Pin & Pull and The Run Pass Option

Coach AlercioLeave a comment

I recently did a Podcast on the Coach and Coordinator Show with Keith Grabowski.  Following great response from PodCast listeners, Keith invited me to do a F.A.S.T. Clinic Podcast (Focused Attack Strategies & Tactics) powered by Coaches Edge Technologies available in February. The topic is our Pin & Pull concept and the Run Pass Option (RPO) off of it. I’ll be sure to post updates as soon as they are available.  The following is an article relevant the clinic, and one I hope will whet your appetite for more.

An age-old concept run in a shotgun spread offense, our Pin & Pull scheme is a knock off of the old “Packer Sweep” and the Wing T “Buck Sweep.”  But instead of just running it to the Left or Right Halfback we call it to our Running Back (B), Quarterback (Q), Flankerback (Z) and Slotback (A).  And when we call it to the Quarterback we incorporate an RPO (Run Pass Option).  This allows us to show defenses multiple play looks with one easy to teach and learn line scheme.  We also incorporate a pre-snap pass option on the backside of all of our Pin & Pull plays.  A single wide receiver on the backside has an option route of a Slant, Hitch, or Fade while multiple backside receivers run Bubble or Smoke Screen. Simple repetitive roles and responsibilities for our offensive players translate into multiple combinations and confusion for the defense.

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We incorporate Zone and Man schemes in our offense and have found the Pin & Pull Gap scheme is easiest to teach to our players and they relay it is easiest for them to learn.  Every offensive lineman has the same rule:  If you have a defensive lineman in your backside gap, block him (Pin).  If not, Pull.  For those linemen who are pinning, it does not matter if the defender is on you, in your backside gap or on an adjacent offensive lineman.  We incorporate the same steps, visual targets, and strike points.  If we are running Pin & Pull to the Right, all Pinners will take a Bucket step with their left foot (backside foot).  The visual target is the near pec (or near number), and the strike points are the near shoulder (right hand) and sternum (left hand). This allows us to open our hips to the defender and screen him from his pursuit to the playside.  Pullers will step with their right foot (playside foot).  Playside pullers are looking to get outside.  Backside pullers must eyeball Inside Linebackers for penetration on split reads on their way to the outside.  In teaching our pullers to make contact with linebackers in space, we use the same terms we teach for openfield tackling: Run to, and Buzz.  At the college level, we used to throw inside shoulder to outside leg with a cut and roll technique to see the offensive lineman did not whiff (miss) in space versus an often more athletic second level defender.  At the high school level, we buzz our feet to breakdown in space.  For contact, the visual target is the sternum and the strike points are the pecs.

Unlike most RPOs where the defender being read is left unblocked, we block everyone in our QB Pin & Pull but include the RPO to take advantage of a defender who leaves his coverage responsibility for run support.quads-y-over-rpo We prefer using the Pin & Pull scheme for our RPOs for two reasons: 1) we do not have to tweak the scheme in any way for the RPO and 2) the blocking scheme limits risk of an ineligible man downfield on the pass.  With linemen either blocking on the Line of Scrimmage or Pulling to the outside, the QB has ample time to make the throw with no concern of having a lineman downfield.

We use a variety of 1, 2, and 3 man route concepts with our QB Pin & Pull RPO, but our favorite is our 2-man Fade-Slide out of an unbalanced Y Over formation with a pre-snap option route on the backside.  The option route gives us a pre-snap option if defenses overload to the unbalanced Y Over.  The post snap read starts with the overhang player (Outside Linebacker or Strong Safety).  If he abandons his coverage responsibility for run support, we throw the Slide route to our Slot receiver.  If the Corner squats on the Slide route, we have the ability to throw the Fade.  When the overhang player stays in coverage, the QB runs the ball in the alley.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this discussion of the Pin & Pull and RPO strategy we’ve employed to such success. I encourage you to listen to my interview on  Coach and Coordinator Show, and to bring your linemen to the Coach Alercio OLine Clinic at the Hun School this coming March!

Teaching & Drilling the Screen & Draw Game

Coach AlercioLeave a comment

This Martin Luther King Day, January 16, I will be speaking at Championship Football Clinics 18th Annual Offensive Line Clinic along with John Peterson, University of Pittsburgh, Justin Frye, Boston College, Allen Mogridge, Florida International, AJ Blazek, Rutgers University & Rich Hargitt, Eastside HS, S.C.

The clinic begins at 8am and is located at the Knights of Columbus, 79 Pascack Rd Washington Twp NJ. 2 miles from Bergen Catholic, High School

My topic is Teaching and Drilling the Screen and Draw Game.  Our Draws are 3 different plays but only 1 Scheme.  We run a QB Lead Draw, a QB Draw in Empty with a Pulling Tackle and a RB Lead Draw.  All three Draws are blocked the same with only one exception…the person assigned to block the Sam (1st playside LB).   The Tackles block #2 on the LOS (DE), Guards block #1 on LOS (DT or NG) and the Center blocks Mike (Middle or Backside LB).  Center will combo with either Guard if their #1 is in his path to Mike.  On our QB Lead Draw, the running back isolates the Sam.  We have our H-Back block the Sam on our RB Draw.  We pull the backside Tackle to block the Sam on our QB draw in Empty and align the TE next to him to cut of his #2.

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Draw is a running play so all of the offensive linemen can run block the scheme; but to create larger holes and encourage defensive linemen to displace themselves, we want our linemen to Jump Set any defensive linemen in an outside alignment (examples: Tackle vs a 5 tech or Guard vs a 3 tech).  On our Jump Set, we teach the offensive lineman to take a Base Run Step with his inside foot; and show a pass set with his upper body.  The “High Hat” of the pass set gives the DL a false read of pass and gets him in to a pass rush and away from the point of attack.  The Base Run Step with the inside foot defends the play in case of the DL being on an inside rush or slant.

We drill three scenarios in our Jump Sets.  When the DL gets upfield in a pass rush, we Club & Ride.  Our visual target is the near Pec.  We hold the set position until the rusher gets hip-to-hip then we turn towards him to club & ride him upfield.  The strike points are outside hand to near shoulder and inside hand to spine.  We are looking to club the middle of the back just below the shoulder pads.  On the ride, we want to be underneath the rusher so that he cannot retrace his steps when he recognizes Draw.    The next scenario is a DL who does not rush, but rather sits and reads.  After our Jump Set and the recognition that he is not rushing, we get in to an Angle Drive Block with a visual target of the near Pec and Strike points of near shoulder with the inside hand and sternum with the outside hand.  The last scenario we drill is the DL on an inside rush or slant move.  We must recognize the threat to our inside immediately and get in to a Vertical Drive Block to stop any inside penetration with a visual target of the sternum and strike points on both pecs.

Our Slip Screens are 3-man, 2-count screens to the RB or TE and are run off of plays in our offense with NOW throws.  This allows us to run all of our screens as Screen Pass Options (SPOs).  Just like an RPO, we will identify a defender and read him as to whether we throw the Now throw of the pass play or turn to throw the screen.  This also sells the screen when we do throw it because the receivers are running routes and the QB has his eyes on a route opposite the screen.

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On our Stick Slip, we read the Sam to throw the Stick route to the TE or Slip Screen to the RB.  On our Boot Screen, will read the Sam to throw our TE Pin Flat or RB Slip.  On our Sprint Y Slip, we throw a slide route to our Slot Receiver or a Slip to the TE.

On all of our Screens we block the protection of the play for a 2-count so there is no new teaching.  After the 2-count, three linemen will depart to the edge of the box on the screen side.  The first one looks Out, the second looks Up and the third looks In.  On our Stick Slip and Sprint Y Slip, the two Guards and Center pull out on the Screen.  Since we pull a Guard in our Boot protection, on our Boot Slip, we pull the Screen side Tackle, Center and Playside Guard out on the Screen.  The other two linemen stay in their protection.

The technique we teach and drill on Screens for the offensive linemen is to Run (Out, Up, or In), Buzz (feet before contact) then block.  On the block the visual target is the sternum and the strike points are the pecs.  We buzz our feet to get the offensive lineman under control before making contact.

 

Two Coaches Meet…

Coach Alercio

Two coaches meet. Each has a penny.

They exchange pennies and go their separate ways.

Each still only has one penny.

Two coaches meet. Each has an idea.

They exchange ideas and go their separate ways.

Each now has two ideas…

I have coached offensive line as a Graduate Assistant, Assistant, Coordinator and Head Coach at the college Division II and III levels for over 25 years. I am now a high school head coach and still coach the offensive line. During my career, I have had the good fortune of working with and learning from some of the top OLine coaches in the country. As a Glazier and Nike speaker, and an original contributor to XandO Labs, I have had the pleasure of sharing those things we have done successfully with thousands of coaches. Through the Alercio OLine Clinics I have run in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Vermont over the past 16 years, I have shared OLine Skills with over 7,000 high school aged linemen and hundreds of their coaches.

As an undersized offensive lineman in high school and college, I learned the importance of good technique in order to have success. As a coach, I have spent a career studying those techniques so that my players can maximize their individual, and our team’s success. I know, as a father of three boys, that most boys can run with a ball in their hand, throw, catch, and tackle; but they do not come out of the womb being able to run or pass block. Those are learned skills that have to be learned and mastered over time.

I began my coaching career with the goal of having the same positive impact on young men that coaches and mentors had on me. Nike, Glazier and other venues have given me a local platform to share with colleagues and now I want to share what I have learned more broadly. Despite recent success helping St Johnsbury Academy reach the state finals in two of the last three years, and winning more games in three seasons than in the prior eight combined, I know I have plenty to learn.

As I have told players for many years, “the hand that gives gathers.” This blog is intended to share ideas, spur conversation, and broaden the knowledge, skills, and abilities of the coaching fraternity. I hope you find it useful and look forward to a healthy and positive exchange of ideas.

Here’s to a great season with a great team,
Rich