84 gamblers qb manual john jenkins

8/6/2019 84 Gamblers QB Manual John Jenkins

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I

1985HoustonGamblersB Manual

John Jenkins


2/82

- .AN E~AHINATION & ATTACK ON DEFENSES

Any conversation on any type of offensive theory without; the ackledgement, consideration and complete understanding of defensive oppsition is entirely useless. This statement certainly applies to oursituation more so than any other team in football today. F9.r withrepeated route altering and adjusting dependent upon the recognitionof coverage categories, it is obvious that we must be capable of reaing and reacting to coverages properly. When reacting properly, weplace the defenses into a~ impossible sCate leaving them rendered heless. In simpler terms, whatever the defense throws up at us shouldbe wrong. Naturally this is due to our own proper decisions in react-ing to the specific coverages revealed.

In examining defensive characteristics let's be totally objectiveand open minded in labeling what we consider certain strengths andweaknesses. First, let's'acknowledge some general defensive principlethat are in association to our offense.

I. In presenting our "Little People" attack, we eliminate any possible throf congested 8 or intricate 9 man front defensive structures. This stament is rather obvious with 4 speed wide receivers inserted in a spread(doubles or trips) look to the defense

.2. Vs pure 7 man defensive sys tems .v e eliminate any safec:y blitz possibilit3. Defenses must stay balanced whenever we reveal a doubles formation to t

a. Any front or coverage overshift gives us an outlet of merely goingopposite of the strong-sided defensive look. Here,many big plays"are produced due to having a mere elementary understanding of defen-s iv e u nb al an ce .

4. With an offensive spread look being presented, we put defensive coverageout there in a "naked" attitude or posture.a. Coverages obviously would prefer to reveal a pre-snap disguise and

even attempt to "cover themselves up" to a degree when motion loS presented.

b. However, even with a clever disguise being utilized, the true picturunfolds on the snap as we merely jump on the coverage by recognizingthe true identity, as they race for their lives into their actual arof responsibility. This is often the very best situation for us aswe catch defenders out of position on the snap. Consequently. theyget beat easily, as we get the ball into the weakness of the coveragewith quickness and speed leaving the defenders with little recoveryopportunity.

5. Defenses are more and more getting away from the true 7 man front allowinus the opportunities to "spill" the running game on them.a. In projecting defenses against us the diagrams in the ear

portion of this guideline illustrates a 4-2 front, whichI would expect us to see a great deal of the time. Inaddition, we can expect to see some 3-4 which would allowa defense to p o s s Lb Ly use some situational "dime" personnelat the outside backer spots.


3/82

Theoretically, this change-up has some sound foundationto it with the concern of handling our S-Sack alowith true cover guys inserted fOf the outside backers.However, now the pass rush becomes the glaring weakness,as you can lick your chops and seep up to the shootinggallery. The following diagram illustrates this 3-4change up:

~.

x < . . . e IV e . x c -0 0


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4 ACROSS25

WING COMBOPURE MAN (BLITZ)

Wen o.v \01 ill e a k e e a c-h cat ego r y s epa rae ely and tot all y e x ami n etheir weak flanks for our attack and discuss what was done in tprevious years against them.

4 INVERTFirst of all, let's acknowledge 4 Invert as a zone coverage;coverage in which ~ principles are often employed in revealing

general understanding of applying 3 deep defenders along with 4 undneath defenders. This coverage category is generally coordinateda 4 man rush. See diagram below:

I3"I t _L- "1.li 1c ,,"0. 1-:t. AI. ,4.0. < f- . \ I ,s'?M " ' "C T T E ..


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b. This coverage can enable one of these deep defenderskeep "relative distance" on any speed receiver by plachis own alignment accordingly and being secure in hisdeep one-third responsibility.

2. It supposedly provides security ~ithin the intermediate aof the field.a. With the term AREA COVERAGE mentioned. ~e ~an be more

specific about any zone coverage, in Chat this refers"eventual man concept once a defenders area "has beenthreatened.lt() Now there can actually be 6 deep intermediate arelisted on the football field. In addition, there may"also be the same intermediate sections realized in ashorter field area.(2) Also, these same 6 listed field areas exist in afield area. just beyond the line of scrimmage. (Thisis initially left unprotected in all ZOnes with the alied theory of defenders "clueing" the quarterback, ding on the short receiver upon the quarterbacks truecommitment and making a sure tackle for minimal yardag~(3) In specific reg~rd to AREA COVERAGE there ~ill becover guys (with 4 man rush) assigned to these 6 areas.These coverage men ~ill apply a man technique on a recin one of his two areas.

(a) These t~o areas are broken do~n into an areaoutside (A.O.), ~hich equates to the Curl-co-FlatAlso, the inside portion is referred co as the areinside (A.I.). which equaces co the Hook-co-Curl(b) Each defender ~il1 have a "priority-placement"of one area over another. For instance, generally,an A.I. defender ~ill honor a hook threat and releaa receiver ~ho is also out into the curl. On theother hand, an A.O. defender ~ill not allo~ himselfto be outflanked in the flat, as he yill Curn a cobining curl route over to another defender as he wto the flat area receiver. Ho~ever, this A.O. defwill never go tearing off into the flat if thereno receiver threat there.

3 . As far as personnel placement in 4strong safety as an A.O. defender.or field side)

Invert, ~e identify the(Usually on the strong

a. This puts a better coverage defender into the field orstrong side, whereas a linebacker takes the A.O. on th

short side. (See Diagram)


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o e T T eOO~ooo ooo

F~om our offensive standpoinc let's look atsive facto~s befo~e we delve inca the specificsand discove~y of 4 Inve~t indicate.

I. 4 Ln v e r t is not and has not eve. been designed to handle. thsho~t control passing game.

some general orren-as our- own exploration

a. Although nearly everyone of ou~ ~ouCes have excellentve~tical st~etch p~esent, they also ~eveal intermediatepluses, as well as sizeable pluses io the short. checkdown outlet a~ea. Th~ough you~ gene~al ~eading p~ogressioof deep to eventual short, you can always be assured ofchecking down to a high percentage secu~ity outlet. Alof these routes in the past provided for beyond a 4.5 yper play clip (the bubble off of the Slide, the 3rd re-ceiVer off of the Choice 6 Choice-Special, the S Back horr of the Switch, et~.). As a result, we can be exc~emepleased here and even ask what running play in a pre-dominantly st~oog run offense ~ill produce the same endresults?

2. (,."Balanced" Invert can be ripped ~epeatedly by our ovn flooing system. (Motion Back Flag off of the Go, Motion BackCorner o i f the Go, Y Out vith S Flat off of the Sl."icch, etc.t .. "Strong"....riation5cheir veak

Invert takes its whipping bv all of our Choicedue to placing the first phase of our reads "ncosid e .


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4. 4 Invert (rotation coverage) takes all of the damage in thedeep intermediate seams basically because the deep defenderscan't get as good a read and break on the quarterback as hesets-up and declares to his intended receiver. This is dueto their initial read and reaction, as it puts them into anuncontrollable drop in running to their area of responsibilityrather than already being lined up in it as in a "pre-rotatedconcept. The below diagram illustrates 4 Invert (RotationCoverage)

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"A-.;:. - -5. Although the basic concept of 4 Invert or any type of 3 deep

coverage is to be totally protective in the deep portion ofthe field, we feel that we can realize the overlap seam areaas points that we can continue to exploit. Our following dgrams of 90 Streak and 90 Swtich illustrate the potentialdeep seam areas vs 4 Invert.

(See Following Diagrams)


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In regard co specifics, 'you can attempt to answer these questionfrom the L.O.S. as we do the same on the boundary. as well as upstair

). Can we read 4 Invert merely from the pre-motion keys?2. Can we read 4 Invert from the pre-snap keys?3. Do they attempt rotation coverage or lock in a pre-~otation

scheme?4. How are they playing the weak A.O. and what kind of personne

is doing it?a. Influenced by flat or rim?b . Pure zone field drop?c. Any 2nd receiver through zone concept?d. Reaction to fronting/backing bait?e. Alignment specifics?

() Force?(2) Stack?(3) Even?(4) Walk-away?(5) A - at the inside of X or Z?(6) Prevent or 2 technique applied?

f. Reaction to roll (QB) away with trips away?Is he also responsible for run force co his side?they vary their weakside force?

5. The very same may be applied to the A.D. defender strong 1naddition to these strong related details.

g. Or

a. How does he react to seam threat along with a flat threab. How does he react to flat & up ?

6. Do the A.I. defenders take flow moving drops vs doubles aswell as trips side routes?

7. Do the A.I. defenders take deep drops or are they S Backconscious?

8. Are the A.I. defenders influenced by 03 receiver or on theS Back drag on our Slide variations?

9 . Can the F S 0 r dee p mid die de fen de r bet urn e d (h ips & s h 0 u Idto one side or another on our deep vertical game?10. Does the FS (deep middle defender) keep unusual depth on thb a 1 I ?1 1 . Will the deep middle defender get out of the middle one-third

or at least favor one college hash or another?12 . 00 the corners attempt to "pin" our deep outside one-third

receivers hip Co hip or do they turn their hips & shouldersco the field and clue the inside rouces and the QB?


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13. (Motion Backow do they react initially to square ins?Corner from the GO)

14. How is their cushion maintained through the 18, 20 and 25yard depth area? (Go routes, suckers, etc.)

15. If the middle one-third defender plays "protectivelx" deep,how does he react to 90/91 POST?

16. Are there some quick lanes present 1n the Hook-co-Curl area17. Do the safeties give uS a good P.S.R. of what the coverage

will reveal?Which direction presents4 Invert - Rtt Lft, Str,can best be utilized?

The following diagrams are direcced to the 4 Invert category athe manner in which we attacked them 1n 1985. Each and every differe4 Invert variation is illustrated.

is . ourWk?

best screen opportunity vsIn addition. what ~'of sc

A. 4 INVERT (BALANCED DROP SYSTEM)The most common type of 4 Invert coverage is displayed withwhat we may refer to as balanced drops. This merely refersto the under system being completely field protective. Al-though the backside under system may move their zones over1n relation to the QB's roll, they are not completely movedover into a strong overloaded posture. The following diagrreveals a balanced 4 Invert 1n coordination with a 4-2 Fron

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11/82

The previous diagram reveals the balanced 4 Invert regardlessof the Rip motion. Notice that there is no movement to motion. Tis an obvious P.S.R. indication that 4 Invert will exist upon theThe following diagram shows a mere safety adjustment in a 3-4 front

(1 J (i) (1JI> /s_______. s:C (A.r.) JA.:r~-+-(A.O) clj.o) ~"B 0 ;Ss : N E g0 00 G;) 00/a C>The previous diagram also gives you a P.S.R. of 4 Invert. The

position of the strongside safety and the outside backer, walked ofon the weak side clearly reveals A.C. (Curl to Flat) responsibiliiies.This is a common look by )-4 front teams that use a great percentageof 4 Invert. This is what we also refer to as pre-rotated. Thisis defined by agreeing that regardless of backfield and quarterbackflov, upon the snap, the coverage is locked in to working the pre-determined areas. Belov is another look at this Pre-Rotated 4 Inverbalanced coverage.

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12/82

Another elementary safety adjustment in 4 Invert shows one saferunning over to the A.D. with motion while the other safety folds bainto the deep middle one-third area. The following diagram illustratec his.

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Again, this has been a very co~~on adjustment to our basic Ripor Load motion, giving you an easy P.S.R. The following diagrams giyou some actual past case examples of the balanced 4 Invert coveragesituations.

Our basic SLIDE route directs you into a general read of the A.defender vs 4 Invert. In attacking this A.a. cover guy, ~e are placia horizontal stretch on the coverage. Dependent on the reaction ofth e A.a. cover guy, you will either ~ork to your wide out in the curlarea or hit t h e "bubble" r r A.O. hangs in the curl and gets o u t flankby our motion man. See the follo~ing diagrams.

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13/82

The Bubble route was close to a 100Z comple~ion shoe for us lyear, averaglng over 4.5 yards per attempt.

Vs 4 Invert be sure and allow your motion to extend to the num(outside portion preferably) prior to calling for the snap. Thisallow the motion men to take his bubble and get turned downfield nethe sideline. This puts extreme pressure on the A.O. defen~er. Whever decision he makes you merely go opposite. You can put him wheyou want him with your eyes most of the time.

The following diagra~ reveals hitting the bubble

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- - - . . . . - . . . . . . . . . . oThe next diagram reveals Todd Dillon "looking" the A.O. cover

co the bubble and hitting X for +14 into the curl vs Denver

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14/82

As mentioned. the bubble lS an extremely high percentage completion for you and if the receiver breaks a tackle, then it is a sizeagain. Dillon's toss to R. Johnson below vs San ntonio reveals a16 yard ga1n as the safety ID1sses the tackle.

c." I 00 . I I Lo- - .- -~ - -~ - -; -I I . . : .- -~

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Again, your general read 1S placed on the A.a. defenders reactioHo.:ever, if your near sloe: is 0:1 a n " o r " air" alignment, you c a a gee:hie right on the snap and get e:ne ~uick upfield yardage. The followid ia g r a m s h o v s Jim Kelly delivering co Sanders, ...:ho is "on air" v s Bmingha~ in the playoffs, for a quic~ 16 yard gain.

_L rC:;) I j Lo- -- -- -- -; - rI I I- -- -- -~~ - - < : : >!CJ I I 1 " " i " 1- -- T-- . _- -Is/= -- jl ' - -- - -- S 0I t , < :!l I I ~ . ./ ~,t CB .J . - ,' - - 2 - -1)/= t- T1 I-t ): T....-T , . ' - "c _ ,'_jC> 0 25 00.:"d- oo----- -...._ _Y . _ ,' ! C o ~\- .t0 I ;/ I =:'>-. . . . . . -- --

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15/82

4 BUZZAlthough this coverage is so similar to that of 4 Invert,

place 4 Buzz into one of the 10 major categories of coverage beof the unique qualities that it does possess. Certainly, at quback, you must be able to distinguish the difference, as wellrecognize when 4 Buzz 1S being presented.

In definition, 4 Buzz is another coverage that reveals a- 4 underneath zone structure, in general. For the most partcoordinated with a 4 man rush although some 3-4 teams, who utili4 Buzz, tie it in with a 3 man rush in combination with a 5 mansystem underneath.

As far as specific description is concerned, we are lookingat a strong-side or field-side change up compared to 4 Invert.There is a change of responsibility in the A.O. and A.I. defenderin 4 Buzz. Therefore, whenever regular people are inserted defively and true outside backers are present, the outside backerthe field or strong-side will work himself into position to assthe Curl-to-Flat area. The safety will work himself in positionto assume the Hook-co-Curl area. Diagrammed below 1S a specificstrong-side illutration of 4 Buzz.

/s-r: T s:

In our attack of 4 Buzz there are numerous specific questionthac we must ask ourselves. Listed below and on the followingare a number of these specific details.

I. The fact that 4 Buzz is a 3 deep secondarv zone u~it. wcan apply any of our relative J deep questions that werepresented 1n 4 Invert.

2. Also, on the weak-side or short-side. ~e wicness the idcal coverage concept thac is performed in 4 Invert, soof the A.D. and A.I qualities on chis weak-side are nOdifferent chan what we asked 1n che 4 Invert section.


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3 .

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a. On many of your ini~ial weak side applied read~ youwill actually be viewing a complete 4 Invert conc~pcFor instance. on 6 1X Choice S-Flac your initial readiagnoses 4 Invert. as you clue the corner and thedefenders specific drop. You may not see the strongside development or change-up unless you work backyour progression sequence to your 82 or 03 selection.

Now if the A.O. defender on our strong or field-sidelinebacker, lee's get these questions answered about

1hi

a. How does he reace: to an outside screech a~tempt inone receiver is working flat while another is drivinthe college hash region up field? (60Z GO/6IX GO)

b. How does he react to our outside horizontal stretchatcempt on the basic SLIDE route?

c. Can he be influenced easily by your eyes?d. Does he show any awareness of executing a"2nd receiv

through the zone" adjustment? If so, can he actuallgo deep and hold up on deep balls?e . How will he

we send theto a "pump"

receiver outon your part, in whichand then up the rail

reactfl a Ca secondary route?How does he react to run fakes when playing the A.OHow does he execute his force responsibility on thegame?How will he react on flow away?A.I. defender, who is generally a safety, now becomeHook-to-Curl player and assumes this area responsibilimust get these questions answered about him.Does he work into ehis scheme in pre-rotated mannerin a rotacion coverage concept?

b. What kind of depth does he operaeewe treat our inside slot as an "on

rom and if deep,air" receiver?

c. Does he run eo a shallow underneae:h area upon the sd. Does he align in a certain spoc and merely sit and

the QB hard upon e:he snap?e. What disguises (if any) does he apply when playing

area?What type of width does heco gee: quickly involved inarea? (SLIDE, etc.)

g. Do run fakes affect him?

from and does hethe oueside curl

. operateplays on

h. Does he get involved in run support quickly and byforce rule does he engage himself?


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These questions certainly exhibit our interest and concernfor the altered area of coverage in this 3 deep - 4 underneathzone category. For it is easy to understand the difference be-tween the characteristics of 4 Buzz and 4 Invert.

Actually 4 Buzz will declare itself quicker as a P.S.R.and often as a P.M.R. of the safety is hanging out initially inthe underneath middle portion of the field in a ~robber"technique. One thing shows to be very glaring and that is froma 3-4 if 4 Buzz is displayed then there will be very littlecontain applied for a 3 man pass rush unless they operate a scrapelinebacker. Refer to the diagram below.

t.il I 0 J "E

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0 - .:: Z ' ~ fA . , ! I /' .' ~- ( //F!-..,_/ !- , I \. ( - 1 1 : : . I s:/ - I j/ .' - l I; =~ 5(, ..! w t I - _....o .ir 0 \ < eo/-' _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ . , ~ ---("Ii)~- I .B B -_ , , I( - /= r I" e 7f.I i:. I- 0 o= r: 0'1 -~ ]= o0 Qpu~~ -N T " " 0I- 0


18/82

Many people on our schedule may think that 4 Buzz is the rto take and by working a 5 underneath drop system with 3 deepwill give tham all that they want, coverage wise. From a defensstandpoint one must first concern themselves with their pass ruWith only 3 coming we have the capability of doubling every rusand then this game merely turns into a "sandlot shooting gallery(See blocking below)

tSs,I' -...." IN. - "'"' , (if ",{__.''>d:~~ \ '.6--'0- ? - - C Y ( 3 / '

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - r - - - - - - - ~ ~ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Back in 1985 Tampa Say tried their hand at it along with adosage of 4 Across (3 Man Rush) and before the 3rd Quarter wasthe scoreboard was looking like a pinball machine. I thought tdamn thing was going to explode as .points were going up on ourfaster than r could count.

The following pages reveal some 4 Buzz looks for you.


19/82

- - - - ~. - - I - 0C T - ...c- -- - - -- - - -- -;- - -;~ - - -- - - -- - - - ~tv - - ; - I j" 00 - - N- -1- - - I - - I- --)3 - s~ J I - - ~"} ~' . . . ! . r- - 1- - - I'(,A ;.) ~ - - - ~ ~- ; - - ; - .. aC I k 0 - ('Y') 1- - c :!- I(AI~ - - 5 1 ' c)- = ;!/~~J:;

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20/82

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21/82

. . . . .. .. .

Against pre-rotated 4 Cleo, often times we roll or angleset away from the roll corner side. At quarterback, yoactually see a 4 Invert look initially in this case. Tfollowing diagrams reveal some of these situations fromlast season.KELLY TO COURVILLE FOR .13 IN 1ST L.A. GAME

KELLY TO VERDIN FOR A .12 YARD T.O. IN 2ND ARIZONA

. . ~ ~r \


22/82

Kelly ~o R. Johnson as he throws the hand up and hooksu pat ...8 a s the dee p c 0v era g e isex t r e at ely h ig ;: 0nco2nd Arizona game

Dillon to Me Ghee for +35 as the corner was caught outposition as he had outside one-third responsibility.2nd Arizona game


23/82

DILLON TO HARRELL FOR +10 IN 2ND ARIZONA

B 4 CLEO (ROTATION COVERAGE)From a defensive scandpoint, many ceams feel chac by rotche zone over in the direction of our QB drop or roll,can puc their defenders into areas chat ~ill cake a~aylanes of complecion. On paper these coverage diagramssound and solid. However, it just doesn't ~ork that ~ay,we would prefer to see rotation zones rather than the prrotated look. Th; obvious reason 1S that the defenderponsible for the deep outside, if we roll to him, also hthe deep middle, if we roll a~ay. As a result, he mustlined up in a spar ~here he can get co both as he readsthe snap of th~ ball. Much of the time he is running lihell for his life because those stretch points fly openbig for us as in Cover 2. Again, it's noe like they arecomfortably lined up in an area. They are having to runto it upon the commitment of our flo~.The follo~ing diagrams reveal many of our plays from lasseason against the 4 Cleo rotation flo~-zone concept.See page 1:0


24/82

KELLY TO Me NEIL FOR +16 IN 1ST L.A. GAME

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25/82

KELLY TO R. JOHNSON W'ITH AN "ON-AIR" SHOT IN THE PLAYOFFSFOR +2 J YARDSC J 1


26/82

C. 4 CLEO (STRONG OVERLOAD)The 4 Strong Cleo concept is the same as in the overload o4 Invert: and 4 Buzz. The under system merely overcommicsco the strong side in an attempt to constrict the underneatpassing lanes on that side.As 1n the same situation as the other, their problems areobvious on the weak-side; and the deep seam areas existregardless of overload or balance. The following diagramrev e a 1 so m e 0 f o .u r I 985 sit u a C ion s v s 4 S c ron g C 1eo.KELLY TO VERDIN FOR +20 IN 1ST L.A. GAME ON 61 X 60.Ex c ell en e fro n tin g & b a c kin g b a iCon cher 0 lIe 0 r n e r her

o

KELLY TO Me GHEE FO+13 ON 60 Z SLIDE IN 1ST L.A. GAME.oo

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s : 'r: T L-a co ~=c.:> - r0 10,


27/82

KELLY TO VERDIN ON 60 Z SLIDE Y POST OR FLAG S-DRAG fOR.18 AGAINST BALTIMORE

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28/82

As mentioned in ehe ~ Strong Invert section. if ~e shoulalter or change our pat:erns ~ith a man-under call or at y p e of change due r o a P.S.R. of man. vin g+ c o m b o , e t c ,be sure and read it oue all of the ~ay on the strong sidAs in the case against Jacksonville in 1985. don'e "thblind" into a baited disguised area without: seeing thepicture. For example, be sure and get a good perimeteron che snap i f man-under 1S called on our Slide route.our motion man and ~R run the coverage off, then it isindeed. If they merely show man by running over, disguisit, and then dispersing off into a zone area, you lJillthat it is 4 Strong Cleo instead. This example is diagrabelo~:

- oo,As in the case with ~ Invert, ~Cleo provides ehe screech pointsregions and dOlJn the boundary.Lase season \ o l e experienced many big plays againse ~ Cleo1n the deep seam areas. The following examples illus:racechi s :

Buzz and 4along the

Cleo Prevent,college hash


29/82

KELLY TO R. JOHNSON FOR 27 os 51 OUTSIDE S-RIM IN 1ST

o


30/82

KELLY TO VERDIN FOR +27 IN 2ND ARIZONA GAME 50 OUTSIDE

,-KELLY TO VERDIN FOR +35 IN 2ND L.A. GAME 90 SWITCH S-HOOK

\


31/82

KELLY TO MC NEIL ON 90 SWITCH (COMBO) S-FLAT FOR +27 IN2l\D L.A. GAME

C I 1 oo


32/82

KELLY TO VERDIN FOR +14 AGAINST THE GENERALS ON 90 SWIT$-HOOK

r

, e'0,KELLY TO MC NEIL ON 90 SWITCH S-HOOK FOR +24 AGAINST BIRINGHAM IN THE PLAYOFFS


33/82

KELLY TO HARRELL ON 90 SWITCH S-HOOK FOR +16 IN THE PLAYAGAINST BIRMINGHAM

OUR 60 Z CHOICE (CURL) WAS FIRST RELEASED AGAINST ARIZONAIN OUR 1ST MEETING. HERE. Me GHEE ADJUSTED WELL TO THECORNER AND GOT INSIDE THE A.I. DEFENDERS DROP FOR A SIZEA.19 YARD GiIN. .

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c.i,


34/82

In conclusion of our attack on 4 Cleo, you can agree thata rolled up corner we may experience some uniq~e possibilitiesfrom our passing game. What may theoretically appear to be de-fensive advantages in using it against us, may easily be convertinto our own offensive strengths by your own proper reads andcisions. As in all coverages, let me reiterate in saying don'ttry to force a throw into the fade or into the flat just to prothat you can whip 4 Cleo any time it shows up. If receivers acovered up in this area, you must merely eliminate them and geeto your next selectioQs in your progression sequence.


35/82

4 CLEO PREVENTDue to the roll corner tech~ique applied to both sides we

this coverage into one of the 10 major categor~es of coverage.

Due to the unique nature of 4 Cleo Prevent, we must be faware and conscious of our complete approach against it.

First of all, this coverage is most relative to 4 Cleo efor the fact chat we are now confronted by corner roll on bothwide receiversbacked up with 3 deep zone.

From a defensive. standpoint many teams use this as a pureprevent defense; one designed to obstruct the release of theouts and have a soft. secure 3 deep structure. Others use itin their primary coverage package, in which they utilize it ~many situations.

As far as our approach to 4 Cleo Preven-t, there are many-that we feel are good against it, provided that our personnelin place and as long as our receivers can diagnose and realizewhat is happening to them. In breaking this coverage down intmicroscopic look, we can associate many of the same questionswe directed to 4 Cleo because the techniques are identical.instance, relationship between the roll corner


36/82

7. How can ~e best utilize our S Back in flare control?8. What does the CHOICE (EVEN) $-FLAT do to them?9. In an expanded 4-2 front structure. can ~e trap and dr

effectively?10. Can we get in the alley on sweeps and pitches?In our attack on 4 Cleo Prevent you must

eral characteristic of this coverage. being acoverage and certainly all of your associated

first look at thetrue 4 () deep)zone reads apply?

The follo~ing diagrams revea~ an example against 4 Cleov e n tin I9 8"5 .

The ls t diagram illustrates a good disquise of it. initprior to motion. Notice the 4-3 front and ho~ the dime backerinto center field as our motion is applied.

KELLY TO VERDIN FOR +9 ON 60 Z SLIDE Y POST OR FLAG S-DRAG

Jo-


37/82

The next example reveals a huge void in the underneath areas ~e check do~n to the S Back for good yardage on 91 POST S-FL

KELLY TO CLARK FOR +1 2 IN 1ST PORTLAND GAME~ ~ ~

~.This next play clearly illustrates the full ~eakness of t

coverage ~ichin its underneath area. In this 1st Arizona gameKelly hits Harrell for +13 yards on 60 Z CHOICE (EVEN- S FLAT.

\I C


38/82


39/82

4 ACROSSIn the description of 4 Across, this coverage is one of

10 major coverage categories thac fall into a zone listing.v e refer to it as 4 Across, it: 15 much different than the othecoverage cat:egories. This is not a 3 deep-4 underneath.structure,as the others reflect. 4 Across is more of a cautious, preventtype in \lhi~h a 4 deep - 4 underneath distribution is revealed;generally coordinated with a 3 man rush. As a result, it \loulmost commonly utilized from a ]-4 front. Below is a generalof 4 Across from a 3-4.

o


40/82

In some instances4 man rush is employedup. In other words, weBelow is an examplewe layout the 60 Z CHOICE


41/82

8. Are (he underneath defenders more conscious of droppingfor depth or cluing the S Ba~k?

9. Can che inside underneath defenders be influenced by afroncing & backing scheme?

10. Are there any man techniques applied to chis coveragecategory?

I I. Can ~e dra~ and crap effectively against this approach?12. What does a f)ood scheme do to their drop system and di

cipline ill their coverage?Once again, many teams using this c o v e r a.ge v Ll I "~hip" thei

cover guys into not allo~ing the ball co sail over -cheir heads.Consequently, they play completely out of the park, practically.As a result ~e push chem off, hook it up in the extreme inter-mediate areas and take huge gains any~ay.

KELLY TO VERDIN FOR +10 ON 61 X CHOICE (EVEN) S -FLAT

~IJ /,j /c/

oo,


42/82


43/82

COVER 2Cover 2 is what we regard as a 5 underneath zon~ coverage

backed up v it h a 2 deep half-field zone. \o le ackno ....edge thestrength of this coverage to be within the under system, as witan extra cover guy included this coverage can pocentially pre-sent a squeezed down underneath area. Now there are 5 cover gto handle the 6 underneath areas See below:

The glaring ....akness of this coverage is the deep portionas each safety theoretically has a 27 yard area 'of deep respon-sibility. However, to compensate for this weakness many teamswill assign a defender to playa H 2 strong receiver for man dothe deep middle. Example belo ....

\ s Is .


44/82

Pattern reads are very frequent out on thepure fade route with no flat threat presentedcorner to run E a r depth under the receiver tofield safety. S~e below:

corner. as v s awe may expect theassist his half-

C r e:Oo~o

The previous diagram shows the corner running deep in orderto help his safety and, in curn, would allow che safety to possiblysqueeze down on any deep inside rouce. See below:

)00


45/82

Realizing the extremewill allow themselves co

weakness of this coverage, some def~nsebe outflanked, giving up an underneathup the deep ball if they can.rea. in order

See below:to cover

. Cover 2 is a rather dangerous coverage to operate from, evenagainst the conventional two-back offenses that will stretch itwith 3 receivers. With our spread speed attack you can imaginethe concern that defenses would have with our 4 man verticalgame. We stretch 3 deep coverages with ease, at times, so onecould imagine what we would do against a steady dosage of CoverWhy the guy in the scorers box would eventually cramp up fromrepeatedly pressing the scoring buttons, lights and all.

In all seriousness, this coverage category is dying out fast,as we faced Cover 2 only 31 times in 1985 c o m p a r e d to 93times in 1984. Irregardless, let's objectively look at many ofthe questions that we must solve whenever we are confronted bythis half-field zone.

I. What specific technique do we envision by corners?a . Do they align eight and jam hard forcing inside?b. Do they utilize th e running Jam aC t he 5 yard point?c . Do they employ th e "soft 2" tech. 1n merely sinking

back at 10-12 yards deep and not applying any COntacon th e WR ?

d. Are they ever forcing the WR's release to the out-side?

e. Do they convert this coverage into 4 Across with noflat threat?


46/82

2. What specific technique do we envision by the safeties?a. Depth - Do they declare themselves fully and operate at

around 15 yards prior to the snap? Will they run frommore shallow depth to give us some P.S. indecision? Wilthey play virtually "out of the park" in attempting tokeep things in front of them? (Oakland Invaders - 84)

b. Disguises - Will they play shallow and race out for deptreading the jam of their adjacent corner? Will they comfrom well inside of the hash and race for leverage posion the WR? 4 INVERT or any type of 3 deep to 2 coverage.

c. Reactions - Do they want to stay high on top of the hashwill they work off of the hash into the outside 1/3?Others?

3. How about the complete play of the uncoverage?a. Do they bump .out with the motion to trips or do they

keep theii leverage angle more on the #3 receiver as tripmotion is revealed?b. Do they take pure spot field drops or do they take str.

curl area, str. hook area and A.I. on the weakside?c. Will they playa man-under trail technique on anyone wor

up the deep middle of the field?4. Will they attempt to combine this 2 coverage with another an

get this coverage tied into 4 ACROSS (Texas Tech) or perhapsuse a "middle robber" to tie 2 coverage into 4 CLEO PREVENT.vs. deep middle threat? (Portland 85)a. What does play-action do to this?

5. Where are their run support force coming from?6. Any 6 underneath - 2 deep variations?


47/82

From the standpoint of glaring weaknesses let's get a goodfield vie~ of the deep stretch points available that Cover 2does provide.

. C)! o Q r- -'t: ~~ '. _, -\ -I --I I- ,I = r r- t,I I ,r -I I

~-, l.- I.1 - '- 01, ;- I1

I

~

- , -I I.- 7 I~ I - - I-I . . . \r - \ \I . ~, '7 ,.' ~ I , " ~7 ,+ , \. '- \~ - \~ - . 1- ,_.(.t.J - - - . .' - ; - C)


48/82

The next diagram shows an underneath opening on our CHOICE(EVEN) as Verdin drags across free for +9 against Tampa Bay.


49/82

KELLY TO HARRELL FOR .16 AGAINST MEMPHIS ON SHOOK

As mentioned previously, we only saw 31 Cover 2 looks laseseason. In the last 3 seasons there was actually only one tea~hat used it as their base coverage against us. In 1984 Oaklandused it 38 times against us in our victory over them. Had it nbeen for our numerous self-inflicted mistakes in the 1st halfagainst them, we could have possibly made a legitimate run at tall-time scoring record in one game.

Before concluding the section of 2 coverage, I want to in-clude a couple of diagrams of a 2 Cover variation that was shownagainst us in 1984 a few times in our 2nd meeting against theChicago Blitz. This look is what we refer to as "2 ROBBER."Naturally we could possibly see this on down the road so here arthe fe~ looks of it that we did see.

Jcs .\ ." JJo

< : : >

I


50/82

The possibility of seeing an overloaded "Strong 2" coveragedoes exist, just as \ole confronted it in 1985 by 4 Invert, Cleo,and some Buzz. Naturally this ~ould be most common in college foobecause of the hash placement and working off of the widehashmarks. Diagrammed below is a Strong 2 Cover look from a 4-3.

(l~ (ij~( P o . r . ' )\ (srr.c : . /HOOK.Z; ! ! >z

=:/1. )/0 - ~


51/82

- - - - A- - -; -. . . . 00 . ! . . I - . . . . .- -- - - -- - - -- - - -;~ - - -- - - -- - - -- - - Atv r 00 - - - - C ' o C- - - - .- - - -- - - -i~)\ - - . . ! . ~ ( y- -- - - A- - -; .I a0 ~: - - =) ("r)- - .- -- "7 . - -(~ .o . ) t y - : l : t~!J -!{f"", J~ (A.~)- : : ) 1 C " l ' C : : c _ /\ < ; - /' . .- - I 0 ...I.,;. .,. c "1 ~ rt , xf../- : . . ~- - - -e ,-T - - -_8"'" 0 -; - - - .00 I


52/82

- - - J- - - '7 0I .: ~ - -- - - - -. . : . . - - - - - -- - j- - I I 0v0 - C ' o - - - -- - - )Ii- -I...- ,. . . .( - . ! . - / _- --- - - - j- " '7 - 0,- :~ ('Y') .!O -- - -- - - -- - -a.,-:.'i I( A . ~ . \ '- ; ( 0 . ' : - ' \ . : ; ,1 1 '- ", '\ /,4 ,~ - /,~d.J ;7(~~:J- d ,~ ,;- --;' . . M - "1 _ Xt ' -_ - . . .~ I I I 0. : . ~- -: . , . . . = . . , - C - - -- - - 0: : : > 00C !1 Q0 - -:) 6- 70 ,~ - -- - -- - -- - 0n -oo Jo

o

~ ~~L - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -O o


53/82

The previous page shows a couple of exotic Invert adjustmentsfor 2 Coverage. This is always a possibility as we must expectdefensive coaches to try anything. This is very unsound from a dfensive standpoint, but ~I at quarterback, must prove to them tit is by burning them with our deep: vertical game. The fact thatthey are losing a jam, giving our receivers a clean run-off,and playing 1/2 field coverage on top we should continually getthe extra point team ready.

In conclusion, Cover 2 should be a frequent coverage with ou4 quick stretch receiver philosophy. However, Miami in 1986 hadthe best defensive personnel in college football. last year. T~~ymajored in Cover 2 and combined it with 4 Across if a flat threatwasn't present. The Miami Hurricanes opened up last season withSouth Carolina, who showed their version of the offensive approachfor the first time. With the Carolina Gamecocks being green andinexperienced they got it handed to them to the tune of 34-17 andwas never in the game. As a result, Carolina saw more 2 coverageconfrontations on down the road from other opponents; more thanI would have expected. Naturally Carolina got better at what theywere doing overall and also against 2 coverage. The moral to allthis is that if we show limitations in executing against ~ny ofthe 10 categories then we best hurry and get it corrected becausewe are about to see it again real soon.

Each game will be like reading a book. You should know whatis in every chapter as when we stomp out one coverage on one weekthen get ready for another approach the next. Cover 2 is nodifferent. When it shows up we must rip them to the extreme.


54/82

COVER 5From a very broad, general standpoint Cover 5 is simply 2

deep zone combined with man underneath. Various man techniquesare applied to our 5 eligible recelvers with 2 deep-help defenderup top in the halfs.

By the turn of the early 1980's, this coverage was just colng into its own, as it gathered momentum and became more andmore popular through the early and mid 80's. As conventionaloffenses continued to bre.ak the huddle with 2 backs, at leastone tight end and no more than 2 wide receivers, this became thsolid trend ln progressive pass defense. Throughout the NFL,teams found it to be difficult to continually make consistentplays on the outside to the wide-outs. So, these vanilla typeoffenses became reliant on working to their tight ends and run-ning-backs on the linebackers. If these tight ends and backsweren't elusive type receivers, then it was a matter of forcingthe issue.

In contrast to the 2 back, 'tight end type of attack. I feelthat we currently reveal the most productive offense ln the gamein successfully attacking Cover 5. There are numerous reasonsfor the success that we have had, as this following list indicate

-s o m e of these.Our offensive structure, which reveals 4 speed receiver

and one back in an often spread like formation, gives us matchupsand necessary room to execute I on 1 underneath.

2 The knowledge and awareness of the coverageP.S.R. by the receivers and yourself, at quarterback,us to isolate any on I situation underneath and beatpur quick separation principles.

3 The recognition of Cover 5 on a P.S.R. permits us tomake special calls allowing us to change our routes to a specificarrangement of routes especially designed to smash into the weakest link of this coverage.

a This unique capability, beyond any ocher, keeps uahead of the defenses of today.

from awill enablit with

4 Our sophisticated type of audibilizing will allow usa particular play or select from a group of plays that will giveus exactly what we ~ant against a certain team using this cover-age.

We can obviously go on and on about our confidence in attacking Cover 5, but let's examine further what this coverage entailsFrom our offensive perspective let's be a little more specificabout what is provided for us against Cover 5.

5 man under with 2 deep is still 2 deep, and 2 deepcertainly reveals a lot of open area to run to and catch deepballs on the go. These man-to-man defenders do assume thac theyhave got deep help deep help that may not always show up ontime. Therefore. if we can stick or shake the underneath mantechniques off of us, separate away in a vertical streech, thiscoverage will give us the same big plays that Cover 2 would.


55/82

2 As far as the possession passing game is concernedour quick adjusting separation game is ready made for Cover S.Basically our entire route concept involves flexibility for adjusting against Cover 5. The following list of pass plays aremere examples:

a Our man under call adjustment off of our ~o seriesand the SLIDE call.

b The backside and S Back adjustments from the SwITCc The pressure out of the WR and the separation back

side from the CHOICE.d The Go route vs

to our slots.acting againstbig plays.Our 900 (Pick)

a "lac ked one e c h n i que" a"p p lie dBut even special diagrams and re-the banjo technique can present

e series is excellent.f All of our screens are excellent.g Our 90/91 Post has the separations built in alongwith a possible pick for the S Back on his flat

route.h Etc.

3 Continuing on ~ith more advantages vs Cover 5 are cer-tain ground schemes that we will apply. Generally Cover 5 1Srelated to a tight press-bump and run. As a result, our rec~ivernOW become great .blockers by merely runnlng these cover guysoff downfield.

a Our various crap plays are extremely attractive.b The draw play can crease them for big dirt.c The lead option has its moment against this tightcover scheme.d The sweeps present big possibilities.e Etc.

Our biggest run games, in the past, were greatly attributedto the defenses providing Cover 5 for us.

Prior to entering into specific case example diagrams fromlast season, let's get a line of communication established aboutexplicit characteristics of each teams capab~lities in Cover 5.These questions are to be answered:

Do the cover alignments give us a P.H.R.?2 Once motion is employed, does a clear P.S.R. presentitself for us 1n the full declaracion of Cover S?

] What kind of personnel is out there defensivelyular people, dime, nickle?

4 Questions applied directly co corners:

reg-

a DoI o J R

they take an inside-cocked alignmenccaking away any quick slane move?

On ou r


56/82

b Do they ever employ this in a loose head-up align-ment?

c Do they use an extremely loose alignment and attemto "catch" the WR on his upfield release?

d How about his feet? Can we get him over~xtendedto the outside and eventually slip him back inside

e Does he employ the trail technique?f How doe~ he stand up against the pressure out,

comebacks, or deep suckers by our concerned WR?g Is he a strict IIback-of-the-head-to-the-QB" type7

If so, can we effectively get the underthrow earshot in there?

h Can our WR get quick separation off of the L.O.S.on a fade move?i What alignment is shown by the backside corneraway from trips?

5 Questions applied directly to safeties:a Do they operat~ exactly as they do In 2 coverage?

Does the backside safety, away from trips (Rip orLoad) motion: play into "center field" on QB f101.a':'ay?

c Does he fill the alley on all "run force?

b

d Can he be lured out of position on play-action?e What is his overlap capability as a half-field

zone player?6 Hol.J much time do v e need to "shake" the u n d e r guys an

get "vertical heat" applied up top?7 Do they use this in the Red Area?

safeties play from the +8 and in?8 On the inside slots what type of cover personnel is

matched up on us?

If so - how do the

9 Do they "lock on" or play "banjo"? ( S lot s )10

drop outI I

breaks byI 2I ]14I 5

Do they jump us upon the snap or will they attempt toand pick our slots up downfield?Hol.J do they (inside cover guys) react to pressureour slots or inside receivers?Hol.J do the inside cover guys react to play-action?Can l.Je pick off the inside cover guys effectively?Can we screen effectively against the inside guys?How effective 1S the middle backer In man on our S Bac


57/82

16 Doe~ the middle backer alter his alignment by under orovershifcing 1n the 4-3 Cover S?

an d 17 How do~s che middlebackerplay-action passes?18 How is his concentracion Co coverage applied wichblock Crap schemes unfolding instead?

react t o c ou nt er ac ti on runs

deuceThe following diagram shows a conventional 4-3 fronc ~ichCover 5 responsibilities ouclined.

~ MX c : . . \ XC . C T r\ ,_0 I d e: '. a Q c::: .c : : : : > 0 < : : : : >6

The previous diagram shows a rather standard form of cover 5.(Tight press across the board). However, being in a run consciousleague and just college football period may give us on indicationthat there may be some loose man applied, loose enough for thedefenders to attempt to read backfield flow initially. On theother hand, defenses may give up their pass rush in 0rder to Key 2inside backers out of the 3-4, in hopes of protecting themselveson those long distance house calls by the Superback. The followingdiagram reveals this.


58/82

u-)\

L i)/C.I, x c . . e,,.

As far as Cover 5 variations are concerned, I could feel amoving trend late in the season in 85 by teams that did not wishto playa true 5 look on the backside. In o~her words, in orde~to prevent the deep Cover 2 danger they would turn the backsideWR over 1 on I with the corner, as the safety would fold to themiddle of the field to help more from this point. All thissays is that we must get some throwback action going back to thesingled up WR some, in order to get their asses balanced up againin Cover 5. The following diagram illustrates this movementthat I am referring to.


59/82

We could possibly see a similar Cover 5 reaction on thecollege level when we are working off of the hash. In contrastto the previous diagram the attitude of the safeties would bethat of "wheeling~ toward the short side of the field. With thisthe field-side corner would loosen and play rather loose, notbeing reliant on the 1/2 field safety. Again, this is something.that we could possibly see from a Cover 5 variation.

(Diagram below)

- - .-P o - - -~ - -~ -i. - - 1 - - .~ - - ~I c:::>c:> ~- -- -- - ~j. - - . J- - J1 - -\.) - - ! .0 - - ~- I 1 _ ) -/ \ - - ~ , - , : ; \ - 1- - ~.3

\. '. \~ \' -~ -" -~ W - . .0c;:;l '- f")- - (/'1.~)~- -. . - -' C

I a )AWJ"O o~ - ; 1 B - 6 ~ .[Ot:l': ON - IL . x c . . - - - . . : . . . . _ ~ _ _ _ ;J . ?..1 .J - !o " o0..9I:)c ,_!;).--c.-__

'J ' C o - ;e. -0 0 ~, A,0 jI:C) ."'f '


60/82

We were confronted by Cover 5 by the COunt of 117 timesin 1985. Our opponents who revealed it most frequently are asfollows:

L.A. EXPRESS COVER 5ls t Game2nd Game

1 8 times21 timesIS times15 times

JACKSONVILLENEI.' JERSEYThe following diagrams reveal some of our results againstCover 5.The L.A. Express had a pretty good plan in that they tried

to tie in several coverages out of one basic P.S. look: However,their problems were, twofold.

They didn't execute all that well.2 We executed damn well!

On their Cover 5 look they would place a nickle back to thfield and "catch-on" to our motion man whenever we would go tripto the field. In that respect they hoped by eliminating the"running over with motion" we would not be able to detect theirman-under scheme.

The 1st diagram illustrates a fine shot up the rail as Kellspears Courville for +20 on 60 Z Go.

~C,/

///'c. .J 0< = > ('I'), ,

N 000 < " < C, ,


61/82


62/82


63/82

2. Will they snag the inside and trail?3. If trail is applied, what will make them look

back to the b a Ll ?4. Will they pin from the inside and always keep

their head turned on the receiver (b~inded tothe QS)? l o I i 1 1 the "under th r o v ear-shot" hanthem up?

5. loIi11 they funnel outside/in and attempt cosqueeze our WR's back to the college hash areathus condensing the field?

b 1ft hey e m p loy 1 00s e m.anI e t 's e x ami net h e sea s p e/. Will they wait and catch upon the snap?2. Will they bac~peddle out and keep up top cushi

as in zone?3. Will they pass off any crossing routes with

an inside defender? (Our Swiech route)5 Questions directed at the backers:

a How are their total cover capabilieies?b Do run fakes ho.ld and distract them?

6 What fronts will be played in coordination with thiscoverage?

7 How will they handle various run schemes out the weakside?

8 In loose man how is this P.S.R. different from 4 StrongInvert?

9 How easy is this coverage (0detect in the P.S.R. withloose man applied? If so - What are the specificindications?

/0 Is the P.H.R., as well as the P.S.R., that obvious withtight press alignment?

I I How is this coverage applied in the extreme Red Area?a What is done with the free safety?

b. Is tight-press bump-n-run present or aoes a ratherloose man still exist?

c. If loose man is still present are the defenderstrying to read ball on or off the line for runprotection purposes?

d. How areinside?dual up

they playing the extra cover guy on the(Rush him, zone robber drop underneath,on superback, etc.)

Getting on with our attack of Cover 1 the followingdiagrams reveal a couple of examples of past situations.


64/82

The first diagram is from our season opener. L.A. revealeda Cover I variacion and Sam Harrell walks into ch~ end zone for+8 yard T.O. on 460. On chis play the free safety gees occupied~ith che strong-side routes. ~e get the middle backer, who isresponsible for S, sealed and Harrell goes in untouched.

lt

The next play reveals an interesting situation as thedefenders pick each other off on the Switch route in a ~ear60 point outburst in J quarters of play last season. (P~ttvs. Navy)

(Congemi to Tinsley for +22 yard T.D.)

I

-iT I/'!I ri /I I) "-i .}

C

0\

\ \.r-=~.lo

iI!6io

- \(-cf"- . . . ... .

.. .

..


65/82


66/82

The previous plays give us our full potential against CoveIsolate a good receiver on an underneath defender thcan be shaken loose.

2 Bust it deep to the corner - away from the free-safety.3 0 c cup Y the 0n sid e cor n er '.Iit han ins ide pat e e'rnth a C

opens the entire deep outside for us.The 3rd play shows Kelly on target again to the outside t

Verdin as the little man takes it in full stride and dances hisway to pay-dirt down ~he sideline for a +74 yard T.D.

6 1 X GO (MOTION-BACK CORNER)~ 0


67/82

o

or

(;),c,

Extremely loose man gives our receivers a chance to getball caught, put securely away, break a tackle and turn a goodgain into a big one. Here, Courville gets it on up for +16 yavs Denver on 58.

o

o,

o,o " " ",00c


68/82

WING - C O H B OThis is the most sophisticated and advanced of all the majo

coverage categories. WING COHBO is a general term thac ~e usean unending and multitudinous number of existing double coveragepossibilities.

For clarification and description for grouping,egorize any type of double coverage that is appliedof our receivers, as WING-COHBO. There may be manydouble coverage in ~hich "inside-outside" techniquesor "over-under" techniques may exist.

~e may cat-to one or mforms of thare applied

To a large degree WING-COHBO is brought on by defensive te~ho apply "pattern reading" into their attempt in stopping us (any offensive system). They take the group of pass routes fromtheir scouting breakdo~n and attempt to place t~o defenders onparticular receiver ~ho ~ill enter into a specific section of tfield on his release. At this point, they ~ill lock up for mancoverage 1n a specific type of double coverage application.

The inside-outside coordination is generally constructed ballowing a deep route receiver to push up the field. As he enteinto a short intermediate area the two defenders will build aninside-outside posicion on him. Their rule is defined by stating

.if the receiver makes an outside cut then the outside def~nderlock on for man ~ith the inside defender either closing in frominside out or being freed up to help elsewhere. Should the re-ceiver declare with an inside break, then obviously the insidefender will have the responsibility of covering him for man. Toutside defender will then be freed up to help elsewhere or heclose on the same receiver from outside-in. Diagrammed below ia general illustration of this particular rule.

sc


69/82

As far as handling the receiver on a deep ball. they bothinstructed to naturally keep relative distance in protectingd~ep route and not to get beat deep. See belo~:

t: ! ," ' - >QIIc : : : > ,

W0 a:The over-under combination is easier to play defensively

and can even be performed by the use of regul~r defensive peopl(true linebackers). In this instance, as the routes develop,backer (or under coverage guy) ~ill run underneath the patterna "loose or tight trail attitude." The upfield defender ~illviously keep his relative cushion and play his man technique onreceiver from on cop. The next diagram illustrates this.


70/82

For fur~her clarifica~ion. I must say, if any of our 4 sprereceivers are doubled up for man in any fashion, ~hen we will p~his defensive ac~empt in chis WING-COMBO ca~egory. Should theS-Back be the only one doubled. chen ic is not necessarily applieto ~rNG-COMBO coverage. Cover I is an example from ~he 4 - 2 fron

As men~ioned previously, WING-COMBO may be revealed in a manumber of different methods. For instance, with our 5 eligiblereceiver attack let's look at some of the various possibilities.(I) there is a potential double coverage ap-

~ receiver only. The others will be si5 man rush -plication toup I on I.

(2) 4 man rush - there is a possibility of having two ofreceivers doubled. J ochers are Ion I.

(3) J man rush - although a very unsound trench defense ofrunning game would be shown, there are 3 double coveragpossibilities in existence here. Example below:

\\ . , , -'. ro

~ - - - - - - - - - .I ~ _

,"l - ,~c\\

I~ X e, ;__------ , \Xc. s N .' t ,. \o:!) < : > ~,o 0 \C)o .c : : : : > c: :>

I

cThe above diagram shows a number of double coverage schemes

on 3 receivers with 2 receivers I on I. Sooe mushy run lanes arinvited here for us however.Hey! There are always crazy things happeningknows? ~e may eventually experience 10 coverup on all of our receivers ~n coordination ofpass rush.

Seriously, at quarterback. you will handle ~ING-COMBOfashion. You can beat the double coverage by one of threeOr you will eliminate the doubled receiver (or receivers)ly progress on to a singled up receiver. After all. whatloIe ask for than I on I.

i n footba 11. Wh oguys out there douone gianc gorilla

in c hmechods

and meClore c


71/82

Before delving into the methods of defeating this coveragelee's examine many related questions in direction to ~ING-COMBO.

(I) Does a P.M. alignment exist that will tip us off that~ING-COMBO is in operation?

(2) Does our extended motion declare the ~ING-COMBO resposibilities?

( 3 ) Is a tight-press situation in existe~ce?n(4) Is over-under or inside-outside being appliea?(5) If inside-outside wing is present let's look at these

specifics?( a)(b)

How quick will they build the bracket?Who is the lesserment?

on 1 cover guy in the wing

(c) Do they play loose or tight on the pattern?(d) Do they operate high on top?(e) How will they react to the "stop and go?"(f) How will they react to the double move?(g) Does a pick possibility exist?

(6) How many are 1n a double coverage role?(7) How do they stack ~p inside vs the run?(8) How do they stack up on the outside perimeter vs the(9) Does play action break down the discipline 1n their

doubling?( 10)

()I)( )2 )

( 13)

( 1 4 )

( I 5 )( 1 6 )

Do certain motions and formations force them into cheing out of it?Do certain motions allow them to check to it?What do immediate crossing routes do to the doublingprocess?Do combination route change-ups destroy the disciplineof the coverage?If a 2 receiver double is in existence, 1S the doublecoverage place:(a) strictly on the inside routes?(b) strictly on the outside routes?(c) one inside and the other outside?Exa\.tly how well disguised are their P.S. looks?Is their ~ING-COMBO arrangement directed to our mostfrequent utilized routes or more in relation to person


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(a ) If based on routes, what will a few specific chanups or variations do to their combinat~ons?

As far as producing a cotal print-out on the WING-COMBO schfrom the 85 season, we were confronted by an assortment of doublelooks by the count of 176 times. Those teams who employed WING-COHBO looks against us are listed below.

DENVER ( Is C Game) - 40 timesPORTLAND Ond Game) 32 timesPORTLAND ( J s t Game) 27 timesDENVER Ond Game) 24 .time sL.A. (ls t Game) 14 timesARIZONA (2nd Game) I I times

As I mentioned earlier, 1n defeating a WING-COHBO attemptare basically 3 methods that the receiver may use. These 3 genermethods are listed below.

(I) Split the inside-outside attempt and beat them deep.(a) Techniques involve stop n go, inside-outside weave

other double move employment.(2) Work strictly on one defender only and break across hi

face.(a) Techniques directed to the depth and lateral posit

of the individual defender.(3) Push the defenders on a deep threat and sit down on a

natural sucker hdok-up.(a) Generally related to extreme loose relation 1n th

lateral bracket position as well as high on topposition.Basically. any other method would call for the quarterback

to eliminate the doubled receiver and move on to the next step othe progression.

As 1n the case with all coverages, at quarterback, you mustnot attempt to force anything on a well defensed combo attempt.Get off of it and go on with your progression.

Prior to examining our attack on WING-COMBO from 1985, I musay that the P.M. disguise element is the toughest for us co readMerely another chief reason that declares the usage of our motion.From a P.M.R. WING-COMBO may come from virtually any type look;4 Ln v e r r , Buzz, Cleo, Cleo Prevene, 4 Across,S, I, etc.

Your concentration and total awareness must be ae your best1n working and decisioning against WING-COMBO.

I will say that last season at the University of Pittsburghin the 5 games in which we used this offensive approach we werenever confr~nted with 1 snap of WING-COMBO. However, we willprepare hard for it as it is merely a matter of time until thefolks in the neighborhood try their hand at it.


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. . . oo

). \.

~e closed the book on this one with a I on I speed adjustmencby Sanders in the deep middle on 51 OUTSIDE S-RIH. Again, dOublin1s don eon the . 0Utsid e ..i thac 1ear c e n c e r f ieIdar ea. See D i a g r

KELLY TO SANDERS FOR +36 YARD T.D. FOR THE WINNING SCORE

c


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Courville got into the action against the COMBO himself.following diagram reveals his speed as he goes by the safe~y fora +44 yard pickup. Actually, the safety worked over the cop, tooa peek back Co the quarterback and then realized Courville didwait for him.

60 Z CHOICE S-FLAT FOR +44 YARDS

;,I I

r oo,(2) L.A. EXPRESS (2nd Game)

The 2nd time around c:he ExpreS's changed their approachby reconstructing c:heir WING-COMBO pack and placed c:hemphasis more on winging up on the inside routes. Thefollowing diagrams illustrate this.

The first diagram shows their efforts in doubling c:he insideroutes as He Neil goes in behind them with a pose: route. The I ocornerback cushions to the outside and Mc Neil takes it to a cleaout middle. See diagram on next page.


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KELLY TO MC NEIL ON 61 X CHOICE (EVEN) FOR A 61 YARD T.o.

~ - -- -- - -- - .. . ! . . 2.- -.I - - J-. . . -;- 0C) ~ I I -- -- -- - II - -- -! - -- Av I I I 0C I . : . - N- -- -- -I . . . : : I ,-- -j - - .IW - - ; - I 0

Cl - - ('Y)I~ - -- - I ).- J,ri7 I - - : ' (- -- - ,j\ 7 -;- I 077 . . I I - ~ 7 / .- -\ - -- - I\

I, - - : )t l - -\ - -- /1 0 JI' 1 .\ 0 \t' 7[Y ' " / 7- -( --b I - .A CT ~ T ~ 7~~ ~

-- xc\ - - ; - ) ,


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Being chac our entire passing game is directed to adjustingand reacting co all of the major coverage catago~ies, we can exclaim with great confidence that our attack against blitz is thbest in all of football. In making this statement, obviouslyhas to be backed up with many positive plays. Your execution aquarterback will continue to be best geared for any pure-man blconfrontation.

Last season at Pitt we were naturally confronted by BLITZour 5 games using this system. Totals in 1985 are 97 times wittimes in 1984. Loose man continues to be more predominant althas defensive movements continue to flow we will naturally prepafor all types of BLITZ engagements.

As mentioned, all of our basic routes are built in to handblitz. As a result, we will never be locked into a bad play duto play selection. Admittedly, some plays are better than otherwhich brings us to thoughts of audiblizing. Naturally, thiswould also be in correlation to game planning through our opponenstrengths and weaknesses.

After viewing many specificpackages, at this time I feel

and detailed questions about blitzit is important to examine them.I. Do we get a P.M.R. due to alignment, stance, eye-contact

of the cover guys?2. How many defenders are dispersed in coverage?

a. If any linebacker comes on a rush,defenders out there 1n position coreceivers?

are there onlycover our 4 spre

b If 5 defenders are scattered out thereand the 2 inside backers fire throughis this a blitz read for you? If yes

in coverageon a 4-2 fronor no - why?

3. What kind of safee:y movement and tendency do we gee: frmotion?a. Does this P.S. indicator give us all that we need

to know?4. Is a lock or banjo principle being applied on our ff2 a

( 1 3 receivers?S. On exe:ended or wide motion, will they check to a lock

will they apply banjo to our 02 and ( I) receivers?6. HoI.' do the cover guys "hold their eyes" on a P.!1.R. and

throughout your P.S.R.?7. Do the linebackers sholJ you anything from a P.H.R. and

P. S . R. ?8. Concerning mismatches, which cover guy looks to be the

lJeakesc I on man defender co attack?a. This may have more Co do with our audible selections

chan anything.


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9. Questions concerning the corner play on blitz:a. Vs Loose man, ~hat type of relationship exists? H

inside position? Slight inside position? etc.b. Does he squat and wait from a loose alignment. or

does he ~ork into a backpeddle initially?10. Do any pickS reveal themselves 1n a lock-on system?II. ~ill any foreign formation or any particular typ~ of m

take them out of blitz?12. ~ill anything particular cause them to immediately chec

to it?13. ~hat field posicion area do they favor the most for

blitzing?14. From a general overall view, are they inclined to use

4-on-a-side, or ~ill they operate their blitz from abalanced front?

15. If 4-on-a-side is sho~n, how ~ell disguised is the coveportion?

16. ~hat run plays look most favorable to attack their trenunit up front with?

The following pages reveal the attack on blitz coverage.~e started the 85 season with a bang vs the Express. Our

first cwo scores of the season came on blitz looks. ~e positionedourselves on the +1 yard line in both instances. ~e scored bothT.D. 's off of 61 X GO vs banjo technique blitz. Also. in bothinstances, Sanders broke across the face of the safety coveringhim as the safety had too much upfield position on him. The diagrams reveal these two plays.

KELLY TO SANDERS ON 61 X GO for a +1 yard T.O. VS BLITZ


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Kelly Co Sanders on Che same play - same field location -coverage - same exact result.

.0

Jo

KELLY TO MC GHEE ON 60 Z CHOICE-S FLAT FOR +11 YARDS VS THEEXPRESS BLITZ


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Screening against BLITZ is as great as any possible bigWe believe "that by occupying a group of cover guys by way ofceiver release. by being a great actor at quarterback and thecerned screen receiver, and by executing the necessary relatedblocking, then the screen pass has an extremely powerful poss-ibility. The following diagram reveals a loaded (4-on-a-side)blitz by the Express. Here was a ~rue 7 man rush and the oneeligible receiver that was left uncovered was Sam HarrellS-Back. On this play, Sam ran until he ran completely 'out ofThe play coveied +55 yards and should have covered +80. See b

KELLY TO HARRELL ON 460 VS BLITZ FOR +55 YARDS

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~ ~CJ ~, f

270


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84 gamblers qb manual john jenkins

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