How To Beat Man Coverage Against A Stronger Team

I love the spread offense especially for the many looks and options you can run out of it. However, in order to run the spread offense well, several very important things MUST be incorporated, developed and present. Including enabling your WR's to break Man or Press.

Lets start with the "musts"...You must have a good to great offensive line that has their zone blocking down pat. They must be smart, strong, agile and athletic. You must have a smart and athletic QB. He must be able to read a ton of pre snap and post snap data points AND make the play...give unless, options, pass, RPO, etc. Lastly, you must have intelligent receivers who can make pre snap reads, get off Man or Press, run a proper route, catch and get those YACs. Having a solid RB who can run, be patient and pass block is also a must.

IF you don't have these, your effectiveness running the "spread" is reduced greatly and can in fact become a negative for your offense. Offensive formations and systems must be tailored to your personnel...i.e. use your strengths.

In regards to the spread offense. What are we trying to accomplish here? Spreading the offense out to create space to make dynamic plays. Highly effective if you meet the "musts". However, I am amazed at how many youth, flag, HS and even some college programs run spread but never allocate the time in preseason or during the season to educate, train and rep their receivers to break press/man let alone coach them on the position.

So Coach, what do your receivers do when they are getting their but kicked against Man or Press? Especially by more physical or better players. If not handled and quickly, you're spread offense collapses because your receivers are neutralized and your WR's get demoralized and frustrated. So you have a few choices here. 1: Succumb and lose. 2: Try to run the ball more assuming your playing a team who's linebackers and D line are weaker than the DB's. 3: Force plays....and lose. 4: Use your RB in bubbles, swings, etc. to marginal success.

OR... you could incorporate the following:

1: Highly underrated yet incredibly effective...use creative motion to create space and distance for your WR's. Especially if they are getting their buts kicked at the LOS. Not just orbits. Move your receivers around in motion to open up space between them and the DB. Especially if you have a stud receiver they are trying to jam OR double. Don't underestimate creative formations as well.

2: While all the rage, use bunch creatively and effectively. I have seen teams use bunch because they saw another team do it or saw it on TV only to have their bunch receivers be jammed up and neutralized. Never run bunch against a team that stacks the box and can jam up ALL your receivers or throw your play timing off! Instead, use motion out of bunch, use some of your bunched receivers to block the DB's and OLB's and releasing your play maker, screen out of bunch, etc. BE CREATIVE! Football is not static! Just be careful you don't create chaos in your offense.

3: Football IQ. Your WR's MUST take a pre-snap read of the defense to determine a number of actions BEFORE THE SNAP! This includes: What is the coverage? Has the defense stacked the box shutting down the run and/or putting pressure on the QB? Is the defense gonna blitz? If so, is my route neutralized and I now need to block incase of a run/QB scramble, or am I running a choice route now because of the blitz i.e slant? What leverage does the DB have on me so I know what release to engage? What spacing does the DB have? Do the DB's have a Key I can leverage? Am I in the right stance? Am I telegraphing my route? Your WR's MUST BE smart and thinking.

4: When your WR's are up against better DB's you need to create space out of your release. You should be coaching your WR's how to break Man/Press. Technique is 90% of the deal. Focus on key things like a speed release - inside? outside? Double move release? HesiHop? Diamond release? Your WR needs to know what they are going to do PRE SNAP! SO MANY receivers don't think outside of, "I think I am running a post on this play", etc. its not their fault. No one coaches them up on this stuff. They need to be thinking on all the variables...if you want to be elite and play at the next level.

5: Stance! If I had a dollar for every BAD stance I have seen, I would be sitting on my sailboat in Tahiti. This topic is a whole other blog post. BUT...being in the proper stance mitigates a lot of bad things and enables your WR's to execute their release and route. COACH proper stance and the "Y". If you need help, reach out. But being in a proper stance is critical to breaking the DB. Hint...there is more than one stance for a WR based on what the WR is going to do.

Now, what do you do if your WR's are simply just getting their ass kicked at the LOS and all your techniques, training, etc., just cant stand up to being manhandled by a better, stronger or smarter DB? Create SPACE!!!!

It makes no sense to keep doing the same thing, frustrating your WR's and neutralizing your "spread"offense. Use creative motion to get your WR's in space, draw the DB's away, force them into zone, force holes in the defense...especially if they are doubling your stud. I have heard coaches say, I use motion all time but the defense doesn't react. SO WHAT!

Motion isnt just used to get the defense to react. Use your motions to put people in space, running start, quick passes, creative routes, delayed releases, etc. What is the biggest thing a receiver needs to be successful? SPACE! Sometimes its a matter of inches or a foot. But that can be the difference between a completion or an interception. The more space your receiver has away from the DB, is a good thing! Creative Motion enables that.

Motion is also a God send for cracking. Got a pesky OLB? Nothing says hello like a good crack block out of motion! I love crack blocks!

Be careful of running all the orbits, etc. especially with RB's. A good secondary is going to be able to sniff that out and catch the wheel out of the backfield. Its become over used at every level. Yes, its still effective but its effectiveness has become marginalized BECAUSE EVERYONE DOES IT! Sometimes orbits do nothing more than exhaust the WR or RB. Remember, a good defense will be using their eyes and reading everything you are doing. They don't always have to react to everything you do and they have probably seen this before...many times.

Lastly, incorporate more play action with your motions. So many teams have been successful getting a slot, TE, etc. in motion and then slipping down field with space or no coverage because of the combination of play action and motion.

I would be remise if I did not mention toughness. Your WR's can not be soft. They may be smaller, skinnier, lighter, etc. OR not, but being soft is not an option. DB's love nothing more than to beat up on WR's. Safeties and OLB's, forget it. Your toast. Your WR's need to be physical. A WR who is physical, aggressively blocks to the whistle, runs their routes 100%, 100% of the time, fights through their release, crack blocks with physicality, etc. will completely change the dynamics of the interaction between the WR and DB and thus contribute to the offense. If the WR is soft, its going to be a long night and the offense is limited in what it can do.

Let's recap... coach your WR's on techniques to break man or press, coach them to be smart and make their pre-snap reads and execute accordingly, if your WR's are getting hammered at the LOS, help them and your offense by incorporating creative motion to get them into space and away from man/press. Incorporate motion with play action. Coach your WR's to be tough. Coach them to use their hands and coach them to have a proper stance! Use formations effectively and with purpose. If Trips, Deuces, etc. is not working because your WR's are getting hammered, explore bunch with motions, play action with motion, etc. The key is creating space!

Using creative motion in a spread offense is key to success. Especially if your are going against a better and stronger team. Sometimes the opponent is bigger and stronger and simply better. Neutralize those advantages with space. Give your players the opportunity to make plays.

If you need help with training your WR's, reach out!

Coach David Frederick