Do you have a play book for your Wing T?

Posted by: @gumby_in_co

Do you have a play book for your Wing T?

Yep, its pretty standard stuff, tho. 

Picked up our 3rd win today, 35 - 0.   They are very large, very slow, and not very good.  They did manage to pound up into the middle for some time consuming drives, but never got inside our 20.   

We scored on Buckshort, twice on Belly to the Quicksided (ISO), once on the trap, and added a HB option pass that scored.  By the 4th Q we were letting Oline get some carries.  5 pts on PAT.  

Our next opponent will be much stiffer competition, on a Thurs night game, then we go out of our league for the next 4 games.   I think we're about to find out what we're really made of... 

@coyote Sounds like I need to add Buckshort to my playbook... you guys score on that a lot! 

Good luck this Thursday!!

Posted by: @terrypjohnson

Sounds like I need to add Buckshort to my playbook.

Most seasons it is our #1 play.   Just an off-tackle power play with big play potential. 

Game 4;  win 53-0

Sometimes you’re not that good, and the opponent is not that bad, but the game just gets away from you. 

Last night’s game was about takeaways.   We recovered 3 on-side kicks, 2 fumbles and added a strip – our kid took the ball out of their RB’s arms.   Forced to go to their passing game (with 3^rd/ 4^th graders, not an optimal situation) we added 4 sacks, one a 22 yd loss.

Apparently, they came in determined to stop our Buckshort, overloaded their Defense to our wing.  The last 3 games we opened with Buckshort, they knew it.  As a change-up, I just happened to decide to  open with Belly to the quickside (ISO); we scored on the 1^st play of the game.  One play, one 67 yd score, their DC threw his clipboard to sidelines, and their kids heads and shoulders dropped.  I believe we won the game right there. 

For the tally: we scored 3x on Buckshort; 2x on Bellys (1 to the quickside; 1 to the strongside); 1 QB sneak that went 33 yds (It was 3rd and 1 and just looking for a 1st down); and 1 on a broken play that was messed up from the snap looked like the Keystone Kops and somehow found the corner and scored.  We converted / kicked for 11 pts after TD’s.

Our 2nd game where several of our Oline got carries in the 2^nd half; one of whom is making a good case for himself to be in the backfield next season.  One thing we really need to clean up, our blockers started making contact but after 2 steps, started turning to see what the RBs were doing.  We got away with that last night, but we need to nip that in the bud before it becomes a habit.

We are now 4-0 on the season.  We play our 1^st non-league opponent Sat. 

FWIW: since installing the Wing T in 2016, we’re now 50 – 14; this includes last season’s 0-7 record

Wow. Just . . . wow.

There are those games where you just feel in control. It almost feels like you're playing the other sideline like puppets. You take away what they do well (or want to do well) and every one of their adjustments makes it worse. Seems like you're in that zone right now. Your players must be having the times of their lives. 

I feel you on the "looky loo's". I don't have any special tricks to share on fixing that problem. I typically tell them not to look at the back, but stay sticky on your block until the whistle. Not a problem in the TKO wall, but I have any tunnel blockers (DW) sprinting vertically if they can't find someone to block. The theory is that the backs will learn to get in their pockets and run with them. We shall see.

Game 5, vs non-league opponent  [cross-over challenge, the two 1st place teams in our respective leagues]

Some times you just run out of time.

Our opponent had the biggest 3^rd-4^th graders I’ve ever seen, and our kids were flat-out intimidated.  Multiple huge linemen, add in some pretty fast backs & LB’ers, makes for a pretty good team, and they were good.  Tho, we moved the ball, we couldn’t find the end-zone. By the end of the 1^st half we were down 18-0 but our kids were realizing that size is not everything. 

During half-time we could see most of the kids were over the shock, and settled down.  I wish I could say I gave an inspired half-time speech, but the kids were pretty much picking this up on their own.  By the end of half time, I knew we were going to come back.  And we did, but fell short by 2 pts. 

Our defense finally started getting some stops, we starting making and hitting holes with consistency.  We connected on a HB option pass and added a 2 pt conversion on Buckshort in the 3^rd, scored again on a Buckshort, and another 2 pt conversion on a bucksweep to the quickside.  

Late in the 4^th we got the final stop, had time for 2 plays.  Bucksweep to the quickside netted 33 yds, got us out to mid-field, we called another HB option pass with 16 seconds on the clock….   No doubt in my mind, we were going to score and pull off the win … and our QB tripped over his own feet, lost the ball, our TB picked it up – the one kid I would choose for a scoop and score on a broken play  -  got the edge, and… tackled.    One man to beat.  <sigh>

Final, an 18 – 16 loss. 

Sometimes you don’t get the Hollywood ending.

So, our kids picked up valuable lessons

re: Size. Fight. Dog. 

Re: Don’t give up, don’t stop playing. 

So, back to practice, sharpen the tools, get better, and get ready for the next game.

Game 6, 28-6 victory, giving us a 5-1 record.

Had to move some kids around for this one, one of our OT’s got sick on the way to the game, so we had to put in a back-up, our starting WB is out for a couple more weeks, so his back-up got the start, and our starting HB was cleared to play, but was only about 80% speed.   

Our D really showed up today.  Other than one great run after the catch, on which they scored, they only had two 1^st downs.  Our D consistently gave us a short field

Our TB scored on Belly strong, and had a big day, picking up good yardage and a score.  Usually Belly Quickside is the big play for the TB, initially he was out running his blocking, he was really amped up, so we adjusted the blocking, switching the assignments from K.O. guard to the WB to block the DE.  Sometimes the DE cut in, sometimes going out, but our WB did a great job sticking to his man, and our TB read the blocks like a champ.   Sometimes the kids just figure it out.

We ran our HB sparingly, to keep him strong for Defense, and because we need him again tomorrow for another game.  He did run like a champ, tho lacking his top speed, and picked up a couple big 1^st downs, and scored 3 times from inside the 10 on Buckshort.   

Really, though, it was the break-out game for our back-up WB.  He did some good blocking, but really ran well.  Showed he could play in space, and found an extra gear we didn’t know he had.   He picked up a 2 pt conversion and looked good all around. Got in on several tackles and snagged an INT.

The fun part, he’s never played before, but we've watched him make the progression from totally lost, to knowing what to do but not sure, to wanting to but not quite pulling the trigger, to turning it loose.  These are some of the things we coach for, that steady progression and seeing a kid grow in the game.   As a coach I’m busting my buttons.

Next opponent is a city team, with an A team, B team and C team.   Since we’re in 1^st place, we’re playing the A team.  This is supposed to be a very strong opponent. 

Game 7

Two 1 loss teams met, when the dust settled we had a 21-12 victory.  Next week we play the other team that beat them and which is undefeated on the season.

We scored twice on Buckshort and a 3^rd on Belly Strongside.  Our defense was solid, they added their 2^nd score with 37 seconds left in the game.  Their basic offense was Jet sweep right, jet sweep left, reverse, and double reverse.  Their OLine seemed to have had very little coaching other than beat the tar out of the guy in front of you.  Our kids were in their backfield all day.  Their 1^st score was on a broken play.

We are now 6-1 on the season.

@coyote 

Rolling! 👍

FWIW, 

Offense has scored 209 pts in 7 games, my calculator says that is 29.8 pts per game ave.
Our defense has given up 55 pts for a 7.8 pt per game ave. 

So, starting WB is done for the season after-all, starting HB is only about 80%, starting ROT's parents decided to start him on a new medication and now he has the jitters and can't control his bladder, and tomorrow we play an undefeated team from a different league. 

The good news, our autistic kid (we line him up at free safety) gave me a hug after practice last night.  

Game 8

Today we met with a very good, unbeaten team.   I was really looking forward to this game, hoping to ease some of the sting of that 18-16 loss earlier to another unbeaten (and from what we hear, still unbeaten) team

We received the opening KO, moved down the field just inside the 20, then managed to penalize ourselves back out around the 35.  Turning the ball over on downs they got their 1^st possession.  Fumbled the ball, the qb scooped it up, got the corner and scored.  They missed the PAT

One play, they scored.  Their QB is shifty and fast.  6-0, them

We got the ball back on the kick, moved the ball again, and again, penalty bug hit us.  Turned it over on downs.

Defense got the stop, Offense found some rhythm, put together a nice time consuming drive and scored on a Belly, converted for 2.  8-6 us.

They didn’t move the ball much, then we didn’t move the ball much and late in the half, both teams hit a couple nice gains here and there, but nothing sustained, then with little time on the clock, their QB got free again, long winding run and scored.  The kick was good.   13 – 8 them.

It was a very physical 1^st half, but it got even more so.  In the 2^nd half kids from both sides were going down, getting back up, crying – but not going out of the game. Instead of sympathy, kids were wanting a piece of someone on the other team.   2^nd half turned into one of the most smash-mouth games I’ve ever seen at this level.   Kudos to the kids on both sides.

We kicked off to start the 2^nd, stuffed them, and pounded the ball, off tackle time and again.  We got one Buck sweep that picked up 13 yds, but other than that, it was ‘Drive for 5’ time.  We slipped in and out of our overload formation.  HB goes over to the WB side, we bring the SE over to the WB side, putting the WB in “Nasty” formation.  They never adjusted, we had ‘em out numbered time and again.  The TB (formerly known as FB) was chewing up the turf.   We scored on another Belly.  Converted again.  16-13 us.

We onside kick every time, this time we recovered. We’d huddle, take our time and the QB would wait for me to tell him when… at 5 seconds on the play clock, we’d snap the ball.  We drove, ate the clock, and eventually turned the ball over on downs around their 12 yd line.

Just over a minute and half to the end of the game.   They managed two 1^st downs, but couldn’t bust loose, then on the last play of the game, their QB found a seam picked up about 15 yds and got planted!  

Fina;l 16-13 victory for us. 

We’re now 7-1. 

Very proud of our kids, they are finding something within themselves I don't believe they knew was there.