Running plays
Running plays
Plunge/Dive
A “plunge” (or “dive”) is a type of play in American Football in which the ball carrier (usually a running back or a fullback) attempts to break through or jump over the center of the other team’s defensive line either by lunging forward (a “plunge”) or by diving over the heap of blockers/defenders that sometimes occurs. If the quarterback attempts this directly it is called a quarterback sneak. This type of play is almost always used in short-yardage situations such as 3rd or 4th and inches or goal line offenses because of its limited potential yardage. Because of the need for maximum blockers, it is usually run from formations utililizing multiple tight ends as offensive linemen in place of wide receivers, such as the Jumbo formation or the Goal Line formation. The running back is typically given the ball for dive plays because of his increased agility while the fullback is usually chosen for plunges because of his increased size and power.
Sweep
A Sweep is a running play in American Football where the running back starts running parallel to the line of scrimmage, allowing for the offensive linemen and fullback to get in front of him to block defenders before he turns upfield.
Variations of the Sweep
QB Sweep
A running play where the quarterback takes the snap from center and then is the one that runs to the outside. Then he runs as fast as he can. This play can best be run by a fast, athletic quarterback like Michael Vick.
Reverse
A reverse (sometimes referred to as an end reverse) is an unorthodox play (often called a trick play) in American football. The play resembles a sweep, but before the running back crosses the line of scrimmage, he hands the ball off to a wide receiver going in the reverse (opposite) direction of where the running back was going. If the defense was drawn to the side of the field the running back was going towards, the receiver can outrun the defense to the other side of the field and make a big gain.
A variation of this play is a double reverse. This play involves three handoffs and changes the direction of the running play three times. It begins like a normal reverse play, but in this variation the wide receiver hands the ball off to another wide receiver going in the opposite direction, sending the ball back in the original direction the running back was going. The advantage of this is that it adds even more surprise to the play by changing the direction of the ball carrier three times. However, it takes more time to develop, and it requires the use of a second receiver who could have instead helped block defenders, or run down the field, pretending to run a pass route in an attempt to draw away the defensive backs.
Another variation of this play is the fake reverse. On a fake reverse, the wide receiver fakes the run with a couple of steps, then passes the ball, similar to a halfback option play. Although this is rare, some have proven to be extremely good at it. For example, National Football League receiver Randy Moss, who is one of the top pass catchers in the league, has currently completed 4 out of 8 passes for 106 yards and 2 touchdowns, with 1 interception, in his NFL career.
Reverses are commonly confused with end-arounds, a play in which a wide receiver takes the handoff directly from the quarterback. TV announcers assume this to be a reverse, and consequently label an actual reverse as a “double reverse”.
Off Tackle
An off tackle run is a run in which the running back attempts to run in a gap just to the inside of the tackle. It is halfway between a sweep, in which the running back attempts to run around the entire defensive line, and a dive (or sprint), in which the running back attempts to run straight through the middle of the defensive line.
Student Body Right
Draw
A draw is a type of American football play that “tricks” the defense into thinking a pass is being thrown, when in fact a running play has been called. The draw play can be considered the opposite of the play action pass. The idea behind a draw play is to attack aggressive, pass-rushing defenses by “drawing” them upfield, therefore leaving more room to run the ball. Draw plays are usually run out of the shotgun formation, but can also be run when the quarterback is under center. These types of draw plays are sometimes referred to as delayed handoffs.
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Offensive movement during a draw play
* The quarterback drops back to pass, just long enough to get the pass rush to come upfield.
* The offensive linemen pass block, but also try to push the defenders to the outside, creating a crease in the middle.
* The running back fakes as if he’s staying in to help pass protect, then after about two seconds, takes the hand-off from the quarterback and heads upfield through the crease created by the linemen.
* The receivers run clear-out routes downfield in order to take the defensive backs out of the play.
A variation of this play is the quarterback draw, where the quarterback takes the snap, drops back to pass for a few moments, then runs upfield through the hole created by the linemen.
Counter Trey
The counter trey is a misdirection running play used in American football.
This play is designed for the offensive team to feign rushing one way, then attacking the defense in the opposite direction. In a counter trey right, the center, right guard, and right tackle block left as if the play is going left. The left guard and left tackle “pull” from their positions by moving behing the other linemen and around the right corner.
The running back takes an initial feint step to the left, then cuts back to the right, receives the handoff from the quarterback, and follows behind the pulling left guard and left tackle. The left guard and left tackle will usually be blocking smaller linebackers and defensive backs downfield–this mismatch favors the offense. The counter trey requires quick, athletic linemen for good execution.
Many teams have run this play, but it first became well-known when run by the Washington Redskins in the 1980s.
Quarterback sneak
A quarterback sneak is a play in American football in which the quarterback, upon taking the center snap, dives ahead behind the offensive line.
The advantages of this play are that there are no further ball exchanges beyond the center snap, and that the quarterback receives the ball almost at the line of scrimmage so that it is unlikely that significant yardage could be lost on the play. However, it is also very unlikely that the play will gain more than one yard or so. For this reason, it is almost solely used on goal-line situations and on third and fourth down with a yard or less (usually inches) to go.
Perhaps the most famous quarterback sneak in football history was executed by Bart Starr of the Green Bay Packers in the famous “Ice Bowl” NFL championship game against the Dallas Cowboys on December 31, 1967.
QB sweep
Option
The option is a system of offensive running plays in American Football. The basic concept of the option is to have a player, typically the quarterback, run with the ball while observing the actions of one or more specific defenders. The play evolves based upon what those defenders do.
There are two basic kinds of option: Triple Option or Double Option. The difference is in how many choices the quarterback has during the play.
A triple option typically features a running back who goes forward into the line of scrimmage and another running back who runs parallel to the line of scrimmage in the backfield. The quarterback takes the snap, reads the actions of what’s called the dive read defender, and decides if he wants to hand the ball to the running back who is running forward into the line. If he decides not to give the ball to that running back, then he will keep the ball and continue running parallel, alongside the other running back, down the line of scrimmage. He then reads the actions of another defender who is called the pitch read. That defenders actions determine if the quarterback will keep the ball and turn upfield with it himself, or pitch the ball to the running back.
The double option is essentially the same play minus the first running back. In addition, various forms of the double option and triple option may allow the quarterback the choice of passing the ball. In this case, the pitch read is faked, with the quarterback motioning as if to pitch, before the quarterback drops into the pocket in preparation to pass.
Due to the complexity of the option play, with multiple possibilities for the defense to account for, the double and triple option plays, as well as the option-pass, often form the basis of a particular team’s offensive scheme.
The option style of play is most frequently practiced in Canadian football and non-professional divisions, such as NCAA Division I and high school football. However, the option offense is rarely used in the National Football League because defensive players are generally much faster to react and counteract these type of plays and because the quarterback is frequently hit while running the option and few professional teams are willing to risk their multi-million-dollar quarterback in that fashion.
Modern state of the option
When implemented properly, the option offensive scheme can be very versatile and successful, as demonstrated by the success of the Nebraska Cornhuskers and Syracuse Orangemen in the early through mid 90s. While several prominent teams, such as the football teams from the Naval Academy and Air Force Academy still utilize the option as primary focus of their offenses, recent years have seen the popularity of the option decline.
Counter
In American football, a counter run is a running play in which the running back will take a step in the opposite direction of the play, only to get the handoff in the other direction. Weak side linemen will sometimes pull and lead the back downfield (sometimes called a counter trap), but not necessarily. The play is designed to get the defense to flow away from the action for a few steps, allowing more room for the running back.
Power
Zone
July 22nd, 2006 at 2:19 am
Where can i find a program that will allow me to run playes?