I have stated before on here that the key to a successful running attack is giving the blockers great angles on the defense. The Jacksonville Jaguars have perhaps the most prolific rushing attack year after year. This is because they have a good O-line, tight ends that can block (which is becoming rarer in today’s NFL) and they do a great job clearing out lanes to get their backs into space. The line and blocking schemes have made Maurice Jones-Drew and Fred Taylor into household names.
The first play I want to look at is the Singleback Counter Trey the Jags run. This was a concept popular in the Joe Gibbs power running game. Gibbs loved to pull both the backside guard and tackle, from a two back set, send one back to fill for the missing linemen and the other on a counter step then take the handoff through the hole. The guard would kick out the outermost defender in the box and the tackle would lead up into the hole. The Jags like to run this play out of a singleback formation though, this means that there is no fullback to fill for the missing backside of the line, a quick DE or DT could make the tackle. So instead, the Jags pull both their backside and playside guards. The only reason they can do this is because their TE, Mercedes Lewis, is an above average blocker for a tight end.
On this play, the defense was in a 4-4 front with only one safety, they are concerned with stopping the run game of the Jags. However, having a tight end that can handle a DE one-on-one is a great advantage. The center is going to chuck the backside DT to make sure he doesn’t make the play then he is going to try to get to the next level and stop the backside linebacker’s pursuit. The playside tackle will crash down on the other defensive tackle while the tight end will reach the defensive end. It should be noted that if the defensive end had been playing a true outside 9 technique and the outside linebacker had lined up off the ball, the TE would most likely have gone straight to the middle linebacker and left the DE to be kicked out. The advantage to kicking out the outermost defender is, the outside defender has contain responsibilities, so he must come upfield for at least a few steps, this makes the angle on the kick out much easier.
The fun game comes with the two guards. The playside guard kicks out the outside defender and the backside guard leads up into the hole. The beauty of this play was the way the formation helped the play. Since the defense had taken a safety out for an extra linebacker, a linebacker must cheat over to cover up the slot receiver. This means both of the middle linebackers take a step or two towards the slot to compensate, this gives the backside guard the slight edge he needs to seal off the playside middle linebacker.
This is the same basic kick-out, fill the hole concept as the other play. The difference here is that this is a much more direct sprint play, so they don’t want Maurice Jones-Drew counter stepping in the backfield and having to wait for the blocks to develop. Instead, the Jags are going to cross block with the playside tackle and the tight end to effectively form the kick-out block (making the angles easier on both players), then they will pull the center to lead on the linebacker instead of making Jones-Drew wait to for the guard to make it through the hole and read the block.
Another play the Jags use very well is the inside draw. The basic concept behind the draw is to show pass, freeze the linebackers, then get upfield and let your linemen get on their linebackers. If you can get your back behind your bigs 3-4 yards down field then you are in great shape.
The key to this play is to get both defensive tackles moved out of the middle. The center will help give a shot to the defensive tackle to help the left guard move him, while the right guard and tackle will take the other defensive tackle. The tight end must get an outside release on the defensive end here. That tells the defensive end that it is a pass and will lure him into a pass rush, it will also freeze the linebackers. As they see the quarterback raise the ball and the tight end with an outside release they will start to drop into their zones. Once the linebackers start their drops the center can easily get his block on the middle linebacker and the tight end has a much better angle on the outside linebacker. Fred Taylor can then get through the defensive line, read the blocks on the linebackers and he is one-on-one with the playside safety, a good situation for the offense.
The Jacksonville Jaguars do an unbelievable job of controlling the line of scrimmage against their opponents, allowing them to run the game and control the clock. When you play in the same division as the Indianapolis Colts, keeping your offense on the field and their offense off the field is the best way to win.
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