TRINITY H.S.

90 PROTECTION CONCEPTS
Andrew Coverdale – Assistant Football Coach – Trinity High School
Coverdale@thsrock.net
http://www.mediafire.com/?m3zxzmm2it5
 INTRODUCTION / OVERVIEW Base
Protectio
n
Summary
Table

• Head Coach Bob Beatty – Run & Shoot roots

• Current profile & how this fits

• 50/50 run pass (this year)
• Per gm: 4-7 Keeper / 2-5 Fast touch / 2-4 Quicks / 2-4 Half roll /
1-2 Frontside Play Action / 5-8 Quick Roll / 4-6 Screen

• Belief in varied launch points

• Conceptual carry-over
 LAUNCH POINT SUMMARY Base
Protectio
n
Summary
Table

1. Keeper / Naked Run development

2. Fast Touch (1 step) 90-190 w/Cut technique
3. Quicks (3 quick – 3 big – poss reset for depth) 90-190
4. Half Roll (5 quick or 5 & Hitch) 60-70
5. Frontside Play Action (Ball fake 5 Quick / 5 & Hitch) 60-70 w/Possible Jump set
6. Quick Roll (Tight U – Possible kick back) 60-70

5
 90-190 PROTECTION: The Big Picture
•Protection designed for the Quarterback to throw from a spot 4 to 5 yards deep directly behind the
center, either from Gun or under center.
•…therefore requires a “Dish” (‘line in the sand’ of protection’) that is FIRM in the middle with only a very
little give (maybe) on the edges (have to be specific here)
•To create this “Dish”, we SLIDE to gaps on the frontside, and MAN the backside with the RB being
responsible for LB threats to the man side working inside out (“Point” to “Hang”)
•Basic protection is made of a two 3 man units, can handle 3 rushers on either side:
Backside Unit of G*,T,RB Frontside Unit of C,G,T
•Can “redirect” the SLIDE side if we know where pressure is coming from (prefer to SLIDE into it, keep
the back clean)
•Have built-in answers to handle 4th from either side; TAGS can help by game plan as well.

H P

A B C

*If uncovered, the BSG

becomes part of the
“Slide”, as a backside
A gap “Slider”
90 (frontside right) shown
 90-190 PROTECTION: Slide Side
•Slide side linemen must identify PRIMARY and SECONDARY threats to their gap pre-snap
•A primary threat is a Down Lineman aligned in their gap
(head up DL on them does not count; head up DL on the OL in front of them does)

ET C RB RB ET LG RG RB RB

LT LG C RT LT LG RT

90 (frontside right) shown

 90-190 PROTECTION: Slide Side
•Slide side linemen must identify PRIMARY and SECONDARY threats to their gap pre-snap
•A primary threat is a Down Lineman aligned in their gap
•Secondary threats are other players that can blitz to their gap, prioritized by how likely / close they are
to that gap
•0: DL head-up or shaded behind my gap*
•1: LB over my gap at less than 5 yards’ depth
•2: DL one gap in front of my gap
•3: LB over my gap 5 yards or deeper
•4: Next closest LB behind or in front of my gap
3 2
3 1 ET LG 3
RG 4
RB RB
ET 4b
C 4a RB
0 2 0 1
LT 0
LG C RT LT 0
LG 2
RT

90 (frontside right) shown

 90-190 PROTECTION: Slide Side
•Linemen with a primary threat attack their primary threat to force him to show quickly if he’s going to
stay in that gap. If within the “handshake zone,” they JUMP SET him.
•If the primary threat stunts out of your gap, pass him to the lineman in the gap he’s going to, keeping
your head in your gap and taking your eyes through your secondary threat “matrix.”
•See threats behind your gap with your peripheral, don’t turn to look for it
•Key technique points: Eyes in my gap, shoulders square

ET 4a ET LG RB RB
4b
C

LT 0
LG C RT LT LG RT

90 (frontside right) shown

 90-190 PROTECTION: Slide Side
•Linemen with no primary threat use STICK technique:
•Inside foot in concrete, inside “hard hand” on 0 threat DL
•Shoulders stay square, eyes in the gap, scanning secondary threats in the order I established pre-
snap (see threats behind you entering your peripheral,
don’t turn to look at them)
•Give defenders a ONE WAY GO through your gap (patience!)

3 2
3 1 ET LG RG RB RB
ET C RB
0 2 0 1
LT LG C RT LT LG RT

90 (frontside right) shown

 90-190 PROTECTION: Slide Side
•A walked-up or shown threat outside a 4 technique activates a “WIDE LOAD” call by the tackle
•Walked up threat is now Tackle’s primary threat, next DL is Guard’s primary threat, threat assessment
works as normal from there
•No stick technique by any linemen: instead, “BANG” technique that kicks for width and depth to give
rushers time to sort out where their final destination is…stay inside-out on threats as you identify them…
T ultimately ends up on widest threat, G next widest, C the third widest…

C ET LG RG RB RB
G T

LT LG C RT 55 LT LG RT

“Wide Load 55”

90 (frontside right) shown

 90-190 PROTECTION: Man Side
•Man side linemen block MAN ON (Possible ‘TEAM’ call between uncovered T and TE who’s in)

•BASIC or ON vertical alignment preferred; set your outside eye to his inside eye; can jump set if DL is
in a tight handshake relationship; walk out all stalemates

•Will snap / pass all twists

•Possible ‘Squat alerts’ to help with sets

H P

A B C

*If uncovered, the BSG

becomes part of the
“Slide”, as a backside
A gap “Slider”
90 (frontside right) shown
 90-190 PROTECTION: Running Back
•ID Process begins with RB, who IDs Point & Hang just as we do in the run game!
•RB will call these out, as he does on every play,
Uniform number of “Hang” LB first, then uniform # of “Point”
•“POINT” is any LB B gap or tighter (G/T area)
•“HANG” is any LB D gap or wider (outside TE area)
•Any LB in the C gap area is considered both HANG and POINT

33 41 12 38 11 33 31 22

90 66 97 56 23 90 71 44 20 46 87 95

Ex 1: Protection is 190 Ex 2: Prot is 90 Ex 3: Protection is 190

41 is Point 38 is Point 31 is Point

12 is Hang 23 is Hang 22 is considered BOTH Point & Hang
 90-190 PROTECTION: Running Back
•RB’s responsibility is POINT to HANG
•IF in a BASE protection, technique is to ATTACK the gap to the point (get in the ‘wall’, eye the hang
from there, and SQUAT if nothing shows (possible “Squat alert” calls
•IF in a CHECK RELEASE protection, technique is to POP your feet in your tracks as you BLINK at
your threats, one ‘pop’ per threat, and get into your route WITH URGENCY
•RB are only responsible for their threat if they blitz to the MAN SIDE. If their threat attacks the opposite
or SLIDE side, they must call “JOKER JOKER,” FIT into the nearest gap, & wait for a LB to come to them
from the Slide side (internal cross dogs)

1 2 1 1 2 3
33 41 12 38 11 33 31 22 15
2
90 66 97 56 23 90 71 44 20 46 87

JOKER
JOKER

Ex 1: Protection is 190 Ex 2: Prot is 90 Ex 3: Protection is 190

 90-190 PROTECTION: Redirects
•A “redirect” simply reassign the 3 man units to get the best matchup when we feel
like we know where the heat is coming from. It does not answer overload/#s problems
•Three things will cause the QB to “redirect” the slide side with a “Right” or “Left” call:
1. Shown internal heat to the man side
2. On the line overhang to the man side
3. Secondary rotation to the man side
4 15

33 41 12 38 11 33 31 22

90 66 97 56 23 90 71 44 20 46 87

RIGHT LEFT RIGHT

RIGHT LEFT RIGHT
Wide Load 23
Ex 1: Protection is 190 Ex 2: Prot is 90 Ex 3: Protection is 190
 90-190 PROTECTION: “Meatloaf Rule”
•If 2 or more of the redirect scenarios are present, the defense is presenting the threat of 4
rushers to that side. We still call the Slide to that threat, but add the word “Big” to tell the RB to
work: a) Hang to the Slide side b) Point to the Man side c) Hang to man side (late)
•There is no longer a need for a WIDE LOAD call; RB handles all Hang threats
•Can Stud / Slug RB to an on the line Hang

4 15 22 1
2 2
1 3
33 41 38 11
12 1 14
90 66 97 56 23 90 71 44

BIG BIG LEFT

RIGHT
(Slug)
Ex 1: Protection is 190 Ex 2: Prot is 90
 90-190: Base Version v. Fronts
190 v. Split 90 v. Even
RB 1 RB 2 RB 2 RB 1
23 51 41 31 23 43 9

97 77 49 99 95 64 78 87

Unc Cov Cov Unc Cov Unc Cov Cov Unc Cov
STICK Possible A gap Possible B gap STICK
Squat alert Squat alert

190 v. Odd 90 v. Stack

RB 1 RB 2 RB 3 RB 2 RB 1
83 25 2 44 1 34 43 19 37

35 49 99 60 93 74

Unc Cov Cov Unc Cov Unc Cov Cov Unc Cov
Possible B gap STICK
STICK Possible B gap
Squat alert
Squat alert
 90-190 PROTECTION: Tags
TAG (#) POINT HANG ADJUSTMENTS

“Blink” (6) RB – Check release RB – Check release No check rel. if redirected

“Y” (7) RB – Check release TE – Check release No need to redirect

v. 3 threats:
TE works H to P-H
RB works P to P-H

“Bart” (7) RB – Check release RB – Check release F check rel to Slide side
No redirects – No wide Load

“Free” (5) RB free release

QB directs Slide to side of greatest threat
“Books” the opposite side (Hot)
“Squeeze” v. 4 down if biggest LB threat is B gap to B gap
“Squeeze” v. 3 down if top two threats are on different sides

“Franky” (6) TE Check releases off Hang to his side

QB treats like “Free,” eliminating TE side Hang from his thought process