Untitled - Fast and Furious Football

34 FOOTBALL COACHING STRATEGIES
Figure 1 ihshates how we att€mpt to vertically
sl retch a dpfense. Thp single $ ide receirer
turns a fly r,eith an outside releas€. The inside of
the two receivers rrns 6 to 8 yards upfeld from
an insi de release, then plants and aims for a point
15 to 17 yards downfield in an area that, hopetully,
has beenvacated by the sinsle rcceiver.The
outside rec€iver on the two-receiver sidc runs a
2o-yard in, a route that's crucial for us aeainst
man-to-man coveras€. There is a larse void area
becaw€ most of the coveragc is weak, and this
rout€, if run properly, should bo good for a 20-
yard advantage in man-to-man coverage. Thefullback
runs an armw to facilitate the 2o-yard in to
the outside rcceiver. The quarterbacks progression
is to the halfback, to the crossing rout€, and
then to the clearing route.
Being the primaryreceivea the hahbackmust
be able to make the appropriate rcads. Ifthe defense
is in a 3-,1 alignment and both weak outqidF
and inside lincbackcrs drop in a srrons invert
coverase, then he finds an open area approximately
6 yards deep. Splitting the two linebackers,
he turns and readies himselfto catch the football
(see Fisure 2).
FIGUBE 2 HB adjush€nt ro 34 with wLBs
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lineback€r rtlshes, th€ only thinsthat chanses is
that the halfback mtrst now run his mute versus
the weak outside lineback€r, rather than the inside
linebacker. This same adjustment applies in
anyman-to-man coverage, regardless if there are
one or two safeties free (2-deep, s-under man).
As the figure illustrates, there is a lot offield to
work with versus mancoverage, as everyone has
clcared out ofthe area.
TIGURE 3
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HB sdjushenl ro man coverage
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Man blitz coverage presents the problem of
pass protection ifthe defense decides to rush both
weak outside and inside lin€backeru at the snap
and chooses to cover the hauback with the free
safety (se€ Figure 4). In this situation, the halfback
breaks hard on a shallow flat, right along
tbe line of scrimmage and, hopefully, the free
safety has a long way to go to tackle him. Ifhe
misses, a big play will unfold. We will throw the
ball immediately, utilizing the "hot" p nciple, as
flGURE 4 r M""bri,,".*."""
If the defense is in some type of man-to-man
coverage, then the halfback releases hard, and
utilizes pressure to get as close as he can to the
defender. He is allowed to go eiiher inside or outside,
depending on the position olthe defender.
Figure 3 shows the route ol the halfback versus
a man with a free safety coverase, with the
weak outside linebacker on a blitz. Ifthe inside
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