With those 3-4 wide formations, they could isolate a quick, speedy receiver in man coverage against Techs Backer and Rover to the strong side of the formation. The Rover was a strong side outside linebacker in the 8-man front that would slide out as an additional corner / defensive back against 3-4 wide receiver formations. Cover 4 is technically a zone defense, but plays like M2M and often ends up looking just like the normal Cover 2 youre used to visualizing. When they play 46 front, its mostly man/man, because its a pressure front like the Under we use. Backer and Rover would take the strongside back and pass him off inside or out depending on his route. One breakdown or miscommunication and the other team could be in the end zone. (He finished with well over 100 yards.) In these cases why couldn't we stop the run? If you play C2R, and the opposition sends the outside WRs deep, the CB must go with him, which takes away the deep help for everyone on one side of the defense, so that it basically ends up M2M. Bud Foster called this scheme his "attack defense" but the base alignments were 8 man front's following the model of the famed Buddy Ryan 46 defense used by the Bears and Eagles in the 80's. I would go so far as to say Miami was the worst defense the Hokies played all year. If you have any questions, I will be sure to answer to answer them in the comments. Finally, the ball is snapped and the play runs to completion, most likely in five seconds or less. If the safeties have to make a bunch of tackles (see Stanford, Miami, Boise, Clemson), then the corners are on an island and at some point, even the best corners will get beat in man coverage. Through the first half, Andre Ellington was averaging like 1.3 yards a carry with 23 yards total. The dominant defenses in Tampa Bay of the late 90's early 2000's allowed Warren Sapp and Simeon Rice to get up field as the method for controlling their gaps. At the snap, the nose has the daunting task of stunting two gaps, crossing the face of both the guard and the tackle to get outside shoulder gap fit on the 4 gap. I remember seeing our defensive philosophy torched about ten years ago. in the long run, if the giants dline continues to dominant with "defensive ends", i think it can be used to pitch to good dlineman. That's how good of a kid he is." Oh, and lets not forget the secret weapon. The DEs aligned much like they do today with the Stud always to the wide side and the End always to the boundary. It depends on which version of the 4-3. Williams and Harris pretty much flamed out. If NFL type DT's wouldn't fit BF's scheme then what's the use of trying to recruit guys like an Andrew Brown? The players also aligned differently. The architect of Tech's famed Lunch Pail Defense, Foster was the longest continually tenured FBS assistant coach at the same school at the time of his retirement in 2019. The helmets they're wearing are still my favorite VT helmets. In passing situations, the Hokies use more defensive backs than the old days, but Foster's mentality hasn't changed. Look at Florida under Urban Meyer. It defintely helps to have depth regardless of the scheme, but depth and ability in the scheme only make it better. While it's currently a knock that VT hasn't developed NFL linemen, it's more of an inability to recruit them onto campus than anything else. So, what does it look like when a Hokie fails to control a gap? There are two inside linebackers in the 4-4 scheme sometimes known as the Mike and Buck linebackers. More and more NFL coaches are blending the 4-3 and 3-4 concepts and scheme. I understand explaining that might as well be another post but it would be facinating stuff. A recipient of . OT: "The Mandalorian" S3 discussion thread (feat. If the running back looks to go straight ahead, he will see the guard and tackle jammed up and look to cutback. This aggressive nature of the defense led to years with incredible tackles-for-loss numbers. What are the differences between what Tech does and a traditional NFL 4-3?? Hokie defensive linemen are required to have a unique ability to sometimes cover gaps that are far from where they line up, while maintaining leverage in order to prevent being knocked backwards by an offensive lineman. 20102023, Orange and Maroon Media, LLC. End: The End (J.R. Collins) will stunt to the 7 gap, maintaining contain on any reverse, bootleg, or play-action. What VT plays most against pro-style teams is Inverted Cover 2 Robber, but the deep cover guys are the Cornerbacks, not the safeties. Looking forward to future articles. Gap fit means when the defensive player hits the assigned gap, he must hold that gap maintaining the proper leverage in order to get off a block and make a tackle. BLACKSBURG, Va. Even in retirement, Bud Foster casts a long shadow over the Virginia Tech football program. . At the time, there was a lot of discussion about the changes, both from the coaches directly and from others close to the program. The 8-man front, aggressive blitzing style of defense often forced the Hokies to play man coverage across the board with little or no deep help. That was generally the wide side of the field as well, so the Backer or Rover had to cover a faster, quicker player out in open space. In an obvious passing down. Most of the time, there is a safety/LB hybrid that is dropped into the box to create a true 8 man front. A 46 is by definition a "Bear" front, but to use "Bear" does not necessarily mean a 46 defense. They know on which side to align based on ball position. The S must loop hard play-side, crossing the face of the tight end without allowing himself to get his outside shoulder blocked by the tight end. Can we get this thread retitled - "A Look Back at a Look Back to . In an 8-man front, the Rover will rotate up closer to the line of scrimmage and align as the fourth linebacker. What do you mean by "radical stunting"? This post gave me a good chuckle. Mike: The Mike backer (Jack Tyler) lines up directly over the center, and blitzes against the flow of the play to fly through the 1-3 gap. How will VT defend against teams like Stanford and other NFL caliber offenses? And, you are also correct about Taylor. The Corners cheat deeper in this coverage at 7-9 yds, so they can rarely show Press man pre-snap when 2-Robber is the call. Stanford understands that the whip most often will line up to the weak side of the defense. Think DeAndre McDaniel. Nuk Hopkins is usually a Boundary-side WR, so he gets the Boundary CB most of the time. Hosley was excellent enough to execute the design up there with the very best ball hawk the Hokies have had. That would have been tough duty for a guy like Rouse, who was much better suited for the current responsibilities assigned to the Rover (1) back as a deep safety to the boundary side or (2) up at the line of scrimmage as an outside linebacker playing boundary run containment or picking up a tight end in man coverage. Maybe an example would work here. If he comes inside, Backer takes him. I think we played less aggressive which led to Clemson eventually winning. VT shifts their G front to the Field side as well into a 4-3, whether its weak or strong, which gives them 3 fronts in the base package. Thoughts? Smart Football did an excellent write up on the Hokies robber and 4-4G. In the above play, Jayron Hosley backpedals to his deep third at the snap. H332U(W5RR-T56 )onl ${* I love the white helmet with the stripe and white facemask. They are not supposed to be playmakers (except in the pass rush) but they have to be adept at maintaining leverage while stunting. That is a lot for the players to process isnt it? Stud End (Tyrell Wilson): Pre-Snap, the S end lines up outside eye of the boundary side tackle. The legendary defensive coordinator stepped away after the 2019 season, but his . against Stanford in the OB? It was a pro-style system and designed to work against pro-style offenses, which is precisely what the Hokies system is. Before I wrap up this part of the series, I want to get back to the adjustments made after the 2003 season. 2. His recruiting dropped off when it became apparent that players could be great in that system, but the fundamentals they acquire do not translate to the NFL. Join the community. The 60-year-old Foster, who has been with the Hokies since 1987 and has served as defensive coordinator since 1995, is currently the longest-tenured assistant coach in the FBS. Anytime you see the mike backer dropping back, it is change up defense hoping the QB throws to a spot without seeing the mike. I'd have to double check but I'm fairly certain Wiles even said he is the starter going into August camp because his players don't lose their starting jobs due to injury. To counter these offensive trends, Bud Foster made some adjustments to the base defense after the 2003 season. Was a great move on moving the rover back in alignment based on the offenses being seen but thought the Rover always lined up on the strong side away from the Whip but your diagram indicates them lined on the same side. For more details about the site, including a list of TechSideline.com staff, see our About page. "#()%$%%! f endstream endobj 9 0 obj 55 endobj 6 0 obj << /Type /XObject /Subtype /Image /Name /I1 /Filter /DCTDecode /Width 32 /Height 27 /BitsPerComponent 8 /ColorSpace /DeviceGray /Length 7 0 R >> stream Everything I've read has Antoine starting next to his brother this fall. The design of the defense is set up to allow the Mike, Whip, or Stud DE to make the play. The transition from James Anderson to Brenden Hill without skipping a beat showed two things (1) the coaches know how to put different type players in a position to succeed and (2) while better defined to defend against todays offensive systems, the Whip still is a hybrid position. The first number reflects the number of running backs and the second number reflects the number of tight ends. Since the scheme was tweaked, the Tech defense has finished ranked #4, #1, and #1 in the nation in total defense. "#()%$%%! My most recent columns can now be found on the right sidebar. The number of wide receivers is derived from the combination of those two numbers. Next week, we will examine some of the basic blitz packages that the Hokies use for passing down and distance situations. Registered users can participate in the forum, post and vote on comments. You get what you get with Bud Foster, there isn't much grey area in his persona. Ideally, the Stud end will be 2 yards deep into the backfield. They just dont have the special players they used to get at those hybrid spots and DE, which they always used to have. Whether you've been running the 4-2-5 defense for years or you're looking to implement the scheme for the first time, . Thanks! Bud Foster defenses know how to get after the quarterback. This is very important information that is communicated by the coaches in the booth to the coaches on the sideline. If our defense is designed to "funnel" the ball carrier to certain positions I could see some recruits not liking that. A London Fletcher or Brian Urlacher type linebacker would not be a good fit for the Hokies. Rover always goes to the side of the passing strength (not necessarily the TE side) or the Field side, and WHIP always aligns opposite the Rover. Alas, so was Jonathan Allen, and it looks like he will be playing out of position in Alabama. d88$FQ &~g?Waj }4;{S=Gg``YoF2a2XCTH#?:]=e1sp=$3_ S??oB/r~u6n?o'tm{ iu e*g[3mcXX_ endstream endobj 7 0 obj 859 endobj 12 0 obj << /Length 13 0 R /Filter /FlateDecode >> stream When the TE switches sides, usually the Backer flips spots with MIKE to cover him. Foster has been at Virginia Tech for 30 years and has been the coordinator for 12 seasons. He doesn't believe in double-talking players, or as he continually referred to as "fork tonguing" them. Many defenses set the alignment of their players based on sides of the ball (ie, left and right) or formation strength (ie, which side the TE is on). Drawing on the scheme's nickel roots gives 4-2-5 teams the ability to run a divorced front concept. TSL) is an independent publication that is in no way affiliated with or sponsored by Virginia Tech or the Virginia Tech Athletic Department. Stopping the run is one of the basic tenants of the defensive scheme. Really excited about the front seven this year. In a traditional one gap 4-3 defense, each player in the front seven has the gap in front of them with few exceptions, with examples being a variety of stunts and run blitzes that are run in small proportion to the base calls. They are looking at the QB and reading his actions without letting the #1 outside WR get past. Other teams began to use a lot of quick passes and/or maximum protection blocking schemes to counter Techs blitz tendencies. )jlOkD0 Nzlk}nGr(eancz#pC)vg`gd>fX&qb' h3L88ihTy%B|1ebUX9T ";*KM Last year's defense was an incredible patchwork of adjustments, alignments, schemes and calls designed to hide our defense's weaknesses and it worked in 11/13 games. HWC? I would argue we had bad match-ups of speed vs. speed. Oh well. So obviously if it doesn't work the scheme breaks down because it also means not being able to pressure the offense and the QB into poor decisions. They have to get Maddy, Marshall, and McCray in there to dominate rather than having read and react play from Wilson and Collins (at tackle.). Your thoughts please. Likewise, by no longer asking the Rover to man up against speedy slot receivers to the wide side of the field allows linebacker / safety type athletes like Aaron Rouse to be successful at that position. What I do see Tech doing is forcing opponents to keep the RB/TE in there to block by blitzing the WHIP often. Likewise, the End, Backer, Boundary Corner, and Rover always align toward the short side of the field. Neither would a Pat Williams type DT. That sign board on the sideline is a tool that identifies the offensive personnel group. We will review the scheme adjustments that were made following the 2003 season and the impact they have had. NIL and the future of the 'student athlete', Liz Kitley is back to back ACC Player Of The Year, 2023 ACC Wrestling Tournament Seedings announced, OT: TKP Winter/Spring 2023 Gamer's Lounge, OT: 700 miles from the Rock through Spain and Portugal, HOKIES HOOPS CENTRAL: VIRGINIA TECH (16-13, 6-12 ACC) AT LOUISVILLE (4-25, 2-16 ACC) 9PM ACCN, FSU AD floats uneven revenue share for acc & leaving acc. When Virginia Tech plays Duke on Friday night (7 ET, ESPN/ESPN App), Foster will coach his 282nd game as the Hokies' defensive coordinator. I love that article. Did Jim Harbaugh out scheme us, did we execute poorly, or were we outmanned? All original material and images are copyrighted by TechSideline.com and may not be reused or reprinted without permission. Prior to 2004, the alignment of the linebackers and safeties was based more on the strong side / weak side of the offensive formation. The entire defensive approach featured a bully mentality and a big play fervor. I had to go back and read about the defense given how I did not understand all the roles. Los Angeles is launching a guaranteed income pilot program, set to be the biggest in the US so far. Free Safety: Free safety starts in a deep third lined up 12 yards off the ball directly behind the mike. The Hokies play a base 4-3-4 defense, meaning that there are four defensive linemen, three linebackers and four defensive backs in the base set. To make that work, you still need to get pressure from the DL, and I think this has been one of VTs biggest issues on defense over the last few years. Attack Defense Bud Foster Defensive Coordinator Virginia Polytechnic Institute Blacksburg, Va. Jim Cavanaugh Outside Linebackers Lou West Secondary Charlie Wiles Defensive Line Diagram 2 Registering for an account is free and easy. While the 8 man front may be gone, the blitz pressures and coverages remain imbedded in today's Hokie D. The "Field Strong" basically is a 4 man defensive line, two middle linebackers, and the whip linebacker playing outside as a hybrid linebacker/safety almost exclusively to the boundary side of the field. Youll see how they get away with that in coverage later. They've only had a few with an NFL frame, and none of them worked out. Morris, who was a first time starter, had thrown quick 5-7 yard hooks against the Hokie blitz all day. Unlike the old 4-4, I think Foster and Gray want the free and rover to essentially be interchangable with the only exception being that the free makes the defensive secondary calls and audibles. The coaches helped by putting him in positions where he could be successful. I played in the pre-2004 VT defense in HS at Westfield which was also a popular defense with Oakton/Robinson and I guess now South County which has Bendorf. Meanwhile, the defensive linemen must be quick enough and flexible enough to slant heavily (sometimes 2 gaps) each way, which lends itself to short, stocky defensive tackles whocan get to a spot then hold their gap responsibility. The offense makes the next move by setting their personnel group for this example, they have just removed one of their two running backs and sent in a second tight end. Virginia Tech uses both their base look (which features each lineman and linebacker having gap responsibility for the gap in front of them) or a more radical stunting approach based on the talent Foster has available. Wiley, Brown, Russell, Drakeford, Gray, Banks, Prioleau, Charleton, Midget, Bird, McCadam, Pile, Hall, Green, Fuller, Williams, Hamilton, Rouse, Flowers, Harris, Chancellor, Carmichael, Hosley, Fuller, Exum, Jarrett. 1) I have seen a ton of schemes and I can't remember one that repeatedly asks the defensive tackles to stunt across multiple gaps and still maintain gap fits. Seems there were a lot of big plays in that game and during the year. I have told anyone who would listen that I didn't like having Collins moved inside, and that if they did move him inside, he needed to get upfield and disrupt the full back/QB mesh point. Jessie has three boys of her. Were tallish and relatively lean. The biggest difference is how wildly the defensive responsibilities differ between the gap defense. Tech's attacking eight-man-front scheme, first instituted by Elmassian in 1993, has become one of college . Defensive Alignment in the Four-Four In the 90's, Bud Foster used two alignments with the 4-4 defense. Odds & lines subject to change. In the diagram, Whitley (who the coaches called "the rover" last year) is lined up to the twins side, and he motions back to the middle of the field while Exum (who was the "free safety" last year) rotates up towards the line with the motion. Containment often fell onto the shoulders of the Whip LB, a hybrid player that was part linebacker and part safety. Backer: The Backer (Tariq Edwards) lines at the same depth as the mike but in the guard tackle gap. Cover 6 goes well with the pressure fronts they like to show. Jack Tyler can't cover a rock, so CBF adjusts his schemes and defensive calls to account for that. It is mostly combined with Man coverage and is pretty heavy on stunts and exchanges between the DL and LBs. So now the first question to come to mind is "How do they even handle spread teams when they can have 8 or 9 men in the box?". Simple. This morning, I actually stumbled across a presentation that Bud Foster made to the AFCA back in 1999. Is this true and if so, how do we strengthen this weakness with out losing run control? Welcome to Bud Foster's Lunch Pail D. This site is dedicated to blue collar, hard nosed defense like those run by Bud Foster during his years as the Defensive Coordinator for the Virginia Tech Hokies. It is definitely not a finesse sport. In combination, these adjustments resulted in more big plays against the Tech defense, both in the running game as well as the passing game. From all of us at The Key Play, get off the bench and in the game. MAN. Field G front. Virginia Tech's defense is in good hands with Bud Foster at the controls Skip to main . Foster's approach is more than just an alignment, as the long-time play-caller in Blacksburg has implemented his scheme across his entire unit, not just up front. In terms of base sets, the Hokies transitioned from being a heavy 8-man front defense to a 4-3-4 base set characterized by two deep safeties. The result of these adjustments is a scheme that has proven to be more effective against the current trend of spread formation, passing-oriented offenses. Get with Bud Foster, there is a tool that identifies the offensive personnel group us... '' front, but his to years with incredible tackles-for-loss numbers today with stripe. In Alabama out scheme us, did we execute poorly, or were we outmanned blending the and. On comments mean a 46 defense we get this thread retitled - `` a look to. Fletcher or Brian Urlacher type linebacker would not be a good fit the... Up and look to cutback its a pressure front like the Under we use coverage and is heavy. 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