Stopping the Spread Offense with the 3-4 Defense

[@CoachMcKie]

Thanks so much for watching Coaches!! Quick question, as you coaches know every video I create is for YOU so please comment on this thread and let me know what you would like to see a video about. And also, don’t forget to pick up your FREE Offensive drills if you haven’t yet: bit.ly/FREEdrills

[@jasonhess4643]

Hey Coach, I love the 3-4 with the match concepts there but what are your thoughts on sliding up the edge OLB on the RB side and moving him back to create a 3-3 stack? - Figure this way pre-snap if the O will adjust the RB to the backside, you just match him with the OLB opposite side.

[@HULKSALAMi]

When you said, "one high, cover 3"...I jazzed tf up bro! That's exactly what makes UGA's D....4 or 5 downhill, 1 high man look, cover 3 backend with hook/Curls zones underneath. No idea why this gets lost among the League and high tier college ball. You should apply at Bama bro 😂

[@jonheine8881]

Great info, straight up simplified

[@dmeek20]

This past season was my first season in a 3-4, 2 high defense. Very successful against spread, multiple, and wing T. Had good skill guys, but no size up front

[@CoachMcKie]

Love the 3-4. What made you change?

[@dmeek20]

@@CoachMcKie it was my first year at a school. My HC and DC are huge 3-4 nuts. I feel you on the 2 high stuff. Really like that, in theory, you can get 9 in the box. Also love being able to apex with OLB and get 3 over 2x2 sets. What gave us the most trouble was QB power/counter with H back sets

[@coachjefe6912]

Thanks for this coach! Last year we went 10-3 and won our section. The only three teams that beat us ran a 3-4

[@CoachMcKie]

3-4 teams are hard to score on. And congrats on the great season last year.

[@ryanworkman9783]

Great video. To each his own but, one high has holes just like everything else. Fade, Corner, arrow | Snag, Corner, Arrow | Four verts etc. Like Palms or Match four against balance formations.

[@jimmyramsey1873]

Hey coach, first of all, I really enjoy your videos even though I'm not a coach. I'm just a inquisitive college student who likes to understand every aspect of sports. I've always thought that if I were a defensive coordinator facing a lower level QB in a spread, I would run a 3-4 base defense with 1 high safety and roll my Strong Safety down and have numbers both in the box and in the flats to force weaker QBs to beat me over the top. I would just run a cover 3 with corners pressing with inside leverage then dropping into their deep zones to the insides of the receivers (since I doubt amateurs QBs can throw a dot to the deep sideline even with relaxed coverage) so that if the opponent was running four verticals, the CB would have a chance to break on the ball to help the lone deep safety when he gets forced to choose between the dig or the seam. If by some chance the QB is good enough to make those deep throws, I would my blitz my two linebackers in the middle in the A-gaps with the Nose, taking away time for the play to develop. From an offensive standpoint, what would your counter be to this. Would you run double slants to one side and hope the outside receiver beats the inside leverage and make the Nickel or Apex backer choose between them? I feel like that counts on the defense keeping their playcalls the same until you beat them. Do you move to the Zone Read RPO combo even if your QB isn't very mobile and shouldn't be taking hits? I also feel like you need to have multiple concept options to keep the defense guessing. What are some good Cover 3 beating concepts that amateur players can execute and especially audible into?

[@tnew57835]

My first thought is if the defense is committed 3-4 Cover 1/Cover 3 is to get in Empty and used some variations. What's your thoughts on Empty to counter 3-4 1 high?

[@kohlecoester180]

I know this is years later lol. But empty to me as a DC is a green light to send the house. Either they can handle the zero blitz and you got to get out of it and adjust to what they’re doing or they can’t and you cause chaos and get them out of it.

[@otiswashington1563]

Love the 3-4 its so many ways to do things and bring pressure. How do you deal with contain the qb if only the backers as edge players

[@CoachMcKie]

The backers are the contain players. Or you can do do some twists and have the LB be dive and DE be contain.

[@otiswashington1563]

@@CoachMcKie ok I get that. I'm going to play around with it. What do you think of the robber coverage? My hc wants me to add it with our backend stuff but right now we do alot of post snap movement within my 2 high 3-4

[@Him-bl9kx]

@@otiswashington1563 hey Otis. We have had a lot success in the 3-4 containing qbs by building in an auto spy with the two inside backers. QB breaks the pocket to the strong side the weak side backer scrapes to pressure the qb and he automatically becomes runner in the eyes of that inside backer and any outside backer that is not occupied in his zone (covering grass)

[@joshsawicki5569]

Great video! Giving away the secrets, but still great. I was asked to assistant coach for a middle school team a few years back and as the HC owned the O I requested the D. He wanted me to run a 4-3 and I wanted to run 3-3/3-5 and attack. He thought I was nuts, even after explaining it was the only defense I don't have answers for offensively. To shorten the long story we lost one game 6-0 and only gave up 2 TDs all year. The championship game we went to OT at 8 a piece with a defensive TD and a safety. We ended up winning with a QB sneak after a personal foul put us on the 1. Like a strong man once said, everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth. Too many DCs act tough then sit back and take hits to the gut.

[@CoachMcKie]

Thanks coach. Just trying to shine some light on defense...since I started out on that side of the ball. Great job on the championship game.

[@jrmendez7172]

How cover a power i formation coach

[@d.k.w4633]

I love odd front defenses. The 3-4 allows for me to get in to a 5-2 which is basically a 3-4 zone blitz, and have a seven man box. Ill sometimes will go 2 high safety during certain situations, and go old school 5-2 cover 2, and if need be we can go 5-2 monster ( 5-3), 3-4 can allow you to drop seven if you really wanted to. i think odd fronts are the way to go.

[@The1Named1s]

12:30- If teams run 4 Verts out of 2 Tight just teach your S drop hard and play the ball in the air.

[@keithcooper2693]

Great stuff coach

[@GGdeTOURS37]

TY coach > Completely agree with your general philosophy > We are not scared by the rare offensive actions and we stop the everyday plays! And even when some team try to use a rare 4 vertical or so > We even can stop it with cover 3/4 (!) Yes with our cover 3 "special rotation" (watching the QB eyes and leaving the opposite sideline 1/4 free) because our extra pressure in the box never allows the QB to drop deep, recognize our "special cover 3/4" then fake one side before throwing to the absolute opposite sideline (most difficult pass) etc ... Let's stop thinking our opponents are supermen and let's destroy their bread & butter plays! Yes they will score on us, because of the moderne rules, but they will surely less score than our offense will!

[@ronniehobbs6031]

Great video

[@bryantjohnson3896]

Whats a way when the ball snap to go thru the A-gap for a tackle or sack?

[@CoachMcKie]

Double A gap blitz.

[@coldspirit9904]

Coach ..I think the one high concept is true essence of football defensively ..key to me is the "strong safety"...for one high to work ..that guy has to be a stud...whether Rover or monster...that guy has to come up and lay wood on the ball carrier..like a mini linebacker...I guess the teams who go double high or quarters are the ones who DNT have that guy in their secondary...like I asked about ur 10 personnel in ur past video ..basically would u run it still if u had a stud at tight end?? Instead of 11 personnel?? We had a guy who was a strong safety in high school but he was built more like a free just without the range...putting him in the box was like a joke...he got injured second game of season...run heavy team we played.

[@CoachMcKie]

Two high safeties need to tackle as well. I just feel like 1 high takes away a lot of things offenses want to do. So you are forcing them to play with one hand behind their back.

[@coldspirit9904]

@@CoachMcKie coach ..is their really a difference between strong safety and free safety in a two high concept?

[@AllenJames3223]

Using a 4-3 and going against a %100 spread team, torn between cover 3 /w ILB doing deep mid, hes FAST, or a cover 4

[@CoachMcKie]

Cover 3. All day. Take away the RPO.

[@alonzocoley2913]

with 4i's we have problems with containing the qb in the pocket

[@CoachMcKie]

That's where the LBs come into play. Because they know the B gaps are accounted for. So they are C-gap defenders.

[@alonzocoley2913]

@@CoachMcKie i meant vs the pass

[@Dayonetheone]

How do you stop the spread with the dual threat Quarterback?

[@CoachMcKie]

Play games on the backside and try to confuse the quarterback.

[@lzgamer8133]

I was a head coach and got hired on to a staff where HC believes firmly in 2-high. I don’t know how to run a 2-high, all I know is 1.

[@kalendesrosiers2677]

We switch between one and 2. 2 allows you to roll down the SS and roll over the FS to make it a 1 high look post snap. Allows you to mess with the qb a lil if you throw different things at him. Gotta have a stud SS which we do though. Tackle and cover

[@coldspirit9904]

3-4 vs 4-3 I would imagine be similar concept...alot of high school coaches veer away from it seeming the see the spread more so than ever before...4-2 and 3-3 have become the norm base package in certain leagues who have spread heavy teams...I guess it's more like who is better...ur d line men or linebacker?? Some coaches have their way of doing things..how do u do it?? Personnel vs philosophy??

[@CoachMcKie]

I'm a philosophy guy. Some of the best coaches I know have a philosophy and stick with it.

[@coldspirit9904]

@@CoachMcKie so basically...ur players sink or swim in your system right coach?

[@coldspirit9904]

@@CoachMcKie the philosophy system...do you think can be sink or swim in a high school type setting?? Or does it mainly just work on the collegiate level seeming you can recruit players more so for your style. (Although I do know of some high schools that do that as well..sometimes illegally)

[@brandononey6821]

I’m a little late to the party but when a team goes C-0 or C-1 you have to be able to throw. You can go 7-20 passing and still score 35+ points

[@CoachMcKie]

I agree. Coaches need to stop being scared of passing the ball.

[@Chavzilla]

Let's see some more RnS videos

[@CoachMcKie]

Awesome coach. What kind of Run and Shoot videos would you like to see?

[@Chavzilla]

@@CoachMcKie what are the essential must have plays in a HS RnS offense. Assuming 5-7 plays (pass wise)

[@patrickmosley8634]

Big gang ok luv

[@CoachMcKie]

haha love it!

[@D-Nasty]

Great video coach! Really not sure why more 4 down teams won't kick the weak DE to a 4i and use the weak backer as more of a overhang/contain player with 1 high. Obviously it wouldn't be smart in a 2 high structure but it think it would make keys a lot more definitive for the defense.

[@CoachMcKie]

No idea. The 4i is a pain in the ass to deal with.