Defensing The Wing T Pass
Stopping the Wing T passing game is simple but not easy. Like so many things in life, the answers are simple but keeping on the right path to victory is not always easy. Everyone on defense must remember the FUNdaMENTALS of their position.
Digressing here for a moment, we often point out "what's in a word" with our Championship Training Class. for example, to become extraordinary we must do the EXTRA things. Ordinary people do ordinary things. Champions are those people who go beyond the ordinary and do the extra things to become EXTRAordinary. One item always stressed is mastery of the FUNdaMENTALS. Every discipline has its FUNdaMENTALS which must be mastered before higher performance levels can be achieved. We must practice our FUNdaMENTALS and it is our job as coaches to make them meaningful, significant and FUN. Everyone knows the two basic FUNdaMENTALS of football are blocking and tackling, but there are many, many others. Too often we spend far too much time on the physical FUNdaMENTALS and ignore the mental aspect of FUNdaMENTALS.
We must constantly reinforce the mentals of our position. They are the keys to our success. Stopping the play pass begins on the LOS. The DT's will be the first to recognize pass blocking by the O line and should yell, "PASS" to assist the rest of the defense in reading pass. They should get into their pass rush lanes (see FUNdaMENTAL lone play in our online playbook). One of our very important MENTALS is for the DE over the TE to strike the TE and step into the C gap. Striking the TE not only disrupts his pass pattern but allows the secondary an extra second to read and cover. DE's must constantly be reminded to strike the opponent and once pass is identified, to rush the QB from the outside in. A contain rush on the QB is a must. The secondary can defend the pass for 4 seconds. If the QB breaks contain and gets extra time, the secondary's job is most difficult.
By far the most significant MENTAL applies to the secondary. They must focus on their keys (basic keys are detailed in the online Handles Everything Playbook). When their receivers release from the LOS, do not block anyone, and get into a pass pattern, the secondary must play pass, get to their area of responsibility and defend. Simple, right? But not easily done.
A Wing T team generally does not pass as often as most other offensive schemes. The secondary, therefore, has a tendency to get lulled into complacency. This is where discipline must come into play. The secondary must be vigilant with their "MENTALS." When the wingers keep running the ball and jamming it up in there, the secondary has a tendency to ignore their keys and come flying up in run support while potential receivers run pass patterns by them. The secondary must discipline themselves to read their keys on every play. Their keys will take them to the ball. Anything else becomes an attempt to shortcut the system, and as we preach in Championship Training Class, "People who are searching for a shortcut to the system wind up short circuiting their own development."
Discipline is often more important than talent. As Coach Holtz has often said, "It is better to have a slower guy moving in the right direction than having a faster guy moving in the wrong direction." On this particular play pass the HB would cover the deep receiver, the SS would cover the middle R (WB) and the SLB'er is responsible for the back out of the backfield to his side. We always want to cover the deepest R in our zone, therefore, the SS who has flat will cover the WB and not the FB and the HB will cover the end deep.
One of the important facts we have learned in sports psychology class is that the mind does not work on the reverse of an idea. We must, therefore, say what we want not what we don't want. When coaches tell their secondary, "Don't get beat deep," the subconscious mind does not hear the don't. It only hears, "get beat deep," which certainly not what we want our players to hear. We should tell our players what we want, i.e., "Read your keys." We must have faith that we have coached them enough to determine what actions should follow.
Reading your keys, knowing your assignment, and proper teamwork will put you into position to make a play. In the final analysis, the players must make the play. One must bear in mind that the other team has practiced as well and they will move the ball occasionally. We believe that you can overcome many obstacles by working hard, being a team of honesty and integrity, and having the right mental attitude. A. L. Williams points out in his book, All You Can Do, that you can beat 50% of the competition by working hard. Most people today are not willing to work hard. He goes on to state that you can beat another 40% of the competition by being a team of honesty and integrity, by banding together and forging a unit that can achieve more than anyone could individuals. By making individual sacrifices for the good of the whole, by discipling our behavior, by maintaining the right mental attitude put you ahead of 90% of the competition. You must compete with the remaining 10%. Sometimes you will get yourself, your team into position and they will make a great play. It happens. Do not be discouraged. Keep on Keep'in on.
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