How do you stop the pistol read option type offense?
- Thread starter cheewgumm
- Start date
D@A nailed it. But a simplified answer is assignment football. The defensive end closes and takes the RB every time. It takes the human element of decision making and reacting out of it. Make the QB keep it every time and take hits. It's much easier to prepare for when you force the QB to keep it each time. Like I said, that's just simplified. It's not fool proof or anything close but that is what I've always heard.
Agree with theepicone
Everyone is playing the 3-4 to give you more pass coverage and that's understandible. Problem, you have too many QB's running the option and these DE's don't know what to do. I watched it all year with QB's juking DE's and cutting it up. If you want to know how to defend against it, go back and watch old 70's games when they ran the wishbone. Same type system where the QB could kill you by heading up field. Bond was the master at it, but he got hammered. I couldn't see Manziel taking the hits Bond did back then. You have to make someone commit and that would normally be the QB. It kills me to see these guys come down the line and not get hammered. They can't do this in the pro's because that's what will happen. That's why it's not run that much, up until this year, and watch what the D.C.'s will do with it over the off season. I would go to a 4-3 and make damn sure those ends kill the QB everytime. Let the QB beat you by throwing it, but make damn sure you hit him every play. Did anyone else want to see Manziel get clobbered this year? Same with Wallace. If he pitches it, make sure that you got great closing speed on your outside LB's and also your corners being able to break blocks. Again, go back and watch teams that shut down the wishbone and you'll have a start to your strategy.
The simple answer is make the Quarterback get up after every running play.
That's what our coaches told us in HS football vs an option team.
It did several things:
I hate calling it assignment football. It does not take long for a good DC to see the assignments, change one block (FB/OT/TE blocks the DE; read the DT) and no one is assigned to tackle the QB anymore.
That's what our coaches told us in HS football vs an option team.
It did several things:
- It made the QB make bad reads. He will get tired of getting hit all the time and hand it off.
- It hurt the QB or multiple occasions so he is less effective. (see reason 1)
- It made the offense go more conventional.
- It made the defense be more agressive. You don't think, just attack the QB.
I hate calling it assignment football. It does not take long for a good DC to see the assignments, change one block (FB/OT/TE blocks the DE; read the DT) and no one is assigned to tackle the QB anymore.
It doesn't matter if its the DE or DT being unblocked for the read, whoever goes unblocked takes the RB and forces the QB to keep the ball and take a hit. Like I said this is the most basic form of it, it can get way more complex. The main thing is just forcing them one way, either the RB keeping it or the QB keeping it. Don't give them the choice. I'm no college coach though.
If you take the pitch man, there is no guarantee that the qb gets hit...he can slide or run out of bounds. Force the option and plant his as every time. That way if it is a play action pass, you're still good.
YES, THANK YOU. We tried to get cute this year with defense, and we ended up paying for it. Look at OM's strategy... go small and get after the QB every single play. A good defense is not necessarily in a great tackling position every play, a good defense is disrupting the play by blowing up the backfield, redirecting or hitting people, and giving your other defenders a chance to make tackles. It's disruptive, confusing, distracting aggression... make them do something other than what they wanna do. Our 2010 defense was really good at this in the red zone.
I agree...Wilson's biggest problem was that he had us playing REACT defense instead of ATTACK defense. Attack doesn't mean you have to blitz every play, it just means you are disruptive. If you're trying to read and then react against guys like Manziel...you're toast. You have to decide who you're taking out, and make the other guy beat you.
Playing to "slow down the running game" and "not give up any deep pass plays", is a recipe for being on your heels the entire game defensively. We were on our heels all year on defense, and it did nothing but take away our speed, and keep our defense on the field all game. I hope Collins brings back that attacking defense where WE set the tone, instead of allowing the opposing offense to set the tone.
Playing to "slow down the running game" and "not give up any deep pass plays", is a recipe for being on your heels the entire game defensively. We were on our heels all year on defense, and it did nothing but take away our speed, and keep our defense on the field all game. I hope Collins brings back that attacking defense where WE set the tone, instead of allowing the opposing offense to set the tone.
That's not what I call Assignment football. Assignment football is Your guy is X. You tackle/watch/occupy X.
Long ago, I played Corner against an option team. My assignment was the pitch man. The QB killed us all game because our DE kept getting blocked. I took the QB once and got my *** chewed becasue I missed my assignment. It didn't matter that the FS that had benn tacking the QB got the RB at about the same place. I missed my assignment.
I agree with your point though.
Long ago, I played Corner against an option team. My assignment was the pitch man. The QB killed us all game because our DE kept getting blocked. I took the QB once and got my *** chewed becasue I missed my assignment. It didn't matter that the FS that had benn tacking the QB got the RB at about the same place. I missed my assignment.
I agree with your point though.
I hated the discussion the first go round but SF is a blueprint of what SHOULD happen at State but WON'T.
A couple of you guys said it correctly. The key to stopping this type of offense is to drill and drill solo tackling FIRST! Because the object of this offense is to play 11 on 11. In traditional football that just isn't the case. With qbs like Brady, Manning, Montana etc etc your defense can play 11 to their 10 as the qb isn't a threat to run. In this offense they use space to create mismatches. Even if your players are in position and tackle poorly bad things are going to happen. After drilling the tackling in space aspect (as some of you said) guys MUST maintain assignments. I think the key to stopping it is teaching your DEs or if you run the 3-4 OLBs that slow play and maintain their outside containment assignments. I think the 3-4 is the best base defense because in most cases your OLBs are athletic enough to get to the qb easier and are quicker than the OT they are facing. But no matter what base defense you run. You can't play man-to-man because once the DB opens his hips up to press he is an almost instant liability on defense because his back is facing this dual threat QB. So on my experience we normally zone blitz putting pressure in a dual threat qbs face inside this make shift pocket is the way to stop it. Bit if the qb happens to get ahead of the schedule on downs like Manziel did to Bama or Kaepernick did yesterday by going to the passing game early in the sequence. And if they are throwing like both of them did unto those games....you need to see C34's post. Because you're about to be in for a long day.