Concepts to Defend Trips

IT ALL STARTS WITH A PLAN

 During this time of year I find myself spending a lot of time watching film and looking for ways to improve.  This past off season I took some time to watch some other High School Football games, and instead of looking at things I could do to get my team better, I took the approach of How could I help that team?  I found myself getting real interested in the role of consultant because in trying to help other teams get over the hump, i was reconfirming my beliefs in the things I do.  There is no better way to solidify your beliefs in your own work then to try and sell it to someone else.  One of the things I stumbled across was the amount of problems Trips formations caused for some teams.  It seemed like the more film I watched the more I realized defending trips is about defending what teams do out of trips.  There would be teams that gave up leverage and numbers to trips all night, teams that gave up single side runs all night, and teams that compromised the integrity of their defense by creating a new defense to defend trips.  There are two major things I look at when I watch my team on film defending trips....

1)Can I or someone else watching my team tell what we are trying to play?

2)Is what I am trying to play defending what they are trying to run?

HOW CAN WE GET THERE

What I would like to talk about today is how you can defend trips formations to take away the things that your opponents do in trips.  Like any good defense you must first understand the strengths and weaknesses of your concepts, and then match that to the strengths and weaknesses of your opponents offense. I recommend having 2 or 3 ways to handle trips in your base defensive package.  There should always be one standard check that your defense has to trips formations when you are playing base defense. This should be what you think is your best trips coverage and something you feel comfortable doing every week. Off of that you should have 1 or 2 checks that strengthen the weaknesses in that particular coverage, and counter the strengths of the offense. I am a huge fan of the book "The Art of War" which discusses the strategies of war used by Chinese General and Philosopher Sun Tzu.  One of my favorite quotes is"Know thy enemy and Know thy self and fear not 100 battles." (Get "The Art of War" on Amazon) That is really what defense comes down to in general terms.  Let's have an idea of what we are trying to do, and let's have an idea what they are trying to do to us.

MIX COVERAGE

My base trips coverage is an x out theory that will help my kids turn a 3x1 formation into a 2x1 formation.  We will play man to man on #1 to the trips which allows us to play 2 Read on the remaining 2 receivers with the Down Safety and the FS.  This also allows us to play our Cover 2 Concepts to the single receiver which helps with run support weak, and helps alleviate the pressure of playing the single receiver man to man.  What it also does is it puts us in a better leverage position to defend the bubble by #3.  The Down Safety is 7 yards off and 1 yard outside the #2 receiver to the trips side. The Free Safety is 10 yards off and 1 yard inside the #3 receiver.  These players will play 2 Read concepts with their primary read being the #3 receiver.  That means if #3 runs the bubble the Down Safety drives it immediately and he is outside the #2 receiver with better leverage. 4 Verticals should not be a problem because I have 4 DBS in position to play the 4 Verticals. Now with that being said, this coverage is weak to perimeter runs to the trips side and intermediate spacing routes to the trips side. I would only play this coverage in a Nickle Package or if you think your OLB can run with a Vertical by the #2 receiver. 

STRESS COVERAGE

Stress or Solo or Trap coverage uses the backside safety to handle the Vertical of the #3 receiver.  This seems to be the most popular version of coverage for teams that only deploy 2 safeties in their base scheme. This coverage allows you to play regular 2 read concepts on the #1 and #2 receiver to trips so it is nothing new for trips side corner, free safety, and OLB. It is better for run support to the trips side with the OLB in a better position to play the run. 4 Verticals should not be an issue because of 4 back end players ready to handle that concept.  However in this coverage you are out leveraged on the bubble to #3.  You are also in man to man on the single side receiver with the weak ilb playing man on the back if he releases to the single side. The quick passing game to the trips side is an issue but that is something you will always deal with in quarters coverage concepts.  The field side flat is rarely attacked in high school so you can get away with that weakness.

ROLL COVERAGE

Roll coverage is usually some form of 3 Deep coverage with a strong side roll to the trips.  It will help defend the quick and intermediate passing game and should help with perimeter runs to the trips side. This is a very good change up from 2 high structures because it can be disguised very easily and you can change who you want to roll down to the trips side. I have seen teams roll the coverage with the corner or a safety, depends on what you are trying to defend. The weakness with this coverage is the strong side roll makes you a little more vulnerable to weak side runs and weak side throws to the single receiver. It also becomes a 1 high structure which opens up the possibility of 4 verticals.  Very nice concept to defend trips side spacing concepts that hurt your 2 high structures.

THE CHOICE IS YOURS

Those are not the only versions of trips coverage, but just a general look at how each coverage has a strength and weakness.  The key is identifying the opponents strengths and trying not to match it with your weakness. Your film study will become very important to determine how the opposing team attacks out of trips formations and where they align their best players.  Again the whole concept of this blog is to get lower level football players to play fast by avoiding confusion.  Have a plan defending trips and then have a backup plan to alleviate the weaknesses in that coverage.  Get your kids to recognize trips and the plays that come out of it, then get as many reps as possible.

PLAY FAST MEN

Defending the Spread with Quarter's Concepts

Know thy Enemy, Know thy Self

Over the last 15 years, the evolution of the "Spread" offense has caused defense's to rethink how they want to defend the spread formations. The dilemma you are faced with now is whether or not you want to empty the box and defend the width of formations or stay tighter to the box to defend the Spread running attacks.  With the emergence of Quarterbacks as viable ball carriers, and the percentages of run/pass ratios in high school I tend to want to defend the running game first and make coaches and quarterbacks beat me with a consistent passing game.  I like to try and keep completions in front of me and make a high school offense drive the length of the field.

Give me 3 of Troy please

The advantage you have with the 425 is the 5 spoke secondary.  Playing the extra safety in the old fashioned "Nickle" spot allows more flexibility in coverage concepts.  For me I feel like I have more options VS 3x1 formations and a much easier time adjusting to Empty formations.  Let's first look at the standard options for 425 teams when facing 2x2 10 personnel sets.

Read Side Robber

Robber coverage to the read side is a standard for most 425 teams defending #2 removed in a 2x2 set.  This allows the Corner to be a deep half player and help on the deep outside routes of #2, which lets the down safety be the swing deep of #3 player and be in better position to handle the RB in the flat.  You may potentially lose the double on #1 if #2 runs the wheel route.

Read Side Quarters

You could stay Quarters coverage to the read side.  This would put the down safety on the flat route by #2 and he would be responsible for the wheel.  Now you can get the double team on #1 with the FS and Corner, but your Mike LB has a long way to run to handle the RB in the flats.

Read Side 2 Read

This is my favorite adjustment vs #2 detached but also comes with weaknesses.  Now the flat route by #2 will be handled by the corner as well as the wheel by #2.  The down safety is in a position to play the swing deep of #3 and RB in the flats removing pressure from the Mike LB.  The down safety will line up inside #2 which allows him to fold inside on runs quicker but opens up the field side flats.

My suggestion is to play 2 Read and either Quarters or Robber as a change up to keep the offensive coordinator guessing.

Away Side Man

The first option to the away side is playing man with the Weak Safety, Corner, and Will LB.  This option will help you defend the quick passing game and bubble screen game but leaves you vulnerable to big plays.  The Will LB can stay in the box which a lot of 425 teams opt for because it keeps his reads the same.  You will need to play end or backer force to that side.

Away Side Squat and Half

This is a traditional Cover 2 concept that is generally played into the boundary.  The Will LB may have to remove himself a little to help deny vertical entry on the #2 receiver.  The corner can play force and reroute #1 which will strengthen you vs perimeter runs and quick game.  Very hard to play in the MOF due to the distance of the corner as the force player, and the distance the Will may need to remove to help the Safety in the passing game.

Away Side 2 Read

Again this is my favorite adjustment vs 2x2 sets.  It allows you to play safety force instead of corner force.  Gives us pattern reading concepts that should be a little safer than man.  Also gives us a chance to play the bubble screens effectively.  The Will has to remove himself a little which changes his reads slightly, and is the reason most 425 teams like keeping him in the box.  If you study TCU they slide their backers a bunch and in my opinion don't always stay with the standard 4-2 box.

My suggestion is to play 2 Read in the MOF and Squat and Halves into the boundary.

Now let's take a look at 2 different 3x1 options sticking with the theory of split field quarters concepts.  Rolling to a 3 deep concept vs 3x1 is always an option but for the sake of this article lets stick to quarters adjustments.

STRESS SOLO

The first adjustment is normally referred to as solo.  Keep in mind the reason we are making adjustments is because the Mike LB is a #3 vertical player in Quarters coverage.  If #3 is removed and he is a WR with speed that is not a good option.  Solo allows us to play the Read Side in standard 2 Read coverage.  The Corner and FS will play 2 Read on the #1 and #2 to the trips side.  The down safety will play his normal 2 Read assignment, lined up between #2 and #3 and he will be the curl/swing deep of #3 player.  The Weak Safety will be responsible for #3 vertical while the Mike LB becomes the short wall  of #3 player.  This adjustment makes the Away corner play man on the single and the Will LB play man on the RB if he releases to the single.  The Weak Safety needs to handle #3 vertical in the passing game, but also help on weak side runs.

SPECIAL

This adjustment is an X out concept where we will man one of the trips side receivers.  By doing that we are effectively making the formation a 2x1 set so we can play it with base rules.  The read side corner will man the #1 receiver to the trips side.  The down safety and FS can now play 2 Read on the #2 and #3 receivers.  The Mike now becomes a curl dropper and his rule is #3 does not cross my face, #4 does not out leverage me.  The backside safety now drops down and plays flat force while the backside corner plays deep half.  we now bracket the single receiver and strengthen our weak side run game.

Here is a white board video on it, I hope it helps.