Coaching the Option Wing Offense Vincent F. McMahon©2003 Coaches Choice. All rights reserved, Printed in the United States, No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or oth- erwise, without the prior permission of Coaches Choice, ISBN: 1-58518-656-2 brary of Congress Control Number: 2003100644 Book layout: Jennifer Bokelmann Diagrams: Dennis Harris Cover design: Kerry Hartjen Front cover photo: Craig Jones/Getty Images Coaches Choice P.O, Box 1828 Monterey, CA 93942 Wwww.coacheschoice.com ——<—<— ee 1JEDICATION To my wife, Pat, and our children, Kurt and Kara. Their love and support have allowed me to pursue my passion for the game | love.CKNOWLEDGMEN | have been blessed by my association with many fine assistant coaches over the years. To Jack, Bob, Larry, Joe, Walt, Dave, Mark, John, Pete, Brad, Keith, Camillo, and Chuck | particularly owe much of my success. The hundreds of great players who have blessed my career are the most impor- tant reason for anything | have achieved. One person, Ed Bender, taught me how to coach when | was a young assistant just beginning my career.Dedication... Chapter 1: Why the Option Wing?... ‘Chapter 2: Formations. Chapter 3: Personnel Placement .. Chapter 4: Blocking Rules, Terminology, and Offensive Line Calls.. Chapter 5: Pass Protection Schemes... Chapter 6: Pass Patterns... Chapter 7: Quick Series Chapter 8: Counter Sweep Series. Chapter 9: Veer Series. Chapter 10: Outside Belly Series. Chapter 11: Inside Belly Series... Chapter 12: Trap Option Serie: Chapter 13: Draw Series... Chapter 14: Summary of Blocking Rules by Position... Chapter 15: Practice Organization. Chapter 16: Game Planning for the Option Wing Offense. About the Author...| undertook writing this book to communicate to young football coaches what | have learned in 44 years of coaching about offense and what it takes to win. The option wing offense was developed as a result of experiences as a player, an assistant coach, and a head coach. As a high school player at Leeds High School in Sioux City, lowa, | played on a team that won 25 games in a row. We used the split-T ‘offense, and from this experience | became sold on the use of the option as part of an offensive system. As an assistant coach in Sioux City, | became familiar with the wing-T offense. The counter crisscross, fullback trap, and the waggle passes are a prod- uct of that time. As an assistant coach at Rachelle High Schoo! in Illinois, | was part of a program that won 35 games in a row, The use of the flip-flop offense featuring strong and weak- sides, the tackle-trap counter, and the inside belly series come from the Rochelle pro- gram directed by Ed Bender. From my experience as an assistant coach for Monte Charles at the University of Wisconsin at Superior, | became familiar with the spread or shotgun attack included in the option wing offense. It was here that | also first experienced the use of the true triple option and inside and outside veer. When | became a head coach, I wanted to run an offense that would: + be different from what other people were doing. + feature a strong, physical running game. * use the various forms of the option. * promote ball control and field position. + utilize misdirection. + have the ability to be a three-back, two-back, or one-back attack. + have a balance between the run and the pass. + make the big play with the play-action pass. + bea series offense. * score. With these factors in mind, | developed the option wing offense. It helped me win 127 games as a head junior college coach. My teams were usually ranked in the top ten nationally in rushing and scoring.Why the Option Wing? Zs al: option wing offense is a versatile and very flexible attack that can be installed and run effectively at all levels of football. The option wing provides a coach with a number of advantages. The first advantage is the use of a flip-flop system for linemen and backs. All offenses basically fit one of two categories: flip-flop or mirror. In the mirror ‘system, the same plays must be run to each side of the offense to attack equally both sides of a defense. Linemen are either a right or left guard, right or left tackle, etc. They do not change from side to side to reflect the formation called. A tailback off-tackle play to the left will have an off-tackle play to the right; a toss sweep right is mirrored by a toss sweep left. The number of plays multiplies quickly in a mirrored offense. If the system includes a toss sweep, an off-tackle play, an iso, a fullback trap, and a counter play, a mirrored attack would probably include ten running plays to ensure that these five plays could be run to each side of the offensive set. Thus a mirrored offensive system must by its nature have approximately twice the number of plays of a flip-flop system. By using a flip-flop system, a team can have fewer total plays but still attack both sides of the defense equally. For example, a toss sweep to the tight end side is one play with one set of blocking rules. By flipping the offensive line and backs, the play can be run right or left without another set of blocking rules. In a mirror system, one set of blocking rules is needed if the play is run to the right; another set of rules is needed if the play is run to the left. This increased learning makes it more difficult to implement a varied running game.A flip-flop style of offense allows for better use of personnel. An example of this is the speed guard position. In the option wing, this guard is responsible for the kick-out block on the powerside counter sweep (38). This is the number one play to the powerside. In 1996 this play gained 1,025 yards and resulted in 16 touchdowns. It can be run right or left with the same guard kicking out the force by flipping the formation right or left. The number one running play to the speedside is the inside veer (43). The most crucial block on this play is that of the speed guard. This particular offensive lineman must be the team's best offensive lineman. One halfback, the three-back, or the tailback, carries the ball more than the other halfback. If an | formation or one-back set was used, this would also be true; however, this offense uses a double wing and spread in addition to the | formation. By flipping the backs, the type and number of plays run by the three-back can be kept different from these run by the two-back or wingback. The two-back is first a blocker, secondly a receiver, and lastly a ballcarrier, while the three-back is primarily a ballcarrier, secondly a receiver, and lastly a blocker. By flipping the backs, halfbacks are allowed to concentrate on differing skills. A second advantage of the option wing is that the type of blocking skills needed makes it easier for smaller but more agile linemen to execute, A modern offensive trend has been zone blocking where large offensive linemen basically come off the line slowly, get their bodies on the defender, and react to the defender's movement. Smaller offensive linemen find this skill difficult to perform, and in the majority of high schools and in many smaller non-scholarship colleges, large offensive linemen who have good feet are difficult or impossible to find. The option wing is primarily a shoulder-blocking system. In this respect, it is more akin to the Delaware wing-T. Offensive linemen in this system come off the ball quickly and stay low as they apply a shoulder block. The key blocking skills in the option wing are the down block or reverse shoulder block, the trap block, and the double-team. Smaller but more agile linemen are able to execute these skills. Because this offense uses the triple option and the two-way option, some defenders are left unblocked. Thus, a very good defender may be left unblocked and optioned instead. The option wing includes a number of misdirection plays that tend to counter hard, pursuing defenses. Over pursuit against the counter game can result in a number of big plays for the offense. The defense's concem with the misdirection game tends to reduce pursuit. The misdirection running game includes two tackle trap counter plays (32 and 21), a double handoff reverse or counter crisscross (25), the counter trey (35), and a counter option (14). The passing game uses bootleg action off of sweep and counter trey action to create misdirection. This serves to contro! secondary pursuit and rotation. The most effective misdirection plays come off three running back sets. Other than a counter trey, one-back offenses are very limited in the type of misdirectionrunning plays that can be run. Two-back offenses have slightly more opportunities, but it is still difficult to have a number of misdirection plays from these sets. The option wing is a three-back offense that provides many opportunities for misdirection runs and passes, The use of the option creates a number of advantages in this system. The true triple option (43) is an important part of the offense. In addition, this system uses the ‘outside veer option (16), trap option (17), belly option (15), speed option (13), and the counter option (14). The inside veer can be used as a two-way option play by adding the words keep or give after the play call. The option attack tends to dictate Zone coverages in the secondary. This makes the reads for the passing game more predictable. As stated earlier, using the option allows the offense to leave some defensive players unblocked. If a personnel mismatch exists, it can be a big advantage to leave a superior defensive player unblocked. The option also fits well with the type ‘of blocking skills taught in this system. One of the problems that running teams face is that defenses will cheat and commit eight or nine defenders to the box from tight end to tight end. A partial solution to blocking this type of defense is to run option and leave defenders unblocked. When funning the triple option (43) or outside veer (16), two defenders to the playside will not need to be blocked. This offense is a series offense. A series offense can be described as one in which several plays resemble each other at inception but attack different areas of the defense. An example of one series in this system is the powerside counter sweep. The three base plays in this system are the fullback trap (41), the counter sweep to the powerside (38) or (18), and the bootleg passes to the split end (430 passes). At inception, each play looks similar, with the fullback diving speedside, the tailback running the sweep, and the quarterback operating on a line directly behind the center, faking the sweep. Aseries offense causes the defense problems in recognizing particular plays. It also eates conflict in assignments for defensive players. For example, conflict exists in the counter sweep series for the inside linebacker to the powerside on the 44 defense. This linebacker must read the sweep quickly so that he can support from the inside when the tailback cuts back into the alley. The ability of the linebacker to react to the sweep conflicts with his need to stop the fullback trap between the defensive tackles. An additional conflict arises for this linebacker when, after faking the sweep, the quarterback runs the bootleg pass and throws to the tight end dragging behind the linebacker. These assignment conflicts must be understood and recognized by the coaching staff so plays that maximize defensive conflicts can be called. Aseries offense allows a coach to call plays based on conflicts, starting by attacking ‘one area of the defense and then following that by calling plays that take advantage ofconflicts. This offense is a perimeter attack first and foremost. In calling plays, one can start by attacking the perimeter with the sweep, following that with the fullback trap, and then throwing the bootleg pass. A coach must understand that offensive plays should fit into a series and build on each other. Coaches have many great football plays to choose from, but if they don't fit into a series within a particular system, they should not be included in the playbook. A coach should run a system, not a collection of individual unrelated plays. The option wing is an offensive system, not a formation. The option wing offense has seven series. These series and the plays for each are: * Counter sweep series: 41, 38, 18, 25, 27, 320 passes, 35, 330 and 430 passes + Veer series: 43, 32, 13, 340 and 710 passes * Outside beily series: 46, 16, 45, 15, 21, 890 passes + Inside belly series: 44, 36, 640 passes + Trap option series: 40, 17, 14, 410 passes + Draw series: 33, 34, 730 passes, 700 passes * Quick series: 200 passes This system has a run first offensive philosophy. This is the soundest approach to offensive football for a number of reasons. Controlling the ball on the ground eats up the clock and keeps the opponent's offense from scoring opportunities. The defense remains fresh and ready to attack when it returns to the field. Long offensive drives tend to be more disheartening for a defensive team than sudden big play strikes. When the offense scores on one big play, the defense comes to the sideline with the feeling that an error, perhaps a blown coverage, created the scoring opportunity. The defense tends to view that as correctable. On the other hand, a long scoring drive featuring a number of running plays mixed with some key play- action passes takes time off the clock and causes a different feeling for the defense as it comes to the sideline. The feeling of needing to correct defensive problems and stop the offensive team is more complex and more cause for panic. It is an attitude of how will you stop them? instead of you will stop them. Another advantage to the run-oriented system is the physical toughness it builds in ‘a squad's offensive team and defensive unit. In practice, a team works against its own personnel. If the offense does not have a physical style of attack, it is very difficult to build a physical defense. Most coaches agree that defenses must first stop the run. Defenses become more proficient in doing that if they must work against a strong running team in daily practices. 10A strong running game is especially valuable in adverse weather conditions. Cold, wet, and windy conditions make it more difficult to accurately throw the ball. Teams that win consistently under these conditions are normally those that possess strong running games, A great running game makes it easier to score with the pass. With the option wing offense, you will typically run two to three times as much as you pass, but a high Percentage of your big plays will come from the play-action passing game. This is Particularly true against defenses that put eight men in the box against you. This offensive system reduces the amount of blitzing. It is rare for teams to blitz the ‘option wing a lot. This is due to two components in the offense. The first detriment to the blitz is the option portion of the attack. The threat of the option to both sides of the formation increases the number of defenders who must be assigned to specific phases of the option, thus reducing the number of potential blitzers. The trapping aspects of the offense also hurt blitzing defenses. Many times penetrating linebackers or defensive backs are trapped, creating large holes resulting in long runs. A high percentage of running plays in this offense have gap blocking schemes. These types of schemes enable the offense to fairly easily block defensive line stunts, whether they are slants, twists, or crosses. By blocking down and kicking out at the point of attack, areas or zones are blacked rather than specific men. This makes it easier to block various kinds of stunts. The option wing uses a number of formations, shifts, and motions to create changes in strength, to change threats to the defensive flank, and to stretch the defense horizontally and possibly vertically. The system uses a pre-shift alignment and consistently shifts to other formations. These formations change the strengths of the offense. If he wishes, the quarterback can align in the final formation immediately by adding no shift in the huddle after the formation call. The offense uses a number of different types of motion. From the double wing, the offense uses quick three-step motion for the running backs. Long motion by the two-back is used to change formation strength from a twins or | formation to a wing or pro set. Long motion from the wing or pro set creates slot or twin sets, while motion from the double wing is used to create a trips set. The movement of the split end and tight end is used to create varying offensive looks. A flex call causes the tight end to be split, creating a two- or three-wide receiver set. The end-and-tackle series creates unbalanced formations that require defensive adjustments. The more complex the defensive adjustment needed to meet shifting, motion, or unbalanced formations, the more these offensive variations are used. Any of these offensive adjustments can be countered by the defense, but defensive adjustments require time to teach. Since football coaching is a constant battle against time, it is Ww