Reading the OLB for the give

Tiger One, I got that and that has been our rule also. I heard the coach from Carson-Newman speak a while ago about reading the linebacker instead and have heard others speak about it as well. It's a change-up that some have adopted within the veer scheme. There's more than one way to skin a cat. I'm just not sure how they do it - but it is being done.

In the Fiesta bowl, the outside linebacker was vacating fast for pitch. The middle linebacker was assigned to the QB so he was scaping outside as well. My thoughts were if you double the one technique with the center and guard, with the guard climbing to the second level and read the outside linebacker - he's in a bind just as the defensive end would be. The tackle base blocks the defensive end in this case, which of course is your normal read on the dive. You're able to play around with the defenses' assignments. I watched the tape a number of times to see where the QB was looking during the mesh - it seemed like he was looking upfield to the second level, the OLB. Couldn't tell for sure, but I remembered that others have done it also.

When we ran the triple as our base, inside veer-outside veer-midline from under center, teams would take away the dive. They would say, I know your reads and I'm not going to let that fullback get the ball. You're going to have to beat us on the perimeter, pull the mesh and pitch (handle the ball more). I think you need answers to what the defense is doing and not let them take away your bread and butter. I think that's why some started reading the LB also.

We should all be looking for rules to be broken ... that's innovation.

Coach, I'm not sure why you're so upset about my question. If you don't read the OLB because of your rules, I'm ok with that. There are others that do and have been successful with it. I'm looking for someone that does, or knows how it's done.

I'd agree with you about breaking rules during the season with the kids - that would lead to confusion. During the offseason when I'm looking at what others are doing, looking for innovative things, I throw all the rules out and open my mind to new ideas. That's what I meant about breaking rules.

I was watching the Fiesta Bowl again last night, and saw that when they pull the guard on the "crazy option" the steps are what I would say ... uncoventional. The guard pops back keeping his shoulders square to the LOS pushing off his inside foot, then crosses over and behind with his outside foot to the pull side. That goes against every rule I've heard about pulling. Thought it was interesting and I'm going to look at it in more detail. Best of Luck Coach. Sorry for the confusion I caused.

Longtigercat,

Some line coaches are teaching the "skip step" on when they want their guys to keep square to the LOS, I have not played with it yet, but the OL coaches that use it say that it covers more ground initially and it helps keep the shoulders square. Bowling green uses this technique and this is where Meyer came from. Im going there in the next couple of months to talk to their offensive coaches.

As far as the blocking is concerned on the crazy or even the backside option off of the zone, this is a call made by the Tackle, I saw BG work on this at a practice last year. The tackle makes a man call in which he will block the DE and the backer now becomes the pitch read. This is used against teams that like to decoy the qb into keeping the ball by having the DE go down the line and the LB comes over top, taking over the the pitch man, thus screwing up the QB's initial pitch read. The defense is doing this to force the Qb to keep the ball and having the LB to come over top to blow him up. When the offense sees this either on film or during the course of the game, they simply have the tackle lock on to the DE with a man call and then the QB pitches off of the LB.

I hope this helps