Consistency out of your counter game

[JWright]

Coaches
As all of you know we have been running this system going on 7 years now and managed to rush for over 17,000yds in that tenure. When you have that much success moving the ball you start to see different things from the defense and like all scheming, some of it works and some of it does not. Well the one thing that I guarantee that you will see is some sort of reaction to your motion. I have always been one to state that despite the reaction find a way to still keep on doing what you do no matter what they do. At the same time it is also important to not overlook a gift being handed to you by the defense. Lets talk play calling for a moment:

The natural reaction to motion reaction is to hit with counters back away. Pretty simple concept to understand, but here is what the defense is exactly thinking when you execute this very concept:
I WOULD RATHER MAKE THEM BEAT US WITH PLAYS THAT ARE HIT AND MISS THEN ONES THAT ARE CONSISTENT AND KEEPS MY DEFENSE ON THE FIELD.

True or False?
True: How many times have you read on this board about how guys love certain counter plays, but the downside is they do not always hit big and sometimes they do not hit at all. What their really saying is:
I CAN NOT MAKE A LIVING OUT OF THIS AND HANG MY HAT ON IT.

So what I wanted to do was discuss this very point with you. Here are some questions:
1. How does one make a living out of the counter game?
2. How can I make it consistent so that it keeps moving the chains and if by chance hits big in the process?
ANSWER:
1. Twirl scheme
2. 3x1 formations with motion away.

TWIRL SCHEME
Easy or Hard?
Easy: Just take all of your consistent plays and now add twirl motion to them. What consistent plays?
1. Base 2. Bama 3. Miami 4. Trap etc.

3x1 FORMATIONS W/ MOTION AWAY:
Easy or Hard?
Easy: By having both wings align to the same side might seem tipping your hat to the defense, but entertain me for a moment if you will. All week long the defensive coordinator has been teaching his kids to react to this motion and like good soldiers they react to it all week long verses their scout team and kick a** reinforcing the behavior of reacting to the motion is a good thing, forget that it is a great thing. Forget that it is an AWESOME thing!!! So now comes game day and the defense is all prepared for your motion and here comes the first play and you serve them up what they hope to see and BOOM! The reaction to the motion works and the kid gets up and chest bumps other players and the D-coord is fist pumping on the other sideline telling the kid good job forget that great job, hell forget that AWESOME job!!! and now here comes a 3x1 formation and everyone is yelling it is going to the 3 side and something happens that confuses them all:
One of the Wings goes in motion away from the 3.
What happens now is something that is quite intriguing. The defense reacts to the motion they see all week and was just reinforced by the play you served up to them a moment ago and now you go opposite of the motion on a belly and it goes for 10yds because everyone reacted to the motion. LBERS shifted/Safeties ran downhill and placed themselves in a bad place for a consistent hitter that your kids can execute in their sleep. Then BANG you hit is again and again.
What does the defense do now?
-Tell the kids he had been teaching all week to react to the motion not to react to the motion?
-Tell secondary to react but the LBERS not to shift?
-Tell LBERS to shift but the secondary not to react?
-HOW ABOUT DO NOTHING?
Who is dictating now? and Oh by the way be prepared for reacting secondary and no LBER shift and the other way around.
Something to think about, See you guys in April
Coach Wright

[eriewingt]

What is twirl motion?

In the 3x1 you are talking about is that with a te or se away from the trips?

[JWright]

What is twirl motion?

In the 3x1 you are talking about is that with a te or se away from the trips?

Coach
Twirl motion is when the wingback takes three steps towards the fullback's heels and then either goes into the LOS or outside to lead block on the perimeter.

Yes trips away from TE or SE. However, we have two wings so we can motion one back.
Formation variations are:
1. Bunch
2. Trips
3. Bearcat/bulldog
4. Trey sets.
Hope it helps
Coach Wright

[coachdawson]

JW

When you align 3x1 and motion what plays do you run opposite the motion?
As always appreciate your insight

[coachdawson]

When you align normal (red/blue) and rocket motion what counter trap play do you like back against it? Prefer giving ball to wb or fb?

Pull 1 or 2 guys?
GT or GF or FG or something else?

[JWright]

JW

When you align 3x1 and motion what plays do you run opposite the motion?
As always appreciate your insight

Coach
We run:
BASE
FB COUNTER
QB POWER
QB BASE
FB TRAP
NO MO ROCKET TO FB (offset position)
Hope it helps
Coach Wright

[CoachSchelb]

Jim, when you run your No-Mo Rocket are you setting your FB up in the B gap for is alignment or is he out of the Tackle?

Have you ever had him take a 1-2 step motion from his "home" position?

[JWright]

Jim, when you run your No-Mo Rocket are you setting your FB up in the B gap for is alignment or is he out of the Tackle?

Have you ever had him take a 1-2 step motion from his "home" position?

Coach
-His alignment is to straddle the outside leg of the playside tackle.
-No. We have only had the HB do the 1-2 motion.
Hope it helps
Coach Wright

[james]

If you want to have a counter game that you can hang your hat on, you need to have more than 1 counter. We essentially have 3 counters... an A/B gap counter, a C gap counter, and a D gap counter. Some of our counters are more successful than others based on certain factors. For instance, our C gap counter last season was mediocre at best. Our main goal offensively this offseason is to investigate and see how we can make this play better.

[CoachSchelb]

James, care to share your three counters?