Defenses vs Double Wing Article

7/26/2019 Defenses vs Double Wing Article

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/defenses-vs-double-wing-article 1/7

Defenses VS DWwww.robertwmcadams.com

OverviewThe point of this chapter is to assume

the defensive positioning of opposing teams.

In a double tight, double wing, with tight line

splits alignment, you will see alterations in the

defense. This is amplified by the Double

Wing’s emphasis—off-tacle.

!s Double Wing coaches, we must be

able to "uicly adapt our attac to the defense

presented. #any coaches who face the

Double Wing will install gimmic defenses orattempt to play a full game in a goalline

against us. This is unsound IF WE CAN $%

recogni&e the defensive weanesses and '%

e(ploit those weanesses.

Cover 2 Fronts#ost cover ' shell defenses are

relatively sound against the pass, run, and

perimeter. This means all plays should havee"ual success against these different defenses

)*-'+-%. iven that even and odd fronts

both cause different problems and present

different opportunities.

5-2 DefenseThe *-' /over ' )*0% Defense is shown

ne(t. It is a very good run-stop defense. It

features a * man solid front with ' )usuallysolid% linebacers. This defense gives us '-on-$ across the playside on the base 1ower

play, so their line better be big and good. The

linebacers will come straight downhill on

guard reads. They are usually heavy hitter

types in a *0 defense. The corners will step

up to near the line to tae outside linebacerresponsibility as well as flats coverage. The

split safeties play more lie deep linebacers

against the Double Wing. This defense will

not hurt the base 1ower play initially. This

defense will not stay in a read *0 against the

Double Wing in most cases. If they have '0

seniors and you have a bunch of freshmen

playing )as I’ve had before% they won’tchange too much. If you are somewhat evenly

matched, they WILL CHANGE OR LOSE.

5-2 C2 VS Dob!e W"#$

5-2 Adjustments!fter a hefty dose of 1ower, the *0

defense will liely morph into something

different. The defensive ends will become

2spill3 only personnel—focusing on cutting

your fullbac and+or pullers near the line toforce a bounced play. !nother tactic is to time

out blit&es by the linebacers on cadence. Theother tactic is "uic secondary rotation on

motion to a *' #onster defense with the

strong end in 2spill3 techni"ue. These tactics

are either unsound and+or provide you withother weanesses other than the 1ower play.

%S&"!!' 5( VS Dob!e W"#$

The 24pill3 *0 is begging for the

perimeter attac. The only defender who can

stop you from achieving the corner is the

cornerbac. 5ven though the safety is cheatedup and out, he is out of position to force a cut

http://www.robertwmcadams.com/

http://www.robertwmcadams.com/



up. The 6ocet, 7et, and base 4weep will

defeat this 2spill3 techni"ue. The 4weep will

not beat it as bad as the 6ocet and 7et.

%)!"t*' 5( VS Dob!e W"#$

The 28lit&3 *0 is very unsound. This is

the e"uivalent to a 9-' defense. It will stopthe 1ower play if the line is unable to pic up

the blit& and+or the movement is defeated at

the point of attac. The base 4weep and 7etwill eat this defense up as long as the

linebacer is not allowed into the playside

bacfield )gets cut down%. The 6ocet should

be a no-brainer as well. The defense will have

NO +,RS,I against perimeter attac. The

Trap is also a possible big hitter IF HE

F,LL)AC maes it through the first wave

of defenders

%/o#ster' 5( VS Dob!e W"#$

The 26otate3 *0 is probably the best in

terms of 2soundness3 in ad:ustments to

e"uali&e the number advantage the DoubleWing imposes. The problem for the defense is

that it really doesn’t force the issue on theweaside. The 6ocet and 4weep are still

decent options even though numbers are not in

our favor. The defensive end’s techni"ue

)spill% dictates those plays success. The

/ounter and 8oot off 7et are both great

options as they no longer have weaside

support and+or dual coverage )flat+deep%.

4-3 DefenseThe - cover ' )0% defense is shown

ne(t. It is a very good 2middle of the road3defense to play the run and the pass. This

defense presents the run with different

problems than the *0 defense. This defense is

less dependant on si&e and linebacer 2heavy

hitters3 than the *0 defense. ;sually 0defenses have more 2mover3 types at

defensive end and outside linebacer, with

their lone 2heavy hitter3 at #ie linebacer.

This defense )with Double Wing e(perience%

will also attempt to utili&e your center as aread. This is due to the #<#! rule )man-on-man-away% for the center. The end’s

techni"ue may be a = tech )head up% or a 9

techni"ue with spill tendencies. 5ither way

the ends will have more 2spill3 techni"ue

ability since he has a linebacer right off his

tail and a corner to his outside. This is anormal tactic in the 0 defense )2D+/ 4witch3

D5+>8 gap% unlie the *0.


4-3 Adjustments!fter a heft dose of 1ower, the 0

defense may change in a few different ways.

The defensive ends D+/ switch will become

automatic )lie the *0%. The ends become2spill3 only personnel—to force a bounced

play. !nother tactic is to blit& the linebacers

on cadence or on puller read. The other tactic

is "uic secondary rotation on motion to a -



#onster defense with the strong end in / gap

fire techni"ue. The other possibility is the

reducing of the defensive ends as well as the

outside bacers taing their 9 techni"ue

positions. The first defensive coordinator I

wored for )- guy%, drew this up for me.

This is very unsound. It turns a 0 into a ap? for the most part with personnel who don’t

now their tactics well @ not good for them.

These tactics are either unsound and+or

provide you with other weanesses.

%S&"!!' 0( VS Dob!e W"#$

!gain, the 2spill3 defenses are set upfor 7et+6ocet play as well as the base 4weep

play. The corner is the lone perimeter

defender, :ust lie in the *0. The linebacers’

ability to play the D+/ switch is better in the

0 defense, so they will be closer to the play.

Therefore, I would recommend the widest play—6ocet 4weep. With any even defense,

the Trap is always a viable threat as well. !ny

' level passes )1ower 1ass, 8oot% will most

liely have $ receiver open since the corner is

forced to play run "uicer.

%)!"t*' 0( VS Dob!e W"#$

I was beaten by this type scheme with a

hastily installed Double Wing. #y linemen

REF,SED to follow their blocing rules and

get eyes inside on double teams. Aou can see

how that would destroy the 1ower play with '

linebacers in the bacfield and one slipping

the tight endBs 2s"uee&ed3 bloc )by D5%.

That along with my wingbacs being very

timid caused lots of no-gains and even losses.

To defeat this 2blit&3 principle, the line has to

pic up blit&ers, and the wingbacs must ramthe ball hard through traffic for 2 tough

yards3 no matter what. I would also use the

2T-1ower3 scheme )covered later% to help

remedy this problem.

!side from 1ower success, the 6ocet

and 7et plays should destroy this type

2reading3 of our line. If their linebacers are

ready to fly inside on his ey’s movement, he

is in trouble for perimeter plays. The 2spill3

techni"ue effectively gives away a defender inthe 6ocet 4weep as well ):ust lie in 2spill3

*0 defense%. !lso lie the 2blit&3 *0, the

2blit&3 0 is susceptible to the Trap for )IG

GAINS if the guard either traps the linebacer

or the linebacer misses the fullbac.

%/o#ster' 0( VS Dob!e W"#$

This ad:ustment of the 0 is similar to

the *0’s strengths and weanesses. !gainst

the 0, the perimeter plays may have lesschance of success though. This is due to the

fact that the outside linebacer’s movement

and the corner causing either a "uic cut-up or

a longer corner. 5ither way, it is still a very

good possibility for success. The /ounter and

Trap should be a good alternative also if theyhave s"uarely focused their attention to

motion-side /-5 gaps.



%Redced' 0( VS Dob!e W"#$

This is more lie the normal Double

Wing defense. This is also very similar to the

more 21ower 4top3 goalline defenses we have

seen wee to wee. This defense screams,26un around, 1ass over, or Trap me all night,

please.3 The interior only has one supporting

linebacer— R,N RA+. The perimeter only

has ' defenders and NO S,++ORR,N

3E4 ROCE4 SWEE+. The secondary

is completely vacant— +ASS HE )ALL.8ecause of these weanesses, I’d say the

6ocet 4weep, 6ocet Trap, and 6ocet 1ass

would be great choices of play selection.

The 1ower has little chance of success

IF the ends continue to spill or s"uee&e hard

and the safeties play more lie linebacers.The condensed defensive front forces $-on-$

blocing at many points along the front which

taes away the movement factor. It also gives

superior support angles to / gap with the

corner, #ie, C safeties.

Cover 3 Fronts/over defenses have weanesses

either inside )-% or outside )*-% depending

on their different line techni"ue and blit&ing

tendency. They are also superior to defend the

pass due to the rd defender in the deep

secondary. These defenses are both more of

the of what most coaches thin of as 2rundefense3 because of the /over ' conversion to

/over and roll in the previous fronts

versus spread teams. That maes those

defenses pass defenses against those teams.

!gainst the Double Wing, day is night, and

night is day though. These 2run defenses3 are

really more of what I would consider pass

defenses )4 DW% and easier to pic apart.

WhyE They only have ? men near the line

)unlie the 9 in the /over ' defenses%.

4-4 DefenseThe - /over Defense is shown

ne(t. It is another very good 2middle of theroad3 defense to play the run and the pass lie

the 0 Defense. This defense is reliant on

some /EN at the inside linebacers )lie the

*0%. ;nlie the *0, these guys have help to

either side of them )<>8%. ;sually -defense will blit& early and often. #any -

defenses are based off of slanting linemen

with blit&ing linebacers—unlie other

defenses. This defense )with Double Wing

e(perience% will also attempt to utili&e yourcenter as a read. This is due to the #<#!rule )man-on-man-away% for the center.

The - is usually actually aligned in a

=-' versus tight ends and wings to both sides.

The end’s techni"ue may be a = techni"ue

)head up+hands on techni"ue% or a F techni"ue

)inside shade with 2build a wall3 techni"ue%.5ither way the ends will give you trouble on

the base play due to these tactics and the

linebacer on the line on the wingbac to the

outside. In summary, the - is a mi(ture of

*0 and 0 front defensive tactics+scheme with

lots of slanting and blit&ing most of the time.


4-4 Adjustments>ie the other defenses the blit& on

cadence or on puller read is popular. There

are not many other options for the - to stop

the power play if they cannot man up. The -



is already pre-snap ad:usted to the formation

by reducing the linebacer to the line and

bringing the corner up to -* yards )linebacer

depth%. This is a standard formation

ad:ustment for the -. There :ust isn’t much

more they can do besides blit& more and go

straight man coverage. Gor this reason I willdiagram their possible blit&ers from #an

coverage as well as the - blit& front. <ne

possibility is to 2restac the front3 and blit&

from that. This would cause blocing

confusion.

0-0 %Stac7-)!"t*' VS Dob!e W"#$

6-2 %Ro!! 2-)!"t*' VS Dob!e W"#$

6-2 %Ro!! Loc7' VS Dob!e W"#$

Odd Stack DefenseThe *- )or -*% Defense is the new

popular defense among coaches. #ore topics

on message board say -* and - than :ust

about any other sub:ect line. That front is not

much different from the *0 front for Double

Wing purposes if they stic to the techni"ue

)head up tacle% and 0 techni"ue )head up

center% front.

! 2THT3 front with either ' )head up

guard% or )outside shade of guard%

techni"ues along with a 0 techni"ue nose present some problems. That front is possible

with the *- without much variation. The

normal ends play looser in the *- since they

do not have outside run support. In a THT

front, the ends have to tighten down to help

with / gap, leaving the flan vulnerable.

>inebacers are staced behind the

front in the base front. In the THT front

with the tacles in 8 gap, the outside

linebacers move out to / gap. The stacfront is great for blit&ing and slanting, much

lie the - 24tac-8lit&3 e(cept even more

versatile.


5-1 %Stac7-)!"t*' VS Dob!e W"#$

5-3 AdjustmentsThe usual suspects of 2spill techni"ue3

will creep in with the loose end’s normal

techni"ue as with most defenses presented. The

THT front is an ad:ustment to the inside

running game by constricting the 8 to 8 gap



—stuffing the Trap. This ad:ustment leaves

the outside wide open. The only defenders

who can support the flan are the tight D5 and

the linebacer corner tandem. The D5,

corner, and >8 are all really in a bad position

to mae a play on the corner as well due to

tightness, depth, and angle to the outside,respectively.

5-1 %S&"!!' C1 VS Dob!e W"#$

5-1 N C189 VS Dob!e W"#$

!an" FrontsThis heading will encompass

2everything else3 you will see on a football

field. #ost teams will not dedicate more than

? guys near the line of scrimmage. Those

who do are usually utterly beaten. 4ome very

successful programs utili&e defenses that have

everyone on the line either in man coverage or in gap control. Those defenses only have $-'

guys baced off the line and usually have man

coverage as a base.

S#ecia$ DefensesThe = 28ear3 defense utili&es a

2THT3 front, lie the *- variation. It can

handle more perimeter support by utili&ing

#an /overage or a /over ' variation instead

of /over . This defense has many different

variations, but it taes the *- THT front with

on less linebacer )#ie%. !long with no

deep or '-deep secondary, this allows the

defense to spread ' more men out to contain

the flan. !t this point, they are still able to

man cover and control the interior gaps well.

06 )ear 9 VS Dob!e W"#$

<bviously this is not the only manscheme they can use. !ny of the men in

grey can man cover any of the two "uic

receivers to their side. This gives the defense

the ability to really penetrate and stunt freely.

I thin the top graphic mae the most sense,

but either of the options in the following

graphics are also available.



The $0-$ and variations are also a very

effective means for stopping a power run

game. This defense utili&es low charging



2gap crawlers3 as well as bump-man cover

guys on the line. The only guys baced up are

mirroring the bacs in the bacfield. This

defense can choose to view wingbacs as

"uic receivers )$0-$% or bacs )?-% in the

bacfield. The end man on the line has to

contain in this type defense since their literallyonly a '- man tandem pursuing inside-out.

G/+ %S&ec"a!' VS DW

>ie the other man scheme, the defense

can play games with who is actually in man

coverage. 4ometimes a guy who was in man

the previous down is merely penetrating with

another responsibility the following down. Ina motion dependant offense, lie the Double

Wing, the defense may 2run with3 coverage as

the motion wingbac begins his motion as

shown above. The defense can also wait to

declare man on the immobile wing untilmotion, shown in the following ' e(amples.

G/+ %Ga&-Free*e' VS DW

G/+ %S&ec"a!-Free*e' VS DW

!s you can see, this $0-$ variation

)ap-#an 1ressure—#1% puts a lot of

pressure on the offense to e(ecute the play. It

also dissuades the offense from pulling too

many guys—since it will results in instant

penetration. The weaness of the defense isthe perimeter )if the end gets reached% and

defending the pass, especially the boot pass.

#isdirection is a iller against pressuredefenses as well, unless the linebacers are

eying the line )lie in this defense%. Gor

more information on this defense, see my

boo, The Gap-Man Pressure Football

Defense.

Conc$usionThese different cover ' and cover

defenses are 2sound3 in that they should notleave an open door to completely e(ploit.

This is much different from the goalline

defenses and man scheme defenses that

fre"uent Double Wing coaches. Those

defenses present open doors in different areas

—much lie a 2guess which shell it’s under3

game. They are e(tremely vulnerable at spots,

unlie the cover '+ defenses. !lso unlie the

cover '+ defenses, these goalline fronts

present the problem of immediately stopping

the 1ower play. !ny of these defensive

attacs of the Double Wing has merits and

downfalls.

Documents

Defenses vs Double Wing Article