27-48 Buck Sweep (to TE)

27-48 Buck (to TE)

If you possess great speed in the slot positions (2 & 4-backs) the Buck Sweep is a great perimeter play. Here are the assignments for the Buck Sweep.

Offensive Line
The ST & TE are going to execute down blocks to the first person to their inside. If that person is a down lineman it will be important for them to take a flat step, getting their head in front of the defender to prevent penetration. If they are making a second level block then they need to find a common meeting point with the LB and drive the defender away from the ball carrier making sure he is between the defender and ball carrier. Depending on the defense the C will also use one of the same blocks. The SG will pull straight down the LOS turning up field and blocking the first defender in sight, probably an OLB or CB. He needs to break down, keep his balance and run through the defender. The WG will probably never make it the perimeter considering that the 2/4-back already has a head start and is getting the ball full speed. The best thing to do with the WG is have them pull flat and then turn up field in the first open window they see. They should be meeting a LB who is taking that open window underneath to make a play. The WT will take an inside release and go down field to make a block on a LB or S. They need to make sure no one crosses their face as they leave the LOS.

2/4-Backs
One of the biggest coaching points is to make sure that your 2/4-back is getting the ball at full speed in their motion that is the purpose of putting them in motion. They then must learn to read the block of the SG and turn up field. One of the biggest problems you may have is teaching the runners to find the running alley. This will come with practice. Coach them not to string the play out by running to the sidelines. They need to find the alley and get what they can get. Also make sure they cut off of the strong block (down block) of the 2/4-Back and do not run up the trappers’ rear end. The 2/4-Back that is blocking will line up tight to the TE and execute a down block, stepping flat, head in front, and not allowing penetration.

Quarterback
The QB will fake the 31-32 Trap hand-off and then hand the ball to the motion man (2/4-Back). Then he will roll to the SE side and fake the waggle pass. He must make sure he sells his fakes, keeps the ball seeded on his 31-32 fake and then roll out hard in order to keep backside defenders at home. If the defense is not paying attention to him then he should tell you the waggle is wide open.

3-Back
The fullback can line up on either side depending on what look you as a coach want to give the defense. He then will rub tight off of the QB to fake the 31-32 hand-off and fill for the WG. He is to block the first defender he comes to.

Split End
The SE will go down field and try to block a safety in the hopes that the ball carrier breaks a long run.

Buck Series: 31-32 Trap (FB Trap)

Buck Series

The first series I will discuss is the Buck Series. This will include the Fullback Trap, Buck Sweep, Double Counter, Waggle Pass, and all Waggle Pass Variations. This series is a staple in my opinion of any wing-t offense because of the variety it can offer. Let’s get started with dissecting the plays. I have drawn up a generic 4-3 defense to draw up the plays. Like the regular Wing-T, the Spread Wing-T will get all kinds of different defensive looks so as a coach you will have to make your adjustments weekly to what you will see and then make more changes during the course of the game when you get a variety of looks.


31-32 Trap

The fullback trap can be ran two different ways in the Spread Wing-T, it all depends on what you like and what look you want to give the defense or what look the defense is giving you! The traditional look would be to set your fullback to the split end side. For this conversation we will be in a Right Formation. This is also the side the motion will be coming from. The quarterback will start the 4-back in motion then have the ball snapped. The quarterback will hand the ball off to the fullback who will then run the 32 trap, starting straight but then wrapping towards the 2-hole coming off the block of the center. It is important to make sure that the fullback does not run up the trappers butt, but instead always come off of the strong block which would be the down block or a double team. The QB will fake the Buck Sweep to the 4-back and then carry out his waggle fake to the split end side. It is important for the QB to carry out strong fakes to hold the defensive end because we will leave him unblocked. The same can be said for the 4-back as he will need to have a great fake to hold the defensive end to his side because we will also leave him unblocked. The reason we leave the defensive ends unblocked on the 31-32 trap is we want to get as many blockers on second level defenders as possible. We are hoping our fakes, and the natural tendency of the DE’s to run up field will take the DE’s out of the play. If our lineman can seal the linebackers we will have a nice gain and put our fullback one on one with a DB who is going to get tired of tackling him.

The second look you can give the defense is running the trap back away from the motion. This will give the defense a crossing action look and could cause confusion. The fullback will be set this time to the tight end side, opposite from the 4-backs motion. Once again the QB will send the 4-back in motion and then snap the ball. He will give the fullback the ball who is now running a 31 Trap, working right to left off of the strong block. The QB will then fake to the 4-back who will carry out his fake Buck Sweep and the quarterback will carry out his waggle fake. The crossing of the fullback and 4-back will often cause the linebackers to get a false read and making it easier for the lineman to get to their block on the second level and seal the linebackers.

Motions & Hole Numbering

I am posting my different motions in my base wing-t. In the spread I have limited all my motion to Rip (motion to the right) and Liz (motion to the left). I am also be posting my hole numbering system which is probably similar to most coaches.

Personnel

Personnel

If you are like most high school coaches you have what you have as far as personnel. It seems that you are always missing a player here for this position or a player there for that position. We have to make the best of what we have. That is what drew me to the wing-t because it is an offense that can utilize so many different styles of kids. If you want to maul people and have a big strong line you can easily do so. If your line is smaller but athletic and have speed in the backfield the angle blocking schemes allow the smaller lineman to use the defensive lineman’s aggressiveness against them and block effectively just as good as a big 300-pounder would have. I will list some attributes I like in certain positions and what I am looking for. Remember you know your kids better than anyone and you know what they can do. Depending on your “style” in the Spread Wing-T you have to figure out what works best for your team and will help you win ball games.

Personnel Qualities:

Quarterback- In the Spread I want my best running/passing athlete I have. The smarter the player the better off you will be to make adjustments on the run.

3-Back- The 3-back is your fullback. I have had speed fullbacks and power fullbacks in the past. In the spread the 3-back needs to have good speed, good hands, can block, and get the tough yards.

4-Back- The 4-back is my wingback in my old traditional wing-t. I usually like my second best, most explosive athlete at that position. He will carry the sweeps, double counters, and traps off of the fullback fakes so he needs to be explosive and be able to hit the hole at full speed. Also the 4-back needs to have good hands because being in the slot he will have many mismatches with his athleticism and get many opportunities for catches.

2-Back- The 2-back is a clone of the 4-back. He will have all the same opportunities as the 4-back and needs to be a similar athlete. Now if you have kids who are more receiver types than dual threat (runner/receiver) you may want to put him at this position and limit his carries and make him more of a receiving threat.

*Note= I do not flip my 2-back and 4-back. You can do what ever you wish. Like I mentioned if you have one kid who is just a flat out better ball carrier than you may want to flip to give that player more carries going both directions.*


Split End- The split end would be your best receiver. He must be able to obviously catch the ball but also gain yards after the catch (YAC). He also needs to be a good blocker and he will carry the ball on reverses occasionally so it helps if he has some shake-n-bake.

*Note= I do flip my offensive line. The reason for this is so that the same player is always doing the same block on the same play. If I am a strong tackle I know if the down run is called I am blocking the defender to the inside of me know matter what side of the line I am on. This way the lineman get plenty of repetitions doing the same thing in practice and there is less thinking for him.

Tight End- The key tot the tight end position is versatility. The player must be able to block well and also catch the ball. I don’t expect this player to be a deep threat in the passing game. He is however a primary target on many high percentage passing plays where we want to keep the drive alive my moving the chains.

Strong Tackle- I want my biggest strongest lineman at this position. Most teams are going to run to the strength of their formation a high percentage of the time. I want this big strong lineman to be able to cave down the defensive line to his inside.

Strong Guard- At this position you need a strong kid who can move well on short pulls. Occasionally he will pull long so he needs to be athletic enough for that as well. He also needs to be taught to play in space when pulling on the sweeps.

Center- Size does not matter at center in my estimation. In the traditional wing-t I had a small, quicker, center because of all the crazy defensive looks. The biggest thing is he must be able to MOVE know matter what his size is!

Weak Guard- Your weak guard needs to be an athlete. In the past I would at times take second string wingbacks and use them at guard do to their athletic ability and their ability to play in space. He will make a lot of pulls and needs to be able to get on a defender in space and stay on him.

Weak Tackle- This tackle needs be able to move better than your strong tackle. He will pull much more than the strong tackle. If you have to, you can get by with a smaller tackle at this position, a more of a finesse player if you will. The key is his ability to pull!

Once again you know your kids and what they can do. If you want to run the Spread Wing-T you must tailor it to your kids ability and what gives you the biggest chance for success.

Spread Wing-T

High school athletes are bigger, faster and stronger than ever. Coaches and offensive coordinators everywhere are trying to get their athletes the ball in space and letting them create, putting defenses in binds and forcing them to be good open field tacklers (which defenders at all levels struggle with) or give up big plays.
With the evolution of spread offenses everywhere running the ball has become somewhat of a novelty for some programs. Other than a quarterback draw, option play or jet sweep these offenses are very limited to designed running plays. Often the most productive running plays are when the quarterback improvises and scrambles for big gains. Being a wing-t coach, I want to be able to establish the running game and eat up the clock. I also want to get my athletes in space and have a better passing attack than I have in the past. This is why I have developed my version of the Spread Wing-T.

While still having the power running game, misdirection game which I love so much and the perimeter running attack I also am able to put my best athlete at quarterback and let him have a definite influence on the game. In the past, like many coaches I used a prototype quarterback who primarily handed the ball off and was asked to complete high percentage passes, “manage the game” if you will. Sometimes he was a great athlete without QB skills, sometimes he was a passer who lacked athletic ability and sometimes he was both. With my spread wing-t I am putting my best player, runner and thrower, at quarterback so the defense has to prepare for him every play. With this concept in mind and the utilization of my other best athletes I too want to spread the defense out to create larger running lanes, bigger passing windows and allowing the “athletes” to make more plays in space than my traditional wing-t did.

I will take you through all faucets of my Spread Wing-T, series by series, play by play along with drills and strategies to help anyone who is looking for Spread Wing-T information.