Now that we know some of the basics of the 4-3 defense, we can address other aspects of defensive game play including defensive play calls, coverage calls, and various in-game adjustments. The first two questions that many of you are probably asking is what is a base defense and why would you choose the 4-3 as your base defense? A base defense is a defense that is utilized in "normal" conditions and the standard platform (i.e., identifies positions, quantities of such positions, and core alignment strategies) by which the defense will operate. All of these items are important when creating strategies as well as evaluating need areas to be filled in the recruiting process. Normal conditions can be thought of as 1^st and 10, 2^nd and 6, 3^rd and 4 scenarios that are common during a football game.

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We discussed basic fundamentals for defensive back play earlier, and now want to get into some base formations and base coverage schemes. Here we will discuss a base 4-3 look and some wrinkles and adjustments that a defense will show based on various offensive looks. Pay attention to the secondary strategies because we will refer to these looks as we progress. This is meant to be a foundation topic, and we will expand these basic strategies in future articles as we discuss wrinkles and combinations utilized in basic in-game strategies.

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Over the course of the off-season, we would like to discuss some basic defensive techniques and strategies along with common defensive looks that you will see over the course of a football season--specifically in pass coverage. Since we are all at different levels of technical understanding of the game and the positions, we thought we would start with the absolute basics and work towards more complicated aspects of pass coverage. Please be patient if these concepts are elementary and remember that understanding technique is critical to successful play.

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[h/t: mgoblog]
 
Late in the game against Georgia Tech earlier this year, Paul Johnson noticed what Clemson was doing to counteract the Dive and veer option and made an adjustment to a series of QB Keepers that are part of the Midline Option package. The reason its called "midline" is because the Fullback takes the ball directly up the Center's backside, but how does that translate to the keepers that Nesbitt ran successfully against us at the end of the game?

First, I should talk about the actual midline play they ran (picture above), but thats been done very well in this link, so I will only give the simplified basics. Note: This is the same play that South Carolina beat us with, but from a spread formation, and I may do another "Defensive breakdowns" post on this later. See the end for links on the spread midline.

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When I went hunting for information about Gary Patterson's 4-2-5 scheme at TCU, I found almost nothing. Very little information is out there about it, but I did manage to find a partial download of their Cover 2 playbook scheme as well as Patterson's published article at a Nike Clinic about his defensive philosophy, along with help from Coach Huey's forums. Here I'll digest the important pieces to give a preview of what we will see against TCU next saturday.

A 4-2-5 and a 4-4 scheme (Virginia Tech) are not terribly different in general. You will need quick SS types to play LB in a 4-4, or matchup on TEs and the like in a 5 DB secondary. What is different about what Patterson does is in how he teaches it. When I read these articles, I was surprised at what they do in installation. Most coordinators will tell you that your coverage works with your front 7's alignment, i.e., one can dictate the other. You dont do crazy things with your LBs in a normal 4-3 because they could be totally out of position to get into their zones or man-coverage on a pass play.

But Patterson teaches them totally separately and believes the coverage is totally independent of the front aligntment.

Our fronts and coverages have nothing to do with each other. The front is called by the use of a wristband. We break down our first 6 or 7 opponents and put the fronts on the player's wristbands. We dont have to teach anything new to our players during the season. The team's may change, but the fronts do not. We do teach during the season, but we dont have to re-teach our fronts.

Patterson's then does one other thing other coordinators dont: he divides his secondary coverages into two calls called by the safeties to each side. In effect, his FS calls the coverage for one side, and the Weak Safety for the opposite side, dividing the offense down the middle. Most teams check off their coverage and make calls based on formations, but Patterson does not do this. In his words:

"We divide our packages into attack groups. The 4 DL & 2 LB’s are one segment of our defense. We align the front 6 and they go one direction. The coverage behind them is what we call a double-quarterback system. We play with 3 safeties on the field. We have a strong, weak and free safety. The free and weak safeties are going to control both halves of the field. They are the quarterbacks and they will make all the calls…

…In our coverage scheme we are going to divide the formation at the center every snap. We play with 5 defensive backs in the secondary…

…[If the passing strength is to the defensive left] the FS calls ‘read’ left. The FS is going to talk to the LCB, SS, and the read side LB. The weak safety aligns on the other side and talks to the right corner and right LB…

…Starting in spring practice, the 1st Mon. we teach Cover 2 (Robber). On Tues. we teach our Blue coverage (quarters)….On Wed. we teach squats-&-halves coverage (Cover 5). After that we are done teaching our zone coverages…

…We don’t worry about formations any more. When you divide the formation down the middle, to each side there are only 3 formations the offense can give the secondary. The offense can give you a pro set, which is a tight end and wideout; a twin set, which is 2 wideouts; or some kind of trips set that the defense will have to defend. That is all they can give you.

In 3 days we teach our kids to line up in all 3 coverages against those formations…when we start talking about our game play, we never talk about lining up. All we talk about is what the opponent is going to be doing and how we are going to adjust to it.

Unless the offense lines up in a 3-back wishbone or a no-back set, there are only 3 ways the offense can be aligned and still be sound. Unless we want the coverage to overplay something to one side, we don’t worry about formations….

The Defensive Front
Basically, they normally align their DT’s in a 3-tech to the strong side, and either a Shade or 1-tech weakside. This is similar to what Clemson put against Georgia Tech. The advantage of playing your Nose Guard shaded off the Center's shoulder is that when he charges inwards, he can control both A-gaps. Their DE’s align in a 6-tech (head-up on TE) if there is a TE and in a loose 5-tech if no TE (just outside the OTs shoulder). Essentially their front will align either to the boundary/field (short/wide side) or a slight change based on whether a TE is on the OL. They do not flip-flop their DE's based on the formation or hash, only their DTs.

In blitzing, a small number of relatively simple calls can be combined into 157 distinct calls. But with the way he has simplified it, a DT only has to memorize 6 words to accomplish a variety of maneuvers and stunts.

…(When we blitz) the secondary doesn’t care what is going on with the front and LB’s. All they know is there is going to be a blitz and both LB’s are going to rush. That tells them they have to cover everybody if there is a pass…

…If there is a double smoke (an outside S blitz from both) being run, the FS knows the SS and WS are blitzing off the edge. He has to talk to the 2 LB’s to get them into coverage…

As far as blitzes go, its not the usual zone blitz with Cover 3 behind it that most teams, including Clemson, tend to run because of the split coverage to each side. TCU is not a heavy zone-blitzing team. They will blitz with Cover 2 Robber behind it, but for the most part are playing straight Man with a blitz. An offense cannot run base man protection schemes against them, because of their use of the twist and slide games (stunts essentially).

Coverages
For the majority of the time, TCU is a Cover 2, Cover 5, or Man defense, but with Cover 3 in zone-blitz situations. What they tend to do against 2-back sets is slide a safety down into the box, so it looks like a 4-3, and play Cover 2 Robber to the side of the passing strength.

…In the secondary we have 3 basic zone coverages. We split the difference in those 3 coverages and it gives us 9 total coverages…We can also play cover 25. That means we are playing Cover 2 (Robber) to the FS side and Cover 5 to the weak safety side. The 1st digit in the number is the FS side and the 2nd digit is the weak side…

The problem with a 4-2-5 has usually been inadequacy against the rush. Against a Strong offset-I formation, for example, TCU will shift their LBs over to the strongside (called a slide) and slide the WS down into the box at the last second. With 3 DBs playing on the strongside, the Robber coverage call is unaffected. Despite the lack of another LB, TCU still manages to have one of the best rush defenses in the country because of these presnap shifts.

What is Cover 2 Robber? To the 2 WR side, for example, the SS and CB will matchup across the LOS with the FS playing deep-half. The FS watches the backfield for play-action, and once he reads pass his eyes immediately go to the #2 (slotman). If #2 runs vertical, SS stays with him. If #2 runs an out, the SS waits for #1 and is watching for a curl or post route by watching the guy's hips. He'll be underneath the route most likely to "rob" it.

If the hips sink, he's going to break and stop (like a curl). Then the SS jumps the route. Otherwise he goes with him on the post.

If #1 runs an in/out route, the CB calls "in" or "out" and the SS must get under the route to "rob" them. The CB is not responsible for them. On posts, the FS is meant to get under

On the weak side, there will only be the WS and CB on the #1 receiver, and the combination will play what is called "squat and half" coverage or "bracket" coverage. This means the CB will come up to try to squat or sit on routes (bumping the WR at the LOS) with the WS playing deep coverage. Bracket coverage looks a little like a Cover-2 zone, except that the first defender never peels off the receiver to defend the flat. Both defenders maintain high-low coverage throughout the receiver's route. Note that by "weak" I am talking about passing strength, not the Split-end side. The weak side would be a TE and Flanker, which are not as good at receiving as two true WRs to the strong side.

Cover Blue: Cover Blue is a cover 2 "Read", where the FS and WS both have halves, and the corners are in a read (called Blue technique) which means they will follow the #1 receiver vertical unless #2 releases outside before 8 yards deep. In this case the FS and WS will cover the #1 receiver. In a sense this is also Cover 4 (quarters).

Together with a cover 2 robber scheme to the other side, recall the coverage is called by the S to each side, it would be difficult for the QB to read.

The difference between robber and blue is who has flat, curl and wheel responsibilities. Cover 2 Robber: CB has #1 deep and post. SS has #2 flat, curl. Generally on a wheel route, they run the FS down and leave the SS underneath. FS has #2 vertical. If #2 runs an out, rob #1. Blue is 2 read but safety run support (SKY). CB plays outside #1 but on top of route if #2 blocks. If #2 to flat, CB stops feet and WS gets over top of #1.

Cover 5: A true Cover 2 look with CBs in Cloud (they have run support). The Free and Weak safeties are playing 2 deep zone with 5 men playing zone underneath. In other playbooks I've read, Cover 5 is a Cover 2 Man-under scheme, but not in TCU's. Also, TCU runs a matchup zone coverage like Clemson does now (not like V. Koenning, who ran a spot drop, like BC does) so it might as well be man/man. They almost never play the whole field in Cover 5, only one side.

Highlights of them shutting down Texas Tech:

2008 highlights:

There werent a terribly high number of critical defensive breakdowns in this game, it was more a coaching mistake that cost us. The defense only gave up 16 points against a good rushing offense that piled up 300 yards on the ground and 420 overall. The problem is that a few of the plays were run again and again, and Clemson took longer to adjust to them, likely because they hadn't seen them in tape or practice, and if you get 7-10 yards a crack and push a few 20-30 yard plays in, the rushing stats begin to pile up. But, 200 of GTs yards were in the 1st quarter, and after Clemson shut down the FB Dive, they really couldnt get anything going til late in this game. I'll look at two plays that beat us: a crack arc triple option play and an inside QB zone read play called a midline series. The TD play to Anthony Allen was a crack arc screen that was really perfectly executed by Georgia Tech.


Watch the play unfold a few times and watch the blocking motions. This buck sweep is a staple of the Wing-T/Flex offense. The left Wing is Allen coming around on a sweep option. The play is designed to go to him. Against our 7-man front, GT used quite a bit of zone blocking, and this play appears to me to use that.

Nesbitt fakes the FB Dive, and as we've pointed out, the Dive is the first key to stop. Actually this play is covered in that post as well as their assignments.

The offense can change the play to allow for pulling two linemen or just the backside guard, or even downblock the whole line if they choose. Since the DE crashed inside to stop the Dive, the OLB is out there stranded and forced to choose who to take. He comes in to block the alley for the QB, and forces the pitch to the trailing back. However, the WR to this side of the play has executed a crack block on the Safety, and doesnt attack his cornerback. That cornerback is cut blocked by the leading wingback; watch him take his legs right out from under him.

In the play against Clemson, Bowers crashed inside, trying to stop the Dive, his first key. But the DE is not supposed to tackle the FB on a play unless he sees him coming to him with the ball. He took him anyway. The Linemen are also supposed to get a forearm shiver on the Tackle and Guard to help the scraping LBs behind them.

They didnt. Watch the RG come right off the line and take Maye head-on. Watch the RT basically come free untouched and into the secondary to either take out a Safety or the biggest threat he sees. The RG's responsibilty is the MLB. The OLB is isolated intentionally. They are attempting to seal off the backside of the play and they do it well. Maye is scraping (moving laterally) down that side and if Bowers is taken out, the QB is his responsibility. Maye's job is to attack the Guard with his shoulder, to work around him with leverage, but he's late doing it, and it doesnt work and Maye is stood up.

The O-Linemen are told to downblock for a count and then release to the next level to attack the LBs. The RT doesnt even touch Bowers since he collapses inside with Thompson, and attempts to arc-block the FS. He is ignoring Bowers by design. Watch the left side basically leave Sapp alone; his job is to stand pat for misdirection. The left side of the line are designed to double the Nose, then one releases to take on a scraping LB.

With the CB cutblocked, the Guard coming through to stand Maye up, the Safety cracked by the Wideout, and the DE and DT both collapsing on the FB, theres no one left to make the play. Bowers recovers enough to grab Nesbitt and force a pitch, but Conner had already filled the alley. His assignment was the trailing back, Bowers' job was to force, and Maye's job is to tackle the QB.

This play to Roddy Jones is the same play but you may see the outside blocking scheme a bit better.



The 2nd play is the midline option series, the play that Nesbitt ran in the 2nd half that basically generated 5-10 yards a crack. Clemson had stopped the FB dive with Thompson basically playing a Shade over the Center, and he shot the A-gap to take the Dive out every time. The midline is designed to attack that NG with a double team and run away from him.

In this play, the QB reads the 3-technique tackle to determine whether to give the ball to the FB on the Dive or keep it. If he keeps it, it basically becomes an isolation play. The FB's aiming point is directly over the QB and he breaks off the Center's block. The play GT ran didnt bring the backside Wing around, he simply went downfield to block/keep the safety honest in coverage.

The Center and Guard to the 1-technique side execute a double-team on the DT, then the Guard should release to the next level. The opposite guard base blocks his 3-tech DT, then releases upfield. The playside wing does a little stutter step to fake a counter/misdirection play to the other side, then pivots and runs back into the DE or a LB. The RT pulls inside and comes upfield to take out a LB, or load-reaches the DE and the QB reads the LB as well as the 3-technique DT. The WRs crack block someone in the safety area.

If the 3-tech DT pinches flat on the LOS, as we were doing in the clip above, the QB keeps it himself into the C-gap. There are variations that include a trap of the 3-technique or a Belly Counter/Handback that also generated a big gain, or an arc block by the Wing.

-Midline arc variation they also ran




To defend the midline, you can switch your front alignment a little, to an odd look (a 4-3 Under, for example), but you can also attack the playside Guard with the 1-tech DT directly to keep him from releasing through the hole and going to the LB coming playside. Another tactic is to tell MIKE to attack the handoff point directly with the shade NG attacking hard on the Dive. Clemson actually did make this adjustment, but too late.

The first topic to address is the misconception that the spread offense is a system on its own, it isnt. The spread is a set of formations with 3 or more wide receivers, thats all. Steele comments in his press conference that he expects multiple formations from Tony Franklin's offense: wishbone, zone read, and read options. The 4-3 front is capable of defending the spread, and can handle anything another team throws at you, but there are a few things to go through each week to decide whether to take out that LB and put in another DB.

Vic Koenning ran a 4-2-5 here last year, as does TCU. But their schemes are very different. VK's we've covered, and its a more spot drop read-and-react zone scheme where the SAM LB was actually more like a SS. This week, you will see Clemson doing things on defense that you will likely see from TCU's in a couple weeks.

Why go to a Nickel look?
1. You are putting more speed on the field. Usually you recruit another safety and bulk him up to playing a hybrid SS/SLB role, like DeAndre McDaniel.

2. Its a one-gap defense. LBs only really watch one gap, and their alignment doesn't hardly change from formation to formation. However, should they miss their gap on a running play, you are toast. Depending on the reduction of the front, sometimes one or two LBs may have two gaps to cover in a 4-3.

A 4-4 scheme like VT is not all that dissimilar to teach. Their LBs are more like SS's, its just that they do different things with the front. It can be equally good against the spread.

3. Speaking of which, you can do different things with your free safety. A true FS is a deep player who is a sure tackler, but can cover alot of the field. Nickel is suited to more Cover 3, and he's more of a safety valve. In a 4-3, he has to be more of an attacking player, and a better tackler, and I would say more of a field general. In a 5DB look, you can take a smaller faster FS and put him deep, and recruit two SS's and put them in the game. As a result, the SS position becomes easier to play because his checks are simpler, and can be a real hitter or run-stopper (Hamlin) like a Linebacker. This would also mean the FS gets less exposure in run-support, something which makes them famous and gets headlines as a heavy hitter (Ronnie Lott).

4. Ask yourself 'Are they using the Spread formation to create problems in the running game?' Rich Rodriguez does this, as does Urban Meyer. His spread is not about the pass, its about spreading you out and creating running lanes. If you run a 4-3, it makes sense to play the spread with your base, if that is the case.

5. Particular formations are easier to cover, as in Twins, or Doubles.


This week, going to the Nickel, Sadat Chambers will be in the game more as the FS, with Gilchrist as the nickel corner. His position is not just like that of a true corner on the edge, but teaching him the things he needs to use as the FS in the base 4-3 will work at nickel.

The major problem to watch for is whether they decide to run 4 verticals, e.g. from doubles above, and you're stuck in Cover 3. The underneath zone defender is playing a matchup zone (tight man within his zone) and once two players release into the deep 3rd, a CB or S has to play two guys by himself. How do we deal with that?

The first adjustment, particularly if they play Twins or Trips, is to bring your FS over to the wide side (VK did this quite a bit) and play a 1/4, 1/4, half coverage. Its still cover 3 matchup, and the CB is playing one half the field with the boundary as his help. He must force his reciever outside or he could be toast.



This corner is not quite playing a deep Cover 3, as he has no underneath help, and its more of a matchup zone/man coverage now. The FS is rolled over onto a weaker receiver in the slot (since he usually has not-as-good man coverage skills), likely Gilchrist but perhaps McDaniel. A weak safety (probably Chambers this week for MTSU) will be playing deep middle.

Against an empty backfield, you simply have to matchup one-on-one. You can still play cover 3, and you can disguise who is actually going deep, but its likely to still be the safeties as their alignment will already be deeper pre-snap. Its more likely that this is when you'll see straight-man coverage and blitzing the LBs.

To take the problem of a CB/S having to play two guys in his deep 3rd, you can switch to Quarters coverage. This brings us back to boundary/field adjustments, which we ran last year under Koenning. The passing strength is set to the Field (wide) side, or the side with the most WRs. Usually the left side, since a RH QB throws to his right, which is the left from our perspective. I will mention more about Cover 4/Quarters and "Bronco" against Trips at some later time.

Pressuring the QB.
There are many things you can do from the Nickel, but I don't believe its as versatile as the 3-5-3 or even the 4-3 when it comes to crazy blitz angles. You will see some CB/S blitzing, and DL pressure is created through the use of stunts. Here is one particular blitz from Saban's playbook: a cover 1 CB blitz (star "*" is the nickel back, "$" is either a Sam or Will (now called Money), but sometimes another big safety). From Steele's comments this will be Scotty Cooper.

The dotted lines indicate who matches up on who in man coverage. If the TE blocks down, or the Back stays in to block, one of the two LBs becomes a Robber. The term "even" refers to the front reduction and the placement of the DL and LBs.

The DTs, in this front, each have 2-gap responsibilities. Everyone else has one. The
LBs, Mac and Money, key the OG and nearest RB. The Ends key the TE/NB/OT in that order.

Finally, a Cover 3 zone blitz. First you declare your front, in this case "Okie"


Notice the Nickel and SS switch responsibilities again, with the SS picking up the slot WR off the line and rolling down into his underneath zone opposite Money. There is a gap in the middle of the field to the TE side that Mac may not be able to cover from his hook zone. His responsibility will be more the RB than that TE.

In a Trey formation (3 WRs to one side, 1 RB, 1 TE) the adjustment is straightforward, with the CB shifting over top of the TE bracketed with the FS. Nickelback gets matched up on the inside slot man, with the SS rolling over the 2nd slot man. This generally can be given a double call and they'd check into a 1/4, 1/4, 1/2 setup with that CB ruling one whole side of the field. For Trips, shifted to the opposite side, the FS becomes the blitzer, with the nickel taking the flat and the SS dropping back in the middle.

I will save more on Nickel pressures for TCU game-week.

Just as an aside, I noticed Chris at Smartfootball wrote a blog on the scrape and defending the zone-read play using a 4-2-5, and since we'll see this play from our own offense many times, I think you should check it out. It'll also give a hint about TCU's philosophy.

The R&S is quite difficult to defend. Each team that uses it has different characteristics and philosophies. One constant, however, is that the QB is the key. If he can scramble and attack the containment, you have an added element of pressure to the defense. If the option and counter have been included in the packages, its still another element to defend. This article is meant to illustrate a few things you can do to stop it, and to cover a few plays that are staples, I recommend going to SmartFootball. It is an addendum to our article on the option.



Most of what you now call a "pro-style" offense contains elements of the R&S. It may not use the standard 1-back, 4-wide or 3-wide/H-back formation that the Houston Oilers or Atlanta Falcons used to run, but its the same concepts and sometimes the same plays. Clemson's offense is loosely based off the R&S: Rob Spence was a R&S guy at Toledo before they evolved it into what it is now. There are a lot of half rollouts, screens and draw plays designed to hold back the pass rush in our offense, just like the R&S.



But we know that Paul Johnson has incorporated a chunk of R&S concepts into the GT offense, and since we've covered the root basics of defending the Flex, its now time to look at how to defend the R&S concepts specifically. The role of the H-back in the old Buffalo Bills R&S ("K-Gun") schemes, or the slot men, is now shared by the Wingbacks/TE in the Flex, so its actually a pretty direct carryover into the balanced formation Flex. The only true conflict is in the linemen splits, you want larger splits with the triple option than the R&S, in theory. R&S offenses use a lot of pre-snap motion and QB movement, just like the Flex. Just move your slot men closer to the OL, formation-wise. This type of passing attack can usually easily read Cover 1 and run routes designed to attack it directly, however if you can get pressure on the QB with good coverage you have a very good chance of stopping it.

There are several cornerstone plays used in the R&S that are its hallmark; the Choice, the aceback draw, the +roll, trap, trap option, and aceback screens I'll cover here. These can be put into any offense but I'll cover their defense as if we were playing against the standard Flexbone/Wing-T set with a diveback (the aceback in this terminology), two wingbacks, and 2 wideouts.

QB Sprint-out/Roll out plays
The primary key to stopping the QB sprint roll is to allow the call side LB a free rush once he reads pass. You do not want him to play containment, which might be his responsibility on a pitch option to one of the WBs (the OLBs are usually responsible for the pitch man, recall), but rather have him force the passer in any possible lane from behind. The responsibility of containment is then left to the DE and DT on the back side of the play, and they have to watch for the reverses. However, that DT plays essentially a "spy" responsibility, waiting for the draw, and delays his pass rush.

Additional pressure could come from the DT on the call side or the other OLB, who also has no containment responsibility once he reads pass. The DE on the play side will attempt to loop around the OT and the Wing, and rush directly, in an opposite lane to the blitzing call side OLB, who would be taught to run directly at the OT's outside hip if possible.

The DB's could line up in any way in Cover 1, but its best to hide the alignment and adjust coverage on the fastest WR. Generally in a rollout play, the SS and FS will shift over to the play side of course, following their key. MIKE would have pass coverage on the aceback, man to man, unless he plays to block in which case MIKE becomes the Robber. His other responsibility will be to watch for the Draw or an aceback screen, along with the backside DT.

The problem, of course, is reading pass in the first place. The play side WB will run over the middle to attack the seam, and the backside WB either goes in motion pre-snap to the play side into the slot before running his route, or follows the QB and then runs upfield as a safety valve into the flats.

The trick, so to speak, is that the Wing to the rollout side or the FB are used in the protection scheme in a R&S offense. Their job is to chuck a DE or OLB on the rush, and then run out for screens or safety valve plays a few times per game. This is what forces you to keep a spy (MIKE) in the middle, and reduces your ability to get creative in blitzing those LBs.

To change it up, you may just want the backside OLB to drop into coverage and help the CB once he reads pass. So if the WB to his side goes in motion away, he will just drop back and could become the Robber, looking for crossing routes. That would help against any type of throwback pass or play-action.

The Trap
The Trap/Trap-option is one of the oldest plays in football and before you think its just a Flexbone-gimmick play, read the article and look at the blocking assignments, and you'll see its in just about every kind of two-back offense there is. Basically the trap option is a fake FB Dive to the (non-pulling) Guard/Center hole, the QB does a reverse pivot and runs out for the pitch with the pulling Guard as his lead blocker. The old tried and true Trap is still run in the NFL, and Clemson runs it too. Its a staple, plain and simple. Here is a counter trap against the 4-3.

So how do you stop the trap or trap option? Its the same as most option plays. You don't want the QB to run it, so when the play side OLB reads run, he waits for the pitch to the Wing. The DE's themselves HAVE to keep the OT from blocking MIKE, and try to help on the keeper, but it is MIKE who attempts to force the pitch.

Again, the problem is reading the Trap in the first place, because the DBs will be watching the backfield motion, and it could nearly the same to them as the rollout above because of the criss-crossing Wingbacks. Thats how your SS comes up to support the pitch and gets toasted by the WB running right by him. The linebackers and linemen are the ones who'll notice the pulling guard, your safety might not.

The Aceback Draw
The back side DT and MLB have the major roles in stopping the draw play. They both have spy responsibility as I stated above. This really isnt a big deal for MIKE because he's already supposed to pick up the aceback, but the DT can get confused easily because it's harder for him to see the flow-to or away with a big lineman in his face.


The Aceback screen
To defense this common and difficult play, you would like to double-cover the ace with OLBs and the MLB. The OLB on the play side of the QB rollout above starts his pressure upfield to blitz and then reads the FB setting up for a screen. Now he is in position to be behind the blocking linemen going upfield. At the same time, MIKE, who is supposed to spy the FB, allows double cover, so both MIKE and the OLB converge on the FB from different directions.
(img courtesy of SF)

The Choice/Go/Switch/Seam read plays
Well you could write dozens of articles on defending this by itself, and I can't hope to do justice to it. Smartfootball has dozens of articles on the specific concepts of the R&S passing game, and the fact that the WR adjusts on the fly means that blanket statements about defensive coverages by myself (or anyone else) tend to look stupid. This type of route is basically like backyard football: the WR reads the defense while running, and then the route changes based on it. What might be a quick-in or hitch under Cover 2 can become a Go pattern if he reads Cover 3 during his initial 10-15 yard run. This type of route is generally run by the slot man, likely the WB in the Flex, while the outside split-end/flanker run their called routes in the huddle. Its a fundamental of the R&S offense, but its harder to defend against it specifically.

This is the Dive Choice, a hybrid play-action play, well suited to any situation where the defense expects a standard triple-option play.


In this play the SE has the choice. If the CB plays inside leverage, he runs a sprint out; if he presses up, a fade route; if outside leverage, a short slant; if a cushion, a hitch. This can be decided in the huddle or pre-snap, which is likely going to be the case unless you have experienced WRs/QB who can make the adjustment on the fly.

Enter the zone blitz. This is really the best bet to stop these plays, because you will either need good man-to-man coverage by the LBs or one of the safeties to beat a slot wideout when you face this play when you're in Cover 1 Robber. So, there is really not much specific in the way of coverage that you do differently against these teams. We'll be a Cover 1/3 team and thats not going to change for the spread or the option. In the week leading up to an opponent who runs such a play, you would go into pattern reading so the DB's can anticipate where a WR will attack, given that they know the coverage they are playing.

Recall this offense uses 6 men in protection schemes, for the most part. If you blitz a LB towards that blocking RB, and drop a lineman into coverage underneath, you create a mismatch. The RB won't be able to handle a fast LB for very long, and you can force the sack or a rushed throw into coverage. Here I'll just showcase the plays without commentary, notice how the routes change for a particular receiver as the coverage changes, to attack the seams in the defense. Cover 3's seams are the hashmarks, or the area between the Middle Deep man (FS) and the Outside Deep man (a Corner usually). Cover 2 is directly between the split safeties, and in Cover 0 (pure man) or Cover 1 (man with a FS playing deep) you would preferably run away from the middle or force defenders to choose who to cover by crossing your routes.

The Switch in a Flexbone:




The Go:


Against Cover 1