lol

Thanks for the praise Doc. Praise means a lot when it comes from the great folks at MHR. We are ALL fortunate to have each other here.

: )

I wanted to cover run stopping issues on the DL next week (as alluded to in the story), but got some great questions from readers in my e-mail, and I want to touch on those first (including a look at the offensive system we are 99% likely to run). So I’m going to crawl out of the trenches and hit the chalk board for next week. We will definately cover stunts in an MHR at some point.

Thanks for the kind words!

THe OL and DL play is very dynamic and very, very good.

My goal is to lay the foundation, and then build up to covering very advanced contacts. As the months and years go by, I’ll be mixing fundemental stories with stories for readers that have been around for awhile and have the background (thanks to MHR-U) to understand the concepts.

For instance, the last two stories I’ve put up for MHR’s University series wouldn’t have been possible without stories I did from last year. But we still have a ways to go before I would put in a full play. The story you just read covered a very tiny concept (a RDE lined up at the 3 technique), and we learned how many variations and sub variations could come from just one player on the line lining up at a particular technique. Frankly, I didn’t go all that in depth even so. I don’t want to talk over anyone’s head, but I want to be always progressing too.

It took me years to learn the building blocks to get to where I even understood an “entire play concept”, and that was even while working as an assistant. But for you my friend, I promise to have the essentials to you as quickly as I can get our whole gang there. (We’ll get there!)

…., Pop Warner, city leagues, police athletic association games, and school teams are what give kids the interest. Madden may have helped your brother love the game enough to go out for the sport in HS, and to get involved at the collegiate level.

Great job on you kid brother! (BTW, I’m about 6’4 260 lbs, so we’re close to the same build. On the other hand I’m a much older guy, so I hope your kid brother never has any reason to get mad at me).

: )

You do a heck of a job on your stuff as well. (Love your current post in the Rec’d section)!

The 3-4 gives more options primarily because there are more positions (the four linebackers) who have the ability to do more tactics than in the 4-3. To a good extent, I agree with your logic. The room opened up on the line does create more space for more complexity. But that isn’t to say that the 4-3 isn’t a complex creature in its own right. The difference is that the 4-3 features trench warfare primarily with only the 4 DLmen, while the 3-4 presents the space to allow extra players to take part in the trenches.

I share your view of American football. I’m a big fan of chess, and I’ve always felt football is the closest athletic expression to that ancient board game. Add in the violence to that cerbral pursuit (and a few busty cheerleaders), and football is very hard to beat.

Your words are so profoundly moving, and they merit a grateful response that I’m not poetic enough to weave.

From the bottom of my heart, “Thank You”. And bless you and your son.

HT

It’s not the number of comments, or even the recs that matter to me. When folks thank me, or tell me I’ve done a good job, it makes my work for MHR worth the time. Your appreciation and the kudos I get from the rest of our family at MHR are bright spots for me each week. Thanks!

So there!

: )

…but I’m greatful that you think so. All the best to you!

“Leave it to a damn Vulcan to find something like that!”

Thanks for the catch, and you get the A+ for the week! (You are, of course, correct).

I need to double my output!!!!

Thanks Zap; you rock!

But I wouldn’t be a good, former teacher if I didn’t encourage you to do a little book reading here and there. But hey, you’re reading! Thanks for the kind words!

…AND I could keep my gig with MHR, I would consider it. Thanks Boydy,

: )

The diagrams take a little time, and they aren’t as polished as a good computer guy or lady could do. But I agree that the write-ups are much better when I can take the time.

And yes. Just lining up in the gap (but at the wrong shoulder) can wreck a play. A lot of times when a play gets blown on defense, the announcers will point out the play was blown but won’t explain why. In large part it is because it takes a little time to figure out what happened, and most folks at home wouldn’t get it anyway (most MHR people might because of the many good articles folks here put up). Even as a coordinator, I would find out what happened in a blown play because a young man would tell me he lined up at the wrong technique, and was in the way when “X” happened. It wasn’t because I was able to decipher it right away either.

But yes, lining up correctly is more than just lining up between the right teammates. Good call Weazel!

Excellent questions!

Is the linebacker in such instances repositioning linemen in response to what he sees as the offense sets up, or is he carrying out a preplanned shift that’s delayed in its execution so the quarterback won’t have as much time to read the defense?

Both, but the majority of those taps you see are adjustments and not pre-planned. The LBs have responsibilities to watch for some things, and the DL is watching for other things. The DL is focused on the OL for the most part, while the LBs are watching the QB, RB, and FB. Based on what a LB sees (perhaps a man in motion, or maybe a “tell” [a player doing something subconciously that indicates what he will do], or maybe a mismatch he doesn’t think he can handle on his own based on an offensive substitution), that LB might want the DLman to shift.

Sometimes, a LB (likely the MLB in a 4-3 or an ILB if a 3-4) may shift the entire line. This is normaly to account for the side he expects a run towards, but perhaps enough adjustments have been made that the MLB decides that a blitz needs major help on one side or the other. In any event, the shifts should end up with each lineman knowing where he will end up (which technique). In our program, a full line shift came from a LB captain, rarely from me. We only had one shift issue to deal with (left or right, and what tech each guy goes to). At the levels above HS, there are several shifts (left and right, but with variations of which tech each guy ends up at).

Sometimes, but rarely, a shift is planned ahead of time in an algorhythm way (if you see this, then do this. If / Then). And you are correct, some shifts are planned to throw the QB (and the OL). On the otherhand, some offenses have a tactic to time a snap based on “count or shift”. If the defense shifts, the snap occurs right away (with the defense shifting and unprepared). Sneaky stuff!

How much of defensive playcalling is done on the field, analogous to Manning’s pre-snap improvisations, and how much from the sideline?

The play is always called in (to my knowledge) from the sideline. The abilty of the smartest LB (commonly the MLB) dictates how much the play can be adjusted at a macro level. at the micro level, players often have a free hand to make an adjustment based on what they see (like a CB backing off coverage, a LB cheating up to show a blitz, etc).

If the pros ever have a player call a full play while on the field, I never heard about it during our seminars.

Manning (as you may know) has two or three plays called in the huddle, and his antics at the line indicate to the team which play they will use.

Let your buddies know that we’ll be glad to see them! (Just ask them to leave the Darth Vader masks at home).

: )

You get it! The way you’ve started watching the game is the deeper way to watch, and much more enjoyable. You’ve now discovered the real world, and broken out of the Matrix!

On your question, It depends. If he is playing 2 gap, he will choose the gap based on what he sees develop. If he is a one gap, he has an assigned gap.

But I think I may have at least part of the answer. NT in some ways can be average or servicable if he has great players around him, but the team as a whole will never be elite or and at times struggle to be average.
Basically the imense talent around the NT will at times make plays that other less talented players couldn’t make, these plays will help to mask the NT deficiencies. There will still be plays during the game that the surrounding players cannot make and the defense as a whole will look bad, even though it is actually the poor play at NT that causes those plays.
For us, with decent talent surrounding an average NT I would say that we’ll be similar to last season. Stop the run most of the time by bringing a saftey into the box, but be succeptable to the big play which killed us. Although with better coaching, which I think Nolan will provide, we could see an improvment but it will not be as great without great talent at the Nose.

Here is what I wrote in MHR University – Nose Tackle Position Introduces New Issues.

A 3-4 just doesn’t work uness you have a star quality NT. (In theory, a team can have two star quality DEs instead. But this really hasn’t translated to the field in the NFL).

I’ve always been taught that it is possible to have a servicable NT, but he still can’t be bad. He would need to be surrounded by excellent players at DE (likely 2 gap run stoppers) and the team would likely have to spend 1 or 2 LBs assisting the line. The cost of sacrificing the NT position is so steep though, that it remains in theory as to whether or not a team can get by without excellence at the position.

In the list you provide, there are very good players, but nobody I would call ELITE or pro bowl caliber. Also, as much as I like Doom (and I stick up for Moss), a weak NT would neccessitate DEs who are built like semi tractors.

In short, my answer is yes, but only n theory. If I were coaching a pro or college team, there is no way I would try to find out.

And Joe, I don’t know if you’re close. I’ve never run a 3-4 without a solid NT (and I didn’t run much 3-4 in HS either). Most thinking on weak NTs is theory, because a team is just unlikely to run a 3-4 unless they have the NT to do it well. It gets thrown around in discussions, but I’ve never seen someone try to get by with a 3-4 with a less than excellent NT. I think too much else would just have to be perfect.