CoachDerz

Hey guys! In my verbiage, "Space" is a 3-man route concept that in some way, shape, or form incorporates an inside hook route at 4-8 yards, a mini-curl route at 4-8 yards, and a flat route. Typically run from bunch sets but can run with more spread sets, it is designed to stretch the defense horizontally. The QB reads the alley defender and his progression is inside out. On the backside you can tag whatever route you want. You can run it a lot of different ways with formations, with and without motion, and switching which receivers have the different routes, making it a versatile, yet simple pass play. Space Variations.pdf

For us Space was 3-step Quick game to stretch the defense horizontally. On the backside we could tag a deeper route, post, dig, go, comeback etc. We ran Space a lot of different ways with motions, unbalanced formations and swapping protections between the backs.

Space was always good to the TE side with Jet/Rocket motion to get the A-back into the flat.

We didn't run sprintout off of Toss but we did use Toss as a platform for play-action dropback, and it's phenomenal. OL full-slides to the Toss side, with the B-back blocking the backside edge, QB fakes Toss, sets up behind the onside OT. We had 2 route combinations off of it. -The first was a 12-yard comeback by #1, the #2 slotback took an outside release to vertical seam, the backside receiver ran a crosser, and the A-back in motion for Toss ran to the flat, he was both the hot route vs. onside pressure and the checkdown. We wanted to hit the vertical seam vs. safety movement. The backside receiver could run an inside stem to a vertical on the hash when the backside safety is rolling hard with Toss motion, we called that one from the booth. -The second route combo we ran off of it was an inside-release post by #1, #2 C-back had an outside release to post, and the A-back running Toss action continued downfield as a wheel route. We also had a naked off of Toss, which I don't think is great... it's ok... I think you need to run it once or twice a game to keep the defense honest, but I'd rather use a different play as a platform for boots.

Here's my 2 cents: BIG fan of the FB BELLY to the TE/3-line surface side using the DOWN scheme. Have the QB and pitch-back keep working outside to hold the corner and safety, DOWN the DL and ILBer, kick the OLBer with the onside guard. That's my favourite non-option play vs. odd. Midline is a good option play vs. the odd, especially if that DE wants to friction and bounce. We just beat Minot State, their coaches are triple option guys that are part of my coaching tree. We're an odd defense. Guess what play we had to adjust to at halftime? Wasn't triple. It was BELLY/DOWN!! Dropback off of Belly to compliment it, imo.

Here's some call sheets. We had it set up by where and how we were attacking. Inside, outside, counters, etc. From there, we also had it divided up by personnel groupings. For example, on the sheet here it says "Sabby," he was a wingback that we put at QB for some QB run game, subbed out the QB, and subbed in another wing. The little numbers you see on the right of each play were the numbers indicated on the QB's wristband when we were in huddle-up mode. An orange 43 meant that the QB looks at the orange colour paper in his wristband, and then play 43. I don't have any templates made unfortunately, we used Excel.

Coach Spencer, In Coach Elrod's verbiage, "W" means OT pulls, so Crashonbuck is describing Tackle-Trap off Belly action to you. That's where the "W" comes in, for the OT, not the wing... (Verbiage always different from staff to staff, for me "W" was pulling wing, "K" was pulling tackle.)

This is a question that I, too, have been wrestling with as of late. Trying to find a good trap play, that we could use as a staple year-in-and-year-out. There are two theories on running traps, run traps towards flow when the defense goes outside, and counter traps; run traps away from flow when the defense stays home to watch for bootleg. There's wide-traps where you trap from B-gap out, and short-traps where you trap the 3 technique for an A-gap play. Influence OL blocking schemes, and down/man blocking schemes. I've seen us run all of them at some point or another. My all-time favourite trap is a short-trap to the QB off Jet, towards flow from the gun. Several of my option mentors at the college level have had various traps in their playbooks. 2 I know of are firm believers in the trap/trap option concept, but currently Navy only runs those away from the 3 technique as a wide-trap play, however even though it's a wide-trap play, the FB cuts off the centre for an A-gap path. My other friend, retired from UWRF, wants to run it as a short-trap play, but becomes wide-trap vs. various fronts with no 3-technique, and will run the trap option to either side with no hesitation. He also used to run a counter short-trap to the QB off Triple, but I'm too scared to even look at that. Then my remaining 2 friends had it in their playbooks and scrapped it because they hated it, one of those 2 decided to run a counter short-trap to the FB off Triple, the other one never installed another version of trap and doesn't believe that it's a staple. I think I agree with Coach Elrod though, I do believe you need some sort of trap play in the playbook. I guess I do like trap/trap option but it's expensive as all hell to teach your QB to ride the FB into the LoS being blind to the pitch key, turn inside and run the double option. At the 1-platoon HS level, we ran this as an automatic pitch rather than a true option. At any level, you're gonna have to find several things in your playbook to throw out in order to use it, for this reason I like counter option better than trap option. At the NFL level you'll occasionally see a counter trap to an offset FB, but mostly I've seen flow-side wide- and short-traps to the HB (particularly from the Rams who like it off Jet). Then there's the classic Wing-T B-gap counter HB tackle trap off the power series. This one has become one of my favourites, at least on paper, but I'd prefer to run it off Belly steps than power steps, just because Belly is more relevant to me, but I'm not sure if the FB can keep the DE outside off belly tracks as opposed to the power tracks. The one that I'm experimenting with right now is a QB-Draw trap off 3 step half-roll action. But our spring season has been all messed-up due to some of those nasty spring blizzards, and I'm not sure we'll have time to install it, but if we do I'll let you know how it goes.

Since we ran Sally off Belly we ran an adjusted version of Keep Pass with it basically swapping the FB and slot/wing's responsibilities: the FB slipped into the flat, slot/wing filled after Sally action. Then we had a throwback screen off of that for the slot/wing when nobody keyed him.

Shoot me an email and I'll send some stuff over.

Over the years we've used the I-formation both as a pro-style offense and as part of the Jet offense's "formations, formations, formations" gimmick. But if I'm being blatantly honest, I can't remember if it enhanced or hindered any of our Jet offense plays. We ran regular I formations, BUT also the Power-I formation a lot. We ran the normal I-formation plays you'd expect to see, Toss, Power, Power-O, ISO, split zone, zone lead, speed option, draws, HB trap, FB dive, FB counter trap, etc. Bucksweep as a counter to the power-back in the Power-I sets. I think our best one was the F-counter, which we loved to boot off of, and we ended up keeping that play in the playbook as a counter in the Jet years too. We'd offset our FB's in the I, we'd use our TE as a wing and trade him, you can still do most of the formations and motions you want, but obviously one of your Jet motions would be from the flanker. We had a pretty good FB counter trey off of TE crack-action to the weak side off of toss, and another FB counter weakside off of TE trade motion as a G-TE counter off O/S zone. Those were good because you just change the blocking scheme vs. who the LBers want to key. Here this past year at SMSU we've run lots of 12 and 21 and had a pretty extensive Jet package as part of our offense. I sent some film to Coach E about it, I'd be happy to share that stuff with anyone else who wanted it too if there's people out there dabbling in both prostyle personnel groupings and winger X's and O's. We did all the things a wing-lover would do; shifts, motions, unbalanced formations, and ran lots of Jet... at least early on in the season.

To me it'd be the same thing as regular Down just without the TE, the wing will Down his way to the ILB. The Jet man can track the corner or the safety (vs. 2-high), whoever is the more immediate threat. You need an answer for the overhang defender. The most obvious one is to crack him since you have the SE out there, leave the corner unblocked (or arc w/ Jetback), the corner ain't gonna be hustling to make a play on Belly anyways. The other answer for me would be to leave the overhang defender unblocked, and have a QB keep off of it. He wants to fold inside and tackle the FB, let him. Our QB will score.

I think it'd be pretty tough to run full-speed motion, plant and lead through the hole. I think there would be timing, aiming, and vision issues that could make the Jet as a lead-man more of an issue than an answer. Others are free to disagree with me of course, but that's my two-cents, I'm sure others have done it, I'm sure there's film somewhere proving me wrong. Vision would be my biggest concern, the jetback is running laterally, he is on the OL's asses, he has to be concerned with his timing to plant and turn up, he doesn't have the time to track an LBer through traffic. He's on the LoS when the ball is snapped, the LBer's are taking their read-steps forward by the time he plants. It's messy. I would possibly look into Jet Down, and run the Down-Belly play instead since it's a different angle of departure for the wing, the defense will get a different key than straight-up Belly. Otherwise I'd search for formations to eliminate tendencies. Reo/Leo would be a good way to adjust it too, I think. Let the jetback do his thing, then you're running Belly away from motion, that could be a tendency-breaker. Go unbalanced with it to give the illusion that Jet's coming without the necessity of the other back blocking. And of course, if they don't defend the formation, jet anyways.

Well if you're running a lot of belly I'd probably want to keep everything as similar as possible. I'm a firm believer that if Belly is your play then Belly Option/Down Option should be in the playbook. It's an easy add, you pitch off #2. Great play to run vs. defenses using overhang defenders. With Belly Sweep you'll have two perimeter rush plays BUT this will also help to set up the Keep Pass you're already running because it's the QB attacking the flank. Another version of the Keep Pass we ran was the ISO-pass, QB is looking to attack the flank with the onside slot/wing starting to insert like Belly but pulls up and defends the edge, giving the QB a second blocker on the edge (alongside the pulling onside guard) as he attacks the flank. The routes were a curl by #1, the rocket/belly motion man ran a bubble, and the TE on the backside ran a cross. But really the QB's legs were of more use here than the crosser because he has 2 lead blockers. It's basically Belly Keep Pass with emphasis on the KEEP. I also liked running drop back play-action passes off the Belly, the QB half-ass rides that fullback, keeps his eyes downfield and sets up behind the onside guard. We came up with a few different route combos and formations for it, the FB also has the ability to stay in for max protection. Last thing off the top of my head for Belly-action types of passes is a screen to the FB. The QB half-ass rides the FB, drops back, keeps dropping back, eyes downfield, pump, and comeback to the FB. The FB will run his belly tracks, pull up as he approaches the line, then works outside the tackle box before turning over his outside shoulder to the QB over a ghost-9 TE. We blocked the perimeter with crack-arc because we have the onside slot/wing there, and if we have him arc it gives the illusion that the QB is throwing to him in the flat more believable. Like all screens, it can be an expensive concept to teach to your O-Line.

I've always been a big fan of the Reo/Leo backfield set especially against odd defenses and under front defenses. If you leave your OL/SE & TE balanced, the LBers will maintain their base alignments for their gap control responsibilities, but our backfield set isn't balanced, so we have an extra blocker strongside for base plays like Belly, Belly Keep, FB dive, Midline. Still maintain our TE+Wing flank that gives us the opportunity to down-block, or arc or do whatever we want to do for off-tackle/perimeter plays. It was a great way to run Wham from under centre when our FB was a better runner than our wings or QB in the gun, diveback's got an angle on the NG, hell you can jet away from the play to move the LBers or secondary depending on cover down rules. Passing game is alright since you have 2 immediate vertical threats on the same side and the diveback can become a threat to the flat much faster than in other positions. Belly Keep was a good play for us in short yardage to utilise QB's legs, since you have 2 backs who can account for Mike depending if he attacks his gap or if he scrapes. Good for counter game too with the extra back in the backfield. We used to run a great toss play weakside where the QB would reverse pivot of a decoy jet and toss it to the diveback as a no-mo rocket. Jet back turns it upfield and becomes the lead blocker, that was a good play too.