Solution to Defense Cutting Our Pullers?

The MAJORITY of the NFL & Division I teams that run this play well no longer pull the backside tackle. They pull the H (second TE) from a VARIETY of positions. The backside tackle thenb steps laterally to squuze the B gap giving the Center time to block back - then he hinges on the outside rusher.

PS: Correction of above question. I meant to say BST, not H back, pertaining to the time involved making the squeeze and hinge. My question of the alignment of H should have said, where is the most advantageous positioning of him to pull in the PSL? Sorry about that.

JC

Bill,

That covers my questions perfectly! I guess that's why Bugel gets the big bucks, eh? I couldn't get the Cleveland game yesterday, what happened?

JC

Oneback,

My pet peeves, as many others I'm sure, dumb penalties and turnovers! You can't win with either being a constant scource of consternation!

JC

One other ting on the Offside Tackle's seal technique on the Counter/Power series: He gives the 3 tech a QUICK "hand-wham" then pivots on the edge rusher. the Center turns back on the 3 technique 100 MPH - so it all happens VERY QUICK (since they DO NOT over split! Big )=Line splits KILL the Counter/Power (as well as the ZONE plays).

Oneback,

Thanks for that added "hand wham" technique! Took pretty much for granted the center would have to turn back full bore! His small splits tie it all together! Thanks for your input, as always.

JC

Nebraska had their guard get to a depth of 1 yard of the LOS and cut the DE before he could cut him. Then had the tackle get to a depth of three yards and pull around the pile. Seemed to work pretty well for them as they have averaged over 7 yards since 1983 when they started running the counter-sweep.

I think the problem he is having is the same problem Nebraska had after the first year of running the counter-sweep. Teams started sending the EMLOS downhill hard and cutting the guard to create a pile. Since the tackle was at the same depth and one yard behind the guard and didn't have the athletisism to avoid the pile he would get caught up in the pile and they would loose a blocker.

Here's what Milt Tenopir (OL coach for Nebraska) had to say in his book "The Assembly Line":

"Once defenses started cutting our guard, we decided it's our turn to adjust. We now tell our pulling guard to gain a depth of one yard deeper than where his weet started. We instruct him to cut the outside leg of the defensive end that is trying to cut him and create a pile.

There are occasions when our guard can hook the defensive end at his one-yard depth without cutting him. Most of the time, however, we want to put this guy on the ground.

When the defenses started to cut our guard, we didn't want our big tackles to just fall on the pile, so we had to adjust their paths, also.

It took some experimental games to determine what adjustments to make. We continued to trail the guard as one yard deeper than normal, and found that in some instances, we were too close to the guard to make any quick decisions on weather to get outside of his cut block or to cut underneath it. Like most all football teams, our tackles of 280 to 300 pounds didn't have the athleticism to turn quick enough and consequently flopped onto the pile and we lost a blocker. No matter what we tried to do, our tackles became so self-conscious that they were very tenitive on their pull and just pitter-pattered, and slowed down, so as to not make a fool of themselves.

In order for us to get those big people to not have to make a quick cut when they read the pulling guard's block, we decided to get them deeper as they progressed on thier pull and tried to clear that pile created by the guard cutting the defensive end.

We settled on a depth of three yards. In other words, we want our pulling tackle to get three yards deeper into the backfield than where he started his stance.

If the guard gets one yard deeper, and the tackle gets three yards deeper, there is a natural seperation created between the two so that the tackle isn't running up the guard's back. The three yards depth also allows the tackle to go full speed and get around the guard's pile without having to stutter step, try to react and block no one.

The only time the tackle will come under the guard's block is if the guard's block is in the tackle's face at his three-yard depth."

This is the same way our offensive linemen blocked the play when I played because most teams would send the DE hard inside once the TE blocked down on the middle backer and try to either cut the guard or attack his outside sholder to force the play inside. We eventually just had the guard cut his outside leg or if the DE rushed upfield we would just kick him out and run inside of that block, the tackle would pull around him or go underneath if the DE is kicked out, and we could get to the outside.

As some others have suggested though its probably a better idea to leave the tackle backside and pull either an H-back or TE because they will be able to get to the POA a little quicker.

Coach,

Thats what I'm talking about! I had no idea that was Joe's way, but I have always loaded to handle a DE trouble maker! When I talk about loading, I'm talking on loading on the DE playside and the 5 or 4 tech backside. I have to get with Coach Campbell to find out about his technique of loading on the safeties, are you familiar with that technique? I'm sure it is a very viable scheme, or he wouldn't be advocating it. About time I learned how it works.

JC

Bill,

Thanks!

JC