Smoke Creeper/Simulated Pressure

I recently did a post on the Fire 3 Creeper/Simulated Pressure which is an edge pressure coming from the Field or wide-side.  Smoke is the same pressure from the Boundary, or short-side of the field.  I want to show Smoke being run from different Fronts, pre-snap looks, bluffs, and coverages to help coaches who are looking to install Creepers and Sim Pressures into their defensive package.

New Website Logo

I have been meaning to update my website logo for a long time and I have recently been inspired by the courage and selflessness of a man who gave his own life, Coach Aaron Feis.  I wanted to write a bit about these coaches that have inspired me to try and follow in their footsteps.

Top row: left to right

Aaron Feis – Stoneman Douglas HS (FL) – I started my coaching career at Deerfield Beach HS in south Florida and Douglas was in our District.  Coach Feis is an amazing hero.  John 15:13 says, “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.”

Strong Scrape Fire Zone and Fire Zone Adjustments

How many times have you been to a clinic and heard a speaker talk about America's Fire Zone? Too many times, probably. It's not like there are only a limited number of pressures that you can run (Blitzology with proof of that on his site here).  I will talk about America's Fire Zone, but I will use it as an example of how to make Fire Zone adjustments.  Dick LeBeau refers to this as Strong Scrape Fire Zone in his 2002 Bengal playbook here.

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.

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.