Offensive Philosophy
I.
Base Offense
The very core of our offensive can be traced back to the Delaware Wing-T. The Wing-T is one of the
most popular and successful offenses in small college and high school football. Over time the rules
of football have changed, some of the elements of the game that allowed teams that ran a strict
version of the Wing-T have changed: wing backs are no longer allowed to do certain things that
allowed them to be successful blockers, defenses have developed “keys” that they can use to gain
advantage on the offense, defensive s blitz and slant more to take away angles, etc.
As the rules and defenses have changed and evolved, so has our offense. Although we still run
many of the “base” Wing-T formations and series, we have follow suit with many of the other
college/high school teams and developed what we call a “Hybrid Wing-T” offense.
It is our contention that offenses can and should be adjustable enough to change whenever needed,
to attack whatever defense is faced. It should not only be adjustable from week to week, but from
play to play during a ballgame. This should not be interpreted as a testament to a large number of
plays and/or base blocking schemes that we employ; instead, we would prefer that the opposite be
true. We have a relatively small number of “base schemes” that we use to run our plays. There is
an amount of flexibility within the base schemes to tweak plays when needed to counter or take
advantage of something our opponent is providing. However, it is vital that we maintain an integrity
and commitment to our base offense, making sure that any tweaks, variations, add-ons, etc. fit
within our basic rules and terminology. If it becomes too complicated or starts adding too many
new and different elements to our base then we will “throw it out”.
Offensive and defensive styles have changed over time yet one element has remained constant
when review why one team won and the other lost during any given game: the team that blocked
and tackled better almost always ends up victorious. By developing an offense that has a strong set
of basic schemes we want to allow our players to focus on becoming excellent at “what we do”. It is
our feeling that if a player who focuses on becoming experts at one or two things will be able to
perform better under the stress and pressure of a game situation than one who has been asked to
become a “jack of all trades”.
It is true that we have a seemingly limitless amount of formations, shifts, and motions; however the
basic schemes remain the same. The variations are merely a ploy to disguise what our real intention
is, running the football and throwing safe, sure passes until the time is right to take a shot at a deep
ball. It is our belief that different alignments are as simple as “showing a player to stand somewhere
else before running the same exact play”.
II.
Why the “Hybrid Wing-T”
It has been traditional in football coaching to establish a one or, at most, two formation style of offense. A
prescribed amount of practice time would be spent daily in continuous practice of this particular style.
Many of the offenses that high schools run tend to have two or three base formations that they run a high
percentage of their plays out of.
The rest of the practice time and the coach’s time would be spent on adjusting the defense to attack the
offense of the opponent. The defensive strategy usually consisted of a basic defense with many
adjustments that could be made to counter any offense it confronted. The adjustments by the defense
were determined weekly according to the offense of the opponent with many more adjustments ready just
in case of a surprise move by the offense.
This defensive strategy can be used and taken one step further. It should also be applied to offensive
strategy and offensive philosophy. The need for an offense that can adjust or change to attack any defense
adjustment faced is a necessity. By having a diversified multi-set, it is felt that an offense will be able to
score against any defensive adjustment that one may encounter.
As previously stated, we will work hard to develop an offensive system that is easily understood by our
coaching staff and players. It is our core belief that good instruction and quality practice time will help our
players develop a comprehensive understanding of the offense, making it easy to “adjust on the fly”. We
begin with base formations and plays and develop various methods to “tweak” the formations and plays.
Once the players grasp the “big picture” of the offense, the little things will fall in place.
We call it a “Hybrid Wing-T”; some people call it a “Multi-set Offense”. When the game is being played, it
does not matter what its official title, an offense that confuses players and causes indecision at the line of
scrimmage is useless. Almost every play is drawn up by a coach to score a touchdown against a given
defense. However, it is very rare to see teams run plays that average 10+ yards per play. The most
important element of any offense is that fundamentally sound players are executing the plays at a high
level. That is the true goal of our offensive system.
III.
Staying on the attack – forcing defenses to adjust
It is difficult for the personnel in the defense of the opponent to line up in the same spot and use the same
techniques on every play against a multi-set offense. The linebackers and defensive ends especially must be
ready to adjust to the diversified sets. One play they face a tight end, the next they may see a slot
back/wing back, the next they may see neither. Each of these examples requires the defense ends and
linebackers to change their alignment and employ various techniques. If we can line up in multiple sets that
require a minimal amount of learning and memorization by our players then we feel as though we can
create distinct advantages prior to the ball being snapped.
The second advantage that we look to establish derives from our ability to utilize plays that can be run from
each set, building a true multiple-set offense. This provides the advantage of setting the defense up to run
whatever offensive play desired. From this we create our ability to minimize learning by the players and
take away the defenses ability to correctly predict what play is being run based on pre-snap reads. The use
of multiple sets can make the difference between victory and defeat in many games.
IV.
Integrating the Run and Pass Game and Utilizing Packages of Plays
Rather than going through various football playbooks and selecting plays that we like, or have seen work in
other games on Saturdays and Sundays, our offensive playbook is composed of tightly integrated packages.
Each package has a base scheme or play and is then packaged with complimentary plays. The packages of
plays are intended to keep defenses from being able to key on just one or two plays within that package.
Our ultimate aim is to keep defenses guessing before, and even after (if we are good enough), the ball is
snapped. Each package of plays should look the same at the time when the ball is snapped and has the
ability to attack every part of the field. By packaging plays together to counter what defenses will do to take
away our base plays, mainly the Jet/Rocket Sweeps and Trap/Belly, we are enhancing our ability to run our
favorite plays effectively.
A further element that is vital to our “packaging” of plays is the integration of a passing game that fits into
our base play packages. While it is true that every offense will, at various points, need a play that has the
ability to gain 10 – 15 yards. However, a good offensive team will be able to keep themselves out of those
situations by successfully running the ball and utilizing a passing game that fits into the offenses base
packages. If the defense is further confused as to whether the offense is running or passing before the snap
of the ball, the pendulum will have swung even further towards the offense’s favor.
Our style of offense, a strong running game that forces team teams to defend the entire field horizontally,
allows for opportunities in the passing game vertically. It may be a proximity fake, bootleg or traditional
bootleg, but there will be times when we catch defenses cheating to stop the run. Developing a pass game
that works off the same base looks as our running game is an integral part of developing balance in the
offense.
V.
Forcing added practice time for the opponent’s defense
Every game we will employ somewhere between 10 – 20 different formations. To go along with the
different shifts and formations that we use, we also use various pre-snap shifts and motions. We work hard
in practice each to make sure that our players know what formations, shifts and motions that we will be
using for our given opponent. It is important that our players understand why we are using this technique:
We want to have the advantage before the snap of the ball on every play; we do not want our opponents to
be able to predict what play we are running. The ultimate goal is to make the offense look complex to an
opponent, when, in reality it is simple to us.
We begin training camp by “front loading” our learning, trying to use every possible formation, motion and
shift and during the first weeks of practice. While it may seem like the learning curve is slow at first, it is
important for the coaches to have patience with players as long as they are putting forth the requisite study
time and effort towards understanding the offensive system. There will be a point in time that a “switch is
flipped” and players will begin to see how the system works. After training camp we will pare down the
offense each week as we develop game plans based on what our opponent’s strengths and weaknesses are.
Some offensive coaching staffs are very protective of their game films, they do not want opposing defensive
staffs to have an opportunity to break down the game films and create a plan based on their offensive and
formational tendencies. We feel as though we have a philosophy that is the exact opposite of this. If our
opponent in week six asks for films, we would be very comfortable sending them all five of our previous
games. It is our contention that our offense will look very different each week, as dictated by each game
plan.
Every football team deals with a finite amount of practice time during the week. As defenses begin weekly
preparation for opponents the most common starting point is with the opponent’s formations. Over the
past weeks we have been aligning in multiple formations every game. We have also been shifting before the
snap on some plays. The opponents must now show their defensive personnel all these formations and
shifts in an attempt to find the key that determines which plays are run from a particular set. Of course,
there are no keys because it is possible to run each play from all the different formations.
The opponent must now spend extra time in practice learning where to line up, what techniques to use and
what keys to watch for when opposing each of the different sets. If they don’t spend extra time learning
how to adjust to the multi-set offense, it is felt that the defense can be in a distinct disadvantage before the
ball is snapped by taking advantage of any misalignment or maladjustment.
VI.
Offensive rhythm and tempo
When an offensive unite is able to establish “rhythm” the game slows down as the each successful play
builds upon the previous one. The defense is noticeably on its heels and can be seen try to regroup in the
huddle. The easiest way to get in rhythm as a unit is to focus in each individual’s assignment. That begins
with players knowing there assignment and feeling confident in that knowledge. The next step is for each
player to work as hard as they possibly can for the 4 – 7 seconds each play takes to carry out their specific
task. Be it blocking at the point of attack, or a quarterback carrying out a bootleg fake, each player has to
know what is expected and carry it out as best they can.
Another strategy we use to keep the pre-snap advantage over the defense is derived from the use of various
tempos during a game. With the foundations of our offense rooted in a small number of plays run from
various formations while utilizing multiple motions, we will make a distinct effort to maximize our advantage
before the snap.
We will huddle up 5 yards from the ball with the quarterback facing the offensive linemen, with the backs
behind them:
Y
A
TB
B
X
RT
RG
C
LG
LT
QB
The quarterback will say the play once and the offensive line go their spots. The quarterback will then
repeat the play and the backs will sprint to their spots. Upon being set for 1 second, the quarterback will
initiate motion (if applicable) and snap the ball as quickly as possible, the goal being under four seconds.
Other ways that we will control/alter the tempo of the game:
1. Quick Play Packages – Weekly terms that are used to execute packages of plays directly from the line
without a huddle
2. “Fish” – A play is called in the huddle and “FISH” is said after the play by the quarterback. The first play
is the “hook”. After the play the offense will appear to begin to huddle. As soon as the ball is set the
offense will line up in a pre-designated formation and run a no-motion rocket in the OPPOSITE direction
of the previous play
3. No-Huddle/Racehorse with wristbands
VII.
Dictating to the Defense on Game Day
The last part of our offense relies on
1. ESTABLISH FLOW
If the defense does not flow then keep running flow. There is only three ways the defense can defend the flow:
a. Fast play
b. Secondary Cheats
c. Alignment
Once the defense has done one of these three things then they have put themselves in a situation in which they
are succeptable to inside run plays, like midline. This is where the deception of the hybrid offense gains its
existence. Backfield patterns are an effective form of deception, but not nearly as effective as the motion of the
hybrid wing. It is an unbelievable thing to watch when the defense reacts to the motion of the hybrid wing. Based
upon this defensive response here is my advice to you:
IF YOU ESTABLISH flow FIRST THEN YOU WILL BE ABLE TO USE THE WB AS A DECOY MOTION. WITHOUT THE
ESTABLISHMENT OF flow THEN YOU WOULD NOT.
Maximizing the Hybrid Wing-T
We feel as though the key to developing a strong and explosive multi- offense is to make it look complex to
the defense, yet simple for the offensive personnel to execute effectively. This is the secret, since confusion
on the part of the offensive personnel will do more harm than good. Most coaches agree that the worst
thing you can have in football is a player on the field who is confused and does not his assignment.
The technique that makes our offense simple is also the technique that makes it explosive. The same plays
are used in every offensive set or formation established. The line blocking remains the same on a given play
regardless of the set being used. This is true multiplicity in action. This is not to ignore the fact that some
plays conducive to certain sets, as well as certain sets established only for individual plays. However, these
exceptions are few and far between, however. It may seem confusing at first to both players and coaches,
but once understood, in its entirety, they will easily recognize these situations.