52 strength calls

IC - A pre-rotated 5-2 Cover 3 (nverted or "Monstered") is the following (therin lies it's weakneses):

#1 It is UNBALANCED

#2 It "SHOWS" it's intentions pre-snap.

I played a 5-2 Cover 3 for 25 years, & on 3 levels (HS/COLLEGE/PRO). If you play this defense - you had BETTER have answers to the situation I described (ADJUSTMENT-WISE).

Many coaches on this site have played FOR, and played AGAINST me. They can verify that it SIMPLE for us to come up with strength one way - shift the strength the other way, & change the strength AGAIN with motion. We practice this from DAY-1, & it is the BASIS of our offense. Therefore, we can do this with NO TROUBLE. It is the DEFENSE that has it's work cut out for it! The defensive adjustments I described ARE SOUND, & WILL WORK - but they are HARD AS HELL to execute in HS ball!! You can get the SAME COVERAGE without moving ANYBODY in a 4-4/cOVER 3. Lou Holtz wrote a GREAT article (which I have) about WHY he dropped the "50" - because of how HARD it was to adjust. Remember - Holtz tried using that as HFC with the JETS & said he had trouble making the required "adjustments" in NFL AND College !

Here is what the defense has to be prepared for (our kids begin doing this on the 9th grade level, & continue in the system for 4 years). iN PRACTICE - OUR DEFENSE (WITH EQUAL PERSONNEL) could never stop our offense (the defense was never ready at the snap). This is from our offensive playbook, & is the BASIS for our system: This is WHY we like to see "5-2/Cover 3":

SHIFTING IS A BIG PART OF THE OFFENSE: HERE IS THE BASIC “SHIFT” TERMINOLOGY:

#1 “SHIFT” = H & RB
#2 “STEM” = Y & RB
#3 “SHAFT” = H, Y, & RB
#4 “POP” = WR’s LINE UP TIGHT & SHIFT OUT
#5 “SINK” = WR’s LINE UP WIDE & SHIFT IN
#6 “EXPLODE” = ALL 5 ELIGIBLES SHIFT (A COMBO OF “SHAFT” & EITHER “POP” OR “SINK”).

SHIFTING & MOTIONING TO NUMEROUS “FINISHED FORMATIONS” IS A MAJOR PART OF THE OFFENSE! NOTE: IF NOT SHIFTING OR GOING IN MOTION – GO ON A VERY QUICK COUNT!!!!!

MOTION TEMINOLOGY

MOTION TOWARDS FORMATION CALL:
Z = ZOOM
TE = FLY
HB = MOTION
X = OX

MOTION AWAY FROM FORMATION CALL:
Z = ZING
TE = LEAP
HB = WHIZ
X = X-IT

MOTION TOWARDS BALL & RETURN:
Z = FAKE ZOOM
TE = FAKE FLY
HB = FAKE WHIZ OR FAKE MOTION
X = FAKE OX OR FAKE X-IT

NOTE: “H” IN SHORT MOTION TO BLOCK INSIDE = BANG!


“MOVEMENT”

MOVEMENT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO OUR TOTAL OFFENSIVE SYSTEM.
THERE ARE SEVERAL REASONS FOR MOVEMENT IN OUR OFFENSE; AMONG
THE MOST PROMINENT REASONS ARE:

1. To create a personnel advantage by creating mis-matches on our Receivers or Backs.
2. To create a personnel advantage by effecting changes in run support and force responsibilities.
3. To create secondary movement in an effort to better enable our Quarterback to recognize coverage.
4. To get our personnel in better position to execute their given assignment.
5. To create problems for the defense in Man under coverages when attempting to hold or bump Receivers at the line of scrimmage.
6. To create an opportunity for indecision, confusion, and/or mis-alignment by the secondary.
7. To cause movement on the part of the Defense in an effort to realign their personnel with the coverage calls and changes and not allow them to set themselves and react to familiar offensive patterns. Make the Defense “play on the move”.
8. To force opponents to spend practice time and effort on adjusting to movement patterns rather than improving defensive skills and schemes.
9. To create a visual complexity to the defense, yet be able to run the same basic plays from a variety of looks.

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PS: In a GREAT article WHICH i HAVE - written by Tom Olividati ("DC" under Shula at Miami, & one of the best ever) - he talked about the BEST way to defend each of the MAJOR passing game CONCEPTS in the NFL. Cover 3 was NOT listed vs. ANY of these as being the "best way to get things done":

1. Vs Horizontal Stretch (3 vs 2 or 2 vs 1 underneath) = Cover 2 (Cover 3 is VERY WEAK vs this)

2. Vs Vertical Stretch (3 vs 2 or 2 vs 1 long to short) = Cover 1

3. Vs 4 Verticals - Cover 4 (Cover 3 is VERY WEAK VS THIS)

4. Vs. Play Action - Cover 0/Blitz

There was more, but this is the "gist" of the thesis!


ALSO: In the days we played 5-2 Cover 3 - it would NOT hold up vs the Flexbone "Triple" teams, NOR the Delaware Wing-T (we could not stop the "waggle" backside, among OTHER THINGS!

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GOOD DRILL for teams that use a 5-2 with Pre-Rotated 3 Deep Zone: Get out a pencil & LOTS of paper & work out your adjustments to the following:

“SCATTER” (THIS “BLOWS THE MIND” OF MANY DEFENSES)

CALL FORMATION/MOTION (IF NEEDED)/PLAY - IN HUDDLE. AFTER BREAKING THE HUDDLE - LINE UP IN “SCATTER” & MAKE A QUICK SHIFT TO THE FINISHED FORMATION BEFORE DEFENSE CAN GET SET!

EXAMPLE: “SCATTER TO SKINS LT”

BEFORE:

----------------T-G-C-G-T


----------------X-H-R-Y-Z-------(5 YDS DEEP)
---------------------Q

AFTER:

Z---------------T-G-C-G-T-------------X
-------------Y-------Q-------H


----------------------R



THEN – MOTION Y over outside of H!






This is something we LOVE to do - & it can be done "quick as a wink"!