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Two-Gapping the Read Zone Game

Two-Gapping the Read Zone Game

Posted by | Nov 30, 2013 | , , | 0 |

 

By Mike Kuchar

Senior Research Manager

X&O Labs 

Coach Aranda comes to Utah State after four years at Hawai`i, the last two spent as the Warriors’ defensive coordinator after coaching UH’s defensive line the first two years. Last year’s Hawai`i defense led the Western Athletic Conference and was tied for 15th in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) in sacks with 35 (2.7 pg), led by linebacker Art Laurel who ranked third in the WAC and tied for 24th in the nation with nine sacks.

As the defensive coordinator at the University of Hawaii last season, Dave Aranda would get his weekly dose of read zone schemes from teams such as the University of Nevada and Utah State University – which is ironically where he’ll call the defensive shots this season.  So, he’d get frustrated at times watching offenses pre-determine who they were reading in the option game based on pre-snap alignment.  Aranda, who runs a 4-3 base quarters package used to play single-gap control defense and wind up getting gashed for big yardage on zone wind backs because of a numbers advantage on the offense because of his two-safety look.

“No matter how you draw it up, the offense will have four guys at the point of attack – the QB, the tackle, the guard and the running back.  If you’re a one gap type team and you’re playing it that way, whether your have a five and a 1-tech or a 3- and a 5-tech it really doesn’t matter because it’s four on three,” says Aranda.  “You have two DL and one LB.  The DE gets the shaft because he has to play two aspects – the dive, the bend of the dive to the inside out to the QB.  You’re cheating a guy.   An easy answer is to use someone from outside the box and bring him inside the box.  The problem with that is the bubble screens and the now screens that are thrown by these offenses.  Teams will read the LB that is walked out.  If that LB steps up and reads run on the play action to handle QB on zone read.  Once the QB sees him step up, he disconnects from the RB and throws the slant over the top of his head.  It’s a tough play (diagram 1).  I found you needed to get four and four and equate the numbers post-snap.”

So, after years of toiling with it, Aranda has changed to a more unconventional methodology when attacking the read zone schemes – and it comes in the name of equating numbers in the run game by two-gapping players across the board.   Now, we must say it takes a ton of teaching, but if you see this across your schedule like Aranda did in the Mountain West Conference, it may be of interest to what you’re doing.   He calls it getting “four-on-four” concept in the run game and like any other defensive preparation it starts with dissecting which kind of zone read team you are seeing.

 

“Zone” Read Teams vs. “Zeer” Read Teams

When Aranda starts prepping for a read zone team, he makes two vital distinctions.   Are they a zone read team or a Zeer read team?  Sounds like science fiction?  It did to us, at least until he explained it.

  • Zone Read Teams: This means the back is aiming for the outside foot of the guard.  Zone teams cross the center and go to the opposite guard.   There is no real threat of a bend back.  It’s an away side play.  The QB is a threat to run it if you’re not honoring him.  Most teams that run the pure zone read these days will have the back even with the QB because there is no real threat of a wind back – they are looking to puncture (diagram 2). 
  • “Zeer” Read Teams: This is a combination of veer/zone read schemes. These plays hit downhill like a veer.  Now it’s a read because they try to put a two on one conflict on a DE. Many of these schemes are run out of the pistol or the broken pistol formation (diagram 3) that we’re seeing so much of now in the college game. 

“There are two ways teams block it – they zone it or man it,” says Aranda.   “Zoning it is better for offenses.  People will zone the front the LB’s will run to gaps and it would be 4 on 3 and a crease for the back.  Guys would just run to gaps back-side and the Zeer play would hit front side.  You need to have 2 guys take two for one up front and have a LB to fall back.”

 

So when playing the Zeer read teams, Aranda plays with two 2-techniqes who “pre-snap” play B gap responsibility, two 5-techniques who play C gap inside out, with the Mike an A gap player inside out (diagram 4).  But once the zone is declared the back-side 2-technique is the back-side A gap player.  The Guard and Center wind up blocking one 2-techniue while the guard and tackle block the other 2-technique.  Aranda talks about it being the same type of block, but how he coaches it is most important to learning the two-gap scheme.   Since he feels the tackles are the most important component of the scheme, we’ll start there. 

2-Technique: Using the Hard-Shoulder Technique

Aranda aligns his defensive tackles head up the offensive guard and he calls them his read attack player.  His job is to play the back-side block of the guard.  “We will either get a surge to the right or the left,” says Aranda.  “The guard is trying to set him up one way and the tackle will try to knock him out one going inside or the center will knock him out going outside, depending on where the play is going.  The tackle will try to knock him and try to work up to our Mike LB (diagram 5).  He wants to go hips, hands and feet into blocker.  We talk about lifting blockers; we want to block the blocker.  Take him where he wants to go.  As the guard sets up inside, I want to take him inside at a 45-degree angle. We talk about fighting the hard shoulder.”  

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Beating the Blitz

Beating the Blitz

Posted by | Nov 23, 2013 | , | 0 |

By Mike Kuchar Senior Research Manager X&O Labs

watson

Most of the spread coaches that we spoke with stress the value of patience.  They want to be patient with their play calling, choosing to methodically march down the field blocks of yards at a time.  They want their quarterback to be patient with his reads – quickly diagnosing coverage before peppering defensive secondary’s with intermediate throws.  They even want their running back to be patient for gap displacement when running those zone read schemes synonymous with spread offenses.

But, often times patience can crumble – coming in the form of a speed rusher off the edge or a defensive tackle looping around for contain on zone pressures.  While offensive coordinators teach patience, defensive coordinators demand quickness – sending as many rushers to the quarterback as possible without compromising coverage.  Eventually, the offense needs to get plays off in a hurry – and in the face of the blitz.  We’ve surveyed the coaching industry to provide you a report on how to be effective in the eye of the storm, when that zone pressure comes.

Case 1: Identifying Zone Pressures When covering the topic of zone pressures, there is one common denominator amongst all defensive coaches we speak with.  They all tell us the first thing they teach is to “keep the shell” and disguise rotation.  What this means, is that pre-snap the defensive secondary should always resemble some form of a two-safety defense.  Eventually, one of those safeties will need to get to his landmark and coverage responsibility by the time the ball is snapped.  The question is when.  Good coordinators teach those safeties to disguise as much as possible – often dropping a split second before the ball is snapped.

Before we address what we discovered as some of the top defensive indicators to tip off a zone pressure, we went the extra mile for you, offensive coaches, in order to help you better disguise your snap count.  If you’re a shotgun team, the most frequent indicators seem to be some sort of hand or leg movement – such as crossing or clapping your hands so the center can see it or lifting or moving a leg (similar to the classic John Elway move).  If you’re more of an under center quaterback, we’ve found many teams will start their movement when your head comes back to the middle of the formation after looking right and left or the drop of your head immediately before the snap is delivered.

We’ve found that defenses have their “dead giveaways” as well before they start to rotate into their fire zone coverage.  While the majority of offensive coaches will key one of the deep safeties to see who drops pre-snap (54.5 percent of our coaches say that’s the first thing they look for), we’ve found there are a few other indicators that hint at a zone pressure coming your way:

  • The 3-technique DT is in the boundary: Almost all four down teams place their 3-technique to the field or offensive strength.  If he lines up to the boundary and if he’s wide (because he becomes the contain player on pass) chances are a pressure is coming.
  • The nose guard is in a shade alignment rather than a 2i on guard: Again, most four down teams play with a 2i and not a shade.  If he’s in a shade alignment (outside shade of center) there is a good chance he will be crossing the center’s face to get into the opposite A gap.
  • The five technique DE is to the field: Many zone pressure teams blitz from the field (there is more room there, obviously) and that defensive end needs to spike into the A gap.  If he’s tight on that offensive tackle, you can bet he’s coming inside.
  • The spin safety starts to creep: Like we mentioned earlier, he will eventually begin to spin down to take care of his pass responsibility if he’s dropping.  If he’s coming, expect him to creep a lot sooner.
  • The deep safety changes alignment: If the ball is on the hash and that inside safety is now inside the hash and over the center (as opposed to playing his deep half responsibility in most cases) he will be rotating to the middle of the field.  QBs need to see that and expect some sort of three deep, three under pressures.

We were able to spend time visiting with Shawn Watson, the offensive coordinator at Nebraska, who really simplified his methodology in how he prepares to attack zone pressures.  “Really, there will only be three types of pressures you will see,” says Watson.  “You have external (outside) field pressures, external boundary pressures, and finally internal (inside) pressures.  Once we identify those it’s easy to attack them.  Even at our level, rarely is there a balanced pressure team that is effective at all three of those types.  They believe in one thing or another – they won’t do all.  I see a ton of field pressure teams for the most part – where they will overload the field and bring pressure.”

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Create Angles with an Unbalanced Line

Create Angles with an Unbalanced Line

Posted by | Nov 16, 2013 | , , , , | 0 |

 

 

By Justin Webb

Co-Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line Coach

Tioga High School (LA)

 

 

 

 

Tioga LineUnbalanced formations have been around the sport of football for hundreds of years. This concept has been and is being used throughout football in numerous styles of offenses. It all began with the Unbalanced Line Single Wing. Eventually, the Straight T and Wing T came along and were popular in the 60’s and 70’s. It was at that point, formations became balanced with two tight ends and even number of linemen on each side of the ball. From there, we saw the development of the Wishbone Option/Veer offenses from coaches all over the nation. The one concept that all of those offenses and schemes have in common was the utilization of the Unbalanced Line formation.

The Unbalanced Line is identified by the use of an extra offensive lineman on either side of the ball.  This could mean using a “Tackle Over Set” by placing a Offensive Tackle at the Tight End Position or even an extra Offensive Lineman on one side of the ball to create an “unbalance in numbers”. Teams all over the nation and at all levels (pro, college, high school) utilize this concept to create a numbers or strength advantage both in the running game and passing game. Some teams that I enjoy studying and watching employ this tactic are Wisconsin and Michigan State who both employed 5 Offensive Linemen on one side of the ball late in the 2012 season. Option teams such as Georgia Tech, Navy, and Army make use of this tactic pretty regularly as well. Even passing teams such as SMU and Missouri utilize an Offensive Lineman at the TE position to help with pass protection or provide some size and strength for the running game in a predominantly passing offense. There are numerous other teams that employ this strategy and most of those teams were covered in a previous article on X’s and O’s labs a few months back.

“What We Do”

The focus of this article is going to be a little different in its approach to this long-time formational strategy. I am going to show you how we use this strategy to our advantage at Tioga High School. We are an Unbalanced Direct Snap Single Wing offensive team and have been for 1 full season. Our overall philosophy is to outnumber you at the point of attack and create blocking angles to counteract the defense’s overall size and speed. Each and every week defenses must change the overall structure of their defense to defend us. That in of itself is a major advantage for us. This philosophy is a major reason option teams are who they are. We do not devote any time to perfecting the option game. We simply line up running the same Power Off Tackle plays that every run oriented team runs, however we run them out of an Unbalanced Line.

We operate out of our base set, which we call “Right” (See Diagram 1). Our positions are (starting from Right to Left) the Tight End, Outside Tackle, Inside Tackle, Strong Guard, Center, Quick Guard, and Split End. We operate out of this line structure about 85-90% of the time. We have ways of balancing up and getting into a Double TE set, but our bread and butter is the basic Unbalanced Line alignment. We can adjust our backfield and our formations to present a number of different looks in order to outflank and outman a defense at the point of attack. But, the constant variable is that we use an Unbalanced Line.

Slide1

Technique

The secret to any scheme are the fundamentals up front. This is not a “magic pill” offense and/or philosophy. As a whole, we are no different than college teams such as Alabama, Wisconsin, or in many ways Auburn. The key to any offense is that you must be successful up front with the offensive line. These guys must be coached up on fundamentals, steps, and scheme. The most difficult aspect of adopting the overall philosophy of an Unbalanced Line is to make blocking rules and techniques match up to what you coach day in and day out. We are a 100% gap/down blocking scheme. Our feature play is the Power Off Tackle play. Our technique that we implement is Severe Angle Blocking (SAB). We execute 2 different types of techniques with our SAB technique (see diagrams 2 and 3 below).

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Overload to Reduce of Punt Pressure / Returns

Overload to Reduce of Punt Pressure / Returns

Posted by | Nov 2, 2013 | , | 0 |

 

By Tommy Acklin

Defensive Coordinator

Frankfort HS (KY)

 

frankfortAs a Defensive Coordinator, I spend a great deal of time with my defensive unit with adjusting to motions and shifts.  We define motion as one offensive player moving to change the demographic of the offensive set, and a shift is when two or more move from one side of the formation and reset on the other.  Motions and shifts attack the Integrity of defensive structure.  This is done by moving the strength of the formation, to deceptively camouflage attacks to and away.  I’ve applied this same concept with our Punt Protection unit. 

Our base formation is Quads, in which we have the ability to align right or left.  Quads itself places a great amount of stress on a defense; however, the potency intensifies when nine players with eligible numbers are constructed into the formation (Diagram 1).

Slide1

Complementary Formations

There are a variety of ways we can change up this formation using Quads as our base.  These have developed over time as we have added new wrinkles to confuse defenses.  The most basic of these complimentary formations are Load and Heavy.  In Load, we would place the Quads (4, 5, 7,20) to our right.  In Heavy, we will bring #44 and the Quads over to our right, and declares our snapper eligible (Diagrams 2 and 3). 

 

Slide2Slide3

We also have a few lesser used calls that we can tag on to the formations above to create additional looks.  Those tags are as follows (use the diagrams / number above for reference on the alignments of the tags below):

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The Double Wedge: A Simple And Effective Kick Return Scheme

The Double Wedge: A Simple And Effective Kick Return Scheme

Posted by | Oct 20, 2013 | , | 0 |

 

By William Wyrick

Defensive Coordinator

Harnett Central High School (NC)

Editors Note:  Coach Wyrick is in his 5th season at Harnett Central(NC). During his coaching career, his teams have been quite successful including playing for the 4-A State Championship in 2009.  During his 34 year coaching career, Coach Wyrick has been a high school head coach, a defensive coordinator at both the high school and college level, and have also been a head coach in track, tennis, and golf.

When I entered high school coaching, after spending many years as a college coach, I was determined to do three things relevant to designing a successful scheme:

  1. Find the best way to execute schemes that were not dependent upon the talent available to be successful- we all know this can change by season.
  2. I wanted a scheme that could be used on a game to game and year to year basis without a lot of adjustment or additional teaching.
  3.  I wanted schemes that were easy enough to execute to avoid penalties.

We believe that Special Teams are still the best way to out scheme and out coach our opponents. One of our goals is to win the field position battle and as we all know, special teams play a huge part in this. We wanted the Kickoff Return unit to set the tone to open a half or regain momentum after a score by our opponent.

 

When we looked at the Kickoff Return, we were never able to make the wall returns work consistently due to the inconsistency of the kickers we faced. The crossing returns by the front wall were not good to us as we either missed a man or had too many holding or blocking in the back penalties. When we looked at the Double Wedge return, we believed that it gave us what we were looking for without the problems we faced using other returns.

We liked that this return would allow us to return any kind of kick (deep, directional, pooch, sky, squib, even onside), anywhere on the field. It was simple to teach, and simple to adjust week to week. The results were more consistent (field position, touchdowns, lack of penalties) regardless of our talent level.

We have had success with this return on both good and bad teams. We have had two young men tie the state record for returns in a game with two. Just last season, our returner took four back for scores for the season (second in state history).

Double Wedge Philosophy

  1. KISS principle (Keep it Simple, Stupid)– One return for all kicks, get good with repetition.
    1. Maximize practice time- we practice this return on Wednesday and Thursday in season
    2. Most sound scheme for good blocking angles.
    3. Have a coach for each wedge and one for the returners- and coach it as hard as you would your primary position.
  2. Soften coverage by having good position on coverage personnel.
  3. Punch a big hole in the coverage by knocking them down and forcing them to go to the outside of the wedge.
  4. Return man force ball North/South as soon as possible.  To do this, he needs to have confidence in his blockers and accelerate to where you see opening (this is the key element in making this return work).
  5. Expect onside kick every time, but especially after a penalty against us.

Key Factors Determining Success

  1. Sprint to landmarks for good position on blocking angles.
    1. Front Wedge always see ball kicked over your head before you move.
    2. Get shoulder to shoulder and do not trade one for one on your blocks.
  2. No foolish penalties.
    1. Biggest factor in poor field position.
    2. If you can’t put your shoulder in his chest, pass on the block.
  3. Returners have clear communication with each other.
    1. Want Returner (deep man) to catch ball as much as he can by using “You/Me” calls – He is the call guy.
    2. With the Middle Wedge, he will yell “Go, Go, Go” within seven yards of the wedge.

Position Requirements

Front Wedge

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Safety Adjustments in Quarters Coverage

Safety Adjustments in Quarters Coverage

Posted by | Oct 13, 2013 | , , | 0 |

 

mount doraBy Ben Bullock

Defensive Coordinator

Mount Dora High School (FL)

 

 

At Mount Dora High School, our base defense is a 3-4 quarters system. We believe the 3-4 is a perfect fit for us based on several reasons, chief among them being that this three down system perfectly fits our personnel.  Typically, we have many more linebackers and safety type players than defensive linemen. In addition to the way the concept fits our players, we also have found that the 3-4 allows for seamless adaptation to any offensive formation/scheme without forcing us to change our fundamentals.  Much of this change starts with the safeties and the rules that we have in place to keep them in the right place be it run or pass. 

Base Coverage

Our base coverage is a quarters system with half field support calls. The base coverage is built to aggressively stop the run while matching any passing concepts especially play-action. The coverage allows our safeties to be the 8th or 9th player in the box while supporting the point of attack. We make our support calls based on half field formations. The safeties are only concerned with the surface on their half of the field. Our basic defensive alignment is shown below (diagram 1).

Slide1

The entire defense aligns to a field call which we refer to as the hawk call. The safeties look at the surface and make the appropriate support call which is communicated to their half of the defense. The base support for a tight end/wide receiver surface is called READ and the support for twins is called FLIP. We will discuss the safeties responsibilities for each support.

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Inside Bobby April’s Kick Off Team

Inside Bobby April’s Kick Off Team

Posted by | Oct 6, 2013 | , | 0 |

 

 

 

By Mike Kuchar

Senior Research Manager

X&O Labs

 

 

 

bobby april

Now entering his 22st season as an NFL special teams coach, and his first with the Oakland Raiders, Bobby April has been known as one of the premier special teams coaches in the country.  His units with the Atlanta Falcons, Pittsburgh Steelers, New Orleans Saints and now the Raiders have been consistently among the most productive in the league during his tenure in each of those organizations. Recently, X&O Labs’ Senior Research Manager Mike Kuchar was granted exclusive access to Bobby April. This Q&A reveals the details of that meeting – a meeting focused on building a dominating kickoff unit.

  

MK:  Coach April, it’s a pleasure to speak with you. Please identify three to five qualities you look for when selecting kick coverage players? 

 

BA:  The first thing he literally has to be able to run fairly well because there is so much space that has to be covered.  It’s an open field play.  Generally they are going to be more like defensive backs or linebackers taking on a screen.  The point is they have to be close to the ball in order to have any success.  You don’t necessarily need the toughest guys because your toughest guy may be your left tackle who weighs 300 pounds.  You always have a dilemma between toughness and the speed factor.  We’re not talking about combine speed or 40-yard dash speed. I mean functional speed.  I’m looking for guys that play hard, and are explosive, sudden with decision, sudden with separation from blocks.  They may only run a 4.8 but they run at a franatical pace.  You may have a guy that runs a 4.5 but doesn’t want to get down there every kick.  Most teams don’t have enough of them, so you are going to have put guys in fold or contain positions to fill out the team.  We want to strike and be sudden with taking on blocks.  They may not make the play but if they’re the first guys down they may be able to disrupt the dynamics or disrupt the pattern of the return.  You have guys on your team like that and you have to get them on your kick off team. 

 

MK:  What is your general philosophy behind kick off coverage?

BA: You have to treat kickoff coverage like it’s a goal line play. You need to get people up the field.  As you take the best path to the ball, you have to make sure you have inside and in front leverage to the ball.  If you don’t, that’s not the best path.  You have to arrive at the ball with inside shoulder force and inside leverage on the ball.  If there is an obstacle in your way, you have to make a decision on how to evade or beat that obstacle.  If there is a great distance between you and the ball, you have more freedom to use space to your advantage to get away from him.  If the ball carrier is to one side of the blocker and you are opposite, if I’m going around him and going backdoor I can do that as long as I can recover and take a best path to make a play on a head across tackle (similar to a pull scheme as a down lineman, come underneath).  You’re not going to get 10 trained killers on there, so you’re always trying to nurture those guys more than anything else.  It’s more about coaching attitude than technique.  Special teams have more mental obstacles than anything else.  It’s always been obstacles that players have to overcome to realize special teams are important. 

 

MK:  What is the negative stigma that surrounds special teams?  Does it still not get the attention it deserves from coaches and players?

BA: I tell them right from jump street, ‘look, you have not been rewarded in your career from playing on special teams – there were no scholarships for you.  You got a scholarship because of offense and defense.  Nobody rewarded you based on how you blocked on the front five.  In fact, none of those coaches probably even seen you block on the front five.  We drafted you in the second round because of how you played linebacker, not how you covered kicks.  But we still need your talent to go out there and bust your ass on this play.  Your reward is a win. Mentality there is ‘no, I’m here to play linebacker. That’s their mentality.  That’s what you need to overcome.  That isn’t any different now than it was in 1991 when I came into the league. 

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Interview with Jim McNally

Interview with Jim McNally

Posted by | Aug 18, 2013 | | 0 |

 

By Mike Kuchar

Senior Reseach Manager

X&O Labs

 

 

Editor’s Note:  Jim McNally has been alluded to as the “grandfather of offensive line play” during his 41-year tenure as an OL coach.  Continually known for being on the cutting edge of blocking techniques and fundamentals, currently McNally serves as an offensive line consultant for the Cleveland Browns, after having the same position with the New York Jets.  Much of McNally’s resources- including information on his yearly clinic- could be found at coachmcnally.com Mike Kuchar, X&O Labs Senior Research Manager, spent some time talking with McNally this off-season on the newest trends in offensive line play.    Coach McNally and the drill film included in this interview come to us courtesy of SOTL/FBU.  Check out more from them at:  http://www.sotl.com . 

 

MK:  Coach, you always preach that Offensive Line play always starts with the stance.  How have you found lineman to be more effective based on their stance?

JM:  You should get into a stance in which you can get the job done, as it refers to the stagger in the feet.  The Right Tackle in a right handed stance and has to go to his inside and his right stagger is too deep for whatever reason.  I think you need to get more parallel or get in a right handed stance and drop your left foot back because you can’t get to where you have to get to because a coach mandates that you have to have a stance that is a certain way.  Who cares who sees what you’re doing if you have to shift your inside leg a little bit?  I feel that too many coaches worry about giving things away.  Who cares?  They don’t know which scheme you’re running.  In the NFL the guys have so many assignments and responsibilities that I’m not so sure if they can tell if a guy is going left or right.  Whether it could be a reverse, counter, etc.  If it’s third and long and you’re a right tackle, stay up and put your right foot back as deep as you can.  I do know that it’s easier from the left side to put your left hand down and your left foot back in pass pro because it’s easier to get the kick slide on pass protection.  On the left side it’s tough to pass block someone who is wider so the left hand and foot is back.  You don’t want to cross over your body with your right hand. There isn’t many colleges or pro guys right now that are not left handed on the left side.  I think you can play the whole game in a two-point stance.  When you’re in a two-point stance you take that first step you can lower your center of gravity.  Except on third and one or on the goal line- I wouldn’t use the two point in that situation.  The reason I like it is because you can vary your splits pre-snap when a defense shifts.  As soon as you lock yourself down with your hand you can’t make any adjustments.   

MK:  How can offensive lineman gain an advantage by using their splits?

JM:  Unless the defensive team does a lot of stemming, I’m not sure that you should vary your splits.  If two guys have to work together I don’t care if they get foot to foot.  So much of offenses now are double teams and combo blocks.  Well, get foot to foot so that you can execute the block.  The guard sets the integrity of the split.  The defense may know something is up, but they don’t necessarily know that you’re on the backside of a zone play or the front side of a double team play.  If my backside guard is pulling on the power play I don’t care where he lines up.  Just get off the ball.  You may have a bootleg, reverse or naked where that guard pulls.  Do what you have to do to get the job done.  Conversely, if the backside is off the line of scrimmage, the front side should be on.  They need to be able to maneuver their blocks or the pulling guard may not be able to see his assignment if the front side gets knocked off the ball.  The pulling guard has more time and space to see his assignment.

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Defensive Coordinator Research Study

Defensive Coordinator Research Study

Posted by | Jul 28, 2013 | , | 0 |

By The X&O Labs Staff

This installment of our Self Scout Your Career focuses on the many complex decisions that are made throughout the season by Defensive Coordinators.

As we mentioned before, survey is still ongoing (if you or your staff hasn’t taken it yet, check it out here), we wanted to share some of the insight that the surveys have unearthed. We also recognize that while many of you have already taken one survey from selfscoutyourcareer.com, you likely have not seen the results of the other 10 surveys. In addition to the Defensive Coordinator Coach Research Report you are currently reading, we will also be releasing our Special Teams Coordinator Research Report this week.

Here are a few of the highlights you will find in the graphs and questions contained in the Defensive Coordinator Survey results below:

  • 51% of DC’s surveys also serve as their teams linebacker coach.  2nd highest was DB coach with 30%.

  • The 4-3 defense was the most common base defensive front use by the coaches polled (37%).

  • 58% of the DC’s stated that they want their individual periods to last at least 11 minutes.

  • Two thirds (66%) of DC’s carry either 2 or 3 fronts into each game.

  • 56% of defensive coordinators tell us they usually go into each game with between 4 and 6 different blitzes.

 

Check out each of those questions and their responses below and see how the information compares to your team. As always, we would love to hear your thoughts on the data presented in this report. Please feel free to share your opinions and thoughts in the comments section below.

**Note: The data shown below is the current information from our ongoing study. It will likely change over time and as that happens, we will be sure to keep you apprised of the trends as they become apparent. Again, if you or your staff has not already participated, or if you want to just take a different survey (you can use the same email address without a problem) please CLICK HERE.

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ST Coordinator Research Study

ST Coordinator Research Study

Posted by | Jul 28, 2013 | , | 0 |

By The X&O Labs Staff

The final installment of our Self Scout Your Career survey project takes an in-depth look at the trends provide by Special Teams Coordinators.

As we mentioned before, survey is still ongoing (if you or your staff hasn’t taken it yet, check it out here), we wanted to share some of the insight that the surveys have unearthed. We also recognize that while many of you have already taken one survey from selfscoutyourcareer.com, you likely have not seen the results of the other 10 surveys. In addition to the Special Teams Coordinator Coach Research Report you are currently reading, we will also be releasing our Defensive Coordinator Research Report this week.

Here are a few of the highlights you will find in the graphs and questions contained in the Special Teams Coordinator Survey results below:

 

  • Only 7% of ST Coordinator’s surveyed serve their team exclusively in that roll.  The other 93% are at the very least a position coach.

  • 50% of coaches say that they spend the bulk of their ST time with their team doing full team special teams drills.

  • When asked to identify the most “under coached” aspect of special teams, the highest response was FG and Extra Point units.

  • ST coordinators most often choose the “middle return” as the most productive return scheme for the teams that they coached.

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Valparaiso University Quick Passing Game

Valparaiso University Quick Passing Game

Posted by | Jul 26, 2013 | , , | 0 |

By Dale Carlson

Head Football Coach

Valparaiso University

Editor’s Note: Dale Carlson was named the 16th head football coach in Valparaiso University history on Jan. 14, 2010, and is just the seventh leader of the program since 1946. In 2013 he will be entering his 25th season as a collegiate head coach overall, having posted a 111-124-3 career mark. He embarks on year three with the Crusader program.

This fall will be my 25th year as a head college football coach. I have always been involved in a pass first offensive concept with its roots in the Run-and-Shoot. Our Quick Passing Game has always been one of our building blocks as our offense has developed over the years.

Our philosophy of offense is to attack defenses through the air and on the ground to open space given by defensive alignment and scheme. We want our opponents to defend the full width and depth of the football field. The Quick Passing Game is one part of our offense that allows us to accomplish this goal.

Quick Game Protection:

Our basic rules are to be aggressive with our offensive line and backs in the protection scheme. We have blocked the quick passing game in two ways: We have cut at the line of scrimmage at times and we have used a full slide protection with the back on the edge. The most critical aspect of protection in the Quick Passing Game is for all pass protectors to understand the depth of the quarterback as he sets to throw.

 

Our quarterback will be at five yards in depth. The offensive line and backs must give the quarterback a clean pocket and work to keep defensive rushers close to the line of scrimmage.

Hitch/Seam Concept

 

We number our receivers from outside in, 1-2-3. In a 2 x 2 set the fullback is the number 3 receiver. Our assignments are as follows as the basic play is mirrored.

Assignments

  • Number 1 Receiver: Hitch or Fade based on leveraged corner.
    • Bail corner-Hitch at 8 yards.
    • Squat corner-Fade. Take best release possible.
  • Number 2 Receiver: Seam. Must identify One High or Two High Safeties.
    • One High – Run through seam looking for ball at 12-15 yards.
    • Two High – Throttle down at 7-8 yards and protect ball from Safety over the top.
  • Number 3 Receiver: Hook.
  • Quarterback: Determine pre-snap which side you will throw. Take three-step drop from underneath center or one-step drop in Gun.
    • 1. Read Seam defender for Hitch or Seam.
    • 2. Stick Fade in hole vs squat Corner.
    • 3. Check down to Hook.

Hitch/Seam Concept from 3×1 Formations

From 3 x 1 the assignments of the receivers (1-2-3) do not change. However, as Diagram 1 shows the players aligned in those positions have changed.

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Offensive Coordinator Research Study

Offensive Coordinator Research Study

Posted by | Jul 19, 2013 | , | 0 |

By The X&O Labs Staff

This installment of our Self Scout Your Career survey project unearths a tremendous amount of insight into the decisions made by Offensive Coordinators.

As we mentioned before, survey is still ongoing (if you or your staff hasn’t taken it yet, check it out here), we wanted to share some of the insight that the surveys have unearthed. We also recognize that while many of you have already taken one survey from selfscoutyourcareer.com, you likely have not seen the results of the other 10 surveys. In addition to the Offensive Coordinator Coach Research Report you are currently reading, we will also be releasing our Quarterback Coach Research Report this week.

Here are a few of the highlights you will find in the graphs and questions contained in the Offensive Coordinator Survey results below:

  • Over half of offensive coordinators (54%) also serve as their teams Quarterbacks Coach which is more than double the second place option which was Offensive Line Coach (25%). 

  • 42% of offensive coordinators classify their offenses as “spread (no tight end).“

  • Contrary to the current belief that periods need to be 5 minutes at the most, the reseach shows that 80% of the coordinators still prefer team periods that are over 10 minutes long.

  • 51% of the coaches surveyed restrict live (1’s v 1’s) practice periods to 2 or less per week.

  • 50% of OC’s prefere the concept system of teaching passing plays to the numbers system (7%).  The remainder combined the two approaches. 

Check out each of those questions and their responses below and see how the information compares to your team. As always, we would love to hear your thoughts on the data presented in this report. Please feel free to share your opinions and thoughts in the comments section below.

**Note: The data shown below is the current information from our ongoing study. It will likely change over time and as that happens, we will be sure to keep you apprised of the trends as they become apparent. Again, if you or your staff has not already participated, or if you want to just take a different survey (you can use the same email address without a problem) please CLICK HERE.

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Quarterback Coach Research Study

Quarterback Coach Research Study

Posted by | Jul 19, 2013 | , | 0 |

By The X&O Labs Staff

The last offensive position that we will look at this summer as part of our Self Scout Your Career survey project is the Quarterback position.

As we mentioned before, survey is still ongoing (if you or your staff hasn’t taken it yet, check it out here), we wanted to share some of the insight that the surveys have unearthed. We also recognize that while many of you have already taken one survey from selfscoutyourcareer.com, you likely have not seen the results of the other 10 surveys. In addition to the Quarterback Coach Research Report you are currently reading, we will also be releasing our Offensive Coordinator Coach Research Report this week.

Here are a few of the highlights you will find in the graphs and questions contained in the Quarterback Survey results below:

  • 57 % of quarterback coaches surveyed spend the most individual time on movement/footwork drills.

  • Only 31% of teams surveyed run 50% or more of their plays with their quarterback lined up under center.

  • Two thirds of the coaches polled tell theirquarterbacks to hold the football “in whatever way they feel most comfortable.”

  • Nearly half (49%) of the coaches in our survey teach their players to step at the target to increase accuracy. 

  • Coaches are choosing to teach their QB’s to “read specific players” more than any other method (50%).

Check out each of those questions and their responses below and see how the information compares to your team. As always, we would love to hear your thoughts on the data presented in this report. Please feel free to share your opinions and thoughts in the comments section below.

**Note: The data shown below is the current information from our ongoing study. It will likely change over time and as that happens, we will be sure to keep you apprised of the trends as they become apparent. Again, if you or your staff has not already participated, or if you want to just take a different survey (you can use the same email address without a problem) please CLICK HERE.

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Press DB Resources

Press DB Resources

Posted by | Jul 16, 2013 | | 0 |

By X&O Labs Staff

As a follow up to the release of our press DB study, we have compiled a list of our best press DB resources for our X&O Labs readers.  Click the links below to read and watch some great instructional resources.

Desmar Black Press Technique Clinic Report

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Defensive Back Coach Research Study

Defensive Back Coach Research Study

Posted by | Jul 14, 2013 | , | 0 |

By The X&O Labs Staff

The next position that we have broken down as part of our Self Scout Your Career survey project is the ever important Defensive Back position.

As we mentioned before, survey is still ongoing (if you or your staff hasn’t taken it yet, check it out here), we wanted to share some of the insight that the surveys have unearthed. We also recognize that while many of you have already taken one survey from selfscoutyourcareer.com, you likely have not seen the results of the other 10 surveys. In addition to the Defensive Back Coach Research Report you are currently reading, we will also be releasing our Wide Receiver Coach Research Report this week.

Here are a few of the highlights you will find in the graphs and questions contained in the Defensive Back Coach Survey results below:

  • 57% of coaches surveyed identify their team as a pattern read team as opposed to spot drop/zone teams or man teams.

  • Only 31% of teams distinguish their corners based on the field and boundary with the majority using “right and left” to identify their corners.

  • 64% of coaches use the hip of the receiver as their aiming point in man coverage.

  • Two high coaches seem split on assigning the pre-snap read for safeties with 43% having their plays key #2 and 37% having them key #1.

  • Single high safety coaches, on the other hand, key the first uncovered lineman most often among the choices given.

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