2 Point Play

Here is a really nice 2 point play from the Bears back in 2017. The play is combination of some classic football plays. There is an element of the hand to hand counter found in wing offenses, a speed option concept, as well as blocking of gap scheme staple power. The play shares some concept with power read as well.

The OL is blocking power to the open edge. The EMLOS (Will) is the read on the option. The play begins as a lateral flow handoff to the RB. The RB gives the U an underneath handoff following the pulling guard. Following the handoff the QB gets into pitch relationship with the U. The U is reading the EMLOS. If the read key runs up the field to take the QB as the pitch the U will follow the puller into the endzone. If the read key plays to the U, the ball is pitched to the QB.

Really nice design and execution on a 2 point play from the Bears. Good stuff from former offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains.

Attacking Odd Front Cover 1 with Long Trap

The Bills are in 11 personnel on 1st & 10 against an odd front 3-4 spaced Nickel personnel.

The Patriots have a DB body in the box with an ILB hybridized on the LOS as an OLB. The play starts with motion. By running the outside receiver across the formation the Bills confirm a pre-snap Cover 1 look. 

New England is in a odd front 5 man double edge pressure concept. The down Safety and Mike LB are sharing the Y off and RB in man coverage.

The Bills are running a long trap.

The playside WR is able to run off the man coverage DB. The PST/TE work a combo on the DE working to the backside ILB who in this case is a down Safety. The PSG/Center stick a double team on the Nose. The BSG is the trap puller on the edge rushing 9 technique. The BSG is working a B gap check.

The combo by the PST and TE is impressive. On first look it is easy to say the Mike is wrong. On the play he is unblocked and the ball hits downhill at his initial alignment. That is the impressive part of the nuance of the play design from Buffalo. 

The man coverage technique by the box players is the key factor.

When the Y blocks his side the two box players work in tandem. The Mike pulls over the top to fit the extra gap created by the Y's block, the Mike also has the Y in any route in man coverage. The Safety pulls to fit the A gap the Nose isn't fitting and has the RB in man. 

When the Y blocks across the formation the Safety pulls over the top to fit the extra gap and has the Y in man coverage.The Mike fills the A gap the Nose isn't playing and accounts for the RB in man coverage.

The brilliance of the trap design is it puts the fit rules into conflict. The Mike pulls over the top of the Y's playside block to fit the extra gap it creates. The block of the TE influences the Mike out of the play. The PSG/Center double team sticks to create maximum movement on the Nose. The PST/TE combo opens the running lane and cuts the DE off from making the play. When the down Safety pulls across to fit the A gap he gets a face full of the PST coming off the combo. The RB path is tight to the midline keeping him as far from possible from the Mike and playside DE preventing either defender from falling back in to make the tackle. The Patriots play Cover 1 frequently, understanding both the likely defense and the run fit rules helped Buffalo create an explosive run off of the trap scheme. 

Nice design from Brian Daboll.

Spread Run to Attack a 7 Man Box

The Patriots are in an 11 personnel Y flex formation on 1st and 10 against the Chiefs in a even front Cover 1 from Dime personnel.

The motion brings the 7th defender into the box going from a 4 out formation to a Y in the core alignment. 

New England is running a split zone run scheme. The RB's path is aiming to the backside inside leg of the Center and he is reading the Mike Backer.

A 1 high concept has two basic choices to fit this play.

The first run fit is to use the 3 box defenders (Dime, Mike, Nickel)  as a 3 man funnel. It is a 3 vs. 2 concept on the Y and T. When the Y cuts across the formation it pulls all 3 defenders into their fits. The Dime pulls over the top and plays the extra gap created by the Y as well as taking the Y in man coverage. The Mike pulls to the opposite A gap and the Nickel pulls into the open B gap. The RB is reading the Mike. When the Mike pulls back to the backside A gap the RB jumps the ball playside to the B gap. The crack block of the X from a compressed split is there to handle the Nickel and hopefully occupy the Corner. The Corner is forced to come off his man responsibility late to make a tackle on a full speed RB.

The second fit for the defense is to fill the open A and B gap with the Dime and Mike. This requires the Nickel to pull all the way over the formation with the Y. The Nickel has the Y man to man and needs to fit the extra gap created by his block. The RB is reading the Mike. If the Mike stays playside the RB works A gap to cut back. The stress falls on the Nickel to get over the top and make the tackle on a full speed RB hitting the cut back off the backside of the zone blocking.

The motion creates confusion on the fit. The Nickel is trying to pull all the way over the top like run fit number 2 but the LB looks like he is thinking they are going to play it like a funnel. The Dime also looks like he is filling the open A gap again showing fit number 2. The RB reads the Mike the Mike appears to be playing over the top of the double to the backside so the RB jumps the ball frontside. With the Mike late to the B gap the result is a reach and grab tackle on a full speed RB. The crack block sucks the Corner in and blocks the Nickel making the Corner is late to get involved. 

The plan of showing a 4 out formation and motioning back into Y in the core is a something I think more teams will use to attack defenses. With more teams playing Dime personnels, 3 high safeties, etc. offenses will look to attack those schemes with concepts that show spread then force DB bodies to play into box run fits. Zone schemes reading the Mike aren't new. They may gain more popularity as teams look to attack defenses that rock back the fit with a LB vs. spread sets. The LB is trying to be in two fits at once, the read of the RB is trying the make the LB wrong either way.

Nice design from Josh McDaniels and the Patriots.