I had planned to do this myself, as there was some massive confusion about the running plays the 49ers used to score during the NFC Championship Game against the Atlanta Falcons. I heard one announcer call the plays the 'Zone Read' while the other called them the 'Jet Sweep'. Both are incorrect.
Matt Bowen over at the National Football Post broke the plays down beautifully using the NFL's 'All-22' coaches film. Check it out by clicking here.
My follow-up post on Pattern Matching coverage is coming up soon, so be sure to check back!
Monday, January 28, 2013
Monday, January 21, 2013
Cover 3
After watching this weekends NFL playoffs I decided to write an entry about Cover 3. I picked Cover 3 because I think it's the best way to get into an 8 man front and still play good zone pass defense. There are other ways to accomplish both of these tasks but I like Cover 3 because I can use almost the same coverage rules for my corners and middle of the field safety that I will use in my zone blitz packages. It makes teaching my defensive package that much easier.
Against the standard 2 RB, 1 TE set (21 Personnel), there are 7 potential blockers on offense if the QB is not a running threat. There are 5 offensive lineman, 1 TE, and 1 FB. If the defense aligns in a 2-deep shell there are only 7 defenders present in the box to immediately stop a running play. This means that each defender is accounted for, with nobody free to tackle the running back until he's gained significant yardage. This is the basic math used by quarterbacks and offensive coordinators alike to determine when easy yardage can be gained by checking into a run play.
By rolling one of my safeties down into the box, and moving the other safety into the middle of the field, I get a 1 man advantage in the box to stop the run, and I position a player right into the middle of the field, which, if you're going to be a good defense, you must defend.
Below is the pre-snap alignment for Cover 3, also referred to as '3 Sky'. The 'Sky' designation tells the defense which player is responsible to be the 'force' player versus a running play, and the 'curl-flat' defender versus a pass play. In this case, that player would be the safety.We'll go over the other 2 versions of the call later.
Against a running play, the safety rolled down into the box will be responsible for maintaining outside leverage on the ball carrier. By maintaining outside leverage he 'forces' the ball back towards the inside, where 10 other defenders are pursuing from. If he fails to 'force' the ball carrier back inside, the back is in a footrace to gain as much yardage as possible before being caught or scoring. In either case, we've given up a big play and that's unacceptable.
This picture represents the basic pass coverage responsibilities of the '3 Sky' call. In my next post we'll very thoroughly cover the concept of Pattern Matching and how each defenders coverage responsibilities can and will change once the eligible receivers have begun to run their routes.
You'll also notice in the above picture that the 4th pass rusher has become the Sam backer instead of the Rush backer. This occurs because somebody has to be responsible to be the 'force' player against the run and the 'curl-flat' defender against the pass on the weak side of the formation as well. If the Rush backer were rushing the passer, this responsibility would fall to the Will backer. Unfortunately, the Will backer, by his alignment, is in terrible position to gain outside leverage on a running back intent on getting to the outside. Giving him this responsibility would be setting him up for failure and we would be constantly gashed by big plays. To fix this, we simply give the Sam backer the job of rushing the passer and the Rush backer the job of 'setting the edge' against the run and being the 'curl-flat' defender against the pass. This assures that our call is schematically sound and cannot instantly be taken advantage of by a simple outside running play to the weak side.
This picture above is the basic alignment for '3 Backer' coverage. You'll notice that our safety who has rolled into the box no longer has the outside leverage he had in the '3 Sky' call. He is lined up in a traditional linebacker spot. This is because the Sam backer is now the 'force' and 'curl-flat' player to the strong side. It is his responsibility to 'set the edge' on running plays to his side, forcing the ball carrier inside of him, to where his help is. This also prevents him from rushing the passer, which could be a good thing. Now your primary pass rushing player gets to rush the passer. This alignment also moves the Will backer into much better position to gain outside leverage on an outside running play to his side. The basic coverage assignments are shown in the picture below.
The third and final version of Cover 3 is '3 Cloud'. This is a call that you don't see very often, but it can represent a nice change-up of assignments if you're a defense that plays a lot of Cover 3 and the offense is calling plays designed to take advantage of it's weaknesses as a coverage.
You'll notice that in this diagram, the ball is on the right hash and not in the middle of the field. This is generally the only time you'll see '3 Cloud' called, because as you might be able to guess, the 'Cloud' designation means that the corner is responsible to be the 'force' and 'curl-flat' defender. This assignment can become impossible unless we dictate that the corner with these responsibilities is the one on the short side of the field, the boundary corner. The corner on the other side, the field corner, is too far away from the action, and can too easily be sealed off by a good block from the WR to execute this assignment correctly. You might also notice that the Will backer is the same alignment he would be for the '3 Sky' call. This again means that the Rush backer must be responsible for this assignment, also requiring that the Sam backer be the 4th rusher in our pass rush.
In my next post, I'll go over in detail how the pattern matching coverage behind Cover 3 really works. We will really get into the nuts and bolts of the coverage. But for now hopefully you have a better understanding of exactly what Cover 3 is. It's a great call when you need to stop the run but don't want to get into a man for man coverage. It's also a popular 'junk' call, meaning that if a defensive play caller gets stuck in a certain situation and isn't sure what to call, he can call Cover 3. It adjusts well to multiple different formations, gets an extra guy in the box to stop the run, and defends the deep middle of the field. We'll go into much great detail next time.
Monday, January 14, 2013
A final thought on personnel
I want to make one final thought about personnel. I think one of the biggest mistakes coaches make is trying to fit square pegs into round holes. Coaches try too often to adapt their players to their schemes instead of adapting their schemes to their players. There is probably a happy medium in between where both player and coach adjust what they're doing, but when in doubt I think it's up to the coach to change their approach instead of asking the player to change what they're doing.
I'll have a whole lot more on these ideas coming up soon!
I'll have a whole lot more on these ideas coming up soon!
My type of team: Defense
Just like with my offense, my defense will start up front and down the middle. We will control the middle of the field in both the run and pass game. Every one of my defensive players will play with super human effort. My defense will dictate the flow of the game to our opponents. We will be a defensive unit capable of lining up and winning our one-on-one battles as well as confusing opponents with our schemes. Offensive players will earn every yard they wish to gain against us. We will play with outstanding technique.
There are a lot of great defensive schemes available to choose from, and scheme isn't what determines the outcome of games, but I love the flexibility of the single gap 3-4 defense. Finding true 2-gap lineman is very difficult. Having a roster comprised more of linebackers than lineman will also help us in our special teams.
The 3-4 also offers more flexibility in terms of dealing with a single-back offense, disguise in our pass rush, and overall defensive athleticism and speed. I'll probably deal with some of these things from a schematic standpoint in a later post.
If I want to be the strongest up front and down the middle than you have to start with the nose tackle. My nose tackle will be a stump. His main goal on run downs will be to be that immovable object. When he's matched up one on one with only a center he must be able to push him straight back into the backfield. Few things devastate running plays more than penetration up the middle. My nose tackle must be able to at least hold the point of attack when facing double teams. His main goal will be to occupy blockers for as long as possible, allowing linebackers to flow freely to tackle running backs. His pass rushing skills will include a bull rush that can move a center back, collapsing the pocket on the quarterback.
The two defensive end positions in the 3-4 are a bit different. One of them will play the 5-technique, which is the strong-side end lined up outside of the offensive tackle. He must be a long and strong player. He must be athletic and fast enough to pass rush the offensive tackle effectively. He also must be strong enough to win one-on-one blocks and then athletic enough to get off that block and bring down the ball carrier. The second defensive end is the more traditional 3-technique pass rusher that we see in the 4-3. He will be lined up primarily on the outside shade of the offensive guard. In my mind, this players best attributes would be his athleticism and his quickness. He will find himself matched up one-on-one a lot by design in our base defense and because of that I think he should be the most dynamic of the 3 down lineman.
The 4 linebacker spots in the 3-4 are really broken down into 2 totally separate types of players, inside backers and outside backers. We'll start with the inside backers. The inside backer on the strong side of the defensive formation is also a 2 down player. He will be primarily a run down player. He is the thumper in the middle ready to attack running plays. He'll need to be strong enough to hold up against blockers, but instinctive enough to quickly diagnose what is going on. He must be a great tackler. He should be able to play effectively in man coverage against fullbacks. The inside backer on the weak side of the defense is a bit different type of player. He would be much more athletic than his counterpart. He will be more of a 'run and hit' backer, flowing freely through the middle to make tackles. He must be able to run. He must also be a great tackler. His athleticism and instincts will be very important because he will be protected by the lineman in front of him. He should be able to quickly diagnose plays and then attack them with great effort. He must be able to defend tight ends and running backs in man coverage. He must also be a decent blitzer.
The outside linebackers in my 3-4 must be able to rush the passer. That will be their primary job, especially the outside backer on the weak side. He will be our teams primary pass rusher. My ideal pass rusher would be long, explosive, and strong. He must not only be explosive enough to threaten the edge when rushing the passer, but he must be strong enough to bull rush a tackle right back into the QB. Strength is an underrated character of pass rushers I think. Finding yourself behind the quarterback is the worst place you can be on a football field. Too many rushers try to win only with their speed and when that works they aren't strong enough to execute any other moves. My rusher will be able to win with his speed, his athleticism, his strength, and his super human effort.
The outside backer on the strong side of my defense will have the same basic skill set that our primary rusher has. He will need to be a little bit stronger at the point of attack so that he's capable to setting the edge in the running game, but he must also be a pass rusher. This backer must also have the ability to play a little zone pass defense as well as to play a bit in space.
I love big, physical corners. I want my corners to get up into a receivers face, jam them at the line of scrimmage, and keep them from getting into their route on time. The best way to limit a passing offenses ability to operate is to get pressure on the QB and throw off the timing of the QB and the wide receivers. Primary traits for my corners will be length, a physical style of play, great feet, and ball skills. My corners also need a certain level of swagger. When a corner makes a mistake, a touchdown is given up. He must be mentally tough enough to come back from that kind of mistake, because its not if that mistake is coming, it's when.
My safeties need a mix of a lot of different skills. They need great instincts, good range, man coverage skills, and ball skills. They must be versatile enough to cover slot receivers in man coverage while also playing the deep middle, or coming off of the numbers to make a play on the ball. They must be sure tacklers in the run game and they must understand leverage and pursuit angles.
Finally, my nickel corner will be a smaller corner whose best physical attributes are his quickness and his speed. He must have excellent feet and movement skills. He'll be matched up in man coverage against some of the most dynamic players on the league and he must be able to limit their run after catch ability. Most of these players get their hands on the ball in the easiest of ways, so making sure that they are sure tacklers and have a great competitive spirit is important.
I hope you guys enjoyed this post. Please feel free to give me some feedback. I think my next post will be a more general view on personnel.
There are a lot of great defensive schemes available to choose from, and scheme isn't what determines the outcome of games, but I love the flexibility of the single gap 3-4 defense. Finding true 2-gap lineman is very difficult. Having a roster comprised more of linebackers than lineman will also help us in our special teams.
The 3-4 also offers more flexibility in terms of dealing with a single-back offense, disguise in our pass rush, and overall defensive athleticism and speed. I'll probably deal with some of these things from a schematic standpoint in a later post.
If I want to be the strongest up front and down the middle than you have to start with the nose tackle. My nose tackle will be a stump. His main goal on run downs will be to be that immovable object. When he's matched up one on one with only a center he must be able to push him straight back into the backfield. Few things devastate running plays more than penetration up the middle. My nose tackle must be able to at least hold the point of attack when facing double teams. His main goal will be to occupy blockers for as long as possible, allowing linebackers to flow freely to tackle running backs. His pass rushing skills will include a bull rush that can move a center back, collapsing the pocket on the quarterback.
The two defensive end positions in the 3-4 are a bit different. One of them will play the 5-technique, which is the strong-side end lined up outside of the offensive tackle. He must be a long and strong player. He must be athletic and fast enough to pass rush the offensive tackle effectively. He also must be strong enough to win one-on-one blocks and then athletic enough to get off that block and bring down the ball carrier. The second defensive end is the more traditional 3-technique pass rusher that we see in the 4-3. He will be lined up primarily on the outside shade of the offensive guard. In my mind, this players best attributes would be his athleticism and his quickness. He will find himself matched up one-on-one a lot by design in our base defense and because of that I think he should be the most dynamic of the 3 down lineman.
The 4 linebacker spots in the 3-4 are really broken down into 2 totally separate types of players, inside backers and outside backers. We'll start with the inside backers. The inside backer on the strong side of the defensive formation is also a 2 down player. He will be primarily a run down player. He is the thumper in the middle ready to attack running plays. He'll need to be strong enough to hold up against blockers, but instinctive enough to quickly diagnose what is going on. He must be a great tackler. He should be able to play effectively in man coverage against fullbacks. The inside backer on the weak side of the defense is a bit different type of player. He would be much more athletic than his counterpart. He will be more of a 'run and hit' backer, flowing freely through the middle to make tackles. He must be able to run. He must also be a great tackler. His athleticism and instincts will be very important because he will be protected by the lineman in front of him. He should be able to quickly diagnose plays and then attack them with great effort. He must be able to defend tight ends and running backs in man coverage. He must also be a decent blitzer.
The outside linebackers in my 3-4 must be able to rush the passer. That will be their primary job, especially the outside backer on the weak side. He will be our teams primary pass rusher. My ideal pass rusher would be long, explosive, and strong. He must not only be explosive enough to threaten the edge when rushing the passer, but he must be strong enough to bull rush a tackle right back into the QB. Strength is an underrated character of pass rushers I think. Finding yourself behind the quarterback is the worst place you can be on a football field. Too many rushers try to win only with their speed and when that works they aren't strong enough to execute any other moves. My rusher will be able to win with his speed, his athleticism, his strength, and his super human effort.
The outside backer on the strong side of my defense will have the same basic skill set that our primary rusher has. He will need to be a little bit stronger at the point of attack so that he's capable to setting the edge in the running game, but he must also be a pass rusher. This backer must also have the ability to play a little zone pass defense as well as to play a bit in space.
I love big, physical corners. I want my corners to get up into a receivers face, jam them at the line of scrimmage, and keep them from getting into their route on time. The best way to limit a passing offenses ability to operate is to get pressure on the QB and throw off the timing of the QB and the wide receivers. Primary traits for my corners will be length, a physical style of play, great feet, and ball skills. My corners also need a certain level of swagger. When a corner makes a mistake, a touchdown is given up. He must be mentally tough enough to come back from that kind of mistake, because its not if that mistake is coming, it's when.
My safeties need a mix of a lot of different skills. They need great instincts, good range, man coverage skills, and ball skills. They must be versatile enough to cover slot receivers in man coverage while also playing the deep middle, or coming off of the numbers to make a play on the ball. They must be sure tacklers in the run game and they must understand leverage and pursuit angles.
Finally, my nickel corner will be a smaller corner whose best physical attributes are his quickness and his speed. He must have excellent feet and movement skills. He'll be matched up in man coverage against some of the most dynamic players on the league and he must be able to limit their run after catch ability. Most of these players get their hands on the ball in the easiest of ways, so making sure that they are sure tacklers and have a great competitive spirit is important.
I hope you guys enjoyed this post. Please feel free to give me some feedback. I think my next post will be a more general view on personnel.
Friday, January 4, 2013
My type of team: Offense
Now that the majority of NFL and collegiate teams have begun to turn their eye towards next season I've been thinking a lot about team building. This is the time of year when coaches and GMs must begin to evaluate their roster and decide where improvements must be made.
So what type of team would I build?
I believe that to win in football, you must be able to control the middle of the field, both offensively and defensively.
Offensively this starts with having a QB who can win the game mentally. I want a QB who is able to beat defenses with his mind before beating them with his physical skills. The physical skill-set isn't as important to me as the mental skill-set. My ideal QB would have the mental toughness to overcome adversity, to lead his teammates both by his own preparation and work-habits and his in-game ability to rally the troops and get the job done when the game is on the line. Great QBs all share the 'Over My Dead Body' attitude towards losing. I want a QB who wants to play on the biggest stages and against the best opponents. Physical toughness can't exist without mental toughness. If I have a QB who is mentally tough then I believe the physical toughness will be there when it needs to be.
Winning in both the run game and pass games requires winning up front. The most difficult thing for an offense to deal with is pressure that comes from right up the middle. Being unable to provide a clean pocket for your QB will result in far too many turnovers and bad throws. And being unable to win in the middle means the inability to be effective in your running game.
We've seen a few very good instances this NFL season where teams with plenty to offer at the skill positions simply cannot move the ball because they cannot win up front. The Philadelphia Eagles and Arizona Cardinals come to mind. And a large part of the Houston Texans late season swoon has come from their inability to get their running game going or protect the quarterback.
The two most important positions on my offensive line would be left tackle and center. My left tackle must be able to win one on one battles against the elite pass rushers in the league. He must be long and athletic. He would have the foot quickness to handle speed rushers and the strength to anchor versus power rushers. I want to think about my left tackle the same way I think about my shutdown corner. You've got this guy and we will play 10 vs. 10.
My center needs to be brutally strong and smart. I want my center to be able to push a nose tackle around in the run game while being able to keep himself from being bull rushed in pass protection. I need a center who will be able to keep the pocket clean for my QB to step up into and deliver a strike down the field with confidence.
My guards would resemble my center more than my tackles. I want two strong guys who can get movement in the run game and keep a clean pocket for my QB to step into. My guards would be almost exactly what the Saints have. Jahri Evans and Ben Grubbs are earth movers in the run game and they're almost impossible to bull rush.
All of my lineman will have the nasty attitude that all great lineman have. Length, strength, and athleticism will be important at each position.
My wide receivers will be a mix of player types. My #1 receiver must be able to attack coverages vertically. He must be tall, long, and have leaping ability. He must be unafraid to challenge the middle of the field in the passing game. This receiver will be responsible for the explosive plays in the passing game.
My second receiver must be another big bodied guy who can work the intermediate routes. He must be a technically savvy route-runner with great hands. His feel for zone coverages and his ability to separate versus man will be very important. This will be my possession type receiver. He must also be the guy willing to do some dirty work in the run game when were in 2 WR sets.
The third receiver would be the 'slot' guy. This guy must be able to create on his own once the ball is in his hands. He will need both quickness and speed. This guy will be a match-up nightmare for big corners and safeties. This WR must also be able to contribute on special teams. He should be a capable kick returner as well. Run after catch ability and open field elusiveness will be paramount for this player.
All of my running backs, weather it be my every down back, my short-yardage back, or my third-down back, will be no nonsense runners. I want running backs who see whats available and get it. If a play is blocked for 4 yards I want those 4 yards.
My every down back will have equal parts vision, balance, speed, and size. My running backs will know when to be physical and when to be elusive. All 3 of my backs will be difficult to tackle. My premier back will have a combination of skills such that he can defeat tacklers with each of my aforementioned attributes.
The power back must be a smart runner. He must know exactly the distance to gain for a score or a first down. He must be relentless in his running style. He must never be satisfied being tackled by one man. He must be smart enough that he can be counted on in pass protection.
My third down back must be a very difficult match-up for linebackers and safeties in coverage. This back will have unmatched quickness and burst. He would be very similar in make-up to my slot receiver. His run after the catch ability must be top notch. This is a player who will be explosive with the ball in his hands. He will run primarily out of one-back sets where there are fewer box defenders and the opportunity for an explosive run is much higher.
My tight end group would again consist of 3 different players. The first guy must be the most versatile. He needs to be long and strong to win against run defenders but he must be able to run and stretch the field vertically. He must be a very tough player capable of making tough catches of the middle of the field. He will be a very savvy route runner who can create space for himself and then outrun defenders. This would be a player that would very rarely leave the field.
My second tight end would be versatile, but in a different way. He must be able to flex away from the line of scrimmage and win battles outside the numbers. This would be my wildcard player on offense. His athleticism and run after the catch ability would be his most important attributes. He must be a serviceable as a run blocker but his main duties would be to wreck havoc on those trying to cover him.
My third tight end would be another hybrid type player. The other type of player he would resemble would be my fullback. Again, his athleticism would be important, as would his physical attitude. He must be willing and able to be a lead blocker. He would be a special teams demon as well. I wouldn't ask this player to ISO more than a few times a game but he must have that physical attitude that accompanies good run blocking.
Schematically, my offense would be based around versatility and balance. My versatile personnel would allow me to keep defenses guessing. My offense would be centered around big plays, staying in manageable third down situations, and being unpredictable. I want to be able to throw it as effectively from 11 personnel as I do from 13 personnel. I want to be able to get into my big personnel packages and take advantage of the predictable match-ups that come from 8, 9, and 10 man fronts. I also want to be able to run the ball effectively from each personnel grouping. I want to spread the field in 11 and let my back use his vision to control the ball and the clock. I want to spread it out to give my QB a clear picture of what the defense is doing. I want to create explosive plays vertically in the passing game. I'll create easy mismatches by using a large amount of formations, shifts, and motions. Each gameplan will involved ways to attack individual defenders as well as individual coverages and fronts.
Overall, the hallmarks of my offense will be toughness, big play ability, and brutal efficiency.
So what type of team would I build?
I believe that to win in football, you must be able to control the middle of the field, both offensively and defensively.
Offensively this starts with having a QB who can win the game mentally. I want a QB who is able to beat defenses with his mind before beating them with his physical skills. The physical skill-set isn't as important to me as the mental skill-set. My ideal QB would have the mental toughness to overcome adversity, to lead his teammates both by his own preparation and work-habits and his in-game ability to rally the troops and get the job done when the game is on the line. Great QBs all share the 'Over My Dead Body' attitude towards losing. I want a QB who wants to play on the biggest stages and against the best opponents. Physical toughness can't exist without mental toughness. If I have a QB who is mentally tough then I believe the physical toughness will be there when it needs to be.
Winning in both the run game and pass games requires winning up front. The most difficult thing for an offense to deal with is pressure that comes from right up the middle. Being unable to provide a clean pocket for your QB will result in far too many turnovers and bad throws. And being unable to win in the middle means the inability to be effective in your running game.
We've seen a few very good instances this NFL season where teams with plenty to offer at the skill positions simply cannot move the ball because they cannot win up front. The Philadelphia Eagles and Arizona Cardinals come to mind. And a large part of the Houston Texans late season swoon has come from their inability to get their running game going or protect the quarterback.
The two most important positions on my offensive line would be left tackle and center. My left tackle must be able to win one on one battles against the elite pass rushers in the league. He must be long and athletic. He would have the foot quickness to handle speed rushers and the strength to anchor versus power rushers. I want to think about my left tackle the same way I think about my shutdown corner. You've got this guy and we will play 10 vs. 10.
My center needs to be brutally strong and smart. I want my center to be able to push a nose tackle around in the run game while being able to keep himself from being bull rushed in pass protection. I need a center who will be able to keep the pocket clean for my QB to step up into and deliver a strike down the field with confidence.
My guards would resemble my center more than my tackles. I want two strong guys who can get movement in the run game and keep a clean pocket for my QB to step into. My guards would be almost exactly what the Saints have. Jahri Evans and Ben Grubbs are earth movers in the run game and they're almost impossible to bull rush.
All of my lineman will have the nasty attitude that all great lineman have. Length, strength, and athleticism will be important at each position.
My wide receivers will be a mix of player types. My #1 receiver must be able to attack coverages vertically. He must be tall, long, and have leaping ability. He must be unafraid to challenge the middle of the field in the passing game. This receiver will be responsible for the explosive plays in the passing game.
My second receiver must be another big bodied guy who can work the intermediate routes. He must be a technically savvy route-runner with great hands. His feel for zone coverages and his ability to separate versus man will be very important. This will be my possession type receiver. He must also be the guy willing to do some dirty work in the run game when were in 2 WR sets.
The third receiver would be the 'slot' guy. This guy must be able to create on his own once the ball is in his hands. He will need both quickness and speed. This guy will be a match-up nightmare for big corners and safeties. This WR must also be able to contribute on special teams. He should be a capable kick returner as well. Run after catch ability and open field elusiveness will be paramount for this player.
All of my running backs, weather it be my every down back, my short-yardage back, or my third-down back, will be no nonsense runners. I want running backs who see whats available and get it. If a play is blocked for 4 yards I want those 4 yards.
My every down back will have equal parts vision, balance, speed, and size. My running backs will know when to be physical and when to be elusive. All 3 of my backs will be difficult to tackle. My premier back will have a combination of skills such that he can defeat tacklers with each of my aforementioned attributes.
The power back must be a smart runner. He must know exactly the distance to gain for a score or a first down. He must be relentless in his running style. He must never be satisfied being tackled by one man. He must be smart enough that he can be counted on in pass protection.
My third down back must be a very difficult match-up for linebackers and safeties in coverage. This back will have unmatched quickness and burst. He would be very similar in make-up to my slot receiver. His run after the catch ability must be top notch. This is a player who will be explosive with the ball in his hands. He will run primarily out of one-back sets where there are fewer box defenders and the opportunity for an explosive run is much higher.
My tight end group would again consist of 3 different players. The first guy must be the most versatile. He needs to be long and strong to win against run defenders but he must be able to run and stretch the field vertically. He must be a very tough player capable of making tough catches of the middle of the field. He will be a very savvy route runner who can create space for himself and then outrun defenders. This would be a player that would very rarely leave the field.
My second tight end would be versatile, but in a different way. He must be able to flex away from the line of scrimmage and win battles outside the numbers. This would be my wildcard player on offense. His athleticism and run after the catch ability would be his most important attributes. He must be a serviceable as a run blocker but his main duties would be to wreck havoc on those trying to cover him.
My third tight end would be another hybrid type player. The other type of player he would resemble would be my fullback. Again, his athleticism would be important, as would his physical attitude. He must be willing and able to be a lead blocker. He would be a special teams demon as well. I wouldn't ask this player to ISO more than a few times a game but he must have that physical attitude that accompanies good run blocking.
Schematically, my offense would be based around versatility and balance. My versatile personnel would allow me to keep defenses guessing. My offense would be centered around big plays, staying in manageable third down situations, and being unpredictable. I want to be able to throw it as effectively from 11 personnel as I do from 13 personnel. I want to be able to get into my big personnel packages and take advantage of the predictable match-ups that come from 8, 9, and 10 man fronts. I also want to be able to run the ball effectively from each personnel grouping. I want to spread the field in 11 and let my back use his vision to control the ball and the clock. I want to spread it out to give my QB a clear picture of what the defense is doing. I want to create explosive plays vertically in the passing game. I'll create easy mismatches by using a large amount of formations, shifts, and motions. Each gameplan will involved ways to attack individual defenders as well as individual coverages and fronts.
Overall, the hallmarks of my offense will be toughness, big play ability, and brutal efficiency.
Thursday, January 3, 2013
First Post
Welcome to my blog!
The purpose of this blog is for me to get my thoughts about the game onto paper and try to get some feedback on them. Some of my thoughts will be of a schematic nature, while some will be more philosophic in their nature.
If you have something specific you would like to see here feel free to let me know.
The purpose of this blog is for me to get my thoughts about the game onto paper and try to get some feedback on them. Some of my thoughts will be of a schematic nature, while some will be more philosophic in their nature.
If you have something specific you would like to see here feel free to let me know.
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