Forcing the Defense to Live with Fuzziness

BY MARK MALCOLM NORTH JH, RICHARDSON, TX

“In practical terms, this means that we must not strive for certainty before we act, for in so doing we will surrender the initiative and pass up opportunities.”

― U.S. Marine Corps, WARFIGHTING: Marine Corps Doctrinal Publication 1

The essence of football is the process of advantage, recognition, and adaption as offense and defense seek to overcome the gains of the other. My defensive coordinator friends will tell you that they are in the business of teaching recognition. Most would say that if they can get their guys lined up to every set the offense presents, they are in the game. Therefore, the purpose of every offensive coordinator is to destroy recognition or simply to force the defense to live with uncertainty.

The answer for the offense is to teach players to adapt on the fly. In the case of the passing game, reading routes. Unfortunately, offensive coaches are frequently uncomfortable with uncertainty themselves. Often the limiting factor is not the ability to teach adaption on the part of players, but the rule driven mindset of the coach. The moments of fuzziness, when a route is still in an either/or phase are difficult for those whose comfort level requires hard and fast rules. A rule-driven offense scheme limits offensive variation because of the need to adapt the rules to the myriad defensive possibilities. The more coaches and players have to resort to hard and fast rules, the more they play into the hands of the defense. I will use the example of the receivers’ blocks for a jail screen out of trips. We can either teach our players that receiver #2 always blocks DB #1 and live with the fact that in the game, this may not be the ideal scheme, or we can teach our players to read the situation and live with the fact that there are periods of fuzziness built into every read.

In the last few years, our quick underneath game has developed into a trio of plays, Rub, Rail, and Switch that look the same as they begin and utilize the ability of our players to read the alignment and movement of the defense. We are able to create fuzziness for the defense, because each repetition of a play may produce different combinations. Each begins with a best release by our #1 receiver and an outside release by our #2 receiver, mimicking our favorite quick pass, Slant–Shoot. Each can be mirrored from a 2 x 2 set, called directionally, or adapted to 3 x 1. These routes are generally either/or choices driven by open grass and physical matchups.

1. The reads themselves are not difficult to teach, but offer considerable complexity when the defense has to rep them in practice.

2. We can teach a smaller group of concepts that have the appearance of many more from the defensive perspective.

3. When we want to go fast, we have the advantage of repeating a play, and yet presenting a different group of routes.

RUB

Rub is a pick play that we put in to defeat press man in the red zone, but evolved for use in the field against multiple coverages.

#1 Receiver

Best release

Push up three steps. You are going to want to come under early, but don’t short this.

Run a slow slant. Settle in the hole. Don’t help the defense cover you.

#2 Receiver

Your job is to get our #1 receiver open.

Outside release

Run a straight line at the inside shoulder of the #1 defender

Motor down in the path of the #1 defender

Get in his way without raising your arms or blocking him.

Then, read the pipe over the top of you

If it is vacant or the DB presses, run a go

If the DB bails, run a hitch

RAIL

#1 receiver

Best release

Push up three steps

Get a minimum of three steps into your slant break and run a pylon (pigtail)

#2 receiver

Outside release

Run a fade up the top of the numbers

As you turn vertical, read the pipe over the top of you, making the decision to run a go or hitch at 8 to 10 yards.

On paper it looks like the #2 will go behind #1. In reality, that does not happen.

SWITCH

#1 receiver

Best release

Push up three steps

Run your slant path until you are over the original alignment of #2.

Break vertically and read the pipe over the top of you. Make a decision at 8 to 10 yards

#2 Receiver

Outside release

Run a 2 step shoot to the top of the numbers

Turn vertically and read the pipe over the top of you.

The Trips adjustment for all three routes is the same. The backside receiver runs a slant.

The frontside #3. pushes vertically and reads the pipe over the top of him at the safety level The decision point is 8 to 10 yards. Again, if the pipe is vacant or the DB presses, run a go. If the DB bails, run a hitch.

In the neverending dance of recognition and adaptation between offense and defense there are no magic beans. This sequence is not magical, but it is successful. We have not found the concepts difficult to teach. The difficulty, if there is one, lies in breaking away from a rule driven mindset to one that embraces fuzziness to our advantage. I wish you the best in all your coming seasons.

Read the entire January 2025 Issue of Texas Coach here: https://issuu.com/thscacoaches/docs/jan25upload?fr=xKAE9_zU1NQ