Defending The Spread Offense

[boneal52]

I like ELA's initial sense of attack where they are weak and stop their strengths. The spread has become a generalized term and teams run it alot different and do different things out of it. So if you play ten teams in a year that all run out of a spread, you'll still probably have to have ten different defenses because no one will run it the same.

 

When we used to run it at Centennial, teams wouldn't respect our run game because we didn't give them much reason to. They would gang up on Marcelle Scales because he put the most fear in them, and right there with no run game and no Marcelle, we're beat. Brentwood had a smallish offensive line in their earlier years, but Whitemore's feat made up for it, and he had experienced WR's, and a productive back in Jock Weisner. So to gang up on the offensive line with rushes could leave Whitemore a lane or Weisner a route out of the backfeild. Tullahoma used to spread it out a bit with Robert Matthews at QB, and they had a stout line, so teams had to play stronger coverages, and hence they had a decent run game out of it.

 

Just a game of chance, like the coach said.

[possum]

Throw 46 is the 3-3 stack like the 3-5. The defense i drew up really is an adjustment out of the 4-4 stack whitch is our base offense. what I mistakenly called a 3-5 is really I guess like you said a 3-3 cover 2 with a free safety. We are in groups i.e. 1 2 3 4, we just take group 3 out and go to cover 2 instead of cover 3. Boyd Buchanun is really the only team we seen in the spread, we just scrimaged coffee last spring to experiment some things for Boyd. Did little good Boyd kicked our tails.

[possum]

I ment the 4-4 is our base defense, sorry. Was in a rush.

[throw46]

I don't know how you can run a 3-3 stack and still play cover 2. It is very dificult to control the flats vs two-wide to both sides. The 3-3 stack that I am talking about is really a 3-5 with either cover 3 or man free. Marcus Walls does it at Gallatin. He did the best job I have ever seen because he rolled into about 3 different coverages and confused the crap out of us. He made us think he was bringing everybody and then they'd bail. Ron Crawford has some nice answers also. But I still say that you have to run the ball to be successful in the spread.

[amos]

I hate to get into this but I have to admit it's been interesting reading these posts. Listen, there isn't really a cure all! We all have different philosophies, I choose to keep it simple because I'm not very bright. Basically, I will keep one more man than you have in the box. How that is designed I don't really care a whole lot about as long as it is sound. At the high school level I believe you have to stop the run first, no matter what. Very few off. teams can throw well enough to be so one dimensional. Even when those spread teams appear to be living by the pass it's surprising how many times you look back and say "that run really killed us there" or whatever. Several years ago now coach Brewer at Sevier County won the state by spreading everyone out and throwing it around and how did he win the championship? They ran for it with the QB. Granted they did throw for a ton that year but without that athletic QB they couldn't have. Last year in the playoffs Chattanooga Central tried spreading Knox Central out but Knox Central left more in the box and made them one dimensional and dominated the game.

Leave 1 more in the box than they have. I have the keyboard last so I win. Just kidding!!

[Blue21SallyAt7]

i also said that you should run a mix of cover 2 and man to man. when you're in cover 2, the corners squat, 2 safety's have over the top 1/2's, middle linebacker plays hook curl, and the OLB's/5th an 6th DB's play curl. In man to man, corners are locked up, OLB's/5th and 6th DB's have man, but if their man blocks then they play hook-curl-flat. maybe it doesnt make sense to you, but it does to me. that's why you dont stay in one defense, and offense will pick up on it, you've gotta move around, give different looks, and mix things up.

[ELA]

Another thing you can do is drop four DB's. It will give teams the look of a COVER TWO, but it isn't! You have a true 4 zone coverage with the OLB's being responsible for anything coming out of the backfield to their side. IF you use a fifty front, you end up in some combination of a 5-2 or 3-4 with seven in the box. If you use an even front, you have some combination of a 4-3 look. This is a very balanced approach to attacking the spread. Remember, it doesn't matter what you do as long as you keep it simply for your defensive team. You must find what works for your kids and don't try to change everything to face one opponent each year.

[DanPatrick]

Blue has contridicted his earlier post concerning his coverage responsibility. Plus, are you telling me that when you play man and your 5th/6th DBs have their men blocking that you teach them to go cover the hook/curl/flat?!?!?! Dont you think it might be a run (or a screen) if theyre blocking. Talk about some running lanes - my slot receivers go out to stalk and they have to chase your OLBs to the flats just to be able to block them.

[Blue21SallyAt7]

you've just gotta see it drawn up is all im saying. i think im getting a little confusing :confused:

[tlove13]

Blitzing LB's work if you have a young/inexperienced QB. But with an experienced and accurate QB-he'll always or should have a "hot read" to get rid of the ball vs. an unaccounted for blitzer.

Reference to Experienced QB's:

-Jeremy Bates-Sevier Co.-5A All-State 1994(UT/Rice)

-Joey Mathews-Sevier Co-5A All-State 1997(UT)

-Shane Kelley-Sevier Co-5A All-State/Clinic Bowl Mvp-1999

(Carson Newman)

-Angelo Raga-Sevier Co-5A All-State 2000(some D2 school in Pennsylvania)