CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES IN DEFENDING THE WING T

• UNDERSTANDING THE WING-T– IT IS A FOUR BACK OFFENSE

– IT IS SERIES ORIENTED; EACH SERIES HAS:

• OUTSIDE PLAY

• OFF TACKLE PLAY

• INSIDE PLAY

• PLAY ACTION PASS (TO FLOW, AWAY FROM FLOW

– MULTIPLE FORMATIONS• ABUNDANCE OF OPTION GAMES

Understanding the Wing T• The Delaware System also places all plays from a similar look into a series.

• The best example of this is the Sweep, Trap, and Waggle plays. All these plays belong in the Sweep or Twenty Series. All the plays in a particular series compliment each other in someway, for example the Waggle is the play action pass off of the Sweep. There are nine series used in the Delaware System.

• 10 Series: Sprint Out Series

• 20 Series: Sweep Series

• 30 Series: Power Series

• 40 Series: Veer Series

• 50 Series: – Three, Five, Seven Step Pass Drops

•60 Series: •Passing Series designed to look like 20 Series.

•70 Series: A Drop Back Passing Series

•80 Series: Belly Series

•90 Series: Lead Option Series

Play Communication

• The Delaware System uses a sequence of three numbers to communicate the play from the coach to the field. The first number is the formation, the second number identifies the series, and the final number directs the point of attack. Additional information concerning a play can be added with either a prefix or suffix.

• For Example: Loose 124 Gut

Understanding the Wing T

• Point of Attack

• The Delaware System uses a number system that is unique to many systems used by coaches today. One major difference in the Delaware system is that it does not number the holes like other systems, rather it numbers the positions of the players. The numbers move from right to left starting one and finishing with nine. By doing this the numbers one through four are associated with anything to the right and numbers six through nine are associated with the left. The Delaware system does not have holes that are attacked, but rather points of attack. There are three main points of attack in the Delaware system; Outside, Off-Tackle, and up the middle. Along with these numbers giving the point of attack they also provide the front eight positions a number. For example the End to the right is two, the Tackle to the right is three, the Guard to the Right is four, etc.

121 Sweep

124 Trap

Power

Counter Criss Cross

UNDERSTANDING THE WING T

• COACHES HAVE TRADITIONALLY USED 4 “KEYS” IN DEFENDING THE WING T– WING OR SLOT MOTION (PLAY TO THE MOTION)

– FULLBACK (IF HE IS NOT ON THE MIDLINE, HE USUALLY TAKES YOU TO THE DIRECTION OF THE PLAY)

– HALFBACK

– OFFENSIVE LINE

BLOCKING PHILOSOPHY

• BLOCK DOWN-KICK OUT

KEYS TO DEFENDING WING T

• YOU MUST ADJUST TO ALL FORMATIONS AND MOTION

• DON’T PUT EVERYONE UP ON THE LINE (ANGLE DOWN-KICK OUT!)

KEYING THE WING OR SLOT:

• FALSE KEYS UTILIZED– FALSE MOTION BY WING OR SLOT KEY PLAYS (AWAY

FROM MOTION BY SLOT OR WING

1. WAGGLE

2. POWER OPTION (SPEED OPTION TO TE)

3. SALLY (WING T SPRINT DRAW ACTION)

4. COUNTER TREY (TO TE)

5. DOWN (ON MOTION AWAY)

6. SHOVEL PASS

7. TRAP OPTION (ON MOTION AWAY)

KEYING FULLBACK

• FALSE KEYS USED– BELLY BOOTLEG– SALLY OR BELLY TACKLE TRAP– COUNTER TREY BOOTLEG

KEYING HALFBACK

• FALSE KEYS USED– WAGGLE– WAGGLE SHOVEL PASS– BELLY BOOTLEG– BELLY X BLOCK OPTION– BELLY KEEP PASS LOAD– SALLY– COUNTER XX

• TRUE KEYS– TAKES YOU TO THE BALL IN THE BUCK SERIES?

• SWEEP-YES• GUT

– WAGGLE SHOVEL PASS– BELLY BOOTLEG– BELLY X BLOCK OPTION– BELLY KEEP PASS LOAD– SALLY– COUNTER XX

STRATEGY #1

• CHECK FOR FALSE KEYS FROM EACHOF THE 4 TRADITIONAL KEYS:

WING/SLOT, FULLBACK, HALFBACK, LINE

IF YOU HAVE ONE WITH NO FALSE KEYS (OR VERY FEW), USE THAT PARTICULAR KEY UNTIL THEY MAKE YOU GET OFF IT

Waggle

Strategy:Corner & FS Key TE & Wing“Wing-t teams have traditionally had a great deal of difficulty attacking these defensive spacings because they have elected to stay in traditional wing formations with a tight end wingback on one side and a split end diveback on the other side. By doing this, offensive coaches are playing right into the defensive coaches hands. Why? Because the free safety favors the tight end side so that he can cover the tight end when the defense elects to blitz. As soon as the tight end blocks the free safety is in the run support and tile offensive coach has created another linebacker. The corner is also rolled up to the tight end wingback side and he is assigned to cover the wingback when they blitz. When the wingback blocks another additional linebacker has been created. By now the offense is hopelessly outnumbered but many coaches stubbornly continue to try to force the bucksweep and other tight end wingback plays into bad numbers.”-DENNIS CREEHAN