Some More Stunts for the Zone Read

Not that stunt!

In some recent discussions on the Huey board, I decided to dust off a post that was actually supposed to have been posted over a year ago!  It was a thread that was to go along with one of my first posts about the Down and Up stunt against the zone read.  As with many things, I shelved it and haven't been back to it.  Well here it is, and here are a couple of other stunts that may help you against the zone read by giving different looks to the offense.

Setting the Three Technique
This one topic has been debated countless times.  The offense has the upper hand because by setting the three technique away from the running back they have an easy cut back lane if the ball is handed off to the running back.  Not to mention an open B gap to the weak side that they can exploit if they have a running QB by running QB iso to that side.  If you set the three technique to the back, then the blocking on the front side of the zone play becomes a bit easier because of the soft B gap.  So what to do?  The two stunts discussed here involve moving the three technique in a manner that allows the defense to dictate what the offense will do.  If your defense is not flexible enough to move the three technique around, you need seriously reevaluate what you are doing defensively.

Stunt 1- Using the Three Technique as the QB Player
The first stunt is where the 3 technique is set to the RB.  On the snap, the defensive end will slam down hard into the B gap and attack the near hip of the offensive guard.  This will do two things.  To the QB it looks like the end has come down hard and this should be a pull read.  Second, if the ball is given, then the DE will have the B gap for the cutback run.  The Tackle, will loop outside and replace the DE to contain the QB.  Again, if the QB pulls the football, then he will run right into the unblocked three technique.  Obviously the success of this stunt lies in the ability of the three technique to tackle in space.  A good rule is to do this when  the offense puts the RB into the boundary, which gives the QB less room to operate in.

Stunt 2- The Read Blitz
The Read Blitz was introduced to me a few years back as a well to "mess" with the option QB and give the defense another easy way to defend the option.  Against the spread, the defense will set the three technique away from the RB, inviting the cutback.  Pre-snap the weak side LB will walk up to within a yard of the LOS into the open B gap.  This LB is keying the near hip off the offensive guard.  If the hip moves inside, the LB attacks right off this hip and flat down the LOS, looking to prevent the cutback.  If the hip attacks to him, either vertically or laterally, the LB will work to get up field and wall off the play coming to him (could be power, iso or QB zone).  The DE to the side of the read blitz will now become the QB player.  In similar fashion to the down and up stunt, the DE will still squeeze the tackle, but with hands only, being aware not to get his shoulders turned so that he may be in a position to contain the QB if the QB pulls the football (which will more than likely happen due to the DE "squatting").

The beauty of this stunt is that even if the LB gets washed, he's done his job, because he's eliminated the cut back lane in the weak side B gap (which is what most DC's are worried about by setting the three technique to the back).  The major coaching point here is to have the DE squeeze with his hands, and then shuffle down the line, being prepared to tackle the QB.

The read blitz can be used against many types of options and was introduced to me as a way to mess with the triple option QB on inside veer.  Against the veer, the LB simply tackles the dive back if the guard's hip goes down inside.  The DE will still squeeze and sit for the QB.  This is a simple stunt that doesn't take a ton of teaching time to develop and can really foul up an option QB's reads.

A word of caution, be well prepared and know when to run this stunt as it's not the best in the world against isolation runs to the opposite side of the stunt for the lack of the extra player to make up for the extra gap presented by the lead blocker.  It's also a bit tough vs. the pass because now the LB must drop to his zone, being only a yard off the LOS.  This is where detailed film study is really crucial in game planning.

So, that's it!  Just a couple of tidbits to keep you rolling along.  Sorry it's been so long between postings, but life is back to that glorious busy buzz of high school football.  Never thought I'd ever say it feels good to be underpaid and overworked!!!!

Duece

Defending the Flexbone-Linebackers

The linebacking corps, when defending the Flexbone, must be extremely disciplined and sound in their attack of this complex offensive threat.  Since I'm elaborating on Coach Hoover's posts, we will discuss the 3 linebackers commonly found in the 4-3, and refer to them as Sam (strong side outside linebacker or OLB), Mike (middle linebacker), and Will (weak side OLB).  For a very detailed description of OLB play vs. the Flexbone please go here.  Information on how the Mike LB should play can be found here.  What I'm going to do, is break down some of the keys and reads I've used in the past, as well as some stunts I've utilized that have helped me defend the Flexbone offense.

Mike LB

Years ago (in a galaxy far far away) I was like most when facing the Flexbone with my Mike LB.  I had him play at his normal depth, and do what he did best, key the fullback (FB).  Our rule for what the Mike did when facing the triple option, was easy, check FB to inside 1/2 of QB.  Not much trouble with that right?!  Well, a few things can be inherently wrong with this, most notably the depth of the Mike.  We had ours at 4.5 to 5 yards as a base rule.  This is tough when defending the Flexbone because of good down blocking tackles.  Even if your defensive ends (DE's) do a good job of getting the hands on the down blocking tackle (against veer mind you), the angle the Mike takes when attacking the FB is going to, get even the best of Mike's caught up in a wash of bodies that they cannot recover from.  What was the solution?  To first see the solution, we must know the problem, and understand the offense we are attacking.  The Flexbone works on a simple principle when running the triple option or inside veer (ISV).  Wall of all defenders inside the FB's path, known as the crease.  Isolate the 1st 2 defenders outside this path (handoff key and pitch key) and establish the option alley (See diagram below).  The key to stopping the triple option is simple too, get more bodies across the crease than the offense can block. 

How do you get more defenders across the crease?  No matter the front, EVERY defense has a "man in the middle".  In odd 8 man fronts, it's a noseguard, middle linebacker or free safety (FS), in even 8 man fronts it's usually a robbing FS.  In odd 7 man fronts it's the noseguard, and in even 7 man fronts it's the middle linebacker.  In the case of the 4-3, the "man in the middle" is the Mike.  He has to be able to play on either side of the ball, and get across the crease when facing the Flexbone.  He cannot be concerned about the cutback whatsoever or counters.  This has answered the "who" will get across the crease, but not the "how".  Be patient, remember "know thy enemy". 

How we got our Mike across the crease was to back him up to a depth of 7 yards off the line of scrimmage (LOS).  Most defensive coordinators (DC's) cringe at this thought, however it's not as bad as you think.  From this depth, the Mike need not be concerned with the down blocking tackle on ISV.  He can easily scrape and get to the inside 1/2 of the QB.  Some folks question, "What about the zone dive?"  Well, on paper, yes the Mike is at a disadvantage to stopping this play, however if you couple the Mike play, with TED stunt we talked about earlier, the Mike is free to roam.  With all the inside gaps being filled your Mike is free to play sideline to sideline and assist on cutback runs by the QB.

There are 2 ways I've played my Mike in the 4-3 when facing Flexbone triple option.  The first is how I mentioned it in my post on Coach Hoover's site found here.  The 2nd way I've had my Mike attack the triple option was to play outside 1/2 of QB to pitch.  I got this scheme from a coach in Texas, and I was suspect to it at first.  It works though, especially if your Mike is a player.  Let me say this, he needs to be athletic enough to tackle in space, because he will see some one-on-one tackles with him and the QB.  I will explain later how this works, when talking about the OLB's and their responsibilities vs. the triple option.  The first method of playing the Mike is safe, and works well if your Mike is not a good open field tackler.  The 2nd method, as you will see, is a more aggressive method of playing the triple option.  You have to evaluate your talent to see which method fits your personnel the best.




MLB Outside 1/2 of QB to pitch/OLB QB




MLB Dive to inside 1/2 of QB/OLB Outside 1/2 of QB to pitch



Outside Linebackers

When it comes to OLB's, I have done numerous things through the years with these players.  From having them align 1 yard off the LOS, to stacked over the slot, to keying the FB or keying the slot, you name it, I've done it.  I'm going to explain what has worked the best for me and why.  I prefer to align my OLB's over the slots with their toes on the heels of the DL.  I also prefer to have them key the slot they align over, or basically the near back.  The scheme I've used the most, had the OLB's key the slots and gave them the following 3 reads based on the slot's release:

1. Slot arcs inside/outside of you (NOT blocking you)- If the slot arcs, come to the LOS now, and settle, slow playing the QB.  Do not allow the ball to cross your face.  Play outside 1/2 of QB to pitch.
2. Slot arcs to block you- Attack the slot with the inside arm, do not allow QB to widen, play outside 1/2 of QB to pitch (pitch heavy). 
3. Slot folds (blocks inside, underneath the offensive tackle)- Attack LOS now, outside the DE, play for spill by DE (generally seen on midline or counter iso).



OLB alignment vs. Flexbone

 Very simply put, that's it.  I think schemes that try and adjust the OLB's assignment based on the block of the slot can confuse high school kids (believe me, I've tried it).  I'd prefer to keep it consistent, and as you can see, no matter what, vs. any triple option blocking scheme (#1's, and 2) the OLB has outside 1/2 of QB to pitch.  This scheme fits with the first scheme I talked about with the Mike LB's.  These are very easy, and very sound methods to teach when facing the Flexbone offense.

The OLB away from action is probably the most important of the 3, as Flexbone offensive coordinators (OC's) will try to use fast LB play against you, by utilizing their counter run game (counter iso/counter option).  For our OLB's in our first scheme, we told them, if your slot motioned away, stack the DE to your side and look inside for pullers (this means move directly back behind the DE).  This is tough, but not so tough it cannot be repped.  The OLB away from action has to slow play, looking for counter (guard pull, back or back misdirection), to dive leakage.  He has to be paitent, or he will not be in position to play the counter plays of the Flexbone offense.  The basic Flexbone counter run game, is usually 1 of 3 things, dive sally (GT counter to most), counter iso (no pull), and counter option (run rarely in Federation states due to the inability to cut block). 

The 2nd, more aggressive scheme, I played vs. the triple option, had the OLB's align in an outside shade on the slot, with their toes on the heels of the defensive line (DL).  In this scheme, if the slot released outside or inside of the OLB auto blitzed the C gap area.   We were looking to force the pitch quickly and get the ball out of the QB's hands.  If the slot attempted to block the OLB, he wrong-armed the block down inside, maintaining C gap integrity.  If pass showed, the OLB away from motion auto blitzed off the edge, adding to the pressure.  We did this because we wanted them aggressive against the option, but not to hesitate trying to read pass.  Since most of the Flexbone's passing game is playaction, this gave us an extra defender at the point of attack (POA), and since we were rolling coverage anyway based on motion, it basically became a zone blitz.

Stunts

I first learned about stunting against the Flexbone when I faced a very mediocre 3-3 stack team when I was an OC (again, back in the day).  We went into the game assuming they were going to play 4I's with the DE's and the OLB's would be stacked behind them.  This gave us the feeling that the DE would pinch to take the dive and the OLB would scrape for QB.  Very easy, and the 3-3 to us was an 8 man front to us, so no problem right?  Wrong!  They aligned in 4 techniques with the DE's and stacked the LB right behind him.  All night long they played games based on motion and made life miserable for our QB.  Sometimes the LB would come inside and take dive while the DE sat for the QB, other times the DE slanted down inside and smacked the FB while the OLB blitzed outside for the QB.  In reading up in the off season, I came across an article on "echo" stunts ( for more on echo stunt check out Coach Iannucci's blog here) and what they were trying to accomplish.  Echo stunts were always tough to handle for young QB's, and we had to rep these constantly throughout the season.  One day, in the defensive war room, I decided "How can we run echo stunts from our 4-3?".  I had moved to using the defense that most of you saw Iowa run vs. Georgia Tech. in the 2010 Orange Bowl.  Our LB's were close to being stacked behind the DE and I thought they could execute the stunt from that alignment.  We tried it against ourselves, and it worked very well!  Here is the echo stunt out of the 4-3.  The key here, again, is that the OLB is keying the slot he aligns over.  If this slot does not motion, he screams into the B gap for the FB.  The DE, does not honor the down block by the tackle, yet "sits" or "sqauts" on the LOS for the QB.  This was a good stunt, until you came up against the QB that could area read (read open/closed windows rather than defenders).  We face one of these in the playoffs several years back that torched the echo stunt.  Back to the drawing board again!  So we came up with a different version of a stunt, this one involved the OLB and the secondary!




Echo Stunt


I had a young LB's coach, that kept wanting me to put the OLB on the pitch with the safety on the QB and DE/MLB on the dive.  I kept shrugging him off as "young" and immature until I drew it up, and it looked pretty good!  I base out of a rotation "sky" Cover 3 when facing the Flexbone.  Our safeties cross read the slots and move on motion.  Flexbone offenses that watched film on us, knew this and knew who was going to take pitch.  So we ran a simple stunt we called "switch".  I know, I'm not much for names, but it simply meant the safety and OLB "switched" their assignments putting the safety on the QB, and the OLB on the pitch (listen to your young coaches, they DO have some good ideas).  As you can see from the illustration, the safety rotating down based on motion, comes inside and drills the QB on option plays to him.  We ran this in practice and the 1st time we ran it, the QB got hit so hard he fumbled the ball 10 yards backwards!!!  However the first time we ran it in the game, they pitched it for a 48 yard touchdown (had to coach up our OLB on that one).  The OLB did not take a flat enough angle to take the pitch, but we got it corrected and gave the team we were playing fits! 




Switch Stunt


The echo stunt and the switch stunt are two excellent ways of attacking a Flexbone QB.  In my experience, if you can rattle him early with these stunts, you have him and the offense right where you want them.  You are also attacking an offense, that most teams sit back and play passive against.  I think this is a must when playing the Flexbone.

In the next segment, I will discuss the secondary and what I've done in the past to defend this offense.  Don't go anywhere!!!!

Duece

Defending the Flexbone-Coach Hoover's Site

If you are a defensive coach, you've gotta read Coach Hoover's latest blog posts, they are excellent!!!  I like how he breaks things down from the ground (defensive line) up (secondary).  Check out the posts!

Defensive Tackle Play vs. the Flexbone

Defensive End Play vs. the Flexbone

Middle Linebacker Play vs. the Flexbone

Outside Linebacker Play vs. the Flexbone

Safety Play vs. the Flexbone

Cornerback Play vs. the Flexbone

You really need to read this, you couldn't get this much information if you went to 10 clinics!!!!  All written by some excellent defensive minds out there from the Coach Huey Board, affectionately called the "Dream Team" by Coach Hoover (who was I...the ballboy?)! 

I'm going to add to these posts over the next couple of weeks talking about some stunts that you can use out of a 4 man front that can really destroy the triple option QB's confidence.  Please stay tuned, and excellent job Coach Hoover. 

Duece

The down and up stunt vs. the zone read play

The zone read is not what it used to be in college football, however in the lower levels, this play is still a staple of many spread teams run game.   I have been asked by some to share a stunt we call the down and up stunt.  I got this from my years working in option offenses in the college and high school ranks.  This was a cross between the "squeeze" stunt and the "squat" stunt utilized by many teams trying to trick the option quarterback.  These stunts are shown below.

Squeeze

Squat

As a special note to our offensive guys, more on option stunts and how to handle them may be found here:3 back option football . 

The main purpose of the down-and-up stunt is to confuse the QB into thinking one thing, when you are actually doing another.  This is nothing new to defensive football, however I rarely hear of teams utilizing this technique against the zone read. 

In the beginning, our DE's would honor the block-down-step-down rules to a tee, when attacking zone read teams.  However, we found that sometimes the QB was a better runner than the RB.  The first thing we did was add a switch in responsibilities with the DE and the LB.  This was identical to the squat stunt, the DE came off the ball, and just squatted waiting for the QB to pull the football.  The LB behind him, could them come down inside and chase the RB.  This wasn't too bad, and worked at first because teams who played us were used to seeing our DE chase.  What happened was we faced some good tackles that could cut off our LB's, and we also found teams started trapping our "soft" end and still having the QB keep it.  So this was the beginning of the down and up.  We had to find a way to "trick" the QB into pulling the football, yet keep our DE there to play the QB.  We also needed to be able to get hands on the OT, to keep him from getting a free release to the LB.  In short, this is how the down and up was born.  Now lets look more into the technique of the stunt.

The technique involved in the down-and-up stunt, was exactly the same as that of the DE's reaction to a downblock.  We taught our DE's, on a downblock read, to read down the line to up the field.  Basically looking for a puller, or kickout block or ballcarrier from the inside.  When we ran our squat stunt, the DE would never see the pulling guard until it was too late.  Now, by having him still get hands on, he could see if there was a puller coming his way.  If so he was still able to engage it, and wrong shoulder the puller (a term we called splatter).  What the DE did was, get hands on, but not as aggressive as he would vs. a normal down block.  He would still read down the line to up the field, and upon seeing no puller, he would set his feet and drive vertically into the backfield.  This technique got the DE's shoulders turned, which to the QB looked like a pull read.  However, the DE at the last possible moment, would disengage the OT and come upfield for the QB. 

To clarify, this was just a stunt we used, not something we sat in all the time.  However it gave us three ways to defend, at the time, one tough running play.  It made life miserable for zone read QB's, and forced a lot of teams out of their base play.  I know zone read football isn't what it was just a few years ago, however, this is a very good stunt to have in your arsenal if you run up against a team that is very good at running the zone read play.

Duece