I can't stress this enough - the cheap way of holding the chalk (last) on the field with this AFC concept we stole from Auburn (who stole it from countless others) years ago.
This is just an automatic check for the defense, that whenever they see a particular formation, they will check out of whatever was called and into the preferred coverage/front to best match-up with a given situation. Again, this is SIMPLE to do and ensures your guys are never caught with their pants down by being out-formationed.
In the situation below, we had the tendencies of this offense down to whenever they went to this Power-I look, they only hit 2 particular areas of attack. Because of this, we felt that the BEST defense in our arsenal against this set was "6 Under Will Line", which is just a strong side loaded zone (6), with an Under front and putting the bubble LB on the line....this is essentially a 6-1 defense.
So, regardless of whatever we actually called in the huddle, once the MLB/WLB recognized this formation, they immediately checked out into our preferred call. All this took was 10 minutes on Monday, recognizing the backfield set, and we were good for the entire week of game prep. We would present a couple of different formations the team would run (2x2,3x1,1x2), and the minute we lined up in double-tight-power-I...the *** hit the fan and we had the kids going bananas over their alert.
Base call "3" ----- checks into "6 Under Will Line" when confronted with Power-I (formation check)
Talking with the coaches from the other team later in that season, they mentioned they didn't know what was happening to them because their Power-I attack had previously been unstoppable.
42 Nickel Installation clips from a few years ago as an example of building the foundation into the season.
0 - 6:30 Summer Team Camp installation
6:30 - 10:30 Preseason intrasquad scrimmage
10:30 - 17:00 Broadcast clips shown to players of defense style / pressure, check-blitz, & robber cov. (Va Tech)
17:00 - 24:24 3rd week scripted TEAM session
24:30 - 28:00 6th week scripted TEAM session
The scripted TEAM sessions are probably the most relevant bits to watch as the speed and efficiency of getting plays ran and also reinforcing run-fits of your defense.
This is just lagniappe, but here are more practice clips;
Random musings about developing a defensive coordinator on your staff (or grooming an assistant to take that role over).
Send him to a local college/university to spend time with them during their Spring Ball. It would sound like he knows the defense and (may) know the opponent, but doesn't understand the application / rationale behind what he is calling.
It would help in many ways;
You are empowering him to take the next step (not telling him to do something)
He will network with other minds (may be more receptive of other coaches input)
He will see it is more than just slapping stuff together, but focusing on situational defense versus particular threats.
One other comment....I don't know what your relationship is like, but if it is half way decent, I would challenge him as much as possible in relaxed settings. Break out the bar napkins. Every defensive guy is the next Buddy Ryan when you're just lining up against Pro sets....but what happens when you are facing bastard sets or challenging personnel, now what!?
Try to break his mousetrap. What will he do now? He will have to rethink his approach, why he is doing what he does, and galvanize his defensive philosophy.Again about the rhythm stuff, it is one thing to get the read-out of stats, but how much time does he use to watch what his opponent is doing during the course of a game? What is the OC doing in tough spots? What does he go back to? What is he trying to set up? Those are things you can pick up through pattern-recognition, by watching a full game and watching it progress.
So if you're watching 3 or 5 games on Joe Blow OC, now you're up in the box....you can have a deja vu feel for what is coming next.The only caveat I would offer, though, is don't get in the rut of trying to beat the OC, but rather just beat the QB. Understand the offense, so that you CAN do that (frustrate blocking rules, RB in protection, route-combos, QB reads, etc).
With practice - script EVERYTHING. You (and your staff) should package your opponent based on all those fancy stats/tendencies. In doing so, your kid should associate certain plays / formations with specific tendencies.
If you approach practice by slapping shit together, the kids will play like they are slapping shit together, and consequently, it will look like the defense is being called like we're just slapping shit together.
Lastly, does the DC grade the performances of his players (quantify their assignment execution)? the bottom line is how efficient or practical is this concept for your predicament? Can you assess it on your own? What will it take for it to be effective?
How could you screw it up?
The 'coverage' concept is the basic premise a DC would use as an acid test to measure the practicality of kids in positions to do their job. It is what marries everything you are doing together, instead of a handful of ideas thrown together with none of the players working together.You have 8 gaps to defend - how are you going to shut them all down? If any one of those 8 gaps isn't defended, your entire defense is compromised. Do you want guys double-dipping in responsibility to ensure that these gaps are covered? If so, then what is your idiot-proof plan to teach these 5 defenders to read block reactions (to put them in the appropriate gap support)?
Ask yourself what is it (defense) going to do for you? That is the question that is most important. If offenses you face aren't multiple themselves, where is the value in being 'versatile' / multiple (on defense), if you never have to adapt to something different each week?
The front / blitz is just a delivery method....a tool to accomplish something specific - nothing else. What are the biggest weaknesses of this method, and how do you plan to account for it?Unbalanced? Option (or belly series)?....what is the "right" gap fit, when you get 2-3 threats on a given play? What are you looking to gain with your alignments? The only point is.....if you are relying on 3 stacked backers to make reads - how do you intend to teach it, because that might be a lot for MS kids to get 'right' a majority of downs. If you're just slanting and brining linebackers every play.....what are you really gaining, and does this do more harm than good for the future development of those players (because they really aren't learning any fundamental skills for the position)?
"There are 119 Division 1A teams playing college football.
There are 110 pussies playing free safety.
I'm not worried about safeties."
In this post, we are going to examine the offensive attack of Herb Hand of Tulsa (formerly of West Virginia). The Tulsa offense has been at the top of every offensive category for the past few years, due largely to the intense pressure both Hand and (Gus) Malzahn systematically put on a defense. This post will illustrate the many facets of their running attack and the pressure it induces on a defense, particularly safeties and run-force players.
"The first thing we look at is formations and how our formations affect the opposing defense......The last thing we look for is match-ups and how we can create favorable match-ups in our passing game through formations, motions, shifts, play actions, screens, etc." - excerpt from, thespreadoffense.com
The offense, itself, is actually quite simple. The Oline only has to distinguish between two types of defenses (odd or even) and any subset of that classification (base or stack). This helps maintain simplicity in blocking assignments and run keys. The offensive line is further aided by the no-huddle, unrelenting tempo of the offense, which usually forces defenses to play more conservative base looks.
If there are four down linemen;
If there is no true MLB (2 ILBs) - it is an a base even front
If there is a MLB - it is an even stack front
If there are three down linemen;
If there is no true MLB (2 ILBs) - it is an a base odd front
If there is a MLB - it is an odd stack front
This classification of fronts intuitively aides in coverage recognition;
Any base even front = 8 man box. which puts you in a 1-high defense
Any even stack front = 7 man box, which puts you in a 2-high defense
Any odd stack front = 8 man box. which puts you in a 1-high defense
Any base odd front = 7 man box, which puts you in a 2-high defense
The base run game is premised on inside and outside zone, with an ample saturation of some type of option threat and misdirection.
Breaking defenses with Inside Zone (with four theats)
Hand also shares the confidence of Gunter Brewer of attacking fire zones with the inside zone run. In fact, when running zone away from the blitz, it creates an even clearer picture for the back and an easier assignment for the Oline. The Oline just need to keep the slanting defensive linemen running (horizontally), which opens a clear vertical seam for the back. The Oline just has to run their defender off. With both read keys running, the back has an instant decision to press the gap and "bang it" vertically. If 1st read is running and 2nd read is running (as pictured), they back just bends it back once he presses the heels of the Oline.
Here the playside safety will not be accounted for (in the blocking scheme). With only 6 in the box, the call is to grind it into the teeth of the defense with inside zone. This will put 7 blockers on 6 defenders.
On run-action inside, he should be looking to fit to the A gap.
As he makes his approach off of run-read, he continues to out-leverage himself on the runner.
By the time he realizes the mistake, the back has already burst through the seam and is on his way to score.
Hand's philosophy of not respecting safeties is premised on getting the running back to the safeties. From there, 1 of 3 things will happen;
the back will either make him miss
the back will run him over
the safety is going to tackle the back
If it is inevitable that the safety will make the tackle, the runing back has to punish his ass for making the tackle.
See the exact same thing happen below (with the run fits of the safeties). As you'll notice on all these pictures, on inside zone, the H will always run a bubble route away from the zone. As you'll see, it helps create a wider gap (and threat) to backside support.
Also notice the walked out backer on #2 constrict the cutback lane.
As his shoulders turn into the run, see the bubble/QB keep seam available when the OLB commits to the inside cutback.
On inside zone again, watch as the displaced safety/backer to cover down on #2 gets removed from any cutback support. First, by alignment.
Second, by respecting the horizontal stretch of #2 on a bubble.
Next, after the give, the quarterback heads straight for him on an option path. This forces the defender to have to give up the bubble, now re orientate himself to an immediate threatening quarterback run.....
Only to watch the runner cutback in the seam he has created.
Here the dive and quarterback are accounted for, but the force player is STILL wrong, and Tulsa breaks the coverage (and run support). The read key (yellow) and pitch key (red) are highlighted to illustrate the players put in conflict.
As the read key commits to the dive/zone, the quarterback pulls it and immediately attacks the pitch key.
With the pitch key abandoning the bubble H, he now plays assignment football against the option and force a pitch for a quarterback who has no back in pitch relationship. He's right, right?
WRONG! Quarterback sets and throws the bubble to the H on the perimeter.
Gain of 10 yards
For more examples of Tulsa's horizontal stretch of defenses, check out;
this is something I learned from a GA years back...but its nothing new...this ain't rocket science
When you run a defense on a given play, what are you defending?
Are you lining up just to line up in a kooky front, or are you legitimately trying to defend the gaps by the alignment of the offensive players? ......defend each element of the offense first.
First thing they present is a formation.....if you already outflank yourself based on the offensive formation, how realistic is your defensive concept for that play?
Defend the formation (what are the vertical threats of the formation?) with a coverage.
it's as simple as.... A.Coverage B.Run support (force & alley) C.run support gap fits
I have seen way too many coaches holler and scream at their players...but the fact is, they have assigned 3-4 different assignments to a player (there is no realistic way that player could be right all the time).40 technique linebackers that are supposed to play flat....Cover 3 corners who are supposed to be primary run force AND deep 1/3 safeties.All 11 players have to tie-in together ............realistically.
What do I want to do?
8 man front (because most conferences are dominated by the run)
strong side load (play cover 2 strong...because most teams run to the TE the majority of the time)
use the weak OLB as my deep 1/2 safety to keep the reads / alignment consistent for that SOLB -- and keep the FS oriented to the TE side/key
It just happens that everything I want to do from a coverage standpoint (and the fact that I prefer a 4 down rushers) equates to the 42. ( or whatever you call it.....have no problem doing the same out of a 3 man front...and run exactly the same thing).
Also, last caveat, I am a former college DL......I do not get off on this 'philosophy' because it is my comfort zone...but because it is the tried-and-true acid test for a Team Defense.
What kind of defense you 'really' are is what is your base coverage? 44, 42, 43, 52, 53, 61, 62, 33, 34, 35, 18, 551, whatever....you've got 11 guys on defense (12 if you're lucky) and you're playing a coverage.
Coverage determines your run support, which determines your front......finito.
I equate it to;
A tortilla filled with beef and cheese open faced = Taco
A tortilla filled with beef and cheese and rolled = burrito
A tortilla filled with beef and cheese, rolled and covered with chile sauce = enchilada
A tortilla filled with beef and cheese that is fried = chimichanga
A tortilla filled with beef and cheese that is fried, baked inside a pizza, wrapped with bacon and smothered in gravy, and served with four shots of Jagermeister = 42 Defense
Call it whatever you want, but you end up with essentially the same things (depending on your coverage)
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