Power-blocking the Miami 4-3.

To minimize the Mike man, it's usually a good idea to run weak

On my first year as a football coach in 1960, we ran a Delaware Wing-T in which the 132-938 Power was our favorite play.

Although we saw the 4-3 defense back then, it was not the off-set 4-3 that Miami University and the Dallas Cowboys popularized over the past decade or showed the front that is so common today at every level.

To make this front even more potent against the run, a clever defensive-coordinator came up with a four-quarters secondary concept that has the outside corners often playing man-cover, usually with "press", and the free safety and strong safety aligning as double-alley inverts at seven yards. This puts nine defenders against the run game.

How do you attack this kind of front? I have discovered that it is best not to run strong because the Mike linebacker will probably become a factor in the play. To run weak, you will need an audible to check the play at the LOS.

In 1960 we did not have this capability, but with the 'mirrored" Delaware offense an upstairs coach can usually determine whether to run the play strong or use motion and run weak.

Two tight ends do give the off-set 4-3 problems on one side and usually ensures Cover 2. Diag. 1 shows the power play as I would call it today against the Miami front. If the defensive seven-technique (E) is coached well, he will "spill" the fullback's kick-out block, forcing the ball-carrier (Z) to bounce outside.

Whenever this occurs, the (A) halfback's block on the corner will give us a chance to be successful on the play, while the blocking scheme will give us an effective block (by the LT) on the Mike linebacker.

Diag. 2 shows one of the sets I have been using to attack this front. We check the power play to the counter-trey weak. The QB audibles at the LOS if the defense is eagled to the tight-end side and reduced to the weak side.

The off-set fullback (B) becomes the lead-blocker on the play. If the defensive end "spills" the guard's block, B can react outside to ensure the block on #4. We usually run this play with fly-motion (by Z) to accommodate for the problem.

If we do elect to run strong against this front, we will use the slot-left-over set shown in Diag. 3. The use of fly-motion (by Z) usually enables us to pick up an extra blocker which I believe is needed when you run strong.

The fullback fake on the mid-line freeze option controls the Mike, while the Z back motions across the formation to block #4 (SS).

The final power blocked play to attack the 4-3 is new this year. As shown in Diag. 4, we align in a Doubles set and fly the Z back to trips to give us a good shuffle-pass play off-tackle with power blocking.

Again, this play should be checked at the LOS away from the eagled side of the defense.

This defense is not going to go away for a while; it has become quite effective. Plays with power-blocking do, however, give the offense a chance to compete with this defensive front.