Steve,
How would you line up vs 3 x 1 and empty?? (from 3-3)
3x1 - we want to have more than one look vs this set because we feel its best to be able to a) cope with a team that wants to isolate their stud on the weak side b) defend speed option going back away from trips or c) matchup well with teams that want to run to trips etc.
Heres a couple of things we plan to do:
1) simply rotate the safety a bit and play 1/4, 1/4, 1/2
2) man up, matchup with the fs taking #3 to the trips side, bring the spur hot off the edge on the backside- puts us in cover 0 obviously
3) man up, matchup, with the fs staying free and the single rec side spur using his SOS adjustment, flopping over and now he takes #3 on the trips side and we are left with the fs keeping MOFC.
I tend to favor #2 a bit because I like to bring heat...but the easy pitch and catch to a talented receiver has troubled me some in the past due to short corners. (ie, 5 foot 8 trying to cover 6 foot 3, slants or fades...nice to have the spur help there to discourage the slant)
empty sets are best met with pure man and bringing 6. If we choose to keep the MOFC then we would go ahead and FINALLY allow the offense to break the stack. I think we will call it THE PULL ADJUSTMENT pulling the stacked backer out of the box.
from there we can talk about going to a 3-2 look in the box and doing different things based game plans.
Ultimately, Im trying to really REDUCE the whole " we could do this" thinking (grasping for the magical scheme) to a "we are gonna hit em so hard that they lose a week" - I do find that its best to mix it up at least a little though. The coaches in the league are pretty sharp and if you give them a steady diet of any one thing, theyll find a way to put you at the disadvantage.
Heres a look at two trips adjustments...
Cover 1 intact "SOS" call to keep the MOFC.
------------------------O
--O----O---------------O
-----O----------O--O--X--O--O----------------O
------L----------T------N------T
-C-------R------S------M------W---------------C
-------------------------F
now, if we are blitzing all of the inside backers, the fred has to pick up the lone back.
heres a second look, with the fs taking #3 and the R stays free to hut rush from the single rec side (and play pitch on option)
--------------------------------O
----O-----O-------------------O
--------O--------------O--O--X--O--O----------------O
--------L---------------T------N-------T------R
----C------F-----------S------M-------W-------------C
NOTICE THAT WE ALWAYS WANT THE L OR R TO JAM/PRESS the number 2.
