Counter - Same-Side Gun Runs: 2023 49ers, Part 2

This week, we're breaking down all the ways the 49ers ran my favorite same-side run play, Counter, in 2023!

Last week, we looked at why Same-Side runs are a fantastic tendency breaker and a few different run schemes that utilize it. Today, we’re going to look at what I believe to be the best Same-Side run in this system: Counter.

Offenses across all levels have, in my opinion, pulled Counter much too far out of its roots. Counter was never designed to be a base run, hence the name. It was always designed to be the equivalent of baseball’s changeup, whether a team’s base run play was Dive, Buck Sweep, or for most, Power, until the rise of the Zone run game. Not only were the Fullback & Back-Side Guard’s rules swapped, most Counters would include misdirection in the backfield in the form of a reverse pivot by the QB, a windback by the Fullback, and a Counter Step by the Half Back to make the first few stimuli appear as the base run to the defense to force that overplay and attack on the opposite side of the front.

What Counter has become is Shotgun 20P with both backs on the same side of the QB. The Guard pulls to kick, Fullback (or Y Off) wraps, and the Half Back crosses the Quarterback’s face to follow the Fullback in the hole. My first real football training came on the defensive side of the ball with a heavy focus on formation recognition and the tendencies therein. Out of that set (Gun 20P, backs stacked), there is nothing “Counter” to what I would expect based on that alignment if I’m the opposing DC against most modern spread offenses.

Counter also includes Counter Trey (GT Counter), which is less likely to have as large of a tendency as 2 Back Counter, but for most, it’s still not a true Counter play.

As big of a Rams fan as I am, I still prefer the 49ers’ run game. Outside/Wide Zone pairs so perfectly with Counter, and Kyle Shanahan uses it to perfection. From the gun, having the ability to run Outside Zone to the Tight End then running Same-Side Counter by pulling that Tight End back the other way is such a simple sequence to keep defenses guessing all night long. The goal of this offense is to make everything look like Outside Zone until it’s not. Apart from having to pull the Guard, it’s not terribly difficult to make everything else look like their Outside Zone run game for 2-3 steps before the play turns into Counter. Let’s dive into a few different ways they ran Same-Side Counter in 2023.

SAME 27-26 SOLID

Counter Solid is the mainstream term for this play, but I am not sure what they call it. The more I study this play, the more I question if I consider it more of a Counter or something that resembles closer to Duo. Base Counter is going to have the back-side Guard kick and the Fullback wrap. Counter Solid contains one of the Fullback or Tight End kicking (generally off of Spirit motion) and the other wrapping, so it is a 12/21+ Personnel run.

One downside to this variation is that in order to get the Half Back through the hole on time, it basically has to be run off of Spirit motion, potentially creating a tendency. However, with the frequency that Shanahan dialed up the motion, it was more than enough to not let the defense lock in on a particular run scheme.

One thing I like about Counter Solid is that it’s a potential variation that allows the OL to not pull. This is going to guarantee we don’t get any back-side run-throughs, but I still firmly believe that it is possible to be a successful offense (especially at the high school level), and never pull an offensive lineman. In such an offense, I would probably posit an Outside Zone base with Duo as the changeup, and one way of thinking about Counter Solid could potentially be Duo with a Wrap. My preferred place for calling this play, however, is much more likely to be a SYGL situation where I want to make sure that my pulling Guard isn’t going to open up a lane for a blitzing Linebacker.

Paid subscribers will have access to the other two breakdowns, including running same-side GF/GY Counter & GT Counter, in addition to the full cutup of 2023 49ers Same-Side Counter runs at the end and all the other perks of premium membership.