Saints Run Game - Part 2 - Attacking 3 Down Fronts

by Jim Jackson

The New Orleans Saints are having great success in the run game currently, and they are doing it by having a plan to attack the 3 Down front. For purposes of this article we will call it a "Tight" front. The front we are talking about is the Center covered by a NG, both Guards covered by a 3 tech or 4I, and usually edge defenders capping the offensive formation. Some teams use 2 LB or 1 LB and a drop down Safety at the 2nd level. 

A variation of this front is the "Bear" or 46 front where the Center and both Guards are covered. This is typically a short yardage defense used with Man Coverage variations.

The Saints like to attack this front by running:

1. Inside Zone Weak (Away from TE) from the gun

2. Gap Scheme Strong (To the TE), either Power or Duo

3. Wide Zone Strong (To the TE).

Play 1 is Gun Inside Zone Weak. The result is a 20 yard gain by Alvin Kamara.

Play 2 is a QB Power with Taysom Hill as QB for a 13 yard gain. Hill is such a unique talent because he is so dynamic with the ball. Defensively, you have to respect and prepare for the Wildcat run game with a legitimate threat to pass as well.

Play 3 is a Wide Zone to a TE side. The result of this play is a 2 yard gain, but there are solid angles.

The Vikings, Patriots, and Ravens also have some good schemes attacking the Tight Front. As Defense evolves in the NFL, it is always great to see the creative ideas that coaches come up with to attack it.

Saints Run Game - Part 1 - SY/GL

 By Jim Jackson

The New Orleans Saints offense is ranked 4th in Scoring Offense (29.9 ppg) and 7th in Rushing Offense (140.6 ypg) as of Week 15. Some of the best rushing concepts they are employing are in their Short Yardage and Goalline situations. Short Yardage is usually defined as 3rd or 4th Down and 1-2 to gain. Some people consider 3rd and 3 a SY situation and the Saints certainly do at times as well. Goalline offense is considered anything inside the 4 yard line. The Saints will certainly use these plays in the middle of the field on regular down and distance, but the coaching staff like to use them in important unique opportunities. 

We broke down 5 games, and conceptually speaking the Saints run a small number of concepts with a wide variety of presentations to the defense. The concepts are:

1. FB Dive

2. Duo (w/an extra OL at the Point of Attack)

3. QB Run with Taysom Hill

4. Wide Zone

The Saints coaching staff employs their best players in these critical down and distance situations. Alvin Kamara, Taysom Hill, and Latavius Murray all get opportunities for the conversions and Touchdowns. The are succeeding at a high rate currently right now.

Play 1, FB Dive: FB are always the unsung heroes of a West Coast Offense and Michael Burton is not any different. The result is a conversion and a 4 yard gain. So much detail to a simple play!

Play 2, Duo w/extra OL at Point of Attack: Saints Coaching staff uses a shift and a motion to gain a personnel advantage at the POA. Again, they are running off a support player with pass responsibilities. 

Play 3: QB Run Pin/Pull. The Saints love QB Power in SY/GL to gain an extra blocker at the point of attack with Taysom Hill as QB. This run is an outside run. It's a version of Toss Crack with the QB being the ball carrier. Very creative by Saints Offensive Coaching Staff.

Play 4, Wide Zone Concept with Alvin Kamara. Kamara is probably the Saints most explosive player, and his best run in wide zone. Coach Payton subscribing to the age old coaching adage, "In critical situations, think players, not plays."

The Saints are converting Short Yardage and Goalline situations at a high conversion rate. Thank you for joining us!

Green Bay Packers Run Game - Using Motions to Your Advantage

 By Jim Jackson

Matt LaFluer and the Green Bay offensive staff are very strong in their ability to use motions to their advantage in the run game. Like the 49ers offense they use shifts, motions, and arounds (post snap) to gain an advantage. There are three reasons why you would want to use motion in the run game:

1. Gain a numbers advantage at the point of attack.

2. Gain an angles advantage for your TE or OL blocking by reaction to the motion.

3. Make a support player (safety or corner) loosen his alignment and not trigger so quickly.

The Packers use all three of these in their run game to gain an advantage. 

The first play is an example of a fly sweep fake softening the down safety causing him to hesitate. This makes the block for the WR much easier. Condensed formations help with this block as well. This play was Week 12 vs CHI.

The second play is a Toss Windback play in Week 2 vs DET. The TE motions from the furthest alignment to a hip position. This align to execute mentality gives him and inside/out blocking angle on the OLB which is critical to the play.

The final play is a Duo play with Jab Footwork by the RB. This play was Week 9 vs SF. There are 2 motions on this play. The motions help the OL and the Slot WR with blocking angles. This is creative run game design!!!

Just like the 49ers and Rams, Green Bay is on the cutting edge of shifts and motions to gain run game advantages. More teams should implement these concepts to simply slow run defenses down. What is the next concept or step they will take? 

Jacksonville Jaguars - RB James Robinson

 By Jim Jackson

James Robinson of the Jacksonville Jaguars is currently the third leading rusher in the NFL with 1,070 rushing yards through Week 15. He is having a great season for anyone, and has been productive his entire career at Illinois St (shoutout MVFC). He recently had a lower leg injury in the 4th Quarter vs. the Ravens so we hope his season is not done. 

James displays some of the most critical traits we look for in a Running Back. Vision is the most important trait that a RB can possess. This is very innate, and it is typically more difficult to coach for players in the box. He sees holes quickly and can accelerate through them. Second, he has great balance which is displayed by his ability to make people miss. In the 5 games we broke down, he repeatedly makes the first tackler miss. Finally, he is tough. His strength works well with the scheme in Jacksonville to make sure he gains positive yards. There were very few TFLs in the games we broke down. He loves to run in between the tackles (where the tough yards are).

Normally, we present pictures, but this article is best to attach more video clips. James is having a great season, and hopefully he can finish strong!

22 yard gain and stiff arm

14 yard gain and trucks DB

9 yard A-Gap run

9 yard gain and tough to tackle

15 yard gain on gun wide zone

13 yard gain on gun inside zone

11 yard gain and another missed tackle

16 yard TD and great finish

10 yard gain on Power

Thanks again for viewing our site and content!

New York Jets - Wide Zone OL Techniques

 By Jim Jackson

In Football, like in life, there is an age-old saying, "It's never as good as it seems, it's never as bad as it seems."

There were some experts and pundits who were shocked yesterday when the winless NY Jets beat the LA Rams in Week 15 of the NFL season. We have been watching and studying the Jets for the last month and noticed that they were really a much better team than their record indicated. The OL had been physical all season, and they play with great technique specifically in their wide zone play. This article will focus on some of the great individual efforts displaying talent/coaching/scheme. NYJ have some really good and young talented players on the OL. We look forward to watching them develop.

Play 1: Week 11 NYJ vs LA Chargers 8 yard gain on Wide Zone. They run behind Mekhi Becton and Connor McGovern. 

Play 2: Week 7 NYJ vs BUF Bills is a 7 yard gain on another wide zone. This is an elite play by the Center Connor McGovern. Great technique, great strength, and great finish. 

Play 3: Week 7 NYJ vs BUF and another 9 yard gain on wide zone. This is a great example of elite and physical play by #68 Josh Andrews who is in his 5th season.

Play 4: Week 13 NYJ vs LV Raiders. The result is a 25 yard gain on another wide zone play. The LT stretch block is detailed here.

Thanks again for joining us! The NYJ are not as far off as people think! This young OL is technically sound and plays hard, they just need to be a little more consistent!