Stop these 5 Tough-to-Defend Offenses
Oct 25, 2022 5:02 pm
Coach ,
It’s the time of year in high school football when you may be facing teams that excel at one particular thing or run offense differently than what you saw in the regular season.
Maybe they run something that you see haven’t seen yet, OR they run formations that cause structural issues, OR they have concepts that create advantages if you don't a sound plan against them.
Here are some ideas against these types of offenses
#1 Flexbone/Option
We played one team per year that ran a triple option offense. It was a week with little sleep for our defensive staff, as they prepared very hard to stop the option.
It is tough to defend and causes issues for just about any defensive structure.
Get some sleep that week with the knowledge from these coaches who have put together strategies to stop the offense that has most defensive coordinators pulling their hair out.
Florida Tech DC Brian Vaughn explains their fronts used in from his course “Defend the Option with One High”. (Click on image for video):
Vaughn also details how to “Defend the Option with 2 High Safeties.” In this video he explains the basics of the two-high structure and rotate coverage to stop option (Click on image for video):
Movement and Stems to Confuse the Flexbone is a strategy that Adam Gaylor, DC at Oklahoma state champion Jenks High School likes. He explains “slide” movement in this video (Click on image for video)::
Another possibility is utilizing spin coverage. Coach Vaugh shares the concept vs. run and pass in his course “Spin Coverage to Defend Flexbone and Option.”
#2 Wing-T
A good wing-t team can leave a defense confused with all of the misdirection and stress it puts on a defense with up to four ball carriers.
Stay sound amid the chaos. These courses give strategies for remaining sound and taking away what the Wing-T tries to exploit.
A Wing-T offense expert himself, Coach Rick Stewart knows a few things about Stopping the Wing-T from the 4-2-5. In this video Coach Stewart explains why he likes the 4-2-5. The way the front and back end are “divorced” provide the basis for stopping a tough offense like the Wing-T (Click on image for video):
Coach believes in Defending the Wing-T with a 7 Man Front. In this video he explains how their defense is set up to stop the Wing-T and everything else is just an adjustment off of it (Click on image for video):
Coach Gaylor utilizes his Tower Defense to Stop the Wing-T as well as Flexbone. He gives the details in his course.
#3 21-Personnel
There was a time which seems like not too long ago that the standard formation every defense aligned against first was the Pro-I with a tight end and fullback on the field.
In the spread era of football, 21 personnel has become unique, and defenses built to stop 2x2 and 3x1 spread find themselves in unfamiliar positions against 21. Cody Alexander has adapted his 3 safety structure to be able to align against and stop 21 in this course. Here is an overview(Click on image for video):
#4 Spread
It used to be difficult to defend, but now just about everyone on your schedule runs it. Still, there are those offenses that excel with it, and these courses allow you to stay ahead of the spread.
One of the best in the game at Defending the Spread is Baylor Head Coach Dave Aranda. In this video he explains how they use the Tite Front to stop inside zone (Click on image for video):
Video: Defending Zone from Tite Front
Cody Alexander uses the 3-Safety Structure to Defend Spread. He explains how you can adapt the 3-Safety Structure into your own defense (Click on image for video):
Coach Vaughn uses a strategy of Defending 3x1 Formations in 2 under 3 Deep Coverage. It is an effective tool to defend spread 3x1. He covers the details and assignments in his hour long clinic.
#5 Tough Concepts like RPO & Mesh
The RPO and Mesh seem to be in just about every playbook. Stopping these concepts still remains a tall task. These coaches have strategies that can help you.
The RPO is still torching defenses, so having a sound strategy is important. North Carolina A&T defensive backs coach Jason Makrinos likes the effectiveness of utilizing Quarter-Quarter-Half to Defend RPO. In this video he teaches “Cover 9 Trick” (Click on image for video):
For Lehigh’s Defensive Coordinator Mike Kashurba, eliminating the conflict is the key to success against the RPO. He gives an overview how they do it in this video (Click on image for video):
If you utilize man coverage to defend RPO, you can certainly expect “Mesh” to be called against you. The Air Raid staple has made its way into playbooks of every offense because of its ability to defeat man coverage. Pennsylvania state champion Eric Kasperowicz begins with explaining the mesh and how it exposes a defense (Click on image for video):
A solid plan with simple concepts can go a long way. Hopefully, we provided some ideas for you to use in stopping the offenses you face in the late season.
Always be growing!
Coach Grabowski