TGOG Film

Well, it's finally here!  For those that have doubted the technique, a dear friend of mine, and colleague, Coach Barry Hoover, who runs Coach Hoover's Football Coaching Site, has done all the leg work for me in finding the proper cut-ups for the film and putting it all together.  I can take no credit here, Coach Hoover's a fine individual, who by the way, can tear up some BBQ!!!  Anhow, here is the film, hope everyone enjoys it!

Some other things to look at this off-season:

Brophy stirring the pot with Florida State and Mickey Andrew's famous "jet" technique and pass rush technique in his latest blog post.  He also has another good post on the "In, At, Out" Drill for LB's.

Some other sites to check out are in my blog roll.  Always give these guys a look, there's some good stuff out there!

Smart Football
Hit Em' Hard
Spread Football
Blitzology
Compete in All Things

These are just a few in my blog roll.  Great stuff out there written by great coaches that take time out of their busy schedules to help us out.  Thanks guys!!!  Dog days of summer are here, don't get lacidasical!!!!  Season's right around the corner.

Duece

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

For Those Looking For Some TGOG Video and Technique

Here is some video that may help explain things a bit better.  Though some of the techniques are a bit different than the method I describe in my posts, the theory is basically the same.

Some confusion that's been going on is alignment and assignment.  First off, the rules are clear and concise.  When the defense aligns, regardless of the front, the DL know their assignment based on the status of their inside gap.  If their inside gap is open, then they are a two gapper.  If the inside gap is occupied, then they are a one gapper.

Some other questions have been on whether or not the one gapper will still spill.  My answer has been, yes if he can, if not, no big deal, he did his job by getting off the ball and getting up field.  He should be aligned wide enough to see this, but it's not imperative that he spill, in my opinion.  The run fits work with or without him spilling.

I've had coaches ask me about the various fronts you can run this technique out of, to which my answer has been "I do not know" because all I've ever run it out of is an even front.  Some coaches are suggesting running a two gap nose and have the DT's or DE's in an outside shade and let them two gap.  Look, the idea here is simple, use the technique and the rules, and apply them accordingly.

Another thing I got from my friend who runs this technique is he has switched to using this technique against one back teams only now.  Against two and three back teams he has moved to a traditional way of playing blocks and utilizes a one-back adjustment to the base technique which is TGOG.  When I ran it (by sheer accident) I used it as a call, so really, the sky's the limit when it comes to how you want to package this with your defense.

I really don't know any other way to explain the technique other than what I have.  Hopefully the videos can give me a bit of credibility on the basis of the technique, since some of my peers feel that if it isn't run on Saturdays or Sundays then the technique isn't worth squat!  Anyhow, just thought I'd take a break from writing this book to drop a blurb on TGOG to set things straight.

DL - Pete Jenkins - 1 Gap, 2 Gap Technique (2009) Title 1 from Duece on Vimeo.

Duece

Defensive Line Play-"Running the Circle"



Yep, it's just that simple...

Keeping with the theme of defensive line play, let's look at how a defender should wrong arm a kick out block.  Whether this block is from a pulling guard, H-back, or a fullback, it does not matter.  The elements of being able to execute gap exchange are essential for those choosing to use a gap scheme defense.  As with anything, we will look at history first and then describe the technique itself. 

History
As with most of my stuff, none of it is original.  I have a dear friend who played defensive line at a some small colleges in the Midwest and he learned this technique and he passed it on to me.  As I've gotten into writing and discussing my philosophy, techniques, and videos, people have asked me about how I teach the wrong-arm technique.  Wrong-arming, or "splattering" as we referred to it at my last job, is not a new technique.  The good ol' boys at Miami back in the mid 80's put the offensive world on its ear when they developed this technique, and all but eliminated the triple option from existence.  Gap exchange was born, and the technique spread throughout the land like wildfire.  As with any technique and how it spreads, the more diluted the technique gets, from the original inventor, the more different things become.  Not to say this is bad, as I think many coaches have been able to put their "spin" on techniques to make them better, so this "dilution" is NOT a bad thing.  As a matter of fact, this dilution is what led us to the topic of this very post!




"I knew we were up to something good!"

When I first encountered wrong-arming it was in college, and boy was I startled by it!  Being an offensive lineman, and pulling down the line only to have your legs taken out from under you was quite different than what I was used to in high school.  The way it was taught by the defensive coordinator where I went to school, was for the defensive lineman to attempt to cut the blocker in half, or essentially cut the blocker down.  This served to create a pile, and an absolute mess in the backfield.  So, as my experience playing, eventually led to coaching, this is how I started to teach the wrong-arm.  Nothing wrong with this at all, and for years I had some success doing so.  Until one day, when I went to a small local clinic, and even though I wasn't paying much attention to what the guy was talking about at the clinic, I do remember he made the comment "Never trade one-for-one, always play plus one on defense".  I've never forgotten this, and to this day, it's is very much a part of my defensive philosophy.  Never did I know it was going to tie into how I was coaching my defensive linemen.

Later in my coaching career, I coached with a guy who is literally the best defensive line coach I know.  He doesn't know much "big picture" stuff, but when it comes to actual defensive line play technique, I'd be hard pressed to find a better coach on the subject.  Well, for six years he was my defensive line coach, and he introduced me to the topic of "Running the Circle".  He was taught this where he played college football, and he explained it to me, much the same as the clinic speaker did.  Never trade one-for-one.  Running the circle keeps the one-for-one from happening.  When you cut the blocker, or simply "stone" the blocker, you have effectively traded one-for-one.  When you run the circle, as you will see, you now are back to "plus one" for the defense.

Running the Circle
What does this technique involve?  Quite simply, it's wrong-arming, but taken one step further.  When the defender has recognized the kick out block and is going to wrong-arm the blocker, he will attack the inside, or up field breast plate.  Now, before I learned this technique our aiming point was the up field hip.  Not any more, we don't want to cut anyone and we want our defender in a position to still be able to make a play.  As the defender runs through his aiming point, he attempts to elevate the breastplate of the blocker.  The defender does this by accelerating on contact.  By attacking only half of the blocker, this begins to turn or "spin" the blocker in place.  Effectively you have still wrong-armed, or gap exchanged, even though you've not created a huge mess, you are still closing gaps with bodies.  As the defender continues to accelerate and spin the blocker, he should attempt to completely turn 180 degrees from his initial contact angle.  This is called "Running the Circle".  The video shows the technique better than I can probably describe it however. 

DL Play - Running the Circle - Deuce and OJW from Barry Hoover on Vimeo.


The idea here is that the blocker is now neutralized, as he's only getting half of your defender, and your defender has still effectively exchanged gaps.  Secondly, the defender is still on his feet, and by making the 180 degree turn, he can now do one of two things.  The defender can either help chase down the running back who has spilled outside to the primary force player, or he can fall back in on the running back who has been caged in by the primary force player and is trying to cut back.  One immediate area I saw instant results with this technique was that every now and then we had the GT counter (counter trey) cut back into the playside A gap for big gains on us.  Not often, but when it did, sometimes it was quite deadly.  Once we installed this technique as our base technique for wrong-arming, we never saw the cutback hurt us again on the counter. 

Running the circle can also be utilized by the interior defensive linemen as well.  Basically any lineman that is executing gap exchange and wrong-arming does this technique for me.  As you can see in the video, the technique makes life difficult for opposing blockers.  Offensive coaches don't mind trading one-for-one, but one-for-none is what they get when you teach running the circle.

So as you can see you are now playing defense 11 on 10, which is what you want.  Again, you want to be "plus one" in every way you can when it comes to defending offenses, and the running the circle technique allows you to do this.

Duece

Putting it all Together-Run Fits in the Two Gap/One Gap Scheme

Since writing the piece on the Two Gap/One Gap (TGOG) scheme for defensive line (DL) play, I've had a lot of coaches ask about the linebacker reads and run fits when utilizing this scheme.  The TGOG is one scheme I've seen that makes your LB's play extremely fast.  The reason: there are basically little to no reads.  Most of us have some sort of read or recognition scheme in place for our LB's.  Whether it be guard-readers, back-readers, cloudy/clear, etc., all of us defensive coaches have a system in place that allows our LB's to get their reads and keys.  The difference with the TGOG scheme, is that there are no more reads, only keys. 

Let's take a look at the "typical" run fits you will see from a standard 21 personnel I formation team.  I'm going to look at these three plays in this article:

1. Isolation
2. Power (G)
3. Counter (GT)

Before looking at the individual play, let's look at LB reads in a generic fashion so as to display the glaring differences between the read/key system and the key system of the TGOG scheme.

As I mentioned, most schemes use a visual key to stimulate the LB to read the play.  Some coaches use near back, far back, offensive line or a combination of two or all of the above.  Whatever it is you use, there is a key and then a read that must occur to allow your players to decipher the play.  The key is a visual object, such as the near back.  Most coaches use and "if/then" approach to coaching the key read system.  What this means is, we teach by stating "If the near back does X, then you do Y".  So your player is looking to decipher the key's initial movement (X) and then react to what he's been trained to do if he sees this movement (Y).  There is nothing wrong with this system, so before the lynch mob shows up at my front door, please understand I've done this very same system for many years with mixed success.  However, upon being introduced to the TGOG scheme, I realized that by reducing the reads to a very simple and clear cut reaction, you get faster LB speed, which thereby puts your players in a better position to make a play.

How it works is simple, because you as the defensive coach know what gaps are filled pre-snap, you can convey this to your LB corps.  What happens is that you can now tell your LB's instead of seeing a key make a movement and then having to scrape to the open window, you can simply say "run through this gap".  This type of attack reaction is nothing new, our odd front brethren (especially the 3-3/3-5 guys) have been doing this for years.  All you are doing now is utilizing the same philosophy of the odd front guys, but out of the even front.  Pictures are worth a thousand words, and I'm sure by now I have you thoroughly confused, so let's look at the run fits of the three plays mentioned earlier and clear some things up.

Isolation
The Iso play is quite simple and is shown below.  This play can be seen from two back 21 personnel teams, to one back spread teams.  The idea is to "isolate" one LB and use a lead blocker to block this person while the offensive line (OL) blocks everyone else. 

Look at the reaction by the defense, one can see it's the usual run fits for the 4-2-5.  However it's the "how" the defense gets to this point that makes the TGOG scheme such a great system.  Looking from strong to weak, the strong DE is a two gap player, meaning he has the C gap and doesn't have to honor the arc release by the TE. The three technique, is also a two gapper, so he's in a very, very tight three alignment.  He's thinking bull rush and stop the trap.  When he gets the base block, he simply comes underneath and slides into the A gap.  The strong side inside LB (SILB) will see the B gap open and will attack the outside breast plate of the lead blocker.  This LB is the "box back" player, meaning he is to box the ball in to the backside LB.  On the weak side of the play, the Nose, is a one gap player, meaning he is getting up field and upfield quickly.  This technique of upfield play will not allow the center to come off for fear the backside guard (BSG) will not be able to cut off the Nose and the Nose will make the play.  The weakside five technique is a two gapper, so he's thinking bull rush and spill any puller or kickout block.  If they zone away from him, he comes screaming down the LOS looking to spill any puller.  If they hinge block him, he will come underneath and then work down the LOS to the football.  The weakside inside linebacker (WILB) is the key to defending this play.  First off, I do not coach my LB's to have cutback.  The number one way to slow a LB down is have him play the cut back.  I want fast LB's so the WILB, knowing (because you've coached it this way) that both the A and B gaps to his side are taken, only has to react to flow strong one way.  He is to intersect the path of the lead blocker from the inside and look for the ball.  The WILB in this case is known as the spill LB.  Simple, fast, and easy to coach.  So, the WILB only has to react one way to his key's movement.  There is no open window/closed window etc. you are TELLING him where to go based on his keys movement.  The Strong Safety, (SS), Free Safety, (FS) and Weak Safety (WS) all handle cutback and force duties.  This way your LB's can play fast and your opponent will swear you either have a copy of their playbook, or are blitzing every down.  Now let's look at the weakside isolation play.

To the weak side, the weak DE, being a two gapper, will come underneath the base block by the tackle and play outside the fullback's (FB) isolation block.  The nose is getting upfield, so he is constricting the run lane from the backside, thereby helping with the cut back.  The WILB, knowing the DE has B gap, the Nose has A gap, and the SILB will be inside the fullback, he can scrape outside for the spill.  To the strong side, the three technique is purely thinking king of the boards (KOB) and stop the trap, so when the guard scoops, he's coming hard down the LOS looking to spill any puller.  He's doing this as he drives the OG down inside, thereby keeping the OG from being able to cut off the SILB.  The strong DE is getting also a two-gapper, so he comes screaming inside the TE and forces the OT/TE to combo him thereby keeping the SS free for playing the cutback.  The SILB, knowing that the A and B gaps, as well as any threat of the cutback has been taken away is the "free runner" here.  He can fly across the hip of the Nose to inside the lead blocker.  So to the weak side the WILB is the box back player while the SILB is the spill player.  This concept is not new and has been referred to on other sites as "lever, spill, lever".  What is different is how the LB's get into their role.  The TGOG LB, runs to a certain spot, while others have to "read" their way there.

Power
The power play, is similar to the isolation play, but the play side DE is being isolated now instead of the play side LB.  Here is how the run fits in the TGOG scheme look when the Power is run to the strong side of the formation.

Here the strong side DE is the isolated player.  The strong DE is thinking get up the field, however once he sees the near hip of the OT go down inside, he's coming flat down inside to spill the kick out block by the FB.  The three technique is two gapping as well, which puts him under the double team and helping with the cutback.  The SILB knowing that the A and D gaps are taken care of can scrape over the strong side DE's spill and play the C gap.  This LB is the lever LB, and will take on all blocks with his outside arm free.  To the weak side, the Nose gets up the field and helps to contain the runner from the backside.  The weak DE is a two-gapper, so when the OT either scoops or hinges this player will come underneath and play the cut back through the B gap.  The WILB knowing he has no cutback responsibilities is a free runner and can scrape across the midline to play the strong side B gap.  This LB is the spill LB, and will take on all blocks with his outside shoulder.

To the weak side nothing changes for any player.  The weakside DE is a two-gapper so he mashes the OT down inside and spills the FB's kickout block.  The Nose works upfield and plays the cutback.  The WILB, knowing all the gaps to his side are filled, can scrape outside and is the box back player to the weakside.  To the strong side both DL are two-gappers so they are coming down hard and flat and trying to eat up two blockers in doing so not allowing any blockers to come off on the SILB and SS.  The three technique is also working to get in the hip pocket of the puller in an attempt to chase the play down from the backside.  The SILB is the free runner, and the spill player, so he is free to scrape across the formation and spill the lead block of the pulling guard.

Counter
Defending the counter requires one hard and fast set of rules.  These rules, which I have used for many years were stolen from legendary defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan.  To properly defend the counter, or as I call it the GT counter (for Guard and Tackle pulling-some call this the Counter Trey), you need:

1. A defender allocated to be outside the first puller.
2. A defender who plays inside the first puller, but outside the second puller.
3. A defender to play inside the second puller.

Looking at the diagram below we can see how the TGOG scheme defends the Counter Trey.

The strong side DE, being the two-gapper will come down inside and spill the first puller (this is the player inside the first puller and outside the second puller).  The three technique, works down inside the A gap and plays for any cut back runs by the running back (some of the most dangerous runs on Counter Trey come in either the weak or strong A gap cut backs).  The SILB, will step with his key (the running back for me) and rock back, knowing the A and B gaps are taken, he can scrape outside and play for the spill by the DE (the SILB in this case is the "outside the first puller" player).  On the weak side, the Nose helps to keep the RB contained by clogging up the weak A gap.  The Nose also makes the pulling guard and tackle's job difficult too by trying to create a "bubble" in the weak A gap for both the guard and the tackle to have to work around.  Good Noseguards can even pick off one of these players so the front side of the play doesn't have a chance.  The weak DE, being a two-gapper is going to try and get to the tackle, and once he sees the kickout block by the FB, he will spill this block and attempt to chase the play.  This is good technique for holding up the FB's release on waggle or counter-boot plays that are common playaction passes off of GT counter action.  The WILB will react to his key,  then rock back to the strong side coming off the hip of the Nose and playing for the cutback.  This LB is the "inside the second puller" player mentioned in the list above.

To the weak side, the weak DE, being a two-gapper, will mash the OT's release down inside and spill the first puller (inside the first puller, outside the second puller).  The Nose gets off the ball and works upfield to create havoc for the pulling guard and tackle and to control the RB cutting back into the weak A gap.  The WILB, once he knows the play is counter, is free to scrape outside the weak DE and play outside the first puller, as the box back player.  On the back side of the play, the Tackle attempts to get in the hip pocket of the guard and is working hard to keep one or both pullers from doing their job while he attempts to chase the play and help with the cutback.  The strong DE, being a two-gap player is working into the C gap and will spill the kickout block by the FB.  The SILB, will work off the hip of the Nose and play inisde the second puller (this is the spill player).

Uniqueness of the system
I used to be an open window/closed window guy in terms of what I taught my LB's to read.  At one point this did speed us up, but I never felt like my guys were fast enough to their reads.  I ran across this scheme and a friend of mine was doing it, so he and I had several discussions and what I found out was, no longer do you teach LB's reads, you teach "fits".  In other words, based on the alignment of the front, the LB's now know what gaps are open and closed presnap.  No longer are they wondering "will that three technique get reached?", instead they are reacting to flow and getting to their point of attack.  This system takes all the guesswork out of high school linebacking.  This scheme is also what has allowed our odd front brethren, such as the 3-3 stack to make it appear as though they are blitzing on every play.  The reason these teams look so fast, is that their LB's are not reading, they simply "fitting" where the are supposed to be based on backfield flow!  The simplicity of the linebacking when playing behind the TGOG scheme will free up your LB's to be runners and attackers instead of readers and reactors.

Nothing like a little reading!

Hopefully this will be out in time for you guys going into spring football.  I challenge you to install this system and let it work for you.  You will see LB's playing much faster than ever before, and it's all because you've freed those "big uglies" up inside!  Good luck!


Duece

TGOG Edited and Other Tidbits

In my haste to write this post I had a slight mix-up in defining who was the two-gapper and who was the one-gapper.  The edited post can be found here.  I'm working on the LB post, and I'm going to also do some more work on the 46 Nickel and some other DL techniques I've utilized over the years.  Here is some video of a "homemade" clinic myself and some other colleagues put together back in November.  Just some old coaches sharing ideas and pizza, EXACTLY what coaching clinics should be about. 

Hang in there, I'm getting to these posts as quick as I can.  Hopefully I can get you some useful information before you start spring football.

Here are the video links:
http://vimeo.com/39547440 (How You Sell It)
http://vimeo.com/39529613 (Running the Circle)

Duece

An Interesting Twist on Defensive Line Play in the Four Man Front

I recently had the privilege to sit down with a colleague of mine and share some thoughts about defensive line (DL) play in the four man front.  Both of us have very similar philosophies when it comes to the "big uglies" up front...LET EM' PLAY.  However, we also both agree that a DL cannot just be a loose cannon either.  So we discussed at length what our DL reads, and DL play was about and came to a very startling conclusion.  That is the purpose of this article, is to discuss several aspects of DL play, and how us as coaches can alleviate some pressure off of our DL by using simple rule changes to how we defend our opponents blocking schemes.  I think in the end you will be pleased with our findings, and these findings will actually help speed up your linebackers (LB's) as well.

The Big Four
I have always been a proponent of teaching the "big four" block reactions.  These are as follows:

1. Base block
2. Reach block
3. Down block
4. Pass pro block (high hat read)

As I was taught, here is how the DL should react to all of the following blocks.

1. Base- DL should attack the V of the neck and fight pressure with pressure looking to collapse the offensive lineman (OL) back into the gap to the inside.
2. Reach- DL works laterally to maintain gap integrity and still fights pressure with pressure, but this time in an attempt to not have his outside shoulder reached.
3. Down- DL gets hands on the blocker and mashes blocker down into gap to the inside, and then plays down the line to up the field read looking to:
1. Spill the first puller (trap)
2. Spill the kick out block (power)
3. Tackle the ball carrier (veer/midline)
4. Pass- DL works up field in his rush lane and makes a move to attempt to sack the quarterback (QB).

Defeating the base block the traditional way

Defeating reach blocking

Wrong arming the trap block

I know these are generic ways of teaching the technique, but you basically understand what I was teaching to my DL.  Now let's look at a little history on how my colleague and I arrived at our DL philosophies.

History of DL Play
In my early years, wrong arming was the new wave of things, and the "big four" reads above were just being taught.  I remember sitting in clinics thinking of how simple and sound this stuff was compared to the old DL reads I'd been teaching in the 50 defense (yes, I was an odd front guy, many moons ago, but not by choice).  Anyhow, my defensive coordinator at the time was switching to the 4-3, and all of this made sense and really came into play.  We put teams on their ears as they did not know what to do with this new DL technique.  Wrong arming was especially tough on our opponents.  Back then we taught one-for-one and had our lineman cut any pullers they came up against (we were taught that way back then).  Later on we changed this to "running the circle" and getting a two-for-one advantage. 

Then comes the spread!  Well, being a 4-3 Quarters guy, there were several times we were left with a 4-1 box and had to something to alleviate some pressure on middle linebacker (MLB).  At first we simply ran a stunt we had in our base package called "knife".  The knife stunt simply told the defensive end (DE) to slant one gap inside his normal alignment.  This worked good until you ran up against a QB who could scramble.  The QB simple rolled outside  your DE that had pinched and had no pressure in his face now.  So we came up with a way to keep our base reads, but change the ones that were giving us trouble, by creating a stunt we called "Ed".  Ed stands, for end down and has been talked about in many of my defending flexbone posts.  Basically the "big four" reads remain the same, except for that of the base block.  In the Ed stunt, I had the DL wrong arm the base block, thereby putting them down one gap inside their normal alignment.  It was accomplishing the same thing the knife stunt was, but now on a pass protection read, the DL used the same technique we normally taught and was able to still contain the QB.  Later on, we added the "TED" stunt, which stood for tackle and end down, meaning that both the tackle and the DE's were going to wrong arm any base block they got.  The TED stunt was very good against the midline and counter iso plays I was seeing at the time from some of our flexbone opponents.

Ed stunt vs. base block

I have used the Ted and Ed stunts on and off for the past seven years, with a great deal of success.  We also used these stunts to help protect what some would call, less-than-adequate LB's as well.  These were LB's who could not meet the isolation play consistently at or around the line of scrimmage (LOS), for whatever reason (fear, inability, athleticism, etc.).  The stunt took away the inside gap that was being opened and spilled the ball outside where our lesser players could simply run it down.  The stunt and technique, coupled with safety run support, made for a very sound scheme, even when I didn't have a great corps of LB's. 

Ed stunt protecting OLB

Which leads me to the next historical point of my friend and his conversation with his DL coach a few years back.  Due to his request I will leave my friend and where he coaches out of this, but a few years back he and his DL coach were having a conversation in a defensive team meeting, when they noticed a weak kid they had at DE getting reached constantly.  The young man did good on traps and spilling the puller, and was a pretty good pass rusher as well.  The young man simply could not handle the reach block.  So my friend asked his coach, in preparation for an upcoming playoff game, "Will he get reached?".  To which the DL coach said "yes".  Anyhow, they lost the playoff game (not because of the DE, obviously), and in the off-season, my friend headed out in search of an answer to his troubles.  What my friend looked for were colleges that consistently did not get quite the same talent as those around them, or in their conference, yet were very competitive year in and year out.  Again, for anonymity I will not disclose where he found this technique, but the funny thing is, I had been doing some of it and never even knew it.

This technique is simply known to us as "Two-gap, one gap", and is probably not as revolutionary as some think, however in discussing this with coaches I find not many use this technique.  To look at how things work with the TGOG system, let's take a look at just what the scheme is from the ground up.

The Basic Scheme
The basic TGOG system is very simple.  There will be two one gap linemen, and two two gap linemen in the four down lineman system.  There will also be one of these to each side, so that the defense has a two gapper, and a one gapper on each side of the football.  Now let's look at how you determine which DL play which technique.

The simplicity of the system lies in the lack of specialization.  I used to be a coach that every player had to have a "special" job or quality, but have quickly found out that this leads to a large teaching problem.  Specialization, though it sounds cool, can and will frustrate you as a coach.  The more generic you can be with your coaching, the more you can accomplish with your players.  This is the old triple option coaches axiom of "Multiplicity through simplicity".  In DL terms, this means having two ends and two tackles, not a strong end, weak end, nose and tackle.  Both the tackles and ends should be interchangeable meaning that these players should be able to play both the strong and weak sides of a formation equally.

Ok, so now that the lack of specialization has been addressed, we can now focus on the first part of playing DL, alignment.  The alignment in the TGOG system is very important.  The one gap lineman aligns in a "looser than normal" alignment.  So for the DE, this would mean that if he were to normally align in a five technique, he would align in a seven technique (even if there wasn't a tight end present).  The two gap lineman aligns very tight, almost head up on the OL.  So if a DE were to be in a five technique he would align with his nose on the outside eye of the offensive tackle (OT).  The reasons for this variation in alignment, will be discussed later.

The way the TGOG system works is very simple.  For the interior linemen, if you are in a two technique or higher, you two-gap.  If you are in a two-eye technique or lower, then you one-gap.  So, in our base over front, the weakside tackle is in a one technique and he is a one gapper, meaning he will more than likely align in the A gap (wider than a normal one technique) and is only responsible for the A gap, getting upfield and wrecking havoc.  On the strong side the strong tackle is in a three technique, so he is a two-gapper.  The two-gapper will align much tighter than a normal three technique and will utilize the two-gap technique.  All the DE's have to do is ask themselves this simple question "Is the gap inside of my alignment vacant or occupied (you can use open or closed either one will suffice).  If the gap is open, then the DE is a two-gapper.  However, if the gap is closed, then the DE is a one-gapper (as shown above).


The one gap lineman is quite simply summed up in one phrase...pass rusher.  When you coach the one gap lineman the main goal is to get off the football, get up field and disrupt blocking schemes via penetration.  Now I know many of you die-hards are going "Oh yeah, well I'll just trap your ass".  Well, it isn't quite that easy, however that is the main focus of coaching the one gap player.  The one gap player should avoid blocks, and get up the field.  If the player is the one technique, think penetration and disruption.  The DE is simply turned loose, and allowed to rush around the corner.  Now I know what you are thinking, however there are block reactions.

The one gap DL is very simply put, to maintain the gap they are aligned in.  The reaction to the base, reach and pass set are all the same, get up field and rush around the corner.  The only thing that changes on the down block, is the angle of attack that the DL will take to the football.  When the OL down blocks, the one gap DL will get into "chase" mode and come flat down the LOS.  It does not matter how the one-gapper handles the trap block.  When in doubt, he is to spill if he can, however if he boxes, this is not a problem either.  That is the beauty of the system, let the one-gappers go and wreck havoc.  That's it!  The one gap technique is very aggressive and very simple, which allows you to teach both the one gap and two gap techniques to your DL.

1 gap DE reaction to base, reach and pass set

1 gap DE reaction to down block (chase)

The two gapper, is also every bit as simple as the one gapper.  The two gapper is only a two gapper on paper, meaning he aligns in one gap, but is responsible for another.  When coaching the two gap DL, think King of the Boards drill.  The two gapper is in KOB mode all the time.  The reason for this is simple, in the KOB drill, there is no advantage to either side, it is simply put, man-on-man, may the best man win.  In a game situation however, OL have to react to stunts and movements by the DL to maintain leverage.  Even zone teams, will anticipate certain movements or reactions from DL aligned in certain techniques.  Basically, OL in game situations are more tentative than they are in KOB drills.  The DL however, knowing what he has to do (basically bull rush), is clearly at the advantage.  No matter what the OL does, the DL's job is to drive this defender backwards.  The DL is actually assigned to the gap inside his alignment because of this technique.  So against the base, reach and pass set, the DL will bull rush directly at the OL he aligns over.  Once the block is read, contact is made and the OL driven back the DL will then slip into the inside gap.  Against the down block scheme the DL is still trying to mash the OL back, but will now mash him down inside, thereby physically placing himself looking down the line into either the path of the puller, or the running back.  The key element for two gap players is contact and hands.  Two gappers must always get hands on the OL.  The two gapper cannot run around or avoid blocks, yet he must run through them, at least through contact, before getting into his assigned gap.  I keep the movement into the gap very simple and have the DL execute a rip move inside.  This does two things, it defeats most OL blocks that are base or reach, because the blocker has lost leverage on his backside gap.  This rip move also turns the DL down inside whereas he can still wrong arm any influence trap that may occur.

2 gap DE vs. base, reach and pass pro blocks

2 gap DE vs. down block

The only tweak to this scheme is that of the two gap DE.  The two gap DE, against a pass set will still bull rush, but will not work inside until he's on the same level as the football.  This allows this DE to still keep contain on the QB if he was to roll or scramble to the two gap DE's side.  Once the DE sees the football and can react to it, then he makes his inside move.

Why Choose the TGOG Scheme?
The reason is very simple.  On the Huey board I took a poll to see how many DL coaches had that could consistently defeat the "big four" blocks.  The answers were pretty astounding, as you can see here.  As you can see, most coaches voted for either one or two DL that could consistently handle the "big four".  Basically put, on average only 50 percent of your DL was able to execute sound technique.  I'd be willing to bet, of that 50 percent, half of that could only execute half the time. 

Why is this you ask?  BDSD came from coaches who coach on Saturdays, and make their living finding and recruiting the best athletes possible.  High school coaches do not have the recruitment luxury (unless you are a private school), so what are we left to do?  There are two thoughts here, coach up what you have and let them play and when the fail you can simply chalk it up to lack of talent (see how long you keep your job).  Or, you can coach up your players and find ways to help them succeed.  There is nothing mentioned in the techniques above that a below average lineman cannot do.  However a below average lineman if he's worried about the trap, is going to get reached or kicked out.  If he's now worrying about the reach or base block, then he's susceptible to the trap and so forth.  You can argue this with me until your blue in the face, but you will not convince me that year in and year out you will find four guys that can execute the proper technique 70 percent of the time.

This is because college DL are asked to attack and react, quite simply put.  You must realize, that of all the high school DL probably less than five percent of those make it to the college ranks.  So why ask your Friday night player to do something they see on Saturdays?  Doesn't make sense.  To be honest, I feel this is the number on reason of the resurgence of the odd fronts such as the 3-4, 3-3, and the 3-5.  These schemes, usually, do not read blocks, yet slant their DL to certain areas to create confusion and to level the playing field by also knowing where they are going before the play starts (similar to the advantage an OL should have on any given play).  The four man line is weak in this area, because the linemen are asked not only to attack, but to react, and this puts them in pinch (no pun intended).  My friend and I, through years of watching DL getting reached, or have the trap mercilessly carve up our defenses, have turned the tables and are now able to get our players to attack similar to our odd front cousins.  If I had to choose one of the two traits of the four man DL, it would be that of attack.  I don't want players reacting, I want them attacking.  First off if you are reacting you are already a step behind, if you are attacking you are always a step ahead.

By now having predetermined gaps to go to on the snap, your LB reads can also become quicker and more aggressive.  Again, now you have your players attacking, not attacking and reacting.  The goal here is to remove the reaction as reaction is always a step behind.  A step behind on defense is giving up yardage, something we can all ill afford to do.  I will discuss these LB reads in another post, yet you can clearly see where utilizing this technique can have a major advantage for the defense.

An Added "Twist"
Another technique, that was added by my friend later was between the inside two DL.  The idea here was to always run a twist stunt to keep the OL on their toes.  How it works is when the two gap DL bull rushes and comes inside, he continues to work behind the center and into the A gap on the complete opposite side of the football from where he originally aligned.  The one gap DL will work up the field hard, as usual, but will then work off the stunt by the tackle and cross over the center into the A gap opposite his alignment.  The stunt is shown below.

In Conclusion
Our job, as coaches, is to put our players in the best position to make a play.  Quite simply put, however, how often do you try something you learned from a college coach at a clinic, only to have it fail?  Here is a simple solution to the woes many DL coaches have in getting their players to attack and react to offensive blocking schemes.  Now, by using the TGOG technique, you have the upper hand, and are creating attacking defenders instead of attacking and reacting.  This "is" putting YOUR players in a better position to be successful. 

Well, the off-season has been very quite, not much to do in junior high football I guess, but review film and tweak schemes.  Anyhow, I'm really looking for some aggressive onside kick stuff.  Even onside all the time type stuff.  If anybody has ANYTHING they can share with me, please email me at footballislifeblog@yahoo.com.  Hope all is going well for you and your program, don't snooze though, for many spring football is on its way!

Are you ready for spring football???

Duece

Defensive Line Play in the 46 Nickel

Well, after using the 46 Nickel for a couple of seasons now, I'm getting my stuff together and preparing some manuals. The first one is the defensive line (DL) manual. Defensive line play is critical in any defense, so the 46 is no different. One unique thing about the 46 is the defensive line play. For most that haven't watched Rex Ryan's video entitled "Coaching Football's 46 Defense", you are missing out on defensive line play. Before I dive into the "how", I'm going to go to the why, which will result in us strolling down memory lane a bit.

As some of you know, I went to the 46 out of pure desparation two years ago. The top reason I used the 46, was the defensive line play I learned from Rex Ryan. Ryan's method of teaching and reacting to blocking schemes fits lesser athletic and lesser talented DL. Two years ago if you would have looked up "lesser athletic and lesser talented DL" in the dictionary, a picture of my front four would have been in there! Needless to say, we needed something to help us out, and in this case scheme was our answer. So now that you see the "why", let's look at the "how".

Speaking of history and memory lane, for those that know me, they know I'm a big Miami 4-3 guy. It's the defense I cut my teeth with. The technique I was brought up on, was pure block down, step down (BDSD), and to this day BDSD is still a large part of my teaching when it comes to defensive line. The problem with some of the basic fundamentals of defensive line play in the Miami 4-3 is that it does take some athleticism to do some of the things being asked of these players. For most of my career I've had those guys, however at my last stop, and where I'm currently at, we are devoid of anything remotely close to what I'd call an athlete on our defensive lines. Basically, we are "space eaters" that are good at getting in the way of things, rather than getting off a block and making a play. So, enter in Rex Ryan's teaching on how to play DL!

I have always taught, there are four blocks that a DL has to react to and they are:

1. Base block
2. Reach block
3. Down block
4. Pass block 

Ryan does not do this, he teaches two very simple rules.  Don't get reached, and don't allow the jump-through (known by most as the scoop block).  So in essence he's taken the system I (and many others) learned and cut it in half.  Yes, I know pass blocking is the same for both, but that's a whole different topic.  Ryan lumps the base block and the reach block together, cutting the teaching down for both.  The down block is also treated like the scoop block, so no new teaching there either.  Ryan refers to this as "generic coaching".  What this means for those that are DL coaches, is you teach only a couple of sound reactions to blocks, and it has to do with basically the direction of the OL the DL aligns over.  You really cannot ask for a more simplified system. 

In 2009 this is just what we needed, as we were not good enough to react to four different blocks, yet we could master the two that Ryan taught.  The reads weren't the problem though, as much as the movements themselves.  Ryan teaches simpler, more effective movements and reactions to blocks, than some of the older, more traditional schemes do. 

Ryan goes further in his discussion on dividing blocks into two categories, rule blocks and reacitonary blocks.  The reach, scoop, and double team fall into the rule block category, while the fold, trap and pass blocks fall into reactionary blocks.  The reactions to all these blocks is still only 2 movements, which is the basis for the simplicity behind the way Ryan teaches his defensive linemen.  This worked perfectly for us, because we felt our DL could handle having their movements, basically cut in half.

Probably the most eye-opening of Ryan's teaching methods is his famous "hips to the hole" reaction.  Many schemes, such as the one we were teaching, focus on the DL's head and hand placement.  Ryan teaches the hips to the hole method of defeating the reach block and double team.  What this means, it that instead of the traditional teaching of "run with your gap" (the DL's gap moves with a reach block, so he must run to maintain it), Ryan teaches to swing the hips in the direction of the reach, thereby gaining leverage on the blocker and filling the gap with the DL body.  The traditional method, has the DL use a push-pull technique attempting to run with the blocker and keeping the DL's head in the gap, with the hips trailing behind.  When you look at it, the OL has all the leverage because the DL only has his head an one arm to stop the OL, whereas with Ryan's method, the DL is using all of his body and both arms to styme the OL and keep the gap from widening.  Again, the game and technique boil down to simple physics!  Sure, a good DL should be able to run with his gap, maintaining leverage, but after teaching both, with sub-par athletes at the DL position, I can tell you, Ryan's method is much better for those suffering from the LOFT syndrome (Lack of Freakin' Talent). 

The double team only gets tweaked ever so slightly, and that is by having the DL overexaggerate the swinging of the hips into the OL that is attempting to overtake him.  This stalemates double teams, because of physics once again.  The DL makes himself wider, thereby creating a larger "clot" in the gap, which is tougher to move than if he were to drop and try to make a pile.  Plus, if he drops to make a pile, you are trading one for two, not what you want on defense.  This method of defeating the double team also kills the combo block.  Looking at your typical three technique, if they are trying to combo and get an OL on the LB, the DL prevents this by grabbing one of the OL and swinging the hips into the other.  The hips, force the trailing OL to have to go around the DL, thereby losing blocking leverage on the scraping LB.  This is where the technique paid off for us.  We were getting our LB's killed on combo blocks because our guys were trying to be penetrators (which we taught), and once we switched our undersized LB's were able to fly to the football. 

To defeat the scoop blocking scheme is not all that much different than the reach block, as again, the DL is using simple physics against the blocker.  The DL shoots the hands into the OL as he feels the scoop block working away from him, he simply latches on to the OL and utilizes a push-pull technique which does one of two things.  First it slows the blocker's momentum down, which is a key element to scoop blocking (just watch Georgia Tech's OL).  This keeps the blocker from being able to gain leverage on a scraping LB.  The other thing it does, is prevent the DL from being cut, and frees up the DL to chase the play. 

These techniques are very easy to teach, but at the heart and soul of both techniques is the hand play of the DL.  I think hand play for DL is an extremely underrated technique.  Looking back, you will see the hand placement of the DL is critical.  When defeating the reach, it is imperative that the DL punch his hands into the near shoulder and sternum of the OL so as to styme the OL's movment so the DL can swing the hips and gain leverage.  If there is no punch, the momentum of the blocker is not stopped and the hips cannot be swung into the gap.  The jump through utilizes the hand placement even more so.  The DL must again, shoot the hands, so as to slow the momentup of the scoop blocker, and then be able to pull himself by and behind the blocker. 

I know that sounds quite complicated, but it's not.  To be honest neither style of DL technique will work with poor hand placement.  This is why I say, hand placement and proper punch technique are often overlooked and undertaught. 

The reactionary blocks are even simpler than the rule blocks.  Ryan states there is basically no wrong way to play these.  I had a hard time wrapping my head around this concept because my entire coaching career I'd been schooled in one thought of DL play.  But when you watch the techniques on the video and he describes the various methods of defeating these reactionary blocks, it really opens your eyes.  What it means to the DL coach is, let your guys play.  I think all coaches at some point in their careers are guilty of "overcoaching".  Ryan, I'm sure, has fell prey to this too, and has seen the light, as against the reactionary blocks he just lets his guys play.  This really makes teaching the DL simple, but at the same time, is highly effective.  A good example of this is the outside fold block on a three technique.  There are two very simple ways to attack this scheme.  The DL, if quick enough, can get off the ball and get in the hip pocket of the puller, thereby putting himself right in the gap being attacked.  Nothing wrong with that!  Now, say your DL is a bit of a bulkier guy (like ours were), there's nothing wrong with the DL "chipping" or clubbing across the face of the down block either.  This puts the DL right back into the gap where the offense is attacking.  As you can see, the two methods are equally effective, and since Ryan let's his guys play it, the players are playing to their abilities and not being forced into a scheme that they cannot execute.

Some of the other basic philosophies of the 46 DL are very similar to other defenses I've read about.  Ryan does not elaborate much on stances, other than the DL should be comfortable and able to move laterally.  Ryan does talk about using short choppy explosive steps rather than big steps in order for the DL to keep his balance.  One topic Ryan states is the abiltiy of the defender to neurtralize the blocker.  He does not ask his DL to create a new LOS, but rather maintain the LOS, which can be seen in the clips.  This maintenance of the LOS, means the LB's are free runners and able to attack open windows in the offense. 

When we made the jump to the 46 Nickel, the DL play was the top reason we made the switch.  The results were immediate, in one week we made a huge turnaround in our DL play, and the film grades showed.  Obviously there are some other nuainces to DL play in the 46, but the heart and soul is the technique shown here.  I never knew much about these until I bought Rex Ryan's book on the 46, as well as the DVD.  Both of these are must buys for anybody learning about playing the 46 defense.

Well, the offseason has begun.  Coaches are tweaking offenses, and defenses and players are hitting the weight rooms.  This is not a time to be standing still!  Recruiting is also in full swing, do your seniors a favor and work your tail off for them, just like they did for you.  You never know just how much that means to your players.  Hope everyone is off to a great New Year. 

Duece

P.S.- I need some good punt block info.  If anyone is willing to share, please, hit me up!!!