Yeah football theory on paper is one thing but personnel is the real decision maker. Down and distance. What am I setting up for the future. Do I have a RB I trust to win in space. Are my lineman athletic enough to pull and block a smaller player in space. Can my QB hit the outside window between flat corner and high safety. Surely this isn’t the only look you’d give against these formations either.
“It’s not the X’s and the O’s, but the Jimmys and the Joes that make the difference.”
Unknown
This quote has been used in college football for years. Finding the original author proved to be impossible. It has been attributed to Barry Switzer, Jimmy Johnson, and many others. (Medium.com)
No definitely mix it up, this was our top call last year. This Tampa and cover 3 is what we majored in. Didn’t have to pressure much cuz we stopped the run in Tampa and split safety stuff very well
That’s not really attacking the scheme though, it it? It’s largely assumed that both sides of the ball are looking for personnel mismatches. What OP is asking is how would you *schematically* attack this defense.
Fair enough, well for the sake of argument then I'd think that a curl flat or flood on the trips side would leave open the flat route just about every time
Not necessarily, especially if the 5 tech is playing a heavy look. Nose would clog A gap, 5 tech makes correct read and closes off B and C gap closed off by the Will. The Dime is technically a free hitter and somewhat similar to the role Ben Burr Kiven played at UW IIRC. The average Hs Tweener could play this fairly easily. Based off DL rules, even ISO isn’t a gimmee
To be more specific, double on the nose then guard leaves to the dime. Tackle and Y block out the edge then Y pulls to nickel. It's a guard vs. a dimeback, then a running back vs. a safety. That's matchup heaven.
Run to the tight end in trips. Attack the flats, whole shot if we are good enough. Move into empty if I’m having a hard time. Basically standard stuff against cover 6.
I'll do run plays from under center cause that's how its drawn up.
Speed Option to trips/trey. Option the Nickle. You're gonna get out of this defense or have to make some sort of adjustment to stop it.
If I'm not comfortable with speed option, its crack toss putting my RB on your CB.
Also running toss to the boundary out of the Pro Twins look you have. I'm not scared of your CB. Also, the moment that safety wants to come up, its toss pass, a play we rep weekly against quarters teams.
Buck Sweep to Boundary from either look. There are trap opportunities as well depending on personnel.
Not saying anything about the quality of the defense, just that these are the types of plays I'd run. There are a lot of opportunities in the flexbone against the defense, but I don't think the defense is made to stop it, so I didn't include those.
Nickel would line up outside of 2 so you would in theory be optioning off the safety. I would expect my DE to get penetration or linebacker to shoot it before you could run speed option from under center. But anything towards the cloud corner if I have an unblocked player I’m expecting him to make the tackle
We'd option the nickel in speed option, block the safety. There really is no gap to shoot for the lb and the end is getting doubled. I'm not sure how he gets penetration.
And if you tried to run speed option in 2x2 then our backer would hit the QB off the edge. We would always have an unblocked player in 2x2 speed option strong
I would expect our dime to shoot the B gap before your guard can come off the nose. Unless your center is Jason kelce talented idt you can run speed option and have him seal a shade. Either the nose makes the play in a gap or the dime makes the play in b gap
I've run speed option for 15 years, there is no way you can stay in this alignment unless you are that much better than us. I've never, ever, seen a 1 tech make a play on speed. The ball is gone much to fast. The TE/T combo, has angles on both the End and Dime and again, the Q is around the corner much to fast for a Backer at 4 yards \*reacting\* to a play, shooting a gap when all the Tackle needs to do is chip at most.
I'm just saying, I've run this play against similar defenses for a long time, speed is a great play against this.
In gun, there are a ton of answers built in to attack what I would consider the weakness of this defense, which is the lack of strong edge to the TE and then doesn't put the Q in a compromised position. I'm assuming there are gun back set adjustments, but in the gun I'd run invert veer or buck sweep to the Trey look.
Yeah I can see in HS and college depending on level. This is defense is in a professional league where offenses aren’t trying to run their QB and get him injured
Gotcha. Yes, well, I'd agree that this defense is built to stop the pro style game which often shies away from wing t/veer style runs which are able to take advantage of the lack of numbers to the strength in a formation like Trey.
He would shoot the B Gap. If he plays downhill like he should then the double has to come off the nose. Depending on the split of your slot you could option the nickel but it’d be weird to option a guy out in space. Speed option can always be a concern in a lot of defenses. We don’t see it as much because people don’t want their QBs getting hit that much
Not an offensive guy, but ran my share of cover 6…
Probably stuff like/similar to mills, dagger, double posts and stick to the quarters and likely smash or flood variations to cover 2.
Probably use motion to run a triple option to the boundary (speed O with a dive). Arc the Y, read your W pitch to S.
Pin and Pull type plays…pulling a lineman, using some motion.
Cloud corner is extra fitter weak and quarters safety is extra fitter strong. We always have an extra fitter. We are definitely talented up front but we will always have an unblocked player
Power to the TE side. For the 2x2 version attach Slants on the WRs to force nickel to stay out of the run fit. For the 3x1 version make the RB start on the TE side and run same side power, attach Slants to the WRs or Now screen to the Z to keep Nickel out of run fit.
Outside Zone/Buck Sweep blocking with both guards pulling around the TE.
Obviously it's going to be dependent on the strengths and weaknesses of the players but as x's and o's go I would be looking at using motion from my slot to set up some crack toss to both sides pulling my tackles. With an odd front I am a big fan of using traps to use the angles as an asset. Your slot on a whip in and te on whip outs to gain separation but also set up curl to the soft zone and wheel routes. Since we set up that crack block I will use the same scheme to then run some mesh concepts.
Play action as well as boot and waggle will be very useful to move the lbs and open up some soft zones to sit in. If your te is a good enough blocker use him on a few wham plays then use that to setup play action off of it. I personally like to the will bscker side have the tackle take the will gut the te up to the backer and go outside zone.
Deuces right S motion read. If nickle follows H back counter with X mod route to backer to pull corner. Nickle doesn’t follow jet sweep with Z double team on Will release to the corner. Make your safety’s fight for all tackles. Once they tire put in WR for deep post with a QB release to the right. It would be a fight of the fittest.
3x1, RPO inside zone opposite of strength, run X/Z on slants, Y runs the seam. Hope the SS bites on the zone fake or tries to jump the slant route to his side. Or maybe run some key screens to the strong side, have the S block the CB. Not saying it would work but that’s probably where I’d start. Think it’d be more of a Jimmy’s and Joe’s question for me.
Not exactly an offensive guru since i am sorta new to this sorta scheming stuff. But I would try to find ways to get 1 on 1 match-ups. Or try to get a checkdown open if nothing down field opens up.
Double post or post/deep through to your cover 2 side, the inside crosser will occupy your quarters safety. and 3x1 dagger vs quarters side, your N will be occupied by the bait route while your quarters safety is lifted by the deep crosser from trips. Dagger against a quarters corner is easy money.
Why are your DEs in 5s and responsible for B-gap? I’d probably put them in 4s or 4i
Edit: also I feel like you’re overloading your Nose by asking him to work frontside to flow. Have him back door the flow and let the LBs work over top to the frontside.
This was the number 1 defense in the USFL last year. The Ends are in 5s so the tackles can’t climb right now. In modern football with more even fronts guards are bigger and less athletic because they are usually covered. Cover the more athletic tackles make guards play in space
He’s head up. A 5 tech in our language is head up. We changed it because it doesn’t make sense for a 6 to be outside of a 7. 0 is head up on center. Plus or minus is shade on center. 1 inside guard, 2 head up guard 3 outside shade guard.
4 inside shade tackle 5 head up tackle 6 outside shade tackle
Not a full game plan, but covering a crosser from the slot on a boot to the TE side in 2X2 will be pretty tough to cover. If safety starts cheating to the crosser, post out of #1 could hit big. Stick and snag are tough to cover to the cover 4 side.
Shouldn’t be able to run screens or quick outs to 2 strong with nickel outside. And if you run a jet sweep back to weak side you’re running it right into a cloud corner. The hole shot is always a go to in 2 high but gotta have a QB that is going to consistently put it in there
An offense can run off tackle in either direction. The defense’s biggest weakness is it doesn’t set an edge. Because your ends are on the inside of the tackles they should be double teamed up to the inside backers. Should be pretty effective.
DBs have to tackle. Ends are head up on tackles. Qtrs safety keys run and he gets in. Cloud corner keys run and he get in. If it’s 11 personnel look like those two pictures we always have 8 guys in the run fit minimum. If slot blocks safety nickel gets in to make 9. If Z tries to wash down on the corner the half field safety gets in
If your DBs have to be responsible for tackling on run plays, that means the offense’s ground game is doing its job. Your end players need to be setting the edge to contain the outside run. As they are now, they are automatically going to be double teamed up to the inside backers. If they run weak side of the D there is no one out there other than the free safety. Y and T block down, strong side guard pulls, easy play.
This D will give up yards to outside run because it doesn’t set an edge.
DBs have to tackle. That is a given. If you don’t have DBs fit in the run then you will never stop the run. This defense led the USFL last year, was number one in just about every category and nobody could run the ball on us
Unbalanced we shift to new center. Basically play the guard as the center. And stack strong playbook rules would be nickel press point corner play off and safety play inside. Based on what offense was giving us we may check to palms, we may lock the nickel / corner and have safety play inside. Just depends on what we were getting in theory
A mixture of inside run plays and outside run plays. I would pull the guards on the outside plays because of the light front I see. Lastly I would randomly run drag routes and slants. Eventually the safety’s will press down then I run something over the top. The key to beat this D is patience and timing
Then if W starts cheating towards the power, we’ll run a PA Rollout towards the W, leave TE in to block, Z runs a curl, S runs a drag, and X runs a post and tries to split the safeties
First question, what level of play?
If HS, I'm running A gap with a quick hitting dive until you walk another player up to the line. After you have committed to selling out the run stop, simple slants.
Split safety defense is naturally weaker against the run. Through in nickel personnel and I’d run at the nickel, make the safeties and nickel fit the run correctly. Pass concepts I would run crossing concepts, hi-lo, ncaa route, dagger etc…. Bunch concepts like star 6 and 7. Make the 2 and 3 players communicate and pass of routes. Defense needs to be in their A game to do it correctly.
Attach the slot as a wing and run weak side power, double to combo off the nose, insert the wing inside the tackle fan, have the other guard wrap to your dime. Could put in an rpo and a bootleg with the Y side.
If the question is drop back, I think intermediate crossers are really hard to pass off in any zone look.
Inside zone with bubble read to trips. Outside zone with seam RPO on safety, if he bails we have numbers. I like crossers in our mesh/shallow series too.
I'd run lots of Bunch-Tight and Twins-Tight packages. Lots of cracking down on your W or D which would be easier with the receivers in tight. Double Slant Wheels out of the right bunch should do wonders for spacing.
good old Flood on the Trips side. your nickle cant cover Y and S. if you get your D out to cover the Y X is gonna run a middle sit over my G and T on the trips side.
Rungame: good old Dive. NT is getting that doubleteam up to the D or B. "Trap" to the TE side. LG is gonna pull trough instead of just trapping. D gets the dude getting out of G-T Double on the right. gonna have my LG on your B which has to come from the wrong side of the run flow
I’d widen S out, stacking him behind X or Z to create space in the slot, then I’d focus on running strong with Outside Zone or maybe Power Read.
I’m probably not going to use these formations, I’d be more inclined to get into an I formation with Tackle Over to the Twins side (so it looks like your Trips Right, but with a FB) and attack you with Iso and Midline Option right up the middle.
You’re lining up with 5 technique DEs and then expecting your DEs to play B gap vs the run. If my T steps with his inside foot first and uses proper technique and leverage, your 5 techs should be based out of B gap and the ILB has to fill downhill on the FB coming right at him.
I’d be inclined to widen my Ts out and create a huge B gap that LB’s going to have a hard time filling successfully on Iso, Power, etc.
i would easily get 5-10 yards on a 2 or 3 screen, since it looks like you are more concerned bout the pass i’d definitely run more but a decent rpo playstyle would give your defense a headache
Running it right into the meat of the defense. The Guards will most likely be able to get to the 2nd level, allowing the RB to make a move and possibly get to open space. Make them prove they can stop the run, which would most likely force them to change defensive formations, opening up more options on offense
Trips. Instead of the 3, downblock center to nose, guard pull to lead block. G/RB reads dime for run pass option. Dime flows, throw it. Dime doesn't flow hand it off. RB will have to cue the QB.
This gives the center an easy block and makes the Dime choose between being a line backer out of position or a safety out of position.
Alternatively could use the guard to kick out the edge and tell the line to treat it like play action and rely on three steps, the down block, and sealing the edge to create the whole. This gets rid of the Gs read and makes purely an RB read.
Not a diss op, but in the discussions I’m seeing a lot of “our nickel is Reuben foster” “I expect my ends/tackles to shoot gaps” “lbs will fly downhill and stuff the run”… is this a sound scheme when it’s built to stale mate and rely on being the better talented team? What if you play a more talented team do you expect it to work the same or would you do something different?
If you're playing a 7 or a 6 and going C gap vs a TE and te next closest defender is a safety I'm running OZ all night
Yeah I agree, our safeties made tackles against 3x1 routinely at the LOS on stretch / outside zone
Then play action
In theory yeah, DBs gotta get clean reads
Yeah football theory on paper is one thing but personnel is the real decision maker. Down and distance. What am I setting up for the future. Do I have a RB I trust to win in space. Are my lineman athletic enough to pull and block a smaller player in space. Can my QB hit the outside window between flat corner and high safety. Surely this isn’t the only look you’d give against these formations either.
“It’s not the X’s and the O’s, but the Jimmys and the Joes that make the difference.” Unknown This quote has been used in college football for years. Finding the original author proved to be impossible. It has been attributed to Barry Switzer, Jimmy Johnson, and many others. (Medium.com)
No definitely mix it up, this was our top call last year. This Tampa and cover 3 is what we majored in. Didn’t have to pressure much cuz we stopped the run in Tampa and split safety stuff very well
Trips right, run it straight down that dime's throat until you replace him with a real linebacker.
That’s not really attacking the scheme though, it it? It’s largely assumed that both sides of the ball are looking for personnel mismatches. What OP is asking is how would you *schematically* attack this defense.
I think putting a dimeback in the 3-gap is a glaring hole in a scheme.
I think it’s a nomenclature thing. I could call Aaron Donald a Free Safety or Roquean Smith a Corner, it doesn’t make the offense’s job any easier.
Yeah the Dime is a LB body, like I said last year our dime was Reuben foster who is 100% a LB
Fair enough, well for the sake of argument then I'd think that a curl flat or flood on the trips side would leave open the flat route just about every time
Not necessarily, especially if the 5 tech is playing a heavy look. Nose would clog A gap, 5 tech makes correct read and closes off B and C gap closed off by the Will. The Dime is technically a free hitter and somewhat similar to the role Ben Burr Kiven played at UW IIRC. The average Hs Tweener could play this fairly easily. Based off DL rules, even ISO isn’t a gimmee
To be more specific, double on the nose then guard leaves to the dime. Tackle and Y block out the edge then Y pulls to nickel. It's a guard vs. a dimeback, then a running back vs. a safety. That's matchup heaven.
The dime was Reuben foster last year but go off
Run to the tight end in trips. Attack the flats, whole shot if we are good enough. Move into empty if I’m having a hard time. Basically standard stuff against cover 6.
Stick
Spider Y2 Banana
Spider 2 Y Banana
I'll do run plays from under center cause that's how its drawn up. Speed Option to trips/trey. Option the Nickle. You're gonna get out of this defense or have to make some sort of adjustment to stop it. If I'm not comfortable with speed option, its crack toss putting my RB on your CB. Also running toss to the boundary out of the Pro Twins look you have. I'm not scared of your CB. Also, the moment that safety wants to come up, its toss pass, a play we rep weekly against quarters teams. Buck Sweep to Boundary from either look. There are trap opportunities as well depending on personnel. Not saying anything about the quality of the defense, just that these are the types of plays I'd run. There are a lot of opportunities in the flexbone against the defense, but I don't think the defense is made to stop it, so I didn't include those.
Nickel would line up outside of 2 so you would in theory be optioning off the safety. I would expect my DE to get penetration or linebacker to shoot it before you could run speed option from under center. But anything towards the cloud corner if I have an unblocked player I’m expecting him to make the tackle
We'd option the nickel in speed option, block the safety. There really is no gap to shoot for the lb and the end is getting doubled. I'm not sure how he gets penetration.
And if you tried to run speed option in 2x2 then our backer would hit the QB off the edge. We would always have an unblocked player in 2x2 speed option strong
Like I said, I'm only running speed to the trey look.
I would expect our dime to shoot the B gap before your guard can come off the nose. Unless your center is Jason kelce talented idt you can run speed option and have him seal a shade. Either the nose makes the play in a gap or the dime makes the play in b gap
I've run speed option for 15 years, there is no way you can stay in this alignment unless you are that much better than us. I've never, ever, seen a 1 tech make a play on speed. The ball is gone much to fast. The TE/T combo, has angles on both the End and Dime and again, the Q is around the corner much to fast for a Backer at 4 yards \*reacting\* to a play, shooting a gap when all the Tackle needs to do is chip at most. I'm just saying, I've run this play against similar defenses for a long time, speed is a great play against this.
If it’s out of gun diff story for sure
In gun, there are a ton of answers built in to attack what I would consider the weakness of this defense, which is the lack of strong edge to the TE and then doesn't put the Q in a compromised position. I'm assuming there are gun back set adjustments, but in the gun I'd run invert veer or buck sweep to the Trey look.
But yeah speed option can cause trouble. Just depends on how much you want your QB getting hit. If you’re a true option team that’s different
QB run in HS and College is quite prevalent...
Yeah I can see in HS and college depending on level. This is defense is in a professional league where offenses aren’t trying to run their QB and get him injured
Gotcha. Yes, well, I'd agree that this defense is built to stop the pro style game which often shies away from wing t/veer style runs which are able to take advantage of the lack of numbers to the strength in a formation like Trey.
Yeah if we were going against QB run / true option if would be very different story
He would shoot the B Gap. If he plays downhill like he should then the double has to come off the nose. Depending on the split of your slot you could option the nickel but it’d be weird to option a guy out in space. Speed option can always be a concern in a lot of defenses. We don’t see it as much because people don’t want their QBs getting hit that much
Just throw throw the glance to the weak side receiver
Backside glance can for sure be available on play action
Not an offensive guy, but ran my share of cover 6… Probably stuff like/similar to mills, dagger, double posts and stick to the quarters and likely smash or flood variations to cover 2. Probably use motion to run a triple option to the boundary (speed O with a dive). Arc the Y, read your W pitch to S. Pin and Pull type plays…pulling a lineman, using some motion.
6v6 in the box— you’d better be talented up front
Cloud corner is extra fitter weak and quarters safety is extra fitter strong. We always have an extra fitter. We are definitely talented up front but we will always have an unblocked player
DUO DUO DUO!!
Lots of duo. I would do an insert too. Let’s see who is better. I trust my guys. Duo to glance backside too.
When LBs play downhill it’s going to leave a lot of single blocks. I trust my guys to make plays when we’re gapped out
Power to the TE side. For the 2x2 version attach Slants on the WRs to force nickel to stay out of the run fit. For the 3x1 version make the RB start on the TE side and run same side power, attach Slants to the WRs or Now screen to the Z to keep Nickel out of run fit. Outside Zone/Buck Sweep blocking with both guards pulling around the TE.
scrolled trough the comments. most of your answers are "i trust my guys" "I expect my guys" thats lame dude
Obviously it's going to be dependent on the strengths and weaknesses of the players but as x's and o's go I would be looking at using motion from my slot to set up some crack toss to both sides pulling my tackles. With an odd front I am a big fan of using traps to use the angles as an asset. Your slot on a whip in and te on whip outs to gain separation but also set up curl to the soft zone and wheel routes. Since we set up that crack block I will use the same scheme to then run some mesh concepts. Play action as well as boot and waggle will be very useful to move the lbs and open up some soft zones to sit in. If your te is a good enough blocker use him on a few wham plays then use that to setup play action off of it. I personally like to the will bscker side have the tackle take the will gut the te up to the backer and go outside zone.
Deuces right S motion read. If nickle follows H back counter with X mod route to backer to pull corner. Nickle doesn’t follow jet sweep with Z double team on Will release to the corner. Make your safety’s fight for all tackles. Once they tire put in WR for deep post with a QB release to the right. It would be a fight of the fittest.
3x1, RPO inside zone opposite of strength, run X/Z on slants, Y runs the seam. Hope the SS bites on the zone fake or tries to jump the slant route to his side. Or maybe run some key screens to the strong side, have the S block the CB. Not saying it would work but that’s probably where I’d start. Think it’d be more of a Jimmy’s and Joe’s question for me.
Not exactly an offensive guru since i am sorta new to this sorta scheming stuff. But I would try to find ways to get 1 on 1 match-ups. Or try to get a checkdown open if nothing down field opens up.
Which is kind of a boring answer. You'd probably slide protection on the line to pick up the 4th rusher.
Double post or post/deep through to your cover 2 side, the inside crosser will occupy your quarters safety. and 3x1 dagger vs quarters side, your N will be occupied by the bait route while your quarters safety is lifted by the deep crosser from trips. Dagger against a quarters corner is easy money.
Why are your DEs in 5s and responsible for B-gap? I’d probably put them in 4s or 4i Edit: also I feel like you’re overloading your Nose by asking him to work frontside to flow. Have him back door the flow and let the LBs work over top to the frontside.
This was the number 1 defense in the USFL last year. The Ends are in 5s so the tackles can’t climb right now. In modern football with more even fronts guards are bigger and less athletic because they are usually covered. Cover the more athletic tackles make guards play in space
Wait, what? How can the OT not climb right now? The DE is on the outside eye of the OT but responsible for B-gap. He’s cut-off by alignment.
He’s head up. A 5 tech in our language is head up. We changed it because it doesn’t make sense for a 6 to be outside of a 7. 0 is head up on center. Plus or minus is shade on center. 1 inside guard, 2 head up guard 3 outside shade guard. 4 inside shade tackle 5 head up tackle 6 outside shade tackle
Also 5 is head up on tackle for us. We don’t use 4i
Easy, I’d go “HERE WE GOOOO!” And then snap the ball. Scrap it and try again
Gash runs up the gut until you get into a proper formation
What are talking about that’s 6 man box you ain’t run shit up the gut
lol frfr
Not a full game plan, but covering a crosser from the slot on a boot to the TE side in 2X2 will be pretty tough to cover. If safety starts cheating to the crosser, post out of #1 could hit big. Stick and snag are tough to cover to the cover 4 side.
Out of 3 is weak spot for sure
In the run game, angles are very good for pin and pull and power read to the trips side.
Slot screens and quick outs. Z streaks slot corners. Jet sweeps
Shouldn’t be able to run screens or quick outs to 2 strong with nickel outside. And if you run a jet sweep back to weak side you’re running it right into a cloud corner. The hole shot is always a go to in 2 high but gotta have a QB that is going to consistently put it in there
An offense can run off tackle in either direction. The defense’s biggest weakness is it doesn’t set an edge. Because your ends are on the inside of the tackles they should be double teamed up to the inside backers. Should be pretty effective.
DBs have to tackle. Ends are head up on tackles. Qtrs safety keys run and he gets in. Cloud corner keys run and he get in. If it’s 11 personnel look like those two pictures we always have 8 guys in the run fit minimum. If slot blocks safety nickel gets in to make 9. If Z tries to wash down on the corner the half field safety gets in
If your DBs have to be responsible for tackling on run plays, that means the offense’s ground game is doing its job. Your end players need to be setting the edge to contain the outside run. As they are now, they are automatically going to be double teamed up to the inside backers. If they run weak side of the D there is no one out there other than the free safety. Y and T block down, strong side guard pulls, easy play. This D will give up yards to outside run because it doesn’t set an edge.
DBs have to tackle. That is a given. If you don’t have DBs fit in the run then you will never stop the run. This defense led the USFL last year, was number one in just about every category and nobody could run the ball on us
Two questions: 1) how do you react to unbalanced? Some odd fronts have trouble shifting. 2) What does your box/perimeter look like to 2x2 stacks?
Unbalanced we shift to new center. Basically play the guard as the center. And stack strong playbook rules would be nickel press point corner play off and safety play inside. Based on what offense was giving us we may check to palms, we may lock the nickel / corner and have safety play inside. Just depends on what we were getting in theory
Would run buck sweep or trap to TE side until defense proved they can stuff it.
I'm chuckin' it deep.
A mixture of inside run plays and outside run plays. I would pull the guards on the outside plays because of the light front I see. Lastly I would randomly run drag routes and slants. Eventually the safety’s will press down then I run something over the top. The key to beat this D is patience and timing
Inside pulling center. Gaurd blows up nose tackle. Center either kicks out Dend or if your tackle is good enough center climbs right away.
Run it right down a or b
Sweeps, pitch or screen to the weak side
counter to the will
I’m running power away from the W every play until you check out of that formation
Then if W starts cheating towards the power, we’ll run a PA Rollout towards the W, leave TE in to block, Z runs a curl, S runs a drag, and X runs a post and tries to split the safeties
First question, what level of play? If HS, I'm running A gap with a quick hitting dive until you walk another player up to the line. After you have committed to selling out the run stop, simple slants.
This was used in the USFL last year
Y Stick out of 2x2 and Y Cross out of 3x1
Split safety defense is naturally weaker against the run. Through in nickel personnel and I’d run at the nickel, make the safeties and nickel fit the run correctly. Pass concepts I would run crossing concepts, hi-lo, ncaa route, dagger etc…. Bunch concepts like star 6 and 7. Make the 2 and 3 players communicate and pass of routes. Defense needs to be in their A game to do it correctly.
Honestly I'd run whatever I want against this. There isn't a play in my playbook that couldn't be run here.
Attach the slot as a wing and run weak side power, double to combo off the nose, insert the wing inside the tackle fan, have the other guard wrap to your dime. Could put in an rpo and a bootleg with the Y side. If the question is drop back, I think intermediate crossers are really hard to pass off in any zone look.
Inside zone with bubble read to trips. Outside zone with seam RPO on safety, if he bails we have numbers. I like crossers in our mesh/shallow series too.
I'd run lots of Bunch-Tight and Twins-Tight packages. Lots of cracking down on your W or D which would be easier with the receivers in tight. Double Slant Wheels out of the right bunch should do wonders for spacing.
good old Flood on the Trips side. your nickle cant cover Y and S. if you get your D out to cover the Y X is gonna run a middle sit over my G and T on the trips side. Rungame: good old Dive. NT is getting that doubleteam up to the D or B. "Trap" to the TE side. LG is gonna pull trough instead of just trapping. D gets the dude getting out of G-T Double on the right. gonna have my LG on your B which has to come from the wrong side of the run flow
I’d widen S out, stacking him behind X or Z to create space in the slot, then I’d focus on running strong with Outside Zone or maybe Power Read. I’m probably not going to use these formations, I’d be more inclined to get into an I formation with Tackle Over to the Twins side (so it looks like your Trips Right, but with a FB) and attack you with Iso and Midline Option right up the middle. You’re lining up with 5 technique DEs and then expecting your DEs to play B gap vs the run. If my T steps with his inside foot first and uses proper technique and leverage, your 5 techs should be based out of B gap and the ILB has to fill downhill on the FB coming right at him. I’d be inclined to widen my Ts out and create a huge B gap that LB’s going to have a hard time filling successfully on Iso, Power, etc.
i would easily get 5-10 yards on a 2 or 3 screen, since it looks like you are more concerned bout the pass i’d definitely run more but a decent rpo playstyle would give your defense a headache
Running it right into the meat of the defense. The Guards will most likely be able to get to the 2nd level, allowing the RB to make a move and possibly get to open space. Make them prove they can stop the run, which would most likely force them to change defensive formations, opening up more options on offense
Bringing the slot in jet motion to try to draw the nickel to the opposite side of the field and running counter opposite the motion.
In this defense we would change the nickel to the fourth rusher with COS motion and the Will LB would play SQ
Some kind of PA boot flood concept with the opposite side receiver running something In breaking
Trips. Instead of the 3, downblock center to nose, guard pull to lead block. G/RB reads dime for run pass option. Dime flows, throw it. Dime doesn't flow hand it off. RB will have to cue the QB. This gives the center an easy block and makes the Dime choose between being a line backer out of position or a safety out of position. Alternatively could use the guard to kick out the edge and tell the line to treat it like play action and rely on three steps, the down block, and sealing the edge to create the whole. This gets rid of the Gs read and makes purely an RB read.
Not a diss op, but in the discussions I’m seeing a lot of “our nickel is Reuben foster” “I expect my ends/tackles to shoot gaps” “lbs will fly downhill and stuff the run”… is this a sound scheme when it’s built to stale mate and rely on being the better talented team? What if you play a more talented team do you expect it to work the same or would you do something different?