Meshing the Veer and Mid-Line vs. Odd and Even Fronts

When and why to use each option scheme based on front identification
by: Mike Kuchar
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It’s amazing what some old-fashioned ingenuity can do. For the most part, running the spread option usually means coming out of trips or four wide receiver shotgun sets and working some type of zone scheme-reading the backside end. It’s the type of option that is all over the collegiate landscape, with teams like Rich Rodriguez’s former West Virginia squad and Urban Meyer’s old Florida teams pioneering the movement. But as more programs decided to move to that scheme, many defenses found ways to combat it – either by stunting the end inside the B gap and looping the outside LB around, accounting for the speed of the QB with one of the defense’s quicker linebackers.

Tom Green, formerly the head coach for seven years at Surrattsville High School in Maryland, and who recently took the same position in nearby Eleanor Roosevelt High, had a similar problem two years ago. A veer and mid-line coach by nature, he would have constant success with running the schemes against teams that were less talented. But, when Green would face the best teams in the state, they would find a way to disturb his scheme by getting penetration in the backfield and shutting down the QB. The problem was keeping his two backs in the backfield in a tight formation making it easier for the defense to scheme against a power running attack. “Every time I would put two backs in the backfield, the first couple of years teams started running a lot of difficult stunts,” said Green. “If I kept my two backs in the backfield, they would keep their outside LBs tight to the box. They would use their defensive ends, which are our dive reads in the veer scheme, and loop them, not giving up the alleys. They would slam the outside linebackers inside and blow up our fullback. We had to change something.”

So, during the off-season two years ago Green constantly looked at his game tapes and found that the best way to get a numbers advantage in the box is to start lining up in spread formations by utilizing trips or double wide. It’s not such an innovative idea, but what was original was the fact that Green stuck with his veer and mid-line concepts behind it. He doesn’t run the traditional zone option scheme while reading the backside end; he wanted to keep his veer and mid-line plays.

“Traditionally, now we’re a one back trips, one back spread or double slot team. We’ll even run some pistol formation just so we don’t give an easy key to the defense as to where our back lines up. We run only about five or six plays out of about eight formations. Now these defenses have to widen out to be in a good position to play those slots. They can’t stay too tight to the box,” said Green. “We’ll script what we like vs. a 40 front, and odd stack or a 50 front. We just package what we are going to run each week.”

Although Green runs a wide-open scheme, he doesn’t run a no huddle offense like most spread teams. He figures he would rather teach that responsibility to his QB. So he has a check system built in to every play just in case he doesn’t like what he sees. “As a coach on the sideline you know that some plays just will not work and you see it right away,” said Green. “So the checks are built in against different fronts. We will try not to have defenses take us out of our game plan but essentially we’ll have specific plays that we like to run against specific fronts. If we wanted to run a veer scheme, we would call ‘veer option on me.’ The QB will get to the line and against a 40 team he’ll find where the shade technique is and run it to his side. If we wanted to run our mid-line option scheme he would identify the three technique and run it that way.”

So, what if teams start to stem or move the front while bringing pressure? Green has an answer for that too. “A lot of teams are fearful about running some type of pressure against the option because it’s assignment football. But when they do we’ll combat it with some sort of speed option where we can get the ball to the perimeter in a hurry and get it in the alley,” said Green. “If teams are bluffing their blitz schemes, speed option is great against anything. If you get that corner you just keep running. If we’re in our quads or double slot set, we will look to the weak side and try to run it that way.”

Optioning and Odd Front

According to Green, since he started spreading the field with his various formations, he has started to see more odd style fronts. Defenses are trying to get more athletes on the field to defend the alleys while keeping a two high safety look. Plus, the structure of the odd stack or 3-4 provides for a better zone blitz package. So, anytime Green sees a three- man front he’ll run a lot of inside veer (See Diagram 1). Because there generally isn’t a three technique player, the mid-line option wouldn’t be as productive; the absence of a B gap player on the first level would widen the path of the fullback. The inside veer is a much better solution. “The fullback’s path is off the offensive tackle’s butt,” says Green. “We will occasionally run the mid-line scheme, but the veer is our best option.

Diagram 1: Veer Option vs. Odd Front

“We’ll have the tackle take his best release to block the outside LB or force player. If we can release inside the 5 technique, we’ll do it. Otherwise, if we see a tight five that’s not allowing us to get inside, we’ll arc then square up to block the outside LB. The play side guard will get to the second level right away to block the play side inside backer. The center and backside guard and center will work the nose to the backside inside backer while the back side tackle will block out on the away side defensive end. The wide receivers will block the corners, while the slots will take care of the closest men to them, usually the safeties in a two-high look. The first man outside the FB’s path (whether it is a lineman or linebacker) is the option read. It’s a two-way option. If the QB sees the shoulders of the defensive end, our read key, work up field he’ll give the ball to the FB and carry out the option. If the QB can see the end’s numbers it’s a crash read. He’ll take the ball outside and read the block of the tackle. A lot of times that tackle will wind up blocking the support player outside, so the QB will take it up inside the block.”

One of Green’s favorite formations to run the veer and mid-line scheme out of is what he calls his “All Right Formation” (See Diagram 2). Essentially, it’s still a four wide, one back set, but he brings both slots over to one side of the formation, preferably the right side, just to see how the defense will react. It’s not your traditional unbalanced set where teams just line up and run to the strength side. Since it’s a spread formation, Green gets his best athletes over to one side and has the QB count up the defense to find a numbers advantage. “If they put only two guys away from the strength, we will look to run our option to the weak side because we’re not blocking those guys anyway; they are the read for the option. If they leave the corner over to the weak side, we’ll have numbers as the strength of the formation so we’ll run it over there. Anytime we’re in an unbalanced set, we read to see if there are two people to the weak side; then we run weak. If there are three people to the strong side we run strong. It’s just simple mathematics.”

Diagram 2: ‘All Right Formation’

Optioning an Even Front

It’s the even front that really excites Green when his team lines up on Friday nights, mainly because he knows that with a 40 defense comes a three-technique tackle. Of course, with a three-technique tackle comes an automatic package to run the mid-line option scheme. “Anytime we get a 4-3 or a 4-4 defense, we’ll mix up the formations and stay with our mid-line package,” said Green. “We’ll come right at that defensive tackle, especially if he’s a stud because we don’t have to block him; we option off of him. Even if he is a two technique, we’ll arc release on him and read him. But what we will do against a two-technique is widen our splits to about four feet so it will give us extra room to run the B gap mid-line play. We won’t have to cram it up in there with little spacing.”

Running the mid-line scheme with the All Right Formation usually guarantees success because teams will bump the linebackers over to the quads, producing better run angles (See Diagram 3). At the point of attack, the play side guard will inside release hard to block the middle linebacker while the center and backside guard will combo up to the backside inside backer. The play side tackle will now fan out and block the defensive end while the closest slot to the tackle – who is lined up only one-yard away – will fold inside and wham block on the play side outside linebacker. The FB will take his normal slide step, providing for the mesh with the QB. The QB will read the 3-technique. If he closes hard on the fullback, the QB will pull the ball and follow the slot up into the B gap by what Green calls “replacing the 3-technique.” If the QB can see the numbers of the 3-technique, he will give the ball to the FB and carry out the option fake. It will usually produce a net of four yards each time on the give.

Diagram 3: ‘All Right Formation’ - Mid-line Scheme

As a changeup, Green will have his QB peek over to see if anyone is covering the play side slot to the strength. According to Green, many teams will leave that player alone because he is on the line of scrimmage, therefore ineligible to receive a pass. If that’s the case, the QB will tap his helmet, which would make the third receiver step on the line of scrimmage, while the slot steps off, making him eligible. After snapping the ball, all three eligible receivers will run vertical routes (See Diagram 4) down the field. The QB will read the deep safety to see which side to throw. Many times, the slot is wide open downfield, and it results in a huge gain.

Diagram 4: ‘All Right Formation’: Vertical Routes

Green notes that whatever option scheme a coach decides to implement, working the mesh between the FB and the QB is the most important aspect of the offense. So he’ll spend twenty minutes a day working that exchange to make sure it becomes like second nature to both parties involved. “We do a lot of inside drills and option periods. We’ll take the interior defense and we’ll run every option we have vs. any front we see that week. We’ll go half line with a FB and the QB, and have the defensive end, which can be a coach or manager, jump in and jump out so that QB has to make a decision. We just will stress the basics of the scheme, without getting too exotic. It’s okay to get exotic with the formations, not the fundamentals.”

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