WHY RUN THE WING-T?

The following was taken from, The Delaware Wing-T: An Order of Football, by Harold "Tubby" Raymond and Ted Kempski, Parker Publishing Co., Inc., West Nyack, New York: pages 26-29.

The objective of offense in football is, of course, to move the ball and score: but every coach is confronted with the question, "How can this be done most efficiently?" The conception of any football system must begin with deciding whether the attack will be primarily running or passing. Certainly, every offense must create a balance between running and passing, but because of limited practice time, the design must favor one phase. The Delaware offense is primarily a running attack for the following reasons:

  1. The core of any offense football team is hardness and as there is no separation of offense from defense, the style of offense affects the defense. The development of a grueling consistent ground game builds a desire to dominate the opponent physically. How the ball is moved then shares importance with moving the ball itself.
  2. During a football game, each team will get the ball between ten and fifteen times. The team that controls the ball by making first downs with the least risk of turning the ball over will decrease their opponent's opportunities to have the ball.
  3. A consistent ground game increases the number of opportunities to enter the all important four-down area.
  4. The running game is not as subject to severe weather problems as a passing game.
  5. The running attack is not as dependent on superior ability of one or two players as a primary passing attack is.

In spite of the advantages of a sound running game, no offense can operate effectively today without a balance of passing. The defense often dictates what can be run effectively. Overaggressive secondary support and plugging linebackers can make it difficult to move the ball on the ground. Consequently, the passing game is designed to hit those areas that are covered by defenders whose immediate assignments must be to control the ground game. Play-action passes create defensive conflicts that make it difficult for these defenders to concentrate on either phase. In this way, the passing game complements the rushing game.

The offensive philosophy includes a great regard for the passing phase of football, which should be regarded not only as a scoring phase, but as a method of maintaining the ball. Passes that come from running action are most effective on early downs and enhance your chances of controlling the ball.

Basic Alignment The Wing T is a multi formation offense. The position of the backs should be constant, however in order to maintain the balance and deception that is the basis of the entire system. The established positions for the backs are:

The Wingback: A wing is present in every formation for the following reasons:

  1. It confronts the defensive secondary with an immediate threat of three deep receivers.
  2. It widens the defensive front.
  3. It presents an additional blocker at the line of scrimmage.
  4. The motion of the wing balances the attack.
  5. The motion of the wing creates misdirection.

The Halfback: Most of our formations will place at least one man in a dive position. This is important for the following reasons:

  1. It enables the dive man to release quickly into pass patterns as the fourth receiver.
  2. It is an adequate position to block at the flank.
  3. It provides a vertical blocking on linebackers and lineman.

The Fullback: The Fullback is in the middle of the formation for the following reasons:

  1. It provides a dive threat to the middle of the defense.
  2. It provides the offense with a balanced attack to either side of the formation, much the same as an I-formation tailback.
  3. It enables the FB to flood either flank as a third receiver.
  4. It solidifies the counter game by having the FB in a position to check.

Although the QB is under the center, as is the case with all modern offenses, his keeping the ball or faking away from the flow of attack presents the defense with additional contain problem that minimizes pursuit and provides big play opportunities. The Delaware Wing-T then, is a multiple formation, four-back running attack that depends heavily on play-action passing and misdirection, utilizing synchronized schemes both in the line-blocking and backfield action.

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