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Multiple Coverage and Pressure Distribution to Defend 3×1 Formations

Multiple Coverage and Pressure Distribution to Defend 3×1 Formations

Posted by | Feb 1, 2020 | , , | 0 |

By Steve Erxleben
Defensive Coordinator
South River High School (MD)
Twitter: @CoachErxleben

 

In today’s modern challenge of defending offenses that feature multiple formations made up of multiple personnel groupings with multiple forms of tempo, defensive schemes have to be sophisticated enough to challenge the run, pass, and protection schemes while also be simple enough to allow players to play fast. As a defensive staff here at South River High School, we decided years ago to transition from more of a base front and coverage team to a scheme rooted in zone pressure and match-carry-deliver principles on the backend.

This past season in 2019, out of 666 plays in 11 games, we zone pressured 72.8% of the time in multiple down and distance, personnel, and +/- situations out of multiple fronts, pre-snap movements, and coverages. Of those 666 plays, 172 were 10 personnel 3×1 with 121 of those plays being passes. As a defense vs 3×1, we had a 41% completion rate (50 of 121) and registered 17 of our 47 sacks as a defense.

Within our culture defensively and as a staff, we believe with the personnel we have and the style offenses within our league, hanging our hat on zone pressure allows our scheme to be balanced, have specific force and alley rules, has a reduced amount of checks, is highly adjustable, and allows us to prevent explosive plays, all allowing our players to play fast. 

Over the past few seasons teams, especially in passing situations, have used 3×1 formations to out-leverage, out-formation, and establish situations where we have a conflict defender in an RPO read to attempt to get us to abort our pressure patterns and play a max coverage. To combat this, we have had to make some adjustments and checks to how we come after 3×1 formations without losing our pressure identity, especially in passing situations.

When defending a shotgun offense, the initial question most coaching staffs have is will they set the front or in some cases bring pressure to or away from the back. The same can be said for trips in that a decision has to be made in a “blitz the formation” situation, will you blitz trips or bring pressure away? Our philosophy is to major in both pressures to and away from trips without losing our ability to send 5 in the blitz pattern.

3×1 Thought Process:

Before deciding on what pressure schemes and 3×1 adjustments from a coverage aspect best fit what an opponent is running out of 3×1, it is important to consider some of the following items. Obviously, all of these are basics when scouting an opponent and there are probably others dependent upon the opponent but for the sake of argument, it does have an impact on the eventual schemes run versus any opponent:

What personnel grouping is making up 3×1 (10, 11, 12, etc.)?

For this article, we will focus on more of a traditional 3×1 made up of 10 personnel but it is warranted to address TE trips, Trips bunch, Trips Inverted (Trio) and if in some sort of 20 personnel grouping is the H back close enough in either a wing or sniffer situation to be considered truly #3

What is the alignment of the Back?

When we look at 3×1 or any formation where the RB is in the shotgun our terminology has always been if the RB is to the side of trips making him #4 strong we have coded that as a ”Near” formation, so, for example, we would label the below formations “Trips Gun Near” (DIAGRAM 1).

DIAGRAM 1

Diagram 1

 

If the Back were to be away from trips and be #2 weak, we would refer to that formation as “Far”.  (DIAGRAM 2)

DIAGRAM 2

Diagram 2

 

Also, from a run and pass protection perspective, the depth of the back, whether even, aligned 1×1, aligned wide and in front or any other alignments can be a pre-snap tell of pocket movement, play-action, or protection aspects. In both Diagrams 3 and 4, the RB is in what we call an “UP” alignment, which usually is a pre-snap tendency for either outside zone, power read or some sort of RPO or play-action off either run action.

DIAGRAM 3

Diagram 3

 

DIAGRAM 4

Diagram 4

 

1) Is the Formation Open or closed on the backside and if it is open, what is the spacing of #1 weak when in the MOF?

Obviously, if #1 is attached and is the EMOL, dependent upon where the ball is either hash, MOF or if there is a Formation into the boundary situation and #1 weak is to the field, most defenses would feel comfortable playing some sort of man principle on the backside and flooding the trips side with a 5 over 3 or 4 over 3 situation. Another thing to consider is the width of #1 if he detached. We have a divider rule using the numbers in our regular Rip/Liz match concept against a 2×2 formation with regards to leverage and apply that rule to the split of #1 weak. Also, who #1 is (is he their best 1 on 1 receiver, etc.) can factor into this as well.

2) What is the split of #2 and #3 and their relationship to #1?

In 3×1 #1 strong usually, by a general tendency we have found, gets the ball the least due to the distance away from the QB so the split of #2 and #3 in terms of inside, outside, or vertical routes they may be running can have an effect on where pressure is coming from due to how long the QB is designed to hold the ball in terms of quick game, 5 step, screen, RPO, play-action, etc.

In general, after opponent film study and evaluation of defensive personnel, it can be determined, with some of the information from above, what pressures and coverages will be run when blitzing INTO trips and what pressures and coverages will be run when blitzing AWAY FROM trips.     

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“Duo” Philosophy in the Inside Zone Concept

“Duo” Philosophy in the Inside Zone Concept

Posted by | Feb 1, 2020 | , , | 0 |

By Adam Hovorka
Managing Editor
X&O Labs
Twitter: @XOLabs_Editor

 

Note: In addition to his duties as Managing Editor of X&O Labs, Adam Hovorka also serves as an assistant coach at Plainedge High School (NY). Plainedge High School won the 2019 NY state championship.

We are a spread football team that wants to run the football teams using multiple formations and personnel groups.  We will read almost everything in the run game and the inside zone is the foundation of our offense.  Our inside zone allows us to attack the defense between the tackles, in the C gap and on the numbers.  We feel this play gives us the ability to get our playmakers the ball in space.  We also feel it is a play that will be effective vs both three man and four man front structured defenses.  The play also allows us to be very multiple yet very simple.  We have different tags that will change things for certain individuals and build our offense but keep things the same for the offensive line. 

Our inside zone is a little different than typical zone read.  First, our offensive line is looking for double teams and vertical push at the point of attack.  Our offensive linemen are not all stepping the same direction but rather looking for double teams and movement. Some coaches refer to this concept as “Duo,” or two double team opportunities at the line of scrimmage.

Most inside zone teams have their offensive line all step the same direction as the play.  If the play is IZ right the entire offensive line would step right and try to get horizontal movement.  On our zone right our offensive line is looking format least two double teams vs a 4man front.   The backside Tackle and Guard will be stepping toward the three tech tackle and the center and play side guard will both be stepping toward the one tech.  In both cases the lineman want vertical push staying on the combination block until the backer commits.  

Coaching Points:

  • Your Offensive Line has to work combination blocks every day! We want movement on that first level and tell our guys to stay on that first level until the LB starts coming downhill.

  • Coaching the quarterback and running back in a live read period every day is another must. Coaches, you should start as the defensive player being read so you can see the quarterback’s eyes and makes sure he is looking where you want him to be looking.  As you add the triple part of the play, the read needs have a ball in his hand as the read.  On any give read, you as the read player flip the ball to the qb so he can carry out the next phase of the play. 

  • We don’t over complicate the mesh portion of the read. We tell the QB he is responsible for the decisions.  When we have a QB who we want with the ball, we tell him if the read would tackle him then pull the ball.  Years when our back is the guy we want with the ball; we tell the qb to give unless the read is going to tackle the back.   

  • Centers have to be part of the mesh period and work in pre-practice on snaps and timing.

  • Coaches you must give the qb tough some fast reads for teams that blitz off the edge.

  • We would never use all these variations in a given game or maybe in a given season. Match-up what you have personnel wise to what your quarterback can handle mentally.   

 

Our aiming point for the back is the play-side hip of the center. 

Diagram 1

Diagram 1B

Our back is told to bang it in up there or cut back behind the player who was the initial read.  We call that bending it back and feel this where we have the best success with the play.

Diagram 2

Our mindset with this play is more old-school inside veer getting downhill right away.  Our back, whether he is in pistol or aligned on the side, will have his shoulders square to the LOS and be ready to attack downhill right now.  We feel this quickness of the downhill action makes the read easier for the QB because the defensive end has to declare what he is doing right away.

Our first variation for our inside zone is attaching the option after the QB’s initial give or pull read.  We can do this from a two-back formation or have the slot be the pitch with an easy motion.

Diagram 3

Diagram 4

We do this as a way to force defenses to play sound assignment football.  This enables us to have an opportunity to get our playmakers the ball in space. We also like the idea of having our slot WR’s not always having to block the outside backer types.  Now, instead of blocking them we can pitch off that backer and always make him wrong. 

Our next variation has become a staple of our offense and has created many big plays for us.  Instead of having a pitch player we can just tag a bubble as the third option instead of pitch.

Diagram 5

It is also a pre-snap read for the QB and receiver running the bubble.  This forces teams to play a little closer on our slots thus creating some more room for the QB on pull reads. We like this variation as it now forces teams to defend the entire width of the football field and one missed tackle can be a big play. Coaches, in our bubble we have the slot backpedal and show his chest to the quarterback.  We just feel this is a much easier throw for the QB to make while he is one the move and often has a defender in his face. 

There will be times when we just want to give the ball and eliminate the read part of the play.  Here we just have an H-back or TE type line up in an H-Back position and come across the formation and block the read.

Diagram 6

This is your

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11/20 Personnel Unbalanced Gap Schemes

11/20 Personnel Unbalanced Gap Schemes

Posted by | Jan 31, 2020 | , , , , | 0 |

By Scott Girolmo
Head Football Coach
Battlefield High School (VA)
Twitter: @CoachSGirolmo

 

 

It is so fun for me to share this simple scheme with all the readers of X and O labs. I want to be sure to credit two coaches who were instrumental in helping to teach me small parts of using an unbalanced 5-man surface. The first is Thad Wells, and the second is Terry Hessbrook. I stole from both, and I am very grateful for their willingness to talk ball with me. They are brilliant coaches.

 

The Unbalanced 5-Man Surface

Born from a creative necessity, the use of the unbalanced 5-man surface can help to maximize the stronger personnel within your offensive line unit and help to protect the weaker personnel by putting them in easier blocking scenarios. This was one the initial draws for me, and I believe that it can be a weapon within what you already do in your 20/11 personnel offense with minimal disruption to your operating system.

Diagram 1

Diagram 2

 

I like to label this front differently than our normal balanced 5-man surface. The position breakdowns are as follows.

Diagram 3

 

The Quick Tackle – This is the short-side offensive lineman, and the place where I would put my best lineman. His alignment can be with a wider split if he can play in space. In our offense I like this player to be our quickest guy off the ball, because he will often be required to post a gap combo block and work his way off to the I.D. who is a quicker Linebacker scraping. In addition, some of our change-up plays require him to pull to the strong side, and a nimble-footed player allows us to run power back to the strength.

The Center – One of the advantages to using this front is that against ODD defenses it can often uncover him and allow him to block back and zone up. Admittedly this was one of my early attractions, as the “TITE” front and “OKIE” defenses with physical Nose Tackles were giving our weaker center’s a hard time.

The Inside Guard. – The inside guard plays to the strong side of the front, and can be a slower, less skilled lineman. He is protected heavily on both sides, and we find that against most defenses he spends his time blocking back. This is the first place you can hide a player who is not very good but must play out of necessity as you haven’t got many linemen, or he is the biggest of the bunch.

The Strong Guard – The Strong guard is the next best offensive lineman to the Quick Tackle for us. That is simply because we like to have him actively pulling in this scheme. We want a guy who can skip pull and navigate the surface to insert and get his hands on the play side inside linebacker. In addition, we like him to be able to identify when our strong tackle needs to cut because there are interior defenders threatening.

The Strong Tackle – The strong tackle position is the ultimate hiding spot. He is so far away from the ball that you can basically put anyone there. We have been best with this scheme when we have had a small, nimble guy who was great with the gap-hinge technique and could reach-cut off when we saw junk-fronts.

 

Unbalanced Surface in the Spread Power Offense

Incorporating the unbalanced surface in our spread power offense provided several awesome advantages that helped our already versatile 20/11 personnel run game. Due to the alignments of most defenses, and the likely adjustment to declare a new center, we can often get better angles for our A-Gap Power run game. Along those lines, one of the byproducts that I like personally as a coordinator is that the play hits so vertically because the mesh point is along the QBs mid-line. We vary the backfield sets quite a bit, but our favorite action to create is the running back crossing the face of the quarterback. The cross-face mesh influences the eyes of the linebackers and helps us to hold the ID in place for a count, so we can establish the point of attack combo and get our quick tackle off in time to seal him back side. To manipulate the front-side defenders, this short-edge is easier to sprint out to, provides a quick read for speed option and mid-line, and creates a better visual cone for the QB in our second and third level run pass options.

Below you will find the excerpt from our playbook describing our weak-power scheme and the base run in this offensive front.

Diagram 4

 

  1. OLINE
    1. Quick Tackle –
      • Rules: Block man on, down, to ID Linebacker
      • Coaching Points: Listen for ID from Center / snapper. Eyes up, hips down, hands tight
    2. Center –
      • Rules: ID first Linebacker Back Side of the Mid-Line. Block man on, drive the combo. +1 Technique, work Zone Combo, -1 Technique, work Gap Combo.
      • Coaching Points: Alert if there are 3+ in the cone. Eyes up for A-Gap. “DOWN” any Cross-Dogs. Vs. Zero call for Play-side Fresno and Base Drive PS V-of the Neck.
    3. Inside Guard –
      • Rules: Block Man on, or Block Back if Uncovered.
      • Coaching Points: Listen for Center ID – Protect BS A-Gap First! 2 Tech – Call for a Fresno
    4. Strong Guard –

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20/30 Personnel Wide Zone Package via William and Mary’s “Go-Go” Formation

20/30 Personnel Wide Zone Package via William and Mary’s “Go-Go” Formation

Posted by | Jan 26, 2020 | , , | 0 |

By Adam Hovorka
Managing Editor
X&O Labs

 

Coach Marion has been using the Go-Go offense for the last 8 years with a ton of success.  First at HS, then Howard University and now William & Mary with great results. The offense is predicated on, tempo, spacing, big plays, a multitude of formations, motions, personnel groupings, and triple-option principles.  Coach Marion says he wants the defense to cover multiple plays on every play.  Coach says he watched the old Navy films with Roger Staubach films and started thinking if he can attach reads to every single run game this would be difficult to defend. So, he began figuring out how to make every run in the offense a triple-option concept.  Coach says that his offense is triple option football and everything in the run game is dictated by two-or three-man surfaces.  Any two-man surface they see will be a triple-option run with the QB knowing whom his pitch key is based on the call. 

Coach Marion says he will have at least two options on every run play and sometimes there as many as four options on any given play.  One of the new ideas that Coach Marion is employing is the use of 20 personnel formations with both backs to the same side of the quarterback. Coach Marion, says he favors this alignment, “because it creates a three-headed monster in the backfield, without losing anything in the passing game. You know are dictating to the defense when you have three eligible guys that can touch the ball at any given time and you still have to cover the WR’s and TE on the outside”   There is no difference in the two backs that play those two spots, they both are asked to do what they need to do in any play in the offense.  It is important to know that both backs are threats to run and catch the ball on any play

Diagram 1

Diagram 2

There is a myriad of ways Coach Marion will build his two back formations:  Pro with a TE and WR to one side opposite a solo WR. Twins, with two WR’s to one side opposite an On the Line TE, slot, with two WR’s to one side and a solo WR opposite.  The splits of the WR’s will also be constantly changed to take advantage of angles and certain play calls.

Just like any other spread offense the backs can be moved all over the formation based on the play.  Coach Marion uses the term “performance alignment” to explain where the backs will align.  Coach stresses that the backs will know their alignment based on the play call.  Another popular alignment is both backs in an I to one side of the Quarterback, with the depth changing based on the play call. 

Diagram 3

Diagram 4

The Backs will also align with one back in Pistol behind the QB and another even with the QB to the right or left. 

Diagram 5

Diagram 6

Coach Marion will also utilize some 30 personnel formations.

Diagram 7

Here you can see the deep back in pistol and two up backs behind the tackles but turning their bodies perpendicular to the line of scrimmage.  Coach Marion likes this formation to give defensive players false keys and mess around with their eyes when those guys start going across the formation.  Another popular formation will be the use of two split backs on both sides of the QB and using an off Y as a sniffer back. 

Diagram 8

The offense is also very series-oriented meaning; there is the base play that sets up the rest of the plays in the series.  Coach Marion will have his base play, multiple tags for the third phase of the option, a reverse with the option to pass the ball, a Play Action Pass with various routes structures, and screens with all the same actions. We will look at the outside zone/stretch series first.

Wide Zone

One of the base plays that William & Mary runs is the Wide Zone.  This play sets up one of their most successful series. The blocking is like how most other teams run Wide Zone.  The Play side Tackle is trying to reach that EMLOS and if he cannot then the tackle will just drive him out.  The other OL are working in unison, stepping laterally to the play side, doubling the covered men and working up to the second level.  The back getting the ball is taught that this is 1-2 read.  The back is reading the first down lineman to the second and will insert where those reads tell him to insert.  The RB must know that this a one-cut run. This will always be at least a double option with the QB reading the backside end on the play.  For the sake of all the descriptions, the back closer to the QB is the RB and the back on the other side of the RB is the F.  Coach Marion will have the F lead for the QB on a pull read opposite the wide zone and block the force play opposite the Wide Zone.  This forces the defense to defend the entire width of the play. 

Diagram 9

Triple Option

Coach Marion will attach a route to the back not running the Wide Zone to make the play a true triple-option The QB and RB will execute their normal Wide Zone read and, on a pull, the QB is reading the force defender for the third phase of the play.  The F, back further away from the QB, will run at the DE and delay a second and run the route called, usually an arrow route or option route stretching the defense.  The running back running a route will act as the “pitch” phase of a triple-option.  The QB will have the ability to throw the route or run the ball if the backer/safety being read is aggressively playing the pass route.  Coach Marion will also have the slot run the bubble as the third phase of the option and have the F lead on the edge giving the QB a lead on the pull phase of the read.

Diagram 10

Diagram 11

Play Action Pass

Just like any option offense, the opportunity to run play-action passes will present itself once the defense must commit secondary pl

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The 52-40-8 Dogma of UST Football Culture: How to Attain Accountability and Balance in All Three Phases

The 52-40-8 Dogma of UST Football Culture: How to Attain Accountability and Balance in All Three Phases

Posted by | Jan 26, 2020 | | 0 |

By Mike Kuchar
with Glenn Caruso
Head Football Coach
University of St. Thomas (MN)

 

As one of the top Division 3 football programs in the country, the University of St. Thomas (MN) continually finds itself at the top of nearly every statistical category on all three phases of the game. Consider the following statistics over the last three seasons, which are all national rankings:

 

2019

  • #6 in scoring offense (47.9 ppg)
  • #12 in scoring defense (14.7 ppg)

 

2018

  • #3 in scoring offense (48.3 ppg)
  • #6 in scoring defense (10.2 ppg)

 

2017

  • #4 in scoring offense (47.2 ppg)
  • #5 in scoring defense (11.2 ppg)

 

2016

  • #2 in scoring offense (47.1 ppg)
  • #3 in scoring defense (12.3 ppg)
  • #4 in blocked punts (4)

 

2015

  • #2 in scoring offense (51.3 ppg)
  • #9 in scoring defense (12.5 ppg)
  • #4 in blocked punts (4)

 

 

This synergy doesn’t happen naturally. It’s the result of a mission created by Coach Caruso and his staff that has continually been cultivated over the last twelve seasons since he’s been the head coach there. The results have been astronomical. In those twelve seasons, the Tommie’s have compiled a 126-21 record (.857 win %), including a 72-12 record in MIAC play. It’s a win percentage that has only been eclipsed by other divisional powerhouses like North Dakota State and the University of Alabama. They have been mainstays in the NCAA Division 3 playoff landscape making eight appearances, including two Stagg Bowl trips during that time.

The culture that Coach Caruso has established in St. Paul is built upon accountability and responsibility. After all, we should know. We spent a couple days there in the spring of 2017 and the synergy is palpable. It’s rare to find a player late for a meeting and even more rare to find a pair of eyes not centered on Coach Caruso’s sub 6-foot framework as directs his team meetings, which often center on what he calls “common sense” frameworks that can apply to either side of the ball (more on that below).

We wanted to talk to Coach Caruso on balance and equities with all three phrases of the ball. We should mention that he’s strictly the overseer of these disciplines- he’s delegated offense to offensive coordinator Bruce Carpenter while defensive coordinator Wallie Kuchinski has been with him since he took the job in 2008. It’s clear he’s made the right hires, as each of these individuals have fostered that responsibility to their units. According to Coach Caruso, it’s a responsibility that can often be ignored particularly if a prominent offensive coordinator all of a sudden becomes entrusted with head coaching duties- as he had. “If you are a head coach with an offensive coordinator background it is important to recognize that you have a greater responsibility to your defense,” he told us. “You have to find a way to defend a lesser number of plays than you do with your offense finding way to score points.” For example, in 2017, the University of St. Thomas averaged 72 plays per game on offense, but only had to defend 53 on defense that season. “But the difficulty is that when someone gets there as a previous offensive coordinator they’ve gotten the job because of their success as a coordinator. Their main job was to score points, now the main job has shifted into making sure your offense fits what you’re asking out of your defense.  You realize the importance of field position. And you know part of the liability and responsibility of how many times your special teams’ units and defense are on the field directly correlates to the way and style of what you run on offense.”

That all sounds great, but like most good coaches Coach Caruso meticulously worked a process to get to that result and he revealed that process to us. It’s a plan that is segmented around three main components:

  • Staff Buy-In
  • Player Buy-In
  • Practice and Game Management

 

Cultivating Staff Buy-In

 

Hiring Coaches

It starts with the hiring the right people or as author Jim Collins wrote in “Good to Great,” getting the right people on the bus. So, before Coach Caruso makes his hires he outlines the parameters he wants to govern his program, with the installation method of systems and how he positions personnel placement at the forefront. 

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Pairing Cover 0 Pressures with Stick Coverage to Win 3rd Down

Pairing Cover 0 Pressures with Stick Coverage to Win 3rd Down

Posted by | Jan 25, 2020 | , , , , | 0 |

By Pete DeWeese (X&O Labs)
Featuring Mike Fox
Defensive Coordinator
College of Brockport (NY)
Twitter: @coachmfox1

 

   

After back-to-back seasons of finishing 5-5, College of Brockport Head Coach Jason Mangone needed to improve his staff.  In 2016 he brought Mike Fox to coordinate the Golden Eagle Defense.  After eight seasons as the DC at St. John Fisher College, Coach Fox came to Brockport with an aggressive style that would change the way that Brockport played defense.  In his first season as the defensive coordinator, Coach Fox and the Brockport defense ranked 3rd in the nation with six defensive touchdowns while averaging over two sacks a game. The 2017 season proved to be the best in program history, with the Golden Eagles going 13-1 behind a strong offense and great defense.  In 2018, Coach Fox’s third season in Brockport, the Golden Eagle defense relied on pressure to post some of the best numbers in Division 3 football.  Coach Fox’s defense led the nation in rushing defense (6.8 yards per game), 3rd Down Defense (15% success rate), and 4th Down Defense (14% success rate) while finishing in the top 5 statistically in Total Defense, Red Zone Efficiency, Pass Efficiency Defense, Sacks, and Interceptions.

Coach Fox and his defensive staff believe in an attacking style.  To borrow from the University of Michigan Defensive Coordinator Don Brown, Coach Fox says that at the College of Brockport, they like to “solve their problems with aggression.”  Coach Fox and his staff place an emphasis on winning 1st down.  Their players understand that winning 1st down will often lead to a 3rd down situation that favors the defense.  Coach Fox says, “Any situation that I can be more and more aggressive I am going to try and take advantage of it.  I try as much as possible to deflate an offense, deflate their quarterback, and deflate their team as much as I can mentally.  That is a great way to do it.  If it is 3rd & long and we sack them for another 8-10 yards, or another five yards, that is not as much field position, but it is more mentally taxing on an offensive coordinator and an offensive player.”  While Coach Fox is aggressive in most situations, he loves to attack in 3rd & Long situations and often find himself relying on their “Sticks/Pressure” package to get the defense off of the field. For the season, the College of Brockport relied on this package for 52% of their 3rd & long snaps.  By the end of the season Coach Fox estimates that this package constituted as high as 80% of his 3rd & Long calls. 

While many coaches seem more comfortable sending 5 & 6 man pressures on mid to short yardage situations, Coach Fox thinks otherwise: “In third & long situations, especially 10 plus, a lot of guys will think ‘hey, let’s play some max coverage. Let’s rush three and keep everything in front of us’ but I feel like you get the same thing out of your sticks package.  You keep everything in front of you, but you only give the quarterback a second and a half, to no more than two seconds, to get the ball off.  So, if he is forced to throw a ball that is not going to be caught at the sticks, then as long as we can do a good job of coming up and tacking, and as long as we have good vision on the quarterback when he throws the ball, we can come up and make the stop.”

 

Understanding the Sticks Package:

Coach Fox and his defensive staff employ several different pressures and can pair those pressures with a myriad of coverages.  Their “Sticks” package consists of a number of pressures paired with their “Sticks” coverage.  This particular coverage concept blends zone & man principles.  Unlike traditional man-to-man concepts where the defender is going to key the receiver that he is assigned, the College of Brockport’s “Sticks” coverage looks and reacts like a catch-man technique, but the alignment and footwork (combined with the attached pressure) allows the defensive back to play with zone eyes and drive routes when the ball is thrown.  

Unlike fire zone pressures, the sticks coverage concept doesn’t rely on defender’s that are moving on the snap to jump underneath routes or put a soft top on the defense.  Instead, this coverage principle allows defensive backs to protect themselves with a cushion and still match the route as it declares.  So, what separates this concept from traditional catch-man?  For starters, the aforementioned eye placement for the DB is different than most man-to-man principles.  The concept also tends to be less risky for the defense as Coach Fox points out, “So our eyes are on quarterback and then we are going to transition our eyes to the receiver once we see the shoulder and the ball being thrown.  It can be a tough thing to do, but the good thing about it is it’s almost like a zone-man concept where we get three to four guys running to the football.  This way if we do happen to miss a tackle and we are in cover zero it’s not going to be a 60, 70, 80 yards gain.  Where if you are playing straight man press it would be that case so it’s a little safer in my opinion.”

 

Teaching Sticks Coverage:

Coach Fox and his staff do a good job of scaffolding their teaching and building on the concepts that they already have in place.  Teaching this coverage is no different.  From a technique standpoint, players are told: “Eyes on the QB first.  Any time that we are teaching any zone concept we teach eyes on the QB first.  So, if every one of our guys are going to get a 3 step or 5 step read.  We work that quite a bit.  So that is really what they are looking for.  We tell those guys that you’ve got a second and a half.  Find out where his intentions are first, because he’s never coming to his second read.  Once we see that, like if his shoulders are pointed away from me, that is now my responsibility and I am going to the football.”

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Six-Man Pressures Combined with 2-Under, 3 Deep Coverage

Six-Man Pressures Combined with 2-Under, 3 Deep Coverage

Posted by | Jan 19, 2020 | , , | 0 |

By Mike McElroy (with Adam Hovorka)
Defensive Coordinator
Bethel University (MN)
Twitter: @McElroy26
(Special Reporting by Cory Bailey)

 

 

Bethel University and defensive coordinator Mike McElroy utilize primarily a one-high defense that bases in Cover 3 and variations of Man-Free.  To compete in the ultra-competitive MIAC, Coach felt he needed a pressure package that would enable them to be aggressive in having the ability to send six but not live and die playing straight man coverage without deep middle help.   Coach McElroy felt the best way to be able to bring six but be safe in coverage is to play 2-under, 3-deep coverage.  Bethel will employ this mostly of out of dime personnel with some more speed on the field upfront. 

Bethel is a Man Free / Cover 3 team.? Defensively, everything they do is disguised out of a Cover 1 look.? This 3 under/ 2 deep look is a great compliment to cover 1/3.? Before the snap, the objective is to make it look the same.? It’s a pressure package that is also ideal against the run.  Bethel also likes to run this in the red zone (the coverage adjusts slightly), or end of the half – end of the game (coverage adjusts as well).? They can call it based on back alignment, passing strength, boundary or field.? It is tagged as such.? For Bethel, it was mostly used as a field/boundary tag.? By doing it this way, Coach McElroy, says it allows his guys to avoid confusion caused by trade, motion, back flip or pistol vs. under center. Coach believes in calling it and playing it so his guys can play fast and nasty.   Coach McElroy says, “Call it and Play it”.   Remember, that this will only be called with certain offensive personnel groups and in certain down and distances; therefore, Coach McElroy is confident in his call.  

There are three base pressure looks that Coach McElroy likes to employ out of this package.  We will look at the coverage first and then go over the Pressures.  

 

Coverage Techniques

The coverage behind the six-man pressure is 2-under and 3-Deep.  Remember that this will be from the disguise of Cover 1.  The Corners will be responsible for the deep 1/3, the Fs will have deep middle and the Q/S will be the two underneath players.   The coverage will not be great against the quick game to the flat.  That is the reason Coach will only call this in longer passing down situations.

 

Corners

The coverage behind the six-man pressure is 2-under and 3-Deep.  Remember that this will be from the disguise of Cover 1.  Corners will align over the #1 receiver and give the illusion of playing press man. Ultimately, they will bail on snap and be responsible for the deep 1/3.  This coverage wants you to throw it to the deep 1/3 to the field.   Corners will be over the top of every possible route, always giving up the hitch or quick out route. If there are two verticals from a detached two receivers, the corner will play his base Cover 3 divider rules that is taught Day I of the defensive install.  Coach McElroy uses the term “two speeds’, meaning two fast guys if there are two fast guys to your side the corner will sprint to his divider rules.  The corners are taught they have any vertical of 1 and 2 and will sprint to anything else.   If there is a trips formation the Corner will be locked man on the single side Wr and is taught to squeeze the WR.

 

Underneath Defenders (Q/S)

The two underneath players are the Q, the downfield Strong Safety player, and the weak safety called the S.  The two underneath players are taught to align inside of a detached #2 and have “Vision on the QB”.  These players are taught to read the “mesh key.”  Coach McElroy uses the location of the ball as the run/pass indicator.  If the ball is in the running back’s gut, they will bounce bounce waiting to see if they are needed in the run fit.  On the snap of the football, the Q and S are “bouncing”.  They will bounce in the spot they are aligned until they have their movement indicator.  On a pass read, they are expected to turn and run to the Quarterback’s front shoulder. Coach tells his guys they should be sprinting 8-10 yards on any pass not directly at them.   If #2 is a TE then the Q/S will align outside of him and still play his vision rules trying to get in the window for a quick out-breaking route.    

If the offense comes out in trips, the trips side underneath player will split the difference between #1 and #2 and play his base rules of seeing the QB and breaking on the shoulder. Coach teaches his guys to react to the splits of all the receivers and react accordingly.  A key coaching point that Coach McElroy tells his guys is that if the QB is looking at you then he is throwing outside of you.  This tells the overhangs to get the width.

Trips away from you will look to get more middle of the field and take away the deep shot to #3 from the opposite side of the formation.  Coach tells these players they are leverage of two players, and if there is no #2 to your side then get to three right ways.  This is very similar to 425 terminology in special.  

 

Free Safety:

The Free Safety (FS) is the Post player and must take away the post.  Coach McElroy teaches the FS to scoot on the snap of the ball.  They will take three shuffle steps making sure the ball is cleared out of the mesh point and then he will get ready to play the pass.  The FS will play at a depth of 12 yards and will lean toward the field with his hips open to the QB so he can shuffle.

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Integrating Relief Throw RPOs into the Flexbone System

Integrating Relief Throw RPOs into the Flexbone System

Posted by | Jan 19, 2020 | , , | 0 |

By Scott Dieterich
Offensive Assistant Coach
Zachary High School (LA)
Twitter: @deterball

 

 

As a long-time flex bone offensive coach, there are a few things I need to begin this report with to help the reader understand the “why” and not just the “what” of this article. Just as there are many different varieties of the modern spread offense, the same can be said for today’s modern flex bone offenses. It’s safe to say that most flex bone offenses are similarly deeply rooted in a few core plays (i.e. triple option and midline options etc.), but there are many subtle differences within different versions of the flex bone offense. Some of these differences are not always easily noticeable but they can include aspects such as the types of complementary plays used, the type and frequency of the passing game, as well as the use of formations, motions, and personnel.

The focus of this article will be the Quick Passing Game in the flex bone offense with a focus on the QB’s decision-making within this series. I, personally as a player and now as a coach have always believed in the Quick Passing Game. I believe that there is a place in just about every offensive system for the Quick Passing Game. And even though I have never met a flex bone coach that decided on running the flex bone offense mainly so he could run a quick passing game, I still firmly believe it belongs for many reasons that will be pointed out in this article. Please notice that I will refer to this passing series as the “Quick” passing game because it is not limited to only a true 3-step drop by the QB. This is a very simple yet versatile passing game for the flex bone offense, one that I have used for over 20 years. I hope that you find this article beneficial to you in some way to help you with your offense.

 

Passing Game Offensive Optimums:

NOTE: The flex bone offense also achieves these optimums on nearly every play.

  1. (4) eligible receivers aligned at or near the LOS on nearly every snap and still having the threat of an effective run game present.
  2. Basic coverage looks that are easy to Identify – also predictable and Very little True Cover 2.
  3. A lot of 1 on 1 coverage – Good if the match-ups favor you of course.
  4. Minimal stunts and blitzes from the defense; and the ones they do run are mostly run blitzes and not exotic pass rush schemes and games.
  5. 8- and 9-man defensive fronts whose 1st priority is to Stop the Run!
  6. The secondary defenders are in a run/pass conflict on nearly every snap vs this offense.

 

Benefits of Quick Passing Game in The Flex Bone Offense:

In general, as a coach, I don’t mind thinking outside of the box, especially when I feel like it gives our players the best chance for success. Many flex bone coaches may view their passing game as one of “feast or famine” meaning they will ONLY throw the ball when they feel like the defense is over-playing their run game and these throws are typical of the deep variety (feast or famine). This mindset typically leads to a play-action passing attack that has big-play potential but is also low percentage in nature.

Below is a list of “why’s” that I believe that the quick passing game not only fits in the flex bone offense but also enhances the offense’s productivity overall:

  1. The quick passing game is typically short, safe, and high % throws that plays to a flex bone QB’s passing abilities. This is the 1st part of our passing game that we install since it is the easiest and most inexpensive part of our passing game.
  2. It takes the pressure off the run game and gets the ball into open space on the perimeter without us having to read our way out.
  3. For us the quick passing game uses the same basic protection scheme that we use with most of our overall passing game, therefore this is not an expensive addition to the offense.
  4. The reads for the QB are very simple and 99% coverage proof. Most of the time the QB knows exactly where he is going with the ball before the snap. Note: There are times when the QB has more than (1) a good way to go with the football on his decision-making.
  5. The quick passing game is an excellent part of our hurry-up or 2-minute offense, especially for quick-out routes to work the sidelines and the clock.
  6. It gets Wide Receivers involved in the offense as a receiver and runner. Our WR’s must embrace blocking, but if you have a good athlete or if you just have a good opportunity to get them the ball in space then this enhances their contributions to the offense.
  7. Our quick passing game has some easy to add complements that make this a true package within the offense itself. These complements include QB Draw, Quick Perimeter Screens, and the majority of our Red Zone Passing Game. This article will look at each aspect of the quick passing game except for the QB Draw.
  8. The quick passing game mostly puts the run game defenders in conflict and forces the pass game defenders (corners) to come up and make tackles in space.
  9. It is very flexible in terms of the routes and depths that we can incorporate in this passing game series. We will utilize many different drops that will marry up to the route and depth of the route that we are running. We can and will use a 1-step, 2-step, 3-step normal, 3-step fast and hold, and a 3+ step drop as necessary within this series.
  10. The quick passing game can easily be protected with a safety net by packaging a run, or a route conversion to the route, or receiving sideline help to decide if the defensive look is not favorable for it.

 

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Leadership Council Implementation and Organization

Leadership Council Implementation and Organization

Posted by | Jan 19, 2020 | , | 0 |

By Chad Stadem
Head Coach/OC/Qs
Sioux Falls Washington High School (SD)
Twitter: @Mr_Stadem & @SFW_Football

 

 

“Build your team a feeling of oneness, of dependence on one another, and of strength to be derived by unity.”
– Vince Lombardi

 

In 2013, I went from a small, rural school in South Dakota to one of the largest schools in our state.  Having a team focused on unity and on the same standards was easier in a small school because we had every one of our students in class.  We could speak every day, and I had a good feel on the vibe of the athletes.  At Washington High School, I did not have that luxury, and it was hard to see and talk with my athletes daily.  I whole-heartedly believe that leadership is a contact sport and that teams and leaders need to see and interact daily.  The problem we faced in this new community was getting to know our players and the players getting to know us.  We needed to come up with a method so we could work on developing our core standards and unify our Warriors as a cohesive unit.

 

Starting the Leadership Council

Starting the leadership council was a big task.  It had to be real.  It had to reflect both the athletes and me authentically.  It had to be about giving our athletes a voice, and for them to build the team they wanted it to be.  I wanted to give ownership to them, and I wanted to get to know them on a personal level.  I began by speaking to one of my mentors, Lew Johnston.  Lew gave me ideas on how he was running his senior leadership council.  Then I researched Tom Osborne’s Unity Council during his time as head coach at Nebraska.  I began reading leadership books from John Wooden, Jeff Janssen, John Gordon, Tim and Brian Knight, and many more.  From this research, I trusted my heart and built the council with the sole purpose to help build a more accountable and focused team, just like the Lombardi quote.

 

The Makeup of the Leadership Council

Our Leadership Council meets every two weeks in the off-season.  It originally started off with just seniors from the team but has since evolved to include elected members from each class.  We meet before school for about 45 minutes.  This past year, it included coaches from our basketball and volleyball teams because they wanted to learn how we were building our team.  The purpose of this council is to help build the culture of the team.   My job is to start and direct conversations.  I spend most of my time taking notes and listening to their needs, wants, and concerns.  We see true leaders step up and voice their thoughts.  This creates an open dialogue, and it is fun to listen to the guys.  This council makes a lot of decisions regarding the direction of the team, including which summer camps we will be attending to handling behavior issues.  Before each meeting, I send out an agenda with a thought or idea to discuss, but we want it to be fluid.  After each meeting, I send out notes of our discussions.

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21 Personnel RPO Package

21 Personnel RPO Package

Posted by | Jan 18, 2020 | , , , , | 0 |

By Brent Dearmon
Head Football Coach
Bethel University (TN)
Twitter: @BrentDearmon

 

 

Introduction

In 2017, we called 313 RPOs out of 885 plays. That means that 35% of our offense was RPOs. The results were overwhelmingly positive on those plays, but perhaps the best stat is that we had zero sacks and zero interceptions on RPO plays. The main reason we were able to do that was because we found ways to be gap sound and protect our QB.

As the season went on, we found ourselves in 21 personnel more than we had anticipated to help create an extra gap to protect our QB. In this report, we will show a few of those plays, but more than that we will explain the protection and the read for the QB.

Coaching QBs

Before we get into plays, I want everyone to understand how we teach our QBs. This chart is discussed in depth with every RPO we install. Our QBs understand which gaps they are protected, in which gaps they are reading, and in which gaps the protection is weak. (Diagram 1)

Slide1Slide1Slide1

Zone Flat

In this concept the QB will learn the following:

  1. The OL and HBs will protect him from front side D gap to back side C gap.
  2. His pre-snap “quick game” throw will always be opposite the side. He will turn his eyes to this during the RB mesh. If the pre-snap “gift” flat route is there, we want him to throw it now.
  3. If the pre-snap throw is not there, he will then ride read the boundary D gap player. If the D gap player attaches hard to the run fit, he will then pull and throw the boundary flat route.

Slide4

To study game film of this concept, click on the video below:

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Using “Flush” Principles to Add on to Pressures

Using “Flush” Principles to Add on to Pressures

Posted by | Jan 11, 2020 | , , , , | 0 |

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

 

As a 3-4, we base in the popular mint/tite front (4i-0-4i), or what we call “Okie” front, that has become more common as the clinic tapes, coaches’ lectures, and other teaching material becomes available. There are many reasons as to why we love the Okie front, but like every defense, this defense has its strengths and weaknesses. I learned long ago that, “Whatever your defensive philosophy is, you must identify the weaknesses of your favorite defense as much as the strengths.” As we have found out, and as you will read, this is one of these schematic ideas that is understood through reading and chalk talks but also needs video representation to explain the point further.

Benefits of Okie Front:

Let’s start with some of the strengths of the Okie front

  1. The “unknown” to the offense of where the bubble is in the 4i-0-4i front, as opposed to playing a shade/3 front.

  2. The ability to slant & move to any front we want from an odd front structure.

  3. The ability to “walk” the boundary OLB to help bracket the “X” WR in 3×1.

  4. The ability to drop 8 and play multiple coverages.

  5. The ability to rush any 4 of the ILB or OLB anywhere we want and at any time.

 

Troubleshooting 4-Man Pressures:

The ability to rush any 4 of the ILB or OLB anywhere we want and at any time is vital to incorporate into your 3-4 defense. When we first were learning about the 3-4, we were implementing a 4-man rush, just to install a 4-man rush. We would go through spring ball and run a 4-man OLB rush, but not getting the results we wanted. We later realized that the away side of the rush was just as vital to coach as the front side OLB rush. So we came to find out, #5 had a dilemma, and we had to coach up the 4-man rush, more than just “install the 4-man rush.”

As much as we like strength #5, this strength does come with a weakness. We found that we had two glaring weaknesses within bringing a 4-man rush out of 4i-0-4i. ***Disclaimer – We can and do slant the front when we are bringing our OLB, but as a base, we want to stay within the 4i-0-4i front, as will be described in this article.***

Diagram 1

Diagram 2

Problem #1. How do we keep our various Cover 4 2×2 and 3×1 checks? We did not want to void “cover down zones.” Meaning – when we 4-man rushed an OLB, we did not want to void his alignment and play 2 over 2. The initial thought was to spin to cover 3, and play a 4 under, 3 deep concepts, but here came a dilemma, we didn’t play much cover 3. That’s just not what we do. We were a two-high coverage concept defense. Yes, we played some cover 3, and do use it to cover down the OLB at times, but we didn’t run it enough to major in the coverage, especially since we wanted to major in a 4-man rush. Thus, we had to figure out how to rush 4 and still play 3 over 2, Quarters concept and not always spin cover 3. We will identify how we covered the OLB later in the article.

Problem #2. We found out that when we want to bring a 4-man OLB rush, we were unable to set a “hard edge” opposite of the OLB rush due to us playing a 4i across the front, thus lacking what we would later determine as a “flush player” to help us with our edge. What we found out was when we install our 4-man OLB rush, we must teach our away side “flush principles” based on the offensive formation. In turn, this gave us the ability to call a 4-man rush from the sideline but allow the kids to add themselves to the rush based on the offensive formations and giving us a 5-man pressure.

Flush Principles:

Our kids began to love the idea, due to the fact it gives them some freedom to become a rusher/blitzer based off the following:

  1. Knowing who the “flush player” is based on the CALLED OLB rush from the sideline.

  2. Knowing who the “flush player” is based on the offensive formation.

 

When we called a 4-man OLB rush, we were getting a 5-man blitz based on offensive formation, but again, understand that the 5-man pressure was NOT called. It’s incorporated and understood by our kids and taught during the offseason.

When we start our spring install, we first install our two OLB “blitzes”. Our strong/field OLB is the Nickel and our weak/boundary OLB is the Jack. We don’t necessarily call our 4-man ILB/OLB a true blitz, but rather a 4-man rush, with a 5-man pressure built into the rush based on “flush principles”. Yes, we still implement our 5-man fire zone blitzes, but the absolute first install is our OLB 4 man rush and teaching our kids the flush principles.

Now, when it comes to the technique of the OLB rush, we aren’t doing anything different than anybody else. We work all the leverage drills, hoop drills, rush drills that everyone else does, but where we think we are unique is our research in refining our OLB 4-man rush by adding a 5th rusher with the “flush” concept.

As stated earlier, one of the great things about the 3-4 is the ability to rush any of our 4 ILB/OLB at any time. However, when we start, we want to identify our “hybrid guys”. Who is our Nickel and who is our Jack? After we have identified those positions, we discuss who becomes the “cover down” and who becomes the “flush player.”

Let’s first identify our Nickel and will be the focus of this article. In our defense, and with so much of the game played on the hash, our Nickel is our “catch-all”. He must be a guy whom we feel can cover, buzz to the flat, blitz the edge, play like a corner in certain coverages, make plays in space, and other various ideas we put on him.  Again, out of our Okie front, when we run a Nickel blitz/rush, we feel we can rush him at any time against any formation. Remember the dilemma:

  1. How do we cover him up?

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Multiple Backfield Tags to Simplify 11 Personnel Run Game

Multiple Backfield Tags to Simplify 11 Personnel Run Game

Posted by | Jan 10, 2020 | , , , , | 0 |

By Kahn Chace
Head Football Coach & Offensive Coordinator
Tri-County RVT High School (MA)
Twitter: @kahnchace

 

Our running concepts are designed to attack a defensive structure, defensive personal, and adapt to our current personal. We found having too many different blocking schemes creates spending more time teaching whom to block, rather than teaching how to block. The defensive schemes we see each week in our area can vary from week to week. So, our philosophy is to have fewer running concepts for the lineman to learn and put more meshes for our backs to learn. Having mesh tags for our backfield action makes our offense multiple, yet simple to learn.

We tag 3 of our main run concepts. Auburn is power, Arizona is the inside zone (pin and pull), and Oregon is the outside zone (pin and pull). Our bubble and fast screens are married to the Oregon concept as well. This reduces the amount of time needed to teach our running game during a full-team period, and players get more repetitions.

Auburn is the power blocking scheme for the line, and we tag that 3 different ways. Read is power read, Kick is a traditional power, and Speed is an outside option.

Mesh Tags

“Auburn” Tags:

Auburn “Read” (Power Read)

With “Read” the QB will take three shuffle steps with eyes on the play side on end man on the line of scrimmage (EMOL). If the EMOL widens, QB keeps in C-gap. If the EMOL squeezes on the down block by our tackle the QB gives to F back and continues his fake through C-Gap. The F back does not want to look for a turn up until he is at the numbers. We run the play with motion and without motion. Numbering all the backs allows us to have any one of the skill positions run this play with the QB.

Diagram 1

We like to run the “Read” mesh if we feel the EMOL is either too slow to chase down our F back or plays too far upfield. This concept is great for a quicker F and or a downhill running QB.

Auburn “Kick” (Traditional Power)

When we want to just line up and run a traditional power at the defense, we use the tag “Kick” That tells our QB he is giving the ball and no longer reading the play. We use multiple formations, so we also tag who is doing the kick-out block. If we wanted to run power with our QB we would tag the F back to kick out.

Diagram 2

If we want another back to run power, we tag our H back or Y to kick out the EMOL. We teach our RB’s, TE’s and H backs how to kick out EMOL during their individual and group periods. We like to run the “Kick” mesh when the EMOL is not as strong as our players kicking out or plays too far upfield.

Diagram 3

Diagram 4

Auburn “Speed” (Option)

When we want to option the play side EMOL we tag the word “Speed” to Auburn. This tells our QB we are reading the EMOL play side. He attacks the end downhill. If the EMOL plays the QB he pitches to the F back, if the EMOL plays the F back the QB keeps the ball on the same path as Power.

Diagram 5

We teach our H and Y backs a shovel technique as well if we want to run Auburn speed out of two-back sets, or from his sniffer position. We tag the word “Shovel” We like to run “Speed” mesh when the EMOL is squeezing on the down block, and or an undisciplined player. We like to run this away from 3×1 when teams over-rotate towards the strength.

Diagram 6

Diagram 7

To study game clips of this concept, click on the video below:

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Re-Aligning Your Program’s Culture Every Off-Season

Re-Aligning Your Program’s Culture Every Off-Season

Posted by | Jan 10, 2020 | | 0 |

By Ken Vigdal
Offensive Coordinator
Brookings High School (SD)
Twitter: @kevigdal

 

 

Walking off the field in 2014, defeated in overtime of the championship game, I thought to myself “Our football program has arrived.” Nothing can stop us.  We have built a successful program, and next year a state championship. 

Walking off the field after the final game in 2016, I thought to myself, “what just happened?”  It was the first time in school history a team went 0-9.  Just that fast, we went from the top of the league to the very bottom.  As coaches, we had to come up with a plan.  This plan had to incorporate more than just X’s&O’s; it had to improve all parts of the program and the athletes.  This is the plan we spent the next six months developing and implementing.  Over the past two years we have consistently tweaked it, but our mission has been the same: love, serve, and care.

 

The Turning Point:

After going 0-9, not many people from the student body, players, parents, and community members believed in our program.  We had to give our athletes something positive for them to become part of and gain confidence, so we created a Peak Performance Program. The first aspect of our program was to teach the process of becoming great, the focus on different ways great athletes prepare themselves.  We started in the spring with each grade level reading different books.  Next year’s sophomores read Chop Wood Carry Water by Joshua Medcalf, juniors read The Hard Hat by Jon Gordon, and the next year’s seniors read The Training Camp by Jon Gordon.  As coaches we also read the books and created action plans for each book that we gave the athletes.  Also, we found players from the 2014 team to come back and help with each of the book reads.  Players had to fill out their action plan of improvement.  In addition, parents signed the plan saying they had discussed it with their son.

 

Secondly, we wanted to create leaders in our football team.  We did this by creating unit leader positions.  We have a Google form, for a player to fill out, to apply to be a Unit Leader.  In the final meeting of the spring, all the grade levels come together for one final breakfast. Coaches printed copies of the applications of the unit leader form, and the forms were handed out to the rest of the team to read and vote for the top eight.  The top eight vote getters become a unit leader. A few weeks later, the unit leaders drafted their teams. Drafting their own team is very important because our program is based on a wide range of competitions, and at the end of fall camp we crown the unit champions. We also met with leaders and discussed leadership qualities and the ones that they most represented. It is important for coaches to help athletes gain leadership characteristics. We used a variety of methods: from Make Your Bed speech, parts of Jocko Wilko audio book, and guest speakers.

The unit leaders review the five core values we live by as a football team.  The brand we created from our core values is Pound the Stone.  Unit leaders review the core values every year and see what ones they want to change.  The values have not changed since the first group of unit leaders and coaches came up with the list in 2017. They are TPW (tough people win), BCD (blame, complain, defend), talk to yourself, don’t listen to yourself, play present, and finish empty.  The coaches reinforce these ideas every day.  We put Pound the Stone and at least one value on every shirt we create.  We use the words Pound the Stone and not core values because athletes like the brand we have created.  When we use the term core values, they perceive that as preaching at them.

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The Fastest Team Wins: Get Professional Speed Training in the Hands of your Athletes

The Fastest Team Wins: Get Professional Speed Training in the Hands of your Athletes

Posted by | Jan 10, 2020 | , | 0 |

By X&O Labs

 

For most coaches, it’s hard to be an expert in every area of the job, especially when it comes to training.

We continually see coaches focusing a large majority of their time on one thing: strength. 

Although this is a huge component of developing a high performing program, there is one area in which top programs seem to get an edge over the others: speed.

The motto “speed is king” has never been more true. Successful programs continually work to develop team speed.

Very few coaches consider their programs to be fast. Yes, they may have a few players that have some speed, but as a team if they could just be a little faster, their…

  • OL would get a first step advantage

  • DBs would be faster on the breaks

  • RBs would have that one-step explosion when they hit the hole

 

The Formula: “Speed is king”

One of the biggest challenges with improving speed has to do with the lack of speed specialists who have a proven track record of results.

In comes Les Spellman

Spellman’s story is personal, as is every element of his approach to helping athletes and programs transform their approach to speed.

His passion for speed has its roots in his own experience as a young athlete who fractured his femur at 17 years old in a near-death car accident. He was left debilitated with a metal rod in his femur and forced to learn how to walk again.

Les wasn’t satisfied with simply walking – he wanted to run – to fly! He immersed himself in the study of advanced biomechanics and speed training techniques. He learned. He re-engineered his speed skills. And he more than walked – he ran his way on to the elite Division 1 program at Temple University.

Years of research in advanced bio-mechanics and speed development led Spellman to open his own high performance athlete development center Spellman Performance, an organization that has trained 5 Olympic teams, 50+ NFL athletes, over 100 Division I athletes, and countless others.

With a track record of helping programs get faster, our friends at MaxOne wanted to find a way to scale Spellman’s knowledge and bring it to high school coaches around the nation.

In an effort to help you have your best off-season yet, we’re excited to share that MaxOne is teaming up with Spellman Performance to bring you a highly touted off-season speed program. 

Custom Built Speed Program: What’s Under the Hood?

There are a million speed programs out there, so what makes this one different? 

For starters, it’s proven.

Spellman Performance has spent years researching and developing this speed program. It is comprised of trusted drills that are built from in-depth biomechanics research that have been used with countless D1 and professional athletes.

Teams that implemented the program shaved an average of .2 seconds off each athlete’s 40 yard dash in 6 weeks, allowing every player, regardless of their position and skill level to see improvements.

High performing technology combined with a professional like Les Spellman, is a combination that all coaches around the nation could benefit from.

 

“My goal has always been to help athletes and teams get faster. By partnering with MaxOne, I now have the ability to deliver my knowledge and experience into the hands of like minded football coaches and athletes around the nation”
– Les Spellman

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Front Side Blocking Progression in the Outside Zone

Front Side Blocking Progression in the Outside Zone

Posted by | Jan 5, 2020 | , , , , , | 0 |

By Ben Luther
Former Offensive Line Coach
Tusculum University (TN)
Twitter: @Coach_Luther

 

 

First and foremost, I would like to thank Jerry Odom for allowing me to coach the offensive line at Tusculum University and also to thank X&O Labs for allowing me to discuss how we teach the front side blocking of our wide-zone play. When it comes to running the wide zone play at Tusculum, we don’t think about footwork and attacking our defenders. As an offensive line, we walk up to the line of scrimmage and the defense presents a front to us, and as an offensive line, we have a toolbox with an approach, appropriate and techniques steps to handle these fronts.  At Tusculum, we start each practice with our approach and steps.

 

General Info and Key Points About Outside Zone:

Before hitting the field and introducing drills and fundamentals of outside zone play, there are a couple of key points that must be covered and understood in the meeting room.

Our general zone philosophy is that in our zone schemes, the Offensive Line is responsible for moving the down lineman, and the running back is responsible for moving the linebackers.  The aiming point of the running back on the wide zone is the backside of the play side tight end.  The play can hit from the Front side A gap, B gap, C gap to the backside B.

My base rule is to block my front side zone. and my aiming point as a covered offensive lineman is two inches off the midline.  The offensive linemen should always ask “Where is the Defensive lineman located about the framework of my body? It can be any of the following:

  1. Head up alignment
  2. Outside shade alignment
  3. Tight outside shade alignment
  4. Key, clue or indicator of an inside move
  5. Am I a tackle or tight end with a technique who is a gap removed?

 

Definition of Front Side Rules:

The General rule of our wide zone scheme is that we are responsible for our front side zone. In doing this we will also climb through movement. We at Tusculum define our front side zone as head up to the front side, if A Defensive Lineman crosses your face to your backside, it is no longer in your front side zone. Once this occurs it is in the adjacent offensive lineman front side zone, the original offensive lineman will be able to climb through movement to the 2nd level or collect a different 1st level threat. This principle will allow us to stay square and not get picked off by defensive line movements.

Diagram 1

 

Postural Blocking Fundamentals:

As an offensive lineman, we want to understand how we must be postural when we are run blocking. We want to have our foot on the ground, with our knees inside our ankles and our weight on our insteps, which creates a “big bent knee”, we want to have a big chest. We believe that this position allows us to efficiently move forward, backward and laterally and gives us the ability to use our double or single under forklift technique when we make contact while striking on the rise. 

Our objective when we take “steps” is to close distance and space between us and the defender and allow ourselves to be square and give the running back a clearly defined read. To arrive in this position, we must understand how to approach each defensive situation and use the appropriate steps. We also will take more steps than big steps to arrive in the proper position

 

Approach and Steps for Covered Lineman: 

Approach: As an offensive line coach, I don’t coach just footwork and I don’t believe in using that phasing because as an offensive lineman we aren’t just moving and using our feet. An offensive lineman must know his aiming point on the defender, how must he position his body about his aiming point. We know as players and coaches that numerous situations can arise during a game. We must prepare our players for those situations with a clearly defined approach, and appropriate footwork.  When our outside zone play is called in the huddle, we as an offensive line walk up to the line of scrimmage and we access what is in front of us, and we have been given a toolbox for the different defensive line techniques.

Steps: When an offensive lineman takes his steps, his first step is a position step to set his course and path to achieve the goal of being 2” off the midline for the outside zone. On the first step, the backside knee should pivot and continue to be inside of the ankle, the pivoting of the knee indicates that the OL has lowered his center of gravity. 

 

Versus Head-Up Aligned Defender: 

When the OL is presented with a head-up technique, we know that: A) We must get 2″ off the midline. B) A head-up technique is not going to stay a head-up technique. When we are presented with a head-up technique, we are going to use our Square and Pin technique. An example of a head-up technique would be a center vs 0 technique, Guard vs 2 technique, tackle vs 4 technique, and/or tight end vs 6 technique.

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