hall meeting once players came back to campus. It drew 100 percent attendance. Some players, including veterans, walked out, leaving Ferentz to wonder if he’d even have a job again. “It hit me smack in the face,” he said of the experience.

He decided to approach the concerns as he would preparing for game week. Once the team meeting concluded the roster got segmented into six break-out sessions to continue the dialogue. The staff was segmented in the same way and were asked to track and record information from each of those sessions where players openly admitted they didn’t feel they can be themselves and shared their stories. Once the players left, the staff compiled all the feedback, threw it up on the whiteboard, and engaged in the same exercise the following day in leu of workouts. Soon, the dynamic shifted from damage control to damage repair as they began to work through these issues. Call it a watershed moment, but it was a meeting that served as the basepoint for several of the call to actions below that Iowa instituted. “We got a lot of candid feedback about how guys were feeling and what they were asking us to consider,” Ferentz told me. “What really came out of this whole thing is to re-evaluate some policies or expectations and modify those.”

This re-branding was approached on two levels- immediate and long-term. The immediate items on the table got altered quickly while the long-term modifications are continuing to be developed.

Immediate Modifications:

Repeal of Twitter Ban

Step one was lifting the Twitter ban, a policy which Coach Ferentz admitted was “one of the stupidest policies” he had in place. “My sole purpose in not having guys tweet was to keep them out of Twitter jail, that predictable sequence where someone says something emotionally and four hours later they grant an apology or statement that someone wrote for them,” he told me. “But that week made me realize that it is a fight not worth fighting right now.” Instead of spending time worrying about them getting into trouble, he decided to spend more time and energy investing in education. This reform came with a free expression for players who are permitted to tweet about what they choose, providing they understand the consequences. “We figured, why not open it up and just emphasize the educational part?” he said. “It’s the same thing we do when we have players talk to the media. We try to equip them and make sure they understand that you can’t take things back. That changed how we look at it.”

Repeal of Dress Code Policies

This newfound freedom of self-expression carried over into the physical domain as well, where Coach Ferentz lifted prior bans like wearing earrings and baseball caps in the facility. He said it was a policy instituted more in the vein of uniformity when he took over in 1999; something that he clung to far too long. “Twenty-two years ago, the earring thing was important because we had 100 guys going in 100 different directions when I got here,” he said. “I realized it’s not so critical right now. We looked at how to be welcoming so these guys feel comfortable in their own skin in the building. I wanted to make sure we work on the things that are important to this program and to this team at this point.”

While many African-Americans claimed they were targeted because of their appearance, citing a double standard in the “Iowa Way,” assistant coach Brian Ferentz credited how this one change empowered all players to be themselves. “The guys that I saw the biggest shift in how they dress or acted were white kids,” he told me. “When we reported back for camp this fall, I noticed a difference in how they presented themselves. It was more than I was used to seeing. I think it became more of a generational thing more than a racial thing.” The staff struggled with the balance of power that lied in the management of individual freedom of expression while adhering to a collective display of solidarity. “Yes, our rules were restrictive but they were done for a reason,” said Brian Ferentz. “The lines can’t get blurred between being an individual and being a good teammate. If you want to come in here and have tattoos on your face, then I’m good with that as long as you show up every day and you’re a good teammate.”

The fight against inequities went beyond racial bounds. In the past, players were publically shamed for missing class or academic meetings in front of the team. Their names would be posted right on the main bulletin board in the locker room. Gone are those declarations, and Kirk Ferentz has even gone as far as to modify the point totals that are generated in the Hawkeye championship model, the off-season program where incentives and disincentives are measured in a competitive format. “We looked at the grading scale and found we were probably being unfair in how we gave out points,” he said. “So, if a guy missed something like a meeting he might lose 500 points yet if he did an hour of community service he’d only get a 100 point incentive. We put those things more in balance with each other.” He even went as far as to adjust the rigorous strength and conditioning policies that Doyle had in place by re-classifying the bodyweight categories for skill players (QB, RB, WR, DB), semi-skill players (TE’s and LB’s), and linemen in the program, extending the margins from four to six pounds in each grouping. It opened up the margin for error in a previously tight window.

The Long-Term Modifications:

Re-Branding of the Core Values

Next came the continuous soul searching, and it started with re-evaluating the program’s core values. “Smart, Physical and Tough” had been the identity of Iowa football since Kirk Ferentz took over in 1999, but did players know what those words meant? Many had no idea. “Our signage hasn’t changed since my playing days,” said Brian Ferentz who graduated in 2003. “We never defined them. It seemed everybody had their own take on it.”

So, in an attempt to streamline the messaging, the elder Ferentz began holding hour-long culture talks with his staff this off-season on re-branding those three core values. He asked each staffer to provide their definitions of each of those words. Each interpretation was put on the whiteboard for talk-throughs. “I always equated toughness to be more mental than anything else; the ability to do the right thing for the team,” said Brian Ferentz. “But not everyone on the staff felt that way. I would not have known that in the ten years in which I’ve coached here because we’ve never done it. We had to define things better and have clearer expectations of our standards. We had to tighten the message down and clearly define that.” This same exercise is being conducted with players. “Your players and making sure they understand why these things are important,” Brian said.

Diversification of Leadership Groups:

The Iowa players that spoke out continually claimed that communication is the major obstacle in the program, where players are hesitant to come forward about the problems they experience. They desired a platform where they can openly express themselves without fear of consequences. The pathway came in expanding the leadership group this summer from 14 to 22 players with the expectation that additional personalities will beget more a more eclectic dialogue. The criteria of entry were no longer seniority or experience-based. Instead, it now consisted of those players that were most vocal in those town-hall breakdown sessions.

Topic lists shifted as well, from rudimentary issues like what to wear on game day, to issues of identity, awareness, and bias. There wasn’t one complaint about how hard the team works or the expectations in practice. Instead, the focal point was more about how messages were being delivered. “It was clear that we crossed the line from being demanding to demeaning,” Kirk Ferentz said. These sessions became a continual reformation on these issues. Are they getting resolved? Are they still on-going? It was a continual process of soliciting and retaining information from a more racially diverse grouping. “If you have an environment where players don’t feel like they can bring up an issue, that’s a problem,” he said. “It gave us a better forum for talking about the things that we heard from our players. And more importantly, it gave them ownership.”

While Iowa always had a leadership council in place for years, a newly formed Advisory Committee which consisted of 11 former players, became a soundboard for Coach Ferentz to get a better feel for how the program was perceived publically. “It encouraged me to ask more questions, better questions,” he said. “What I learned is that guys on your team were afraid to say some things. But the further guys are away from their playing days, the more candid they become. I learned things through them that were valuable and that gave me exposure to things I missed.”

The Path Forward

While Ferentz is the first to admit this culture shift is still a work in progress, he credits these initial modifications for finishing an abbreviated season with six straight wins, despite starting 0-2. “The work that we did in June set the table for us to move forward,” he said. “It enabled us to operate like a football team and focus on beating our opponent.” While the staff admitted the day-to-day grind in-season supplanted some dialogue regarding these issues, once players reconvened after semester break in January, racial inclusion was the first topic on the agenda.
“If we don’t stay on top of that then what did we learn,” said Brian Ferentz. “Nothing. Before, I think our culture may have been designed to eliminate people.” Kirk Ferentz calls this past season one of the most gratifying seasons he’s had as a coach. A sentiment that would be hard to believe back in June. Yet he realizes his job of communicating and advocating is not over. It’s a continual process that he learned the hard way can’t be neglected or assumed, not for a minute. “One promise I made to our team was that, we made changes with great dialogue, but we are going to take a midterm and finals on this, too,” he said. “We are going to continue on this path of dialogue and operate in that way. I want feedback and if there is anything that we said we are going to do as a coaching staff and we are not executing it, that’s on you guys to let us know. I have to keep talking and keep asking.”

Maybe this time, they will tell him.

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The “Tempo the Center” Philosophy in Buffalo’s Wide Zone Concept

The “Tempo the Center” Philosophy in Buffalo’s Wide Zone Concept

Posted by | Feb 22, 2021 | , , | 0 |

By Mike Kuchar with Andy Kotelnicki and Scott Fuchs
Offensive Coordinator and Offensive Line Coach
University at Buffalo (NY)
@Kotelnicki @CoachFuchs

 

Anyone who watched the University of Buffalo run the football this season saw a thing of beauty – a physical offensive line with two downhill backs over powering defenses at the first and second level. It only took me a series of studying UB’s cutups to discern what it hangs its hat on- the wide zone run scheme. I was amazed at the rhythm of the scheme, the technique of the line play and the patience of the back. Most importantly, I was impressed by the distortion it created at the first level. Clip after clip, I saw defensive fronts getting stretched then punctured. And when the season wrapped up, the numbers behind the concept were astronomical. The Bulls finished second in the country (behind Air Force) in rushing offense, averaging over 287 yards per game and the wide zone run accounted for 7.9 yards per carry. It registered at an 83.7% efficiency according to Pro Football Focus and over 25% of carries (29 out of 118 carries) resulted in explosive plays.

While many programs run the wide zone concept, I’m not sure that any programs run it more explosively. But this doesn’t happen by mistake; the offensive staff in Buffalo is intentional in its teaching of explosive play culture. And that explosivity is perhaps generated in one monumental coaching point- teaching the ball carrier to stay in-phase with the Center. In-phase is defined by being within a half-man of the Center’s block. I thought that was the significant difference in how they teach the play. While most programs talk about chasing the hip of the EMLOS, Buffalo keeps tempo with its Center. “If you’re behind on it that’s a problem and if you’re in front of it that’s a problem,” offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki told me. “We talk about shading him about half a man. And if the Center is running, the back better be running. The most explosive plays we’ve had are generated through the backside A gap to front side B gap. They usually don’t get way outside that.” When you see how it hits on the film below, it’s clear how many second level players misfit the play. “When the ball goes out the front door, the run fit is easier for the defense,” he said. “An interior entry point challenges the secondary and LB’s to fit the play correctly. We aim for that lateral distortion.”

 

Distinctions Between Vertical Leverage vs. Horizontal Leverage:

Before getting into the specifics of why this concept can generate explosivity in the A gap, it’s important to understand how to get the concept to hit in the play side A gap. It’s all about distortion and for offensive line coach Scott Fuchs it begins with teaching his players the difference between vertical and horizontal leverage.

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Segment Teaching Kick vs. Pull Techniques in Pin and Pull Schemes

Segment Teaching Kick vs. Pull Techniques in Pin and Pull Schemes

Posted by | Feb 22, 2021 | , , | 0 |

By Hussam Ouri
Offensive Line Coach and Football S&C Coordinator
Shepherd University (WV)
Twitter: @CoachHussamOuri

 

One of the most overlooked aspects of coaching the Pin and Pull scheme is the coaching of the individual blocks. Both the Pin aspect of the play and the Pull. At Shepherd University, we as coaches do our best to put our players in a position to be successful. That is accomplished by providing the players with multiple tools (not every tool has to be used on every play) and teaching them when those tools are necessary. These tools and the knowledge of when to use them are sharpened through proper drill work and consistent reinforcement.

The first diagram will explain our base teaching of Pin and Pull.

Ouri Diagram 1

 

Install Rules:

Front/Play side TE: If the play side tackle is covered, down block. If the play side tackle is uncovered, drive block 1st defender that is head up to outside. You are responsible for setting the edge. If the defender crosses your face, drive him to the angle that you capture him.

Front / Play side Tackle: If the play side guard is covered, down block. If the play side guard is uncovered, mirror pull to the force defender.

  • If you’re the first puller out, get outside of the pin
  • This helps us maintain proper leverage on the force defender
  • Do not let an opposite color jersey cross your face (pressure or missed blocks)

 

Front / Play side Guard: If the Center is covered, down block. If the Center is uncovered, mirror pull to the force defender.

  • If you’re the first puller out, get outside of the pin
  • This helps us maintain proper leverage on the force defender
  • Do not let an opposite color jersey cross your face (pressure or missed blocks)

 

Center: Mirror pull to the first linebacker in the box to the play side.

  • You will be the 2nd puller out which means you have to read the down block of the TE
  • If the down block of the TE is effective, get around the block. If the down block is forced to expand, cut it up and insert it inside of the down block
  • In-game adjustments can be made if the Center is unable to pull or if the backside nose is getting upfield too quick (Pin and Pull now becomes true Buck Sweep)
  • Do not let an opposite color jersey cross your face (pressure or missed blocks)

 

Backside Guard: Zone scoop the backside A gap defender VS an even front. Mirror pull to the 2nd linebacker in the box to the play side VS an ODD front.

  • If pulling, make sure to get proper depth so you don’t get picked off

 

Backside Tackle:  Zone scoop the backside B gap using a 2 for 1 technique or mirror pull for the Mike linebacker if you have a TE or FB on the backside that can cut off the DE.

  • The 2 for 1 technique is used to create a wall on the backside DE (the speed of the defender dictates how long we stay on the block). Once the backside edge is secured, take a proper angle of departure to the backside linebacker (his play side armpit)
  • The backside tackle pull can only happen with a TE or FB attached to the backside so that we can properly secure the backside edge and gain leverage on the backside linebacker (this is communicated by the BST and backside TE)
  • Backside TE (12 Personnel): Zone scoop the C gap
    • Communicate with the BST about a potential pull

 

Coaching Points:

The down block “PIN”: The down block is one of the oldest and most used blocks in football, but it does not mean that we as coaches can assume that the players know exactly what to do so we provide them with these coaching points. The first step taken on a down block should be a flat angle step to the defender’s near neck V. This step must be intentional and serve a purpose. That purpose is to STOP upfield penetration. We tell our guys that the wider the defender, the flatter the step needs to be to STOP the up-field rush. This block must happen from the ground up so that the OL is not lunging at the defender with our upper body.

The second step taken is a vertical angle step (upfield and towards the defender) to the defenders near foot/hip.  The purpose of this step is to keep the defender “pinned” and do not allow the defender to cross face. This step is used only once the up-field penetration is STOPPED with the first step. Our players must know not to step up the field on their first step to not allow any penetration. Once the first and second steps have been taken, we then coach our players to lockout their up-field arm (if you’re down blocking someone to your right, it would be your left arm). This lockout process allows us to apply more pressure on the defender’s outside breastplate and assists us with maintaining proper down block angles and leverage.

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B.T.B. and B.O.B. Pressures to Eliminate Conflict Defenders in RPO’s

B.T.B. and B.O.B. Pressures to Eliminate Conflict Defenders in RPO’s

Posted by | Feb 15, 2021 | , , , , | 0 |

By Ty Gower
Former Defensive Coordinator
Princeton High School (TX)
Twitter: @coachgower

 

Although the triple option has been around for a long while, offensive guys have found ways to change Run-Pitch-Option into a Run-Pass-Option, making it yet again, another headache for defenses to combat. Think about how the original RPO (Run-Pitch-Option) also known as the Veer Offense came to be. Coaches got tired of asking OL to block a DL that was a really good player, so what did coaches do. “Let’s not block that guy, let’s read him.” The idea is no different from the “21st RPO scheme”

Think about most modern defenses; where do many defenses put their really good player…That’s right, the Sam/Star/Nickel position. Why is that?

  1. 75%-80% of the game is played on the hash
  2. Due to #1, we want our better athlete/so-called “hybrid player” to be the field LB, and we want our hybrid player to be on the field to play in space and play all the 3×1 combinations.
  3. Due to #2, Offenses know who you’re really good defender is and offenses want to read or put him in “conflict.”

 

Now before you read too much further, I will be discussing how we take the conflict player out of the 3-4. Now before you 4-down front guys stop reading, this could be a great install to help combat the RPO.

Regardless of what defense you run, offenses will find your conflict defender. Whether you base out of 2-high, single-high, 3-3, 3-4, 4-3, it doesn’t matter. The offense will find the conflict defender. When the RPO first became en vogue, it seemed like one of the answers was to spin to cover 3 to the RB, and although that is a good idea, and an idea that we have used, I always had a problem with that “Cover 3” answer. Cover 3 is not something that we hang our hat on. Side note: I want to be as multiple as possible, but at what price? I love to run all the 3 Under/3 Deep Fire Zones, Tite Front Drop 8, 4 -down fronts with the same personnel, implement 3rd Down Packages, and install multiple 3×1 coverages that have been vital to our success.

This leads me to my next point if you want to stop the RPO, which we all do, and we all want to have this or that answer, we can drive ourselves insane trying to come up with all the answers and adjustments for how to stop the RPO.  The question is how much practice time you are willing to devote to teaching man technique to play Cover 1, squat technique in Cover 2 (and canceling gaps), and the variations of Cover 3 (who the buzz player is, who is SCIF player, teaching divider leverage, Rip/Liz 3, spot drop 3), which leads me to our world.  I believe in what we do by installing 2-High, basing out of 2-High, playing 2-high, and defending the RPO in 2-High. Again, let me reiterate, there are multiple ways to stop the RPO game, and I love to be multiple about stopping it, but we wanted to find a way that was inexpensive for us, meaning how do we stop the RPO from 2-High and take the conflict player out of conflict! Our answer:

 

BACK BLITZ

Back blitz is an answer for us in defending the RPO game for multiple reasons:

  1. Allows us to use our base blitzes and base coverages to alleviate the conflict of our RPO conflict players
  2. Set hard edges in our Tite front (4i-0-4i)
  3. Gives us options to blitz the RB side or opposite the RB to change up how we alleviate the conflict from our RPO player.
  4. Which in turn, makes the QB change his perspective about who to read as it relates to his “option” of handing it to the RB or throwing it to WR.

 

Sometimes you may hear this called B.T.B. or B.T.F.  In this report, we will discuss why understanding the backset is simple and vital in being effective in blitzing the RPO.

Where to Start:

  1. Install your base blitzes: Yes, as I stated we install our fire zones 3 Under-3 Deep pressures like everyone else in America. Get these installed, find a word association/word family so your kids know the blitz pattern and that each strong and weak blitz are the same. For example, within our blitz package the terms “Sugar/Water” are the same pressure with one ILB and one OLB blitzing to create a 5-man pressure, however, the “S” or “W” word tells us that blitz is coming from the strong or weak side. To continue, it’s easy to play 3 Deep-3 Under with these blitzes, but for those of us who like 2-high coverage, we had to find ways to carry over our base coverages into your blitz packages. Thus, through the years, we have been able to bring a 4-man/5-man pressure and still play 2-high Coverage.
  2. Coach how important RB set is: Don’t get me wrong, offenses are finding ways to throw off the overhang LB whether the RB is to or away from the read side, but most RPO’s are still thrown off the same side as the RB. Thus, you must go back to step #1 with installing your base blitz. So why is the RB important, in a 2×2 formation, who is the #3 WR? that’s right the RB. If you want to be effective in blitzing the RPO, you must know where the RB is.
  3. Coach how important RB set as it relates to formation: Again, remember Blitz the Back. You and your kids must understand how “Blitz the Back” tells everyone the blitz and coverage as it relates to the RB set and the formation.

 

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Identifying and Blocking Pressure in 6-Man Protection Schemes

Identifying and Blocking Pressure in 6-Man Protection Schemes

Posted by | Feb 15, 2021 | , , , , , | 0 |

By Jerrod Clowes
Offensive Line Coach
Utica College (NY)
Twitter: @CoachClowes

 

The key to having a great pass protection scheme is to keep it simple and to rep the scheme multiples times against your most common looks/pressures. It is vital that the offensive line communicates with each other every play and that we are all on the same page.

Here at Utica, we are a base 6-man protection: man-slide team. We have been fortunate enough to have great offensive linemen, that have a great sense of understanding and communication. We have also been fortunate to have quarterbacks that understand where pressure is coming from and that throw the ball on time.

 

Our success:

In 2019 we averaged over 31 points per game, 2nd in most passing touchdowns, and gave up the least amount of sacks.

We believe in these three pillars when teaching the players, in order:

1) Know what to do.

2) Know how to do it.

3) Execute.

We start all of our teachings with defensive identification. We do not put as much emphasis on what type of front we see, as opposed to am I covered or uncovered/on my body or of my body. This will affect how many are on the slide. We then Identify our “Point”. Center calls the “Point” – which is the first LB type in the box to the call-side. We then identify “+1 from the Point” – which is the next 2nd level defender outside of the point, to the call-side. We then Identify “-1 & -2 from the Point” – which are the next two LB type defenders from the backside of the Point.

 

WHAT TO DO:

 

Our Pass Protection Philosophy:

Tackles set the width – GCG set the depth.

We are a Man – Slide Protection.

 

Calls:

4 man slide – Rocket or Laser, based on slide direction.

3 man slide – River or Lake, based on slide direction.

2 man slide – HammeR or NaiL based on slide direction.

Man – BIG, BOB, Solo, Vader

Fan – used for BST. Fan call creates an auto Hammer or Nail call.

Bump – Used for PST

 

Rules:

 

To the Slide Side:

PST is responsible for C Gap.

PSG is responsible for B Gap.

Center is responsible for A Gap.

BSG is responsible for A Gap (If applicable).

You are only allowed to let 1 defender cross your face (post-snap) if no defenders are aligned behind you pre-snap.

If you have a defender aligned behind you pre-snap, then you can not let any defenders cross your face post-snap.

The slide side is responsible for the Point to the +1.

If the center or guard are uncovered to their gap, they will have their eyes through the gap and up to the point. Wherever the point goes in a blitz, their eyes should follow. They would either pick up the blitz or pick up a slanting defensive lineman and exchange with their fellow offensive linemen to the stunt side.

Tackles will “bump” any edge blitz – as long as they have backside help.

 

Man Side:

Defender on my body – Big on Big.

Defender off my body – Part of the Slide (Communicate).

We will “Fan” to any walk OLB outside of the Tackle – as long as the guard has no one on his body. The guard will then make a “Solo” call to the center – letting the center know he has no backside help.

We will use what we call “Lock Squeeze Technique”. This technique allows us to handle any long stick stunts that are in combo with blitzes. When a defender will try to long stick two gaps over, we will squeeze it down and pass it off to the guard or center (whichever applicable). We will then move our eyes directly up for the blitzer.

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Incorporating Midline and Veer Concepts into a Wing T Offense

Incorporating Midline and Veer Concepts into a Wing T Offense

Posted by | Feb 15, 2021 | , , | 0 |

By Jeremy Christensen
Head Football Coach/Offensive Coordinator
Minneswaka High School (MN)
Twitter: @coachC_LakerFB

 

The offensive schemes I have been around as a player and coach are the Wing T and Triple Option, and I love each of them! Both schemes are great but can provide a lethal running game as a combination. The under-center Wing T and Triple Option share some similarities that make the combination possible. They both are great for small and mid-sized schools that do not regularly get offensive linemen that are 6’5″ and 300 lbs. (although when you do get those student-athletes it is the icing on the cake!). Instead, these schemes utilize “regular-sized” athletes upfront, as well as angles and double teams to help those athletes be successful. Depending on how you run your offense you can even share blocking rules between both systems. Both offenses also control the clock with the running game, while utilizing multiple ball carriers, and play-action passing to keep defenses honest. So why not combine them and try to get the best of both worlds? When done correctly it can be a great fit but be careful not to overextend yourself and attempt to add too much Triple Option to your Wing T scheme or vice versa. Both schemes are detail-oriented and expensive, so you must pick the pieces that fit best for your team and needs. In my opinion, when adding option concepts to the Wing T, that is Midline (as a double option) and Inside Veer. These option attacks are different from the more common Wing T Options like Trap Option and Belly Option because they involve a Dive Read for the QB instead of just a Pitch Read. Yes, this is more time consuming to teach your QB’s but they are more deceptive Options in my opinion than Trap and Belly Option. We melded the two together for about 12 years, before falling completely in love with the Triple Option and running it exclusively for the last two seasons. The following information is what we used from 2007-2017 with success at two different schools.

We are basic in our Wing T formations, running most of our offense from Base 100/900 and Split 100/900, but we also use Over 100/900 to get a numbers advantage at times, and Pro 100/900 to give defenses a little different look. We feel being simple in formations allows us to be more complex (multiple schemes) in our running game. Most of these formations also allow us to run our plays to either side as we are still balanced three RB sets. That allows us to allow our QB check plays at the line of scrimmage. If the defense aligns a certain way, we can simply “Check opposite! Check opposite!” and run the called play to the other side of the formation without shifts or motions.

 

Base Wing T Alignment:

Our OL uses 2-3-foot splits depending on the play call, and the ability of our personnel upfront. The more athletic we are the wider our splits will be. If we have an offensive line that is a little slower footed, we’ll use smaller splits. 2. Our FB is at a depth of 5 yards from the LOS at his heels in a three-point stance. 3. Our HB is at a depth of 4-5 yards (depending on quickness) at his heels in a two-point stance and stacked right in the G-T split. 4. Our WB is in a two-point stance 1′ x 1′ from our Tackle’s outside leg. We have our WB face straight forward so he can easily scan the defense. The Split Ends will be at the top of the numbers unless we tell them differently.

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Alabama A&M’s One-Word Tempo RPOs

Alabama A&M’s One-Word Tempo RPOs

Posted by | Feb 8, 2021 | , , , , , | 0 |

By Jason Mai
Quarterbacks Coach and Director of Operations
Alabama A&M University
Twitter: @Jaymai18

 

Tempo is an extremely valuable weapon in any offense. Particularly with the use of Run Pass Options (RPO) because it gives offenses and quarterbacks the ability to truly “have the pen last” on any given play. The difficult part of developing a Tempo / RPO System is understanding that just because you are a “Tempo” doesn’t mean we are always going fast, however, when we do want to go fast getting plays in as quickly as possible can be a challenge. This challenge is generally overcome by developing plays that can be called with one word, picture, or signal. Meaning that one word, picture or signal tells the entire offense the shift, formation, backset, motion, protection or run scheme and any tags or RPO’s you want to attach to the play. While this is without a doubt the more efficient than say sending in a call like, “A Push to Doubles Right Near H Jet 46 Stay Omaha / Bronco” (Yes that is an actual play call and yes I’ve had to signal that into a game), as a coach it can be very scary to tell your players “we are just going to call that Bronco and we will run it from Doubles Right unless we are on the Right hash when we will flip the whole play the other direction.” Even now almost six years into running tempo calls I imagine the blank stares I expect to get back from the players in my room.

It is hard to believe that as many times as I have called that paragraph of a play call telling everyone on the field exactly what to do and then watched in disbelief as guys on the field completely blow the play or even worse freeze up and give you that blank stare like they’ve never heard of that play before. So, you can imagine the look on my face when on a professional development visit to another school a few years back a very good coach told me “we carry 25 to 30 one word plays into a game.” I cannot remember if I laughed or not but I certainly didn’t believe it even when he went on to say “the players remember them better and are way more productive at the tempo plays than when we gave them full calls.” On the drive home from that visit myself and offensive coordinator Duane Taylor talked about testing that theory. We started out with three RPO based plays that we would install as our tempo package and tried them out in spring ball. By the fourth practice we had expanded our tempo package well beyond RPO’s and as of 2019 we were carrying about 30 tempo plays into a game and had at least by my last count 60 on the shelf. These three or some variation of them is where it all started.

 

Mars Concept

I’m a nerd, there is no doubt about it, but one of my many nerdy tendencies helped with the development of our tempo package, which is my affinity towards all things space related. So, our first three tempo calls were planets in our solar system. The first was Mars, as a whole play call from the left hash Mars is “True Left Pull Near 46 Zone Read Uno / Eat” the call stays the same in the middle of the field and on the right hash the call flips to “True Right Pull 47 Zone Uno / Eat”

Mai Diagram 1

 

Broken down in raw terms it is 3 x 1 stacked with the formation into the boundary (F.I.B.). Inside zone to the field with an “Uno” screen meaning a step back screen to the number 1 WR in the boundary and an “Eat” concept to the single receiver side. An Eat concept is what we like to call “Free Access” quick game, essentially the quarterback and the single side receiver try to select the best quick game route between a Hitch, Slant, Speed Out, Fade, five step Bang Post or a back shoulder fade route. The “Eat” route defaults as a Hitch route and the Quarterback uses a pre-snap alignment read to find the best “grass” to put the route in. When in doubt he will leave the default on the term I like to use is “error on the side of stupid.”

 

Pre-Snap Progression

We teach our quarterbacks that the tempo is generated by sprinting to the ball spot and getting our players line up early. However, getting everyone lined up quickly and getting the ball snapped is useless if he is in such a rush that he misses vital information and puts us into a bad situation. We tell our quarterback he needs to be “decisive and accurate” but we never tell him HE needs to go fast; it is critical that he go through his progression and be sure about his decision.

 

Yes / No the “Eat” Free Access Quick Game

The first step in our progression is to Yes / No the free access “Eat” concept to the field. Our “Eat” concept can be used as a quick game passing concept OR as an RPO. It is designed to give a single WR the ability “Eat” by giving him one side of the field and a choice of routes in order to take advantage of a match up or in the case of Mars a defense that is over playing formation into the boundary. The default route is a hitch, but this can be changed pre-snap by evaluating the half field coverage tips.

Mai Diagram 2

 

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Teaching Plug, Crash, Nail and Rail Technique into Multiple 5-Man Pressure Patterns

Teaching Plug, Crash, Nail and Rail Technique into Multiple 5-Man Pressure Patterns

Posted by | Feb 8, 2021 | , , | 0 |

By Tom Elder
Defensive Coordinator
Wilkes University (PA)
Twitter: @coache57

 

Our defense and our defensive staff here at Wilkes University pride ourselves in our ability to be multiple on Saturday. At the end of the day, multiplicity is great, but if your players do not understand the concepts and are thinking too much, your multiplicity is a recipe for disaster. We focus ourselves on teaching on a three-tier system: mentality (culture and effort), technique, and then scheme.

The mentality is another conversation because, without the right mindset, the technique and scheme do not matter. Second, technique. If we can effectively teach our young men all the techniques to be successful, then we feel like we can have our young men understand the big picture when it comes to our scheme. To us, it is equally important for our players to understand all the details of a technique, as it is for them to understand the physical demands in performing said technique. In this way, we can then just drag and drop players and tell them what their overall technique will be on this call, and with that, they should know all the responsibilities included in that technique.

Our defense loves to pressure and move. Throughout the 2019 season, we brought pressure or some type of movement over 48% of our calls. Our goal is to do our best to put offenses into 2nd and long situations that will allow us as defensive play-callers to open our playbook and create big plays. Also, we want the ability to be creative with our pressures to attack what offenses do well.

When we call our pressures, we will generally run 3 under, 3 deep coverage behind. We feel that it matches up with our primary base cover 3 principles the most to ensure that (again) we are multiple, but we keep things simple for our players. To do that, we need to be very thorough in our teaching of both pressure techniques, movement techniques, and coverage responsibilities. Throughout this article, we will talk about how we define and teach our different types of pressures, movements, and coverages.

 

Personnel

We first want to introduce our personnel, so you can get a better understanding of whom we are talking about with our film and diagrams. We are a multiple front defense, out of 3-4 personnel. Our personnel is as follows:

Bandit: Our field outside linebacker/strong safety

Read Linebacker: Our two inside linebackers are very interchangeable because when we flip our fronts, we also flip our linebackers. So, both ILBs need to be able to play in space

Kall Linebacker: The biggest difference with our ILBs is that when we are in our even front, the Kall is always to the side of the 3-tech. So with him being constantly covered, we like for that guy to be a little better in space since he needs to be able to run and play off spills

Quick: He is our boundary outside linebacker in our odd front and our stand-up end in our even front. He is a true outside linebacker/defensive end hybrid

End: Field end in our odd fronts, can be on either side in our even fronts

Nose: Our standard nose tackle

Tackle: Our boundary end in our odd front, and our 3-tech in our even

Hero: Field safety

Free Safety: Boundary safety

Field Corner / Boundary Corner

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How West Conn Used Google Sheets to Build a Wristband Communication System

How West Conn Used Google Sheets to Build a Wristband Communication System

Posted by | Feb 8, 2021 | , , | 0 |

By Joe Loth
Head Football Coach
Western Connecticut State University
Twitter: @CoachLoth

 

We currently use a combination of offensive wristbands and one-word plays on offense at Western Connecticut State University. The wristband system has allowed us to run a high volume, alignment specific offense without having the meeting time a major college program has in the season, off-season, and summers. We will lean on our wristbands if we are a young team and utilize more 1-word calls if we are a more veteran squad. It allows us to operate seamlessly when there has been offensive staff turnover. Most importantly, it removes a tremendous amount of rogue memorization for our players which allows them to play faster and handle a larger volume of offense.

We have been running our core spread offense since 2007 when I was the head coach at Otterbein University.  Starting in 2006, we originally used a simplified wristband process with only our quarterback wearing one.  He used the wristband like how the NFL uses their wristbands. We signaled in a wristband number to the quarterback and he read the formation and play to the offense in the huddle.  The biggest challenge we had back then was having to put 2 calls on the wristband for every play to account for what hash the ball was on. It also did not allow us to go fast. In addition to finding a play to call we had to match the hash to the call in. In 2012 when I became the head coach at Western Connecticut, we transitioned our offense to a true no-huddle, signaling in the formation and play from the sideline. We utilized that for one full season but ended the season frustrated when our best player struggled with the rogue memorization of learning the signals and then pulling his specific assignment and alignment from our calls. We felt we had to simplify our system at times. We ultimately had to develop a specific set of signals specifically for him, sometimes just yelling in what he had on that play.

After the 2012 season, I had hired a local CT high school coach, Chuck Lynch, on my staff to coach running backs. He talked to me about how he used a wristband system for his entire offense and had a wristband for every position at his former high school. I arrogantly dismissed the idea thinking it was just a high school thing that wouldn’t work. Plus, the system he talked about didn’t fit our offense.  It had left and right WR’s and had limited to no motion calls. We were a field/boundary-based passing offense and an even/odd running game.  Two weeks before spring practice began, we started to put our install together for our no-huddle signal-based offense. We once again faced the obstacle of how we get all of our best players to play fast, memorize a high-volume offense plus getting our best player to just operate within this system. How do we create signals for all our operations? We sat down as a staff and created a wristband system that allowed us to play with field and boundary receivers, allows us to play fast, be multiple, and ultimately has allowed our skill players to eliminate the amount of rogue memorization of play calls to allow them to play quicker and to handle a larger volume of plays.

The benefits of using our system for our players have been the following. Our skill players are told their specific alignments and assignments on every play. Once they learn our basic alignments and assignments this can be applied to multiple calls. Giving them specific landmark alignments has allowed us to create consistent spacing in our passing game.  We have also developed an easy to learn blocking assignment system that defines not only whom to block but with what kind of leverage and technique. The Quarterback has the entire call on his wristband, this call has the formation and play and sometimes a QB cheat word on it to help him operate the play. We have created a very systematic RPO system that ties blocking responsibilities together with the perimeter receivers and offensive line and identifies the defender for the QB and offensive line that we are putting in conflict.  The offensive line will know on every play whom we are reading on the perimeter in the RPO game.

We feel we have solved some of the issues for people that may already be using wristbands. These issues include not having to create left and right hash calls but a universal call that works on both hashes, the ability to specifically align players with landmark alignments, the ability to easily print the wristbands. We have created a signal board system to call the system.  We have also tied our online database to our physical playbook. We have also created a process of categorizing our plays to make practice and game day sheets easier for the coaches to utilize. Lastly tying our base wristband columns to specific formations has allowed us to freeze formations and make calls from them, but just as importantly align in practice to do a walk-thru.

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Tagging Single Side RPOs on Zone and Gap Runs

Tagging Single Side RPOs on Zone and Gap Runs

Posted by | Jan 31, 2021 | , , | 0 |

By Jacob Knight
Offensive Coordinator/Quarterback Coach
Waverly High School (OH)
Twitter: @CoachKnight55

 

When it comes to RPOs we have been through several phases in our years calling the offense. We have used field RPOs, Boundary RPOs, Pre-Snap Reads, and Post Snap Reads. Before 2017 we had only used 2 and 3-receiver combinations focused on post-snap reads, with boundary gift throws. During the middle of the season 2017, we began tagging some single side RPOs (Outs, and slants) and did have success using these. During the 2018 season and early 2019 season we had gotten away from using these for various reasons, but during the mid-2019 season single side RPOs now using more glance, hitch, and out became big staples of our offense.

Evolution: in 2017 when we began using these single side RPOs we wanted to use 3-step slants to attack boundary overhang players. This we felt gave us answers to teams that wanted to load the box using a true 4-3 defensive structure or play single high with two overhang defenders in a 4-2-5 structure.

2018/2019: In 2018 we were starting a new sophomore quarterback and had some younger receivers in spots, and we decided to do different things within our RPO game (not a decision I would make today). In hindsight using single-side RPOs would have simplified things for him and allowed him to make RPOs reads in a way that better fit his play style. Therefore, late in the 2019 season, we moved to use RPOs again and helped our offense grow in a season where due to some circumstances we had to run the football a great amount and saw a great deal of 7-, and the 8-man box looks. At this time, we began using 4-step out routes and 5 step glance routes to attack the single side.

Trends in 2020: In the 2020 season we started seeing a lot more odd front, and a lot of Okie/buck front (5, shade, 4i) to Y off formations. This led us to look for answers, and because of this, we began using 4-step outs to attack these defenses. We felt like the boundary overhang was a run-first player, so because of this, we set the back to the boundary, and either a gap or zone run and tag out to his side. We teach the quarterbacks to read the demeanor of this defender, and if he steps downhill at all to throw the out.

Knight Diagram 1

Knight Diagram 2

 

Out RPO:

Basics of the Concept: When building this concept, we look at a couple of things. The first thing is the alignment of the boundary wide receiver. Regardless if we are running Glance, Hitch, or Out we want him to play with his alignment on the numbers. We encourage the boundary receiver to vary his split if he stays on the number, we typically tell him “Top, Middle, Bottom” we then teach them from there we have to adjust our release and stem based on the route, and leverage of the corner.

 

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Correlating Verbiage in Building a Multiple Zone Pressure System

Correlating Verbiage in Building a Multiple Zone Pressure System

Posted by | Jan 31, 2021 | , | 0 |

By Jason Brown
Linebacker Coach
St. Charles Catholic High School (LA)

 

As always it is a pleasure to represent the St Charles Catholic Football Program writing this article for X&O Labs. It is my goal with this article to share some of our thoughts on Pressure Defense. As a disclaimer, I will always say that it is not my intent to sell you on anything only to share the thoughts that we have on a topic and stimulate thought within the X and O community. Believe me, I was told a long time ago, “there are a lot of different ways to get to Chicago”. These are some of the thoughts that we think get us there until of course, we find a better way to do it. These concepts have been developed and tested over 30 plus years in defensive football. We don’t have all the answers, for sure, but we have OUR answers. As with all coaches, the answers have changed over the years. Some things were great, some things looked great, but we could never teach it good enough, or some answers we just simply got beat in and we had to find a better way to do it. Because of the length limits of this report, there may be times it is necessary to just touch on something and not get too involved. If the article is lacking in some detail, I do apologize but the main goal, as always, is to stimulate thought because that is where I think true growth in this profession starts.

 

Rationale for Pressure:

  1. Part of an attacking culture in the football program.
  2. Get the ball back for the offense in positive field position.
  3. Defense is an attitude!
  4. The complexity of running attacks in today’s offenses makes it harder and harder to read and fit plays effectively down after down.
  5. With the advent of the RPO game, we must have a way to distort the QBs reads and make him make decisions quicker. Disguise can cause QB mistakes, but the question always is “what are you disguising?”.
  6. With the advent of Passing Leagues in the summer, passing games are becoming more and more sophisticated and the QB and skill are getting better and better executing within these systems.
  7. Offensive Menus are growing at an alarming rate and in response, the defenses must have a way to respond to all of this.
  8. Must have a way to aggressively take away time and space from the offense. Make them speed up the decision-making process.
  9. In modern football tackles for loss, turnovers, penalties caused, and three and outs are a big indicator for defensive success. Hard to get these things in modern football unless you force the issue. Do not allow the opposing offense to occupy the ball.
  10. Must be able to snatch momentum back within a game. Defensively we have the best chance to gain the momentum back for our team.
  11. Have answers to the puzzle that the offense is presenting during a series. It does no good if you must get to the sideline to fix a problem. Usually, you are getting to the sideline because the offense has scored on that series.
  12. The addition of pressure and movement adds to the effectiveness of our static defend principles because it lightens the steps of the offensive lineman in the running game and creates doubt in the mind of QBs and receivers in the passing game.

 

Making the Pressure Package Player Friendly

When in the installation process it is important to teach pod concepts to the players that define their techniques within the pressure package. That way they can just start plugging in their technique based on the call. Again, this allows the pressure to make sense to the player on a total level.

 

Defensive Line Zone Pressure Concepts:

Short Stick (Gap slants): Step-dip-rip to the V of the neck of the next offensive lineman in the direction of the movement. Read him as you would if you would have lined up on him.

Long Stick (Face Slants): Step to the face of the player that he is supposed to read. If he gets his face, he will cross it right now. If he gets his butt he will chase it.

Make the Trip: Tackle to the pressure side is long sticking to the Center and the Tackle away from the pressure is looping into the OT. When you have a “Cop” designation you must handle the run in the B gap first, then work outside to contain on a pass.

Anchor: The End in a 3-man front to the backside of the pressure plays a true 5-technique

Take: Penetrate the designated gap on the snap.

Loop-Squeeze: Loop outside with eyes still on your alignment key. If he blocks down, you must squeeze back inside and “Dent” whatever shows.

Belly Button: Step to the belly button of your alignment key. If your key blocks down squeeze off his butt, if your key blocks out slip underneath him.

Sprint: puts the End on the outside path of the pressure side.

Visual: DE visual key the OT. If he blocks down squeeze off his butt. If the OT blocks out twist into the A gap.

Linebacker and Secondary Zone Pressure Concepts: Outside Track: Outside pressure path where the aiming point is the hip of the deepest back in the backfield. If Gun, it is the hip of the closest hip of the QB and RB. Stay on the track and defend the first threat through that track.

Inside Track: Could either be face of the Guard, Face of the OT, or the Face of the Center depending on the call. Pressure the Face of the key: If the key blocks down squeeze tight off his hip. If the key blocks on or out go inside the block and squeeze from there.

Gap: Penetrate the designated gap on the snap reading the inside blocker. Read the V of the neck of the blocker and react accordingly to the blocking scheme. Blocks down= squeeze, blocks you= keep your hat in the crack, pulls= get in the hip pocket. If pass understand your lane in the pass rush.

Key: If you are on a key blitz you have a designated spot in the pattern if it is pass or if the flow is to the pressure side. If it is none of the above, you play football.

Visual: Read the OT. If the OT blocks down, you will squeeze off his butt. If the OT blocks on or out, you will twist into the A gap. It is important to note, as a camp rule, we play linebackers at 4 ½ yards deep and have a downhill attitude based on our keys. When we have pressure happening in front of them, they are instructed to play more in a sideways shuffle to let the pressure pattern work for them. “Go when you know”.  Also, if they are part of the pressure, they must scoot their alignment up to 3 yards as a “camp rule”.

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11 Personnel Counter and Power Read Triple Concepts

11 Personnel Counter and Power Read Triple Concepts

Posted by | Jan 31, 2021 | , , , , | 0 |

By Trenton Fields
Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach
Lexington Catholic High School (KY)
Twitter: @CoachFields01

 

At Lexington Catholic I implemented a spread, 11 personnel, multiple formation offense that attacked defenses vertically as well as horizontally. We wanted to create space and open grass for our athletes with personnel groupings and alignments, putting our skill players in one-on-one opportunities. One way we attacked open grass and created one on one opportunities was by attaching a quarterback read and a bubble screen on the backside of our guard/tackle counter and on the frontside of power read. By attaching a quarterback read and bubble screen on the backside and frontside of our gap scheme, we forced the defensive box players to play run and the defensive secondary to play screen creating large creases in the defense. This strategy kept the defense off balance and put our athletes in one-on-one situations allowing them to make explosive plays.

 

Guard/Tackle Counter Triple

Traditionally, we would backside cut off the end man on the line of scrimmage when we ran GT counter. In spread formations it’s difficult to get that assignment executed without bringing a player in motion or putting a tight end/fullback/sniffer on the backside of the formation. Majority of teams we played squeezed the pulling tackle so hard, it is impossible to hand the tailback the ball without him being tackled for a loss. Instead of blocking the end man on the line of scrimmage we decided to read him, like zone read, and throw the bubble or pitch off the ally defender.

Fields Diagram 1

 

It All Starts in the Box

For counter triple to be as effective as possible, all aspects of the play (GT counter, QB run and the bubble) must be executed and it all starts in the box. Step one, the offensive line must decide who the backside tackle is pulling for by declaring the one. We declared who we are working to because we wanted to create landmarks, but we teach our guys they are responsible for their gap and if someone showed up in their gap they must take them. We determined the one by the first linebacker in the box playside. The playside tackle will declare who the one is by saying, “54 is the one, 54 is the one, 54 is the one!”. By declaring the one, that allowed the offensive line to all be on the same page. Our backside pulling guard understood he is kicking out or logging the C gap defender, not the end man on the line of scrimmage. The guard understands he is responsible for the first body that shows up off the playside tackle’s butt. If the C gap defender comes up field, he will kick him. If the C gap defender squeezes the gap down, he will log him. We teach our tackles to be patient and read the guard’s block. If the guard kicks, the tackle will insert for one. If the guard logs, the tackle will come as tight as possible off the guard’s butt and take the first opposite hat that shows.

Fields Diagram 2

 

Must be able to Read

Our quarterback reads the end man on the line of scrimmage. If the end man on the line of scrimmage chases the pulling tackle, the quarterback pulls the ball and attacks the open grass. I explained in quarterback meetings who the QB is throwing/pitching off (alley defender) but I did not over coach him. If a defender is immediately in your face to make a tackle, throw the football. If there is open grass and you can get 5 to 10 yards, run the football. If the end man on the line of scrimmage comes up field, the quarterback gives the hand off and sells his fake by attacking the open grass. Our coaching point for the quarterback, if he is not going to tackle the back, hand the ball off.

Fields Diagram 3

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“Fixed” vs. “Read” Stunts to Attack Protections From 4-Down Spacing

“Fixed” vs. “Read” Stunts to Attack Protections From 4-Down Spacing

Posted by | Jan 25, 2021 | , , , , | 0 |

By Jeff Long
Defensive Coordinator
John Carroll University (OH)
Twitter: @CoachLongJCU

 

Defenses with a 4 down structure have a variety of options in attacking protections with various line games and pressures. Living and dying by 5- or 6-man pressures to create pressure on the QB can be a dangerous game to play. The stunt world is one that can give additional opportunities to pressure the pocket while still playing your base coverages. The tough task for coaches is to find the stunts that can get you the most bang for your buck while still being able to fit the run properly.

Within our defense, we have two types of stunts: “Fixed” stunts and “Read” stunts. A “Fixed” stunt is going to be executed when called no matter if the offense calls a run or a pass play. These are high risk, high reward: when called in the right situation, they can create an explosive play for the defense. When called in the wrong situation, they can leave you vulnerable to a big play because of their volatile nature when talking about base run fits. A “Read” stunt is ONLY going to be executed if the offense gives a pass read. If the offense gives a run read, then we will play our base front rules. The benefit of investing in “Read” stunts is two-fold: First, they allow your staff to teach and prioritize fanatical eye discipline and get off out of your front four. Secondly, opposing offenses will never know if or when they have been called them unless they give a pass read, thereby hiding tendencies of base vs a movement rush.

In this report, we are going to focus on 3 of our basic “Read” stunts out of the 4 down the defensive front.

 

Front 4 – Basics

 

Long Diagram 1

 

The basic over front vs a 5-man surface will have your defensive ends aligned in 5-techniques and some combination 3 technique/2i technique over the guards. With each defensive lineman in a shaded alignment, their visual key is the tip of the pad of the offensive lineman they are aligned on. From their initial stance, the biggest coaching point will be their eyes. The tip of the pad is going to give our run pass key within the snap of the football. If that pad gains ground = run read if it retreats = pass read. The first step of the defensive lineman must be vertical whether he gets a run or pass read.

The goal against a run read is to create vertical knockback on the offensive lineman you are aligned on.  The goal against a pass read is to beat the offensive lineman to the set line to execute your pass rush plan.  Proper eye discipline will allow the defensive lineman precise hand placement vs the run and proper rush leverage vs the pass. Without getting into all the specifics of basic defensive line play, this teaching point will be consistent as you progress into teaching the “Read” stunts.  Within these “Read” stunts, priority will be placed on their technique as the key to success vs the run or the pass.

 

Read Stunt 1: “Now” Stunt to the 3-tech

Long Diagram 2

 

Purpose: The “Now” stunt is going to attack protections to the side of your 3 technique.

3-Technique (Penetrator) – When given a pass set, the 3 technique’s goal is to “jet” the B gap. Jetting the B gap is defined as getting the helmet “in the crease” of the guard (getting your helmet, behind his outside shoulder pad).  When he achieves this positioning, he will become the contain player through the B gap. If given a run read, the 3 technique will play his normal B gap by attacking the outside third of the guard straining for vertical knockback.

5-Technique (Looper) – When given a pass set, the 5-technique’s goal is to delay the loop to the B/A gap depending on the slide of the protection.  He must sell his up-field rush to press the offensive tackle vertically.  Once the 3 technique has entered the crease, the 5-technique will loop tight off his butt and take the first open window (B or A gap based on the slide of the offensive line) to the quarterback.  If given a run read, the 5-technique will play his normal C gap by attacking the outside third of the tackle straining for vertical knockback.

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