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Table of Contents
Cover page 1
Table of Contents page 2
Chapter 1 A POWER Philosophy page 3
Chapter 2 Formations, Alignments, Positions page 4
Alignment page 5
Positions page 6
Chapter 3 Cadence, Motion & Play Calling page 7
Play Calling page 8
Adjustment Tags page 9
Chapter 4 Blocking Schemes page 10
Wedge Blocking page 11
Wedge Drills page 13
GOD Blocking page 16
Teaching the Double Team page 18
Pulling & Trapping Drills page 20
TKO Adjustment page 22
Chapter 5 Double Wing Running Game page 24
Power page 26
FB Counter page 28
WB Counter page 30
Wedge page 32
Sweep page 34
Chapter 6 Double Wing Passing Game page 36
Power Pass page 37
Wedge Pass page 39
Chapter 7 Other Tools In Our Toolbox page 41
Bone Formation Plays page 42
Bull/Bear Formation Plays page 43
Chapter 8 Things To Remember page 44
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Chapter 1
A POWER Philosophy

My name is JJ Lawson (FBCoachJJ@yahoo.com) and I am a Double Wing
Coach. Currently, I am the Head Coach for the 9-10 yr old Abita Springs
Warriors Football Team. I have been very successful running the Double
Wing Offense and my respect for it is immense. I believe it is the best
series-based power & misdirection offense that I have ever seen. The
general idea is to smash the defense over and over and over with one
unstoppable off tackle play and then when the defense sells out to stop
this play, the misdirection plays are simply awesome. Unstoppable is a
very powerful description but most Double Wing coaches agree that if
you arent gaining 6-7 yards every time you run this play then you should
go to practice and troubleshoot it until you are. I am a firm believer in this
philosophy and the core principles set forth by Coach Don Markham, the
creator of this very powerful offensive system.

Without giving a complete history lesson, Coach Markhams Offense
evolved over the years as he worked tirelessly to achieve the perfect
power running play. This play would include a double team block on the
inside of the hole and a kickout block on the outside of the hole. Once
the hole is pried open by these two powerful blocking techniques, most of
the backside linemen and the QB pull through the hole to lead block for
the runner. This is the basic idea behind the POWER OFF TACKLE PLAY.
And the POWER OFF TACKLE PLAY is the basis of the entire offense.

It is my belief that anyone running this play in this fashion can trace his
offensive family tree back to Don Markham. Thus he is commonly
referred to as the Father of the Double Wing.

All that being said, I am also a firm believer in having a full toolbox.
Obviously, the best tool in our toolbox is the Power Series. But as good as
this series is, it doesnt fill up our toolbox. There is room for a few more
things. So we searched for a few things that wouldnt take away from our
commitment to the Power Series. So for starters we found a few different
formations to present the defense with different looks while we continue
to hammer them with our POWER OFF TACKLE PLAY. The different
formations we use also allow us to run a few really good plays that dont
work as well from your standard Double Tight Double Wing formation.
Usually our POWER play is all we need but sometimes when a defense is
controlling our POWER play, we have found that giving them something
else to fear will open up that POWER play up again.
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ALIGNMENT RULES

Alignment is the first thing I look at when judging a teams discipline and
attention to detail. If a team is sloppy when they line up they will be sloppy
when they run their plays. They will block sloppy. They will run sloppy. They
will hit sloppy. They will tackle sloppy. They will play sloppy.

OUR PLAYERS ABSOLUTELY WILL NOT PLAY SLOPPY FOOTBALL!!!

We believe that every player on every play must be in a proper stance
and must be aligned correctly. So early in the season we spend quite a
bit of time and effort working on Stance, Alignment & Technique (SAT).
This disciplined approach to the game is the first thing that seperates us
from the sandlot football teams. These teams are undisciplined and
sloppy so they make a lot of mistakes and they tend to fall apart late
when the game is on the line. This attention to detail also breeds
confidence in our players, parents and program. Confidence is so
important that anything we can do to increase it gets immediate priority.

Line Splits ~ Zero inches is prefered but usually we are around three to six
inches. We do not overcoach this unless we find someone stretching
their split out wider than six inches (rarely a problem as most kids tend to
bunch up naturally).

Stance ~ We use a balanced three-point stance with 1/3 of the bodys
weight being equally distributed between each leg of the tripod. That is
1/3 of the bodys weight on the left foot; 1/3 of the bodys weight on the
right foot; and 1/3 of the bodys weight on the down hand. The feet are
shoulder-width apart, and when I say that I mean the outsides of the feet
are not wider than the shoulders; we like skinny stances. At the younger
ages sometimes we will go with a two-point stance that is very similar to
our three-point stance but with the down hand just grazing the grass.
Obviously, the weight distribution in a two-point stance is 1/2 of the bodys
weight on each foot.

Line Depth ~ Shoulders are aligned to the hip of the center. This is about
half the legal depth. You can have the head just break the plane of the
centers hip and it is legal. We do this because we often pull our linemen
and the added depth helps us get them down the line of scrimmage
(LOS). And when they pull our TE usually cuts their defenders so the depth
of alignment helps him get across in front of the defenders he is cutting
before they can penetrate. This depth also allows our double teams to
form up better and tighter prior to contacting the defender.
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POSITIONS

QB (Quarterback or 1 Back) - under center using a slightly pigeon toed
stance. This stance will help with the QBs rotation as he rotates to start
each play. The QB will throw on occasion but that is definitely NOT his
main function. In fact, he would better serve this offense if he was more
like a FB so that his lead blocking is better. Find a true team leader and
dont worry about his arm; we can always have a WB throw the ball.

FB (Fullback or 2 Back) often regarded as a sniffer alignment, our FB
aligns as tight as possible behind the QB in a three-point stance. His
alignment adds many things to the offense that a traditional deeper
alignment would prevent. The sniffer alignment keeps the FB hidden from
the defense on his running plays (Trap & Wedge) and gives him a great
angle for his kickout block on our #1 play the POWER OFF TACKLE.

WB (Left Wingback is 3 Back & Right Wingback is 4 Back) 1 yard outside
and 1 yard deep of the TE. Balanced three-point stance tilted at 45
degree angle in relation to the TEs outside hip. Many coaches use a
different stance. Some use a two-point stance tilted the same as above
and still others have their wings facing the LOS. So far, no one has come
up with a definitive answer as to which alignment is the best but we like
this version because it looks cool. When we break the huddle, the WBs will
come to the line next to the TEs. When the Center calls DOWN and the
O-line gets set, the WBs will take a big step back with their outside foot first
and then another big step back with their inside foot (inside foot finishes
further back than the outside foot and this creates our 45 degree angle).

O-Line (from TE to TE) balanced three point stance. The guards
shoulder should align to the hip of the center and the rest of the linemen
should align their shoulders with the guards shoulders. The center is always
in charge of our line at the LOS. He gets set and when he sees everyone
get to the LOS he calls DOWN to set the offense. If we have a smart
center who can handle making a read, we will teach him to recognize
when our line needs to down block a potentially difficult defensive front
and let him call TKO to tell the other linemen to make the same
adjustment.

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Chapter 3
Cadence, Motion & Play Calling
CADENCE

Our cadence sets up the defense to fail from the start of the play. It is
designed with action words to make the defense react and we like to
use this to our advantage. Once the Center calls DOWN to set the
formation, the QB takes charge of the offense.

GO READYYYYY HIT is our base snap count.

~ All no-motion plays start on the G of GO.
~ All motion plays go on the H of HIT with the motion beginning on R of
READYYYYY.
~ We can go on a second HIT as we become more experienced.

A simple yet efficient strategy to get the game off to a good start is to run
a few plays on GO. We like to run WEDGE like this. Then once the defense
is poised to attack on first sound, run a play on HIT. Quite often we get the
defense to jump offside and start second-guessing themselves very early.

MOTION

RAY = 3-back motioning at 45 degree angle to the RIGHT
LEE = 4-back motioning at 45 degree angle to the LEFT

Motion is used for a couple reasons in this offense. First it gets the ball
carrier into a better position to receive the ball on our base POWER play.
Second, it sets up our misdirection plays by conditioning the defenders to
believe that the POWER play is coming when they see motion. When
teaching the motion, we call it POP & HOP as we want our Wing to POP-
UP from his 3-point stance and take 2 HOPS toward the FBs heels. We will
also use an aiming point on the ground like a flat cone or a painted dot
that the motion wing must get to before the snap. The exact location is
the coaches preference but should be far enough from the starting point
that a speedy DE cannot chase him down yet far enough from the hole
that the pulling linemen can get to the point of attack before the runner.
This is a timing issue and must be repped and tweaked early but once you
settle on the exact location, you should work on it until the motioning wing
hits it every time.
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ADJUSTMENT TAGS

STRONG RIGHT/LEFT This can be attached to the Play Call in front of the
Motion Call. It tells the Backside Tackle to move over to the
Strongside/Playside, creating an unbalanced line. He should align
between the Tackle and Tight End. We do this when we have a slower or
less agile Tackle who doesnt pull very well. We will also go unbalanced in
an attempt to stretch the distance between the Double Team and Kick-
out Blocks for our Power and Trap plays. Sometimes we can run this for a
few plays before the defense adjusts. It can be a good strategy to go
back and forth between unbalanced and balanced line to really mess
with the defense while continuing to give your line the advantage.

EXAMPLE: Tight STRONG RIGHT, Ray 36 Power on Hit

NASTY RIGHT/LEFT This can be attached to the Play Call in front of the
Motion Call. It tells the Playside Tight End to take an exaggerated split.
This split will be no more than 9-12 inches. We do this when we want to
widen out the Defensive End we are trying to kickout. This is useful when a
DE is a stud that our FB is having trouble with and it is also useful when a DE
is crashing down hard into the hole. Either way it widens him out away
from the hole just a little more and makes our job easier.

EXAMPLE: Tight NASTY RIGHT, Ray 36 Power on Hit

KEEP Tells the QB he is keeping the ball but still executing the exact same
action that the play requires. This basically doubles the number of plays in
your playbook and on most of these plays it gives you an extra blocker at
the POA. This is a great way to get a QB involved in your running game if
he is a good ball carrier. We dont even rep these as separate plays but
as an adjustment. Just throw them in once in awhile to keep reinforcing
that we can call KEEP on any play.

EXAMPLE: Tight Ray 36 Power KEEP on Hit

PASS - This is a simple adjustment call to any running play that has the
Playside Wing running a banana-out route and the QB rolling out. This tag
tells the QB to keep the ball, roll out and throw the ball to the WB. This
allows us to have a built-in passing threat off most of our running plays.

EXAMPLE: Tight Ray 36 Power PASS on Hit
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Chapter 4
Blocking Schemes

Successful offenses start with successful blocking.
Focus on Intensity, Execution, Technique.

That sums up my core belief of offensive football. It all starts with the
ability to block well and do it aggressively no matter what you face. You
look at any successful offense that performs game in and game out
throughout an entire season and it is because they could block any
defense they faced and they did it with high intensity, flawless execution
and proper technique. You MUST instill a belief in your team that blocking
is all-important and it will be the base of your offense. Without it you are
not going to beat more talented teams. I believe that our blocking
schemes must be able to do the following things and do them well if we
are going to succeed:

Offensive Line Priorities

~ Protect the inside gap.
~ Negate leakage across the entire front.
~ Give less gifted linemen a technical and physical advantage.
~ Attack the POA the quickest with the mostest.
~ Keep assignments simple to allow for aggressive play.
~ Always be the first to move and the last to stop moving.

So what blocking schemes allow the offense to do all of these things?
Well the answer certainly is NOT a Drive Blocking Scheme. The problem
with basic drive blocking is that unless the blocker is bigger, faster,
stronger and/or more technically sound than the defender he is facing,
then most of his blocks will be stalemates or losses. A stalemate at the line
is a win for the defense in my opinion and I want my line to push
defenders away from the point of attack not simply stop them at the LOS.
I think that Wedge and GOD Blocking allow us to accomplish all of our
Offensive Line Priorities.

If I come to a point that I think I need additional schemes to complement
what we do, then maybe we will try a TKO scheme (Track and Kick Out)
and/or a BoB scheme (BIG on BIG/BACK on BACK).
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WEDGE BLOCKING

At the younger age levels (age 5 to 8) this can be the single most
effective and devastating scheme against a defense. At the older levels,
defenses can start defending it when used exclusively but in a
complementary role, it remains a very sound, powerful and effective
blocking scheme.

Why Teach Wedge Blocking:

~ The Wedge is a very simple blocking scheme that can be built
into a highly successful series of plays.
~ The ultimate teamwork play, builds offensive line and team unity.
~ If a defense sells out to stop the Wedge, it opens up other plays.
~ Linemen become interchangeable.
~ Weaker backs can run in the wedge. The backs become
interchangeable, as the key component is the line.
~ It is demoralizing to the other team.

Key Points To Running The Wedge:

~ The Center is key to the success of your wedge play. The better your
Center is, the better your Wedge will be. If your Wedge is breaking down
fast look at your Center because more than likely he is not charging
forward and engaging the NT. He has to fire out and get going forward to
allow the wedge to form as it moves forward otherwise it will just turn into
a log jam. If there is no man over the center he aims for the end zone
straight up the field. He fires out and then takes a half step and lets the
rest of the line form and drive him up the field.
~ The Wedge Fit is very important to the success of the Wedge as well. It
allows the unit of blockers to move as one and allows no penetration.
The Guards out to the Tight Ends must step inside (slide inside) laterally and
get their inside shoulder into the near rib cage and their outside hand on
the near shoulder pad while the inside hand presses on the lower back. It
might take the Tackle and Ends two or three steps to get fit. The Wedge is
a very effective play but you have to stress the little things for it to work.
The blockers must slide inside and behind the center and lock shoulders
quickly as they drive forward. They must get that inside hand on the lower
back and press (Mesh). The fewer defenders they engage as they move
inside and forward the better off the Wedge will be.
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~ As they get fit they must move up field. It should be one fluid and
instantaneous movement. Slide and move up field in two to three steps
as a unit. The Wedge must always be moving forward. Once it stops the
play is dead in the water.
~ If the Wedge slows or breaks apart all the blockers must target a
defender and block that defender; like a sunburst of blockers with the
runner breaking through the explosion for the open field.
~ Running inside the Wedge takes a lot of practice, as it is an art of sorts.
We stress to our ball carriers, if they do not stay in the wedge, they do not
carry the ball. It is NOT a dive play; it requires power, patience and
acceleration. We start with the Back getting the snap, running right to the
back of the Center and actually pushing on his back with a pretty good
shoulder lean. He must STAY INSIDE THE WEDGE until it breaks up. That
means not going around either end or looking for an off tackle bubble.
Stay inside the Wedge and keep the legs pumping, knees high, moving
forward, until it breaks up, then sprint to daylight. Often the daylight does
not appear until 10 - 15 yards downfield. Stay inside; dont run parallel, it
either breaks right up the gut or at a very slight angle. And ALWAYS keep
both hands on the ball when inside the Wedge.

Troubleshooting The Wedge:

~ Wedge is not forming fast enough or advancing too slow, allowing the
perimeter defenders to bring down the runner from behind. Usually this is
caused by the Center (apex of the wedge) not firing off which in turn
causes the wedge to falter and not form. (This is a key problem and must
be recognized quickly).
~ Wedge is being submarined or cut. The O-line must maintain high knees
and run over, stomp, punish the defense for doing this. You must be
patient and diligent and let the Wedge wear down the interior defenders.
Normally if they are resorting to these tactics, it means that is all they can
do to stop it.
~ Penetration is occurring on the Wedge and defenders are getting to the
ball carrier. The O-line must slide and fit into the Wedge quicker. Inside
shoulder into ribs, inside hand on center of lower back, outside hand to
back of inside shoulder. The key is the shoulder into the ribs. This ensures
the seal will be better.
~ The mesh between the OG-OT or OT-TE is being penetrated due to a
hard rush. As a last resort we can call CUT WEDGE. Simply have the TEs
and OTs shoeshine to cutoff the defenders as the G-C-G form the Wedge
and the back gets in behind the Center.
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GOD BLOCKING SCHEME

G.O.D. BLOCKING is a blocking rule for specific playside linemen on
specific plays. It will not be used on the backside of the Center. G.O.D. is
the acronym for these playside linemens blocking rule progression or
more simply a reminder of where they can find the defender they are
responsible for blocking. We teach it as Gap, On, Double Down.

G stands for "inside GAP" that is, the gap next to the blocker on the
Centers side. It is very important that the first responsibility of all playside
linemen is to deny penetration through their inside gap, therefore it is the
first place they attempt to locate a defender. If there is a man in this gap,
LOOK NO FURTHER. This is a relatively standard down blocking situation in
most cases and we want our hat across his face to keep him from
penetrating. If no defender is aligned in this inside gap try the next
progression.

O stands for ON and basically means anyone aligned in front of you.
The defender might not be nose to nose or eye to eye but if his helmet is
anywhere between your feet then we consider him to be ON you. If
there is a defender in this position, you are done looking for who to block.
He is your man. When you are blocking a defender who is ON you, we
call this a POST and it is the start of our DOUBLE TEAM BLOCK. Remember
it is very important to keep your eyes inside during this block as you will
not have your body in your inside gap and this leaves it vulnerable to a
run through. A post blocker must always be ready to throw his inside
flipper out to pick up these run-throughs. Anyway, the post portion of
the double team is designed to stand up the defender and prepare him
to be crushed by the down man just outside you. We strive for this
double team block to drive the defender backward into the lap of the
linebackers. The post blocker has one more responsibility and that is to
swivel his hips into the down blocker to make a tight double team that
cannot be breached. Now if there was no defender in your gap and
there was no defender lined up on you it is time to move on to the next
progression.

D reminds the lineman to DOUBLE DOWN on the defender who is on
the first offensive lineman to his inside. These double down blocks are
where a lot of our power is created on the playside. We strive to get
these double teams and we want the down blocker to really crush the
defender and drive them into the linebackers lap.
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Teaching The Double Team

The double team is a two man-blocking technique with two adjacent
offensive linemen blocking one defender. The objective of the double
team block is to drive the defender five yards up field putting him into a
linebackers lap. There is a post blocker and a down blocker working hip-
to-hip and shoulder-to-shoulder getting vertical movement on the
defender. The inside blocker is the post blocker and most often the
defender is aligned ON the post blocker. The outside blocker is the down
blocker. We want the post blocker to effectively stand up the defender,
stopping his forward momentum a split second before the down blocker
makes contact and drives the defender back out of his area and into the
second level of the defense. During the double team, our post blocker
should swivel his hips out and into contact with the down blockers hips.
This contact is important to make our double team block more powerful
and also to keep the defender from splitting the double team. We want
our blockers to pinch the defender between their helmets and keep their
shoulders and flippers in contact with his mid-section. If the low man
always wins, then two low men should blow this joker up and over without
any difficulty.

Coaching points:

1. We do not overcoach the footwork that happens before contact
because you never know exactly where the defender will be aligned. We
just want it to happen FAST. It is a guarantee that if both blockers stay low
and get their second steps down before the defender gets his second
step down, the double team will be powerful and effective and blow the
defender back off of the LOS.

2. Check to make sure both blockers maintain the proper hip-to-hip and
shoulder-to-shoulder relationship on contact. We also want flat backs
and short powerful steps with all seven cleats in the ground. We spend a
lot of time with our linemen in bearcrawl progression drills to get them
comfortable staying low and driving off the instep of their foot with all
seven cleats in the ground.

3. Work on your post blocker keeping his eyes inside. We focus on this
because it is his responsibility to pick up LBs that blitz, stunt or run-through
the gaps in the blocking scheme. Remember, his first responsibility is his
inside GAP and even though he progressed into being the post-man for
the double team he must still defend that gap from any penetration.
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Teaching Linemen How To Pull And Trap Effectively

~ During pulling drills, emphasize the importance of footwork, body
control, agility, quickness, and power. All of these together with correct
technique will allow our linemen to effectively pull.

~ Remind your linemen every day that they are the engine of this car and
if they dont run then the car wont run. Speed going to and through
the point of attack is very important to our offense. Pulling will never be
effective if the pulling linemen dont move as quickly as humanly possible.
The most common problem we find when there is a pileup behind the line
of scrimmage is slow moving linemen. As a coach you cannot accept this
no matter what.

~ Emphasize for the near foot to drop and the near arm to fire back at the
same time. Use a very small drop step since the depth of our alignment
and the double teams on the playside allow us to pull flat or even toward
the LOS. The step is more of a drop and move laterally step. A lot of
coaches even use a crossover step to start the pull so if you are
wondering, yes it can be done this way.

~ The key to getting a good block when pulling is to have the puller get his
head around and find his target as he pulls down the LOS. He is either
looking inside-out or outside-in depending on the scheme. And it is
very important that the puller follows his vision path and blocks the first
defender he encounters.

~ If the puller hooks, logs or seals a defender to the inside, then he has to
get his head across to the outside of the defender and turn him in and
away from the point of attack. If he cant get a solid block, he must at
least contact the defender with his elbow/arm. Never let a defender
cross your face.

~ If the puller kicks out, traps or seals a defender to the outside, then he
has to get his head on the inside of the defender and drive him toward
the sideline. If he cant get a solid block, he must at least contact the
defender with his elbow/arm. Never let a defender cross your face.

~ A puller should lock out (extend arms and drive feet) at any stalemate
to neutralize the defender or simply to finish off a successful block.
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TKO BLOCKING SCHEME

Can the defense force you out of GOD? That depends. GOD will handle
most defensive fronts you will see. The key here is to expose your O-line to
as many different fronts as possible in practice. Walk through or Birddog
your assignments as often as possible. Really this is the most important
thing you will do in practice. Once your line is comfortable with most
defensive fronts from all that practice, most other things can be handled
by adjusting something during a timeout or halftime. But if you want an
immediate fix that can be applied at any time, you will need to install a
TKO call. This will be a call made by your Center (or smartest lineman)
when he sees one of the following:

~ Six or more defensive linemen
~ A TNT front where the Center has a man on AND a man away
~ Any other overloaded front you havent worked on in practice

So what does TKO mean? TKO stands for TRACK & KICK OUT. It is a track
blocking system that some teams use as their BASE Blocking Scheme for
most plays. And although we prefer the double teams we get with GOD
Blocking, we love the simplicity of this system and so we use it as our down
blocking adjustment call. TKO is a system in which the playside blockers
from the AT man (blocker at the point of attack) block down on
defenders at angles ranging from 30 degrees to 50 degrees. It is very
simple and easy to teach to younger kids. It requires less thought and
gives them the ability to concentrate on attacking the defender rather
then cycling through a set of blocking rules at the LOS before the start of
the play. For this explanation we will use our example play: Ray 36 Power

We begin teaching TKO Blocking by showing our center how he should
attack the backside of the LOS. Unlike traditional track or angle blocking
schemes, we do not want our line to continue on their track all the way to
the sideline. Instead we want to build a wall starting with our Center. We
want him to take 2 steps and stop. This allows the BSTE to execute his
shoeshine block down to the Centers hip without cutting the Center. So,
the C stops after 2 steps. He sets the wall and his job is to hold his ground if
someone advances on him or to pin the defender there if he is engaged,
basically looking to achieve a stalemate in this location. From there, if he
did his job and tracked to the correct spot, the OG, OT, and TE (at man
for 36 Power) on the playside each fight to hit their landmark; which is the
outside shoulder of the man to their inside. They do not worry about
defenders being in their track, they simply get from point A to point B as
fast as possible without letting anyone cross their face. Now, if a defender
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Chapter 5
The Running Game

POWER - A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.
The Power Off Tackle Play has many names: Pitch, Power, Toss, Super
Power, Smash, Blast, Seal, etc. No matter the name, this play will always
be the foundation of the Double Wing Offense. The simple description is
that we create an alley with the Fullback sealing outside and the OT/TE
double team sealing inside. Then we want the Offside Tackle, Guard and
Quarterback to lead through this alley and clear the way for our Offside
Wingback. Of course, thats the simple explanation and perfect execution
is going to be tougher than that. So the most important advice I can give
you about the POWER play is to have patience. It probably wont work
the first day you install it, or the second or the third or the fourth. The
POWER play requires great timing and proper execution to be effective.
And these things take time to develop in your players. But once you get
eleven players functioning as one; that is when this play really kicks ass.
When deciding how to attack a defense, look at the following:

~ POWER We will run this anytime, anywhere.
~ WEDGE Against soft interior defensive linemen.
~ SWEEP When crashing/reading DE is causing problems.
~ WB COUNTER When backside LBs over pursue.
~ FB COUNTER Use against hard charging DTs.
~ PLAY ACTION PASS When LBs & DBs focus on the run.
All this means that you should run POWER and read the defense before
you decide what you will run next. And when the defense is unable to
stop your POWER play, then by all means keep running it. Do NOT get
caught up trying to be a great signal caller. There is no reason to use your
misdirection plays until the defense proves that they can stop your
POWER play. The truth is that only an overwhelming talent deficiency,
poor offensive execution or unsound defensive strategy can stop this play.
We play through the first problem because it is beyond our control. We
make sure our players are coached well enough that the second problem
just does NOT happen. Then we calmly wait for the third problem.
Defensive adjustments that take away our POWER play will weaken the
defense in another area. Recognize this weakness and take advantage.
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So lets talk about the tools we use to attack the defense and how they fit
into our overall offensive scheme. Our attack consists of a set of running
and passing plays that we call our BASE plays. And because all of our
formations have two TEs, we can run all of our BASE plays with little or no
differences as we change from one formation to the next. This is very
important for our team because it allows our players to learn just a few
things and learn them really well. It allows our linemen to focus their
practice time on technique and recognizing the many different defensive
fronts we will face. At the same time, it presents many things for a defense
to be concerned with when they are preparing to defend us.

There are a couple of differences to watch for when looking through the
plays. Some of these differences revolve around the blocking of our
playside Wingback when we change from our TIGHT formation to our
BONE formation. Other differences arise when we change to our shotgun
formations (BULL & BEAR). The differences are a little more prominent in
the shotgun formations but usually it is the ball carrier as these two
formations are set up for us to take advantage of a talented runner who
can throw the ball as well. Although not the reason we use this formation,
an interesting side effect of this is the many parents, players and
opponents who believe this is our way of running some more modern
offensive material instead of our usual smash-mouth power running plays.
What is funny to our coaches is that for the most part we run the same
plays but it just looks more like what people see on Saturdays and Sundays
because of the duel run/pass threat we get from these formations.

Now obviously we arent lucky enough to have that duel threat type of
player each year to use in this set but we have an answer for that
problem as well. On running plays we simply switch our QB with the
motioning WB and still run our BASE plays. The great thing about this
answer is that our learning curve is actually cut down FURTHER because
now all the play assignments match our TIGHT formation perfectly.

While reading the playbook, be sure to notice which plays are the BASE
plays and which plays are formation specific. Formation specific plays are
great but honestly our offense revolves around the way we use our BASE
plays from the different formations to allow our players a high comfort
level while keeping the defense off balance because they dont know
what we are going to do next. Make no mistake; a smart coach will
focus his defense on stopping our POWER OFF TACKLE and the COUNTER
plays that go along with it. But our different formations and play
packages can answer anything the defense comes up with.
26
27
BEAR RAY 16 POWER
BONE 36 POWER
On this version of our
POWER play, the QB
and WB switch
assignments with the
WB kicking out the run
force while the QB
carries the ball. The QB
will need to be patient
and possibly stutter step
to allow the WB to get in
front as they go through
the hole at the POA.
Same play to left:
BULL LEE 15 POWER
On this version of our
POWER play, the
playside WB is kicking
out like the FB. We use
this to when a stud DE
needs to be double
teamed or if a team is
bringing 3 run force
defenders from the
perimeter. POWER
tends to hit farther
inside from the BONE.
Same play to left:
BONE 45 POWER
28
29
The only true difference
in this version of the FB
Counter Trap is once
again a different block
from our playside WB.
He has no chance of
getting downfield on the
Safety from the Bone
formation but quite often
that doesnt matter.
Same play to right:
BONE 22 COUNTER
Instead of taking a couple
of counter steps like he
does from the Bone or
Tight formations, the FB
must pause a moment
while the QB gets the
snap and brings the ball to
him. Otherwise this play
is exactly like our Tight
version and very effective
when the defense is trying
to cover all of our BUNCH
receivers.
Same play to right:
BULL LEE 22 COUNTER
BONE 21 COUNTER
BEAR RAY 21 COUNTER
30
31
This version of our WB
COUNTER requires a
different handoff from
the QB. Instead of an
inside handoff he fakes
to the 3 back and gives
back to the 4 back who
takes a quick counter
step for proper timing.
We prefer the FB
Counter from the Bone
so dont dwell on getting
this one to work if the
timing is off.
Same play to right:
BONE 36 COUNTER
The only difference
between this play and the
Tight formation version is
the QB who isnt under
Center so he doesnt have
to do a full pivot. Instead
he just catches the snap
and steps into the handoff
area.
Same play to right:
BULL LEE 36 COUNTER
BONE 45 COUNTER
BEAR RAY 45 COUNTER
32
33
We run our WEDGE
from the Bone formation
as a sorta SUPER
WEDGE with both WBs
pushing on the linemen
for extra power. They
are looking to get a
good push on the
Tackles but must be
careful not to push on
the FB to avoid
assisting the runner.
Same play to right:
BONE 20 WEDGE
From this formation we do
several things different.
First the QB is the ball
carrier. Second we fake
Counter action behind the
play to really confuse the
defense. The WBs are
looking to block the DEs
as they come around the
ends of O-line.
Same play to right:
BULL LEE 10 WEDGE
BONE 20 WEDGE
BEAR RAY 10 WEDGE
34
35
We do not run the
SWEEP from the BONE
formation because there
is no blocker to seal the
DE and no way the
pulling Tackle can seal
the LB level. This
would surely spell
disaster. Besides we
specifically use the
BONE formation when
the defense has extra
defenders outside and
this defensive alignment
renders the SWEEP
unnecessary and
unadvisable.
BONE
BEAR RAY 38 SWEEP
From this formation the
FB must pull alongside the
Tackle and help seal the
LB level. This extra
blocker is necessary
because there is no fake
up the middle to hold the
LBs and the entire
defense will be in pursuit.
Same play to left:
BULL LEE 47 SWEEP
36
Chapter 6
The Passing Game

No discussion of the Double Wing would be complete without a thorough
depiction of the passing game. At once extremely simple and complex to
defend, throwing the ball at the right times establishes a vertical stretch
that can force defenses to spread themselves thin, opening the door for
the running game.

The Double Wing passing game is unlike any other system. There are four
simple rules for an effective passing attack:

1. Dont throw the ball when the defense expects you to. On third
and long, or late in the game when down by one score or less,
consider the perimeter and counter game before you consider
throwing the ball.
2. Utilize play-action to force linebackers into hesitation and pull
defensive backs up to defend the running game. The highest
completion percentage is typically on the shortest passes, passes
that are usually defended by the linebackers. Linebackers have the
most difficult task in football, defending both the running game and
the short passing zones. By forcing them to respect the run first, you
allow them to take themselves out of position and leave your
receivers open.
3. When throwing deeper downfield, force the defensive backs into
a conflict of coverage by stretching their zones with two receivers.
Force the defensive back to commit to a receiver, just as we force
the linebackers to commit to the run.
4. Wherever possible, dont depend on offensive line blocking to
protect your quarterback. Because this system is heavily oriented to
the run, coaches may spend as much as 90% of their practice time
teaching and perfecting run blocking fundamentals. The natural
result of this is that offensive linemen are not as polished or effective
at pass blocking. Instead of asking your offensive linemen to create
a pocket, roll your quarterback away from the pass rush with sprint
outs, or have him throw in one step or less to a specific area of field.

Each of the passing plays were going to discuss will use these
fundamental rules. They should be effective against any defensive front or
coverage, although your players should be able to determine whether
they are facing a man-to-man or zone pass defense.
37
38
BEAR RAY 16 POWER PASS
BONE 36 POWER PASS
This read happens very
quickly and the QB will
actually have to be
patient once he gets the
ball because there is no
real run fake to occupy
his time.
Same play to left:
BULL LEE 15 POWER
PASS
You probably wont get a
chance to throw the
deep pass on this route
from the Bone formation
because the 4 back will
take awhile to get there.
But the other 2 patterns
should get you plenty of
completions.
Same play to left:
BONE 45 POWER
PASS
39
40
The WEDGE PASS is
basically the same no
matter what formation
we run it from.
Same play to right:
BONE WEDGE PASS
RIGHT
The QB is basically
stepping forward when he
catches the snap just like
the 10 WEDGE but he
stops and throws the
quick pop pass over the
outside shoulder of the
TE.
Same play to right:
BULL LEE WEDGE
PASS RIGHT
BONE WEDGE PASS LEFT
BEAR RAY WEDGE PASS LEFT
41
Chapter 7
Other Tools In Our Toolbox
Remember the Power Off Tackle Play is our bread and butter. The
Counter plays and Wedge play that go along with it are also very
important so anything else we do on offense should work well with these
plays. We want to show defenses a few different looks so they never get
comfortable with what we are running. We like to do this through our use
of a few different formations.
~ TIGHT This is our 1
st
base formation because our base plays work the
best from this formation. When in doubt we run POWER and when in
doubt we go back to our TIGHT formation.
~ BONE This is our 2
nd
base formation. That sounds funny but we say
that because we spend a lot of time using it. We also run an entire set of
plays from this formation that are BASE BLOCKED. So the play on words,
works for us. This formation also helps us to establish our smash-mouth
attitude and reputation.
~ BEAR/BULL These shotgun formations are used to fool the defense into
defending the pass so we can stuff it down their throats some more. Then
when they abandon their pass defense responsibilities, we have a sweet
bunch receiver formation that we can use to our advantage through the
air. We also like these formations when we have a superior athlete who
can run and pass and we want to utilize him a little more than we usually
would from our base formations. Bear = Bunch Right Bull = Bunch Left.
Using our powerful running game and deceptively effective passing
game from these formations gives us the advantage of appearing to be a
multiple offense while we truly focus on very few plays. This means that
our players can focus on PERFECTING a few plays while our opponents
must focus on defending a multitude of attacks.
While we make certain our base plays can be run from each of our
formations; we also have a small package of specialty plays that are only
run from their own specific formation. These plays are usually not all
installed early in the year but by the time the playoffs roll around our
toolbox is full and everything is working well. Each of our formations has
one of these specialty play packages. And each package consists of
four plays that are designed to work well from that formation.
42
BONE 21 DIVE
BONE 34 LEAD
BONE 34 DOUBLE LEAD
Linemen Base Block which
basically means to take the man
on you and move him away
from the POA. If no defender is
on you, then move to next level
and block a LB (example:
uncovered LG would chip on NT
to help Center and then block
MLB)
Opposite Play: 22 DIVE
Linemen Base Block which
basically means to take the man
on you and move him away from
the POA. If no defender is on
you, then move to next level and
block a LB (example: uncovered
RG would chip on NT to help
Center and then block MLB)
Opposite Play: 43 LEAD
Linemen Base Block which
basically means to take the man on
you and move him away from the
POA. If no defender is on you,
then move to next level and block a
LB (example: uncovered RG would
chip on NT to help Center and then
block MLB)
Opposite Play: 43 DOUBLE LEAD
43
BEAR ROCKET
18 SWEEP
BEAR ROCKET
BUNCH PASS RIGHT
BEAR ROCKET
OVER/UNDER PASS
RIGHT
O-line uses SWEEP
blocking scheme.
Rocket Motion is straight
across the formation at full
speed. QB call for snap as
motion man passes
Center.
Opposite Play:
BULL LAZER 17 SWEEP
O-line pass blocks.
Rocket Motion across the
formation at full speed.
RTE- 8 yd Curl
4B - Speed Corner
2B - Flare into Flat
Opposite Play:
BULL LAZER BUNCH
PASS LEFT
O-line pass blocks.
Rocket Motion across the
formation at full speed.
RTE - Streak
4B - Speed Corner
LTE - Drag behind LBs
Opposite Play:
BULL LAZER OVER/UNDER
PASS LEFT
44
Chapter 8
Some Things To Remember


This is what we do and we will do it well but why does it work?
Offense belongs to our LINEMEN
Ownership breeds pride and commitment
Simplicity + Repetition = Confidence
Amazing Power and Devastating Deception
Overwhelming Off-Tackle Play with many Counters

Coaches must remember
Coach Every Player ~ Every Play ~ Every Day give 100% to get 100%
ABC Attitude, Behavior & Character a team reflects the coaches
SAT - Stance, Alignment, Technique if these are wrong, nothing is righ t
3 Down War ~ Win this war first and then we will win the next one
MTC ~ Move The Chains a 4-yard gain is a great football play
Make 1st downs the defense will falter the big plays will follow
Prepare your players to recognize and block every possible def. front
Watch all exchanges and fakes from defensive point of view for effect
If it isnt perfect there is only one answer FIX IT!! !

Linemen must remember
You are the motor in this car if you dont run, we dont run
Double team with hips together and eyes inside
Pull fast and flat and get your feet and butt out of the way
Never look back, you can watch the highlight film later
Keep your knees high and keep your feet moving
Attack the block Attack the block Attack the block

Backs must remember
If you wont block you wont get the rock
Pre-handoff fake with 1 hand Post-handoff fake with 2 hands
Everyone will Rock The Cradle when faking
Everyone will fake with their eyes AND bodies
Make a basket and clamp down when the ball hits your belly
Always 2 hands on the ball in traffic then high & tight when 1 hand
Allergic to turnovers make one and youll see why
If your blockers are running free, follow them through the second level
Keep your knees high and keep your feet moving
NEVER wait for a hole to open the hole will open as you go through it
Attack the hole Attack the hole Attack the hole