Simple Concept, Explosive Plays

My background on the offensive side of the football is with Option principles. My first opportunity to be an offensive coordinator was running an I-Based offense that focused on running the Midline, Load, and Veer option concepts. When we evolved into a gun and pistol offense, we continued to be option based. We try to find new and innovative ways to read defenders.

Perhaps the easiest and most popular read play to install is the inside zone read. Offenses from youth football all the way up to the NFL have adapted some form of the inside zone read. While many programs have put their own stamp on this popular concept, the principles are the same. The offense is going to block the box defenders while reading the backside C gap defender. 

The inside zone read allows the offense to cancel a defender without having to block him. It can give you a man advantage. You essentially can get one more blocker to the second level. Defenses have to not only have to cancel gaps, but now they must make sure they account for the QB as a runner. Defensive coordinators have to make sure they have a player assigned to the QB and to the running back. When defenses have to account for the QB, they have to borrow from the secondary, or ask their defenders to react very quickly to get in a position to make sure the QB doesn't run free.

The bowl games were fun to watch as several teams employed different versions of the inside zone read. UCLA ran it well against Kansas State, hitting several big plays. Perhaps the biggest play came in the fourth quarter when K-State was mounting a furious comeback. UCLA needed a big play... and they got one. 

The Bruins aligned in a one back gun set with a TE. Essentially this is a pro set, but putting the H back in the slot to the open side forced K-State to have to essentially defend an extra gap up front. K-State's answer was to roll their safety down to 5 yards put him man on the H back.

As you can see from the picture below, Kansas State has a dive and a QB player by alignment. 

Because they had two players outside the read side tackle, one of them could play the dive, and one could play the QB. 

On the snap of the ball the QB meshed with the dive back and saw the defense had a dive player and a QB player. We teach our QB, "when in doubt, give it out." This is a principle we used back in our option days. We would rather have our back getting downhill and being physical. 

The problem for K-State is that both players worked to the QB. Instead of playing their responsibilities, they made a choice to do their own things. The two things that kill a defense faster than anything are blown option responsibilities and missed tackles. Both of these will get defensive coordinators pulling their hair out!

When both players went to the QB, they left a huge void in the C gap. The UCLA's read side guard and tackle did a great job of comboing the 3 Technique to the backside backer, leaving no one to play the dive back. 

With the secondary in man coverage, there was no one left when the RB got through the first and second levels of the defense. The result was touchdown run that put UCLA up two scores.

I am sure K-State spent many, many reps drilling their guys on option responsibilities. However, UCLA did a great job of mixing up their looks on the perimeter. That is one of the reasons I love the zone read game. You can show the defense several different looks without having to change your blocking scheme.

Adding RPO's makes the inside zone read a lethal concept! 

 Last year I got hooked up with CoachTube, and put together three courses for offensive football coaches. I put together two courses on RPO's, and a course on Building An Elite System of Communication. All of these courses will help you to score more points! 

https://coachtube.com/users/coachvint

All three of these courses are detailed, with everything you need to be more explosive and to score more points. 

The course on communication gives you a detailed approach to your gameday communication. I give you a system and a process to improve the quality of conversations, leading to improved play calling on game day. This course has received outstanding reviews from coaches at all level of football. A coach with multiple state titles told me this course helped them to be much more efficient and explosive this season. 

My two RPO courses take you through a systematic process of installing RPO's into your offensive system. RPO's put the defense in conflict, forcing them to defend all 53 yards of width and all 6 skill players every single play. I not only give you a system, but I teach you the methods to develop your own RPO concepts. 

https://coachtube.com/users/coachvint

A few months back I published a couple of iBooks that can help your program with X's and O's. The first is on Installing RPO's into any offense. Here is a link to the iBooks version: http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1078061959. The ibooks version includes explanations, diagrams, and video clips on multiple RPO Concepts. It will give you a simple process for implementing them into your offense.

If you don't have an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, you can order the Amazon version for the Kindle. It has everything except the embedded video. You can order it here: http://www.amazon.com/Installing-Explosive-Concepts-Into-Offense-ebook/dp/B01B12YSCG/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

I also wrote a book on Tempo. It will greatly help you build a multiple tempo system with simple communication that will allow your kids to play with confidence. It also had over an hour of video clips! You can order the ibooks version here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1075902270.

Order the Amazon Kindle version here:

http://www.amazon.com/Using-Multiple-Tempos-Create-Explosive-ebook/dp/B01ATOL46A/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

If you are looking at adding the Inside Zone Read, or looking for a new wrinkly you can use, 101 Pistol Option Plays is now available as an interactive ibook. It has play diagrams, slides, blocking scheme descriptions, and hours of video! It is divided into two books, and the IS Zone Read and other read game concepts are found in Part Two, which consists of plays 54 to 101 and can be found here:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/101-pistol-option-plays/id954951972?mt=11

You must have an ipad or Mac to view the ibook. It will not work on an iphone. If you have a Mac or an ipad, you need to check out this book!

I also have several videos on the pistol and spread offenses. They can be found here: https://coacheschoice.com/m-63-james-vint.aspx

I can be found on twitter a www.twitter.com/coachvint. 

Coach Vint has authored several books and instructional DVD's with Coaches Choice. His book 101 Pistol Option Plays is actually available now as a 2 volume interactive ibook for the iPad! It is similar to a traditional book, but it contains several hours of video as well!
Order Part 1 Here: 101 Pistol Option Plays Part 1- Traditional Option Concepts
Order Part 2 Here: 101 Pistol Option Plays Part 2- Spread Concepts

One of the keys to our success was tremendous preparation!The key to  preparation was our outstanding group of documents we used for all three phases. If you are looking for fully editable and customizable documents that you can tailor to your program, I have made mine available. 

Here is a link to my offensive game planning documents: https://sellfy.com/p/AndN/

It includes everything from a scouting report template, to practice plans, to a two-sided color call sheet, and more! Each of the nine documents are fully editable and customizable! Order today for under $15 and download them tonight!

Here is a link to the defensive game planning documents. It includes 12 fully editable and customizable documents. https://sellfy.com/p/AY1u/

And finally, I put together a special teams resource. This has everything you need, included drill tape, practice tape, and game footage. It includes teaching presentations and scouting forms just for special teams! https://sellfy.com/p/tJwz/

Pistol Zone Read- Accounting for Gap Exchange

Two Tracking Two

One concept we like on offense is the concept of two offensive players tracking two defensive players. This is a very important concept in our option game from the pistol and offset look from the gun. When we started running the zone read in 1999, defenses were vanilla in how they defended us. By 2003 and 2004, however, defensive coordinators started to cloud the read for the quarterback.

The favorite stunt we would see was the defensive end running the heel line, while the read side inside linebacker would work the C gap. Typically this stunt was run when we got a one technique and a 5 technique to the side we set our back. The first time we saw this our quarterback got hit in the mouth. The defensive end running the heel line gave the quarterback a pull read. It was frustrating for the quarterback as he was doing exactly what he had been coached to do. 

Our staff sat down the following Sunday and began to look for solutions.  Little did we know the answer was already in our playbook. Because we had been running midline with great success for several years, we had seen a similar gap exchange from the Mike LB and the 3 technique. The 3 technique would squeeze the release of the guard, while the Mike would work over the top into the B gap. To counter this we had a second player tracking the Mike linebacker.

We got on the white board and started looking at how we could make the same concept work with our zone read game. We ended up with a simple concept that could work with any of our zone read concepts, as well as our inside veer play. We would use a second player to track the playside linebacker, along with our read side offensive tackle.

Our read side tackle and our bonus player would both have their eyes on the playside linebacker. If the playside linebacker stepped up in the B gap, the tackle would block him. The second player tracking the playside backer would climb to the next most dangerous man. 

If the playside linebacker scraped outside, the second player tracking the PSLB would block him, while the tackle would work to the next most dangerous man.  

In addition, we also turned our inside zone read into a triple option by adding a pitch phase. From our 2x2 look our inside receiver would be our pitch man. This keeps the defense from rolling a safety down to play the quarterback. They must honor the pitch phase. 

Here is a clip of this two track two concept in action with a pitch phase.

In the clip, our second player tracking the read side backer took a poor angle and got leveraged by the safety. Instead of a 25 yard gain, we settled for a 9 yard gain.

Here is another example, where our playside tackle gets a body on the side backer, and the Y climbs to the safety. The triple option aspect forced the defense to play assignment football.

As we expanded and grew our pistol offense, we were able to be creative with the alignment of the second player tracking the read side backer.  Any of our skill players could be the second player tracking the playside linebacker. We could align them in the backfield, or as a wing or slot to or away from the read side. In the picture below, the F is aligned in a slot and works across the formation to work with the read side tackle to account for the playside inside linebacker.

 A lot of coaches ask if he gets in the way of the pistol back. The only way this happens is if he doesn't hustle on the snap.

Below is the back aligned in the backfield becoming the second player tracking the read side backer.

Another rule we added was that our read side tackle blocked anything that crossed his face. If the read player crossed his face, we blocked him. Instead of determining our read pre-snap, we told our QB to read the C gap player, after the snap.

As defenses began to catch-up with the zone read, we had to adjust how we read the C gap. Sometimes we would get three players moving on the read side, and the quarterback had to be drilled to make a post snap determination of who his read is.

We must differentiate when we need to have a second player tracking the playside backer. If we are getting a slant across the tackle's face, the tackle would block him and the QB adjusts his read to the C gap player. If C gap player runs the heel line, we want to get a second player tracking the PSLB to account for the gap exchange.

I hope there is something you can use from this blog post. These are ideas you may want to consider if teams like to gap exchange your read game. 

If you are looking for more information on the two tracking two concept, check out 101 Pistol Option Plays. It is available on Amazon and from Coaches Choice. The ebook is only available here:

Coach Vint's Coaches Choice Page

Also, published a couple of iBooks that can help your program with X's and O's. The first is on Installing RPO's into any offense. Here is a link to the iBooks version: http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1078061959. The ibooks version includes explanations, diagrams, and video clips on multiple RPO Concepts. It will give you a simple process for implementing them into your offense.

If you don't have an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, you can order the Amazon version for the Kindle. It has everything except the embedded video. You can order it here: http://www.amazon.com/Installing-Explosive-Concepts-Into-Offense-ebook/dp/B01B12YSCG/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

I also wrote a book on Tempo. It will greatly help you build a multiple tempo system with simple communication that will allow your kids to play with confidence. It also had over an hour of video clips! You can order the ibooks version here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1075902270.

Order the Amazon Kindle version here:

http://www.amazon.com/Using-Multiple-Tempos-Create-Explosive-ebook/dp/B01ATOL46A/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

Follow me on Twitter: Coach Vint's Twitter Page

One of the keys to our success was tremendous preparation!The key to  preparation was our outstanding group of documents we used for all three phases. If you are looking for fully editable and customizable documents that you can tailor to your program, I have made mine available. 

Here is a link to my offensive game planning documents: https://sellfy.com/p/AndN/

It includes everything from a scouting report template, to practice plans, to a two-sided color call sheet, and more! Each of the nine documents are fully editable and customizable! Order today for under $15 and download them tonight!

Here is a link to the defensive game planning documents. It includes 12 fully editable and customizable documents. https://sellfy.com/p/AY1u/

And finally, I put together a special teams resource. This has everything you need, included drill tape, practice tape, and game footage. It includes teaching presentations and scouting forms just for special teams! https://sellfy.com/p/tJwz/

Inside Veer Variation 3 Back Pistol

Inside Veer Variation From 3 Back Pistol

If you watched the Superbowl a few years ago, you saw the Niners using some concepts that were similar to some things Nevada did to utilize Colin Kaepernick. These concepts put the defense in conflict, while giving the offense a numerical advantage at the point of attack. Back in 2006 when we went full time to the pistol, the zone read became our base concept. The zone read allowed our kept things very simple for our guys up front, and allowed us to not block one of our opponent's defenders. After installing the zone read, we installed the inside veer. In the pistol, we were able to get a lead blocker for the dive back, essentially turning the inside veer into an iso read play. 

The diagram below shows our inside veer concept with a lead back. The read for the QB is the exact same as inside veer. He is reading the C gap defender. If the C gap defender comes upfield, the QB will give the ball. If the C gap defender squeezes and chases the dive back, the QB will pull the ball and get downhill. 

After installing the Veer Option with a lead back from our two back pistol look, we installed it from the 3 back look. In the 3 back look we are able to create a numbers problem for the defense. Because we are balanced, the defense must balance. Because they must balance, they can't get more than 5 1/2 defenders to either side of the ball. The minute we step off the midpoint, we can get six defenders to the playside. The defense doesn't know if we are reading frontside or backside, causing them further conflict. To give us another blocker, we bring the backside back to lead the ball carrier.

The backside back is key to our success. He is going to read the playside defensive end, the same player the QB is reading. If the playside read squeezes and chase the dive back, the backside back (Y in diagram below) will work off his outside hip and lead the QB. This allows us to handle a gap exchange by the defense. Essentially, we are putting two players on the playside inside backer to backside or middle safety.

If the read player runs upfield, the backside back will work inside the read to block the most dangerous man. This will be the playside inside linebacker, or the backside or middle safety. The diagram below shows the defensive end running upfield.

The pistol allows you to use a backside blocker to account for a frontside defender. This gave us a tremendous opportunity to take advantage of defensive answers for our zone read and veer concepts. If you have a quarterback who is adept at running the ball, this is a great variation you can implement with relative ease.

I also published a couple of iBooks that can help your program with X's and O's. The first is on Installing RPO's into any offense. Here is a link to the iBooks version: http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1078061959. The ibooks version includes explanations, diagrams, and video clips on multiple RPO Concepts. It will give you a simple process for implementing them into your offense.

If you don't have an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, you can order the Amazon version for the Kindle, and the paperback version. It has everything except the embedded video. You can order it here: http://www.amazon.com/Installing-Explosive-Concepts-Into-Offense-ebook/dp/B01B12YSCG/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

I also wrote a book on Tempo. It will greatly help you build a multiple tempo system with simple communication that will allow your kids to play with confidence. It also had over an hour of video clips! You can order the ibooks version here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1075902270.

Order the Amazon Kindle version here:

http://www.amazon.com/Using-Multiple-Tempos-Create-Explosive-ebook/dp/B01ATOL46A/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

One of the keys to our success was tremendous preparation!The key to  preparation was our outstanding group of documents we used for all three phases. If you are looking for fully editable and customizable documents that you can tailor to your program, I have made mine available. 

Here is a link to my offensive game planning documents: https://sellfy.com/p/AndN/

It includes everything from a scouting report template, to practice plans, to a two-sided color call sheet, and more! Each of the nine documents are fully editable and customizable! Order today for under $15 and download them tonight!

Here is a link to the defensive game planning documents. It includes 12 fully editable and customizable documents. https://sellfy.com/p/AY1u/

And finally, I put together a special teams resource. This has everything you need, included drill tape, practice tape, and game footage. It includes teaching presentations and scouting forms just for special teams! https://sellfy.com/p/tJwz/