Run & Shoot Lo Red Zone Offense

Here are three plays from Hawaii. The first is 4th down the next two are 2 point plays.

The first play is a sprint out pass concept.

Nice route combination. The sprint out side is a pylon high low with an interior sit route creating a 
strong side triangle spacing. The QB also has the 4th option to turn into a rush threat. 

The WR's are really well coached here. The #2 and #3 receivers are delayed into their release 
which times up well with the hard inside route of the sit by the #1. The timing leads to natural and legal picks. This is very well coached and executed.


In the 2nd concept Hawaii uses motion by a WR to build a two back structure. The boot concept is a different protection and presentation but a very similar concept.

Hawaii uses the same basic route combination with a job swap. The RB takes over the role of #3 to the flat but the pylon high low with a sit creating a perimeter triangle is intact.

The counter boot action with the motion WR does a good job selling counter run to create a soft edge for the boot. The concept again gives the QB the run threat option.

In the final example, Hawaii uses a similar motion and set up.

The play is a GT counter run reading the DE. The DE sits for the QB which leads to the a give and the ball being handed to the receiver. If the QB had a keep read the A back serves as a lead blocker of the QB. The outside two receivers also present routes that may be a third phase throw option for the QB on a keep read.

The presentation is the same as the previous boot action play.  The field DE holds for the QB. Playing the DE in a shuffle squeeze also helps the defense against the threat of boot. The motion and backfield action is hard on the man coverage player to get to his run fit against the WR running the ball. The ILB is affected by the lateral flow of the backfield action. The LB plays fast and lateral which puts him on the track of the 2nd puller. 

Nice package of lo red zone plays from the Rainbow Warrior offense and former head coach Nick Rolovich. Excited to see if these concepts show up at Washington State in 2020.

Scrape Fire Zone Teach Tape

Here is a short teach tape on an America's blitz variation. I discussed this pressure on the podcast I did with Coach Vass a while back (Coach Vass Pod). This pressure pattern has been an effective run pressure for us. 

SCRAPE PATTERN

The DL is looping away from the pressure. The 4i to the pressure is on a stick to the A gap. However, we allow this player to stem to a 3 tech pre-snap if necessary. The stem allows for a couple of positives:

1. The DL can use the one gap movement technique we use and practice most often. This can be an easier technique to execute than a traditional long stick moving 2 gaps.

2. Helps prevent the DL from getting cut off from the A gap on zone runs away

3. Helps on block back pull schemes - More on this later

The OLB to the pressure is on a low track. On any read scheme the low track has the lower threat. The low track will cross any block from the OT and spill any kick out block. The low track blitzer is on a path through the outside hip of the OT.

The ILB has the wide track pressure. On any read scheme the wide track has the widest threat. The wide track is the edge of the defense to the pressure. The wide track will go at the snap, wrapping tight off the outside hip of the low track blitzer.

The DL may be tagged to use a Nut stunt instead of looping away from the pressure.

The Nut allows the 4i away from the pressure to penetrate and the Nose will loop over the top. 

READ SCHEME

Here the looping Nose does a good job stopping the flow of the zone run allowing the low track blitzer off the edge to make the tackle for no gain. The 4i cheating his alignment down allows the stick technique to get to the A gap preventing the RB from punching the back side A gap when the Nose built the wall in the front side A gap. The wide track ILB is in position if the QB had kept on the read.

Here the zone read has a cruiser Y off lead block for the QB when he keeps. The low track forces the keep read allowing the wide track ILB to quickly pressure the QB on the keep. The seam drop safety could improve his technique here. The seam dropper is relating to the #2 which is initally the RB. Then the RB's flow and the Y off's cruiser path cross the Y off is the new #2. The safety should react faster to this exchange to provide the extra defender when the Y off cruises past the low track blitzer to wrap for the wide track blitzer. 

KICKOUT BLOCK

Here the pressure is into power. The low track blitzer does a good job getting under the kick out however we would like more pry up the field and finish with shoulders square. As it plays out the low track does get part of the pulling guard but with more pry up the field the low track blitzer can get a true two for one. Nice job by the wide track blitzer using his hands to shock the crack block and by the back side ILB reacting to the pulling guard. The seam dropping safety must do better making a run/pass read, specifically following the rule of Don't Go 'Til You Know. 

Here the loop of the DL builds the wall on the split zone which forces the RB to hesitate. There is no clear hole to hit. The low track blitzer does  get under the block of the cutter Y off. We would like the contact to be thicker, more body on body. The Wide track blitzer does a good job of checking the QB for open hands before chasing down the RB. Weak side the seam dropping OLB is walked up on the LOS. His #2 receiver is the Y off. When the Y off goes on the cutter path the new #2 is the RB. The OLB should see those keys through the end of LOS. Nothing here reads as pass. The OLB should be more firm at the LOS and shock the block of the OT setting a hard edge.

Here the play is GY counter. The low track blitzer is excellent prying under the kick out and finishing with shoulders square. The wide track blitzer should stay tighter to the outside hip of the low track blitzer on his path but does a great job anchoring his hips to attack the 2nd puller. The seam safety drops in to be the free hitter making the tackle on the running back.

VS. HARD TE

Nice example of the 4i cheating to get to his work in the A gap. The low track blitzer is good here beating the cutoff block of the TE. The loop of the DL again builds the wall play side allowing the low track to chase the play down from behind.

NUT

The low track is under the kick out block. The Nut on the back side allows the 4i to shed and work strong. The non-blitz ILB should react faster to the pulling guard and backfield flow. Nice example of the nut by the 4i and Nose.

PULLER AWAY FROM PRESSURE

Here the offense is running power away from the pressure. The issue is the offense is adding a pulling OG and we must add defenders to match the numbers. The wide track ILB does not read out with the pulling guard. The wide track is the edge of the defense to the pressure side. The DL here must cross on block back pull schemes. This is a good example of the 4i seeing the guard on the pull and crossing the center's block back. The 4i should use a more compact technique on the arm over. The Nose also does well looping and crossing with the block back pull scheme, crossing the face of the guard blocking back. The low track OLB is completely wrong here. The low track should cross the block of the OT. 

Several clips of scrape pattern to show situations that happen when running this type of pressure. Hopefully there is a tip or coaching point here you can use when coaching your pressures. 

Split Back Trap

Here is a nice example of a trap in a split back option offense.

The formation is an unbalanced 3x0 2 back set with a motion back to 2x1

The QB opens and meshes with the B back. The presentation to the defense is a triple option strong. The defense here is in a 3-4 personnel bumped into a 3-3 stack spacing. The trap is on the weak side 4i DE.

The success of the trap comes from a few factors:

1. The trapping guard and B back are on the DE fast. Too fast for the DE to effectively attack the block, shed the block, and make the tackle.

2. The option presentation and full carry out of the option fake from the QB/A back help force hesitation in the strong side of the defense

3. The wide split by the OT helps prevent the DE from chasing to tackle the B back from the backside

4. The B back goes a great job keeping his path tight and his shoulders square to hit the run inside the guard's trap block while being able to immediately burst to gain yards

5. The trap hits quick which affects the ability of either safety to fold in to make the tackle. The ball is running too quickly down the MOF for the angles of the safeties helping create the explosiveness of the run.

Really good scheme and execution from Carson-Newman.

Shifting to Unbalanced to Attack with Jet Sweep in the Wing-T

Here is a shift from a 2x2 formation to a Guard over unbalanced.

The initial formation:

After the shift:

The shift does a few things:

1. It quickly and efficiently changes the 4 man surface from the wing side to the open side. The formation starts balanced and quickly becomes unbalanced.

2. The line's shift helps hide the FB's shift to the offset position. The post-shift offset alignment helps the FB get to his work as a lead blocker on the jet.

3. The quick change hides the formational intention. Unbalanced with an offset FB might tip the offense's hand alerting the defense the jet sweep is coming. Here the shift followed immediately by the jet motion happens so quickly the defense is stressed to make the ID of the formation and jet sweep as the ball is snapped. 

Nice usage of this shift by Lenoir-Rhyne and former offensive coordinator Bob Bodine (now the offensive coordinator at Mercer University)

Tite Front vs. Zone Read

First the coverage is a one high post defense. The beauty of the concept is the three wide outs are all covered down. The alignment discourages screens, quick game, or RPO concepts to the trips side. The OLB weak is walked out to reroute the X receiver creating a 2 over 1 effect and discouraging any isolation pass concepts to the X.

In the box the DL does an excellent job staying square. The left DE strikes the OT and has a great pad level to handle the block from the adjacent OG. The DE controls any movement and works an escape to maintain control of the B gap.

The Nose is playing the front side A gap on the zone. By controlling the front side gap the run is forced to wind back.

The wind back runs into the right DE. The DE sees the OT and feels the OG. When the DE feels the OG zone away the DE works an escape while staying square to win in the B gap.

Both ILB are patient and fall back with the RB when the zone run winds back. The front forces the ball to wind back to a difficult to block 4i and two fall LB's.

Excellent scheme and execution from Boise St. Really well coached defense from Co-Coordinators Jeff Schmedding and Spencer Danielson. 

Book Club

Non-football book this time. Wild look at the dark corners of the internet. Fascinating all the activities that happen on websites not found on Google. It was a look at a world I never even knew existed. Shout out to my brother for the great recommendation. It was a quick easy read and each chapter covers different aspects of the dark web: crypto currency, the origin of online trolling, illegal drug sales, and a bunch more.   

Bluffing Pressure to Force Hot Throws

TCU is in a 3-2-6 Dime personnel on 3rd & 7.

The Rush:

America's Blitz pattern with a long stick DE to the pressure, the SS as the outside rusher, and the ILB on the inside pressure

The Coverage:

Cover 1 with the non-blitzing ILB on a green dog technique

The pressure itself is very traditional in both pattern and coverage. The weak side bluff helps increase the effect of this pressure. The ILB walked in the B gap, the Dime bluffing off the weak edge, and the post safety walking low all send the signal to the offense weak/boundary pressure is coming. The look even forces the boundary OT to point out the potential edge pressure threat from the Dime. 

If the QB looks at this pre-snap presentation and thinks the protection has the look picked up he would be right. The OL would be sliding into the pressure and the defense is not threatening to overload the RB. However, the presented pressure and actual pressure are not the same. If the QB holds the ball against the actual post-snap look the pressure is going to get a 2 on 1 vs. the RB. The Green Dog makes it a late 3 on 1. The protection will not hold up post-snap.

The QB has to ID that any two edge rushers from the field overloads the RB and forces a hot throw. The protection cannot block it. The QB does make that ID and gets the ball out fast.

This is one of the valuable aspects of pressure. You don't have to get sacks to succeed. Pressure changes the timing of offensive plays. Forcing a hot throw here prevents the route from getting to the sticks at 7 yards. The offense now has to bank on the WR making a contested catch vs. man coverage at 4 yards then breaking a tackle to get 7 and a 1st down. 

The offense was forced to take a sack or throw the ball short of the line to gain. The offense took the better of the two options but the result is still 4th down and the defense is off the field. Defense dictated the options with the presentation of pressure and killed the play off with the execution of the pressure and coverage.  

Really nice usage of a bluffed pressure by the Horned Frogs to create more pressure forcing the ball out quickly. Always good stuff from Gary Patterson. 

America's Blitz Variation

This pressure variation has been discussed several times on Blitzology. I've received several questions after I talked about it in the pop up clinic I did with Coach Vass over the summer. Here is some more info.

The Rush:
The OLB is rushing off the edge. The Nose and DT way are playing 2 gap technique and working away from the pressure vs. the pass. The ILB is the read player. If the A gap is open he will run through. If the A gap is closed the ILB will convert to the C gap. The ILB will read out vs. a pulling guard.

The Coverage:
3 Under 3 Deep Firezone 

We like this concept for several reasons:
It lets a LB do the athletic redirection portion of the blitz. Not every DL is great on a long stick technique.

It is an easy pattern to install early because the pattern for the DL is not complex

It can be used in multiple situations to pressure run or pass

A Gap Open

On a zone blocking scheme the Center wants to provide some amount of body presence for the Nose. With the Guard zone blocking the B gap DT. This creates the A gap run through for the ILB and what we feel should be an athletic mismatch with the Center.

A Gap Closed 

Here the concept is attacking an inverted zone read. The A is closed so the ILB converts to the C gap rush. This creates the two off the edge concept we want in this situation. 

Inside Puller

The ILB reads out when the guard pulls. This allows us to gain a body against gap schemes.

Outside Pull

Again the ILB sees a pull from the guard. This time it's an outside pull on a buck sweep/pin & pull scheme. The ILB reads out and plays outside to gain a hat at the point of attack.