Wide Line Splits

TEND TO AGREE WITH BILL, BUT HAVE SEEN WIDE SPLITS (CLEMSON VERSES FLA STATE-1992) REALLY WORK WELL AT TIMES. THEORY IS PUT THE DEFENDER ON AN ISLAND WITH NO HELP AND TO CREATE BIGGER RUNNING LANES FOR THE RB'S. YOU HAD BETTER HAVE AN O LINE THAT CAN REALLY PLAY, OR OTHERWISE FORGET IT, JUST MY OPINION AS ALWAYS.

Coach Easton

One of the best ideas I've read of about big splits was by Tony Demeo.

I've used the wide splits (4-5 feet) for a spread offense with alot of success. It increases running and throwing lanes and it forces defenses to make a decision on if they are going to widen with you or play inbetween you.

Tony Demeo's idea is to take them as far as they will go. Widen out to 4-5 feet if you're covered. If you're not covered tighten down to a 2 foot split. With this you can still create double teams while widening out the defensive line.

Wide splits are a good idea for a spread offense.

Alex Gibbs (the best teacher of the Outside Zone I know of) does not feel you can split over 18" on THAT play.

Joe Bugel (the greatest teacher of the Inside Zone I know of) lets them go NO MORE than 24" on that play, but he will tell you that MOST of the time - they close to about 14" in order to get the job done!!!!!

Get Texas Tech's film vs Nebraska, Oklahoma St, Texas, & Bama. You may RE-THINK taking big splits!

The only one of those games they won was Nebraska (& Nebraska blew it with a fumble LATE). They gave up more SACKS in those 4 games than most teams do in an entire season!

This is no attack on the "AIR RAID", nor Mike Leach. It is a FINE system. Lots of fun to watch. Mike is a fine coach AND person (we have mutual friends). I LOVE his COMMITTMENT to what HE does! Those big splits are just not for ME, because I could not run MY offense with them!!!!!

It is a GIVEN in Div. I College & the NFL, that most DT's are better than OG's, & most DE's are better than the TE's, & your O-Line needs HELP. You can't leave them all on an island.

Here is what the "genius" - Bill Walsh" said at the 2003 AFCA Convention:

"There should be a better way to protect the passer than we do. One way is to use the “tight end” plus “H” & “RB” as pass protectors. All three of them would check and then release, but you would have a way to pick up eight rushers.

You have eight blockers. You’d have a way to pick up eight people. You have two receivers working against man-to-man coverage. Then as those people checking and then releasing, they would release on patterns that would be open vs. the zone. So you could deal with the zone with your late releases, you could deal with man-to-man with your two best receiving people, but you can protect the passer. Do I suggest that you do that full time? No. But I’d have the ABILITY to do it.”

I'm with you Reno, I like the big splits.

IUGA
Please note that I do not come from the mindset of throwing the ball to open up the run, I think the opposite. Personally if I want to run a midline, veer, trap, power (the way I run it), belly, down, iso...I like to widen out the split...the running hole becomes huge! Notice I did not mention zone, I do not run zone (personal preference) so I cannot provide any feedback on those plays.

As far as protecting the passer, if we have problems then we tighten the splits, all the way down to zero if need be. Yes, this does tip the defense to the fact that we will either be throwing or running a wedge, but they still have to get to the ball before we move it.

Just my thoughts...Good Luck!
nw

I agree, I have yet to see a defense align according to the location of the ball, they always align according to an offensive player. If they pick up on something we adjust accordingly.

nw

Coaches-

Thanks alot this is really helpful. Probably should clarify, we don't keep the wide splits on passing downs, nor every single run (we move them during the game to give the defense something to adjust to on the fly), most linemen(ours included) aren't good enough athletes to beat every, OK most, D-Linemen in a one-on-one situation in a lot of space, like 4-5 feet so we play with the splits. So we would tighten the guards down to two feet. To do this, we would definitely have to have man protection because the gaps would be too wide to go slide protection. Two problems we ran into is that if the RB's are not good pass blockers then, this will not work because LB's will run through like crazy, also, whomever is the hot receiver has to be able to recognize that he is hot.

When GREAT NFL linemen can't downblock from more than 24" - that tells you something!!!!!

PROJECT: Conduct a written survey of the following NFL O-Line Coaches. Ask their opinion. Publish the results on this site. That would be a GREAT project: Don't indicate any PARTICULAR style of offense - just ask them how wide they will permit their line to split vs a "PENETRATOR IN THE INSIDE GAP"

NFL O-LINE (these are SOME of the very best):

1. JOE BUGEL (Skins)
2. ALEX GIBBS (Falcons)
3. RUSS GRIMM (Steelers)
4. JIM HANIFAN (retired from Rams)
5. JOHN MATSKO (Chiefs)
6. JIM McNALLY (Bills)
7. HOWARD MUDD (Colts)
8. STEVE LONEY (Vikings)
9. LARRY BEIGHTOL (Lions)
10. LARRY ZIERLEIN (Bills)
11. ?PATRIOTS?

RENO 6,

THATS THE BEAUTY OF HAVING A GUY LIKE ONE BACK, WHO DOES TALK TO NFL COACHES ALL THE TIME,
SO WILLING TO SHARE HIS KNOWLEDGE WITH US ALL SO OPENLY, FREE OF CHARGE AND WITH NO ULTERIOR MOTIVES OF ANY KIND. YOU DON'T COACH FOOTBALL IN AN AREA LIKE HE AND I DO AND NOT MEET THE BEST OF COACHES IN THE GAME AT ALL LEVELS. HAVE BEEN TO many div 1-a college seminars where the featured speaker was an NFL guy, as well as, those who have featured top level HS coaches. Where do you coach, Reno, and do you ever get to speak with top college and NFL coaches other than at clinics, etc? I heartily recommend to any HS coach to try and cultivate real realtionships with these type coaches, no matter where you are from, as they can only help you in gaining knowledge of all aspects of the game.

Coach Easton

Lou,

Always the same. I run 2 ft, 2 ft, and 2.5 feet from T to TE out of the Pro with the "I" backs.

Coach Easton

Thanks guys.

I coach high school ball in Vegas.