Saturday, September 14, 2019

Deep 3rd coverage - attack the seams





Free release, late rotation, and no pass rush, add to that a good design of attacking the seams in deep 3rd's equals a big play. #spreadoffense

Sunday, September 8, 2019

Leak Route - Shallow and Up





Here's a 'leak' route, which involves a shallow crosser converting to a vertical (up) route when they cross the field. Tough route to cover as the receiver usually gets lost in the secondary. Requires good pass protection as it is long developing. #spreadoffense

Friday, September 6, 2019

Mesh Concept - Creating Rubs





Here the offense is running the underneath route, shallow crossing man or match up zone beater known as 'Mesh'. #spreadoffense

Tuesday, September 3, 2019

Wide Zone RPO - backside glance





RPO's can be simple, while still maintaining physicality in the run game. Here the offense combines wide zone out of the shot gun with a backside glance (skinny post/slant) by the X receiver. #spreadoffense

Friday, August 23, 2019

Diamond Formation 12 P - Now Hitch





The run heavy diamond formation draws an 8-man box on 2nd and 1. The now hitch converts for big gain with the corner creeping towards the LOS.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

RPO - Missed Glance Read





The QB misses the read here on the RPO. The backside glance (slant) is wide open. #RPO #spreadoffense




Friday, August 16, 2019

Slot Inside Release Vertical vs Man Free (Cover 1)





The slot attacks the slot corners leverage on the snap to get the desired (inside) release. QB looks off the FS just enough to open the inside vertical seam to field. Know your leverage, know your help.

Saturday, August 10, 2019

Offensive Line Medicine Ball - Drive Blocking Drill





Here's a good video for Offensive Lineman. Using medicine balls in order to get proper hand placement and leverage on drive blocks. #spreadoffense #Oline

Friday, August 2, 2019

Goal-Line Pass - 12 Personnel





Creative way to run your trips bunch goal-line stuff out of 12 personnel, same concepts, different formations.

Thursday, July 25, 2019

Gap Exchange - Tackle For Loss





The defense does a nice job on the gap exchange (chase and replace) versus the read QB keep. The LB stays tight the the DE's hip, not allowing any cut back by the QB, who reads the DE squeezing on the RB and pulls the ball. #spreadoffense

Monday, July 22, 2019

Zone Flash (Flanker Away) Soft Pitch





Zone 'Flash' (Flanker away) off soft pitch jet. It's a pre-determined give based on the DE tendency to read the OT for his gap responsibility (squeeze), which allows for the edge quickly and a lead blocker.

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Hank Concept - Curl, Curl, Flat





The 'Hank' concept, in west coast offense lingo is a spacing concept in the pass game that stresses the defense horizontally. This video is out of a quads or 4x1 formation, but can also be run out of trips, or twins with a back out of the backfield. Good zone coverage better, especially to field with more space available. #spreadoffense

Friday, July 19, 2019

Gap Exchange - QB Dart Bash





The defense has a nice scheme here to stop the QB Dart (Tackle Wrap) Bash play. The gap exchange has the DE taking the QB and the Linebacker taking the RB. Unfortunately, the LB misses the initial tackle on 4th and 2. #spreadoffense

Front Side Snatch Read - Closed TE





The Seahawks and Russell Wilson love attacking the defense to the closed TE (3 surface) with front side dive 'snatch' read. It usually turns into a 2 on 2 game and if the defense doesn't fit it right it's off to the races on the cut back.

Saturday, July 13, 2019

RPO vs. Man Coverage





Here's a good RPO when faced with man coverage. 11 Personnel, the H back and X run a rub concept to the boundary combined with inside zone run. QB reads pre-snap box numbers and determines hand off or throw.

Friday, July 5, 2019

Frontside Dive RPO - 12 Personnel





Michigan QB Shea Patterson gets a good read here on the front side dive RPO throw out of 12 personnel. His movement key (#42 overhang) stays flat footed allowing the glance window to open for a nice gain.

RB Swing Lead out of Pistol Formation





Good design here on the Pistol Trio Swing H-lead, effective vs. man coverage with the natural rub on the double under routes, gets a playmaker in space on the perimeter.

Friday, June 21, 2019

Speed Out vs. Cover 3





Pitch and catch on the 12 yard speed out vs. Cover 3. The play design causes a little natural pick on the flat defender by the reduced receiver.

Thursday, June 20, 2019

QB Long Trap vs Cover 0





Nice design here by the offense, the defense is in Cover 0 (Man to man and no high safety) and the Middle Backer is responsible for the RB in pass. He disregards the pulling Guard to pick up the RB and the QB long trap breaks for a big gain. #spreadoffense

Sunday, June 16, 2019

7v7 4 Verticals - Trio Formation





Some 7 on 7 action from the Mississippi State 2019 Spring Football Game. The offense is running 4 verticals out of a 'Trio' formation. #spreadoffense

Wednesday, June 5, 2019

Soft Pitch Fly Sweep





The offense shifts to a custom formation that out flanks the defense on the soft pitch fly sweep. Good play to use with tempo and get your playmaker in space. #spreadoffense

Sunday, June 2, 2019

QB Read Sweep - Guard and H-Back





Here the QB Read Sweep (or Power Read) includes the H-back and the Guard. #spreadoffense

Friday, May 24, 2019

Play-Action Power - Reduced X split





Play-action power gets the secondary peeking in the backfield while the minus X slips by on the seam near the goal-line.

Friday, May 17, 2019

Quarters Coverage Beater - Post with Deep Curl





Nice quarters coverage beater with the #1 receiver running a deep post and the #2 running a deep curl to occupy the safety to the field, creating one on one coverage. #spreadoffense

Friday, May 3, 2019

Divide Route vs. Split Safeties (2 High)





Football Friday: Florida hits the divide route identifying MOFO vs. split safety coverage. The inline TE releases vertically holding the backside safety. #spreadoffense


Sunday, June 26, 2016

3 Ways Green Bay uses Randall Cobb

A lot of talented players in the league are jealous of Randall Cobb.

Not only is he one of the most exciting players in the league at his position, but he’s also been blessed with an elite quarterback in Aaron Rodgers, a talented supporting cast of offensive skill players to take the pressure off, and a creative offensive mind in head coach Mike McCarthy.

Successful teams are made up of talented players, but great teams are made up of talented players and a coaching staff who manages to get the best out of them.

Successful teams are made up of talented players, but great teams are made up of talented players and a staff that knows how to coach and manages to get the best out of them.

In this post we’ll be taking a look at three of the many ways Green Bay uses Randall Cobb, and the reasons behind each play call.

As an outlet - Trap / Quick Flat RPO

Trap Quick Flat.png

This play, what we’ll refer to as the “quick flat screen” is becoming increasingly popular in the league for a couple of reasons.

First of all, the ball comes out of the quarterback’s hand incredibly quick, in many cases quicker than the bubble screen.

Even more than the speed of the throw is the speed with which the receivers can get out in front and block almost immediately.

One thing that can hamper the ability of receivers to be effective blockers out on the edge in their hesitation before the football is thrown, for fear of picking up an offensive pass interference penalty.

Since the receivers know the football is coming out of the quarterback’s hand right now, they can come off the line immediately and get in the face of the nearest defender and start blocking.

Another positive about this play is that the moment Cobb catches the football, he’s already at, or past, the line of scrimmage, whereas there are plenty of times where an aggressive defensive back has knifed in past the receivers and made the stop in the backfield.

Combine the quick flat screen with a normal run play up the middle and now the offense has another way to beat you.

Rodgers reads the alley defender’s movement just after the snap to make his final decision on what to do with the football.

In the backfield - Mesh / Wheel

Mesh Wheel.png

Putting a guy like Randall Cobb in the backfield accomplishes a lot of things.

For one thing, it makes it a lot tougher to disguise the coverage when an actual receiver is standing in the backfield.

Because the offense is aligned in a 3x1 set, it’s already stretched the coverage to the three-receiver side by alignment, and now instead of a tailback lined up right next to Rodgers, you’ve got an even bigger pass threat, a guy who knows how to get open against different kinds of zone coverages, and someone who isn’t a great matchup for most linebackers in the league to cover.

This is a well-designed play because it gives Rodgers the ability to sniff out the defense, and he has several different options so that he’s pretty safer no matter what the defense throws at him.

The great thing here is that Cobb’s wheel route serves a couple of purposes. Against any kind of edge pressure Cobb should expect the ball coming his way immediately while he’s still in the early stages of his route.

If there’s no extra pressure, Cobb can turn up the sideline and turn up the sideline and finish his route. Depending on the matchup and ability of the defense to squeeze the route to the sideline, Rodgers could take a shot down the field, but if not Cobb can still manage to clear out the coverage to the right side of the field and open up space for the crossing route behind him.

This is a fantastic play design all around, from the formation, to the placement of the personnel, to the way the routes fit together.

Getting him all alone in space - PA Cobb Option

Slot Option.png

This concept works because of the way all three routes develop at different depths.

To the trips side, the Z receiver starts widening as he gains depth on the wide hitch route. The angle on the route is a little wider than a standard hitch in order to create as much space for Cobb’s route in the slot as possible, and stretch a defender who would be trying to cheat and play both routes at the same time.

To the single receiver side, the dig route is timed to come open late and into the window where the safety may have rotated over to play over the top of Cobb’s option route.

The play fake times up the drop for Rodgers so that he can release the football as soon as the Z receiver starts breaking to the outside.

Now we come to the option route itself with Cobb. Coaches talk all the time about how to create space for their best players, and this play is set up to do just that.

It’s a common practice to set up a playmaker in the middle of the field with lots of space to either side of him, as well as breaking on the routes at different depths, so that it’s even harder for defenders to play multiple routes.

Once Cobb gets to his assigned depth at ten yards, he’ll most likely be matched up against a single defender, in which case he just finds the best angle and works away from him to get open.

If for some reason he’s covered by the time he makes his break, Rodgers can find the dig route coming open at 15 yards, or even dump off to the back on the checkdown.

Conclusion

These are all great examples of creativity on offense, but having the ability to move guys like Cobb around, and making a consistent effort to get him the football is more important than any one single scheme.

Players win games, and more often than not, coaches lose them, but having a coherent, consistent system with answers for what the defense will throw at you will leave you in great shape in any situation your team finds itself in.


About the Author

As a writer who spent a period of time coaching high school and college football, Alex Kirby loves talking the X's and O's of the game, and prides himself on his ability to simplify the important details of the action without dumbing down his analysis. Many books, including his "Every Play Revealed" series, contain information that you simply can't find anywhere else. Alex can be found on Twitter at: @AlexJKirby