- November 8th, 2007, 8:22 am
#125940
Listening to Coach Rocco's mid week press conference, he brought up the challenge of defending the option. He emphasized how it stresses everyone on the defense and I thought it would be interesting to look at the matchups we will see on Saturday.
As Lou Holtz says, you really don't defend the triple option, you attack it. Ask Charlie Weiss.
First, the fullback. The heart of the play. He is a crease runner on a course off the guard's butt into b gap, hitting it as hard as he can, not looking for the ball. The QB reads the 1st defender outside the guard. If that defender comes down, the QB disconnects, pulling the ball and attacks the next defender. Big mistake is to underestimate the gutting potential of this runner. Also, he is a runner or a blocker, never a faker.
Assign Dugan (nose), Ackley/Richardson(DE's), and Hursky/Lloyd (ILB) to the FB.
2nd, the QB. One of the compromises of running the option is the beating your QB is exposed to. We must break this kid up. He is the trigger man, and if you can get in his head, it is like screwing up the computer in your car.
Assign Redd/Duke to plant him every opportunity.
3rd, the pitch. Make VMI carry out the full extent of the option. Mayplay is a threat, as being the Big South frosh of the year last year and O player of the week last week. In cover 2 the corners will bang the split end, and then play pitch, with the safeties covering over the top. However, you can switch this up, and have the safeties run the pitch, and go man with the covers. Problem is you have a blocker to deal with, the slot or the front side half back in the wishbone.
Assign Grieser/Dickerson to attack the pitch, as they are good run supporters, and allow your athletes, Hicks/Calvary to cover in man the split ends.
4th, play action off of the triple. The backside safety has to be ready to roll over the top and cover the slip seam route of the slot if they are in double slot formation. The backside corner has to be alone on the backside split end who would run the post versus a vacating safety.
The next chest move to this scheme is counter option, so the backside end, inside backer, and outside linebacker must be ready to attack the qb and pitch, because the front side will be taking care of the playside dive.
Finally the enemy of the option is always pursuit. Everyone must run this play down, all the time, no breaks. Also, mixing up some of the above assignments plays havoc with the reads, linebacker taking QB and OLB to pitch, for example.
Its fun to watch, difficult to defend. Coach Rocco says they run it with great effeciency and timing. And they have executed the big play action pass if you are not thorough.
As Lou Holtz says, you really don't defend the triple option, you attack it. Ask Charlie Weiss.
First, the fullback. The heart of the play. He is a crease runner on a course off the guard's butt into b gap, hitting it as hard as he can, not looking for the ball. The QB reads the 1st defender outside the guard. If that defender comes down, the QB disconnects, pulling the ball and attacks the next defender. Big mistake is to underestimate the gutting potential of this runner. Also, he is a runner or a blocker, never a faker.
Assign Dugan (nose), Ackley/Richardson(DE's), and Hursky/Lloyd (ILB) to the FB.
2nd, the QB. One of the compromises of running the option is the beating your QB is exposed to. We must break this kid up. He is the trigger man, and if you can get in his head, it is like screwing up the computer in your car.
Assign Redd/Duke to plant him every opportunity.
3rd, the pitch. Make VMI carry out the full extent of the option. Mayplay is a threat, as being the Big South frosh of the year last year and O player of the week last week. In cover 2 the corners will bang the split end, and then play pitch, with the safeties covering over the top. However, you can switch this up, and have the safeties run the pitch, and go man with the covers. Problem is you have a blocker to deal with, the slot or the front side half back in the wishbone.
Assign Grieser/Dickerson to attack the pitch, as they are good run supporters, and allow your athletes, Hicks/Calvary to cover in man the split ends.
4th, play action off of the triple. The backside safety has to be ready to roll over the top and cover the slip seam route of the slot if they are in double slot formation. The backside corner has to be alone on the backside split end who would run the post versus a vacating safety.
The next chest move to this scheme is counter option, so the backside end, inside backer, and outside linebacker must be ready to attack the qb and pitch, because the front side will be taking care of the playside dive.
Finally the enemy of the option is always pursuit. Everyone must run this play down, all the time, no breaks. Also, mixing up some of the above assignments plays havoc with the reads, linebacker taking QB and OLB to pitch, for example.
Its fun to watch, difficult to defend. Coach Rocco says they run it with great effeciency and timing. And they have executed the big play action pass if you are not thorough.
Vince Lombardi, football coach for the NFL (1913-1970)
Individual commitment to a group effort-that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.
Individual commitment to a group effort-that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.
--Fumble (1961-2009), RIP
- By LU Armchair coach