Offset Up H-Back Formation Run Game

This is the second part of a three post series about using the offset up H-back formation in your offense. To see why you should consider the offset up H-back formation please follow this link. For this post I will be covering the inside zone, outside zone, and power run game.

In the main images I will include position assignments for the plays as ways you could block. But I will say that it is up to you and your offensive coaches how you want to block these plays. This won't be a fully comprehensive post but it will give you an idea of plays you can run and also how this formation can fit into your current run game.  

Inside Zone

Below are two pictures of inside zone with and without reading the end man on the line of scrimmage. As mentioned in my previous post even though I have this drawn in the gun, this formation will work with pistol and under center.

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The wham block action in both plays will cause the defensive end to be slower in his reaction because he will be unsure if he is being blocked, read, or if the H-Back is running a route. As you can see, this play will work whether you are a pro-style or spread read option team. Below are some other example of other inside zone plays using the offset up H-Back formation.

The first two plays have RPO's attached and the second two fit more with traditional pro-style offenses running inside zone from under center and the pistol. The versatility of this formation gives the offense a lot of options that put pressures on the defense.

Outside Zone

Outside zone from this formation can be really nice because of the H-Back being able to hide behind the line and act like a lead blocker. Instead of having to pull a second O-lineman, the H-Back can be a puller if you have pin pull as part of your outside zone scheme. The H-Back can push on the tackle or Tight End's back helping to block then popping out at the last second to pick up the backer.

 

As before here are two outside zone plays, one with and without a read.

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For the read play I have the offense reading the Will. You can read the end and have the H-Back lead for you on the Outside Zone. I could put the F to the QB's right and run QB lead with two lead blockers. Here are some other variations of the Outside zone as well. Again because of the flexibility of this formation you can be creative with your blocking schemes.

 

 

I have a play running outside zone away from the H-Back so that you don't get predictable always running to the H-Back side. Also the last play has the H-Back leading up on the Sam, with both guards pulling around. I didn't include it, but Jet Sweep can be blocked the same with the only difference being the F helping lead.

Power

Quite simply put, this is the run play that fits best in the offset up H-Back formation. Because of the proximity to the line, the H-Back can kick out the end before he can react and wrong arm or squeeze. Power away from the H-Back is also a possibility with him following the pulling guard. That is tough on a defense if you can run power both ways. 

For short yardage situations if you're a shotgun spread team this gives you the option of a power run game with the same flexibility for your pass game. 

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To me this may be one of the most difficult plays on an inside backer, especially if you run an RPO. In both examples, the Will is going to be either blocked or read, so he will be slow to react because he will be unsure what the offense is doing with him. 

 

 

In these variations you see I've included a power play with the H-Back following the guard. There's also QB Power with 3 blockers at the point of attack. I didn't include single back power that a lot of spread offenses run from the gun where only the guard pulls up the hole. Could you run that with the H-Back instead of the guard? Sure but then it wouldn't be a true single back power. It is however another play you could put in your playbook which doesn't change much for your offense.

Conclusion

Hopefully this has given you an idea of ways to run your plays using the offset up H-Back formation. Next up we're going to talk about the passing game. That post will be available in the next few days, make sure to check it out.

As always I would appreciate any comment on your thoughts down below. Let me know if you liked what I said or not. I enjoy getting feedback, helps me grow as a coach.

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Using The Offset Up H-Back Formation In Your Offense

This is a formation that I find myself liking more and more as I study the game. Typically called the sniffer formation, I think it's seen an increase in offenses because of it's versatility. It adds another formation the defense has to prepare for while it fits into your current run or pass game. This will be a three post series covering first formation, run game, and finally the pass game. It will not be completely comprehensive, but it will give you ideas on how to use the formation in your current offense.  

Why The Offset Up H-Back Formation?

1. These formations can work with the type of players you have on a year to year basis. Do you not have a good blocking back but instead a couple really good TE's? These formations allows you to adapt to the players you have, and keep the plays you want to run.    

2. It puts pressure on defensive alignment.  Diagram 1 below shows how a 4-2-5 defense will typically align to an attached TE. Other defensive fronts usually do something similar to account for the extra gap created by the offense.

Diagram 1

In Diagram 2, because the TE is now off the ball, the defense will align to the tackle. The extra gap created by the TE is not technically there anymore. The wing can run a wham block to the left or can lead on a zone read play. Because the wing is tighter to the line his block is flatter and harder for an end or defensive player to see.

Diagram 2

   

The offset up formation blends the benefit of having that wing player with having a second back in the backfield. It's tougher for the defensive player to see the offensive player tight to the line at the snap because he will be hidden by the offensive linemen.

To give you an idea of what I mean, the next three images will show the view from the Mike and Will of a 4-2-5 defense vs a split back gun formation, wing gun formation, and the offset up formation.

Standard Split Back Gun Formation

In this first image the Mike and Will backers can see all three players in the offensive backfield. Because of this, after reading run or pass, they are able to react to the backfield actions accordingly. Any wham block by one of the backs is easier to be seen because he has to come at an angle.

Wing Gun Formation

 

In the second image the Mike sees the wing with his peripheral vision, while the Will can't see him at all. As I mentioned before the wham block will be flatter, but because the wing is outside the tackles, it will take him longer which can be the difference between making the block and not.

Offset Up Gun Formation

Same as above, the Mike sees the H-back, and the Will can't. The H-back is tight to the line like the wing, yet also in the backfield like a second back. Because of this alignment he is closer to any wham block he will make, yet still able to lead out to the defense's left if needs be.

Now that I've explained they why, let's take a look at four offset up H-back formations.

Formations

Here are the four formations that make up this offensive package for me. You don't have to use my names, you can name them whatever fits in your system.

I have given the two formations with 11 or 20 personnel smaller cat names like Cheetah or Puma. The formations with 21 or 12 personnel I have given bigger cat names. I didn't use Lion because that could be a part of many team's line protections and want to avoid confusion. You will also notice that the Y stays on the same side as the H-Back and I move the Z around to a slot position. In my offensive system that keeps it simple for me, but for you it may be different.

For my system the starting point of the H-back alignment is splitting the guard and tackle with being a yard and half to two yards behind the line. This allows him to avoid tangling legs with the guard or tackle if they pull. If the player isn't as confident or needs to based on the play he can cheat a half step to the right or left. 

Conclusion

I want to make it clear that even though I have drawn these up as being in the shotgun, these formations can work if you are under center or in a pistol offensive scheme.

I do hope that this post has made you think about the possibility of a few things with regards to your offense. If it did, then make sure to check out the post on the run game from the offset up H-Back formation which you can find here.

Let me know what you think down in the comments below Or share with any other coaches you think may like this content. Thanks for checking it out.

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Running Shallow Cross Route Concepts in Your Pass Game

I like running shallow cross routes in the passing game.  Let me rephrase that, I love them.  It probably has to do with the fact I am a big fan of Air Raid pass concepts.   Nevertheless the more I study it has become clear that no matter your offensive system, you need to include some form of the shallow concept in your pass game.

This is a topic which has been covered extensively on the internet by various websites, most notably by Chris Brown on his SmartFootball.com website.  There are different variations of these concepts coaches run with the shallow at four yards, the dig at twelve yards; with complimentary routes of streaks, posts, or comebacks. My contribution will show how I will run these plays as an offensive coordinator.

Here are a list of reasons of why you should consider adding the shallow cross pass concept to your pass game.

• Can be run from multiple formations.
• Easy throw and catch.
• Can result in explosive plays
• Attacks multiple coverage's.
• Defense can never key which receiver is running the shallow route.

The first play shown here is the infamous Y-Shallow Cross made popular in the Air Raid.  This is probably the most popular of shallow cross plays and is simple to read and install.

Ace Right Flex 60 Y-Shallow Cross

OL	60 protection is the half slide protection to the left.  Against a four down front as shown, the right guard and tackle will block the man over them.  Center, left guard, and tackle will slide left.  If it is a three down front, then the right guard slides left as well while the right tackle stays on the end.
Y	is aligned four yards from the right tackle in a flex position.  At the snap he inside releases at a 45 degree angle left to two yards depth and then flattens across going no deeper than two yards.  It is important he gets an inside release, or else this messes up the timing of  the route.
H	is aligned 4 yards from the left tackle off the ball.  At the snap outside releases and gets to 10 yards depth then stays flat across at that depth.  Needs to outside release to help read of either man or zone for the QB.  If it is man get across the formation.  Against zone he finds the hole in the coverage and sits.
X	is aligned middle to bottom of numbers and runs a 12 yard post.  This is the alert route, thrown either in zero high or if the safety keeps jumping the dig to then take a shot down field.  MOFO split the safeties, MOFC keep it a skinny high post between numbers and left hash.
Z	is a -3 to top of number split and runs a 16 yard comeback.  This is the last route in the read, usually will be thrown if getting soft coverage on the outside.
F	check releases checking the called Mike to SS.  After releasing aims for a four yard route.  This is the check down during the read for the QB.
QB	this is a three step drop from the gun.  Read is low to high, with primary key being man over the H. Shoulders turn to run with H, it is man and look to throw shallow. Square shoulders is zone, area read linebacker drop on whether to throw Y or H.  Third read is Z on the comeback and finally check down to the F or run.  Footwork progression is drop steps reading to throw Y; first hitch step looks H; second hitch look Z; third hitch is run or throw check down.

I run the shallow route at two yards because of the pressure it puts on linebackers.  They want to re-route receivers coming across the middle while in zone coverage; running the shallow at a four yard depth makes this easier for them to do.  Receivers are affected in that either they get stopped coming across or to avoid contact will run the routes at the wrong depth.  Running the shallow at two yards makes linebackers commit in their zone drop to either step up or not, which cleans up the read to throw the shallow or dig.  By running at two yards, my shallow receiver doesn't sit vs zone, putting pressure on the linebackers even more against a receiver going full speed

I like the comeback as part of the read because I feel it helps attack a team that is playing zone coverage.  It helps attack the flat defender.  If a backer or safety doesn't widen enough and cheats on the dig, this allows the window to open and throw this route.  It also fits with the fact that I don't like to just have a clear out route and make sure the defense has to cover all five potential receivers.

Here are some of the shallow cross plays I will run as OC.

Ace Right Flex 60 H-Shallow Cross

Ace Right Flex 60 Z-Shallow Cross

Ace Right Flex 60 X-Shallow Cross

Now one of the first things you may notice about my plays is I have my back stay on the same side.  If the shallow route is coming towards him he will run a check circle instead of a check arrow.  This is different than other versions that coaches run where the back flips sides and just runs the arrow when in a 2x2 formation.  I personally feel that by flipping the back,  it can give a key to the defense that if a shallow cross is being run it will come from the same side as the back.  I could be totally wrong about that being a key, any feedback would be appreciated in the comments.

You also may have noticed that with the shallow routes being run from the outside receivers I have the slot player to their side running a corner route.  A comeback isn't practical and a corner still attacks zone coverage while providing a read on the flat defender.  A better option may be a choice route of either a corner or deep out based on safety looks, but that is something to look deeper into at a later time.

Here is how I would run the drive pass play from a 3x1 look.

Right Trey 60 H-Shallow Drive.

Pretty much the same that most coaches have.  I have thought about flipping the back to the other side and having the X run a post with a F wheel and Z comeback.  Any coaches had any experience running those route combo's?

And lastly I have already mentioned I like empty.  I can even run the shallow crosser from an empty look.

Empty Right 50 Y-Shallow Cross

Hopefully I have made clear why I like running the crosser route concepts.  As I mentioned at the top, this is how I will run these plays.  There could be better ways to run these pass concepts and I would like to hear what other coaches think or do.  Please leave your thoughts in the comment form below.

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To Pistol Or Not Do The Pistol Offense

As I have been looking at different offensive systems one there's been one that is increasingly picquing my interest. I have been thinking I need to learn more about the Pistol offense that was started at Nevada.

In the last few years this seems to have become an increasingly popular offensive formation amongst college and high school teams across the country.  Based on what I have read, proponents of this offense say it has an advantage of being the best of the spread and under center offense since the back is aligned right behind the QB. 

I have read that by having the back aligned this way it prevents a defense from knowing what side the run play is going.  In essence the run game is similar to what you would do if you were wanting to run all your plays out of I or single back formations.

The argument I constantly hear is that in the spread the defense knows which way the run play is going.  I disagree in that if the defense cheats to one side it allows for cutback lanes with the inside zone.  Another way to keep a defense honest you can run a counter.

I guess the biggest thing I would like to learn more about is my favorite play out of the spread which is the Zone Read.  To make this play work it seems that you would need to have the back cross in front and then bend the play back into the zone blocking like below.

I don't see as much a chance for cutbacks since the defense could be reacting to the backfield action and work more to their right.   Compare this to the zone run out of the spread with the back aligned to the side as shown below and how it can lead to cutbacks for the running back.  Below are illustrations on what I mean.

Back is able to hit the hole playside

Defense cheats, is washed down the line opening up a cutback lane for the back

The zone run from under center you will see the same chance for a cutback.  The difference is that the QB isn't reading the end on whether to pull the ball or not.  This makes me wonder if because you might not get as good a cutback with the zone read in the Pistol that the veer has become more prevalent among teams that want to run option.

Other questions have come up as I have looked at this offense when it comes to the run game.  With a counter you can read the end and if he chases the tackle then pull the ball.  Is that still something that can be done out of the Pistol or because it might take longer to develop something that is negated in that play.  What about with the QB counter?

One of the best things is that I am in Portland and so today I will be stopping by Portland State and speaking with their offensive staff.  But I would love to hear from other coaches on the strengths, weaknesses, and experiences with this offense.  Should I look more into doing the Pistol or not for my future as a coach.

Update:  I wasn't able to meet with them today, the pro day got moved up.  But I will probably be meeting with them next week.

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Spread Offense GT Counter Play-Action Pass

This is a topic that came up on Coach Huey with another coach asking if anyone had any experience running some play action pass off of the GT (or Guard Tackle) counter action.  The GT counter has become a huge play within the spread especially at the high school level that having a pass off of the action is a great way to slow down a defense from immediately crashing the pull.

This play can be run from a doubles, trips, two back, and multiple other formations with effectiveness from the gun.  The first three drawings are of how you can run the GT Counter from the gun in three of the formations.  I haven't gone into great depth about how to block the running play against the different fronts, since you could block it differently than I would up front with the line.  Again these are just examples to give you an idea on how you can incorporate play action passes using the GT counter action.  The motions I give are pretty generic but they can be adapted to how you call it.

GT Counter Plays

Doubles Yo-Yo 37 Counter

In this formation you can see that we bring a receiver in motion to block the backside end.  I would use a larger receiver like a TE so that they can make this block.  I used Yo Yo to represent the Y going in a motion one way and then coming back to make this block.

Right Trey Halo 36 Counter

This play we have the H coming across to the left, hence the halo and blocking the end.  Again this is setting up the defense using that motion to get them thinking run.

Blue Right 36 Counter

As you can see we run this out of two backs as well with the back that isn't getting the ball crossing in front first to pick up the backside end.  This is where this play can get extremely effective, you have started to pull the defense more into the box which will allow you to get a back out on one on one coverage against a backer or safety.  You should be able to win this more often than not for a big play.

GT Counter Play-Action Pass

Now that we have run the counter play with the motions, you will start to find the defense want to cheat to the side opposite of the motion.  It happens with kids, especially high school kids who see the play and then want to get a jump.  So here are examples of the play run off of these motions and formations.

Doubles Yo Yo 137 Counter Boot

Even though the play goes to the right it is called 137 because the line action is the same as running 37 Counter.  The 100 is added to signify to the players it is the play action pass.  This is a simple yet effective way of not over complicating your team.

As you can see by the draw up, our motion receiver will chip the end then get out into the route.  The QB is going to watch the end and see if he can get outside on a boot or needs to pull up and get rid of the ball now.  The QB should get depth should he choose to roll out, to avoid any chance of that end catching him.  He should take a quick glance at the deep ball and see if it is coming open but the quick shoot route or 10-14 yard crossing route will be the routes most likely coming open.  The deep split route can be the last read if the high safety or safeties are coming up on crosser.  If nothing is open run the ball.   It is important that the line doesn't get too far down field in their play action look.

Right Trey Halo 136 Counter Boot

Same as what happened above the chip and then out into the route is vitally important.  It will help sell the run to the flat defender giving your receiver a chance to get out and run with the ball.

Blue 136 Counter Boot

This formation has been where I have really seen this play hit for big yardage.  The defense has packed more into the box and sold for the run, Usually the back slipping out into the flat is open by at least 10-12 yards, leaving them one on one with a safety to make the tackle.  

Now for a lot of coaches these routes are very similar to the boot routes they run off of the inside zone from the gun.  One of the great things is that your kids don't have to learn a lot of new routes and can still have an effective counter to a defense cheating against your counter play.

And lest you think you can only run the play with two receivers to either side you can still call the play and run it with three receivers to one side as shown here.

Right Trips Ha Ha 137 Counter Boot Flood

So there you go coaches, an idea on how to run some play action passes off of counter action in the spread. Of course this isn't the end all of be all when it comes to pass combos and routes.  I would love to hear from other coaches what their experience has been and ideas on route combos, please leave your comments below.

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David Yost Explaining How Screens Make Up Part Of Missouri's Run Game

Here is a video of David Yost offensive coordinator at Missouri explaining how they use the bubble and now screen as part of their run game.  Contrary to what some coaches believe there is a read on the play as Coach Yost explains with reading the middle backer and his alignment during the play. Many more coaches are implementing the screen game as part of their offense. It puts pressure on the defense because they get a run read but then the ball is passed out to a receiver. Coaches I suggest you take a look at using these screens as part of your run game from the spread as it will help pull more defenders out of the box. What have been some of your experiences running a screen off of your zone run out of the shotgun spread?

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Funny to Think About Now

So one advantage to moving back has been the ability to watch some classic football games.  Here are a couple things that stood out to me this past week that really kind of made me chuckle about the offense side of the ball.

I was able to watch the 2005 Fiesta Bowl between Utah and Pitt on ESPN Classic.  It was near the end of the game when Brent Musberger asked his co-announcer Gary Danielson if Urban Meyer was going to have trouble running his spread offense in the SEC?  Well Gary of course replied that he thought so because of the speed of the linebackers and d-line.  Why does that give me a chuckle?  Well 5 years later the spread offense like Urban Meyer is alive and well in the speedy SEC.  Seems like commentators forget for all the speed on one side of the ball, the other side will have it too.

The second game I saw was the 1993 Rose Bowl game between Washington and Michigan on the Big Ten Network (yep even the west coast gets this channel).  In the second quarter Washington is driving for the go ahead touchdown and Brent Musberger (man that guy has done a lot of games) is commenting on the passing game for the Washington offense.  At this particular point they were 10 of 12 passing with 188 yards and one touchdown.  Their run game was ineffective as Michigan had basically everyone in the box.  Right after he says this, Washingon runs the ball being stuffed on two straight runs.  Brent then comments that Washington fans are probably thinking, stop running the ball and just pass it!!!  Next play, Mark Brunell passes for a touchdown and Washington goes ahead 21-17.  This made me chuckle because of how insane it would seem to coaches now doing your offense that way.

It is just kind of funny to see how football has changed since that 1993 bowl game.  Offenses more spread out and defenses not stacking the box as much (Washington was basically like a 5-3 that game).  I think at some point the tighter formations will make a return but just interesting to see how much the game has changed from even just a few years ago.

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Pass Protection When You Go Five Wide

After my last post about the passing game from 5 wide, I was asked to talk a little about what we did for pass protection using the five wide set.  One of the difficult situations when passing from empty is that you will only have five blockers and a defense that can bring six pass rushers while locking up man to man.  So what can you do as an offense to provide protection without giving up big sacks?

This last season I had my line step to protect inside gap to outside gap first.  The reason behind us doing this was because the fastest way to get to the QB is from the middle of the line.  We would step down half a step to protect that inside gap, if no rusher showed then we would look outside.  However as I look back on this past season I would like to make some changes to our empty pass protection to better protect the QB.  Not that we had many problems last season when we went empty but I am always looking to optimize our performance.

What a lot of teams like to do when it comes to pass protection is either slide the whole line right or slide left:

This type of slide protection can help your line pick up outside blitzes to one side but also help pick up a middle blitz that many 4-2-5 teams will employ.  Against a 50 front team, the backside guard and tackle of the slide need to check inside gap first to help teammate and then look outside gap to help pick up rushers.

So if a team brings six rushers what needs to happen?  Again you need to protect inside gap first and the QB is responsible for the sixth rusher to get rid of the ball.  Ideally you want that sixth rusher to be an outside rusher as he will have further to come and the QB can see him and even throw the ball to the area that has been vacated.  Your receivers also need to recognize the blitz and help the QB out by adjusting their routes to help the QB get rid of the ball quickly.  They need to look and see if there are any safeties over the top.  If the QB sees that there is a 6 man blitz coming he can also audible to a hot route.  You might want to slide protect to the backside of your QB since that is the side he won't be able to as easily see the outside rusher coming.  

I have also thought about widening our line splits a little more to widen the defensive front to help slow down their line stunts and also their outside blitzes.  My only concern is the middle blitzes that will come and if we get to wide if our tackles will be able to slide and pick up the defender over the guard.

You can also help make that pass rusher go further by rolling your QB out of empty.  You can use your 3rd receiver to act as a lead blocker and run roll out pass plays.  You can even go quads and do roll out game with the 4th receiver staying in to block.  

By getting rid of the ball quickly, you will start to force that pass rush to slow down.  Every time having to chase the QB then go chase the ball after it is down field will start to wear down the rush.  Combine that with a run game and you can keep the defense guessing instead of just always rushing the passer  

The biggest thing you can teach your line is that they don't need to make a huge block when it comes to pass blocking.  Sometimes all they need to do is give a nice push to knock the rusher off track to give your QB just a few tenths of a second more to get rid of the ball.  Watch this video from FSN's Sports Science to give you an idea of what I mean.

So there you go, just an idea of how you will want to do some pass protection when going five wide.  I would love to hear other coaches thoughts and what they have taught their players.  Any coaches widened their splits when in empty and how did that go?  Like I said I am looking to optimize the blocking for this coming season.

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Example of Passing Game in Empty

Even though we are a team that doesn't necessarily do empty all the time I have found that I like going empty and wanted to talk more about some plays you can run from the empty set.  In my previous post I talked a little about the run game from empty.  Today I would like to talk about using the passing game from empty.  A great advantage of this type of offensive set is that it puts the defense in a real bind by spreading them out allowing more one on one situations.  Because of the quick passing game one thing that you can find is that it starts to tire the defensive front out.  They start to rush the QB, ball is gone and they then have to turn and chase the ball carrier.  If a team blitzes it is the same situation as they will have to turn and run once the ball is gone.  Teams will have to be rotating multiple players and this again can put help your offense as you will be wear a defense down.

One disadvantage obviously is that there is no back in the backfield to help block and so you need to have a good short passing game to help prevent teams from blitzing.  One of the most common passing plays that teams will run is where all five receivers will run hitches.

Empty Right 50 All Hitches

By the spacing you set up, it will help allow your receiver to find the open spot in the defense.  The inside curls can help punish a team that brings it backers that can also be checked into go routes if the middle backers blitz and the defense is in cover 0  This is a great universal play against zone and man to man coverage.  Usually against zone you will find on the three receiver side that #2 receiver will come open quite a bit.

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Run Game Out of the Empty Set

I really do like going empty on the offensive side of the ball and find that it puts the defense into a bind on what they have to do.  While spreading the defense out, this formation also allows you the opportunity to still have a run game out of empty.


Jet Sweep


A great play that is commonly used is the Jet Sweep by teams.  You bring the slot back in motion and at the snap as he is going full speed is given the ball by the QB or if you are really good, he can read the backside D with the QB keeping.  Line blocks just like a stretch play and the ball carrier reads and makes his cut upfield.  If the defense starts to cheat a backer to cut off the run on play side, the slot on the 3 receiver side can align closer to cut that player off.  

If the backside backer goes in motion with the motion of the slot, then your QB will want to pull the ball.  A great compliment play especially if a defense starts cheating to the motion is a QB counter play.  


QB Counter Play


This play is a great way to take advantage of an aggressive defense and allow you the opportunity at some big plays.  As you fake the hand off to the motion back, the QB follows the pulling tackle.  The back can carry out his jet sweep fake or you can have him go pick up the backside end to prevent him from disrupting and chasing the play down from behind.  

Another way to take advantage of an aggressive defense as well is to play action off of the motion and try to take advantage of a safety that is rolling or coming up early to stop the jet sweep play.

Play Action Post SE Drag

This is a just an example of using the run to also set up your play action passing game as you take advantage of a defense that rolls to the 4 receiver side.  By isolating 1 on 1 backside you can have a favorable match up.  If the safety rolls too far the post can take advantage of the defense.  If the safety stays in the middle you can look at the post if the defense isn't in a zone or check down to the drag or swing route.  Another play change that you can do is have the 3 players actually slow block a screen to the motion player if the safety stays in the middle and it looks like the defense is staying in a 3 deep zone.  

There you go just a few examples of having the run game out of an empty set and how you can also take advantage of what a defense gives to you.  You really can force the defense to run a coverage that you like and get them into a position that favors your offense.  Coaches let me know about your experiences running the ball out of an empty formation.  Also what your opinions are of the example plays I have shown here.

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Oklahoma State's Unique Hand Off on the Jet Sweep

I have been looking for clips online of the Alamo Bowl so that I could show you what I mean by unique handoff in the game.  Unfortunately I haven't been able to find it yet.  They would bring a receiver in motion and then instead of handing the ball off, the QB would just overhand toss the ball to the receiver going in front of him.

Why would Oklahoma State do this?  Well I can think of one reason right now.  How many times in a game have we seen where there is a fumble on the read hand off that leads to a turnover.  Instead if the toss to the receiver is dropped it isn't a fumble but instead an incomplete pass that doesn't result in a turnover.

Does anyone have any clips of the play being run in the bowl game or not?  I really would like to post video here on the site to show.  It happens in the first half.

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Don't Go Chasing Ghosts

I was reading a section in Alan Trimble's football book about game planning and he brought a very importat point that young coaches should learn.  He calls it chasing ghosts when it comes to game preparation.  What is meant by this is going into practice and preparing for plays that you think are going to happen and wasting too much time doing so. 

That isn't to say that you won't encounter adjustments by other teams, but do you really believe that a double wing team is going to put in a shotgun spread play for the week playing you?  Maybe, but chances are pretty good that they won't.  If you start to worry too much about these ghosts you will cut into the game plan you are preparing and can take away from precious practice preparing for their main plays.

I unfortunately have seen this a lot from other coaches as they have tried to install a play or formation that another team has success doing.  In doing so they are chasing those ghosts and hurting their team with chances in preparing to win the game.  For you newer coaches, don't spend too much time preparing for what if's.

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How I Would Rebuild A High School Football Program

Recently a fellow coach told me that the Lehi high school position was open and that I should apply for the position.  I declined initially but it did make me think how I would build up a high school program.  Lehi hasn't won a game in two years.  This is unfortunate since they won the state title 10 years ago and have fallen on hard times recently.

So what would I do to re-build a program like this?  Well here is just a list of a few of the things in no particular order I would do:

1. Recruit The Halls- Sounds pretty cliche but this is a school with around 1800 students.  They won the soccer title in men's soccer, there are players and athletes in the school that can help.  There has to be some size that isn't out on the field that can be coached into players.  First thing I would do at any school is hit the halls to get kids out for the team.
2. Build Team Pride- When facing a losing streak, the players start to become ashamed of being a part of the team.  You need to build up pride to be a part of this team.  You need to have team-building activities for kids (movie night; pool parties; bonfires; etc)  They need to bond and have that pride to be a football player again.
3. Schedule Easier Non-League Games That You Know You Can Win-  This in my opinion is one of the most important things you can do. Pride about who you are playing isn't worth it in the middle of a losing streak.  You need to win some games to get the monkey off the back.  Practice after a win is always better than after a loss.  Wins give kids confidence to be successful.  An example of a team I would schedule were I at Lehi would be American Leadership Academy.  They are going back down to 2A but only won 1 game last year and have struggled over the years as well.  Find a way to play them, start to build some confidence.
4. Simplify Your Game Plan- Too many times, new coaches come in and try to install everything they want to do on offense and defense.  This is a mistake in my opinion and can lead to confusing your players.  It takes time to get your system fully into place.  Figure out what your base plays are and install those and make sure the kids have them down.  Then you can build off of them from there.
5. Be Patient- Unfortunately the Lehi program hasn't won in two years.  You can't change overnight the way they act and play; it will take time to undo and remake what the players do and how the community reacts to you.
6. No One's Position Is Safe- There will be returning players that were starters last year.  Well that doesn't mean anything now that I am in charge of the program.  I would say that every position is open for competition.  The best players in that position are going to play, no ifs and's or buts about it.  You win your starting position back then good job but don't expect it to be handed to you.  Competition will help breed success.
7. Stick To Your Plan And Believe What You Are Doing- You may make decisions that others will disagree with even on your staff, but you need to send the message.  If that means sitting a star player because his grades are poor then do it.  Once you have established how your program is run you can't change your mind for certain players.  Doing so will lose any credibility your players and parents will have in you and can lead to more troubles in the future for your program.
8. Bring In The Success Of Past Teams/Cut Away From The Past Struggles- What do I mean by this?  Well for Lehi I would bring in the former players from the 2000 state championship team.  Have them meet the players, speak and let them know what it meant to them to be a part of the school.  Likewise you will need to make a clean break from the past struggles of your team.  There may be coaches from the previous staff that would like to stay and help.  Unfortunately I would say thanks but no thank you.  That isn't to say they would be a terrible fit with my philosophies but any tie to the past struggles counters what I would be trying to build.  
9. Get The Backing Of Your School's Administration-  You need to have the full support of your school's administration and AD.  Nothing hurts more than not getting the backup from your principal and that kills a program faster than you know.  I have seen horror stories on coaching boards and know that I want with respects to that.  This also includes being able to pick your own staff.  If a principal wants to hire some of your coaches, then it just won't work out.
10. BE FULLY INVESTED WITH YOUR NEW PROGRAM- Were I to leave Timpview (a successful program) for one like Lehi, I would make sure to be fully invested.  How many of us as players saw coaches that looked longingly at the previous school they were at acting as if they were wanting to return there.  How can a kid trust that you are doing what is best for them, why will they play hard for you if they feel that way?  Once you are there, be fully there as a coach.
11. Stay In Contact With Your Mentor- Every coach will have a mentor that helps teach them the ropes.  If I leave Timpview to take over a program I will continue to speak with Coach Wong for advice on how to handle certain issues that arise.
12. Make Sure Parents Are In The Loop- Let the parents know what is going on with the program and what your expectations are.  Doing so will help avoid any issues that could arrive because of miscommunication.  
13. Engage The Community- Make sure you have a good booster club president that will help you fund raise.  Make sure to get the community involved in what you are doing, if they support your team, success will follow..

Well these are just a few of the things I would do to build a high school program were I to take over.  I may add more to the list as time goes by and I have more to think about.  I would love to hear any feedback from any coaches that read this post on things that they have done to build a high school program.

PS.  If the head coach is still there at Lehi I apologize for any misunderstanding it is what I was informed by a fellow coach.

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Good Practice today

Well we really had a good practice today. The boys worked hard especially on the O-line. I am amazed but the Freshman line is really coming along. We will see how we do with their first game. I am really proud of how they are growing as players.

Sophomores our offense looked really really sharp today. If we can play like that this Friday we will win the game.

Varsity appeared to have a good practice as well. Like I said in my earlier post, the loss was probably the best thing that could have happened to them. I follow Coach Huey on Twitter and he is saying his players aren't preparing with a sense of urgency. Well our kids now know that they gotta practice the way they want to play. I think we will be ok and will still be able to make a run for our 4th straight title.

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First Season Done

After that first season was over I prepared for the upcoming season. I asked the head coach if I could run the offense this time around and he said sure. I at first thought about running the Flexbone triple option offense but wasn't sure how complicated that would be for youth.

I decided to attend a Nike Coaches Clinic in Portland, OR where I am from and picked up one of Tony DeMeo's books. I liked what he did there so I thought I could do both Flexbone and DeMeo's since the formations are similar. I also love the zone read play so I had a lot to think about. Then I decided to attend the BYU coaches clinic. I spent two hours listening to Coach Doman the QB coach at BYU explain their offense he explained that when they throw they do it so that whatever the defender does is wrong and I fell in love with that plan. I later contacted him and sat down for an hour as he explained what he did with QB's and some of their plays they run. So I decided to do a combo of both BYU and DeMeo's offense.

While at the BYU clinic I ran into Coach Wong again. I told him I never really thanked him for letting the kids in the game and he said no problem anytime you need it let me know. Then he asked where I was coaching this next season. He obviously recognized me from before and I said nowhere right now. He said we might have an opening on the Sophomores get back to me later this month. I remembered from before and knew that I had to be persistent. I contacted him by email but also sent an email to a new coach at another area high school. I wasn't going to put my eggs in one basket. I waited and waited for about two weeks. Then finally I got an email back from Coach Wong that there was an opening on the Sophomore team and to call him about it. I called him later that day and we talked about the opening. He asked me the areas I was strong in coaching position wise and where I was weak. I listed the positions in order and he said "Well I am only looking for a line coach I don't know if you were looking at doing that." I told him oh no I would love to learn how to coach the line it was just my weak point cause I didn't really play line. (Just so everyone knows, I knew that Timpview consistently sends lineman to D1 schools that's why I jumped at the chance, plus they had just won the state title again.) He told me to come by tomorrow for the workouts and we would get everything ironed out.

I went to the school as my work let me go for this meeting, they were supportive of this goal and I appreciate them for that. We met in his office and he explained the schedule and everything to me. After out meeting we went downstairs for the workout for the players. Unfortunately it was raining so I wasn't able to learn much that first day. After running back to work, ok I didn't run but I was so happy I couldnt' stop smiling. I called my father telling him I was gonna coach at Timpview and he said really? He said he was proud of me and that coaching there was the equivalent of starting at Jesuit High school in Portland. Throughout the rest of the next month I would show up for two days a week as I learned the drills that we ran to coach the line.

Now imagine if I had sent that nasty email when I was just angry?

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