The 3 Back Option Football Spot

game planning the midline triple vs. the 4-3 to a three man face (TE or Tackles over)

noreply@blogger.com (The Triple Option Spot) — Wed, 11 May 2016 23:09:00 +0000

In our last article we covered the midline triple vs. the 4-3 to a non- tightened flank. That is defined as a two man face. Today we will cover the midline triple vs. the 4-3 to a three man face, defined as three offensive linemen on one side. This could be a tackle over (two tackles together) or a tightend.

Basically you will get three possible looks to a three man flank vs. a 4-3 and each has specific problems. (see fig 1, fig 2, and fig 3)In all three looks, we will consider the DT as the handoff key for the midline and the DE as the pitch key.

In figure #1 the problem lies in the two backers that must be leveraged in order to keep numbers on the perimeter in your favor. The problem grows in the fact that you only have two potential blockers to handle the two linebackers. For those that keep up with this blog, they know we always like to have two blockers on each linebackers one inside and one outside each read. The halfback must be used to arc the corner so he is out. The guard has the mike inside the handoff key but you are still a blocker short.

In figure #2 the problem is the DE has leverage between the the pitch key and the arc block.

In figure #3 it should be noted we usually see this with the coverage rotated away in some single high look. The problem is now two defenders outside the pitch key that must be accounted for. (this is not a real problem as the defense has become an eight man front for us (tackle empty) and we will block it as such. )

The answers:

(I should address a question that keeps popping up since my last post. People ask how do the linemen know how and who to block? The answer is simple: the QB tells them by applying a tag. All the defensive looks are categorized from day one in a rote method for the quarterback. The above three fit into each of the three categories to a tightened / 3 man face flank. The quarterback will then, based on the package we call, either reinforce the tag called in the huddle or get them into the right one.

If you are interested in the classification system there is an earlier post on this blog.)

Midline Triple vs Fig 1.

In order to neutralize numbers we ask the inside tackle to read from one linebacker to the other. He will step playside foot, backside foot, playside foot. When his third step hits the ground if the lber isn't pressing him, he will plant, turn flat, and work back to the MLB. If the linebacker is pressing him he will block him.

The Tightend /tackle over will loop and block the stack to the mike to the near safety. If the backer over the tackle plugs usually the other is running over the top or vice versa.

Since we are pitching off the DE we feel he will definitely be a QB player and close. (We tell the tightened / tackle to split him out till he shades inside. That lets us leverage pitch off the Mike if we get both linebackers plugging inside.

Midline Triple to Fig 2

In fig two the result is easily gotten by hook the OLB with the TE / tackle over. The leverage he has is different from the quarterback outrunning the five technique since the ball if pitched wider and it becomes a toss sweep. Also we tell the Tightend he can over reach (very wide) since if the OLB goes underneath he will play the QB and his outside movement combined with the pitch makes for two ships passing in the night. If the TE whiffs outside he will work upfield not chase inside.

A note is that our inside tackle will, like the non- tightened flank, will only block the Mike if he attempts to run over the top. With the pitch key on his hip, we can leverage pitch off the scrape of the mike.

Midline Triple to Fig. 3

In figure #3, we basically treat it like an with man front. The tightened / outside tackle will arc for the deep third play (at least three steps of width to find the player.) In our unbalance formation this look allows the tightend / outside tackle to handle the free and get a hat on everybody.

Our Tackle only has the mike if he tries to get over the top.

Additional notes:

A big factor in handling these situations is the play of the safety. On high school hashes he is usually further inside as the defense usually plays this in a cloud / cover two concept. On college hashes the divider for the safety is farther over making him more of a factor in the play. With college hashes I would only run it if the twirl motion forced a tilt from the near safety. (fig 7 and fig 8)

Game planning the Midline triple vs the 4-3 front

noreply@blogger.com (The Triple Option Spot) — Thu, 28 Apr 2016 23:46:00 +0000

Everybody loves the midline tuck play (QB / FB only) but the midline triple is a great part of any flexbone attack. While easily run vs the 50, 3-3, and reduction defenses, the problem lies in the 4-3. Yet the fact that the 4-3 contains a "3" technique makes the play valuable.

The problem lies with being outnumbered with unblocked defenders (see fig 1) and not enough blockers.

Due to this dilemma, my first couple of years we would check out of midline triple and into a variation of the tuck play vs. a 4-3. However there are too many advantages to keeping the play in your arsenal. Those include but are not limited to

It allows you to read the three technique that you otherwise may have a tough time blocking. This includes those studs who take away the paper and pencil from the coach.
It forces the three technique to align tighter making it easier to handle him later in the triple or double option.
It allows you to capture the MLB who may just run over the top on triple preventing it to be run to the three technique
It changes option responsibilities causing hesitation in defensive assignments
It brings the quarterback further away from any "echo" or "back to back" stunts. Simply it is an easier perimeter read
It is an easier interior ("FB" read) as there is no chance of an "echo" or "mesh" charge. The closeness of the three also makes the read much more deliberate.
It allows us to use "Twirl" or "No mo" taking away the motion trigger from a defenses game play. It also allows us to run it to flanks that the defense has left exposed without the ability for the defense to adjust back due to motion.
It allows for an A-gap play to the side of motion that, when talking about the 4-3, stops the defense from playing two "2" techniques and slanting to motion, an adjustment used in the early flexbone days with great success.
Since it is usually pitched off the five technique, the ball is out of the quarterback's hands quickly. it basically becomes a fullback / halfback game.
The fact that the FB is on the midline forces the defense to constrict around the fullback (usually no loop blocking to expand the front. ) We will delay our halfbacks movement when in the bone till the QB's second foot hits the ground.
It stops the backside of the defense from rocking inside quickly to stop the twirl midline tuck and the counter iso.

The most common way we found was to load the DE (No.2 in midline rules) and pitch off number three. (see fig. 2)

We discarded that immediate as the QB had to run around a man we are blocking to get to his pitch key. First your asking the quarterback to get around a man who has leverage on the tackle while the MLB, performing his squeeze and scrape to b-gap can get to him. you cannot leverage pitch off the scrape MLB because you are outflanked by a full man and a half to the pitch key. Finally, you are asking the tackle to hook a man who has leverage on him but he can't "overreach" as he has him man (inside and outside charge) and if the tackle crashed inside he would still be able to play the quarterback as he has leverage on him. (see fig. 2) So we threw this out.

We finally came up with as our base scheme two calls. The first was to a single split end or no split end (nub side) and the second was to a three receiver side (ends over)

Midline triple to a 4-3 single receiver side

When we have a single receiver side, we ask our quarterback to recognize one additional factor: that there are two high safeties. If there is one high safety (Fig 3) we would check away from the strong safety as that side would become reduced. (You can see our recognition system in a very earlier article devoted to it.)

With two high we would always run it to the three technique.

(See fig. 4)

In the above, the inside people and backside people, guard back, would run base midline rules. (same as midline tuck)

We will read the three and pitch off the DE (first man outside the handoff key)

Special rules are as follows:

Play side Wide receiver: Stack widest Corner regardless of coverage. Be prepared for hard corner support and react to softer support. (Since motion is away we do not get hard corners to this side even in cover 2)

Playside Halfback: Twirl and arc flat three steps eyeballing the OLB (#2 in our normal counting system) to the safety. Arc block first to come out.

Playside Tackle: Stack release to #2 (Stacked backer) If you can get any piece of him take him. (We do not feel that once blocked, even partially, he can get back to the pitch.) If you can't block the Lber come FLAT right off his ass and sprint to the sideline eyeballing safety. If you can outflank him turn up and block. If he comes up two quick kick him out, the back will run inside.

We feel that do to the twirl motion, either the safety or the outside linebacker will lean in the other direction. At the very least they will be flatfooted as the motion is away and safety support will be slower.

Simply stated the tackle and the halfback have the OLB and the near safety. (See fig. 5 and fig.6)

Notes: on this scheme:

It usually ends up as a pull and pitch
It the defense is playing games with bringing down a "predetermined" safety, use phoney motion and a long count and check appropriately.
If the OLB "ups" on the line. The tackle will yell "2 is up." Now the DE should be tighter and easier to block and the QB will pitch off the OLB who is usually up to play him hard. (fig.7) The HB will arc #3 now.
Vs. the scrape MLB, the QB can now leverage pitch off off the MLB because the tackle veering brings the DE down inside with him or at worst sits.
To a Nub side the Tackle and Halfback would handle the OLB and the Corner (fig. 8) This rarely happens as the 3 tech is usually to the three man side.

Midline Triple to a three receiver side

Since we have added a receiver we can eliminate a defender. Normally our inside receiver will block the middle to backside safety but in this case we will use our "force" blocking scheme. "Force" tell the middle receiver he is responsible for the support player of the defense (We put our best blocker in the middle.) This call tells the QB to treat it like a "reduced" front and make the appropriate tag.

(Fig. 9)

Vs. a reduced front the Playside HB will arc #2 (OLB) Vs. echo take first to come outside.

Vs. a reduced front the Playside tackle will veer (get vertical) inside backer to the middle to backside safety. (Note: In middle triple we tell the tackle he only has the Mike if he tries to get over the top. If he tight scrapes we will leverage pitch off of him. This usually allows us to get the tackle downfall on the middle / backside safety.)

This scheme is especially good vs. a team that plays quarters and likes to stay in it. This brings the OLB out of his stack.

Two variations we like to run vs. this look are box (fig. 10) and Boxer (fig. 11)

In our next article (Part II) we will look at the midline triple vs. a 4-3 to a three man flank (TE side or tackles over)

Are your mental thought processes and coaching causing as many turnovers as the physical mistakes PART II

noreply@blogger.com (The Triple Option Spot) — Wed, 30 Mar 2016 20:51:00 +0000

In this part we will talk about the actual coaching, drilling, and / or correcting the mental processes (reads / thought processes) that may be hurting your quarterback and causing misreads, indecision, and eventually turnovers. While all these situations may not cross the lines of various offenses, I have witnessed these personally and in many cases have learned from own mistakes.

a) The sink or swim mentality

I've seen this numerous times. A coach teaches a pass pattern and the thought process. Once on the field the individual routes are thrown on air and then the pattern is thrown in 7 on 7 with multiple stimulus hitting the quarterback while he tries to sort out the read process in his head.

Thought processes must taught the same way as any other skill. For example I teach the quarterback to "give unless the hand off key makes a clear path IN FRONT of the fullback's path."I will start off by sitting there and ask the QB if I've made a path in front of the fullback. (Notice I'm not saying if he sits do this.) Once he answers, he'll take three or four reps with the fullback just seeing the read and giving it; all the while knowing it is a give. We are TRAINING the thought process. We are TRAINING the eyes. We are TRAINING muscle memory to a particular stimulus. Next I'll give him a crash read in front of the fullback - easiest pull read and ask him what he does by rule. Then he'll take 3 or 4 reps knowing the read is coming. Training the eyes and thought process on the proper response. Once he sees this then I'll combine those two reads only (one give and one pull.)

The second day, I will teach a new pull read the same way. Then I will combine it with the one give read from the previous. Finally I will combine all three. The process is repeated till all looks have been trained into muscle memory. It becomes a reaction not a burdensome thought process.

The same is true with the pass. Take curl flat. Take three Qb's in individual and put one where the curl ends up and one where the flat to be. get a fourth to be the SS. First SS goes directly to the Curl only. So in "I throw the curl unless" the QB would reload (reshuffle his feet) and through to the QB who is standing where the fat pattern would be. Next have the SS jump the flat. Since he's not going to the curl - throw the curl. Next combine those two. And we will progress to throw all the reads two at a time. By doing this the QB learns the read as a reaction. If you throw him to the wolves it becomes a burdensome frustrating thought process and can lead to imperfect mechanics. Thought process trumps technique and you have turnovers.

b) Bad reads in drills

I don't know how many times I've seen coaches with shields on the line split mat taking one step and popping the fullback on the side of the shoulder and telling the QB it's a give read. FALSE. In order to be a give read the quarterback must understand the path has to be in front of the fullback not to his side. The read previously mentioned would end up as an arm tackle you would expect the fullback to break. Then the coach wonders why the qb can't read the up move or gets caught by the handoff key who stepped down and then came back out.

If you do it properly you must hit the fullback on the front of the shoulder not the side. This requires two things. You must move your feet and you will have somewhat of a minor collision if the fullback is running full speed. This is why I recommend teaching players in pads to be your reads - not old coaches like myself! (Trust me I learned from the shoulder surgery I was required after my last year at Spirit.)

The same holds true when the old coach plays the strong safety in the curl flat scenario and takes three lazy steps toward the curl and announces "good read" as the QB dumps the ball off to the flat. Then wonders in the game why overtime when the SS just opens his shoulders the QB dumps the ball and the SS makes the tackle for 2 yards.

Reads have to be full and realistic. The best way to get this is teach the players to be the read you want as you teach the QB then use the same guy everyday. Besides if you are so busy being the read and concentrating on how you are dropping, how can you coach the quarterback's mechanics. I could never figure that one out!

NOTE: It's not just using a coach as the read, it's what you expect and demand from your person giving the read.

c) Vanilla alignments by reads in practice.

This is the coach who has his defensive key (SS or handoff key or other) align in the exact same spot every time. Reading defensive reaction to a key is based three things: 1) distance from the rule (i.e. how far he is from the fullback's path.) 2) Angle he takes (the further his distance aligned the steeper his angle must be be. A 7 tech has to come flatter to get in front of the fullback then a 4 technique does. A screwed down safety from a cover two has a lesser angle then an OLB in a 3-4 to get to the curl.) 3) speed of his movement. (the further the defender is from the QB's "unless" rule the faster he has to move. (a 4-3 wide 9 better be sprinting to get to the fullback as opposed to a four tech who just has to step down. The screwed SS basically is in the curl with little or no movement. The 3-4 OLB better be on his horse.) So speed, distance, and angle are the three differentiators that a QB must understand and process in order to be a "good reader."

If you have your key align in the same spot every time (i.e. HOK on mat in a 4, cover three SS at 4 x 4) the quarterback will never understand this.

On the contrary, if on the mat ,we would have our read in a 4 or in a 5 or in a 6 or in a 7 or in a 9. Every day would be different while teaching the mental process. We would talk about the alignment as the drill was taking place. Talking about speed, distance and angle to get to the "unless" aspect of the read.

Even in our QB individual segment (other QBs as finished routes.) we may practice curl flat with the SS at 4x4 one time, 1/2 way out one time, screwed down from cover three one time.

In Part III we will deal with D through F

Are your mental thought processes and coaching causing as many turnovers as the physical mistakes PART I

noreply@blogger.com (The Triple Option Spot) — Tue, 22 Mar 2016 20:29:00 +0000

We all study film of our turnovers endlessly. We go back and forth looking for the reason in the physical aspects of the game. Did the player have the four points of ball carrying covered? Did the players mesh properly? Did the quarterback read properly? What if the cause of our turnovers, including some of the causes for the physical mistakes lay in the way we coached the mental side of the game? What if it lied in the verbiage we used? The way we taught? Or even the way we corrected?

What am I talking about? I once had a running back who made a crucial fumble at a critical time in a very very big game. It happened when he was switching the ball to the proper side but very late. You certainly could take this as a physical error as I initially did. So, when he got to the sideline, I asked the typical rhetorical satiric question "What were you thinking?" The answer was more then I expected. You see, he couldn't decide which way to cut. So when he made a last minute decision, he knew he had to change the ball but wasn't prepared to do so. Hence the sloppiness due to indecision. The error was created by a mental decision.

Take this thought one step further. What if the way we taught caused this indecision? What if the way we corrected caused this delay? Not in the case of the running back's cut but in other decision making processes. Can we inadvertently be causing turnovers? The answer is yes and here are five reasons why?

Drawing too many pictures!

The mind works by taking pictures and then processing them. In order to have a clear, quick choice the most limited number of pictures the player has to respond to the easier the decision. Simple example: If I asked you to pick a picture of a girl you liked from two pictures. pretty simple. You make a choice from two. Now if I give you 1000 pictures, your choice is harder. you'd probably go back and forth narrowing it down. The easiest choice is if I gave you one picture with one choice: Attractive?. You can understand how multiple pictures creates indecision. Indecision causes delay. Delay in the mesh or on a throw causes turnovers. Simple.

Look at teaching the triple. We teach one picture. It either matches that picture or not. The thought process "I am giving the ball unless the read key makes a direct path in front of the quarterback." We don't teach if he's a sitter - give. If he' crashes the mesh pull. If he squeezes pull. If he comes up the field give. We also do not teach teach read the helmet stripe. Or the shoulder tilt. That would be like you trying to pick that picture by checking every hair on the head. (See spatial vs. Fine focus below.)

Do all the multiple pictures lead to the same decision? Yes, on paper at least. It's just more of a cumbersome process.

The same goes for passing. Take a simple curl flat combination.

I interviewed for a college OC position and the conversation lead to teaching the quarterback to read the all curl pattern. When I talked after presenting a pre-snap method of direction I said "I throw the curl unless the flat coverage makes a direct part into the throwing lane then I go to the flat." Simple and precise. The head coach responded that they do the same. "We throw the curl if the strong safety sits, goes straight back, or covered the flat. We throw the Flat if the strong safety opens his shoulders 45 degrees or sits at depth." Think about that thought process for the quarterback. And he fired his QB coach because the QB threw too many picks!

Again it comes out the same on paper in the end but the quarterback doesn't have paper or time!

Will there be early mistakes with one way decisions? Yes. Every read has a distance / time factor built in. How far the read starts out plus his angle of approach plus his speed of approach. This is the learning curve that comes with any process but it is easier in a one way decision.

Using a fine focus read vs a spatial focus read.

I've known coached who will not run triple option football vs back to back reads. They say its too hard to read. When they try it they get turnovers. I also know coaches who get a ton of interceptions on reads that are "right" by there verbiage but nevertheless lead to disaster. Why? They use "Fine" focus when they should be using "Spatial" focus.

What's the difference? "Fine" focus is narrowing vision to a small area. i.e. the logo on the short. It is necessary once the act of throwing the ball has been triggered. It is what pitchers and shooters use. it is what allows accuracy. "Spatial" focus is the ability to see a specific action while your vision takes in a wide scope and is aware of surrounding stimulus.

Take the helmet stripe read mentioned above. That's fine focus. The problem is that he can't see the back to back coming. He can't see the second man crashing at him till he refocuses which is usually right after the smelling salts take affect.

The same is true in passing. A coach explained this to me with the curl flat by saying that "we read the flat players numbers. If the quarterback can see one, two, or zero numbers and their tilt." I asked him what about robber coverage. His answer was "we live with that!"

Sure you have to teach pre snap awareness of possibilities. (i.e. is #2 in a back to back position.) Once you do though, spatial focus allows you to see and reaction to stimulus surrounding your read. (i.e. the flash on #2 crashing while you were reading #1) With practice in a spatial focus read the quarterback cab react to outside stimulus precisely and correctly.

The "Loading principle" in all muscle movements

In order for any muscle action to take place you have to load it to get it out of a state of being static.

Think of a baseball player batting. He goes to the plate with his muscles loaded to swing. (you can actually see the load in many batters as the pitcher winds up.) He then reacts to the ball out of the strike zone by stopping his swing. If he went up with a list of reactions (i.e. "If the ball is down the middle I swing.""If the ball is low I take" "If the ball is on the inside corner I swing" "If the ball is on the outside corner I take" etc.) he would have to load after the pitch was thrown. Needless to say, he'd be a little behind.

The same is true with the quarterback. If I say I am throwing the curl unless ......" when I hit my drop I am loaded to throw the curl. Vs. a"fudged" dropper I am still throwing the curl by rule but my load allows for it to be on rhythm and quicker into a smaller window. He only has to reload if he throws to the flat and that is part of the rhythm.

The same is true in the one way "give unless" decision. It's just like the batter reacting to his initial load and swinging on a strike or stopping the load on ball outside the strike zone.

Like the batter, the quarterback who works off a "listing" of mental processes will not be loaded and late on throws causing interceptions or in the mesh too long causing fumbles.

Being too simple

Considering we are talking about being simplistic this is here because the extreme doesn't work either. He is the coach who says "curl or flat throw to the open man." What is exactly the open man and how does the quarterback get there?

This is the same coach who watches film and says "he should have thrown the flat because he is open." What brought the quarterback to the flat?

Along this line is the attempt to be too simplistic in structure that it causes turnovers due to the quarterback properly executing the mental process. This happens in play design. Take the all hitch pattern. Simple in design. Coaches try to make it simpler by running all the hitches at the same depth. They do this to simplify teaching.

So now the quarterback goes though his read either outside to in or vice versa depending how its been taught. The problem is the timing will be there only for the first load. By the time the quarterback reloads for the second choice the hitch has been sitting there and jumped.

Good play design accentuates good mental training. In this case if the read was outside to inside, the inside route should have been deeper. If it was inside to out then the outside route should have been deeper.

Decisions that lead the quarterback to the dark side

What do I mean by the dark side? It is the area of the field that the quarterback cannot see due to the verbiage in his mental process. This has a lot to do with play design and application of the thought processes to that play. To explain I will give you two examples:

1) Any pass play with a crossing pattern. In our case let's say the tightened is running a crossing pattern from left to the right. If the quarterback's thought process brings from left to right also, he is throwing into an area he has no vision of (Since his eyes were on the other half of the field when they brought him to the drag, even spatial focus will not tell him what he is throwing into. ) This leads to interceptions. Ones thrown to a defender just sitting there in the dark side.

Rather any crossing pattern must be read from the finalized side to give the quarterback a vision into the are he is throwing and avoid interceptions.

2) Inside breaking routes (slants, curls, digs) must be read from the inside out because of the same problem as the crosser. If the mental process brings the read from the outside in. (deeper slant to inside slant) then the quarterback is susceptible to interceptions by people he cannot see. If the mental process brings the quarterback's eyes from the inside out.the only problem defender will be a chaser not an unseen defender. (i.e. "I am throwing the inside slant unless" not "I am throwing the outside slant unless")

In part two I will talk about how certain correction methods lead to turnovers

Social Media / the Internet the Serial Killer of Coaches

noreply@blogger.com (The Triple Option Spot) — Sun, 31 Jan 2016 19:22:00 +0000

Just starting to get up and around, so I thought I'd start of with a non- X and O column and what I think is a big problem today and growing,

Back in the early 2000's I wrote a couple of columns for a newspaper down in Virginia. The first one I did was entitled "Coaches face faceless scrutiny." Basically is was about the sudden growth of forums in which anonymous writers could post anything about a coach and not have to face up to examination for there actions. At that time forums were just begging to grow, not everybody had website or a Facebook page, and twitter was still eating pablum as the baby of social media. Since that time there has been a boon in this area. There are forums to voice you opinion on everything. Everybody has their own site or Facebook page claiming expertise and giving opinions on everything. Twitter, well you can't go anyplace without twitter slapping you in the face with some bit of info that either has no credence or is totally useless. (Really! Do I wanna see a selfie of somebody's new hairdo that I DON'T EVEN KNOW!) All of this is because of our basic needs to be wanted and to be special. (Where else can you declare yourself an expert without any experience.)

With this explosion comes a greater threat to coaches then ever before. Never in the history of coaching can ONE PERSON do so much damage. Never before can it be so sharp and quick. And never before can it be so harming to one's career. Winston Churchill once said that " a lie is half way around the world before the truth has a chance to be its pants on." If that was true in 1945, then today, with social media, a lie is to mars and back twice before the belt is buckled

In my original column I talked about Dick Tomey, then head coach at Arizona. When he resigned he stated that he had no choice. He couldn't change the opinion of his players as to what they increasingly heard on the websites. Therein lies problem number one: You can't disprove something that isn't true and is founded in rumor and myth. Courts don't let lawyers prove there wasn't any knife. The onus is to prove there was a knife. They can only prove or disprove the facts. People hiding behind false screen names take no accountable and therefore no investment into their statement. When naivety raises its head in the form of an uneducated reader, the opinion becomes fact and is spread as such. Soon you have a full fledge virus threatening the life of your career, all coming from one innocuous insect bite on some meaningless forum.

The second problem with this is boundaries. There are none. Paul Pasqualoni and George Deleone are good friends of mine. Very good friends. They are as classy and respectable people as I know. They will literally give you the shirt of there back. (And to this day have the best record and most bowl appearances and wins at Syracuse.) When they were at Syracuse, there was a group that didn't like them. I use to go on Syracuse.com's forum to read how the program was doing. I couldn't continue because of the vile remarks by these posters. You can have your opinion but attacking the man and his family is just.... off limits. Once when Paul's father died, a calmer mind stepped in asked for a down time to respect Paul as a person. That only served as ammunition. Comments like "#@*# Paul's Dad," "Maybe he and George will die next." and "I hope his whole #*%$ing family dies then maybe he'll leave." And these were the ones I could print! I truly believe that Paul and George's dismissal from Syracuse was one of the very first social media death tolls.

The bigger point is that as I traveled and moved ,I talked to people about Paul and George. Fought with people who had heard comments about them from the internet that were nowhere close to the people they are. I knew them very well yet the voice of some hideous hiding wart of a man was taken as fact over my word.

There is a saying "A lie left unanswered becomes the truth." Problem is with the internet you can never answer and convince everybody who has read the comments. (remember the old line "you never get a second chance at a first impression." Well to many people out there these comments are their first impressions of you. This is all they know about you. You are a name in the sports page till they read the forums.)

To illustrate this take a famous sex harassment case in the nineties brought on a teacher in Maryland by three students. Criminal charges were pressed. The teacher were persecuted in the papers. Given no chance of winning. He was built up to be the worst person on earth since satan offered the apple. Due to the vigilance of one police officer who fought through reprimands for being too tough on the kids, the case finally broke. It was a Hoax. The kids claimed this because of receiving bad grades. Now here's the catch. Once vindicated the teacher, who said all he ever wanted to do was teach, said he was giving up teaching. Not because he didn't want to but because of the millions that read the initial articles there were those out there that would look at him with suspicion. There were those out there who read all the beginning accounts but did not read the the final acquittal.There are those out there left with doubt.

The same is true on the internet. Some no name who doesn't even know you puts out a falsehood. Doesn't have to back up his info. Yet even though you dispel these through your actions in your program, there are thousands who didn't get the good guy memo.

Finally, people use to say "you can't argue with an idiot." It's even harder to argue with an anonymous idiot. I left a job one time and rumors swirled. (Every one ludicrous! One harder to believe then the last.) I'm old fashion. I didn't air my laundry. I actually left because they wanted me to fire good adjunct assistants and hire the guys inside who I already fired and didn't even show for meetings or practice. Anyway I got killed on the forums ( I found out who many of the writers were through their slips in messages and saw them often in town. Boy, face to face they'd smile and act like my friend.) Anyway, one of my assistants got disgusted and got on the board to tell the truth. It only served as gas on the fire. Many accused him of being me. Yeah right - I was on to my next job. Even with an assistant telling them the truth more people rallied to the anonymous poster.

Why are these posters even worth the ink on this paper. Think of this. A friend of mine left a job and even with his stellar record had trouble getting another one. After one interview, an administrator asked if he saw a certain forum that the interviewing parents brought it up after searching his name. When he looked he was amazed - post after post degrading him as the scum of the earth. All with different names. He continued to monitor the site because when he called, the moderator told him there was nothing he could do. To his surprise about a month later a poster noted that a certain other poster was banned because he was posting under multiple pen names. All these post disappeared but the damage had been done by one poster.

I've heard it said that the internet is new wild west with all the unlawlessness and all the possible good tied together. In coaching it's certainly true but I'm beginning to see the bad outweigh the good. Sites from "Coaches on the Hot Seat" to "Fire Paul Johnson" and the thousands more are springing up, giving voice to people who have no clue. (I wonder if that person would be upset if we started a sight "Fire Joe the Plummer.") With people's basic need to be a part of something bigger they join these sites with really no interest in the person, program, or outcome. (Come on, do you think the 875000 on Facebook are really your friends and care about your causes.) Twitter gives even quicker access. On an account that post score updates a person posted "this guy has got to go. All my buddies join in" Well by the end of the night his entire class had a reunion at the coaches expense.

The main problem lies in the anonymity of the author. He hides like some common thief in the darkness. (I once asked a moderator why they don't make poster use their real name or email. His answer - nobody would post and we would lose our sponsors! Money!) Just this week I was offered an interview, On a local forum my name came up. A poster who I don't know and wasn't even around when I was at Truman preceded to kill me. All false - even my record. But its there.

Some posters are just nasty people, some look for a bond, a group to put their shoes under the bed with, and some have an agenda. They may be former players who didn't play enough or their parents. They may be somebody who wants the job. (I've actually seen a coach have somebody post about his job competition on a forum. Afterwards he was even proud and boasting what he did.) Whatever it is they have a cherry to pick and if means chopping down the tree - you - to get it they will.

It's not going away and will probably get worse. So I advise coaches to do the following to help themselves.

1. google yourself often. You'd be amazed what you'd find. Especially if you are going for a job. In can assure you that the parents at the new school are.

2. Monitor your local forum. I knew a coach who assigned this to an assistant and once known by all he never had a bad post. Believe me your players are reading them do this. Because posters are not brave to begin with, if they know you monitor sites, they usually won't post for fear you'll figure it out.

3. If something is particularly nasty or defamatory send it to the moderator (there is usually a link on the post page) Many are starting to take it off if it's harmful. (Not the "he sucks as a coach") There have been lawsuits against forum owners

4. If you really really want to get the name - hire a PI. A coach I just coached against did this. There is a way / process to do this

5. Talk to your players parents about these sites. Let them know your thoughts

When I wrote my newspaper article the social media was in its infancy. It has boomed now as have the problems with it. Be proactive or you might become the next Dick Toomey.

PS I don't allow cellphones or camera film either at practice. They can be doctored and cut to fit. There's a halftime talk by a PA hall of fame coach on the internet. Nothing bad but he does come across as crazy. He hasn't been a head coach since.

Sorry for the lapse

noreply@blogger.com (The Triple Option Spot) — Tue, 15 Dec 2015 22:51:00 +0000

Hang in there. Tore achilles, then had family situation. Surgery tomorrow so hopefully it'll be only a few days

Eleven Reasons for Double Options

noreply@blogger.com (The Triple Option Spot) — Mon, 23 Nov 2015 16:07:00 +0000

When I do my consulting I often get the question "Why do you run double options when you can read your way out of all defenses?" So I'll address that here. For the sake of this article we will only include straight double options and not include counter options or fullback pitch speed options.

To get to the perimeter when the defense is dictating you will not. If you read out you are at the mercy of the defense as to who gets the ball. You are also at the mercy of the defense as to where it is run. If the defense (in this case a reduced front designates a give read every time, it's not a bad play. However, if they can control you inside and, if their defense knows where the ball is going (We're assuming they are well prepared.) This is not a bad play but we need to make the defense defend the full width of the field. In fig 1 below, the ball is getting to the perimeter despite the defense's attempt to keep it inside.This is especially important when you have a speed or blocking leverage advantage at the perimeter and are running to the wide wide side of the field.
To get the ball in a great halfbacks hand. Although theory is the basis of this offense, there are times you just have to get your best players the ball. In the above example, the defense can keep the ball away from a good halfback. In fig. 1 though, the ball is now in that halfback's hand. (we are not counting the rocket here as that is a totally different concept.)
To get the ball in a great quarterbacks hands. Same theory as above, but different runner. Take a 5-2. If it constantly gets the ball out of the quarterback's hands with the outside linebacker, your great runner may spend much of the game watching his pitchman get tracked down. The answer comes in a double option. (see fig.2 run from flex) This is commonly run by Navy to keep the ball in Reynold's hands. A smart move.
To add a blocker when the defense has absorbed all the blockers and outnumbers the offense after the snap. Take a look at fig. 3, where, if the offense was running triple. The end (#1) would take the dive, the scrape linebacker would absorb the halfbacks block, the strong safety would play the pitch and the free safety, reading the halfback's block would be free to play the quarterback. However, by running the double option, shown in fig. 3,you have added an extra blocker (the fullback) and now can account for everybody.
To add and extra blocker to seal the box vs a six man side. This allows you to run into frontal over shifts that, in turn ,lets you dictate the flank. This is important, as a simple triple defensive strategy is to give you a six-man side pre snap and then run to balance up with motion. (Even more prevalent in high school where teams use a six-man side to field and force pure triple teams to the short boundary.) In fig. 4, a six -man side, if you ran the triple, you need to arc the HB to account for numbers on the perimeter. This would allow for the defense to squeeze the DE on the fullback and scrape the linebacker on the quarterback, essentially outnumbering the offense. (You must veer due to the overshifted nose.)Since the double option adds one blocker (the fullback) you can now account for everybody and run to the flank you want to.
To handle the echo stunt when your quarterback can't. I've run this offense for a long time and I can safely say, as much as you practice the "echo" stunt, there will be quarterbacks, days, quarters, seasons, that you have trouble with it. (If you don't believe this break down Georgia Tech's offensive production this year.) Give your quarterback a hand in those situations and block his way out. Fig.5 gives you one simple way to accomplish this. Not only will it save a game but it gives the quarterback confidence knowing he doesn't have to be perfect with the reads as you have the answers he doesn't.
To handle the back-to-back stunt when your quarterback can't. I once had a quarterback that, whether due to poor judgment, slow hands, narrow vision, or my poor coaching, would have trouble at times with the back to back read. Running double (fig.6) takes one read away from him. In essence, you as a coach has read his way out for him
To change option responsibilities. You've heard me preach many times on this site to make defenses change their option responsibilities, tempo of pace to the perimeter, and entry point for the free safety inserting. Double options do that. Never let the defense get into a rhythm: Dive...QB..Pitch. It always them to play as fast as you.
To set up a particular play action pass. Many times the triple doesn't set up the play-action pass we want but the double option can. As an example, the reduced front doesn't usually have a problem with the wheel because the halfback is sealing on the triple, if he arcs the Strong safety will run with him or the Free Safety / corner will combo the post / wheel. However, if you run the double option in fig. 1, you now stress the strong safety with the wheel. To take matters further, if you take a the double option in fig.3 and "switch the receiver, fullback, and halfback assignments you now have a situation where the wheel is running by the strong safety on the run play. When we throw it, there is usually nobody to cover it. (fig. 7)
Force the defense to defend and practice against multiple looks. I once played against a team that only ran midline tuck to a three technique and the triple to the A-gap player. Needless to say we got very good at defending the triple to the A-gap and the midline tuck to the three. By running multiple options you force the defense to defend multiple looks. That alone takes time away from the triple / midline preparation. They can't defend it as well if they can't pigeon hole you.
Allows you to run out the clock without making reads. Double options are a much safer way to run out the clock late in the game. Loaded options become, basically, quarterback sweeps. One person handles the ball. (Check out Navy videos this year. You get a big dose of zone dive, double option at game's end.)

This are eleven solid reasons to run the double option in your offense. Don't get me wrong, we are a triple option team. Sometimes though I think that is misunderstood. Because your offense comes off the triple, it means exactly that - it COMES OFF the triple. The specific examples do that matter as long as they answer the need. There are many double options that fit all these situations.

Happy Thanksgiving to all. Enjoy

Scores per possession the most important stat when you control the clock

noreply@blogger.com (The Triple Option Spot) — Thu, 12 Nov 2015 21:06:00 +0000

As I watched Navy totally dominate Memphis last weekend I was brought back to an "Old" clinic I went to years ago where a coach outlined a plan for winning, irregardless of style. It was definitely a win for old school football.

Many announcers and coaches disparage the stat of time of possession with all the fast tech football that runs 100 plays per game. However, if you combine it with points per possession it becomes

In the Clinic, a long time ago, the college coach elaborated on the seven most important aspects of winning a game. We've all heard these before but Navy brought them to a new level. Navy did them all. In addition, many are considered "old school" and not necessary for victory.

1. No foolish penalties -Navy had none that would fit into this category. In a world today that emphasizes athlete over team, Navy emphasizes discipline over freedom. Although there is a lot of decision making in the offense, the flexbone system requires that every one is disciplined and stay with the system. It also requires that you stay on rhythm, down and distance wise. You can win with inferior personnel on offense is you stay on rhythm. The lack of penalties allow this to happen. Except for one pitch, the pass, and the "Fullback on the "down" play. you cannot consider Navy's offense explosive. However, how many third's and short did we see.

2. Win the turnover battle - Yes, we hear that often today. However, the meaning of that has changed over the year. In today's world, turnovers are tolerable as long as you have less then the other team and have more explosive plays. (I actually heard a major college coach say "turnovers in today's high octane offenses are inevitable. You have to learn to, not accept them but tolerate them." Hogwash! When this statement was originally made NO turnovers were the only thing acceptable. When you have zero turnovers you always win (or at worst tie) the turnover battle. It was obvious Navy was the most secure with the ball leading to two costly Memphis turnovers in the second half.

3. Don't give up more then 5 plays over 20 yards - While I think this stat has slightly changed do to the new "open" style of play and use of great athletes on the field (the acceptable number may be slightly higher today), I truly believe it is very important. What's more telling is how Navy did this. ALL ZONE DEFENSE and keeping the ball in front. Sure there were numerous catches underneath - tons of them, but they were limited gains by the fact zone defense allows you to have eyes on and break to the ball. Many defensive "guru's" today say you can't play zone consistently versus today's offense. However, this is the way I learned to play and coach. It doesn't count till it's in the end zone!!! Again you can play with lesser athletes if you keep the ball in front and inside and then have great pursuit and great tackling. (by the way I thought Navy's tackling was as good as I've seen this year.

4. Be able to run the football - The stats speak for this but the way they did it is even more of the reason they won. Their efficiency! It just wore down the defense; physically AND mentally. People today can't run the ball with any hardness. Because of that they have a hard time installing any hardness in their defense and have a hard time stopping the run. Like Bobby Sutton once said to me when he was at Army "These defensive tackles today are use to pass rushing for 30-40 snaps. They are not use to people coming out and pounding it in the face for 70 to 90 snaps. It just gets to them mentally and physically."

I once visited a college getting prepared for the flexbone. As they were coming off the field I heard their star defensive end say "Man, I didn't sign up for this! I just want to rush the passer." You think he was mentally into it.

5. Limit the opponents rushing game - I really don't remember Memphis being consistently able to run the ball. Why? My take had to do with the zone defense Navy played behind. They were able to play 5 1/2 men in the box with a fudge player. (He'd have to leave the box in man free.) That allows you to have 6 man run gap fits. That's how you stop the inside run. The addition of the run support brought by zone limited the the outside run and took away many of today's run pass conflicts.

6. Play great goalline offense and defense - Every time Navy got to the red zone they got TDS. While Memphis moved the ball, they had to settle for some field goals or got stopped

7. Control time of possession - That was obvious but what did that accomplish. Less possessions. In the first quarter there were only three possessions! There were only 6 real ones in the first half. (3 each) Think about that. Even if you never score and the opponents score at a 66% rate (above today's average.) you are only down 14-0 at half! Two scores and that's with you NOT SCORING AT ALL! Plus, in the second half,once Memphis fumbles and goes down two scores, they are thinking they have to be perfect. That they'll only have two more possessions. (In today's football yards don't mean anything but efficiency per possession in regard to scoring is the highest stat. Whether it be the Navy - Memphis game with limited possessions or the Oklahoma State - TCU game that TCU amassed 660 yards but scored at a 1.7 pts per possession. And what better way to limit this possessions if you are inferior then to control time of possession.

Therefore, and the point of this article is time of possession as a solo stat is useless. Unless you combine it with a high percentage of scores per possession as Navy did, you are limiting your chances to score also.

8. Win the kicking game. This one is highly subjective as there are so many factors to put into one category. So, I'm gonna call this a

(The final topping on the cake was when Keenan Reynolds checked out of a play that would have given him an all-time record at the end to let another player score. I grew up the BO idea of "the team...the team...and the team!" That has kind of been lost today with all the individual stats, Sabermetrics, and self indulgences. Nice to see it again. Refreshing!)

Take a look at the biggest game of the same week: Alabama vs LSU. The key to that Alabama win
1 Alabama won the turnover battle. Alabama had one (and I'm sure that Saban was upset about that )
2 Alabama had 0 foolish penalties
3 I believe Alabama had no runs or passes against them over 20 yards. (Might have been 1 late) Saban is famous for his match up ZONE coverages
4 Alabama ran the ball
5 Alabama stopped the run. (As good of gap soundness as I've seen in recent years.
6 Alabama controlled the clock - which limited the times Leonard Fourquette had to break a big one. Trust me, if you've seen him run, if he had more touches he would have eventually broke one. He's that good. (Not only did Alabama control the clock but they were highly efferent in their points per drive. LSU was not.)
7. They also won the kicking game here.

So what does this give us. Even in today's high tech, no huddle, fast then faster offenses that throw the ball 40 times and run 100+ plays, you still must run the ball to win. Additionally, controlling the clock is still a valuable stat if, and only if, YOU are highly efficient in points per possession. If you run off 3/4 of the clock and are one for 6 in possessions and scoring, they only have to be 2 out of 6. Remember, when you limit possessions in a game, you are also limiting your possessions and each possession is more valuable to you. If you score 3 tds in 4 possessions, that's 75% A team must be pretty efficient to beat you. But you only have 4 possessions to score those three times. One less limits you to 50%.

Never rely on you getting more possessions then them. Even in an ideal world (omitting onsides) you can only have two more possessions then them and that rarely happens.

I've heard coaches say they ran off 3/4 of the clock and lost 21-3. There are no moral victories. Everything fits together. The more you control the clock, the more your goal line efficiency is important, the more your penalties hurt (off rhythm), the more fumbles hurt, and the more giving up big plays are killers. (If you run off 8 minutes and scored and then they take two plays to score, you have defeated the goal. They have accelerated the number of positions.). Since each possession becomes more valuable, each lost possession becomes more critical.

Getting the running quarterback to the edge. Part 2 flex split ends

noreply@blogger.com (The Triple Option Spot) — Mon, 09 Nov 2015 18:18:00 +0000

In this article we will continue with our "Loaded options" in order to keep the quarterback in play. Today we will run them from our flexed end position. It is important to note that we use two distinct flex end positions. Our first "flex" places the end at 3-5 yards. He will go to 3 is there is a man on the line between himself and the tackle. and expand that area to five or even six if there is nobody on the line of scrimmage. The second or "nasty" position places the wide receiver at 3' to 5' from the tackle. (almost in a tightened position.) We can have both sides flexed or nasty or just one side. We can go ends over and have our inside receiver flexed or nasty or even have both ends flexed or nasty. (we like the rocket from the latter.)

We use this formation for a number of reasons:

To create leverage on an inside defender
To block an interior defender with a bigger player
To change secondary structure. Seven man fronts will usually change from sky support to cloud support. In addition to changing option responsibilities, this usually puts a non-tackler (corner) in a tackling situation.
To slow backside rotation by the free safety in a seven man front. In corner support there is due to alignment slower and deeper rotation then if the Free was in quarters (basically man)
To bring the support player closer to the arc or, if he is getting optioned,closer to the quarterback. This does two things. First it allows the arc to leverage the pitch defender quicker as well as blocking a defender not use to this. It also allows the pitch man to quickly circle (outflank) the whole defense.
It forces an eight man front to explained the force players or be outflanked quickly. This opens up the midline tuck play without the threat of a fold player outnumbering us.
In cloud support, due to the two quick receivers, the safety must stay inside longer to handle the vertical threat. This allows us to run base schemes and block him easily with the wide receiver.
The support player in a seven man fort is quickly put in the run / pass conflict of the wheel due to his positioning. This requires a much quicker reaction then if they are in quarters in a normal set.
It forces the defense more preparation time with different problems and schemes, all while we run our base offense.

This are just some of the ways we will use the flex and nasty formations in our offense.

Now for the double options.

The first thing we will run from the flex is the normal double options (explained in part one.) With the ability to get the SE quickly on the safety, we will make their corner quickly decide to take the pitch or the QB. taking either can be deadly. (fig. 1)

Using the Wide receiver as a leverage blocker

Wide receiver on #2

We will use the wide receiver as a leverage blocker on #2 with our chip and zone scheme (Vs 7 man fronts.) We can do this from either flex or nasty.

Wide receiver on #2 with chip scheme vs. 4-3

(fig #2)

In this scheme the wide receiver will block the stack #2. Nothing changes. The fullback must eyeball the echo stunt between the stack as he continues around and blocks the free. (If they echoed the Wr would block the mike and the HB would go to the BS safety. (He usually would not get off the chip.) We would let non-support go as there is a lot of area for the quarterback to get vertical in.

If they walked up the echo, as before we would get a gap call with the HB and Tackle would handle the stunt, the wr would go to the Mike and the Fullback to the free. (fig.4)

Finally, if #2 ups the wide receiver will crack him in flex (Fig 5) and will base him in nasty. Step near foot just get movement, quarterback will cut off him. ( Fig 6)

Note: if the OLB #2 goes on a flex end (we've seen this) he will base him as if in nasty.

Wide receiver crack with zone scheme vs. 5-2

(fig #7)

Vs. a seven man front (5-2) we will crack the lob (#2) if in flex / arc the HB around for near deep safety and let the FB wrap, reading the crack and sealing backer to safety. We run our power zone just as the first article.(remember due to FB threat DE's in a 5-2 will usually play inside conscience making them vulnerable to the scoop)

(Note: an important aspect to remember is the quarterback must work from depth off the line. That lets him clear any penetration. We reverse (roll into our loaded options) but you can skip out in order to keep the footwork consistent with your other double options.)

Vs a reduced front (No change)

(Fig. 8)

If we get a reduction front we will have no change to our chip scheme and the WR will go back to stalking.

Using the Wide receiver as a first level blocker vs the 4-3

(Fig 9)

We haven't used this much as we haven't used our nasty formation much but there is a place for it.

The wr. receiver will now switch assignments with our nasty end and block #2. If #2 ups, he will attempt to hook him with the fullback reading his block and blocking the MLB. (He still has the echo with the HB getting the Mike.) The negative of this scheme is the inability to get the near deep safety. you are giving that up to secure an 8 yard play consistantly. (This is Navy's preferred way.)

Play action pass off the double option

(Fig 10)

With the corner tight and the deep safety also tight based upon the constricted formation we like to get on the safety quickly with two quick receivers. At 8-10 yards the wr receiver will break at an angle for 18-20 on the sideline. The Hb will continue and bend slightly looking over his outside shoulder. (aim hash to wide side / 8 yards inside corner of end zone to boundary. We throw opposite the safety. Note: If Backside safety is jumping this we will go Backside with post corner choice route by wide receiver.)

The other play-action we like off our double options is our crossing routes. (Fig 11) The backside wide receiver runs a hash route. (Near Goalpost if in middle) The playside end climbs as he crosses to 14-16 yards (must get past opposite tackle.) The play side HB crosses climbing to 6 yards by sideline. The QB will glance deep then go to the deep crosser unless the corner drops here.

Hope you enjoyed and got something out of these two articles.

The five most important elements to picking a job you can turn around

noreply@blogger.com (The Triple Option Spot) — Fri, 06 Nov 2015 19:14:00 +0000

Gonna change pace from the X's and O's a little bit. I'll be back with part II of the loaded double options from the flex next week. Since the open job season is coming up, I thought I'd look back at my multiple jobs and pick out the five most important questions / characteristics to look for in taking a losing program with a chance to win.

Understand, I've taken over 11 programs in between moving and going back and forth to college. I have been able to get 7 of the programs deep into the playoffs. Most were never there before and all were very unique. The ones that I didn't win at had some common threads. Even some of the ones that I was successful in had some of these traits and made my work seem as if I was pushing a car uphill. (Understand I am old enough, mature enough, and intelligent enough to realize part of the problem in these settings was me. Time off allows you to analyze and take long looks at yourself.)

As I've gotten older I've learned to listen better and interview the interviewers better. There have been many times I've taken jobs that didm't answer these questions right (see #6) but looking back I wish I had listened to the message. Don't get lost in being interviewed - remember you are making a decision also. Get the info you want.

1. Is your vision and their vision the same. This is not as simple as saying "we want to win." This entails everything from "what is winning?" to structure and demands of the program to what is expected from the coach and the program on and off the field. Questions such as "Define winning?" and where would you like to see the program in three / six years?" will not only help you understand what they are looking for but give you an idea if they have any clue as to what they want. (Many don't! They just interview in generalities as to what feels good today. These get you in trouble as the "Flavor of the day" changes often.)Pin them down. And if they have no clue - well I am at a stage where I really want to be someplace else.

If your two vision are not perfectly in sync, then there will be a time when you feel you are fighting with one arm strapped to your side. There will be a time when something you feel is on track will be totally derailed as it didn't fit in with their expectations. (Don't get me wrong - this is a group effort and compromise is essential as long as the train gets to the same destination.)

Most losing program will answer with "we want our program to be successful on and off the field!" Well what does that mean in absolutes. Make them answer in absolutes and if they can't you know they have no idea of what they want. You will be at the mercy of daily whimsical fleets of fancy. The more concrete you are the more they should want you.

(Imagine interviewing at Chrysler for a manager of a new car line. When you ask the CEO "What is your vision for this car?" He says"we want it to be good!" Wouldn't happen.)

2. What is their "ideal coach?" This seems stupid and trivial as no one can get their ideal but every coach is different.Somebody told me years ago there is a right job for every coach and a right coach for every job and sometimes they are not mutual. Everybody is different. Everybody has different personality traits. Everybody has a different coaching style. Not everybody - no matter how good you are as a coach is a perfect match. (Just take "intensity" level - and you get a job in a laid back liberal school. No! Not a good match.)

So when I interview I always ask them, "So describe your ideal coach." Listen closely and be honest with yourself. Am I that person. (Many many of the schools I interviewed at, especially lately, looked at me like deer in the headlights when I asked them. They had no idea. Trust me - this method of picking a coach doesn't work. In my last interview in January, I flew out to another city to be met by a thirteen person panel. When I asked this question they went from one to the other asking "do you want to answer that?" Nobody had a clue. How do you pick something if you don't know what want?
Its like me giving you a blank check and saying, go buy "something" on amazon.

This question will also give you an idea as to how important sports are to the school. If they haven't prepared a list of why they are looking for, its probably not that important to them.

Again, compromise is the answer. You will always have to change to fit into the new environment but a total remake? Eventually, it'll rain, the whitewash will come off, and the zebra stripes will appear. You are who you are.

3. Do they have the fortitude to support you? There are going to be disagreements and you being the new kid / outsider will be put on the chopping block and tested many times early. Will you have to change, apologize, give in with any agreement or are they hiring your philosophy. This is less and less as more and more money gets into education. As a former principal said to me, when he started principles were making 20000 and teachers about 13000 (He's a dinosaur like me.) So when put on the spot they supported the coach. They could easily make 20000 in another profession. So they did what they deemed right with no second thoughts. Today principals make well into six figures with bonuses for test scores, the decision is not so easy. Getting a job that pays as much as that is pretty hard.

So I asked them to define the word "support" as it pertains to their role with coaches. I could fill a book with the answers and PC crap that came out of most but the good ones said the right things and understood athletics. (The late great principal of Langley answered "My job is to get the peoples out of the way of the cart so you can drive it easily." I signed up immediately.)

4. What is the current state of the culture and do I as an outsider fit in? To be honest, this is one I haven't followed always and gets me in a lot of trouble. At Holy Spirit they wanted an alumni and three applied splitting the groups. They also wanted the AD (non-alumni) out and he was hiring me. Not a good culture to enter. At Manassas I received an email inviting me to a baptist church that Sunday. When I replied I was Catholic, the response stated "not for long if you want to coach here." (I later realized the the city was a resounding majority Southern Baptist! Nothing wrong with that. In my stay in Virginia many administrators and friends were Southern Baptist. Great people. The point is that this was a very closed group. Very hard for an outsider.

When you take over a "Losing" program, you have enough on your plate. You don't need to be walking on pins and needles trying to fit in at every corner.

While there is no specific question you can ask here, you need to do your homework. Research the internet. Browse around town asking questions like a tourist, eat at a local diner. You will be surprised as to the inside info you can get. (but don't tell them you're a candidate for the job or they'll tell you what they want to hear.

5) Are the people interviewing you trustworthy and taking ownership for the program? Tough to figure out but you can if you ask the right questions. First and foremost, ask them what happened with the last couple of coaches and why they don't think they are successful. If the blame is constantly on the previous coach / coaches, they are just hiring another scapegoat. Yes, some of the blame starts there but all of it. I once had a school that had 14 coaches in 20 years. When asked why they hadn't been successful, the AD said sternly, "We have the perfect program here. We just haven't plugged in the right coach!" You've been losing for thirty years and had 14 coaches, one of those must have had some ability. Do you think it may be a bigger problem. (I took the job and it was. Micromanaging from above, answering every hint of displeasure (The AD and head coach were required to go to every board mtg.), split little leagues arguing and putting the head coach in the middle, split booster clubs, etc.)

Now, to the contrary when I took over North Stafford, Woody (one of the best AD's a coach can ask for!) said to me. "John, I don't think we've ever had a great coach but then again we've never had a great program. We are looking for somebody to come in and tell us how to do it." Can't ask for more. Easy turn around for a school that lost 37 in a row. Did I get everything I wanted - NO! But the effort was there to give me everything I needed. They took accountability for the problem!

BONUS QUESTION

6. Why am I taking this job? This is one you have to ask yourself and nobody on the search committee. As one AD told me "Everybody wants to coach and more want the title Head Coach" As a result we trick ourselves. This perhaps is my biggest career mistake. I take a job so I can coach. End of story. All the questions above were answered wrong - yet, despite my gut, I had this overriding need to coach. Like if I didn't I never would again or that some value of me would be missing.

Take a job because you want to be at THAT school. Is there a perfect job? NO! its give and take and adaptation. However, there is an ideal situation - one you and the program can grow with the umbrella of the school district, making all sides happy.

Getting the running quarterback to the edge. Part 1 2x2

noreply@blogger.com (The Triple Option Spot) — Wed, 04 Nov 2015 14:49:00 +0000

There are times when you have a great running quarterback and you just want to get him to the edge and load the option. Optioning support can get a great running quarterback in the seam, confusing option responsibilities, forcing alley players to play a responsibility they think is taken by another player, and foiling a game plan that puts the ball in the fullback's hands and then either takes it away by numbers or by superior personnel.

First lets start with our two by two formation. We will start the idea with our zone scheme although we have some adjustments to make. Additionally, we will cut our splits to facilitate zone blocking. (T/G move to 2 feet)

It is important that we set the edge / set a corner otherwise the play turns into a foot race and we are running nothing more then outside zone with our quarterback. We want the edge and will create this with either a chip or leverage scheme.You cannot let the defense dictate the option choices to you. You cannot let the defense get in a comfortable dive quarterback pitch rhythm. You cannot let the defense take your better athletes out of the scheme!

It is important to note that the QB works off the line to avoid any garbage and gets to the perimeter and upfield as fast as he can. (We estimate a yard to a yard and a half.)

Vs. a reduced front

Vs our reduced front, we will run our Chip scheme with the qb reversing and the HB chipping. We tell the HB to chip to the playside to backside linerbacker. If you get the front one good but the full back will make you right. (see fig 1)

Vs. a 4-3 defense

fig 2

Vs. A 4-3 defense we will load with the Fullback on #2. He has him inside and outside the chip scheme The blocking reverts to triple from the guard back (Although in certain years we have still zoned it. (see fig 2)

With the fullback loading, the HB and tackle know that vs. a walked up echo they will gap it, allowing the Fullback to wrap to the Mike. (fig 3)

vs. 5-2

We don't like this scheme vs. a 5-2 and will often check out of it but if we did, we would get into our HB load scheme. (We normally don't like to load with a HB so personal mismatches become a priority. we would rather do it from other formations we will explain later) (fig 4)

Because all 5-2 teams vs the flexbone will have their tackles B - gap conscious, we do not worry about setting the edge. The power scoop between the guard and tackle should handle this.

The Fullback will aim at the but of the wing and find his entry point: inside or outside the load with the qb usually tucking /wrapping behind him.

The key coaching point is for the tackle not to overstep and allow the OLB underneath. We actually step with our inside foot first then try and get back to the outside number

Vs. 4-3 #2 ups

Fig 5

Vs. a 4-3 and #2 ups, we will run our HB load with our zone scheme exactly like the 5-2. The important aspect is that the teams that usually do this will crash #2 at the QB. We feel this is an easy block as long as the hb steps with his near foot and the quarterback approaches from off the line to clear any garbage. (fig. 5)

An important note on all these options is that since there is no threat of the quarterback encountering a pitch key in his face he can reverse (roll) out. allowing him width and depth to get on the flank faster. Also on the chip schemes the QB should work up the field as fast as possible. Setting the edge forces the alley quicker or the pitch man must come to you.

Next up Loading it with the WR from the flex.

attacking-bastard-defenses-part-1d-5-1-5.

noreply@blogger.com (The Triple Option Spot) — Tue, 20 Oct 2015 18:17:00 +0000

As a last article to attacking the 5-1-5 structure, we will explore the supplemental plays. Plays that either keep a specific aspect of the option in play or plays that take advantage of the structure itself.

Part I - First let's talk about keeping the fullback involved:

There was a time that 4i's gave us a problem in keeping the fullback in the game and in order to be an triple option team you MUST keep the fullback threat alive or the defense will get into a rhythm of flying out to the quarterback and pitch and outnumbering you at the flank. (trust me, I learned this one the hard way.) Just the threat of the fullback slows down the alley safety, the middle linebacker and forces the defense to change option assignments or die with the first threat.

First thought pattern vs this defense is that the 4i's are fullback player. Why else would they put them in there. (They can't get to midline from 4's) Additionally, they must be fullback players due to the lack of inside numbers to be stout against him (NG and MLB)

First option "Outside Veer" (see Fig. 1)

(Note: In order to keep the mesh consistent we will cut down our splits to g-c two feet and g-tackle one foot. We can now aim at the inside foot of the tackle for an easier fullback entry path. However, the QB / fullback steps and mesh have remained the same. This also allows for an easier power zone with the guard and tackle. [they will double until the tackle is forced to come off.) You've cut down a total of 3' and expanded the path 3'. So the fullback's path is essentially the same.)

You now read # 2 (DE/OLB) and pitch off #3 (Strong safety)

This play has the added affect of helping with a hard charging strong safety that is hard to arc by the halfback, as we are optioning him now.

With a single lber defense we have the option of wide sealing the halfback (See fig 2) as the power scoop can handle the MLB and now we not only influence #2 with our outward move but can account for the free. Thus everybody is blocked.

If you want to make this this a QB fullback play setting up the wheel. You can also run this with our special call (fig.3) having the Wr and HB switch assignments. Or run it from twins. (fig 4)

Second Option: "Zone dive" (see Fig. 5)

Zone dive does the same thing as the outside veer, except there is no reading it and the splits remain normal. The fullback will now "read the tackle's block. Either will be successful here.

Third Option: "Midline Dive" (see fig 6)

We love this play vs any odd defense but especially against this one. First thing you must analyze is can your center neutralize the nose. We prefer this agains an active nose as he is doing our job for us.
We will take as big as splits as the defense will allow and cut the inside leg of the tackle. (take 4-5 foot if possible) The FB reads the nose (we will back him up an extra foot some some years) and stays A to A. You must make the defense pay for letting one linemen cover so big of an area.
The play can be run to motion, no motion, twirl motion, whatever gives you the best movement out of the nose

If a team is trying to play us in 4 tech's with this defense, we will run this till the cows come home!

One year we were playing this defense with a great 300lb D1nose. We cut our guard / center splits and really opened our tackles. All three players came off at the nose with him him deciding who came off (if anybody!) It worked extremely well.

Part II - Keeping the quarterback in play

The defense basically declares itself as back to back vs the triple. By alignment this is a pretty easy scheme to figure out. (They may stunt #2 and #3 but rarely as the free has to move over and we handled that before.) They are expanding their defense and then declaring the ball to go outside NOW into their strength. In essence they are saying - You will not run the QB or Fullback on the triple and they will have close run support to force the pitch player back to pursuit quickly. You need to make them respect the QB. We've already done a little of this with our midline tuck play. You also need the close support to pay (other then the play-action pass.)Let's look at some more.

First Option: "Triple T-load" (see fig.7)

We've talked about this earlier as a midline play but it is better as a triple due to the fact that the quarterback gets out quicker. He can circle the defense quicker. The OLB should be an easy log due to his aggressive nature as a true c-gap player. The HB can read inside or outside the tackle and the quarterback can still tuck.

Second Option: "Double option wide receiver load" (fig. 8)

We will run our zone option from flex and let the Wr crack #2. He must stay inside to be sound. If he comes out on the flex run OV (Navy did it to Notre Dame for 50 yards and 6 points) The skip out by the quarterback allows him to bypass any penetration. (Don't load with the wide receiver off the triple as he can't get around the garbage!)

Third option: "Tackle or TE load" (See fig 9)

Because of the c-gap need of the OLB / DE This becomes steeling. I they play a 9 run the down till the cows come home. (fig 10)

Part III Using the HB to exploit the defense.

There are a couple of plays we use to keep the halfback in the game and take advantage of defensive structure.

First option: Counter Dive (fig 11)

This is our way to influence the nose guard. He will chip play side as in a reach and come off flat for the 4i. The fullback and the center are responsible for the 4i to the Strong Safety.

If the nose slants hard on motion, the center will take him and the guard will go up to the backer who is usually flowing away. (fig. 12) Again, we will wider our splits with the key being the backside tackle's cut block.

Second option: Double option. (fig 13)

This is our zone option with the fullback wrapping. Again, the fullback can only take so many hits from a 4i and the quart back may have trouble with the back to back. In this scheme the fullback should be able to get to the free. We use the same splits as in our outside veer to facilitate the zone. Plus the quarterback can read only one person, eliminating the back to back.
(Note: we can run this away from trips or unbalanced in order to soften the arc. Or we may crack arc #! and exchange the halfback and wide receiver's block. In this defense, the numbers usually remain the same but the softness of support and the dual threat [run or pass] conflict on the support player may make the arc easier.)

That's a complete running game vs this "junk" defense. You don't need it all, just what you do best. Remember, the stranger the defense the bigger the voids, the less you have to do.

We will get into another junk defense next time. You may never see these but the key is to be prepared if you do. If you do have a defense you would like to see attacked, email me at 3backoption@gmail.com.

Note: Due to time, I purposely left off the passing game as the tradition single high attack works.

attacking-bastard-defenses-part-1c-5-1-5.

noreply@blogger.com (The Triple Option Spot) — Tue, 13 Oct 2015 17:21:00 +0000

Today we'll deal with the same 5-1-5 defense and answer how and why we would run the midline. In this case we will talk about both the midline triple and the midline tuck play.

NOTE: In some of the early diagrams in this article, the backside tackle is not drawn in - he will reach the 4i cutting him.

Midline triple.

First lets take a look at the midline triple. (fig 1) vs the 5-1-5 with the tackles wide in 4i's.
We will use twirl motion to better phase it up with the pitch phase.

From the tackle out it is the same as our loop triple. The only difference is we tell the tackle he will go directly to the free. There is no way our guard cannot handle the MLB with leverage on him, the fullback staying on the midline, and motion away. Remember that this is a single MLB defense and the only way they can outnumber you is to get that lber over the top on triple.

Additionally, the guards must step with inside foot to protect the path of the FB.

The center has the nose. A lot of people don't like running the midline at a zero nose. I love it. The key is to just get movement. We use a "slide base" technique. with take a short 6" step play side but delay the backside foot for a micro second. (its not even noticeable) This allows for the center to take the nose where he wants to go. If he doesn't pick a side then the center will force him backside.

(Remember, in earlier articles I've always said you need a good center to run this offense. At times he has been our best linemen. IF THERE IS A MISMATCH AT CENTER REFER TO OUR "MUSH" CALL. - see below)

The backside guard steps inside to the MLBer. Either him or the PS guard will continue downfield.

The backside tackle will cut the 4i. If the backside overhang is chasing it down we will add a third linemen away from the play to widen his path (Tac over or TE in game) or make a mush call allowing us to fan the backside..

When we get a "zero" nose we tell the Fullback to read the center's block. It is either a playside or backside a-gap play. The key for it is to tell him think playside and react to backside and always stay square to the line of scrimmage getting upfield. Problems arise when the fullback thinks he's a HB and flattens out to the B gap. (One of the key structural problems of this defense is the nose is a two gap player - take advantage of it.)

Why use midline triple.

The quarterback is having trouble with the quick back to back read. (fig 2) This is one of the reasons they play this defense. To get the ball out of your fullback and quarterbacks hands now. The midline triple pulls the mesh away from the stunt.

Different angle for dive key. It slows down the hard mesh charge by the DT that can cause havoc. Because the fullback is further away the Dt must change his course. He will hesitate now on the mesh charge also. (TRUST ME YOUR FULLBACK WILL LIKE YOU A WHOLE LOT MORE) (see fig.2 above)
If they are trying to get 6 people placed post snap. Many people will in the defense slant the nose to motion, trying to get him to come other and play the FB. They will also run the Backer over the top. If the Free is flowing, this becomes a seven man side. (fig.3) Take advantage of it. (we don't like counter option as much because of the overhang in the QB's face. We will run it at times but this gives the QB a chance to read his way out.)

The people who have run this defense on me in the past have used the idea of two close strong safeties to their advantage, They have (like most 8 man front teams) blitzed off the edge to the side of the free safety. The difference is that it is the side the free ends up on after motion. (see figure 3 above and fig 4 for examples of this.) They can't stunt off both sides and be sound against the pass. (at least is my mind.) If they are coming to the motion - they will be soft away.

It is a simple way to keep the fullback in the game. Because the mesh happens behind the center it is a long way to go for the handoff key. (and as mentioned previously a different angle!) Additionally, splits do not affect the integrity of the mesh so you can take the guard and tackle out as far as they will go. Make them pay for having only two players to protect such a huge area. If the MLB is flowing with the motion - now its one man in that large area.
The free isn't usually as active vs the midline triple due to the twirl motion.

Mush call:

We use a mush call when one of two things are bothering us.

The nose is a mismatch for our center
There is a 4i and an overhang that is chasing down the midline.

If is a simple technique that we practice for about 2 1/2 min every week in case it comes up.

The center will stay square and step for the back half of the nose. (see fig 5) The guard will step for the front half of they nose. They will knock the center straight back. They will only come off if they get to LBer level or the Lber shows in the gap. We tell them to push the Nose into the LBER.

(Note: usually the Lber is flowing to get good option number. )

Because both a-gaps are secured, the guard can make a "fan" call (something we usually do with a three tech. ) and the guard and tackle can handle the B and C gap rushers, stopping the chase from behind. (see fig 5)

"Mush" can also be used with the midline tuck below.

Using the Midline tuck play (fig 6 and fig. 7)

The midline tuck play is also an excellent addition vs. the 5-1-5. Many of the same reasons apply. Additional reasons include

With back to back reads the free safety will usually be a pitch player and assume the first two of your options are taken. (with motion to you will have a blocker for him and the strong due to leverage on the middle backer.
If the free strong read the HB tucking. You can switch the assignments of the HB
With B/B reads there is very little room for the QB running. This keeps him in play and changes entry points of the QB.
It gives you a lot of formation leeway.
It keeps the backside SS honest with twirl. If he peaks inside for the tuck / the midline triple is a give me. If he stays outside the tuck is.
Due to the distance the 4i must travel and the fact the overhang is the next player out, the gap just becomes too big. I've see both safeties fill inside,we get a hat on them, and there is still plenty of room.

Note: you can still use a "mush" call on the tuck play (see above for details.)

Variation on the midline triple: The loaded midline triple

Because of the structure of the 5-1-5 in which they have stretched the interior of the defense. At times the DE ?OLB (#2) will try and play inside the fan of the tackle. If we know we are playing this defense we will add our loaded version of the midline tuck and turn it into a false key the free safety. We do this by changing one persons assignment - the OT. He will now block the outside hip of the DE/OLB and the quarterback will stretch the play trying to get to the SS. (See fig 8)

If the DE (#2) widens he can still tuck. If the SS peaks inside he will leverage pitch now! (there's nobody out there! see fig 9) If he gets around the corner - he's usually free to go as the FS either reads the HB tuck and fills inside or is a pitch player due to the QB usually being accounted for by the DE (#2)

NOTE: we also run this scheme off the triple with a great running QB in order to get him on the perimeter quicker and slow the FS down.

In our next section we will talk about keeping the fullback in the game with the zone dive, midline dive, and the outside veer.

attacking-bastard-defenses-part-1b-5-1-5.html

noreply@blogger.com (The Triple Option Spot) — Wed, 30 Sep 2015 18:36:00 +0000

Running the base triple vs the 5-1-5

Because of the leverage on the middle backer this defense loans itself to being a great defense to run the triple against. As a rule we will pound the triple to the field as log as we can block run support and/or control him with play action pass.

With the 4i we will start off with our loop scheme. Initially, we handled this defense as an even defense but two problems occurred with our labels and their interpetation into our positional rules as they apply. The first is that in our triple, we would bump off the nose and the lber would have to be blocked by the tackle. It is safe to say, as the only second level support the defense has the lber is running over the top and can be treated as such. By treating it as an 50, our guard now goes directly to the backer. (note: we step playside foot and go to where the lber is going.) Also as we will see later the odd call allows us to run midline and midline triple without fudging any rules. This would not be available in the Even calls.

In essence, we have leverage on the backer AND free safety with the tackle and guard. We can handle everybody. Theoretically, with leverage on the lber and the guard stepping placed, we should pin the lber every time allowing the tackle to go straight to the free. It is a great play. If the free is running the alley the SS must account for the HB running vertically and is usually deeper. With the arc block the HB is running away from the free safety so if he is playing the HB vertically he must play flatter and slower and doesn't become a really alley threat. (Note: I've seen teams play this defense with deeper SS ala 5 across in order to handle the HB vertically. ) See fig 1 (The play action pass off this is a killer!)

If the SS is deep enough we can switch block taking the pitch further away from the free safety. See fig.2. This also sets up the wheel.

If there is a problem with handling the perimeter we can go end over. This defense is usually a match up type defense and will flip the corners over. (see fig 3 ) They like to do this to keep the three safeties in the same configuration.

You can see in these looks that the remaining DB /SS to the short side is really in a bind to play the arc and covering the HB deep on the play pass.

If they do not flip the will either bring the safety over (fig 4 we have a blocker for him.) or bing the SS out (fig 5) this softens up the flank, makes the HB block easier) and makes the threat of the inside receiver going vertical a threat. (we can easily make him eligible)

Finally if the Strong Safety fudges and does not cover #2. We will throw the quick screen to #1 (fig.6) if #2 is ineligible. Or the bubble if #2 is eligible. Both of these set up 2 on 1 fast breaks.

With middle to backside pursuit usually stopping homers in the option, you can see that against this defense running the loop scheme allows for big plays because of the ability to get the tackle downfield. It should be number one against this defense and run with the placation pass till they stop it. All other plays, as we will show in later articles, should come off it.

In part C we will deal with running the midline tuck and the midline triple. Why and how?

Attacking Bastard defenses Part 1A the 5-1-5

noreply@blogger.com (The Triple Option Spot) — Fri, 25 Sep 2015 18:47:00 +0000

So I came across an older notebook when I first started coaching and it contained many
"bastardized" looks and concepts I faced while I ran this offense and the wing-t. The objective of the notebook was to get my thoughts down right after the game and have definite approach in handling these defenses if they come up again. Here lies the key - have an idea before you go into a game. You can only get this if you study other peoples tapes, TV games, and go to every defensive clinic on defending the flexbone. (no matter how stupid it sounds!) Many of the defenses in the book I had never seen against me but had watch other team play it or heard about it through my talks with other coaches or at clinics. That way I was ahead of the game. I had the answers for the surprise!

Here are my basic rules for handling these types of looks:

Have plan ahead of time. Don't be surprised and grab bagging.
Find the simplest way to make the defense fit into your system. We are talking about surprises here so you have to be quick and simple and CLEAR in your communication! It is better to fudge the defense into your system then come up with a complicated explanation and game plan in the immediacy of the game. Remember by nature they only had one week to practice something new. Use your advantage to make it something you practiced every week. Something your kids know and are confident with.
Limit what you run to those plays that take advantage of the weakness of the defense (and by very definition these defenses have severe deficiencies.) and fits in the best with your offensive structure. You may have to let ego go and throw out that great gameplay you developed for the other teams base defense. You may not be able to run what you would like to run or that new shiny adjustment you practiced all week. But you will have success.

BASTARD DEFENSE NUMBER 1 - The 5-1-5

There are a number of ways to get into this defense from various fronts (4-4, 3-5-3, 5-2, etc.) but it is one that if you run this offense enough - you will see! It comes in two forms.

Figure 1A has the expanded version with 4i's (some people play 4's and pinch B) and figure 1B has the compressed version with both tackles in 3's or b-gap alignment.

There are a couple of notes and similarities as well as differences

While the nose may be shaded, for the sake of these articles, we will consider him a zero technique. This plus the zero technique linebacker make this a balance defense with 5 1/2 man to each side. Since we are mirroring both sides we would be inclined to run to the field. (They may combine and have one side as a seven man front and the other as a reduced defense. In that case our notes will point to the exact side and be different to each.) (NOTE: In a later article we will approach the same defense with a shaded nose as this changes things dramatically.)
In fig 1A with the front expanded both sides it appears to be a seven man flank. #3 is outside. However one mistake I made when playing this defense the first time is that I considered it an even front due to the middle lber. This caused the elimination of many calls and too much fudging an others. We'll get into that later.
In fig 1B with the front condensed, both sides are reduced because #3 is inside.
In both cases due to the single linebacker they have reduced their second level defenders from the inside out. We must assume they are running the free safety through the alley to match numbers which means that the wr are one on one with either match up zone or man to man. If they keep the safety in the middle - strike up the band!)
There is a huge difference in fig 1B if the guards are in the gap or in 3 techniques. It greatly affects blocking schemes and will address that.
In fig 1A they have expanded the front to match numbers on the perimeter. By doing this, although technically gap sound, they are giving a large area for two players to handle. If the Lber is a runner, as most single lbers are, you can isolate the nose making him defend two gaps.
If you add a tightend, usually both defenses with play a seven technique, allowing you to leverage the whole defensive interior. (same with tackle over) If the play a 9 they are opening up the C-gap. Remember with two on two gaps inside you can isolate the d-gap if exposed. The same is true for tackle over teams. More on this later.
For sake of simplicity, we will no worry if the defensive ends are up or down. That doesn't matter

Now that we have the base structure of these defenses down, in our next article we will start by attacking Fig 1A simply and by rule without changing anything for the qb or the team from our base offense and offensive tags. You will also see why we treat this as an ODD defense and not the "Even" look our count system would demand. (If you are not familiar with our defensive structure, calls, and tags you can read it in an earlier post.)

How Air Force attacked San Jose State Simply and Effectively

noreply@blogger.com (The Triple Option Spot) — Tue, 22 Sep 2015 17:24:00 +0000

or how Air Force used one flank and three or four plays to keep everybody in the offense and score a ton.

As I have a lot or idle time on my hands, I've decided to analyze some option team's games and get into specifics of the attack. The first was from two weeks ago: Air Force vs San Jose State. Game that Air force eventually blew them out.

Part one defensive structure:

For the sake of this article (and for space) I am going to limit the article to the balanced 2x2 double slot formation whit Air Force was in about 70% of the time. (I do not chart these so that is an estimate.)

The defense set by Greg Robinson, San Jose's defensive coordinator (and proclaimed "defensive guru!") was to stay in his base reduction defense and quarters coverage, putting the reduction into the boundary. ( see fig 1) This essentially placed a six man side to the field and a reduction side side to the boundary. (6 to 5 ratio) Air Force did the right thing running away from the oversight. (In high school with less room this becomes harder into the boundary.

(I believe the biggest mistake was that San Jose out the three to the field further strengthening a side they wouldn't run

Part two Running the triple

Air Force ran the seal scheme into the boundary. (Halfback linebacker to safety.) San Jose state played their end heavy and really squeezed the tackle in order to keep him off the linebacker. Without rotating AF had a hat for a hat inside, thus sealing the box.. (I guess San Jose thought they could run down the option to the short side without hard rotation. They could but only after big chunk plays.) see fig 2. The quarterback was the man runner in this scheme as he could not be accounted for. It looked like SJ tried to vary the two man coverage combinations but that has no affect on the FB QB combination.

Part three Keeping the ball spread out and putting SJ in binds.

One thing AF does better then the other option teams is change its pitch keys and keep the defense from getting into a dive, QB, rhythm. This also keeps all the backs involved in the offense. So they used the way SJ played to confuse them and get the ball in different backs hands.

Part three A) Getting the HB's and pitch phase involved.

In order to get the halfbacks involved AF ran the exact same veer scheme, arced the HB (SE and HB took care of two on two which had to be soft due to the DB's conflict with covering the deep pass. Remember SJ did not rotate out of this.) They then pitched off the scrape backer and the HB ate up huge yardage. (See fig 3). At this the inside lber in his effort to run over the top of the HB in triple in order to play the QB ran right by him.

Note: I'm not sure if this was triple and pitch off the scrape or double where you pitch off the 5 or the scrape, whoever plays out on QB. With the five squeezing EVERY play they both come out the same.

AF has run both as have I.

Part three B) Getting the ball in the fullback's hands - inside

Because of the numbers SJ gave AF there was no way the LBer could sit inside. Additionally, he was getting multiple looks on the perimeter that made additionally reading inside impossible. So AF ran the zone dive and gashed them over and over. The tackle blocked the inside half of the five with the HB climbing through the outside half. Nobody was home. See fig 4

Later in the game the five ran out vs. a flex formation thinking it was crack rocket allowing the tackle to continue inside and get a clean shot on the Lber.

Part three c) Getting the fullback outside.

Taking advantage of the tackle's hard squeeze, AF went to it's belly game, sealing the five and walling the lber. (see fig 5) With the only two defenders outside the five technique absorbed by the pitch and play pass the inside lber was in a blind. If he played inside out, the fullback would stay outside and have an open gap. If he played hard over the top of the the linebacker hugged the easy hook by the guard and still had and open game.

Conclusion:

AF did run some other stuff, going end over to match numbers to the field, placation pass, and tackles over, but the majority of their yardage was on these four plays. When you run a complete system, every defense has weakness you can exploit. The key is to not out think yourself. Keep it simple, keep all the players involved, put the defense in a bind, AND POUND THE WEAKNESS!!! You don't have to do it a million ways - find it and go!

Haven't been on for a while

noreply@blogger.com (The Triple Option Spot) — Wed, 26 Aug 2015 22:53:00 +0000

Yes, I haven't posted for a while but I'm ready to get stated again. Truth is, it was a real strange and bad Spring. You ever have one of those years - from the Holy Spirit situation to not getting a job to major shoulder surgery to moving back to my condo in Pa and now to a serious family situation! You couldn't script this year but I'm ready to come back and post. To keep myself involved in the game I love.

Some of the time I took was to refresh and contemplate my future. I can say assuredly I have never missed coaching more. Perhaps it was the way I went out. Not only how it happened to me but also how I handled the last year knowing it was going to happen.

We can never protect the future but one thing I know for sure is I intend to coach again.

So I plan on starting up the articles again - hopefully this weekend. (part two of the combo block) and also finish the book on the triple I've said I was going to finish numerous times ago! (No excuses now!)

Pet peeves with the game #4

noreply@blogger.com (The Triple Option Spot) — Tue, 16 Jun 2015 14:37:00 +0000

One size fits all

I think the growth of the spread offense is great. I love it and have studied it. I am intrigued by the concepts I have seen over the last couple of years. Why wouldn't I be enamored by it, given its roots in the option game. What I can't stand though is the constant labeling of everybody who runs the "spread" a genius and anybody who doesn't as a dope, antiquated and a bad coach. Last I checked there are still 11 people on each side and any sound scheme, no matter how old or "boring" (by announcer's standards)is still sound. There are some great coaches that run the spread but not everyone who does it is a genius (or even average for that matter) There are also great coaches who still get under center and run the I, flexbone, wing-t and other things. Coaching is not about what you run but how you run it! (By the way, last I saw, Alabama was still under center 70% of the time)

(The same thing happened when Bill Walsh ran his West Coast offense. Everybody who then ran the "west coast" was considered a genius and everybody who didn't was considered behind the times. Only after much hiring and firing did people figure out that the genius was in Bill Walsh not in the playbook. And by the way, the term "west coast" came from Bill Parcels and it wasn't used in a complimentary matter! In fact Walsh said he didn't know what're term meant. Can anybody generically define the term "Spread?")

It's not really the coronation of the spread coaches that gets me. After all, everybody has a opinion. That's basically what this column is! It's the three offshoots I see from it.

First, good coaches are getting fired because they are not in the spread. Perhaps the first was Bobby Sutton in the eighties at West Point. Competitive as he was, the athletic director stepped in, declaring that he was going to take Army football "out of the dark ages!" The results were a disaster. When the light went on, Army football went through it's worst downswing ever.

I've seen this mistake done over and over again. High school, college, pro (see "West coast offense" mentioned above.) So coaches, rather then using their minds to win, use them to keep their jobs. They are scared to be different. Not be the flavor of the month.

Secondly, this has influenced hiring. Particularly on the high school level. (You really have NO chance today on the college level if you're different! You won't get to the interview.) I don't know how many times I've heard administrators who never played the game say "we really need somebody to come in to run the spread and get people excited." Winning is exciting and the object of the game last I read. I and fellow experienced coaches, who I consider friends, talk about this often. We can't count the times a school bypassed a veteran coach (us or others) to hire some young whipper-snapper who proclaimed himself the guru of the spread and would get the place into the twenty first century!

As I said there's nothing wrong with the spread if the guy really knows it buts let 's look deeper into the issue. Most schools are open because they are losing. Most administrators admire the spread because they see teams running it properly against them. In most of the interviews the administrators will tell you they are not as good as the other teams. So you want to do the exact same thing as the other team? That's like me making milk chocolate kisses with inferior chocolate and selling it in Hershey! Why would you want to roll out the same product with inferior parts.

(Two years ago Georgia Southern put up over 500 yards rushing against Alabama and its #1 ranked defense. They were in the game to the end. What do you think the results would have been if Georgia Southern was forced to run Alabama's offensive?)

I will tell you an interesting scenario that fit this bill. I was offered a interview this past year. I did my research into the school and its football program. Apparently, they had moderate success a couple of years ago running the flexbone. Nothing great 6-4 7-3 5-5. This was about 4-5 straight years. The head coach was fired for not being exciting and up to date. They brought a spread guy in. Result 0-10. He was fired and replaced with assistant (I think) of former coach. He ran flexbone again and was 7-3. He was immediately let go and replaced with a new spread guy who went subpar again. The point is not that the other guy ran the flexbone, it's that the other guy had success.

The third reason this has become a pet peeve of mine is probably the most menacing to coaches that don't run the spread. With all the hoopla out there, players (and parents) feel they can't make it if they don't run a spread offense in high school and college. Brett Farve ran the Wishbone! So did Steve Young! Dan Marino was in the wing-t! As was Joe Thiesman! More recently Demetrius Thomas came out of a flexbone college. But announcers keep preaching it. Result is kids transfer. Parents complain to schools. Alumni complain to schools. (see reason number two above) Coaches, to keep their jobs, change to something they don't know as well.

Truth is - if you're good enough; you're good enough. College coaches also get paid to teach you. They get paid a lot more then me. If you have the ability you should be able to be taught and progress. To make this statement is ludicrous. It's like saying if you've run the 100 meters in high school then you can never learn to run the 200 meters in college. (By the way didn't Antonio Gates and Jimmy Graham not even play college football? So it's better not to play then to play in a different offense?)

I have been fortunate to meet many great coaches. So who I consider geniuses I their own right. Truth is, in today's culture some would have never had the chance.

Again, just my opinion. I am sure there are many who will disagree.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Comboing the three tech with the tackle or shade with the guard. Part I: the basics

noreply@blogger.com (The Triple Option Spot) — Wed, 10 Jun 2015 14:01:00 +0000

When we run the triple to a three technique our base way of blocking is to combo off the three with the guard and the tackle. If we run it to a shade we will combo the guard and center. (Fig 1 and fig 2)

There are a couple of points to make here as I explain each block in detail.

We do not make line calls. On the contrary we tell the guard he has the three by himself and the center he has the shade. We want the to attempt to block the player themselves. When you get into line calls, you are basically creating a crutch in the base blockers mind. You are telling him he is going to get help!
The base blocker is exactly that. He must square up on the defender and get a good base. Although he will get help, he has the defender wherever he goes. So he must get a base.
The player who will bump is running a train track through the gap. He is not blocking a man but moving an area. If you tell him by men on defense he will always block the three or shade even if not needed.
The most important aspect of the block is vertical movement. It is ok to not block the linebacker if you get a push into his lap. (A lil tougher in today's word with a 3-4 lber so deep.
It is the base blockers initial responsibility to stop penetration and the combo blockers responsibility to get vertical movement or allow the base blocker to take over the block.
Both players should keep their shoulders square to the line of scrimmage throughout the block. A big mistake is for the combo player to turn (point his toe at 45 degrees) at the defensive player. Once you turn your body, it will appear as if the defensive player is always in the gap. If you remain square and look through the gap, the defensive player will only appear if he has worked play side. This gives the combo blocker a better chance to adjust his technique to the defensive movement. (we take a lateral step first to stay square.) It also allows him a chance to come off to the backer.
Blockers must understand that the ball is right off their tail. They must secure the first level (defensive linemen) If they never get to the linebacker we still have 4 yards at least. If the back learns to soft shoulder the scrape backer we have more. (When I first learned the triple at Army they didn't even combo. They Doubled the three and did a great job of teaching the fullback to cut. They were very successful doing this)
Linemen, especially the combo blocker must be taught who they are blocking for. In this case it's the fullback. Therefore the combo blocker can stay on longer vs. a running linebacker.
The combo blocker should not come off until he reaches the linebacker level of the linebacker fills hard. Once at the linebacker level he will base the linebacker taking him anywhere he wants to go as the fullback is right behind him and can cut off his block. (only if he stays square is this possible.
The combo blocker should know where the backside linebacker / safety is. If the play side linebacker runs out - he can come off at a wide angle to capture these, keeping numbers on his side.

PART II Will deal with the specific technique including footwork and hand placement

PART III Will deal with coaching the block to get maximum reps fast

PART IV Will deal with common mistakes in the combo block

Top Ten Peeves with the game #5

noreply@blogger.com (The Triple Option Spot) — Mon, 08 Jun 2015 14:19:00 +0000

5. The continual use of the term: "Players Coach" It's not the term itself. It's the perception of the term. Bill Parcel once said that if he was called that he would take it as an insult. He hated it. Yet, all the players said they loved him. He was tough demanding - his players cursed him but loved him. The term has taken on a life of itself insinuating a coach who allows his player a lot of leeway or coach who runs a "loose" ship in order to keep the players happy! (I really don't think that was what it was meant to be but it has morphed into that.) It has also taken on a reverse meaning also for those who believe that if you are not labeled as a "player's coach" you must be some mean SOB who just doesn't care about the players. (Sometimes the one who tells the player his problems man to man, who demands the player grow up to be a man, the one who is the hardest is the one who cares the most.) This is furthest from the truth. Style doesn't mean if you care. Caring and meeting needs mean if you care.

I think when the term first came out it wasn't meant as it is taken now. I first heard the term used with Bo Schembechler based on the fact his players played their ass off for him. I am sure it was used before that, however, I never had heard it. Yet "Bo" was one of the most demanding ornery (at times) hard-ass coaches there ever was. But over the years the term has been skewed.

The problem comes when people classify with such a broad stroke and when media perpetuates an image. I was recently asked in an interview if I was a player's coach? It was a question that was impossible to answer for it depended on the authors meaning. The term in itself has become ambiguous.

The point here is one size doesn't fit all. There are the loosey - goosey types who win, There are demanding types who win. The key is to be yourself. The players will see if you are sincere. They don't care if you are a hard-ass or a softee. They just want to know you care. In an educational setting (High school or college) if he coach succeeds in getting the young man to grow as a person, student, player. If the coach gets his player to reach his goals of championships and college entrance and being a productive member of society - he should be classified as a players coach. For what else can a player ask for!

My real pet peeve with this is because it has become so familiar in society and so present in everyday sports media, many coaches think they should coach to this style. Schools think they need to hire to this style. Without defining what it means thats a dangerous precedent. (If you went around an interview panel they would all define it differently.) Players want you to be you. They want you to be knowledgeable - an expert. They want you to sincerely care not just put on an image of caring. They want you to be able to get them where they want to go. Coaching to a style no matter how demanded by media and administrations is dangerous and usually a losing proposition.

Nothing wrong with a term - just define it then I can decide if I fit in it.

The top ten traits to look for when picking an option quarterback

noreply@blogger.com (The Triple Option Spot) — Fri, 05 Jun 2015 16:15:00 +0000

Here are the top ten things to look for when I pick an option quarterback

10. ARM STRENGTH: Not as important as others but more important then accuracy. Strength and the ability to throw the ball over the top of the defense keeps the defensive structure sound. It keeps the top of the defense as the TOP OF THE DEFENSE. How many times have you seen an incomplete pass fly harmlessly over the head of a receiver only to here the opposing head coach yell at the other player to "get back" Coaches fear the quick strike and will be sound because of this. This keeps the numbers on your side.

9. QUICK HANDS: Everybody talks about "quick feet" in an option quarterback but quick hands are equally important. (Maybe more so) Quick hands allow a quarterback to get the ball out of a mess. They allow the quarterback to handle the back-to-back and echo reads easier and later in their thought process. They allow the quarterback to hold the pitch just to the right time and keep the pitch key from being a two assignment player. They smooth the mesh. Show me a lot of fumbles and I'll usually show you a slow handed quarterback.

8. QUICK FEET: Great speed is nice but quick feet are more important. The option quarterback is going to find himself working in tight quarters. He will have to change direction on a dime. Speed is great but a long leg loper will usually not make is out of the backfield unless you get a play that is exactly as it's been drawn. This is the reason why most great option quarterbacks are usually shorter. Take foot quickness over speed anyway. There are a lot of option cuts 90 degrees and greater.

7. INTELLIGENCE: While I would like to put this higher - you as a coach can overcome this deficiency by adapting your system and taking on more responsibility. Ideally, I would like the quarterback to handle everything from the line. I would like him to understand football theory and what we are trying to do. This doesn't happen as often as it sounds though. I have continually tweaked and adjusted our play calling communication to handle the wide variance at this level. We gone from leaving him out there alone to sideline cards to sideline calling depending on the quarterback. Once it was so bad that we had the tackle make a call and the slot then make a perimeter blocking call. The only thing the quarterback needed to know was when the two calls met a certain criteria to check "opposite." He was doing this by rote! Was it the ideal way - no! But it goes with my philosophy that it is the coach's job to find a way to win However, if you can get a intelligent one.

6. A DESIRE TO RUN: We've had a number of quarterbacks with limited running ability and were still successful. We went to the state quarterfinals with a 5.1 40 QB and this year went to the state finals with probably the least athletic quarterback I've ever coached. I can design and tweak the offense to get the balls out of his hands but when the opportunity presents itself he must take advantage of it. Even it's only 5 yards, it's a success. I tell the quarterbacks - if you get me 4 every time we will win. The defense will have to respect you as a runner or we'll score 4 yards at a clip. You have no chance with even an athletic quarterback who doesn't want a part of running.

5. SPATIAL VISION: The ability to see space while focusing on one key is essential to the option quarterback. He cannot be successful without it. It allows him to handle back-to-back and echo stunts. It allows him to leverage pitch. It creates the big play for the quarterback with a second cut. Most of all it prevents fumbles caused by plays that are already in duress as he can see the problem before it occurs.. (I.e. pitching into a pitch man with a support player up and through to him.)

4. GOOD DECISION MAKING: This goes without saying as to the nature of the offense but once again - you can tweak it with a player who has the other characteristics. Run more double option, etc. So it's important and the more you have the better but it's not in the top three. (NOTE: while some quarterbacks have come out and read well immediately, this is a learned skill. Mistakes usually take place in the teaching process. That is why in some other list I've listed this as low as 8th.)

3. LOYALTY: By the very nature of this offense it takes care of itself. It compensates for lack of ability (aka the academies) and takes advantage of an abundance of it (aka Oklahoma's and Georgia Southern's heyday.) But it is different. It is outside the norm. It is not the offense of the week. Because of this there are a lot of naysayers (As I found out recently - even when you're winning!) A quarterback who hasn't bought into the offense will destroy it. Just the slightest hesitation will cause doubt and lose the execution which is the reason for its success in the first place. (I ran into the problem this year with a quarterback who thought we should throw the ball more to fit his skills. We were the worse executing offense I have ever had as the quarterback was indifferent to its necessity.)

2. A WINNER: This is strange and hard to define but when you see it - you know it. It's that swagger that permeates to the team. It's the confidence that radiates. It's the ability to make something out of nothing. It's the unflappable demeanor in hard times. It's not brash and baudacious. It comes across in different forms.You are putting the ball in this person's hands every play. It is the most valuable piece of equipment in the game. If he is not a winner - you will have a hard time winning with the ball in his hands and all the decisions in his control. period. Simple stated I'll paraphrase the judge who defined pornography: "I can't define it but I know it when I see it."

1. SELFLESSNESS: I have lost two playoff games where I thought we would win state titles because of this very trait. By the simple nature of the offense the ball must be distributed as the defense dictates. It is a decision driven offense and by that nature a post-snap offense. The offense if executed takes care of that. Any pre snap or predetermined decisions will kill it. As with the quarterback who won't run, the quarterback who keeps too often destroys your chances of success. Maybe it's a pet peeve because I've lost state titles through this (one last year that was a perpetual problem and the other years ago where the quarterback was insistent that he would break the 1000 yard mark like the fullback.) but this is a team breaker. I always tell them there are games they will gain 100 and games they will have 2 carries - live with it. The object is to win. (think of a point guard who shots every time he crosses halve court. Why is he a point guard? And what has he done to team morale?)

I know there are others but I consider these the most important. One I left out that people probably wonder why is physical toughness. I believe this is overrated. If you teach a quarterback right he should not be exposed to undue hit and punishment. He does not take extra hits. So he only has to be as physically tough as any other player on the team.

Finally, I believe there is a huge separation from the top 3 and the rest. The three intangible ones. If you have those three and you are expert enough to tweak the offense as to the plusses and minuses of the other 7 - I believe you can be a constant winner. However, without those 3 no amount of the other 7 will suffice.

Hope it helps - looking forward to your replies.

10 Pet Peeves and Rants about the state of the game today

noreply@blogger.com (The Triple Option Spot) — Wed, 03 Jun 2015 13:49:00 +0000

or "Where has the game I love gone!"

Part I

Over the last forty years there have been a lot of changes in the game of football in general and high school football in particular. Many of them are great for the game. Some questionable, depending your viewpoint and fit in the game itself. (i.e. coach, player, fan, parent, etc.)

The following are ten pet peeves of mine that have arisen in the game. Mind you, I'm not approaching this as some old foggy, lost in the single wing and leather helmets. As I said, many changes have been great for the game. These just.....well let's say they chaff a certain part of my anatomy! I'm sure everybody will have their own opinions.

The proliferation of individuality in the greatest team sport known. Don't get me wrong, we had our superstars when I grew up too. We had our idols. Today, though, the individual is bigger then the sport and the team. Just look at the forums - 90% is about individual players. Where a player is going is more important then what his team is accomplishing. On the NFL level I understand this as it is a business. They sell the individual. However, it's all the way down to high school and even little league. (I went to visit a friend's son's game and was asked if I was there to see their best player because everybody came to just watch him.) This individuality extents to celebrations, pre game dances, tirades, uniform adornments, etc. Pretty soon the teams will be named for their best players instead of their schools. (How about "Tim Tebow's Angels")
Combines, Combines, 7 on 7 camps, camps, skill days, more combines, etc. Enough! None of these have anything to do with the game of football. (7 on 7 can be good to a point but that "season" has taken on a life of itself. In some ways it's grown bigger then the regular season with all the traveling, trophies, etc.) Doesn't anybody see this as what it is? A moneymaking factory by the runners of these camps and combines - including - shame on them - the college programs. They already know who they are recruiting! The rest of the guys are wasting their money and given false dreams. And the independent combines and camps - well - college coaches don't even trust high school coaches' watches - do you think they're going to trust a part-time timer! How many times do they have to see these kids. I keep telling kids - if you're a 4.7 in one camp - you're probably a 4.7 in another but they want to try again and again. (I once had a kid that three schools told they never recruit anybody who doesn't go to their camps. He couldn't afford them so he didn't go. He was pretty good. Got 1A offers - these were 1AA they missed out! Foolish. And what families really have the money to be spent on all these camps because of foolish hopes transmitted by these camps and combines)
The Quantification of the football player to pure numbers: This kid of goes with the above but since when did a half inch make or break a football player. If you can't watch film and tell if a kid can play you shouldn't be coaching. Some kids are just combine freaks! But they are not football players. Yet, they get scholarships over players. The NFL Hall of Fame is full of guys who are too short, too slow, or had some other negative. (Do the names Emerson Walls, Darrell Green, and Nick Bouniconti ring a bell!) Don't get me wrong the clocks and measurements are a nice second source to justify your choice. (Too stories on this: One is that Bill Belichek once said that more players make the NFL from the third round down because that's where you draft purely off of film. The second involves Bear Bryant in his last couple of years when asked about the speed of his recruiting class. His answer was coarse and stated he didn't care as he wasn't recruiting a track team. If you looked at the film, he said, they were fast enough to get to the ball carrier and arrive there in an angry mood!) Any number or statistic can be made to lie! My personal feeling here is that coaches rely on these to justify to alumni and press their failure. I also sincerely believe that this is the reason that there are so many major upsets in college football today - players - not stats fall through the cracks.
This whole concussion issue! Before everybody gets on my case here - understand I believe everything possible should be done to make the game as safe as possible. Everything and continuously! Right till we stop playing this game! Right till the very last play! It's just that I'm tired of hearing it. There is inherent risk in everything. Cops put their lives on the line everyday - should we have no cops. Of course not - that's stupid. Try and make their lives safer. As safe as possible. My two biggest complaints here are the former pros who use the very podium they got from playing this game to say they wouldn't let their sons play it. Newsflash:YOU WOULDN'T HAVE ANYBODY LISTENING IF YOU DIDN'T PLAY IT! The second is Espn running this shows with "experts" on the dangers of playing and if football should be banned and inter-splicing it with commercials for their NFL today show. You can't have it both ways! And not all situations are the same. Somehow the NFL problem of not releasing the study has been blended into the actual concussion problem. They are two distinctly different situations. Address the problem. Make the game safer and safer every day but let's stop with the debate. The problem is there. It will be. Stop scaring the people. They are bright enough to read the facts and make educated choices. (As with most of these issues - somebody's making money behind this. Isn't strange that the helmet companies come out with new improved and MORE expensive helmets EVERY YEAR. Parents demand them! Yet the experts tell us there is no helmet that can prevent concussion due to secondary movement of the brain inside the skull! And those "experts" - read the credits. They are also paid well for their appearance. In most cases an appearance where they are told what side to take to balance the debate.)
Recruiting at the high school level: This is out of control across the country. When I first started coaching (and it was a Catholic School) there was a saying to qualify a head coach "He could take his and beat yours then turn around a takes yours and beat him." Today its all about recruiting. And it's not just the parochial the publics are just as bad. One school in south jersey brags about 10-12 transfers all scholarship kids and then never wins a championship. It's ridiculous! At Spirit I had to recruit and I felt dirty doing it. I kept it selling the school but I ran into others who would make home visits, give jerseys with names on the back, and fawn over an eight grader. We are suppose to be educators. What do you think we've taught a kid when, in 8th grade, he's been told he's the greatest and he's already accomplished everything in life. And then we complain when that same kid puts himself above the team or is a prima donna. Along with this goes athletic transferring. It's totally out of control. Again it's the individual being bigger then the team. I have no respect for coaches who win this way. Get better as a coach. Grow as a coach. Find a way. Recruiting (at the high school level) is not coaching my mind. (Strange from a guy that just left a parochial but while I understand the need in these type of schools to sell the school to families this issue is gotten way out of control. Incidentally it was one of the issues brought up about me at the school - my inability to sell my soul!)

Tomorrow six to ten. Let me know what you think!

Handling the deep linebacker in the 4-3 with the counter dive.

noreply@blogger.com (The Triple Option Spot) — Wed, 27 May 2015 13:24:00 +0000

Last year I went to West point. At one point I was surprised to hear that they only ran the counter dive vs. a 5-2. Nothing wrong with their philosophy as they had other answers for the 4-3. I was just surprised as we had had so much success with it vs. the deep flowing linebacker. (There are a lot of ways to skin a cat though!)

For the sake of this article we will consider the side of the triple as the backside (the side the fullback runs to) and the side the counter dive hits as the play side.

We would only run it away from the A-gap player and fold the playside of the play. So it is to the three or two technique.

If you look at figure #1 the MLB is put in an immediate bind. He reads dive to and tackle down. He must run over the top if he is to beat the tackle's down block.Even if he just flows slightly to that side there is a crease. We teach the tackle to aim underneath the LBER and let him come over the top. (Note: If the DE pinches the offensive tackle will cut him.)

We tell the guard to base the outside number of the DT. It is a controlled base. This allows him to influence the DT yet not overrun the inside slant.

The folding guard will check middle backer to backside backer.. If the Middle backer turns his shoulders or is engaged with the tackle he will turn to the backside backer. He can take the Mike anyway he wants to go. The back will cut opposite.

The backside tackle will chip through the inside half of the DE to the . He will wash down a slant and allow the the back to cut inside.

The back will aim to the front toes of the fullback, plant and cut to the near leg of center. (the key is you want him to square up so he can cut.) The quarterback will tight pivot 180 degrees and ride and fake the option. The halfback will read the center's block - out.

If the OLB on the backside is nosey, we will then run our ctr dive option (fig 2) (more on that next week) and run the counter dive with our FARCE tag (FB arc) (Fig 3) Now the backside tackle must chip through also in order to slow down the 5 technique.

Fig 2

Two other ways we have run the CTR dive is to combo to the MIKE rather then fold (fig 4) (We did this one year when we were dominate up front but not real nimble with our guards.

We also run the counter dive from our tightened or tackle's over formation. Here we run it off the FB down play (belly G) and try to influence the three technique. It is more of a hit or miss but has great results (Fig 5) The backside tackle will chip here is covered (Pro 4-3)

(By the way this is the old down gut play from the Delaware Wing-t)

The quarterback will reverse pivot one step then hand back. (More on this in a later article)

These plays have been big for us vs. the 4-3 with a deep backer. If anything, the least they have done is slow down a running MIKE!

Hope it helps!

The most important lesson I ever learned about winning

noreply@blogger.com (The Triple Option Spot) — Tue, 19 May 2015 14:51:00 +0000

Over the years I always felt X's and O's were overrated for winning. (Yeah seems strange coming from me!) That might seem drastic. It's not that they are not important - they are. If you are not sound and well coached, you're season will be disastrous! They keep you from losing. But if you want to win on a grand scale - the biggest games you need more. When you get against the best teams - they will be sound and well coached too! Think about it - how many times have X's and O's themselves allowed you to win a big game. There was usually something else - something bigger that separates the great teams from the next tier down. And this brings me back to perhaps the most important lesson I ever learned in how to win as a coach!

(Don't get me wrong - sometimes the mismatch is just that great but that's really rare.)

When I was a very young I first heard the following quote:

"What you see on the field you created. EVERYTHING! You either taught it, cultured it, or ALLOWED it!" At the time it seemed prolific but you get bombarded with a million quotes in those old clinics. Besides I was there to learn the "magic play!" just as every young coach has gone to a clinic for.

Over the years, I kept hearing this quote over and over again. One day it dawned on me that there was a common thread in all the times I heard this quote - it was the people saying it. They were all the upper echelon of coaching. The mythical figures with the mythical winning numbers. I had heard it from Lombardi (actually read it from him), Bryant, Hayes, and Schembechler. Pretty elite company. made me think this must be important.

(Went to Michigan and met Schembechler - he use the quote directly and talked about the Michigan way!)

Recently, I read a book on Parcels and he talked about "willing" victories. When you think about it - he's talking the same aspect - in this case - not allowing to happen what you don't want to happen.

If I had to pick one piece of advice that shaped my philosophy and allowed me to win in places that hadn't won before or after - this is it. But this way of coaching has its drawbacks - for you're not going to make everyone your friend, you'll never be labeled a "player's coach'" and sometimes to accomplish what you need to be successful you'll have to roll against the tide.

Everyday you are a head coach (or even an assistant for that matter) you are making decisions that will affect the outcome of your team in the short term and long term. You are deciding what is acceptable and what is not acceptable. You are creating a culture by enforcing your "will" on that team. When you run a rep and you see the three tech run up the field and get trapped, you can have three responses: 1) There he goes again - he will never listen (passive acceptance.) 2) verbal reinforcement on what was correct but not emphasis by repeating of rep (active acceptance.) (Do you think he's gonna take the correction seriously if you blow it off by just a verbal correction? NO!) or 3) correction running the play over till he gets it. (active correction!) Now the battle of wills comes in.

Do you think the guy in the game who runs up the field and gets trapped is doing it for the first time? That's like believing that Hillary didn't know she shouldn't delete her emails!!! No. Of course not. I guarantee you that somewhere in practice that player got trapped and it was accepted!

Now I'm old school. I still believe that sometimes practice and discipline is a battle of wills. You may have a battle on your hand forcing your will. You may have to go multiple reps - over and over again. But you never accept it.

The same is true with team discipline.If you think the player who got arrested never did any lesser before the incident - your crazy. It was accepted because of his ability, school rules, or some other reason to look the other way. Do you think the player who rebels against a coach has never tested how far he can go before or has seen somebody else who's bad behavior was accepted.

Now, at times this old school mentality may cause crossroads. At times, what you have to do may cross with administration who wants you to be more accepting. You have a choice here but if you take the low road - you can never complain about performance. I'm not saying your decision is wrong - there are many factors to consider, some bigger then football. (family, job security, relationships with administration, etc.) It's just a decision but as with any decision (or in this case either decision) it's a two edge sword. Either way has his plusses and minuses and as you reap the benefits you must live with the negatives.

The second crossroad comes with the player himself. What many coaches don't realize is they have all the power to force their will on the player - PLAYING TIME. This may mean sitting a great athlete but your program will benefit from it. (Parcel would let players go in a heartbeat if they didn't buy in! Lombardi, it was written, once let a player go during the very first pre-practice run because he didn't perform it with the "Packer excellence." that he demanded.) Now, I'm not in favor of throwing players off the team - I have one steady rule here: if it only effects the individual - punish him but work with him. If it begins to affect the team (i.e. they start mimicking his actions) you have to let him go.

I know this sounds extreme but most of the situations I've taken over were extreme (In one case they hadn't won a championship in 70 years. The administration told me in the interview "If you come here you must accept the fact you are never going to win big!" (How's that for an accepted behavior.)
We won or tied for two league titles and appeared in two state playoffs, also a first in the school, in the first four years.)

Along with this, before one blames the play, the coach must look at himself to see if he "taught it." This not only includes the obvious but how did you structure teaching and your verbiage. Did you teach the assistants properly?What do you emphasize? How is practice structured.

This part carries to the non-technical also. you are always teaching an attitude! A way of life!

I once was paid to come and watch spring practice as a consultant at a high school. First thing I noticed was the number of stragglers out late to practice. When asked the head coach said "yeah, we've been fighting this for years." The next day they had early lifting. We (the coaches) stopped picked up breakfast and proceeded to be late. Where do you think the kids learned it from? They learned what is accepted by behavior of other.

So if you don't like what you're getting - look at everything in your program, from how you dress to how you set up your office. You are always teaching some lesson!

Some football - The quarterback vision line

noreply@blogger.com (The Triple Option Spot) — Mon, 11 May 2015 13:08:00 +0000

I will come back later this week with part III of why football is the greatest game but I'd thought I'd break it up with a little football.

Let's talk about the quarterback vision in the mesh and one of the reasons it's hard to run the triple to a three or two technique if you can't get movement. We like most people will combo the three technique, however that allows for a free run at the quarterback or to the Alley by a deep MLBer. (fig 1)

Additionally at times versus studs we not get enough movement to clear the vision of the quarterback to the pitch key. (fig. 2 and fig 3) Coaches don't look at this enough because film gives you an overhead view and always a "Clean" read.

Many times we knock the quarterback for a bad read however without vertical movement he cannot see the key if he sits (Look at a past bowl game - I forgot the year - Georgia Tech played Iowa. The two linemen couldn't be pushed back and as a result the read key just sat in essence becoming a two assignment (dive and QB) player. ) Additionally. without movement, fullback must flatten out - (fig 4) not allowing him the vertical speed he needs to run by a sitter and break the arm tackles.

So its important if to plan on running the triple to a three tech or two tech to evaluate the matchup and be ready to abandon the play if you cannot get vertical movement. You must also be ready to evaluate and abandon during the game.

Also in evaluating results and grading be gentle on the quarterback who can't see his read.

A secondary answer

One thing that we've come up with over the years is to combine the loop scheme with the zone dive. WE simply call it "41 at the 3." The quarterback will run the triple to the widest technique - either the three of the two. We add to his read process the following - "Give unless the read key makes a direct path in front of the fullback. If you lose vision on the read key give."

If the quarterback loses vision of the three technique it means the three technique is playing up and out. We teach the fullback to run it like the zone read if he gets the ball. which would facilitate an a-gap cut. Since we are singling the three technique we are in essence inviting this. (Fig 5 and 6)

Note: the tackle will loop even with the Guard covered

We haven't done this much but it has served well when we have.

Hope this helps