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H 0 U S TON GAM B L E R S

QUARTERBACK MANUEL

1985 SEASON

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4828 LOOP CENTRAL DRIVE· SUITE 400· HOUSTON, TEXAS 77081 . (713) 660-6000

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1984USFL CENTRAL DIVISION CHAMPIONS

HOUSTON GAMm~ERQUARTEREACK MANUAL

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TABLE OF CONTENTS;

BEGINNING PAGE:

A. Prefac~.,.._ II''' 111 0._. III"." ~ .. III" G" III· 111 0". III •• ,111 III 111 1

B.. QB Qualities III .. III .,.. III III " " III .. " III III .. III &.2

C. Philosophy & Design of the Gambler Offense •..•.•••••.•..•••••.•••••. 4

D. QB's. S Back, & Receiver Terms & Abbreviations .••••••••••••••••••.•• 7

E. Ar1. Examination of Defenses 111" to III III" III eo III" "' 9

1.

4 Coverage •••

.............. ., ........ III ., III ........ III .- •

.. '" .. '" ..... III .. III • !III ........ .e .......... iii. III .. ,. .. 10

a. 4. Invert - .•...•.••. - 12

b. 4 Cleo III III"" 'II" II ". " .-.' "' It e 111 It. 25

c. 4 Buzz 111 •••••••• '" e .• " "' Ii''' 33

d , 4 Across .. " III ,. '" • It •• III ~ .. " to III It .. ,. " • " ,. III .111 a III lit ill s .. III ••• III III .9 • 5' 38

2. 2 Cover age . III ~ " " .. III III .. It .. <I ,. " ill <Ii '" " .. e, III II • "" III .. ,. " Ci' • ,. ill at 41

3. 5 Coverage " .. III" •• ,. (to,,, ill. III .. " I> III 110,. "" .. 11.' III' III III III III 49

4. 1 Coverage <Il a ••••• 58

5. (E 1 i t z) Man , If " III It III III .. , 1,1 III " .. 0" 69

6.. Wing Combo III III .. III III '" III " 61 III .. III .' '" 61 ,. .. " .. 82

7 III Others in 1 85 III .. ill " • .. $> • .. .. • • 9 -' • ... .. •• .. .... " .... ,. e. III .. .. " .. .. • .. .. .. • .. .. " •• eo .. • " 61 95

F. 19.84 Opponents :Qefensive Confrontations with Gambler Offensive

',Plays & Results III • III ,. U> III III '" ~ •• ' .. • .. .. .. • • 97

G. 1984 Total Opponent Defensive Breakdown-Fronts &. Coverages ••••.••• 106

H. 1984 Houston Offensive Breakdown 19 Games-Total Runs & iasses ••••• 110

1. 1984 Houston S Back Receiver Involvement ..••.••.••.•••••.••••••••• l13

J. 1984 Houston Offense Game-by-Game Possessions & Results •.•.•••.••• 114

K. Field Position Areas, Locations & Dimensions .••...•.••.•••••••.••• 135

L. Approach To Audibles •..•.•••.•.••••••.••••.•••••...••• " •.•••••••.•.• 139

Receiver ·Scramble Rules " ." III ,.. II III- e-," III- .1·46

M. N. O.

QB Guidel\ine fo.t: the "Hurry .... Up" Offense.

1985 Offensive Goals ••••.••••• ~ •••••••.•

.152 .160

BOUSTON GAMBLER QB MANUAL

PREFACE

This isyl1.abttsiswitte.nBo that Y01l.1II4Y bes.t Ptepare youtself for t.be. re!ippnsibfl

. of c1lrectin.g the Bousto1'l Gamblers offense. ObViol,lsly your preparation would Zlot be complete without a total understanding and awareness ot defensive confron.tations, our play selection, your own pO$ition techti.ique thl.basicpte¢se upon which your

offens.e was desig11ed in 1984 and the direction tlla.t w.e. lDll.st gp ill 198.5 to stay ahead of the "defensive posse."

This syllabus should not, however, be regarded as a source of strict regulation and an exact unvarying set of rules that will restrict Y0l,lr own thinking. This will not reduce your initiative to a set of close Dtinded principles. Naturally, the resourcefulness that is am.ajor part of eve.ry suc.c;essful quarterba¢k cannot be directed

,

by rule. "l'his syllabus shall be used hpwever. as a source o.f stro.ng foullq,at.iol-h

valuable infpnnad .. on and as a mere paint of c1.ep~rture fo.r your itIJ,a~in.atipn ~lld creati.ons as you deal With the vari()us aspe.cts of tbe. 8EU1le.

The obvious fact that all te.8lilm8tes; will d~pepdqn you as the qllal"terback .fpr the entire fi.eld direction:i.:n 'battle naturally plgces .a great responsib.ility wit.h

you. on every "snap" the results of filt:n. IStlldy, di$cussions,. entire practice t.iJne and the .skills eschplayer are lit your cU&:;ppsal. Apdyour reactiop to J.hi§ .r~f:;poD.$ibility wil~ be the chief ingredients toth~ SUCC~.$S of the offense. ~eing bl~f:;$ed with good God-given phy$;t.cal tools i$ s uae.re. S1Il8.11percelltag~ of baIldling the job With consistent success. ·J...thqrou~h k.nowleq,ge .of c1~fIense in realiziIlg itsst1;E!ngt.h.e; alld wE!a.kt).esses accorq,ing to 01J.'I" offetle;.e is eqllally iJnpprtant. For anY discuss::i.op or qonversstion about offensivefootbal-l withputthe t.otal unc1e1;·stand~g of. the..c1eJeIls:l..vespproach agaj,i).st us is t;DlJlplE!telyworthlese;. In. addj,tJon, Yout ~ti.onal 1ncI.keup.experierice

and relations't:lip with the other t~a~tes and (!'oache.s will result in your accept.gn.ce

a.s 11 le,aq,er are ~q\l.ally i'll1portsnt. The plays or check--offs·that you eXe.c'llte ~fit

be enthUSiastically scceptedwith great "electric confidence" by yourte8IlJmates.

Here, al1:Iong. tll.e. others, will exist a feeling ofkn~:ng ,that I()~r plays 'Will.~ork~

While other sports such as baseball orba$ket'ball are performedinprQlIlptu offensively, the nature of offensive football t:nakes an.intet .... depe.ndant pl,ati. initiated

by its q\l.arterbac¥ so i1I1pe17ative.. This dependancyof the quarterback flows through every 1I1Uscle fiber and brain cell of hi$t.e.a.~know:i:ng that they will C01'lt:f,.D.ue to

advaIlce against any odds - no different than at Chanc.ellorsvill~in the War B.etween The States wh~n Jackspn' s soldi~rs march:ed 13 J.niles with gr.eat confidence and enthusiasm in

a surprise attack against the ~nemy three times their size. When they arrived at their point of attack, t?ey smashed ititothe enemies weakness ripping through its right flank and routed them from the field. This great victory was accomplished because of the "electricityn Qf f1.f'!:l.~ ~nera:l Stone'Wsll-tac\sQn, ··a.s. 1.t~as ,ff'!:l.t by eac.h of his 1nen. And it was all qt!eto hi.s "audible" 9r"cpeCk.-9ff" thro\lgh tbe original plan of General Robert E. Lee.

In c.o1l.ClusioIl~yo\lr preparation for our contrf.nued succeas must be continual

to avoid any type of "d.efensive cycle. It Your dividep.d ~ll obvi()tl~:l.Y be propo.rtional



to th.e work you apply towards each assignment. And lets' produce tpeemd .result

to be a ch~pionship in 85.

Quarterback qualities In the G~bler Offense

The overall importance of the quarterback position cannot beudnimized :f,.n any fashion ::Lnrelati.on to our offense. 11m sure that all of y()uhave witp.essed t.eams that possess adeq-uate to superior qualitY' orr.ensive player$ ano tue:ir effort$and skills be nullified by an. inept or litn.:ited quarterb;;tc\c; or better yet, a highly skilled QBtbat makes numerous lIlentaltn.:istak~s» poor dec1sions~poor .au4ibles, reveals uncertainty that brings his team down.to an :f,.nadequ{ate level: On, the other halld.,seeing a 1Ilediocre team rise to the heightS. umJer the field lead.ership and brilliant execution of ,its quarterback is certainly a. "thing of beaut,y."

Currently, our .Bouston Gambler football tea:m is stocked With mally fine football player-sa.t a n'Ulllber Of positio.n. areas. - You" as B. quarterback, must disregard any deficiency we migh.t possess and perform through Iovi own ex.ecUt.io.li to conver-t

into .p.6sitiveresults",01.1r Di.rector of P~rsoD.llelan.d front offic¢ will work to, upgrade

any deficiency that:we as c.oaches feel that;we . currently posses s , Once again. you

as aquarterb.ac.k.c.an not allow an.y·'negatf.vemolecules" to fi.lter i.n.to our offensive eJeecutioll. Always present a pbsit:f..ve frame of mind and attitude and you Wi. 1 I be B.til?zed how the fa:ir· players may start playing. go oct and ' the good players start playing Great. alon.g witp you.

As a starting point, we must be total team consciOJis always. The best offense makes for thj2'best defen.se. al:ld sp'ecial teams fl' visa versa.

Las.t' Seasop., our Houston: Gambler offense had its most productive days scbring and $tatist.ically speaking when our defense was "stuffin.g" the opposition an.d our special... te.~swas pr()ducing, dominating tUrnovers, blockirig kicks. or reeling off val",a.ble ret4rtl. yardage.. Case examples reveal beloW:

A. Calv-it. Eason's record brea.king kick .... offreturn yaroage field position in our 45 ... 36 over the Blitz in Chicago.

._ ._, c

providing excellent

I. Will~.'. 2 key t..nterceptions and' total d01!'dn.ation by our defense f.n our 32-2S win over New Jersey.

C. Stiff defensive pl.,al.lowtl'l$ QurC)f'f~ns.etoovercOine a 20-0 deficit and finish fast in a 35-27 Win Over. Oakland.

D. Special t.eams terminating a late Arizona surgepy 'l>l.ocking a field gpal, scoring ~d extending t.he lead by a 13 point ~rgin in the clpsing stage of t.he g~. 37 ... 24 Gal!lbler vi~to:ryi~

E. Domtnating deJensive play va. Pit.tsburgh and Oklahoma enabling our offense to contin1l8.1ly u.s,e the ~lpck. ..• :o.d ~n up the scpre.

l. SpeCial t.eli.m.Sanc14efensive domination enabling our pffense to run up 44 points in the first half vs , Jackspnville.

G. Defens:tv~contrpl of Denver .and Chicago allOWing pur offense to pull away earl.Y in1>othg~es and ring the fJco·re.board at will.

B. Clat"~nce Verdins' blc>c.kedpullt turns put a ·GPn.$linger early rally as the

game shifts quickly-neltt. play. tQucqdPWn pass 1;>.y ~ll.y ap.d m.om.etl.t,um is on Qur sideline the remainder of the game.

r , Scpring Qtl special teams and. 3 inte~ceptions by o~.r.defense. stif£s~emphis a:g,dperIllits our o·ffenseto step up to' the shooting gallery once again.

On the other hand, we may be fprced to outscpre the pppositipn in a high scpring fiasCO' such as last years 1st ChicagO' game PI' last years 1st Michigan game. And

this is our responsibility - score enough to' win. When we are called on to' put a great.number pf points pn the board never allpw ypurself or any other offensive member to be critical of our defense or teams. Fpr in turn, we may win a Low scoring game later on. The end result is all relative - WIN. whether it be by a score of 6-3 pr by 82-58. Tb:is attitude merely exists thrpu~h unity and Ip~alty fpr the team.

And this attitude will be upheld as long as I am the offensive coordinatpr and Jack Pardee is the head coach. Ypu,as a Q:B must, in turn, have this principle instilled within ypu.

It is most imperative that ypu continually wprk to' imprpve ypurself in each practice. meeting and' that you wprk tobecpIl'Je the best quarterback in the USF1and

in all of pro football. Jim Kel.ly is certainly on course and yet Todd Dillon must always prepare as a starter each daY;and be ready at all times. The 13 must prepare accordingly with a miniInum number of reps • The emergency QB will work in the similar capacity and Will prpvide veisa.tile assir;;tance to' us in a variety of ways. My -geniune concern is.that all pf us work tpgether in an unselfish manner.

All pf ypu ppssess the necessary physical capabilities fprour pffense. Each

of you were signed due t.e ypur abi:l.itie.s in cprrelatipn to', put Boust on .Gambler offensive scheme. In addd.t.Lon to' a variety of specific physical skills tha~ you all poaaes s ,

I've listed a number pf other qualities that exist within all of ypu.

a. Courage and Toughness

b. Character

c. Highly competitive

d. S~l.f....q()nfi~ellce'Lead¢r~hip fN.al:tty

e. Cooperative' Coachable

f. Well.....conditioned

g. Overall athletic .b.ility

h. Productive

As listed, the previous in.gredients certainly eltist::s within all of you. And yet the most important specific one is the q'ltality 9f JJl9ving t.he offense and putting the ball in the end ~Qne With ~qn~is~e!lcy. It WQulq be p~zzJ.ingto all numbers .of highly :intelligent: scientist.s why a footbaJl teaml:eact$ to o1l,e QIVs direct:i.on and differently u.nrJerl:inc>ther :J,.~aq:~rship. And this is the most vital function of a QB and is the criteri.aby whichhisva.l1.1.e 'to the te~ will be j1ldged.

As men ticmed previotlsly, worlc.io.g into trainillg c~ anrJ iq.r9~ghou~ the season , it is mos~ necessary to e~hi'bit. loyaltY-Witt; an unselfi$h attitude toward each other and toward all pf your teammates.. It's BJnazing how 1D:UCh a team ~an a~cOl1lPlish

when all players and coaches do not. care who gets t'h~ credit.

PHILOSOPHY & DESIGN OF THE HOUSTON GAMBLER OFFENSE

Our C).ffensive system is a rather sitnple one and yet poses to be extremely complex to defenses. When executed properly it is unstoppable. And with all 11 position

areas functioning together it is totally domnate V's. any defensive structure and system.. This is pbvioqsly brought abo'qt: by the direction and execution C)f the quarterback. And With a proper analysis of defenses and a total understanding of what we

are confronted with, the quarterback bas the chance to engineer thls dolIlinate force through his own reads~decisions, and reactions.

As a result of defenses not being able to reveal the same "look" e.ach snap and becot:rsistant~they in turn will vary their defenses and take certain risks. Consequently, they will leave themselves "banging out" as our receivers and quarterback read and react accordingly. And by being able to take great advantage of each defensive weakness by reacting properly to your read at quarterback"it: is obvious why you must know our offense in addition to the oppenents defense equally as well

as any coach on our staff.

The quarterback must be confident and eXact ~n

\

r eade , decisions; and being able to audible with great end results. You are behind

the steering wheel and will make it go.

THE FOLLOWING PRINCIPLES ARE TRUE OF THE GAMBLER OFFENSE

1. It will pressure a %one defense and threaten it in the horizontal areas for 53 1/3 yards wide. With this presentable threat th.e defense must be conscious of defending the entire width of the field and not merely a small portion of it. And as a

result of the horizontal zone stretch. passing lanes open up inside. If these lanes are condensed and squeezed down from outside-in then the defense becom.es outflanked by 0u.r.outside threat on the outside.

2.

It will pressure a zone defense and threaten it in completion. And with this presentable threat of a stretch of yertical lanes are opened up downfield. huge w1;len the timing is; en sch,edule.

3. It will pressure a man under with zone up top. {I Cov. & 5 Cov.) Here the threat is that of creating separation into an open area underneath vs. 5 Cover,age. The same threat exists vs. that of 1 Coverage in addition to theseperation upfield away from the single freed-up safety taking some "big dirt" or ringing the schedule in one toss.

the vertical areas and lanes of 3 deep or 2 deep %one the These lanes ,are g~erally

4. It will pressure a combination man coverage. Over-under man combo or Wing(inside/outside) man combo are the obvious looks here. Our threat now x-eveals double moves, crossing routes, or spliting the double coverage with discdplined routes and precise passing.

5. It will pr~ssure man coverage eombined with maximum pressure blit~ to the quarterback. Here the threats and execution reveals separating away from a one on one; confrontation with the great possibility of going the distance in one toss.

6. Screens. draws. apd the traps are an integralpatt of out offensive attack.

7. The run plays reveal such deception and present such disillusion to the defense so often that we will break easily into the secondary because of their front structure being spread 80 thin or due to their beirtg coverage· conscious of the pass and thus being "soft" on the run.

8. Our misdirection and counter run plays will take advantage of any quick, aggressive. and physica1 run supporting defense and ~n turn will neutralize what speed, quickness. and aggression that we face without having to challenge them "head-up" . While defensive pursuit is cut down our production adds up.

9. Our personnel and basic al~g~ent certainly exhibits the best formation to

create the b:iggestandmost exciting. plays in all of football. While scnne offenses runn:f..R~a.t~~s a.ttf#.n:tpt ~p (';.Pl'ltpol g~es our paSS:(,nga.tta.ck and total offense

will break them wide open.

10 •. ()ur cPt:l,s.t;.Elnt ~Ptipning,flu.~t:.l1.al1t ,.~p counts and. use of a.ud.ibles will cOmDlita defense to declare to us early thus permitting uS to always react properly and causing the defense to always}>e in a disadvantage.

11. The tIdnimiu:m number of assignments, techniques, and actual plays will keep mistakes to a minilllium as well.

12. Play action passes will be easily executed off of out frequent run plays.

13. The occasional option runs will outflank and break down defensive responsibility with ease.

14. Long gains are capable on any down and on any portion of the. field, thus not a I> low:ing.otir OWl) offense to ~'self .... de$truct" with foolish Dlistakes such as penalties, turnovers and. bustedassigtunents because of having. to continually produc.e 16 play d.ricves or so. And as a result, we will force a defense to try and beat us and not beat ourselves. For in defeat, 4 out of .5 games are lost because of "self ... anflicting wounds" rather than froDltheopponent.

15. OUr numerous methods of motioning" while running the same plays, merely puts added pressure on defenses rather than added learning for us ..

16. Houston Ga:mb1eis Balanced Attack?

While some offenses strive for a 50-50fun""pass balance as fat as play selection, our balance will merely be directed towards production. And While some teams ltU'Pto open up the pass,we. willPass»pass & open up thecrun. Case eXaID.plesreveal inour¢jCpi3.USion year, as' Fowler and Harrell a.re nttmper land 2 in the .·league

,history for yards rushj.ng i1.'1a game with 208 and 200 yards. In addition, the S Ba¢k ppsition accounted. for a near flOOO' yatds which is Qbviously more than any one position from our opponents. The emphasis of balance will Uletely be placed on Total l'~ Concept and directed to the end result WIN N I N G.

17. With .the forward pass three things ca.n happen. ,And only one b bad trithour offen.se .... tb.e .. interception. For W\i.th ollr offense mere .. i1lco1l1pletions do not kill our drives. One completed toss puts us back on schedule easy in contrast to many teams which 1ack the consistant capability and confidence to covercome a 3rd

and. long rather than the defense ever being able to dictate to us.

18. Our "fast break" offense ''wi,ll l.llt;u2:'1l.f!ll,a.bl,t!.<mt ~fen.se to pin their ears back"

t- •.. . .

. &'!t.d. att.c.~ the oppo$ition With full force_ And our fast break offense will set

the stage. for our special teams and defense to produce the."game breaker" and ;l)u.t the. ~q.~t+~ QP- the cake. This ¥ill be Qur'l.'ota.l 'tea:tilConCePt. Il¢uston Gambler Football.

19.

At Quarterback andrie.ld General of the Houston Gamblers your continual effort to always improve in every aspect will enhance., solidify and ensure our chances to win. lememher, regardless of what level and regardless of what stage of

a career a p1ayer is in, if he is always working to improve and continually exhibits that Will To Win, then he will always have that chance.

AN EXAMINATION OF DEFENSES

#J:rly. COJ:l'V'E!.t'.s$.t:l.~nQtC)fif~'I:ls:1vefootbs,ll with01.lttpe conslderation ·and cornp 1 e te understanding of the defensive confrontat:l.on is completely useless. This

rotatetn¢p.t certai.:n.ly.ppl.i¢.s~o c.l\lr $ttua1,":.iQll ..• ore $0 ths,nany othe-r team in football today- "or~th o'l.irsight retlds and coord:l*ated.opt::10li adjqstrnents on the move tbedefense 1$. vttttl.$.l.ly plac.ed.in a help-esa State. rn simpler ter:m.s,

whatever the defense does should be wrong. And thi.s is merely dUe to our own

proper decisions and has nothing to do with the defensive strengths or weaknesses.

In determining a particular defenses specific strengths and weaknesses,

there are many things to consider. Let's first acknowledge some general defensive principles that are in direct relation to our offense.

1. Excluding our short yardage & goal line attack, we present an offensive threat, with 4 wide receivers inserted, that will never be confronted by a pure 8 man front. San AntoniO, which operates from a base 8

man (Tight-Tack1e-Six) defense generally employs a 4 man rush, 4 underneath linebacker unit with a true 3 deep secondary coverage. R(:)Wever,with our, obviou.s receiver threats, even a base 8 man front t.eamsuch 'as San Antonio mus t adjust personnel to a nickel or dime situational substitution constantly against us to avoid glaring

m:isma tches •

2. Any coverage can be easily recognized by our receivers and quarterback

due to constant motioning and si.ght reads upon the snap ..

a. Coverages will obviously reveal a pre-snap disguise and even at.temptto "cover thelllselves up" to a -, degree with motion being presented.

b. But upon the snap the true picture unfolds and we merely "take 'What. we want",from a particular coverage by our own reads and proper reactions.

3. Defenses must stay "honest" in staying balanced ~heneverwe reveal a doubles formation to them.

a. Any front or coverage overshift would obviously constitute a mere "opposite" check audible or whatever we wish to select will leave them short-handed.'

4. From the standpoint of coverages. zone.c6verages offer verticalan:l horizontal lanes of completion at our disposal. Whereas ,.VS. any type of man coverage would constitute our separation frorothem with "break backs",and "hot reads."

Listed and diagrammed' on the fol~owing pages are various coverages that we were confronted nth in the 1984 "season. And some of their appa rent; and possible strengths and certain weaknesses are labeled accordingly •

. ';

COVER 4

Cover 4 1,s. wha.t. we a.c'lolowled&e as a t.hree.4eep zo.p.e c(:>ve;rl3.&e. From an underneath st$.ndpoint l! we have $eetl 13. halanced 4J11a,ll deepC.omP:l.lled ~.th a 4 man rush and also have been confronted with a 5 aan underneath att~pt coordinated with 83 man rush from a 3,-,4 fron.t.structure.

Tl:lI~btit:l.cally» from a defensive &1;$,tidPPint. some basic $ti¢tigtb.s of 4 coverage are listed as such:

l.. Provides deep security it1the 3ci~eP third fie.ld ,f.i.rea..$.

a. Canenable •.• l3.de.fep.derWith •.. &verage.<speed .a.n .OppCll(tunity to make plays and "stap.d.,..up U -without havillg .~ •. 8~aring .Itti.ismatc~ .~la.c ed upon him.

b. Can enable ()P.e of these deeP d.efe~ciers to regaJjda.p.y receivers speed as "being rela.t1,ve'! by placiI:lg his owp. aligllll1ent accordingly and being secure in h:i..s d,eepone-t.hird responsibility.

c. Ca.niclentify &oJ,n,e 4 CQVe.:ta.ge zone ¢PtlcePts as area coverages thus penni.tti-p,8 . 13. deep defe.nder tQ. tj .. gpt..en .up or loc.k Qtl to .8

receiver for man who colmnittst.he:Lr route in his "area."

And generally this is done once the initial cushion was given to the receiver in relation to both receiver and defensive back foot speed capabilities.

2. Provides security in the int.ermediate field ateas.

a. Can enable underneath def.enders to key the QB and drop to the field atearesponsibilitya.nd btealcaccord:f.'lJ.g to the .Quarterbecks cotmnittment. Therefore crea1:fit1& aheaV'yt;:.Jj.affic situation for rec:eive!:'s as they all can conv~rge on therec~ivers.

b, HeteJatea coverage is appl$eda$ well. :to eking on to a receiver. for man. once tbereceivet cotnesinto his area. Example: strong backer s cassumes Hook-to-Curl responsibil~ty •. He. reads tbe,QB

and p~tt.~rndev~.loPme.nt a.lld jUlllpS the receiver forman once the receiver threM:ens into his hook area.

The previctus listed .charact.eristic$ of 4 coverage .are acknowledged from our own offensive Elta.pdpoint a.nd yet are. v~ry gen~r.;ll as Qur own exploration and discovery of 4 coverag~ ~~akn,eS$~s indicate.

1. 4 Coverage is not.a.nd bas not ever been designed to handle th~ J>hort paasdng game.

a , With their constant phylosophy of forcing the offense to drop the ball off tot.he short defender, drive up .and make a sure tackle for a minimal g.ain sounds acceptableandtheoritically sound but .yet our offense will patiently take the short GO's, slici.es$ .andthe 3rd Choice from the Choice and settle for the 4: .,.ard continual

gains. What .back in a strong running offense is assureo of a const.ant

4',: yard gain? .

Apd with this principl~ applied, When we break a tackle from one of these short routes. it turns into a big "chunk" of yardage. This obviously is true of any zone coverage.

2. The balanced zones can be repeatedly ripped by our own flooding routes-Motion Back Flag, Wing Post or Flag, Y Flag, S Flat, ~tc.

3. 4 Coverage is beaten deep by our own design in stretching the vertical areas

and hitting the deep overlap seams.

EXA.HFL'.E: The SWitch. the utuier coverage clearance of the 1DOtion back on Z or X GO route. the deep breakback of Y or Wing on tbe Slide v$.1"Ultiop..,p:d t'he .: 1::I.at~1;'$.1.deep bre~kba6k·· Qfthemotion bac.k on Zor

X Go.. And¢ertfiip.ltvorkillg t'h~2p.d.r~c.~iyer ~p t'he college bash area. in the CHOICE Will and has provided the big one. .

4. Rotation coverage ip.. 4 certainlY •• leaves the c.iefens;~ "ll£in&in~ out" as we work ... the. corner over 1rl his; corner rOll .' attempt on the GO and bitthoaeQverlap se.am area$ that 1: listed previously ..

5. And as far as the pass rush is concerned. if fewer rushmen (3) approach the scene, which is often evident in the 3-4 fronts, then you as a QB will have more delivery time and it merely turns into a "shooting gallery." In this situation. our protection scheme presents a double team. on all 3 ~sii~~n "With the S back remaining in.

If the standard 4 man rush is revealed then the normal lanes of completion open up accordingly.

In J984. we wereiconfronted by4 basic types .of. 4 coverages in addition to minor variations stE!lllIItingfrolll these. WeWi_ll cont1I'l.Ue to refer to these as such:

4 Invert (Sky Safety)

4 Cleo (Corner roll -2 look with safety over the top into the outside one-third deep area.)

4 :Buzz (Backer outside into the curl-flat underneath area with the safety "setting up camp" in the curl) •

. 4. Across (Qprp:ers and safeties playing deep one,...four.th responsibilities working deep.dpWp. the bounciar1es and c.ollege hashs. Generally this is associated with the 3 man rush scheme in order to also 'keep a bala'l1ced cover ~¢h¢mE;!.\l'D.derneath) •

I>iagramed on the following sheets are the greatperc.entage of 4 Coverage looks that we were confronted with last: year and the opponents that they are related to.

1. 4 INVERT

USFL COVERAGES 1984

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A. VS. THE GO ROUTE

1. 3-4 Front Illustrations

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a. The above defense is one that is verv convcnt i ona l . Used by most. all teams employin~ a 3-A front and coordination a 4 man rush with the

4 Invert coverage.

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1. Some basic motion adjustments are diagrammed below in getting to the same look as above.

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b. The 3-4 structure bel(,)wreveals ~ ~ man rush while attempting to employ maximum cov. V$. the GO. In addition t s i tuati.on~l subs t i tutiqn is appli ed here with extra OBts inserted for the outside ba,cke.rst

The 4 Invert cbveraqe above; ndi cates the extra corner dropp i ng into the curl or playing a hard flat 00 wing.

c. Last year Michigan woul(i joclc.y their backers around 'Is. OUr motion and

would reveal a 4 man rush. SEEllELOW This was a change-up look.

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d. tl1ustration AG below reveals a jam technique by the safety while playing Area Outside: Curl-to .. F1at; this is a common reaction in which the safety shows a man tech, while in his irrmediate zone area

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e. figure at below reveals a rolled UP4.orner away from put.motion. Thi .. s backside roll look is one that we will alw)'Srefer to as a "prevent look.1t And in all aGtually~ ; t is a pre"rota.ted secondary coverage to our weak side .

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f. When utilizing the GO route from an initial Early ·Rip wide or an Early Load wide and then bringing the motion in to toe college hash area, the 4 Invert is declared quick with minimal disguise look ... AE illustrates.

g. Orie slight chanqe-upend: varl"ation that we saw lost in a few instances is that of a 1 COy. Tech. corner while the ethers .operati ng from 4 Invert. Th is is done tomere1y attempt to confuse the reads .and natura Hy pl eythe outside onethird from a tight man tech.

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fl •• Theilook trereis obvH>llSly beihs.¢onT.ront:edby a 4 ma.n rush. An of the previous 3 .. 4 Invert coverCige variations. exist with . exception of droppi.ng Bmen in coverage and only bringing 3. Diagram A9 illustrates a'standard 4 ... 34 Invert look V$ the Go.

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b. The 4-3 look below ts a Lit t l e Citfferent lOOK overall although for the OBis

read and theonside receivers it clearly falls +nto the 4 Invert catagory. Inc l dent te l ly, we hit this variation for a T.D. on MotionBacR Flag vs. Pittsburgh.

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3. 4-2 Front Il lus trat+ons

a. The 4-2 front was utilized a. great 'percentage against us in the last 4 games as you can tell from the indivi dua 1 game breakdown report. Here s the defense balances up their front to our initia.l alignment.-· And they insert an extra DB and Nickel us. Diagrammed below is the standard 4-2 Invert look vs. out

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b. figure.AI3.reveals a pre-rotated 4 coverage w.eak coordinated with the 4-2 front. Still 4 Invert is the QBread and also fgr the onside receivers whereas tne defense is actually operating from Cleo coverage backside. Los Angeles

and the 2nd Chicago game are a couple of teams that attempted this coverage

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B. Vs. THE SLIbEROUTE

1. With the identical mcticn and fcrmation looks as what was shown in the GO rcute then the slide gave us the sarile QB read. In contrast to the Go however~ we apply.an extreme maximum stretch on the coverage as we either hit the bubble, who outflanks the Invert (Area Outside) defender, or we hit the wideout, as he works a passing lane outside or inside of It3. the illustraticn below reveals

a standard 4 Invert coverage vs. our slide.

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2. The Qve'I:'p1.ayofthe tnicidle safety certai'rllyreveals the opportunity to "take it all" in one chunk. The follow.ing .diagram. $hows our Y Post or Flag variation vs. Dertver for a t9uchdowu 113.st year.

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3. The SLIDE from a balanced fprmation'certainlyputflan.'ked 4 Invert coverage a number of times in 84. Here. it is best run away from the invert safety as working on a backer generally catches them not working for enough width and getting outflanked. Any naturally the eye contact of the QB is what sells it. The following 3 diagrams reveal the success that we had vs. 4 Invert VS. this balanced scheme.

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a •. And the backside also presents some excellent possibility VS. 4 Invert or any zone concept. Below is one example in wh:lch Jim hit Richard Johnson quickly betWeen the Area Inside defender, who .worked fast into the onside Book Zone and :ltl.s:lde·of ~he A~ea OUtside de.fenderwhostattep :i.nit:tall,y to th~ (lurland then fo;lded. l:)B.cklla,t(i!.

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4. Below is a 4 Invert disguise that Michigan showed us in 84. +t provoked a Man Under call and unfolded into a 4 Invert upon the snap. The backers slid strong, as the sec:.onparyw'heeled to the weak side. This is one mere example that proves that the. man unde~ adjustment is just as damaging to the zone as it is to man under, as long as the receivers and the QB are on schedule together. all reac.ting according to the call.

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5. Hitting the inside slot quick certainly applies problems to a defense that fails to reach their inside backer wide enough through the liook area upon. the snap. This route is more common vs. 4 Cleo or 2 COverages but we will also be able to pick up a "few crumbs" vs. 4 Invert, as well. as these two case examples illustrate.

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C. ras CHOtC~ ROUTE

1. The CBOICE route~at:ries UI3 into solile. 4iffere!l.t.~venues VI$. 4 Invert.

As 8. Q:B your ht ~e~d've. '+ :tnvept will involve the position (:If the ~ort,1er as the wide oUt wi!.!. r\.ln his step p~t.tern speed OUt. or post. In Cl.d.diti6n, as a QB, you must also be aware of the rea.ch of the A.D. defender driving under the out route - all within your 1st read CHOICE. S Flat or Rim should cure that technique.

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2. The 2nd Choice for the QB will be that of the slot driving uptbe .. col1ege h;3.sh spliting the deep portion of 4 Coverage between the middle. safety and the backside corner. This principle will exist on all 3 deep coverCi.ges with the .exception of 4 Across. In coming off of your 1st Choice, it is lJlOst imperative that you set your feet quickly.,squareyout hips & shdulders, and find your

slot driving the college hash~ Getting the ball off as he starts to clear the underneath coverage is most vital so as to prohibit oyer lap and fall back of .the deep third de.fenders by throwing a deep, high pass. Therefore, putting the ball onChe Lf.ne, here, will give the deep defenders no chance for a play.

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3. Yo~r third CHOICE, or outlet, will enable you to merelyche¢k the ball down securely to thealot dragging qvet tinder cont:rolonthe regula.r emOreE or the slot:setttng itlto the open area. on the bac.kside inth.e SPECIAL call. This rule nOt only stands up on 4 'Invert but on a.ll underneath ~6ne concepts as well.

4. The CHOICE (Even) certainly enables US to clear a passing lane to the wide out vs. 4 Invert. In this case, you must key an overall pre-snap alignment and be prepared to audible opposite the strong safety COmbined with a 4-3 front and also ve : a 3...,4 if they are dropping off eight. A 4--2 is balanced

so we will run it either .side. With. these cOl;i.siderations in hand. the CEOICE (Eve:t).) is a good '''Check with me" call or"At the Line" call provided 4 Invert is be:i..ng revealed" The diagram below illustrates one example.

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a. Once again, the slot :t;ece:i.ver, while ste~ing the inside shoulder of .the A.O: defender, generally has much influence on him, thus paving an open lane to the out~ide.

5. As in the case of any major route option with a "high on tap" 4 coverage, we will experience hitting the deep intermediate pattern for a sizzable gain. Naturally the receiver will read itt throw up his outside arm, screw down, and give you a passing lane. See below!

D. THE SWITCH ROUTE

1. This is without a doubt the most deadly weapon in our arsenal vs . 4 Invert in addition to the Cleo and Buzz variations. Any way you wish to slice it. we po;;sess .the threat of 4 deep receivers, all having equal distribution of 18 yards of .one another with deeplStretches downfield. From a defensive standpoint, the 3de~pcover guys must in turn be able to overlap this amount of territory which basically starting from the center portion of this 18 yard chuck of grass.

And also considering the fact that they are running like hell backwards with you (QB) looking them off with your eyes then theoritically it is possible to either score Every time vs . this coverage or at least "scorn" them for big dirt. And even with the deep 4 coverage playing extremely high on top this pass, when zipped in on the line as we start to clear the under coverage, still produces the same results as beating them deep. as Verdin illustrated in the first Michigan game. The first illustration shows a 4 Invert look vs. Memphis that we just missed having for a T.D.

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In the diagram above TODd looks the middle. safety of f beautifully and upon a 5 step drqp gets l;t quick delivery to. Ricky Sanders as he clears the under coverage. ~is was Q all the way but Ricky lost the ball in the lights or something.

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2. We had excellent results vs. 4 Invert on this play when going in last

year; referring to around the 35 to 20 yard line or so.. McGhee vs. San Anto.nio. on the 26 year line~ Courville vs. Washington on the 24 year line are a couple of examples that produced scores.

We did get a' littleslo.ppy in the late stages last yeat from a rec.eiver standpoint as on occassions we would pull it up en the rail premab.1:tely and aIle .. faIr' ba ck:from. the corner.. The diagram below indic.a tes the po Dr route by wing causing the pick vs , San Antonio..

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b. If the Wing does not threaten hard down the boundary and force a 4 way stretch on a 3 deep z.one in 4 coverage then there is a possible "fall back" that can be executed on all 3 of our deep threats and a "slug backer" taking his chances on the wing. See below. We can never allow this to happen.

c. The great percentgge of defensive thinking often calls for a "2nd receiver through the zOt:le" concept in A cov. Here, the area outside defender will take his flat route for man ort up the rq1.l to allow his corner to fall back and squeeze the post route going up the college hash. And if th:l:.$ A.D. defender is a true linebacker. then obviously this is where the mismatch exists and we must

beat them tlP t.op down the rail.

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;rll<;'OllglJ.u~:Lon.p~tne.4IllYe.rtcoverage. • here :1,.s Ope t.hat1s a startdard look and one that -we$a(;l:e.d 317 .. t.!tn.esl~styear.wn:LO:h 'iJ'B.s t:1'le. domin.ate coverage used agairisttl,$py.the <great per.ceritage of opponents.

4J,l. 4tnaj·or rout.e~a:re¢Jct:re.m;ely·effectivevs •• 4 In"'Vert With theSWito:h possessing the higher degree of damage potentiall.y. The Go and Slide exhibit an ex::treme1y high percenta.ge rate against it, as well as the Choice (Special) when checking .down to the third choice. And the intermediate and long gains are presented in working vertical stretch of 4 Invert.

11. 4 CLEO

A. Vs. The GO Route

1. Fronts

a. All fronts coordin.ated with 4 Cleo coverage are identical to those with Invert. However, because of the big alley out on the corner we will generally eXperience an u.nderneath defender bouncing olit to the curl. area whenever

we reveal a trips (Rip or Load) motion to them. When they do not bounce

out we hit the motion pack up the seam between the wideout and the slot. (Diagram below)

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2. Disguises and Variations

a. The diagra.pl. of El reveals a 4-3 front and E.I. pre-snap look of Invert.

Upon motion the safety and corner work to a COrner roll look in which they merely replace each other. Another 4 Invert to 4 Cleo look comes from the 4-2 front as they adjust upon our motion. Diagram E2 illustrates this.

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b. A pre"'&nap 2 cove-rag look "flowing over'" to a 4 Cleo look is often revealed as we give the.m a trips motion. This adjustment became rather common late in the &eason. and is something we can anticipate early in 85. See the diagram below •

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c. Hitting the. II SWeet Spots"

LWemust take our read (QB) off of the corner il;l this coverage. Here, a "great pO$sibility.¢~ists in hitting the wioe gut: quick as we create a flFronting&Backins;" read fo.r the corner. who has fla.t responsibility.

As YO\l . deliver the. ball to the wideout t;he corner will often jU1Ilp the slot in the flat: as it· sails over the head of the slot a.nd himself

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2. The pr~ry prec~ution to t8.k~ .1n your re~d (Quarterba.ck) 1s to be sure and g¢t a read or" periphera.l view of the safety movj.:Q.g over the top into the outside thirdju$t befo.rethe sn.ap~ You do not vant to allow the WR. to &et too far a stretch down the ra.il in 4 Cleo a.s be will '~n into the safeties overlap. "And it

is unlikely that you can go beyond 5 steps (60~Z GQ) vs. 4 Cleo as the safety become~ a threat. If tbe cotner continues to sink or if be is playing a "soft" tet;=.hnique deep merely bring your read onto the underneath defender in the curl and hit the seasO~Qr the flat. (See below)

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3. Tak.:Lng the motion back up past the ... Znd Leve'l and get t Lng a deep break back acros.stheface of the overplayillg' middle safety (See diagrams below) or calling the motion back flag (See A10) will be no different than in 4 Invert •

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a. VS. THE SLIDE ROUTE

1. Ber e .. from the underneath r.ead of the receivexs and from the r~d of the QB the diagnosis and reactions are identical to 2 Cov. The WR will either sw:Dn the jam or dip inside the jam and get an unde rneat'h lane outside of the curl defender (Fl) or he will see the curl defenders wide bounce out and clear him to the passing lane inside (F2)

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2. Hitting the inside slot: man quick certainly is a big part of this route as with the big alley the defense must compeusat e by bouncing the curl defender out with the motion man. And as a r esul t wew-ill get the "quick pop'! here as .we pick-up a flfew more crumbs. II And vs , a 4-3 front, unless they bump .a.Ll, of their backers over to get bet fer leverage then it is like "shooting fish in

a small barrell." (See below)

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3. Generally, .ourthink.ing 1s thflt th~roll~d up corner .. shou14tue .o~t quick hl.tbb-~y~wt;y by .1lierea~:L~nt ". However» 1f a .."soft co~~r" 1s. ~loYe4 thet;.'we., Can bit 1t and ~et bim manover :from tha.t point. (See fit).

4. We c~mght Mich.ig.an witba big open alley a fet . times as they would bring a rush backer to give th~ a 4 man rush (BelPW) ~~

5. Natura.lly we have the capability to take it on top) by pumping. Md getting the'WR:uP~bigh and getting the bubble down the rail. Or we may get the big one from a.' Pos t . or Flag .call py the slots' deep seG91l4ary read. Working the backside WR on·a Post with a coordinating deep flag onside to work on the middle safety is merely another deep avenue.

C. THE CHOICE ROL'TE

1. 4 Cleovs. the Choice has no varying effect on us and pur reads as generally Cleo is revealed to our trips side. From the QB read to the 1st choice you

will actually be reading Ii!. 4 Invert. (See Below)

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<, a. The look above leaves a 4-2 front rendered helpless underneath on the sing:::"e reciever side on the Choice when adjusting to 4 Cleo. This would be another audible consideration for us this coming season.

2. We must have a great route and ,control of the coverage by our bac js Ide WR here because when he is c9nfronted by a jam in Cleo he must escape and totally occupy the outside one-third defender there so we do not have any fall back from that guy on our deep seam route.

3. We did get a 4 Cleo look flwheeling" away from the trips motion on a few instances. Here a pre-rotated weak side coverage is applied to us and as a result our read at QB would be 4 Cleo. In one of these instances (Chicago utilized it). We got a big play down the rail as the safety coming over the top just didn't make it in time as his disguise got him beat deep.

(See GZ)

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D. THE SWITCH ROUTE

1. In the same respect of 4 Invert we will have no varying effect of our receivers reactions vs. Cleo. The same vertical stretch probabilities are there. As a QB. the important fac.toris to read it out - be confident in what you are seeing and deliver accordingly. On the following page are several instances of us hitting the SWITCH vs. 4 Cleo last year.

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tIl. 4 BUZZ

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The ubuzz" adjustment in 4 c.overage was a frequent used coverage against us in '84. It does provide a little better disguise purpose for the defense and

it enables the safe'!:y to merely "squat" .inthe ~url and get a read on things.

It gives us no genuine concern as long as we recognize it, read and react according '1:0 all 4 c.overage basic principles.

A. vs. the Go Route

1. For the QB read there bacomes a switch between 13 and 14. you read the backer now as ff4 as they merely change positions. below.

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2. In addition,be sure you get a good view of the safety if the backer jumps the flat route because the safety is already in the curl area and would be in position to "rob" the seam route. Here, the motion back must stay wide as he drives up the college hash area.

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a. Because of the p.osition of the safety, clearing the under coverage by the motion back may take a little 'longer in contrast to 4 Invert.

3. We were confronted with 122 snaps of 4 Buzz last year. Below is a look VB. Arizona in the play offs.

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B. Vs. The Slide Route

1. With the safeties laying back at a depth often around 7-9 yards it is east to get a quick gain by hitting the slot quick.

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4 Buzz.

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3. Below shows a common motion adjustment that many defenses will show in getting to 4 Buzz on motion. In the case below, we are actually working against a

4 Invert with the buzz adjustment on the backside.

c. Vs. The Choice Route

1. With the safety hanging in 'the hole with some depth by alignment the 2nd Choice coming up the college bash may take a little longer to clear the under coverage. As a result, we illust bavea great accelerated route on the backside with total control of the corner. Below is an instance in which we get corner fall-back and get the ball picked off vs. 4 Buzz.

2. Because of the safety's "curl hang" enabling possibility.on a high trajectory pass the sucker coverage. (See below)

the corner and safety overlap could easily exist in this

D. The Switch Route

1. The same seams open up. The same initial deep threat must be applied by

our receivers. But the rec.eive;:r hitting up the seam on the side of the "Buzz SafetyWf will merely take a little longer to .clear. Below are same Buzz examples vs~ the switch in '84.

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i 2. Below, Michigan showed a combination of 2 coverage on the onside with a Buzz backside.

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IV. 4 ACROSS

Explanation: This coverage could come close to falling into a prevent category

as it is most common with a 3 man rush form a 3-4 front in order to get a balanced 4 Deep and 4 under zone concf;pt. (Diagramed below reveals the overall look.)

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A. In 84 this coverage was revealed to us as follows:

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- 1st Gaine

- 2nd Game

- 13 times 10 times - 15 times 1 time - 2 times

- 1 time

San Antonio - 1st Game

Oklahoma 11 Ii

Denver Chicago Memphis

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B. The look does require a little different thinking as the deep vertical stretch theory is non-existent although the seams are so hugh underneath that our receivers can force a c.ushion deep - throw the hand up and hit anything in the deep Lnt.er+ mediate area. And with a 3 man rush w.e have the capability of getting a double

on all of the rushmen so the Hshooting gallery" sensations would be back. The following pages show some 4 Across coverage looks against our 4 major routes.

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C. Because of the fact that this coverage is relatively secure of deep vertical threats we could work a little va,riation in of our own that would flood one of the deep zones • Listed below is one possibility.

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v. 2 COVERAGE

Cover 2 is what we regard as a 5 underneath zone coverage bac~ed up a 2 deep half-field zones. We acknowledge the str~ngth of 2 coverage to be that of having a potentionally tighter underneath coverage with 5 zones. And the glaring weakness is.that of the amount of ground that each safety must; cover fl.e;ep (27 yards). To compensate for this. deficiency generally teams wi,ll divide up one of the backers to run deep with any deep middle vertical threat

(See Below) .

Pattern reads are quite frequent as the jam corners will continue to run deep with their deep fade threat so Long ias their flat area doesn't get threatened. This enables the safeties to squeeze deep inside routes without being stret dred , The below disgram illustrates.

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And in some i.nstances defenses wi.ll give up one underoeathzone area completey 1£ they can read patterns and take away the deep ball. See Below.

In 1984. we were confronted by 2 coverage or any of its variations-a total number of 93 times. These majoring in it a great deal were:

Oakland-38 times

Los Angeles - 16 times Pittsburgh - 12 times Jacksonville - 9 times

It has never nor will never be regarded as a strong pass coverage because of the ' cantastrophic deep zone problem. Majoring in this coverage has sent many a secondary coach to the psychiatric and convelescent home for old coaches at. a youthftil age.

Seriously, as in the ease against Oakland they had primary concern of the deep zone s in maj oring in 2 coverage. Bovever , the safeties were so high on top that it was like playing agains~ 9 men. Why they were never involved in making a play. Why we went up and down the field against that coverage like it was going against air. And if we hadn't hurt ourselves with so many 1st half mistakes we might have set an international scoring record against those guys.

A. Vs. the Go llou.te

1. The following diagrams reveal some Go routes vs. 2 coverage from 84.

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2. Pittsburgh shows. some interesting disguises to 2 Cov. But one thing about this coverage -when the ball is snapped the safeties had better be runn.ing lik~ Hell to their deep 1/2 reading their eorners jam.

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3. In referring to 4 Cleo, at QB, you will get a similar read as far as your corner is concerned. But now, in 2. the safety has a longer way to go so you

get a pretty good stretch down the rail before you unload it. (7 steps on 60) And the same fronting & backing concept is revealed to the corner. Just be sure that you read the position Qf the safety just prior to the spap. (See Below) •

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4. Diagr~ed below is a 2 Coverage variation that Chicago used in the 2 times we played last year. We referred to this as 2 Robber. Here. the idea for the extra safety is to read and play any deep middle threat for man. And rob an intermediate pass that may come into the middle such as curls, square in, crosses, etc. (See below)

B. The following diagrams illustrate some 2 Cov. looks last year vs. out Switch, Slide, and Choice routes.

1. The Switch

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VI. 5 COVERAGE

In 841' we were confronted by a man under -2 deep ~one coverage 97 total times. In view of some basic characteristics of 5 coverage. this permits the defense t~ have a better handle on stopping the possession passes in which the 3-5 yard gains are acquired by merely checking the ball down to outlets vs. zone drops.

The deep zones are relatively secure with man coverage applied underneath that will at least force a high ,trajectory ~_c pass deep allowing for safety ovexLap ,

Here, the defensive thinking is that of having total deep security while tight inside-out or "trail"man coverage is applied to the 5 eligible receivers.

Creating an isolation with any of our receivers vs. the Rump & run technique is regarded as an advantage offensively. We have got to believe and continually reveal through practicgand various drill that we can take any 1 or 1. attempt, match up

and obtain the necessary separation underneath and free ourselves up.

In addition, on our 3 man side (Rip or Load motion) a "Rapjo" technique will generally exist rather than a continual !!lock-on" theory. Here we can stomp this out with double outside moves (mot. bk. fIg.) and double inside moves (CHOICE and Choice Special).

From our own offensive way of thinking let's consider there defensive strengths from our point of view - offensively.

0) 5 under - 2 deep is still 2 deep - And 2 deep does reveal tla lot of grass" for two guys tu cover. If the underneath man is "shaken" in adequate time then there is a big vertical stretch threat from 2 receivers on one side of the field or 3 or 4 receivers convering the entire field area deep.

(2) As far as the possession passing game is concerned pick routes in the short and intermediate area are extremely effective as well as short seperation moves from man under technique.

a. 900 series

b. Go route

c. Slide route with man under call

d. WR pressure out in Choice

e. Backside seperation routes in Choice

f. Backside seperation routes in Switch

g. S Drag in Switch

h. etc.

(3) Continuing on with more advantages schemes vs. 5 coverage are the utilization of the ground attach by means of receiver route influence.

a. Sam Harrell - Chicago - Game #3

1. 200 yds. rushing VB. 17 plays of 5 cover and 16 plays of Cover 1. USFL Record

b. Todd Fowler - Denver - Game #15

1. 208 yds. rushing vs.9 plays of 5 Cover. 14 plays of Coyer 1 and 4 Blitzes. USFL Record

*All of the above was accomplished with the help of intelligent receiver play, use! of audibles. and everyone being able to read and diagnose the proper coye;.rages.

4. Some other advantag~s 1n~lu4e:

a. Being able to isolate personnel to get a big m.iSlMtch in cqyerage.

1. Linebacker on a receiver

2. A "lesser" D.B. vs.one of our "little guysn

b. Across fieldI'outes and deep cross patterns

c. Play action combined with receiver block influence. (Example below)

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The following diagrams reveal some 5 coverage confrontations from last year.

a. The Go Route

1. vs. a "locked on" tech. a. backer over & bump

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2. Banjo technique

a. ~~en the backers or nickel guys bump over and play an inside-outside man cover on our slots it could force us to pump and go to OUT secondary routes, (see below)

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b. Orice a,gain. the banjo technique could enable us to pump and get theWR fade or the flat & Up route by the slot. Here are big plays also.' However, t,he banjo must .be read properly by the QB as you cannot unload the ball quick to the flat man an.d let the leverage defender stuff him. For the naturally pick that we offen get from a "lockanI! doesn't exist with a Banjo technique.

c. The motion back flag variation is excellent vs. this banjo technique. read .t.he reaction of the outside defender • He will probably jump the flat which will enable us to go to the deeper route in behind him as the motion and seper a t Lon outside of hi.s man defender. (See below) ..

You merely' route quick back "sticks,"

d. In some instances, the inside man defender will build such a wall inside that he gets committed underneath and we will get the big play by snapping it llpfield on

our breakback. Now the receiver is headed up the wea~ess of the defense with the ball and it is a safety foot-race. 06 illustration

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B. Vs. the Slide Route

The illustration of the· slide first went into this offense with this coyerage

in mind. Ideally we would like to split the half field safety and put great pressure on him arid clear the immediate curl area out for a separation moye·by the inside

slot. We got this play numerous times last year and. will again. l\nd at QB, just keep a peripheral view of the safety on top. as we will get a bigger play at ti:mes. the

more they want to get the safety involved in breaking On the slots 8-12 year separation route.

Illustrated below are some 5 coverage variations last year of.f of our slide adjustment.

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A.Denver was the only team that utilized a utrail techrtique"in theirl11an under scheme last year. Be Patient as a QB, here. as this one may take an extra move by our receivers to shake it off.

b. Also, you may acknowledge the double-up on the outside receiver. This is a popular variation in 5 coverage.

c. The Choice Route

1. He r e , we're just Look.Lng for communication on the pressure out or the fade. The 2nd and 3rd choice will. be working a sharp seper~tion breakback as you will be able to work either of them as well.

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1. Here, the most consistent and secure route is working to the backside switch of the WR. Upon feeling the man under technique, he will use ofiO of two moves: a. Drive and escape inside and c.ome hard across the middle

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b , The same or another type of ~s:ape will be utilized to get inside. Upon achieveing this, WR will drive dle college hash for a few steps and stick the defender back outsidean.d seperate hard across the middle. This manever is generally a couple of yards deeper than the previous adjustment.

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c. You may be able to get some plays down to rail and possibility of some very big one.s if the WR and slot and create a pick. Below is one vs. Oklahoma in the first game.

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d. Due to some obvious disguise looks, which we anticipate, there will be some various change-up looks from 5. At QB, just be sure if t1).ere .is 2 deep or only 1 deep as in 1 Coverage variations. The following diagram shows one Int.

that: was served up VB. San Antonio in the 2nd game. Here. Jim was under some heavy rush and may have thought that 1 Cov. was there rather than 5.

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e. The S Drag or Delay is good as a change-up here. If S coverage exists you have several route separation selections. If lCov. appears the S .Back will often pull the underneath cover guy, who is spying on S out of the middle for

a big open middle area for the WR. Below is one play that nearly broke out for a "big enet! vs. the Slingers last year in the 1st one.

VII. 1 COVERAGE

This coverage. in similarity to 5, is a man under concept~ Theoritically, it possesses the same traits as 5 coverage with some added change ups.

From our offensive point of view. we can see more possibilities in exploring the deep game in 1 Coverage in contrast to 5. Particularly when a tighter man look is revealed on the outside. We must be able to come in this direction in

'85 and get some big plays down the rail to the outside receivers. With the defense revealing a deep "true" free-safety we must be able to take full advantage of this and "stomp it out" by working for all the marbles down the rail some this season.

The underneath coverage, while operating from a man under assignment will

also have an extra defender to use in some fashion. We can expect that he will become involved in the rush, bringing 5 or will himself by "free" iii coverage underneath keying the eyes of the QB and helping where needed. At QB~ this is a concern because we can't have this guy cluttering up a passing lane with a double man look to our intended receiver because we "telegraphed" or "pointedll prematurily to the inside received. Put him where you want him to go with your eyes ~ hips and shoulders and then come off to your route if you want to deliver i~side.

(Example Switch Route)

A. Vs. the Go Route

1. On the Go route you, at QB, must get a good peripheral view, backside if you want to get the play on the motion back breakbreak. As mentioned previously~ n:tore than likely there will be a defender fr€!ed up

underneath who may try to "bait youll and rob this route. Listed below are some common 1 Coverage Ibbks from 84 with this underneath free tec.hnique.

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2. Below is a "banjo" technique applied by New Jerseyvs. our GO route last year. In addition. they would free up and underneath safety backside basically to protect on our 38/37 option check vs. 5 and 1

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3. Below is a 1 Cov. look that LA showed with a 5 man aiignfuentand rush.

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a. Below.is a "locked on" 1 Cov. that LA showed us on the goal line last year that we got for 6.

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4. Illustrated below are a couple of Michigan 1 Cov •. looks: one in which they showed an area inside deep with their inside backers (not accounting for S), and another in which they I!joc1fied" their backers around some and brought 5

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B. vs. the. Slide Route

1. With a pretty good pre-snap read from our motion back we will get a "man under" call here. This generally results Whenever the man techniques are employed in a rather tight fashion. As a result. the defe.nders will declare quicker and reveal their man under look upon motion. Diagrammed below is one example.

2. Some defenses will utilize a loose man approach with a good disguise. As a result. the inside slot will breakback quick and flat in a "ho t " read.

3. With this reaction you may get more out·of the secondary routes as you pump them. One thing that you must always be aware of: that is

to relate a 3-4 front and 1 Coverage to a ba ckside underneath defender who is probabJ playing fre~ to rob any route working back flat to him.

4. In mentioning the possibility off of the pump diagrammed below is a big score Sanders got from Jim up the rail vs. Michigan i1) the 2nd game.

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5. Below is a rather exotic 1 Coverage variation that Jim hit Sanders on with a Y Pastor Fl'ilg call from the Slide .vs. Chicago in the 1st game.

6. One consideration to explere with our Post or Flag variation eff of the slide is to. have the WR break sharp and keep coming vs. Man technique and have the motion back break it back sharp and sha:low across the face at his move defender. Richard Johnson, Scett McGhee and I had discussed this and they feel as if they may 'be freed up to. give yeu an outlet if the downfield route is not there. Therefore. they will stop and filter into a lane vs. zone and separate on the man technique rather than merely hooking up making for a "dead route" vs. man. (See Below) We will take some looks at this and see.

LOAD"- 61 X SLIDE - WING POST OR FLAG

C. THE CHOICE ROUTE

1. Being confronted by 1 coverage on our choice route will call for basic separation from the receivers. The WR will adjust a 12 yard pr es.sur-e out or a fade. The backside slots will be breaking it back across the face o.f their underneath defenders and co.ntinuing to. work across fast maintaining separation. The backsj_de WRwill be fading and co.ntroll;Lng the coverage backside. (See foll,owing illustration).

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2. 1 Coverage can easily be disguised with a "loose man" technique applied by the man defenders. It can essentially look like 4 Invert, Buzz. 2 or 5 upon the snap of the ball. With.this in mind. it becomes so necessary for you , as a QB, to bear, down hard on your reads. and see this coverage unfold. as they react upon the snap and come out of their disguise. Below is a 1 coverage variation from the 1st Chicago game in which the Chicago clef. shows a pre-snap 5 look and reveals a 1.

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3. With 1 Coverage and 5 being out of the same mold~ underneath wise, 1 coverage is different in the fact that basically we are confronted by 1 free safety who generally is <i. "cent.er fielder" and another defender either rushing or playing free underneath, as mentioned at the first part of this section.

4. With only one safety high on top we may get some plays on top from our inside receivers if the underneath defenders under-play us hard or possibly use a trail technique. However. it is so important to know the position of the free safety and look him off.

D . THE SWITCH ROUTE

1. The sign reads and reactions of our Swit& are no different than vs. 5.

\ Once again, we do have some great .possibilities up top as in the case vs , San Antonio for a touchdown.

2. On the previous play, Jim did a great job in getting the Free-Safety committed opposite of his throw as Richard Johnson sticks and blows by his under-defender Richard Johnson sticks and blows by his under-defender for 6 points.

3. New Jersey majored in 1 Coverage in featuring the coverage 30 times against us. The following diagrams illustrate their attempts vs. our Switch routes.

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5. Illustrated below is the contraversial T.D. vs. Jacksonville that Clarence Verdin fought for and came up with.

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to avoid defenses "s t ockpf.Lxng" their coverages on our i.l1.side

85 with Wing Combo's. Over & Unde'r Double Man, etc. we have got to plays down the rail to the WR vs. a tight bump & run corner in SEE BELOW

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VIII. (BLITZ)PURE MAN COVER

We did an extremely good job of handling the maximum pressure last season.

With the heat on and vs. man across the board generally we were able to read and react much quicker than the rush guys could be a factor.

As indicated in the enclosed front & coverage breakdown. we were opposed

by maximum blitz-man cover on 99 occasions last year. The greatest blitz frequency came during the first portion of the season as our 1st games with San Antonio. Oklahoma, and Arizona brought a maximum rush over 10 times each. As the opponents success ratio in blitz dropped down drastically .so dig the: attempts. Not until Chicago in one of our last remaining games gid ~e see the pressure coming with regularity. They attempted on 13 instances. but were gesparate in falling behind quick so they took some chances.

The primary disguise that became more predominant was that of showing an extremely "loose manl! technique on our receivers. Our receivers will continue

.to improve on their sight reads a.nd should be able to detect loose man mUch quicker than last year with more. repitition and another year of experience notched up.

Our initial plan going into the start of last year was possibly being forced to use 2 & 3 protection off of the 60/61 & 90/91 scheme. This didn't show

any consideration as we became very efficient in handling the all-out ,blitz attempts. Throwing off c:f a loaded 4 man side didn't present any problems either as our

"hots" generally were ready ina short period of time.

A. THE GO ROUTE

We will continue to make a lot of plays to the flat route and to the breakback route of the motion-back in 85. These big ones occur whenever the cover guys Lock on for man and attempt no type of switch or banjo technique. In doing so we get such a quick separation. a sure completion and often a very

sizeable gain. (A few following illustrations)

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1. Vs. a tight bump & run tech. out on the corner in blitz, we can hit the WR some as he separates :m the fade.

2. Vs. a banjo technique man cover is combined with the blitz and it is more difficult to get the regular GO adjustment. Here,by playing an underneath inside-outside banjo we cannot create the quick separation as.we do when they loqk on and we get a natural pick. However~ if teams will reveal a steady dosage of banjo we will give them the motion backfl~g and get on with it. (See W5).

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a. Quite often defenses will bust coverage due to a double move 01,* with some influence applied in the routes. The banjo reads may become confusing at times with the double moves. See Below.

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B. THE CHOICE ROUTE

In opposition to the blitz ~ man cover wi.th the Choice & the Special we have some excellant adjustments in dealing with it.

1. WR - single side - must get a safety overshift read and linebacker movement upon the snap.

a. Can go to a quick slant

b. QB & WR must be able to read the outside backer on 'the far side when you detect safe.ty overshift because of this possibly being a WING-COMBO variation. WR doesn I t slant if WING-COMBO is being uncovered. SEE X3-X4

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2. Inside routes will get quick separation breaking it back across away from the man defenders. And should they be applying the banjo tech. the regular choice and the choice (Special) can be a real "scorcher" for them as was the case VS. Arizona (1st Game) see Below.

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b. On occasions we may "scorn" them up top if they under play the breakback too hard or commit in effort to rob the. pass. See Below - 61 X Choice (Special)

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3. By generallykeeping our Back in for protection purposes 9~% of the time last year. we went up against a 7 man rush a t vt Lme s , An occasional S...,Flat call and "lockingtl it so the S Back would release regardless would surely put an end to this. (See diagram X8)

4. And naturally the CHOICE (Even) adds another dimension. Illustrated below is an instance vs. San' Antonio last year.

5. QBmust always keep those ears wide & clear if the coverage is busted or if (Example below).

open as receivers will communicate loud they break away clearly on a stick move.

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C. THE SLIDE ROUTE

We have our built in "RotH to .react to Blitz - Man when it unfurls on us. But with as mush loose man technique as...,e began getting, we can practically work

any angle. Example below:

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1. Below is a play vs. Arizona is out first game with them.

2. We made/the plays in all variation calls although audib1,ing off to a better situation may be needed. Check off or not, 3 following diagrams indicate the success vs.Blitz.

D. THE SWITCH ROUTE

The Switch was basically an average to near poor play vs. Blitz Man last year. Our reactions were:

1. If detecting Blitz from a pre-snap read check to 61 X Read (//5) or 60 Z Read (//4)

a. In checking to the Read route remember these factors. a. If safety is ip loose man tech. hit the slot quick

2. If safety is tight work to slant or pump & get the slot up the rail.

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2. We should have a fine play if tight bump & run is evident as you may stay on your call side and just lay it up to the slot or the ~TR. (See below)

3. Vs. a loose man technique there is no play on the call side as we can't hold the ball long enough in order to let the slot or WR eventually clear. However, the backside WR. with his sight adjustment, will give us a quicker and more deliberate route than last season.

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In working back to the backside WR he will stick slant &nd separate at a shallow depth in contrast to the depth that he arrives at on the 1 or 5 Cov.

This sight adjustment will be most comparable to the slant off of the choice route. (See Below), as far as the receivers pattern is concerned.

Once again, we will treat the WR slant as our Uhot outlet.lI With a shallow depth break at ar-ound 7 yards this will enable him to obtain the quick separation and for the QB to unload before the crowd arrives rather than waiting on the same route we get from 1 & 5 coverage.

IX. WING-COMBO

In definition, Wing-Gombo is this ••• Man-to-Man combination coverage in certain selected areas. The man-to-man technique generally is a double coverage in which the defenders will operate an inside & outside combination of each other on one receiver. This inside-outside combination is referred to as the Wing Combination. Wing-Combo is the double coverage deep as what Banjo is underneath.

To prevent any confus.Lon in reading and diagnosing this coverage understand that while one or two receivers may have the "wing-Double coverage" on them the others are singled up in a tight bump & run or locked bn in a loose man.

In addition, a Wing-Combo ~-may be applied toward one of our receivers with zone coordinated elsewhere. For instance, 61 X Choice: QB read - 4 Invert vs. X on

his choice out pattern, but the 2nd choice has Wing-Combo applied to him.

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TherefClre • .on the previous play you may hit the Choice-Outor the choice post and regard it as a 4 Invert look for you as you never came to your 2nd selection, which was Wing Combo. This will happen at times.

A. How to React vs. Wing COID.b.o

1. Receivers: Our receivers, when being opposed by a deep insideoutside (Wing) double coverage will basically react 1 of 2 ways.

They will treat the Wing as a 4 coverage and correlate it to a free safety overplay thus giving them the deep breakback possibility. Here, the receiver is merely defeating one defender rather than concentrating on dealing with them both. (Diagram below is an excellent case example v's , Arizona in our 1 s t game wi th them).

a. A$ a QB. with a call. such as on the previous play you can clearly see what takes place here. early.

a. Either the receiver has a breakback possibility or he is covered and you must come off of him and go to yOUl:' outlets.

b. Another option for the doubled receiver is due to the defenders looking for an inside move to jump a.n,dtQ.e other qne looking for an outside move to jump then they may allow too much distance between them and the receiver splits them (See Below)

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Should the wing defenders have too much depth up on top then the receiver can also throw his outside hand up and throttle down and find an underneath lane of completion for you in the deep intermediate area.

2. QUARTERBACK

a. When detecting Wing-Combo on a receiver you must be able to answer these questions and see it through your own reads.

14 Will he break it back across because of too tight an overplay by the inside Wing man?

2. Will he split the cover.i:!.·ged:ue to the Wing defenders being too loose in their flanks?

3. Will he sit it down because the Wing is very high on top?

In your own read, if it looks obvious that one of these situations will occur and provide the big play with your pass then stay with it and convert the play against the Wing attempt.

b. On the other hand. remember that when you read a Wing Combo .coverage on one of our receivers then there are go:ing to be others who are merely singled up - and this is what we want in man coverage. Therefore, unless you see an obvious

big play unfolding upon the reaction of the receiver who

contested in the

Wing, do not try to force anything here. Merely get off of it and go to a singled up receiver or one who is working against a zone structure. The following pages reveal Wing,...Combo variations that we were confronted with in 84

vs. our 4 major routes:

R. THE GO ROUTES

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B. WINC',.-COMBO: DEF. TREND IN 85?

Our offense has gone through n "total of 22 games thus far, including our 3 pre-season games last year. Ther.e have been a great number of coverage schemes. change ups, variations from these major identified groups. All of these have proved to be worthless when we are executing and hitting on all cylinders together as a team.

Near the end of the '84 season it looked as if a new trend was developing:

Ca.) 4-2 Fronts with a feature of

1. 4 Cleo coverage

2. various Wing-Combo coverages

The success that George Allen had in holding us to 16 points in our 17-16 loss in the playoffs may have been magnified around the league during this past off-season stretch. Actually, we had more total offense in our 17-16 loss

than we had in our 37-24 win over Arizona in the regular season. However. victories and points scored is the bottom line and as a result our competitors arounci theUSFL may be "stocking their cupboards" with an abundance of wingcombo schemes for the upcoming 85 campaign.

It is so essential toprepare·for and avoid any defensive cycle with

any offensive scheme. Through an e;.xtremethorough evaluation and study of wing-combo schemes in the off-season we now have answers for all of these attempts. From our 4 basic routes we are stocked with at least a dozen variations, all designed, directed and ready to stomp the hell out of wing combo

in addition to being effective vs. zones or any other coverage look. We will feel our way along and will be ready to insert any of these variations against us. --- However, the basic thing to keep in mind as the Field General is that our individual position area execution will respond according to your reads

and your decisions. We can virtually be unstoppable vs. all defensive elements.

x. OTHER POSSIBLE COVERAGES IN 85

In thinking that we have run the full ilguantletl! in 84 as far as seeing every defensive look that we could possibly face in 22 games, diagrammed on the

following pages are some looks that we did not, see in 84 and could conceivably

be faced with in this upcoming 85 season. These are no different than any

look that we were faced with in 84; merely recognize and read properly

and then deal with it without indecision and hesitation.

A. SOME OTHER COVERAGE POSSIBILITIES

From our 4 Invert coverage we have seen a 4 man rush generally. In some

instances last season we saw a 3 man rush and 8 dropping off, also. From this,

we may see a 5 man under With 3 deep zone next season. (SEE BELOW)

The robber look that Chicago showed from their 2 coverage last year

could apply here also. In other words possibly a 5 coverage with a flrobber."

Last season we would have not expected a "r-adar f r ont;" look from

anyone. A possible 2 man rush dropping 9 would appear just as foolish and

unsound but this could be an occasional change tip in 85.

1984 Game-by-Game Results

Oppone.nts Defensive Confrontations Gambler plays & results

*Does not include the recording of quater'back. scramble resu.lts, saeaks, or quarterback yardage loss on &acks ••

Tampa Bay Game #1

Fronts (x's run) Coverages (x's run)

3-4 47 4 Buzz 24
4-3 8 4 Invert 9
Wing Combo 7
4 Cleo 3
2 5
5 5
Blitz (Man) 2 Gambler O£fense vs. Band~ts

Passes
60 Z slide
61 X slide
60 Z GO
60 Z GO (Mo. Bk. FIg.)
)51 X GO
61 X GO (Mo. Bk. FIg.)
60 z Read
60 Z Choice
60 Z Choice (Special)
61 X Choice
61 X Choice (S Flat)
90 Streak
960
90 Switch
50
58
460
461 (XiS Run) CYds.)

Runs (X's Run)

6 39,
7 28
5 19
1 17
6 35
1 0
1 0
1 9
1 0
2 0
2 4
1 22
2 8
1 0
2 0
2 5
1 18
1 16
(Y ds • )
4
17
13
2
1
4
0 pl-33 1

'60-34 2

43 Scissors Kick 3

QB Sneak 1

34 Veer 1

33 1

37 Option , 1

(Avg . ) Compo
Per Comp At t.n . Pet.

7.8 5-6 83%
7.0 4-7 55% Total Sack
6.3 3-5 60% 0
17.0 1-1 100%
Turnove'
8.7 4-6 67%
2
0.0 0-1 00%
0.0 0-1 00% (Ints)
9.0 1-1 100% 2
0.0 0-1 00%
0.0 0-2 00% Fumbles
2.0 2-2 100% 0
22.0 1-1 100%
8.0 1-2 50%
0.0 0-1 00%
0.0 0-2 00%
5.0 1-2 50%
18.0 1-1 100%
16.0 1-1 100% (Avg~)

4.0 8.5 4.3 2.0 1.0 4.0 0.0

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