Tebow and the Broncos: The Power of Belief

I've been pretty quiet about the whole Tim Tebow thing here so far, but what the Denver Broncos are doing is getting too big to ignore.  Despite his limitations as a pro-style passer in the mold of Rogers, Brady, Manning, etc., Tebow has managed to help lead a 1-4 Broncos team that was 4-12 the year before to win six in a row and seven out of eight.  Certainly the Broncos have enjoyed strong play lately from their defense, running game, and special teams, but the change at the QB position has made the difference for this team.  Another factor that makes this streak even more remarkable is that the team has done all this without their best WR, Brandon Lloyd, who was traded to the Rams just before Tebow got his first start.

The addition of Tebow at QB has clearly had a synergistic effect on the Broncos.  Synergy, according to freedictionary.com is "the interaction of two or more agents or forces so that their combined effect is greater than the sum of their individual effects."  Right now, the Broncos as a team are playing greater than the sum of their individual parts.  The way they are winning games is even more mind-boggling: six of their seven wins involved second-half comebacks, including three overtime wins.  They have trailed in the 4th quarter the past four weeks; yet no matter how badly they play, they manage to find a way to win ballgames.

RB Stiff Arm Drill

The Stiff-Arm is a violent weapon that RBs of all sizes can use to attack defenders and gain a leverage advantage.  It is similar to the Boom in the Boom Drill in that both techniques use the hand that is not carrying the football, but the Stiff-Arm is more of a long-distance weapon to keep a defender away from the body.  The Stiff-Arm Drill in the video emphasizes an upward motion with the heel of the hand, but it can be a downward punch to a defender trying to hold on, as well, as LaDainian Tomlinson illustrates above.  Hall-of-Fame RB Jim Brown describes it in this excellent article on the Stiff Arm: "If the person is not up on you, you can actually extend your arm fully and sometimes if he is coming low, you can put your hand, the stiff-arm, on top of his head." 

RB Spin Drill

One of the top RB drills that my players most like to practice and use is the Spin Drill.  One man simulates a defender who over-pursues just a bit and then the RB spins inside him.  Players are really able to tighten up their spin by doing this drill and are able to execute the Spin move with confidence in game situations.  It is also important to emphasize that the RB secure the ball tightly to his body just in case a defender hits him in his "blind spot" as he spins in the opposite direction.  Here it is:

The Coaches' Wife

Something I often struggle with is being a better husband, especially during football season.  Here was a good thread from the Huey board called Time Commitment to Wives/Girlfriends in Season that I enjoyed reading by Coach DiCocco:

1. If you can fulfill your film-breakdown responsibilities at home, then do it at home.

2. Have a "date-night" once per week. Whatever your day-off or early-night is, make that date night. Better yet, make it HER night... let her pick the dinner, activity, movie, etc.

3. Don't waste time at the office. Sometimes "staff meetings" digress into storytelling and reminiscing sessions... Keep in mind: We all have business at hand, and families at home. Do your job well, but be efficient with it and take care of your family life as well.

Buck and SS Fire Zone

I've been meaning to do an article to explain this particular Fire Zone, but I will let Georgia DC Todd Grantham do it for me. He broke this blitz down on ESPN.com, and I have some good Steelers cut-ups to help illustrate the concept.

RB Tire Juke Drill

The Tire Juke Drill is one of my favorite RB drills in that teaches a valuable skill and is fun to do.  The juke move requires a back to be able to plant and accelerate once and then again in the opposite direction to lose a defender or "break his ankles" as the younger generation like to say.  This requires the core strength to keep the RB's body weight balanced and the core strength and explosive calf strength to accelerate on his first step.  Like I said before, all great backs, big and small, have one thing in common: quick feet.  Rudi Johnson was a big back but he moved his feet exceptionally well for his size as you will see on the video.

RB High Knees Drill

The High Knees Drill is a great way to teach backs to drive their knees up while running to help them break tackles.  The best cut-up is at the end of the video of former 49er great, Roger Craig, as he demonstrates his high knee running style in ripping off one of the more memorable runs in NFL history.  As with any RB drill, proper Ball Security must always be emphasized. If I may critique, the RBs in the drill cut-ups have below average technique, because they should always have their wrists above their elbows while running the ball.

RB Quickness and Agility Drills

There are many different types of running styles, but all great backs have one trait in common: quick feet.  These quickness and agility drills should be a priority for the RB Coach.  A key coaching point for any agility drill is for the athlete to have a low center of gravity.  This allows the RB to be able to change direction quickly.  Good core strength and explosive calf strength also allows a RB to stick his foot in the ground and make a cut and accelerate quickly (see the cut on the run beginning at the 4:19 mark). 

RB Balance Touch Drill

I will be sharing some RB Drills in my upcoming posts from a dvd I made for my RBs a couple of years back.  The actual drills were done by former Auburn RB Coach Eddie Gran.  He's one of the best coaches I have ever met and has coached some good ones: Deuce McCallister, Rudi Johnson, Heath Evans, Cadillac Williams, Ronnie Brown, and Monterrio Hardesty.  I added a few cut-ups on the video to go along with the Auburn cut-ups that he already had and put them in slow-motion so you can really see the skill being performed. 

The Balance Touch Drill is a good drill to start Indy time with to help your guys get loose and for them to get reps performing a very useful and important skill for the position.  If a RB is stumbling, he can put his hand down (balance touch) and keep on running instead of falling down.  This may not seem like much, but it is often the difference between scoring and not scoring, as you will see for yourself on the video. 

Bryan Harsin Shift and Motion Package

New Texas Co-Offensive Coordinator Bryan Harsin is bringing hope, optimism, and the Boise St. playbook with him to the Longhorn state.  The Boise St. offenses under Head Coach Chris Peterson and OC/QB Coach Bryan Harsin utilized a sophisticated shift and motion package considered to be best in college football.  This offense is pro-style and similar to what the NFL guys run, but with a bit more creativity and certainly a flair for the dramatic.  The Boise St. offenses that Harsin presided over the past five years were very balanced, twice averaging more than 200 yards per game rushing and passing, to go along with a 61-5 record from 2006-2010.

Ball Security

It's all Ball Security these days!  Perhaps you need a refresher course!

I had originally posted these videos on Brophy's site but I am posting them again since Yahoo deleted the original videos. I believe Ball Security is one of the worst taught fundamentals in football and in my experience I have seen that Ball Security can win or lose 1-2 games a year. The most important thing is to not just stress it during pre-season—Ball Security must be drilled and emphasized year-round.  

The Peter Principle - Why Some Coaches Can't Get Ahead

Introduction

I did a series on a book called The Holiness of God on my FCA-Devotional Blog and I stumbled upon something very interesting that related to the coaching profession. This book references another book called The Peter Principle by Dr. Lawrence J. Peter and Raymond Hull that is somewhat of a classic in the business world. It says that people tend to rise to their level of incompetence in corporate structures. This was based on the observation that new employees typically start out at the bottom, and then as they display competence, they are promoted. Eventually, they reach a level in which they are no longer successful, and they are stuck at that level of incompetence. The net result is that most of the higher positions in corporate structures will all be filled with incompetents.

Not everyone gets caught in the trap of the Peter Principle. There are two categories of people who escape the trap: the super-incompetent and the super-competent. The super-incompetent person has no opportunity to move up to his level of incompetence because he is already at his level of incompetence. Competency is needed to be promoted, and the super-incompetent will never be promoted.

The real irony is found in the super-competent group. How does the super-competent person rise through the corporate structures to get to the top? He doesn’t. The reason is that he represents a massive threat to those above him. His bosses are frightened by him, fearful that he will take their jobs. He represents a clear and present danger to them that they will lose their seats of honor and power. The super-competent is more likely to be fired than the super-incompetent, because the boss can most likely find a job that the super-incompetent can do.

Virginia Tech Helmet Study

Nice to see that more is being done in terms of helmets and safety research. Here is the link to the ESPN article by Gregg Easterbrook which can be found here:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=easterbrook-110719_virginia_tech_helmet_study&sportCat=nfl.

Some highlights of the article:

"Virginia Tech researchers give high marks to these helmets: the Riddell Speed, Riddell Revolution, Riddell Revolution IQ; the Schutt Ion 4D and Schutt DNA; and the Xenith X1. The Virginia Tech researchers give medium grades to the Schutt Air XP and Schutt Air Advantage. The Virginia Tech rankings warn players not to wear these helmets: the Riddell VSR4 and the Adams A2000."

"Now the chilling part: the VSR4 -- Virginia Tech's second-lowest-rated helmet -- was the most common helmet in the NFL last season. The VSR4 is widely worn in college and high school, too. Immediately after the Virginia Tech findings were released, Riddell advised football teams to stop using the VSR4, long the company's best seller."

"Duma further notes there is no correlation between helmet price and safety. The lowest-ranked helmet, the Adams A2000, costs $200, while the four-star Schutt DNA retails for $170. The DNA looks like the best value on the market -- nearly as good in safety ranking as the top-rated Riddell Speed, but costs about $75 less. This can matter if you're buying 100 helmets for a high school or small college."

"The NFL's data, and this study conducted at the University of Pittsburgh, suggest that advanced helmets -- basically the ones Virginia Tech found to be four- or five-star -- lower the risk of concussion by about one-third."

Manny Diaz Fire Zones

I will try to build on the superb efforts of Brophy’s Manny Diaz: Bulletproof Fire Zone article and talk more about Diaz's Fire Zone scheme, which is ridiculously simple to learn for his players yet is complex for opposing Offensive Coordinators.  I will focus on two important aspects of his Fire Zone scheme.  First, I will look at how he is able to transition easily between multiple fronts and second, I will explain his “run to daylight” philosophy.

Levels - part 2

I didn't go into the Trips variations with the Levels concept in my last post, so here are some notes on Levels that I took at a clinic from former Florida QB Coach Scot Loeffler.  The numbers underneath the WRs in the first drawing represent the WR splits from the OT:

Levels

Levels is one of the very best pass plays to attack the Cover 2 pass defense.  Smash (Hitch by the #1 outside WR and Corner by #2) is most people's weapon of choice vs. Cover 2, but Levels has a shorter and easier throw than Smash and the Dig route to the field has better leverage on the hash safety than a Corner route does.  Safety Leverage is one of the most underrated aspects of the passing game IMO.  Also, on Levels your QB is reading the OLB vs. Smash where he is reading the CB, who is generally the defense's quickest and best pass defender.  Smash can be dangerous vs. a CB who is good enough to play both the Hitch and the Corner route.

Getting Organized

Whew!  I have finally finished organizing all of my football files.  Back in the day, all I had on my old website were the files, but these were neglected those a bit after I started with the blog format and the kids were born.  

The site as it first looked in 2007

Let me give a bit of a background on the site.  I had to create a lot of files and forms in my first coaching job down in south Florida at Deerfield Beach H.S. as somewhat of a "Administrative Assistant" to the Head Coach (fancy way of saying secretary, lol).  This experience proved beneficial as I was able to help people on Coach Huey who were looking for a practice schedule or any kind of form.  Also, once I first got on Huey, there was an information overload with playbooks and all of the files that coaches shared on the site.  I was becoming a coach who had a million files on my flash drive but couldn't find anything, so I knew I had to get more organized.

How Much to Install?

As a firm believer in KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) philosophy, I liked this article by Alan from The Press Box Analysis talking about why Less is More with regards to playbooks.

Chris from Smart Football with Why Every Team Should Install its Offense in Three Days.  The Air Raid offense is really tremendous from the standpoint of having as few plays as possible to attack every area of the field and to complement the other plays in its system.

Tony Demeo article on Installing an Offense - Year One

A good article on the methods of memorizing playbooks by NFL players here.

Eric Winston, Houston Texans OT, had a good quote in this ESPN article about the size of playbooks:

"I've always wondered why coaches preach 'execution, execution, execution' and have 500-page playbooks. It's hard for those things to coexist."

Also, I am working on revamping the site and updating all of the files (long overdue).

Links

Deuce with Defense...The Basics.  He also talks about some good ideas in installing a defense.

The Press Box Analysis with good quotes from college coaches in his article What's the No. 1 stat that separates winners and losers in CFB?.

Coach B Dud with OL videos here. 

Football Coach Academy with 7 Elements Important to Building a Successful Program by Bob Stoops.

Brophy with the hook-up:  Bama post with Nick Saban's 2009 defensive playbook.

Blitzology with Blitz of the Week #17. 

Steve Mariucci - QB Play - Blaine Gabbert, Christian Ponder

Steve Mariucci goes over some QB drills with Blaine Gabbert and Christian Ponder.  He has some good points about throwing on the run.  Also, he gets both QBs on the chalkboard and has them explain some pass concepts.

Steve Mariucci - QB Play - NFL Network - Blaine Gabbert and Christian Ponder from Barry Hoover on Vimeo.

3-5 Resources

I've got the 2008 GMC (Georgia Military College) playbook files for all you us 3-5 guys.  Actually, I have to include myself now because our DC is switching to the 3-5 this year as well.  For all you tekkies, google docs has a sweet new deal where you can upload an entire folder at once:

Sweet!

Here is the folder link as well as some other 3-5 resources to check out:

2008 GMC Playbook

Coach B Dud - Running the 3-5 Defense  - Excellent article.  The easiest system I have seen for naming blitzes with the 3-5.

Hit 'Em Hard - 3-5-3 Basics, 3-5 Defense Run Fits - Coach Hjorth has a good intro to the 3-5 with more articles to come soon with LB Reads, Blitzes, and Coverages. 

LB Keys in the Odd Stack Defense - William Mitchell - Brunswick HS (GA) - good article about LB Reads vs. I formation, Wing-T / Dbl Wingbacks, and Spread.

Coach Huey.com - many great coaches on here that know a lot about the 3-5 and everything else that you might need.

Also, our HC is looking for some Bellevue (WA) Wing-T cut-ups. Email me at gunrun73@gmail.com if you would be willing to trade.

Houston

My friend has contributed another article:

It is a pleasure to be back on the world famous Coach Hoover blog. Today, I’m going to share another concept I learned from the Urban Meyer/Dan Mullen offense. I am not 100% sure of where it came from, but I was once told a story about this awesome play that they called “Houston.” Rumor has it that it was taken from the Minnesota Vikings with the primary purpose of beating Quarters. Ok, well that’s pretty much it for my story. I have made a few adjustments to the original concept, and overall it has been good for me. I view it as a multi-purpose zone coverage beater. It is OK against man, but not my favorite call. In this article, I will explain the Houston concept as a drop-back pass, show you how it can be effective against different coverages, and then show a few different play-action variations.

Below is the basic play out of a 3 x 1 formation.

Follow Pivot

A good friend of mine wanted to anonymously contribute this article:

As a big fan of football coaching blogs, I am honored to be able to contribute some of my thoughts that will hopefully help some people out there. I have learned a ton by reading articles like this, and I wanted to return the favor.

Today I’m going to talk about one of my favorite plays that is popular in College Football today. It may be popular in the NFL too, but who has time to watch that on Sundays? I first learned this play while studying the Meyer/Mullen Florida Gator Offense. I remember sitting at their first Spring Clinic, listening to Dan Mullen talk. Mullen explained that their offense mainly used five passing concepts: All-Go, Smash, Houston (maybe another article in the future), H-Option, and Follow-Pivot. After studying the Follow-Pivot concept, I realized that it was very similar to the NCAA pass (Post-Dig-Drag). However, because of the distribution of routes, this concept is better suited to beat Quarters coverage.    

Creating DE Conflict

Dubber just had a great post here on this subject that you need to read if you haven't already. He says, "In football terms, keeping a defense 'off rhythm' is the name of the game."  He is correct.  This post will focus solely on the Defensive End position and how to put the DE in conflict in order to keep him off-rhythm. 

Urban Meyer talked about how much of what they did with their Spread offense at Florida was designed to control the DEs, because they are such tremendous athletes that they can take over a game by themselves.  These freaks of nature can really wreak havoc on an offense if allowed to get into a rhythm.  DEs that are strong and can run as fast as most RBs are a nightmare for an OT to try to block.  An Offensive Coordinator must  have plays designed to confuse and slow down the DE in order for the offense to have a chance and for his QB to survive.

2010 AFCA Convention (Orlando, FL) Notes

Here are the speakers and topics:

Josh Heupel - Oklahoma - QB Play

Decent talk, but everybody in the Big 12 was there and he wasn't going to give out anything too good.

Brandon Doman - BYU - QB Play

I liked listening to him a lot and how he described reads on Shallow and its variations.

Chargers Bunch Pass vs. Dolphins - AFC Playoffs - Jan. 8, 1995

The Dolphins and Chargers are back again in another playoff battle with a play not as well known as the Hook and Lateral, but nonetheless still extremely important in the history of football X's and O's. The Chargers won this game with one of the best designed plays I have ever seen, even to this day. This one killed me as a Dolphins fan (and still does every time I watch it), but even then I had to tip my hat to the Offensive Coordinator for designing this masterpiece of a play and for calling it at the perfect time with the game on the line.

The Chargers lined up in a Bunch formation with motion by the inside WR to help shake man coverage. Check out the end-zone copy at the end of the video to get a good look at the Backside Guard pulling and the WR sneaking through the LOS. I think that the collective jaws of everyone watching the game fell to the floor when they saw this play, and I remember the announcers replaying it like 20 times—it really was that sweet. It is my opinion that this was one of the greatest offensive plays ever drawn up and executed in the history of professional football. Here it is:

Chargers Bunch Pass vs. Dolphins - AFC Playoffs - Jan. 8, 1995 from Barry Hoover on Vimeo.

Links:

Terrific football blog that I had never seen before that you must check out: http://codeandfootball.wordpress.com/

Deuce does a great job of talking about Midline and all its variations: http://footballislifeblog.blogspot.com/2011/03/midline.html

Dacoachmo posted his Indy Glazier Clinic notes:

http://highspeedspreadfootball.blogspot.com/2011/03/indy-clinic-notes.html

Chris at Smart Football with clip of Missouri QB Drills:

http://smartfootball.com/quarterbacking/quarterback-drills-with-missouris-dave-yost-guru-dude

RUNCODHIT with Part 2 on Stopping the Power Run Game with the 4-2-5: http://runcodhit.blogspot.com/2011/03/stopping-power-running-offense-with-4-2_10.html 

Wrong-Arm Technique

Good discussion on Coach Huey about the Wrong-Arm technique here.  I'm better with pictures and video than I am with words, so is here is my take on the Wrong-Arm technique.  The Wrong-Arm technique vs. Power is pretty straightforward, and I will get to it later.  The Wrong-Arm technique vs. Counter is not as straightforward and cause for some debate, so I will tackle it first. 

The diagram below shows the Fox DE initially obeying his Block-Down-Step-Down rules vs. the OT.  If he follows his hands, his technique will take him right into the pulling Guard.  How he attacks the Guard is the key to stopping the Counter play.  If he literally obeys his Wrong-Arm rule and attacks the inside shoulder of the pulling Guard with his outside shoulder, he will be pinned easily and the pulling Tackle will not miss a beat coming around for the LB.  The defense has forced the ball to bounce outside, but nothing is being disrupted.  It is important to remember that maximum disruption is the goal and purpose of Wrong-Arming.

Triple Inside Fire Zone - Dick LeBeau

This Dick LeBeau Zone Blitz has already been talked about on Blitzology's Blog here and on Smartfootball.com here.  I liked it so much that I started digging through my video library of blitzes to find a cut-up of it.  It has 5 blitzers to attack vs. the middle 3 of the OL.  I  especially like that the blitz makes it possible to avoid the offense's two best pass protectors, the OTs. 

The picture below is a page from Dick LeBeau's playbook when he was the Head Coach for the Bengals:
2002 Cincinnati Bengals 3-4 Defense - Dick LeBeau.pdf

Double Slant

Double Slant is a great quick-game concept vs. Cover 2 or any type of Man coverage.  The key is the route by the inside WR.  He doesn't just run upfield and then slant inside.  He has a very specific aiming point at the inside # of the #2 defender.  I chose the video at the end of the article as a teaching cut because it demonstrates this technique extremely well.  Success in the passing game is not about drawing up cool-looking plays—like everything else in football, its success is mostly due to fundamentals and proper technique...by the the receivers, the QB, and especially the protection.

Clinic Notes

These files are on my scribd.com account but they are now charging people to download these, so here are all the FREE links to these files. I updated these links on rest of the site, too.  

Zone Blocking - Ken Wilmesherr - Grossmont College.pdf
2002 Cincinnati Bengals 3-4 Defense - Dick LeBeau.pdf
2003 Atlanta Falcons 3-4 Defense - Wade Phillips.pdf
2010 S.E. Flexbone Clinic.pdf
2010 Georgia Southern Clinic.pdf
2010 Atlanta Glazier Clinic.pdf
2009 Minneapolis Glazier Clinic - Dewayne Alexander - Cumberland Univ.doc
2009 Minneapolis Glazier Clinic - Buzz Preston - Ga. Tech.pdf
2004 UCF Clinic.pdf
2003 Orlando Nike Clinic.pdf
2003 Univ. of Miami Clinic.pdf  
2002 FACA Winter Clinic.pdf
2001 FACA Winter Clinic.pdf
2001 Univ. of Miami Clinic.pdf 
2001 Lee Perry Clinic (Miami).pdf
2001 Orlando Nike Clinic.pdf

WR Grading

I grade on two categories and I give a plus or a minus, but you can do it the same way with points. The first category I grade on is alignment and assignment. This includes the proper WR split for the play and running the pattern to the correct depth on a pass or blocking the correct man on a run. The second category is effort and execution. If a guy goes to block (taking the correct angle of approach) and his man gets by him, that would be a plus for the first category and a minus for the second category. If he was standing straight up and he gets juked badly, that would be two minuses. A loaf or a drop is also an automatic double minus.




I would like to do a blog article in the future on this with cut-ups from my old school to show how to grade. A lot of times coaches give a player a grade, but it doesn't necessarily reflect how well the player played. It is for this reason that many coaches see grading as a waste of time.



What I do to get my grades to accurately reflect performance is to give 3 or 4 pluses/minuses for something really good or bad. I rarely give out the 4 pluses on a play. A pancake or a great hustle block would definitely get three pluses. A penalty or costly mental mistake would probably be 3 minuses. This way if a guy plays well, he will have a grade that reflects that.



If I can get guys to score 80% I am happy. That is an A, 75% is a B, and 70% is a C. If they are less than 70%, they are not working that hard and they have better had caught a TD or they will be losing reps the next week. Guys going both ways may be in the 67% range, but your expectations must stay high. For that reason, I like to play a lot of guys to keep them fresh and the competition for reps forces everyone to push harder.

Bill Belichick Notes - 2009 Florida Clinic

I am a bit limited this year with going to clinics, so I am going back through some of my old clinic notes.  Bill Belichick is the best presenter that I have ever had the chance to hear at a clinic, so I wanted to share these notes.  He shared a lot of good, sound fundamental ideas on Offense, Defense, and Special Teams.

Urban Meyer intro: “The New England Patriots are the least penalized team in the league.  Their formula for success is simple but difficult: Talent, Discipline, and Leadership.”

4-3 vs. the Flexbone - CB Play

Introduction

The CBs or the Safeties can be the Force player in the 4-3 defense depending on your coverage philosophy and personnel.  Most teams ran Quarters coverage vs. the Georgia Tech Flexbone in 2009 and utilized their Safeties as the Force players.  The CB in Quarters coverage is is a pass-first defender who is man vs. his WR unless he runs a Shallow route or unless he cracks the Force player, the Safety.  When the WR crack-blocks the Safety, the CB will then become a run-first defender.  If he does not, the defense will have nobody on the pitch back, allowing the Flexbone offense to make big plays on the perimeter.

4-3 vs. the Flexbone - FS/SS Play

Introduction

The CB or the Safeties can be a Force player in the 4-3 defense depending on your coverage philosophy and personnel.  Most teams ran Quarters coverage vs. the Georgia Tech Flexbone in 2009 and used their Safeties as their primary run players.  My next guest writer is already an accomplished author and an expert on the 4-3/Under front Defense, having written the book Coaching the Under Front Defense, which you can get here Coaching the Under Front Defense if you haven't already.  Ladies and gentlemen, Jerry Gordon...

4-3 vs. the Flexbone - OLB play

Introduction

The OLB position vs. the Flexbone has a lot of keys and reads compared to other positions in the 4-3 Defense, so I got a great coach to explain it.  My next guest writer is a man who needs no introduction.  He is an outstanding football coach that has taught me a ton about football and technology over the years.  He is the author of one of the best articles written on defense (here), and he has the best football coaching blog on the Internet (here).  His site has more posts than days of the year and they contain a wealth of information for fellow football coaches.  Let me introduce the one and only Brophy...  

4-3 vs. the Flexbone - Mike play

Introduction

I have learned a lot about 4-3 defensive fundamentals from my next guest writer.  He has tremendous knowledge and experience on defending the Flexbone from the 4-3, and he has been amazingly gracious and patient enough to answer all my questions over the years.  The keys for Mike LB play in the video are simple enough, but the position requires a high level of instincts, physical ability, and fundamental skills to execute effectively, as my friend from the "Darkside" will discuss. 

4-3 vs. the Flexbone - DE play

Introduction - Evolution of the DE

The keys and mistakes video cut-ups for the DE are the longest for any position group in the 4-3 defense, likely making it the most complicated position to play vs. the Option.  This position usually has a good athlete playing it (e.g. the basketball player who just came out for football), but Option teams historically have been able to take advantage of the lack of discipline and proper coaching at the DE position through the years.

What we are now beginning to see today is the athletic and well-coached 4-3 DE who can really wreak havoc on the Option offense—as a result there are many plays that are designed to confuse and slow him down.  Urban Meyer talked about how much of what they did in their Spread Option at Florida was designed to control the DEs, because they are such tremendous athletes that they can take over a game by themselves.

4-3 vs. the Flexbone - DT Play

Introduction - Defending the Flexbone with the 4-3 Defense

The Flexbone is a difficult offense to slow down, much less stop.  Defensive players must be disciplined and fundamentally trained to be automatic in their responses to what the offense is doing.  This automaticity that is required to defend this offense does not occur in one week of practice—rather,  it  must be practiced against at the beginning of the year in spring football, fall camp, and in small segments throughout the year.  

4-3 vs. the Oregon Spread - DB Play / Coverage Fundamentals

Introduction

Chris Vasseur will write this piece at a later date, but I wanted to add a couple of diagrams to go with the video.  The FS destroying the QB on the Gun Triple Option is a beautiful thing, as you will see when you watch the cut-ups.  However, it is a bit susceptible to Play-Action as you will also see.

4-3 vs. the Oregon Spread - Defending Bash and Midline

Introduction

Bash and Midline are two plays in the Oregon Spread offense that are giving a lot of Defensive Coordinators headaches.  Both plays have recently burst onto the scene, but they both have actually been around for some time.  I saw Texas A & M run a form of Bash in their 2006 bowl game (Editors note: I found out in 2019 that it actually was Bash) and North Alabama ran the Midline from Gun as far back as 2003.  I will talk about Bash and Midline, but I will talk about defending Midline only.

4-3 vs. the Oregon Spread - LB / Nickel Play

Introduction

How you defend the Spread formation depends on what kind of Spread formation you are facing.  Some teams are better at throwing the ball than running the ball.  The Oregon Spread of 2010 is a more dangerous beast than earlier versions in that it can beat you both running the ball and passing the ball.  Still, the explosive Oregon run game is what opposing DCs must stop first.  Most 4-3 teams play Quarters coverage vs. the Oregon Spread to help to defend the run.

LBs like Quarters coverage because it allows them to run and play fast.  The safeties will be involved in run support and they will take care of the cutback, which allows the LBs to attack and play downhill.  The Quarters Safeties will also take care of Gap Exchange and scraping to take the QB on the Zone Read play, allowing the LBs to only to focus solely on the RB and the Dive portion of the Gun Triple Option.

4-3 vs. the Oregon Spread - Fire Zones and Blitzes

I cut up all the Fire Zones and Blitzes vs. Oregon from the Boise St., Arizona, and USC games from last year.  I don't have time to diagram and talk about each and every blitz right now, but I will try to get more in-depth analysis at a later time.  Meanwhile, make sure to check out Blitzology's blog, which is back rocking and rolling again if you want to learn about the science of getting after the QB.  Some of the blitzes were ran from more than one front and I named these blitzes without naming all of the fronts as I made the video, so I hope the nomenclature police doesn't get after me too bad. 

4-3 vs. the Oregon Spread - DL Play

The Oregon Spread - definitely "blurrier" this year

I am starting a five-part series on defending the Oregon Spread offense that will run up until the National Championship game.  This series was inspired by watching the DL play of Arizona and Boise St. vs. Oregon last year.  I have always heard that the 4-3 DL's top priority was to not get reached.  This made sense since the 4-3 is a gap-control defense that is dependent on each defender playing his gap.

I heard a different viewpoint of 4-3 DL play last year on the Coach Huey site.  Coach Currier said that he taught his DL to work vertically vs. a reach block.  He also mentioned that this is the way that Nebraska teaches their DL.  I looked at all the Oregon Stretch plays from 2009 vs. Boise St. and Arizona, and these words came back to mind as I saw this same technique being used very effectively.