MAKING COMPLEX SIMPLE: Adapting RPO's for All Levels
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X&O Labs Article #3 – March 9, 2018 MAKING COMPLEX SIMPLE: Adapting RPO’s for All Levels Case Three – Sweep by Paul Hefty 9th Grade Assistant Coach State College High School, PA Instructor in Kinesiology @ Penn State University INTRODUCTION: My high school (Milledgeville, Illinois) was very small, but very successful (HFC’s – Les Snow, Gary Hartje and AHC – Rick Malson), using a classic wing-T system (35 wins and 3 losses during those four years). Classic buck sweep is an outstanding concept to apply to a one back spread RPO system. The challenge is to adapt buck sweep using an Hback along with 2nd level RPO concepts in a simple and sound manner. First, buck sweep uses a simple “covered-uncovered” blocking rule. By using a proven test-of-time wing-T core scheme we can attack the defense on the edge and off tackle at the same time. I was fortunate to play and learn under my high school coaches that used legendary HFC Forest Evashevski’s U of Iowa wing-T offense (1958 Big Ten Conference Champions and 1959 Rose Bowl winners over the U of Cal). Again, you can use this same sweep scheme for multiple plays. “Evolved Simplicity” = 1 blocking scheme (Sweep) – Run or Pass Second, sweep is flexible in that it can adjust and fit to the strength’s (talents) of personnel from year to year, week to week and game to game. You can run this strong or weak, from 2x2 or 3x1 alignments and with the back or QB as the ball-carrier. Last, the way we teach sweep the OLine and running back, sweep becomes both an outside and off-tackle running play, as well as a waggle play-action-pass (PAP). Third, use a scaffolding or chunking teaching progression. Scaffolding or chunking of teaching is a process of introducing information in a way where each future concept builds upon or simply expands the previous concept. We can use sweep blocking for run RPO and waggle play-action-pass. Step 1 – Simple 1. Teach using 2x2 and progress to 3x1 alignment 2. Condense QB techniques for both sweep and waggle play-action-pass (PAP) 3. OLine uses a minimum number of blocking schemes for both sweep and waggle pass Step 2 – Flexible 1. Sweep is both an outside and off-tackle running play along with classic wing-T waggle pass 2. Sweep RPO attacks all fronts and coverages (1 scheme for multiple plays) 3. Sweep has the ability to make QB a runner, thrower or dual threat (play to strengths) Step 3 – Scaffolding 1. OLine uses only Sweep blocking rule for every type of play 2. Pre and Post-snap defensive recognition process that is used with all no huddle plays. This TRI-O process is used with both the OC (coaches) and QB (players) = all on the same page 3. Limited communication to simplify processing for players (think and play FAST) WHAT – WHY - HOW STEP 1 - SIMPLE: We start by installing and teaching sweep from our “Ace” a balanced 2x2 Hback set. Again, this helps with offensive principle #1 = NUMBERS. Both the OC (from the sideline) and QB can easily see if the defense is balanced or overloaded by using a three step, defensive recognition process of pointing @ 1 or 2 high safeties + hanging backers (Mr0’s) and last the mike backer. We start to apply our adjustment with the Hback from both a 2x2 “Ace” and 3x1 “Trips” alignment. Hback now aligns similar to a traditional tight end on the LOS by aligning 1 foot outside the OTackle but, places his toes just behind the OTackle’s hips (off LOS & crowding LOS). This is done with angle blocking schemes in mind, which allows the Hback to get his hands on the defensive end now. If the defensive end aligns wide, we then call power. Thus, applying offensive principle #2 = BLOCKING ANGLES. With our 2x2 sets, 95% of the time our Hback aligns into the boundary. Since defenses must protect the field, this tendency creates opportunities for our strong sweep @ the Hback (into the boundary). 3x1 sweep also achieves a double whammy to the defense by applying offensive principle #3 = SPEED IN SPACE or FIELD while at the same time giving the offense the ability to take advantage of the defensive ends alignment. We simply read the defensive ends alignment and pick either sweep or power. *Diagram 1: notice Hbacks aligns closer to LOS allowing him to get his hands on the defensive end Next, everything you do in your offensive design must focus on keeping OLine rules, techniques and adjustments @ a minimum! Sweep is simple in that the front doesn’t matter for the OLine. The covered- uncovered defensive recognition rule is also the blocking rule for sweep. If covered you are “big” (base block man over), if uncovered you are pulling. We use a 3-step open-long pull technique with sweep pullers to get depth and wide fast (bucket step + cross over + plant and turn upfield). What we have learned with sweep is that the pullers need to focus on the next backer to the outside and simply run (meaning, not looking back for defenders filling inside and behind the play). Last, and most importantly you can use sweep rule blocking for an RPO, a drop back play-action-pass and classic waggle (counter, roll out play-action-pass). Since the pulling lineman get 3 yards of depth you can easliy throw a pass without lineman getting beyond 1 yard and use the same technique for pocket or waggle pass. Again we condense the QB’s read progression by reading the Mike backer for sweep RPO, focusing on his depth and hips. The key point is that the Mike backer must be filling fast to the play side in order to impact sweep run, if filling or blitzing backside you can still give to back because his hips are behind the run point of attack. The backside receivers run over routes replacing the Mike fill- blitz, getting over backers and over the ball horizontally while finding open grass. Minimize the techniques to Maximize the execution ADAPTION: One of the first teaching points that pulling lineman must learn is they must get depth and run when pulling. We us a “give ground to gain ground” teaching cue (also with power for backside guard puller). We researched the University of Oregon’s sweep under then HFC Chip Kelly (currently HFC at UCLA), we applied their open-long pulling technique. When running strong, toward an Hback or tight end (versus even fronts) you will most likely have the front side OTackle uncovered and pulling, resulting in a great lead puller outside. You then will get either the center of backside guard as 2nd puller, where we teach them to replace the first puller inside the edge blocker (Hback or tight end if strong). By “giving ground” at the start they can then “gain ground” or get upfield with their hips and shoulders square to the LOS and fit up with backers better. They must not look back and “eyeball” the next backer outside, hence the teaching cue, “just run and they will run into you.” To drill, we put cones at a 3-yard depth from the LOS and 2 yards to the side you are pulling, to force all lineman to learn the proper 3-step open-long pull technique for sweep (Thanks Doug Arnold again). *partner work on strike progression Work on proper open pull technique while eyeballing Backer (eat up whole body) Goals – to work pulling technique while feeling pressure of a moving-real defender CH – direct Backers Rotate – 3 quality reps each way *Use Cones (diagram) to get depth on pull t Second, we have the back read the edge block (Hback if toward or OTackle if away). The key is for the back to consistently take his 3 mesh steps across and in-front of the QB, then 2 more steps down the line before “sticking their foot” in the ground with a 45-degree cut to attack the LOS now. We teach them to run to the backside or “butt” of the edge blocker (inside or outside). Third, we applied a jet or fly sweep technique for our QB and back mesh. We teach the QB to take 3 small shuffle steps laterally during the mesh and read with the back. Our RPO read key is the mike backer (middle) using “mike backer run through”, filling gaps fast and underneath pullers play side. The 3-step shuffle mesh allows our backside receivers time to replace the Mike and/or find open grass running over routes, plus it sets up our play-action-pass with sweep (pocket and waggle). By combining old and new techniques to classic buck sweep, we were able to keep the integrity of the sweep concept while adapting to the techniques for each position so as to match up the timing of the play consistently across the board. Here is an example of our sweep open-long pull techniques toward the tight end (or Hback) from a 3x1 set (3x1). We originally used mostly tight end alignments (on LOS) so that the tight end could get his hands on the defensive end now. We found that by using an Hback with the ace set (Hback crowds LOS but, is off LOS) we were able to manipulate the defensive alignment inside for a better blocking angle and still allow the Hback to get his hands on the defender for a quality fit and block.