One of the reasons for our success is that we have a philosophy of football that is based on team play. We place a great emphasis on the turnover ratio, field position through special teams and the ability to make big plays. We also developed a system of defense, offense and special teams built on continuity. Our players know what is expected of them on a yearly basis because it doesn’t change, it just gets refined. They understand how our systems are based in our philosophy. They understand how everything fits with what we think it takes to win.
Specifically to offense, we first developed a system that kept the goals of our philosophy to protect the football and make big plays at the forefront. Second, it had to be dimensional enough to take advantage of the skills of the offensive personnel. Third, we had to be able to both run the ball and pass the football effectively. Fourth, it had to account for any defense we were up against.
Our biggest concern was being able to run the ball against the top teams in our league. Lining up in a traditional run formation and slugging it out at the line of scrimmage against 8- and 9-man fronts was not an option. We even considered a double slot option attack, but the inability to throw the football consistently and prevent turnovers ruled it out for us. So we decided that spreading people out with four wide receivers (traditionally a great passing formation for us) was what we were going to commit to all the time, not just in passing situations. Putting the quarterback in the shotgun and incorporating the old single wing run offense was how we were going to make this an effective run offense that was consistent with our philosophy.
The results were fantastic. We were now able to run and throw with better efficiency and truly were able to dictate tempo to the defense. Our quarterback rushing totals over a two-year period were over 1,000 yards and the passing totals over 4,000 yards. We also threw twice as many touchdown passes as interceptions.
What we did with our running game, was basically install a two-back offense with the quarterback being one of those backs. With the quarterback carrying the ball, we run the outside zone, counter, isolation and draw. With the quarterback as a true running threat, it puts the defense in quite a predicament when it comes to covering down all four receivers, keying the tailback and still being able to account for the quarterback.
 Diagram 1. |
Our number one rushing play with the QB is the counter. This play has been a
consistent ground gainer for us and we have used a number of formations and actions
to keep it fresh. On the front side of the play, we have our tackle base the
defensive end, our center and guard combination, the tackle and the backside
linebacker. On the backside, we have our guard base the defensive tackle and
our tackle pulls and is responsible for the front side linebacker. The pulling
tackle must read the block of the front side tackle and determine whether or
not the play will hit inside of him or outside (diagram 1).
The running back is responsible for replacing the pulling tackle and blocking
the backside defensive end. Our quarterback will either fake to the running
back or misdirect himself away from the point of attack (simulating sweep)
and then
return following the pulling tackle and reading his path first, and then the
block. One key coaching point for us has been for the quarterback to be patient
(don’t beat the tackle to the hole) and then to run north and south as
soon as the hole opens up.
 Diagram 2. |
Another successful play for us has been the quarterback sweep or simply outside
zone. (See Diagram 2)
Once again, numbers are usually in our favor because of the defensive burden
to cover down receivers. On this particular play we will use our running back
as the lead blocker and he will be responsible for blocking the force defender.
Our offensive line will zone block using a reach block technique. The goal for
them on this play is to cover up the lineman without allowing penetration. If
we can get the defensive lineman totally reached, that is a plus. Otherwise,
our running back and quarterback can read these blocks and make the necessary
adjustments. Our coaching point for the quarterback is to get lateral first as
quick as possible while reading the block on the end man on the line of scrimmage.
After three lateral steps, get going down hill immediately. For us, this play
has hit successfully anywhere between the front side guard and the sideline.
 Diagram 3. |
The third play that I would like to present is the quarterback draw. We have run this play as a lead draw with the running back as the lead blocker, and out of an empty set with no lead blocker. It has been very successful against teams that like to unload the box, but even the teams that will give you a six man look, when our back is in the backfield are accounted for. Diagram 3 shows the blocking assignments for our offensive line and receivers. It is important that we make this play look like a pass for a split second to allow our receivers the angles they need to get to a dropping outside linebacker. We teach our quarterback to look for daylight understanding the blocking scheme. For the most part, this play will hit between the guards, but it has bounced outside for a big play as well.
 Diagram 4. |
As much running with the quarterback as we have done, we felt
the need to develop a play action pass that looked like one of
our quarterback running
plays. After
studying a lot of old single wing film from Keith Piper’s Denison
University teams of the 1980s, we came up with what used to be called
Power 6 Throwback.
Simply put, a version of the naked waggle that most teams run off of
an outside zone fake. (Diagram 4)
We crossed our slot receiver and put our tight end in the flat and read this
as an over under receiver distribution and had great success with it. We also
hit the deep post once for a big play. Our quarterback and running back showed
sweep action. After 3 steps, the quarterback reversed his field and rolled towards
the playside reading the defender responsible for the flat coverage. The offensive
line blocked the run play to the front side and area blocked the backside in
case of any linebacker run through. Our tight end slow blocked the defensive
end before releasing to the flat.
What we have found is that an athletic quarterback is not only a weapon, but
is very hard for a defense to account for on the chalkboard if used in our style
of offense. The key is being able to throw the ball if we are outnumbered in
the box area. Having a quarterback who can run and pass with great efficiency
is the ultimate weapon. We have been lucky to have those kinds of players and
with our style and success, hopefully we can keep recruiting one.
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