Maximizing Through Simplifying
Sharing a HUGE mental unlock I had this week...completely unlocked!
I had a huge mental unlock this week that I want to share, and this article will be unlocked for all subscribers! My high school application of this offense was previously most similar to the Dolphins in terms of personnel usage, mostly using the F as a lead blocker in 21 personnel sets and the Y in 11 personnel sets. However, I ran into a couple issues, primarily when thinking about the application to the high school.
Running the offense that way puts a lot on both the Y and the F positions. One way to fit that is to have one player that plays the F in 21 personnel and Y in 11 personnel, but that puts needing to know multiple positions on a single player. The other way is to have two players fill the two positions, but how many of us have multiple “big skill” players that can execute both positions entirely?
What if we could essentially combine the two positions such that only one position was required to do the lead blocking? I explored that question and essentially re-formationed half of my offense to answer it.
The answer is swapping out 11P for 20P. Instead of automatically pulling the Y off the ball to be the lead blocker to get 3 WRs on the field, keep the F as a lead blocker and get 3 WRs on the field by personneling out the Y instead of the F.
Why the F instead of the Y? Formational flexibility.
The Y in the Shanahan/McVay offense ALWAYS goes in the direction of the call. Each formation has a left or right call, and that tells the Y where to go, even if it’s a 3x1 formation with the Y as the single eligible, everyone else goes away from the call. There’s also only one formation that includes the Y in the backfield where a Fullback would be needed. Focusing on the F allows a play caller flexibility to put the lead blocker anywhere in the formation, whether it be the I (or Offset I), Split Backs, or even in a wing/“Y Off” position. Below, I’ll share some formations and variations in my adaptation of this offense that feature the F. 21/12P formations won’ t need changing as those would have a true Tight End, so the biggest translation will come from 11P to 20P. The primary formation used will be Deuce, as it puts the F in an attached Wing/Y Off position, and tags can be used to get to different variations of both 2x2 and 3x1.
Essentially, Deuce can be used as a true “base” formation, and through tags, different versions of 2x2 and 3x1 can be created. If I want a Tight End/Wide Receiver snug set, I can use the North formation with the F and X as opposed to a Clamp tag (which I love) between the Y and Z.
I started studying this offense on my own about 5 years ago, all the while thinking about how I could simplify it for the high school level, and this way of thinking about how to use the same personnel differently has greatly helped that pursuit.
If you’re interested in learning more about my adaptation of this offense for high school, be sure to check out my CoachTube course on that very subject! I go through all the formations, pass protections, and run game calls I would use. The main thing missing right now is the passing game, but that is changing VERY soon, so stay tuned!
The team we study that is best at formationing for the F, in my opinion, is the Rams. They treat Kupp (F) as a lead blocker often, just mostly not from the backfield. The cutup this week shows the Rams using the F as a lead blocker in 2023!