Capital I (?) Formation

Thanks Coach. Do you always run all backs to the same hole from the stack I to create double teams or do you cross 1 back w/the other 2 to freeze linebackers?

I was also wondering about the flexed ends b/c I coach high school ball in a stop-the-run-at-all-costs league and was curious if anyone's had success with "nasty" splits and stretching fronts. My thoughts were that if we could run w/power or misdirection from the stack I then it would be easier to release our ends for boots, etc. Thoughts?

i have run the stack with split ends
had them about 6 yards wide

very effective run offense

have seen some wayyyyy undermanned teams on film be able to at least keep up scoring wise, and clock wise with this offense,

allows for some misdirection

allows for some power

allows for quick hitters

and a decent passing game with floods from the backfield and to wr types running routes

Lou,

Maryland "I" was a very good offense until the Robber defenses started putting 9 in the box , or more!

Coach Easton

Lou--when you say the "upback" are you refering to the RB in the middle of the stack or the 1st back in the stack? We would refer to the 1st back as the FB, and the next guy as the powerback, then TB. Just trying to get your terms in line with mine.

Don Markham, who started the double wing, actually used this offense to run the same double wing plays that Coach Wyatt uses for his double wing. He had alot of luck with it.

A team I coached for used the stack I at one time, except they used an unbalanced line to run from. They used alot of misdirection to throw the defense off. Their main plays were the lead off tackle, lead option, counter iso, counter iso option, backside screens, and boot action passes. They mainly used the rule blocking terminology and principle: mainly because on personnel.

THIS OFFENSE WAS FIRST RUN BY TOM NUGENT AT HOPEWELL HIGH SCHOOL IN CENTRAL VIRGINIA SHORTLY AFTER WWII) - I SAW THEM PLAY!!!. HE THEN TOOK IT TO V.M.I, FLORIDA ST, & MARYLAND. FRANK LEAHY GOT IT FROM NUGENT, USED SOME OF IT AT N.D. IN THE EARLY 1950's. IT WAS JOHN McKAY (AT SO. CAL.) THAT BROUGHT ALL FORMS OF THE "I" TO PROMINENCE IN THE EARLY 1960's.

THIS IS A GOOD RUNNING FORMATION, BUT WITHOUT A DOUBT - THE WORSE PASSING FORMATION IN WHICH 11 MEN EVER ALIGNED!

PS: I BELIEVE TOM NUGENT IS STILL ALIVE, & LIVING IN FLORIDA. CONTACT HIM - AS HE WAS THE ORIGINATOR!!!!! MIGHT BE ABLE TO GET HIS ADDRESS OR PHONE # FROM EITHER FLA ST OR U/MARYLAND FOOTBALL OFFICES OR ALUMNI GROUPS!

Coach Easton, as a big ol OL. I would have loved to have played for you.

Tog, an additional thought: I will come out in double tites, on command "shift" backside end will sprint and set on play call side. Now we are unbalanced, end over! "set" is a position, not a command and the end over must be set for 1 second prior to snap. Hoping to catch them in mid shift, the QB counts 1000 to himself and yells go! We then run the belly lead concept outlined above! This is what the pros call "harry High School stuff" but If I ever get the right personnel to run it, I'll rep it to death for a big game and when the time is right, I wont hesitate to call it. Of course, all linemen will have inelgible numbers and have to report to the white hat prior to the snap. But, when they see them line up in the stack, they will just figure another burst right up the gut, as that is where we will have run it two or three times previously the same night!

Coach Easton

Tog,

Your right, that is exactly why you have to have the right type of athletic linemen to avoid the pitfalls of crabbing linemen. But, the real edge occurs in catching them in a bad alignment as they are forced to stem in order to not give up a hole totally uncovered by anybody but a LB. The TIMING is crucial, and the execution has to be flawless, that is why you have to rep it to death before ever giving it a shot. My son, while playing for Clemson, once practiced a fake field goal for 2 years. It came to fruition one night in a critical game with Fla. State when he, as the holder, ran an option to his liz side with the kicker for a crucial first down that sat us up with the first down after successfully executing the play! He took the direct snap, sprinted directly at the backside 5 tech, Derrick Brooks(now with the jets ) came up from his LB spot and knocked my son back 10 feet with a jarring hit. But, just an instant before the collision, he dropped his hips, stepped toward his target and floated the prettiest pitch you ever saw right into the hands of the kicker, who was now the pitch man. We made the first down! Held a 3 point lead with less than 3 -4 minutes to go in the game and Charlie Ward led them back on an 80 yard scoring drive to beat us 24-20 at the buzzer! I have the tape, if you would like to see it. I was at the game, of course, but it was on ESPN that night and I also taped it. Be glad to send it to you, if you promise to send it right back after you view it. It is some 12 years old now, in perfect shape, and would never be able to replace it. I have sent to various coaches and never had a problem but one time getting it back.

Coach Easton

Bill,
Expounded upon like a true convert to one back sets!!! We ran the bone on the HS level pretty darn well at Raines!!! Ha Ha Just yanking your chain. In all honesty we did break the bone too, all good bone teams did that I ever knew anything about. Give us the particulars on the Okie Dog Pinch when you are of a mind to do so, would really enjoy that. Just by the name, Okie (5-2) dog pinch ( some sort of scheme where the DL pinches to the a gaps and the backers shoot the B's? Just a guess, am close?

JC

OLD 5-2 OKIE:

A) DE's in 6 TECHNIQUE = PINCH C GAP (OFF HIP OF OT) ON SNAP TO QB (QB ON OPTION)

B) DT''s IN 4 TECHNIQUE = PINCH B GAP (OFF HIP OF OG) ON SNAP TO MESH (QB/FB) DIVE ON OPTION FROM OUTSIDE/IN.

C) NOSE = 0 TECHNIQUE - 2 gapping. DIVE ON OPTION FROM INSIDE/OUT.

D) ILB's IN 30 TECHNIQUE ABOUT 3 YDS DEEP. MIRROR NEAR BACK (IF HE "LEAD ARCS" ON OPTION - HELP SAFETY WITH PITCH; IF HE "LOADS DE" ON OPTION - HELP DE WITH QB). M/M ON NEAR HB ON PASS. NOTE: OFF LB SCRAPE TO DIVE ON OPTION IF HIS HB CROSSES CENTER LINE OF FORMATION TO OTHER SIDE (GIVING US 3 MEN ON DIVE).

E) BOTH SAFETIES LINE UP 2 YDS OUTSIDE DE'S & CRASH D GAP TO NEAR HIP OF NEAR HB. PITCH ON OPTION. NO PASS RESP EXCEPT TO PUT QB ON HIS ASS!

F) BOTH CORNERS LINE UP ON Y & X M/M.

Having run the Maryland I for 7 years as our base offense and using it off and on after that I agree with both sides of this topic. The offense brings a lot of people to the point of attack and can be run with a lesser talent - the problem is seeing 10-11 in the box and the limited passing game. We still run the blast and use the same concept - kickout by the FB and a lead Through by the backside guard. We are looking at using a motion man to created Maryland I plays with out lining up in the formation. We are also looking at using 2 TE's and one back and motioning a man(TE or FB) to kick out. I think that a lot of the Maryland I plays and concepts can be adapted to other formations. I see a lot of teams using a second TE or FB and motioning to get an angle for a kickout or a trap(Wham I think they call it). Coach Easton's End Over formation was a favorite of ours and we still use it even with 2 backs in the backfield. We have had some sucess with what we call Rip - Open( SE over - TE Flexed) many H.S secondarys see this as twins and will adjust to it, but you still have 3 in the backfield. We also do this out of 2 backs(FB-TB) and get a false trips look with the TE flexed(SE and Z are on the same side as the TE) - he is ineligible but someone still has to line up on him to account for him as a blocker. A lot of times the DB's don't recognize that the TE is ineligible. With alot of our unbalanced attack we are looking for a mismatch in alignment on the strong side and trying to force an overshift so we can run blast and inside veer to the nub side of unbalanced.

Bill,
I remember that, just never heard it called that I guess. Yes, Ara was the man when he whipped Alabama!!! You must have posted this when I went out for dinner with my family last night, and I didn't get to see it until you just told me where you had posted it. Thanks for the post, coach.

JC