Alignment/scheme vs. double-tight full house

Coach Scott,

It matters not if they are on your goal line or mid field, IMO. A double tite full house is a power formation
as you well know I'm sure, and one often used for short yardage and goaline situations. Who cares if it is first down, that is totally superfluous to me, automatically go to your goal line and short yardage defense!
Against that alignment only some 8 man front is going to be the correct one. It is old football, but we used to run a defense called the diamond 7 ( in the gaps across the front with a single LB in a 10 tech) that was very effective against the power "I".

Coach Easton

This has been best for us:

----------C---------------C
----------------B----B
------S-- E-T----N----T--E---S
----------O-O-O-C-O-O-O
------------------Q

------------------O---O
------------------O

In CASEdiagram shifts - both E's, T's, & Nose are HEAD UP:

Both Safeties shoot for hip of near back. Force "squeeze contain" D gap/pass rush. NO pass resp.
Both E's crash inside off hip of OT's.
Both T's crash inside off hip of OG's.
Both LBers key Near HB or TB (if he goes AWAY - fill away between Nose & pinching DT). Cover them on pass.
Nose = 2 Gap player (both A Gaps).
Both Corners M/M on TE's (or split end if one or both split out.

ND knocked Bear Bryant out of the National Championship in 1975 with this. EQUALLY good vs Full Wishbone, Power I, Full Stack I, & full T backfield.

If they don't run full house - check out of it to whatever you choose. We checked to straight 5-2 Cover 2.

This is all there is to it. If there are questions - I can answer them better via PHONE! 804-378-0116 (before 9 PM/EDT)!

E's pinch (slant) thru C gap; T's pinch (slant) thru B gap; Nose is a 2 gap player (both A's) but has LBers BEHIND him & 2 pinching Tackles closing off trap & iso. LBers are free to go where near B (TB or offset HB) takes them.

Slanting from head up bothers O-Linemen BECAUSE it is a 3 way go (in some of our other calls they loop OUT)!

This is all there is to it. I can HONESTLY say that we (going back to 1974) have not lost to a PREDOMINATELY full backfield team with THIS as our MAJOR call. I am very busying preparing for a game Thursday night (won't have any more "typing time" till then). IF you have questions - PHONE me tonight between 9 PM & 10:30 PM at 804-740-4479 (Virginia EDT)

PS: YES Bama TRIED the sweep. The playside Safety turns it in ("SQUEEZE CONTAIN" TECHNIQUE IN THE RUNNING LANE IN THE BACKFIELD). The backside Safety ran it down a few times. The LBers were TOTALLY unblocked (G's can't reach them without running into the pinching T in the B gap)!

This thing is next to impossible to pass protect because any of 9 guys can come (7 usually do)!

IF they are FULL backfield - play the defense - it takes care of itself.

If they are NOT full backfield - just check out! Note: IF a back motions out of the backfield AFTER you have aligned in the defense - you can let the Corner go with him (& ILB covers TE if he releases).


This defense "MAKES THINGS HAPPEN"!

Hey Bill,

Isn't this Ara Parashegan's "Okie Dog Pinch" or no?

Coach Easton

Coach Mountjoy,

I started this thread after scouting a team that ran a double-tight Power-I with great success. We finally played that team this weekend. They came out in a two-back set, which we shut down using our 46 package. On their second possession, they turned to the double-tight Power-I and we countered with your "Okie Dog Pinch." The only modification we made was leaving the tackles in 3 tech. instead of head-up (only because that is our base look). THEY DID NOT HAVE A SINGLE POSITIVE PLAY OUT OF THAT FORMATION THE ENTIRE GAME! Better yet, they tried a PA pass out of it. Our ILB figured out that it was a pass by reading the near FB who set up to block our back-side contain-rush man. Our ILB got to the numbers in a hurry and picked off the pass. It was a huge play for us because we had given up a big kick return just before that. We won 15-6. Their TD came on a long pass play (out of a two-back set). Our best CB was in man on their best WR and just got beat. We used the "Okie Dog Pinch" to stop their two-point conversion try and stay ahead by two scores.

I'm sure Coach Easton's 7-diamond would have also worked much better than anything I would have come up with alone.

After going undefeated in 2003 and 2004, this team gave us our first loss last year. It was the first time many of our players had ever lost a football game. Our kids and coaches (including me) were very happy to pay them back this weekend. We may not have done it without your help. I hope I learn enough about football to someday help a younger coach the way you have helped me. In the meantime, if you email me your address, I will gladly send you a bottle of whatever you drink. Mine is SOrndoff@adelphia.net.

Many thanks,
-Scott

Coach Easton,

Thank you for the kind words.

I love the 46 and I still think it is one of, if not the, best defenses to stop a 2 back team. Thanks to this site and you coaches I now know the best defense to stop a 3 back offense. If I can learn what to do against single back and empty sets I might be able to convince the kids that their coach has half a clue.

-Scott

P.S. Up here we say that paybacks are a "witch." We also say "youz guys" instead of "y'all," but I think it means the same thing.

Scott - CONGRATRULATIONS!

Jerry & Newworldman - THANKS!

Absolutely not. The Corners have the two Ends - whether they are split OR tight!

Line up LIKE there was a TE present even though it isn't!

Should there be an aiming point or landmark to get them started? Attack the 1st back, 2nd back?

Coach Mountjoy,

What are option responsibilities? QB and Pitch? Does playside linebacker take QB and the safety go for pitch? Or do you send the safety at the QB and send someone else to pitchman?

Respects,
Royhobbles

Coach Mountjoy,

Awesome! Thank you for the input and the new defense. I was able to use it last night with my freshman and we won 40-10! Only points given up were a safety and a 35 yard drive with the number 2's in the game. I have been using this website for the last month and find it invaluable for advice. In the days when everyone wants a buck (or a lot more) to give out advice, it is awesome to find a place where people who love football want to share what they know. Once again THANK YOU!

Respects,
royhobbles

Safety away from pitch has reverse so he can be assigned to QB on that play! I can tell you this - there is so much quick pressure that the passer will have to get the ball out of his hands in a HEARTBEAT!