8 man front leverage

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Two-Back Run Fits Teaching Fast Flow and Leverage inan 8-Man Box

by: Mike McMahonDecember 2011Copyright American Football Monthly

Fast Flow rules assign specific roles to each linebacker which creates an eighth defender and gives the defensean advantage.

One of the first lessons I learned as a young coach was grounded in Bill Walshs logic. He said, A system shouldnever reduce the game to the point where it simply blames the players for failure because they did not physicallyoverwhelm the opponent.

In my first year of college coaching, Coach Mike Van Diest the exceptionally successful head coach at NAIApowerhouse Carroll Collegeexplained that two-back run fits demand winning the numbers game against theoffense. He called it Fast Flow Rules, and, now that I am a coordinator ten years later, much of my understandingof two-back run fits can be traced back to this system.

At the University of Mary, as long as the offense stays in one-back formations, we will play single-gap controldefense. Our head coach, Myron Schulz, will often tell our players: One back equals one back, reinforcing tothem that every player is responsible for a single gap vs. the run. As soon as the offense creates a two-backformation, however, single gap control quickly falls apart. To demonstrate this foundational concept, we canexamine one of the most basic run plays in football - the isolation play to the bubble, or open B -gap. Forsimplicitys sake, our diagrams will show our base 3 -4 defense that we run a reduced to an Under front vs. a 21

Personnel, Pro I formation (Diagram 1).

Diagram 1: Base 3-4 Defense


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Many coaches might tell the Sam linebacker that he has the B-gap and the Will linebacker that he has the A-gap. Asa young coach just entering the college game, that was certainly my understanding. Once the fullback inserts in theB-gap, however, the offense has created an extra gap. Unless the Sam linebacker is a vastly superior player to thefullback, the fullbacks block will force the linebacker to choose one side or the other. The tailback will cut todaylight off of the fullbacks block, and if the Will stays backside, the play is sure to gain solid yardage (Diagram 2).

Diagram 2: Fullback in the B-Gap

Of course, the Will linebacker can take away the front side of the isolation play by scraping over the double-teamcombo and fitting off of his Sam linebacker. While this strategy is certainly preferable, many offensive coaches willteach the tailback to read the backside linebacker on iso. Even a mediocre running back can see the Will fly overthe top of the double team and bounce back to the backside A-gap (Diagram 3).


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Diagram 3: Will Runs to Backside A-Gap

Without additional run support in the tackle box, the Sam and the Will linebackers cannot consistently stop thisbasic play without help. According to Coach Walshs logic, if the offense does its job and the defense does notphysically overwhelm the opponent, then the RB should have a tremendous game.

This dilemma is not limited to an under front. A 4-3 team can easily find themselves in a two-linebacker box againsta standard 20 personnel formation (Diagram 4) or even vs. an offense that features a slot player (Diagram 5). Muchof todays modern defense has been dedicated to finding a method to play sound defense without adding an extradefender to the box. While there are many strategies for playing the box short including line stunts such as thepirate and coaching the frontside linebacker to eliminate a cutback by violently spilling (wrong arming) allblocksthe most obvious way to firm up run fits is to add the eighth player to the box.


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Diagram 4: Vs. 20 Personnel

Diagram 5: Vs. a Slot Player

No coach reading this article will find this insight earth-shattering. Common sense tells us that if seven playerscant stop the run, try eight. Many under front defenses accomplish this by inserting a secondary player to theweak-side as the eighth defender.

As soon as we insert an eighth defender, instead of telling each player that they are responsible for one gap aswe do in a one-back formationwe now operate under Fast Flow Rules. By assigning specific roles to each of


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the three linebacker-level defenders, our players will know exactly who to key and how to fit all gap and zone playsfrom the offense.

Of the three linebacker-level defenders, the player in the middle is defined as a Fast Flow player (Diagram 6). Theother two linebacker-level defendersone on each side of the Fast Flow player are labeled Leverage players.The Fast Flow player keys the fullback, follows his path, and makes the play inside out. If the fullback tries to blockhim, then the Fast Flow player spills or wrong arms all fullback blocks out to his adjacent Leverage player. The

Fast Flow player, then, becomes the extra defender when the fullback creates an extra gap on iso.

Diagram 6: Fast Flow and Leverage Players

The Leverage players key their near guard first, then see the fullbacks path. If they get an iso play to their side,these players make the play outside in. If the fullback tries to block him, the Leverage player must Box orleverage the fullbacks block back to their Fast Flow player. If the fullback goes away, then the backside Leverageplayer stays behind the play for the tailback cutback in the open window (Diagram 6). This point is crucial. There isno need for the backside Leverage player to get over the top on a play away. He can stay backside, and he will alsopick up any low crosser from the far side of the play on a play-action pass (Diagram 7).


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Diagram 7: Vs. a Play-Action Pass

By teaching the linebacker-level defenders their role in run fit, the players quickly recognize that the offense isoutnumbered. They see that if they fit the play correctly, the defense will always have an unblocked defender readyto make the play.

In order to execute these assignments effectively, our players will often cheat their alignments. The Fast Flowplayer will align nearly over the center, and the Leverage players will widen over the tackles.

Naturally, the rules and keys for these linebackers carryover for other gap and zone scheme plays. If the playerstrust their reads, then their fit will logically follow. Diagram 8 shows a lead zone play to the A-gap. Diagram 9 showsa toss play to the TE side, with each player fitting according to their key.


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Diagram 8: Lead Zone PlayA-Gap


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Diagram 9: Toss Play to TE Side

Diagram 10 shows a standard Power O play to the TE side. The Sam linebacker will first read the down block fromhis OG, then get his eyes on the fullback to see his track. When the fullbacks track leads outside, the Sam willfollow. The Willwho is the Fast Flow playersees the fullbacks path and follows, running through the first openwindow he sees and spilling all blocks. The free safety sees the guard pull and begins to follow, getting his eyes onthe fullback. Once he sees that the fullback is away, he will take a path to tackle the tailback that denies cutback.


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Diagram 10: Power Play to the TE Side

While our defense allows us to add substantial variety to these basic fundamentals of Fast Flow Rules, our staffstill uses their central lesson as a cornerstone in two-back run fits. While many alternative methods exist forstopping the run against two-back formations, our staff often comes back to this concept as we attack opponents.We feel that by teaching Fast Flow Rules, we ask our players to perform essential tasks that are within the limits oftheir ability, allowing them to play with confidence.

Mike McMahon is completing his fifth season on the staff at the University of Mary. He has been the defensivecoordinator since 2008. McMahon also coached at both Utah State and Carroll College, his alma mater. He holds aBachelors Degree from Carroll and a Masters from Utah State.

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March, 2008 Shutting Down the Zone Option April, 2007 Playing it Safe In the Red Zone

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