4 Rushers To One Side

Run counter. If you run it tight it shouldnt matter if you run into the mess. If you happen to run it the way they are not coming, then you have a big play if you can seal off backside runthroughs. The 3-3 stack team we faced got gouged when we guessed right, and we got decent even when we ran into the teeth of it.

SPREAD COACH - IT IS EASY TO HANDLE IF YOU ARE IN A 2 TE/2 WR/1 RB SET. THE W/S GIVES AWAY THE SIDE THAT THEY ARE GOING TO BRING FOUR FROM BY MOVING OVER ON THE TE TO THAT SIDE. IF YOU TURN THE PROTECTION THAT WAY - YOU HAVE THE CENTER/GUARD/TACKLE/TE TO BLOCK THE 4 RUSHERS!!!!!

If you use "MAX-PRO" ( 8 man protectiion) you can handle 4 from either side, & still get 3-5 out (depending on who comes).

MAX-PRO = 2 free releases (WR's) , plus 3 check releases (TE & BACKS). That's 7 men blocking 6 rushers (the way you described it). Watching NFL MATCHUP (as I do each Sunday) - the Colts were using some NINE MAN PRO (1 receiver free releasing).

MAX-PRO is "HOT" in the NFL right now!!!!! Bill Walsh endorsed it at the 2003 AFCA Convention: QUOTED BELOW:

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."
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Bill, I am with that 100%.

JC

Coach Campbell,

That is exactly what prompted me to start spreading them out (horizontally) in the PSL a long time ago, and then vertically on the snap!

JC

BE AWARE OF THE "BLITZ & BLUFF" (shows blitz & backs out , or vice-versa). Alabama (when "Brother" Oliver was "Def. Coordinator") beat a great Miami team in the mid 90's by putting all 11 defenders on or near the LOS & either bringing 7 & playing Cover 0, OR dropping 7 & playing Cover 2 or Cover 3. They would force audibles & then drop off OR come, forcing Miami to "waste plays" with the WRONG audibles.

We do this with our form of "Nickel Blitz" we call "TIGERCAT". Jim Bates (interim coach of the Dolphins) gave me this when the was Defensive Coordinator at Florida (under Spurrier) in 1990 or 1991. You must be able to ACCOUNT for rushers if they come or not!!!!!

J.C. - you are right - "mass confusion" will ensue with the offense if you don't have a "security blanket" protection-wise.

If you remember the last time the Steelers were in the Super Bowl (vs Dallas in the mid 1990's), one of my former "Parade" High School All-American QB's (Darren Perry) was the starting W/S (& signal called). Darren is now the Secondary Coach with the Steelers.

The Steelers were so "depth-shy" at QB (due to injuries) that Darren had to take some snaps that week as a backup to Neil O'Donnell (enen though he was starting at W/S). He said that the "hot" & 'sight-adjustments" were so complex, that it was incredible. If you recall - the Steelers lost because TWICE the Cowboys forced a "sight adjustment", & got too picks for TD's against them.

Teams will give you a "hot" or "sight" read - then (knowing your adjustments thru film work & computerizing it) will give you the read then bracket your "hot" or "breakoff" man!!!!!

Teams that live & die by "HOTS" & "SIGHT ADJUSTMENTS" (BREAKOFFS) will be in trouble in 3rd & 7+ - if they give you gthe read then limit your hot or breakoff to less than 7 (which is usually the case).

Bill,

As usual, your right on. Bracketing is the most effective tool against sight adjustments. I really doubt that on the HS level, with the exceptions of the most sophisticated programs, they go indepth enough to computerize everything after breaking down the game film. As you know that is a common practice on the college and pro levels. But, we also know that film breakdown, performed CORRECTLY, is a very effective tool! Your example of Darren Perry's statement concerning sight adjustment procedures is very appropo, IMO. Jim McMahon said he would never coach because coaches are way to analytical. Drew Bledsoe, who scored in the top 2 % of the WORLD, on the MENSA exam had 18 seperate reads from the time he broke the huddle until he delivered the ball!!!(when he was with NE Pats). To me, that is ludicrous! What was he reading, fans in the stands? Then, you have to do all that and get the ball off in 2.5-2.8 seconds on most patterns? My 0 line and backs have an understanding with our QB's; if they lay a hand
on our QB, it is a direct insult to how they protected him on that play. Sack is not in our vocabulary! QB reads should be made as simple as possible by teaching him to "take what the defense gives you" and I teach our receivers the same principle. Sure, he is going to get suckered on some plays, with all the disguise looks the defense has at their disposal in todays game. But, if he is intelligent they will only get him once on the same pattern! We have coached QB's a long time, you and I, and I think that you will agree with me that the KISS method is still the most effective on the HS level, and I really believe it is the best way at ANY level. My belief in my system that I got from Coach Sweeny who was the HC at Fresno State in the early 80's ( a system called "must runs and must passes") is what I stand on when it comes to scouting and breaking down film on us. It consists of inserting each week, a series of running and passing plays, that nobody has seen us run that year! You have to have an extensive play book in both departments, but believe you me IT IS MORE THAN WORTH THE EFFORT EXTENDED ON THE PRACTICE FIELD, COME GAME NIGHT. I much prefer check/release to hots anytime! That way my QB is going to be protected!

JC

CHECK THIS OUT! CAN YOU TEACH ALL THIS IN YOUTH BALL, MIDDLE SCHOOL, HIGH SCHOOL??

A Single Pass

Robbie Bosco was Steve Young's backup at BYU (1982-83). He led to the Cougars to a #1 Championship season (1984) and is now the BYU Quarterback Coach under LaVell Edwards. Listen to Bosco describe what it's like for a quarterback to throw a single pass:

"After you break the huddle, you come to the line of scrimmage and the first thing you check is the pre-snap alignment. See if you have enough blockers at the line and in the backfield to block everybody who has the potential to blitz. After that, you check where the safeties are. Then you need to figure out, if they do this with this particular play we have called, these need to be my reads; if they change to this, then this is my read. Now, we talking nice and slow; but there are 15 seconds left on the play clock and it's ticking. You're not stopping the clock and saying, "Wait while I figure this out." You have guys yelling, "Hurry and run the play! Run it!"'

"Then, boom, the ball is snapped. All that's over.You're going now. As you're dropping back, you're checking out the coverage and what the defense is doing. Depending on the play that was called, you need to look for certain defensive players to see if they are blitzing or dropping into coverage. If the linebacker blitzes, for instance, against a particular play you've called, then you throw to a hot receiver. If he doesn't come, then you scan the field and see what coverages they're running in the secondary. What you do depends on the coverage. There could be six to eight coverages. Now you're thinking, "Because they're in this coverage, my throws are 1, 2, 3." If you don't like 1, then you go to 2. If this guy is covered, if the linebacker is moving this way, you go to No 3, or No. 4. Then at some point you have to decide if you're going to run it or throw it away."

"And don't forget, all this time, as you're dropping back, you have five or six guys who want to rip your head off. They're coming at you full go and you're in the middle of all this and you almost never have a pretty pocket. You have to throw with guys in your face, you're moving around, having to throw off balance and getting knocked around. Until you have played the position, you have no idea what it's like."

Keep in mind that the quarterback has about three seconds to make these decisions, or four, if he's very lucky.


NEXT: WHAT DANNY KANNELL HAD TO DO (WHEN QB'ING FLA. ST.!!!!!) - WHEN QB'ING THE "NO-HUDDLE SHOTGUN"!

1. MAKE FORMATION CALL TO FIELD

2. GET PLAY FROM SIDELINE

3. SIGNAL TO ALL RECEIVERS (BASIC PATTERN)

4. CALL PROTECTION TO O-LINE

5. SIGNAL ROUTE CHANGES TO RECEIVERS & RB'S (ANY DEVIATIONS FROM BASIC PATTERN CALLED IN #3 BECAUSE THEY ARE BEGINNING TO "CREEP" TO THE COVERAGE TO BE PLAYED FROM THEIR DISGUISE)

6. "SET" EVERYBODY

7. LOOK OVER DEFENSE - CALL OUT WHAT THEY'RE IN SO OFFENSIVE LINE CAN CALL OUT BLOCKING SCHEME (PROTECTION HAS ALREADY BEEN CALLED IN #4 - BUT THEY HAVE CALLS ALSO BASED ON QB'S "ID" OF WHAT THEY'RE IN).

8. HEEL KICK

9. PROGRESSION - SEE IF BLITZ OR NOT - CHECK OUT SAFETIES - GO THRU PROGRESSION & THROW THE BALL.


NOTE: IN ADDITION TO ABOVE - SHOULD ALSO KNOW:

A) D&D

B) IS IT A BLITZING DOWN?

C) WHO'S HOT (IF ANY)

D) WHERE AM I ON THE FIELD?, ETC.