Talking Empty Set Football Podcast #coachschuman #shortsfeed
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All right let's get ready for a deep Dive into one of the most intriguing Trends in modern football the empty Backfield offensive formation now you Might think empty sounds like a Disadvantage but in football it can Actually flip the script and give the Offense an edge for this deep dive we're Going to be looking at a document simply Titled building an empty package which Breaks down the strategies behind this Increasingly popular approach to help us Make sense of it all we've got our Resident football expert here with us so Let's just start with the basics what Exactly is an empty backfield and why Are we seeing more of it in the game It's a great question you know because The term empty can be misleading so in An empty Back Field you don't have a Running back lined up behind the Quarterback all five eligible receivers Are spread out wide kind of like this The offense is stretching the defense Horizontally forcing them to cover more Ground and react to more threats okay so It's a bit like a chess game you're Trying to outmaneuver your opponent by Making them react to your moves and the Source mentions that this can be a real Headache for defensive coordinators why Is that well defenses spend most of Their time practicing against formations With a running back in the back field
Suddenly they face empty and it just Throws a wrench in their game plan it Forces them to make adjustments on the Fly which often leads to mismatches and You know confusion so it's not just About the space it's also disrupting Their mental game and the source also Points out that the empty backfield can Actually hi some weaknesses on the Offensive side especially if a team Lacks a strong tight end or a fullback How does that work it's all about how You use your personnel so if you lack a Traditional power Run game you know the Empty Back Field lets you focus on what You do have which is often versatile Wide receivers you're playing to your Strengths rather than trying to force a Square pig into a round hole so you're Turning a potential weakness into an Advantage by being creative with your Personnel now let's look at the Quarterback what are some of the Advantages of operating from an empty Back Field from the quarterback's Perspective it's all about vision and Clarity with no running back blocking His view the quarterback has a much Better view of the defense before the Snap um think of it like this he's got a Widescreen TV instead of a little Smartphone screen he can see the entire Defense uh anticipate blitzes identify Coverage schemes and just make much
Faster decisions so it's like giving the Quarterback an extra set of eyes on the Field which is crucial in fast-paced Game but the source also says this Formation Demands a lot from the Quarterback and the Receivers what are some of those Challenges they face well the empty Back Field puts a lot of pressure on the Quarterback his decision-making his Passing accuracy he's the focal point And any hesitation or inaccuracy can be Magnified and receivers well they need To be crisp route Runners and have Reliable hands they're going to be Targets a lot and they need to be able To make plays in space against tight Coverage it's a high stakes game but the Rewards can be big if they execute their Roles effectively now let's address the Elephant in the room or should I say the Missing elephant in the back field if There's no running back how do you run The ball yeah that's the trade-off with The empty backfield no you get passing Advantages but you lose some running Game you're basically limited to Quarterback draws where the quarterback Keeps the ball and runs himself or uh Jet sweeps where a receiver comes in Motion and takes a hand off so you're Giving up traditional running plays to Create more passing opportunities now The source gives us some really
Interesting diagrams of plays designed For the empty backfield let's look at a Few of these starting with diagram one It shows the option route okay the Option route is a great example of how The empty backfield empowers receivers To make decisions based on the defense Imagine this the receiver lines up in The slot and he's got two options based On the defender so if the defender plays Tight he breaks outside for a quick pass But if the defender gives him space he Can sit down in the open zone so it's Like giving the receiver a mini Playbook Within the play letting him react to the Defense that's fascinating what about Diagram 2 what's that one well diagram Two shows the smash concept it's all About creating high low conflicts you've Got one receiver running a quick hitch Route underneath and another receiver Running a deeper Corner route that Forces the defender to choose Quick Pass Or the Deep threat so it's another pick Your poison for the defense either Choice leaves them vulnerable and uh What about diagram three okay diagram Three shows the bubble draw check which Is a really smart way to exploit Advantages in the defense's formation if The defense has less than five players Near the line of scrimmage the Quarterback goes for the draw play but If there are more than five Defenders
There he checks to a quick screen pass To the outside receiver so it's a Built-in adjustment letting the offense React to how the defense lines up this Is really making sense now it's clear That the empty Back Field is more than Just lining up with no running back it's A whole offensive philosophy with its Own pros and cons but of course defenses Aren't just going to sit back and let The offense do whatever they want the Source talks about some ways that Defenses try to counter the empty Back Field I think it's time to dive into Those counter measures let's get into That in part two of our Deep dive you're Right defenses have had to adapt and They've come up with some pretty clever Ways to counter the empty backfield okay So let's get inside the minds of those Defensive coordinators The Source Mentions blitzing as one way to disrupt The empty backi field how does that work Well blitzing is all about sending extra Defenders after the quarterback you know Trying to overwhelm the offensive line And force a quick throw maybe a sack it Can be risky for the defense though if They get it right it's a big play but if The offense reads it and the quarterback Has time well that can lead to some big Plays downfield it's a chess match both Sides trying to outsmart each other the Source also mentions dropping more
Defenders into coverage as another way To counter how does that affect the Offense well when when you drop more Players into coverage you're basically Shrinking those throwing Windows it Forces the quarterback to be more Accurate and makes it harder for Receivers to find open space says like Basketball playing against his own Defense you got to be patient and find Those dabs now the source mentions a Specific type of Blitz called a Zone Blitz what makes that so hard for the Offense it's like a disguised pressure Package the defense will show Blitz but Then they drop some of those potential Rushers into coverage zones while Sending others from different angles It's designed to you know confuse the Offensive line and the quarterback Pressure from unexpected places like a Magic trick the defense is trying to Create chaos The Source also talks about The importance of the offensive line Being able to handle twists and stunts Especially in a thre man Rush can you Explain what those are and why they work Against the empty backfield sure so Twists and stunts are these coordinated Movements by the defensive lineman Designed to create confusion and break Through the line in a twist two linemen Will switch their Rush Lanes hoping to Slip past the blockers and in a stunt
One lineman will engage a blocker while Another loops around him it's like a Like a choreographed dance but for the Defense and with only five blockers in The empty backfield the offensive line Is outnumbered which makes them Vulnerable to these tactics exactly the Offensive line has to be really Disciplined and communicate well to Handle these twists and stunts Okay so We've talked about how defenses can Disrupt the empty backfield now let's go Back to the offense how can they counter These defensive strategies the key is to Have answers for whatever the defense Throws at them the source has some Diagrams showing how offenses can Exploit weaknesses and create favorable Matchups let's look at those diagrams Starting with diagram 5 you mentioned Earlier that it shows a play designed to Stretch the field horizontally right This play works really well against a Cover two defense where the safeties are Responsible for covering the Deep halves Of the field by sending receivers deep On both sides Ides the offense forces The safeties to cover a lot of ground And that can open up vulnerabilities in The middle like stretching a rubber band It gets thinner in the middle the more You pull it apart what about diagram six Diagram six shows What's called the high Low read it's all about creating a tough
Choice for the Defenders you have a Receiver running a deep post route while Another receiver runs a shallow flat Route underneath so the defender has to Choose deep threat or the short pass Another pick your poison situation for The defense exactly and then there's Diagram seven which shows the shallow Cross concept this uses multiple Crossing routes to flood the underneath Zones it creates a lot of traffic for The Defenders and makes it really hard For them to stick with their assignments Like rush hour on the field receivers Weaving in and out hard to keep track of Everyone that's a great way to put it The source emphasizes the importance of Mixing up those route combinations keep The defense guessing now let's talk About Personnel The Source talks about Deploying players in a specific specific Way in the empty Back Field they Recommend speed inside and precision Outside what does that mean it's about Putting your players where they can Succeed your faster more agile receivers In the slot to take advantage of slower Linebackers in safeties and you're more Precise route Runners on the outside for Those deeper routs it's like a puzzle You got to find the right pieces exactly And the empty backfield gives you a lot Of options you can use wide receivers Tight ends who are good receivers even
Running backs who can line up in the Slot so it's not just Talent it's using That Talent the right way absolutely and That's where coaching comes in a good Coach will figure out the strengths and Weaknesses of their players and design a Scheme to match it's like a conductor With an orchestra every musician has Their part great analogy and the empty Back Field requires that same level of Coordination now we've talked a lot About X's and O's but I think it's also Important to talk about the human Element how do things like leadership Communication and Trust affect how well This formation Works you're right it's Not just about plays it's about having The right players with the right mindset So let's start with leadership what kind Of quarterback thrives in this system The empty backfield really needs a Quarterback who is a leader you know Someone who can command the Huddle keep The team confident make quick decisions Under Pressure it's not just arm Strength it's mental toughness Absolutely and then communication with So many moving Parts everyone needs to Be on the same page the quarterback and Receivers the offensive line everyone a Well-oiled machine exactly and then There's trust the quarterback needs to Trust the receivers to run the right Routes and make the catches the
Receivers need to trust the quarterback To deliver the ball and the offensive Line needs to trust each other without Trust the system falls apart exactly It's all connected this has been a Really insightful look at the empty Backfield we've covered how it works on Offense and how defenses try to stop it And the importance of the human element But I think there's one more thing to Talk About the source focuses mostly on the Offensive side of things but I'm curious How the empty backfield has changed how Defenses think about the game that's a Great point the rise of the empty Backfield has really forced defenses to Evolve so let's talk about that and the Final part of our Deep Dive okay we're back ready to wrap up Our look at the empty backfield Formation we've talked about the Advantages for the offense how defenses Try to counter it and even the human Element you know the leadership and Trust involved but as you said it's not Just the offenses that have changed Defenses have had to adapt too so how Has the empty Back Field changed the way Defenses approach the game well it's Been interesting to see defenses have Become more well multiple more versatile More adaptable okay break that down for Us what does more multiple mean you know
In the past defenses stuck to one base Formation like a 4-3 or a 34 that was Their main setup but the empty backfield Forces them to be more flexible Yeah exactly the offense spreads the Field with those five receivers so the Defense have to be able to switch Between different formations you know Different fronts and coverages so they Might show a 4-3 look and then on the Next play they're in a 34 or even a Nickel packet yeah exactly they need to Match the offense which means having More options and what about versatility How has the empty backfield affected the Kind of players they need it's made Athleticism and versatility more Important Defenders who can cover a lot Of ground maybe play multiple positions So those big linemen who just clog up The middle they're not as valuable well They still have a role but you need more Of those hybrid players guys who can Rush the passer drop into coverage and Match up with those tight ends and Running backs who line up in the slot Like a Swiss army knife they need to do It all that's a good way to put it yeah And it's the same for the secondary Defensive backs need to play both man And Zone and they need to be good Tacklers it's like a whole new type of Defender you could say that It's definitely made the game more
Dynamic no you mentioned adaptability Too what do you mean by that it's all About making adjustments during the game You can't just rely on the game plan Anymore you have to see what the offense Is doing and react to it a chess match Between the coaches right you're always Trying to stay one step ahead and it's Not just the coaches right no the Players have to be adaptable too they Need to communicate recognize what the Offense is doing and adjust so it's a Real team effort it is and the empty Backfield has made made those things Communication and adaptability even more Important for defenses this has been a Really interesting look at the empty Backfield we've covered a lot how it Affects both offense and defense and how It's changed the game but before we go I Want to leave our listeners with Something to think about the empty Backfield is just one example of how Football is always changing there are Always new strategies and Innovations so For anyone out there who wants to coach Play or just understand the game better Keep learning keep exploring absolutely The empty Back Field is popular now but Who knows what the next big thing will Be that's what makes it so exciting the Game is always evolving there's always Something new to discover so until next Time keep exploring keep learning and
Thanks for joining us on the Deep dive
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