The Fullback Blast
THERE IS ONE MORE BASIC PLAY THAT FORMS THE HEART OF OUR OFFENSE. IT IS OUR BASIC SHORT YARDAGE/GOAL LINE PLAY. FOR THIS PLAY WE CHANGE THE FORMATION BY PLACING THE FB BEHIND THE QB IN A THREE POINT STANCE, AND THE TB MOVES UP TO A POSITION THREE YARDS DEEP BEHIND THE IOT. THIS FORMATION IS CALLED "POWER RIGHT."
FROM THIS FORMATION WE RUN A LEAD PLAY WITH THE FB CARRYING THE BALL OVER THE IOT WITH THE TB LEADING. SOME YEARS WE MAY SUBSTITUTE ANOTHER PLAYER FOR THE TB IN ORDER TO GET BETTER BLOCKING AT THE POA. IT DEPENDS UPON THE BLOCKING CAPABILITIES AND SIZE OF THE THE TB.
SINCE THIS IS A SHORT YARDAGE PLAY WHERE THE OBJECT IS TO GAIN I-3 YARDS, THE DEFENSE USUALLY ALIGNS IN A GOAL LINE DEFENSE. TO MAXIMIZE OUR BLOCKING AND PREVENT ANY INSIDE PENETRATION WE NARROW DOWN THE SPLITS TO AS LITTLE AS 6 INCHES. ALL LINEMEN ARE TO DRIVE THEIR INSIDE GAP. THE WB FROM MOTION WILL STEP TO THE BUTT OF THE OOT WHEN THE BALL IS SNAPPED AND SEAL OFF THE INSIDE SHOULDER OF THE DE. THE SE WILL DRIVE DOWN THE LOS JUST BEHIND THE DE AND DRIVE THE LB'ER TO THE INSIDE OF THE FORMATION. THE TB LEADS THE FB THROUGH THE LOS. BY THE TIME THE TB GETS TO THE LINE, THE OOT WILL HAVE MADE CONTACT WITH THE DT AND HAVE KNOCKED HIM DOWN THE LOS AT LEAST A STEP. THE TB SCRAPES THE BUTT OF THE OOT AND BLOCKS THE FIRST ODD COLOR JERSEY HE SEES. THE FB'S FIRST TWO STEPS ARE CROSS OVER AND PLANT. HIS FIRST STEP IS A CROSS OVER STEP TO GET LATERAL DISTANCE TO THE POA. ON HIS SECOND STEP HE PLANTS WITH HIS RIGHT FOOT, RECEIVES THE BALL AND DRIVES INTO THE LOS RUNNING ON THE OUTSIDE HIP OF THE TB.
THIS PLAY IS AS MUCH A HALLMARK OF OUR OFFENSE AS ANY OTHER. EVERYONE KNOWS THE PLAY IS COMING WHEN WE GET NEAR THE GOAL LINE OR NEED 1 YARD TO MAKE A FIRST DOWN. IT IS PROBABLY OUR MOST SUCCESSFUL PLAY WHEN YOU CONSIDER THAT THE OBJECT IS TO GAIN 1-2 YARDS. IT IS JUST PLAIN FLAT OUT HARD TO STOP FOR LESS THAN A YARD.
THESE PLAYS - DIVE, DIVE OPTION, DIVE OPTION 48 PASS, AND BLAST 34 - ARE THE HEART AND SOUL OF OUR OFFENSE. WE WILL RUN THESE PLAYS FAR MORE THAN ANY OTHERS IN THE OFFENSE. WE WILL SPEND AS MUCH AS 50% OF OUR PRACTICE TIME ON THESE FOUR PLAYS AND THEY WILL ACCOUNT FOR AS MUCH AS 70% OF OUR OFFENSIVE PRODUCTION.
REMEMBER THAT IF YOU WANT TO BE SUCCESSFUL DOING SOMETHING, YOU MUST PRACTICE IT EVERYDAY. JUST AS WE CANNOT TIRE OF RUNNING THE BASE OFFENSE DURING THE GAME, WE CANNOT TIRE OF PRACTICING THE BASE ON THE PRACTICE FIELD. WE MUST TAKE GREAT PRIDE IN BOTH ACTIVITIES. SEVERAL YEARS AGO WE WERE PLAYING A GOOD FOOTBALL TEAM. IN FACT, THEY JUST THE WEEK BEFORE HAD MADE USA TODAY'S TOP SPOT FOR TOTAL OFFENSE WITH OVER 450 YARDS OF PASSING OFFENSE. OUR GAME PLAN WAS TO CONTROL THE BALL ON OFFENSE AND KEEP THEIR OFFENSE OFF THE FIELD. IN THAT GAME THE FB CARRIED THE BALL CLOSE TO 30 TIMES AND GAINED OVER 200 YARDS.
DURING A POINT IN THE SECOND HALF WHILE
OUR OFFENSE WAS GETTING INTO POSITION TO RUN THE NEXT PLAY, OUR LINEMEN
HEARD THE DEFENSE SAYING THAT, "OVER HERE, THEY'RE GOING TO RUN OVER
HERE." OUR IOT LOOKED AT THE DEFENSE AND SAID, "YES. WE ARE GOING
TO RUN THE BALL RIGHT HERE, AND THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT!"
HE AND HIS TANDEM TEAMMATES WERE TAKING GREAT PRIDE IN THEIR ABILITIES IN
CONTROLLING THE LOS AND THE GAME WHICH WE WENT ON TO WIN BY OVER TWO TOUCHDOWNS.
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