The Ultimate Guide to Running the Ball

[@ThinkingFootball]

Go to geolog.ie/FOOTBALL70 use my code FOOTBALL70 and grab 70% off your personalized skincare trial set.

[@FootballAnalysis1]

Oh we are so back

[@nagawave24]

-Sam denby, jet lag the game, season 12

[@danielgrant3635]

@@nagawave24welcome back to the snack zone

[@BoxtoBoxRegista]

I’m a Kenyan who never played football I played rugby. Got into football naturally many years ago from here but the way you’ve broken down the game, makes me feel like I’ve actually not watched football properly, EVER. This is so dope! This is where football is actually determined, the trenches.

[@user-to9ge8ii9n]

I _wish_ football had commentators that would explain these kinds of decisions and adjustments-on-adjustments to viewers. So much of the game happens before the ball is snapped and it's easy to overlook it. ❤

[@harlanbarnhart4656]

The camera angles make the line of scrimmage play look like a simple pile up leaving many casual viewers to assume the skillful things are being done by the ball handlers. The reality is line play is the foundation, without solid work, the whole offense collapses.

[@ArchIVEDCinema]

​@@harlanbarnhart4656 What camera angle would show the line better?

[@harlanbarnhart4656]

@@ArchIVEDCinema I would like to see more looking down from behind the quarterback like you see in video games.

[@ArchIVEDCinema]

@harlanbarnhart4656 They typically have a high-end zone camera behind the offense. In fact, it's shown in this video a lot, lol. (i.e. the entire first 25 seconds of the video) They'll only use it for replay usually, though, as they like to keep consistency with the high-game angle.

[@chaoshunting5659]

In college, I played LB and something my DC always reminded us of that changed my perspective of understanding offenses is angles and leverage. It’s something that you kept hitting on throughout the video that is under appreciated. Sometimes it’s not about pancaking the guy in front of you, just creating enough space for a lane.

[@davidk6269]

Running and defending against the run are the foundation of football. Their fundamental value should not be underestimated.

[@schuylersavage276]

Also, from someone who grew up in the 00s, I personally think the most enjoyable football to watch is running back centric football. Idk. I knew a lot of casual fans, and hardcore fans, just love the pass. I get it! But to me, there is nothing quite as beautiful as watching an insanely skilled back paired with an elite line, fullback/TEs, and a coach who has an elite rushing scheme. It’s just SO beautiful. I was just asking my buddies the other day what they think the “coolest” position in sports is, and I personally believe it’s controversially the running back. Seeing a clip here or there of Tomlinson in his TCU gear or Ricky in his Texas gear is what made me as a little kid start watching football games live.

[@davidk6269]

@@schuylersavage276 I share your enjoyment of the running game. I grew up watching the running games of the '80's and '90's. For me, nothing in football is so satisfying as seeing an intricate running play being executed to perfection. Watching the old school counter-trey run with the pulling guard and tackle leading the counter-stepping RB is so satisfying when they break a long outside run. For me, nothing screams "manhood" more than an I-formation isolation play with a thick-necked fullback leading the fleet tailback through the hole--the bone-jarring collision of the fullback meeting the filling LB in the hole is the decisive moment of the play, and it is all testosterone. Love it. Passing is pretty and exciting in its way, but ultimately, running is where it's at.

[@schuylersavage276]

@@davidk6269 ahhh!! The counter! You NAILED it! That was the play that fully cemented my love for Ricky willaims! I didn’t actually get to see him run until Miami. Had been too young, and then the Saints were never on. But once he got to Miami, I saw almost every game, and I swear he just loved that counter so much. And the Fins used it to consistently that things would happen, for example, like John Madden finishing explaining how much Ricky loves running counters the moment before Ricky rips off a 60 yard TD off a counter haha. I’m with you! As you said, it’s not JUST the RB. It’s everything working in tandem. That’s why it’s so beautiful, the running game. Even like emotionally, mentally, I love how the back gets to be the star and get the hype when it goes well, but he always shows love and takes his line out to dinner, etc, and the line has to be full of humble but determined and self validating guys, and often they’ll come( when the season goes well, of course! ) to want their RB to pile up the awards and honors even more than the RB themselves! I just love it man. It’s such a community type of success and practice and achievement. Football is so great for this reason overall. I’m sure you saw the moment where LDT scored that record breaking TD in 2006 and all of his lineman talked about trying not to cry and how mucn he credited them and Lorenzo Neal, and how much they all appreciated and respected and admired Tomlinson, etc. I guess we are really getting to the core of why I love the running game. It’s all about everyone being able to revel in each others success, or rather, they all succeed as a unit. I LOVE basketball, but it sort of lends itself to arrogance and selfishness. Maybe there is some of that in football, but when it comes to the great RBs, I really don’t feel that way. It’s the opposite. The backs always appreciate the line SO much, and the line always speak so highly of the backs, and don’t seem to mind that they get a lot of the fanfare. So rare in sports to see teammates who aren’t getting the statistics to be SO invested in the success of the one who gets the accolades most of the time. I LOVe that

[@davidk6269]

@@schuylersavage276 Well said! I watched Ricky Williams play for UT, and Ricky Williams was a real BEAST for the Texas Longhorns--I've seen very few college RB's as dominant as Ricky. I'm glad you mentioned both the great LDT and Lorenzo Neal together--Neal really sacrificed his body to earn some of those yards for LDT. That's what I love so much about football--it requires so much selfless play and sacrifice by so many to give the QBs, RBs and WRs the chance to make big plays. Teamwork!

[@haydenfarms]

cough cough dallas

[@philliporsit]

Videos like this being available to anyone is crazy. It'll change football in the future

[@timesfly1081]

I clicked this thinking " I already know all of this" I in fact did not know all of this

[@squeebploozer]

literally same, base v down already got me lmao

[@maevethefox5912]

So much of the nuance of zone blocking makes so much more sense to me after this

[@SportsTalkinWJJ]

it was the crash concept that got me

[@sylv_ain]

I clicked thinking I didn’t know anything. I in fact didn’t know shit

[@clay550]

The game is won in the trenches

[@e2rqey]

something that CU is łearning

[@bofi1280]

But people don't realize that.

[@The__Nation]

All day!!

[@OlinKreutzRules]

Always has been…..always will be. It’s a beautiful thing, isn’t it?!?!?

[@michaellinehan710]

As a foreigner who has always loved watching CFB/NFL but only understanding the surface level, I've been loving these videos you've been putting out dude - keep them coming!

[@obi-wankenobi2630]

I played OT last year for my high school and fell in love with the pass game. This year I’m back at OG, and man, it’s made me realize how fun running the ball really is 😂

[@davidk6269]

IMHO, the most complete and multi-faceted running game in history was implemented by Tom Osborne's Nebraska Cornhusker teams during the late '80's and '90's. His teams ran it all: option football (contrary to popular perception his teams only ran the option about 20% of the time), quick hitters to the FB, inside zone, outside zone, traps, pulling guards/tackles, Off-tackle power, reverses, draws, etc. Nebraska's running game and blocking schemes were so influential that in the NFL Joe Gibbs adopted some of Nebraska's offense (he confirmed that the iconic Redskins counter-trey play was copied from Nebraska). If you want a masterclass in the running game, watch the old Nebraska games.

[@JoeCOOL-8806]

As someone who never played football I found this channel recently and I’m loving it. Learning a lot more about the way offense and defense operates. Great work!

[@dandersonanza]

Brother, there are moments in this video that sound like straight poetry. Damn fine work.

[@theelike4302]

You HAVE to run the ball. Just ask Todd Bowles. We (The Buccaneers) ran the ball every series last year and it NEVER worked, but we still did it.

[@dre3k78]

You have to keep the defense honest even if you aren't racking up tons of yards running.

[@USALeonHeart]

You also won the Super Bowl with a team that averaged 21 carries a game against nearly 37 pass attempts.

[@kevpatti]

This is the best channel on KZbin if you are interested in going below the surface level of football strategy. Well done as usual!

[@MrJreyn17]

I see that alliteration in the intro. Nicely done

[@DwayneHoover94]

How is no one else talking about this?

[@carlrhoads8561]

Just found this and have been a football fan all my life. I can't wait to watch all of your videos on football. Thank you for making them. Excellent subject matter.

[@WhydoIsuddenlyhaveahandle]

This is a great breakdown. Truly one of the best football channels. I am not sure I can handle all the football meatheads with their disproven tough guy cliches in the comments. 20 years of these guys, who base their masculinity vicariously through their team's "tough" persona,, revealing their own insecurities, continually having their teams lose to all the data based passing teams with star QBs, isn't enough to break through the high school jock mentality. It is truly something to behold. Don't worry. Your team team throwing the ball and winning isn't gonna make your testicles shrivel up. I love running the ball too. It is the basis of football. It is also not the game anymore. It is a supplement to good teams, not the focus. Change with the sport, or keep losing. The NFL will never allow the old way. Lower ratings. The moment teams counter the smaller defense with running ghe ball, they will change the rules, just as they did with the hip drop tackle after offense went down.

[@tommac5411]

these videos are so instructional. Ive watched football my entire life and didn't know much of what is taught here. Excellent!

[@JimmyS.25]

I love the way you narrate your videos. I could listen to you explaining the game for hours.

[@1inquisitor13]

I thought I knew football. This man is brilliant.

[@300jet]

Fantastic. Just a thorough, concise, easy to digest, OUTSTANDING breakdown!

[@gregrussell1734]

THANK YOU FOR THIS! Never had anyone make a video that breaks down everything in easy bites. I will be watching all the videos in the series!

[@guss25100]

Dude what an absolute treat to have found your channel. I’ve always found football fascinating, but, for some reason, never took the time to deep dive into some of the interesting details. Oh, and the alliterations at the start of the video don’t go unnoticed! Very nicely done, sir. Also, not sure if this is interesting for you, but I’m a 5’8 140lbs Brazilian white kid who’s never played a down of football in his life. I’m a sucker for the dichotomy between the nuanced tactical easy to understand/hard to master play and the absolute physicality of some of the most potent specimens of human being available in the world. Great content!

[@shaanchudgar1995]

Thinking football really the GOAT ain’t no debate

[@hohuadave9230]

Thanks so much for these. Learning and applying in little New Zealand.

[@michaeloeser9187]

I've always told people that if you want to understand the game, watch the linemen. This is a good summary of the basics

[@DavidsGamingandVariety]

Thank you for making this! The trap is one I"ve never understood because it's like taking a chance that the player takes the bait, if he doesn't you've got a trapper blocking no one. But yeah I just eat up the X's and O's stuff. Keep making these! It would be nice to see something on defensive coverages, I hear terms like "2 high", "read the keys", "He's the mike", and terms like sky, cloud, cover 1,2,3, cover 6, cover 9.

[@justinspivey6543]

I like when you slow it down helps a lot bc I don't know shit about football only starting to learn

[@izzuddin4540]

Thank you so much, for non American with only flag football background, this video give a lot of context to other scheme or film study out there.

[@cesarcanete3402]

Thank you so much for posting this. I absolutely love, love, love the run game and the run game are the main reasons why I starting watching football. I grew up idolizing Emmitt Smith, Darren Sproeles & the Auburn Tigers backfield of Ronnie Brown and Cadillac Williams. My Mt. "RUSH" More of Running Backs.

[@matthewscott1703]

Grew up as an O-line man and our school was run heavy we did it all power, zone, counter, draw, lead G, Duo, pulling trapping, and then we’d absolute shred teams with boot legs and dukes 999. The dukes call had the linemen drive through the crotch of the defender basically flatting the LOS and letting our qb just rip one down field. Super old school but it worked.

[@FatherOmega]

John madden football 2002 used to teach the run game succinctly.

[@christiancordova4849]

I’ve been waiting for something like this to be made. Thanks for making it so concise.

[@98765zach]

Reminds me of film sessions with coach, love a good video about the trenches, watching good O-line play for me is better than a million passing yards, because when your team can assert their will in the trenches, you can win games whenever you want. Tom Brady may have been an all time great at QB, but it was because of his O-line. He had all day to make magic happen and pick defenses apart because the big men up front had him protected

[@ilyazhitomirskiy9218]

Cut blocks are legal in NFHS on the initial line charge by linemen against other linemen. In NCAA, low blocks are legal in the low blocking zone by anyone who was stationary in the low blocking zone until the ball leaves the zone.

[@ikepigott]

…as long as you don’t have someone else hitting them high. This penalty gets called a lot when on OL executes the cut while a neighbor goes combo.

[@ilyazhitomirskiy9218]

​@@ikepigott that falls under the chop block rule. Low low and high high combo blocks are allowed.

[@milleribsenalbeefan]

Great video! Very informative and covers a shit ton of run concepts. My only criticism is that you guys should have explained running gaps with an accompanying graphic and/or stills, towards the start of the video. Regardless, y'all doing the lord's work with such high-level content

[@user-to9ge8ii9n]

May have been skipped because it was covered in the pass protection video? But yeah, may have benefited from a quick graphic. ❤

[@johnwaldrop8237]

Bro, just found your channel today. I got some binge watching to do. Good stuff. Go Cowboys

[@leemcdonald1342]

Thank you for posting this video.

[@danf5606]

Best football youtube channel, by a mile. Excellent episode, much appreciated.

[@theAirborne17th]

Nice timing with the Colorado Nebraska game showing what to do and not to do when running the ball. 😅

[@VinegarAndSaltedFries]

Great video covering many very nuanced things briefly. Wonderful to teach people who like football to LOVE football like us sickos

[@dariusdale9480]

This is OUTSTANDING content!

[@albondsgalaxy]

thank you for taking the time to explain the game within the game! great video

[@Jeromethedp]

Another way to create a crease by widdening an edge defender is with orbits motions and the read option… Qb can ride the give just long enough to allow the tackle to clear and the Dend gets a face full of the HB Tackle or just watches the QB right past em..

[@choiyatlam2552]

This is a very helpful video, especially for fans overseas who don't get to play the game growing up.

[@heyheyhey33351]

Oh man... when all the blockers hit their marks and that perfect lane opens up for the runner.. In my opinion, it's one of the most beautiful parts of the game.

[@Aaron-hb4wu]

It's because passes have a much higher rate of ball control loss. Ints, QBs, wrs, te have a higher level of fumbles than rbs. People forget the turnover machine that Andrew luck was but he's the best example. Then throw in you need to go 10 yards in 3 tries go comp ratings is 66% and good ypa is 6.7. meaning on average in 3 downs a good passer will net 13.4 yards. A good runner is 4.7. on 3 it will be 13.1 but you complete every run and have a much lower chance of turning the ball over

[@jessejordache1869]

Either your math or your acronyms are off: In three downs a passer who nets 13.4 yards has a YPC -- not a YPA -- of 6.7. That's definitely good for YPA, but it's a horrible YPC. The quarterback in your example would have a YPA of just under 4.5. That will get you benched. Sanity check: your "good passer", given 30 pass attempts in the game, will have less than 135 total yards. You don't run because it's better than passing: you run because in a base defense, if the linebackers guard the underneath routes you have a numbers advantage. So you force the defense to guard against the run, and now they can't adequately defend the pass. It's just complimentary football: you run to open up the pass, and you pass to open up the run. But I'm sure the video has more to say;

[@Aaron-hb4wu]

A qb with 6.7 yards per attempt with fumbles, sacks and ints throw in will average around 200 yards on 30 attempts . Absolutely. An attempt to me is when the qb attempts to throw the ball not just the throw. He might be attempting to throw the ball and get smacked or dimple or ints or have a penalty call. I don't use bs metrics or pf. All attempts at passes that failed more not just incompletions. A good qb all added up with need 40 attempts at throwing to general around 300 yards.

[@jessejordache1869]

@@Aaron-hb4wu "in 3 tries go comp ratings is 66% and good ypa is 6.7. meaning on average in 3 downs a good passer will net 13.4 yards" That's still under 4.5. Three tries, a total of 13.4 yards. I'm not trying to bust you -- I was imagining you realizing your math wasn't pointing to the picture you wanted, missing the mistake, and just going on. Honestly, If a QB has a YPA of 6.7, the run game is probably already working, and the the OC is going to be told "just keep doing what you're doing". Did you catch 49ers-Jets? The 49ers just kept gashing the jets up the middle with their run game. So the Jets played with a heavy box, and San Francisco switched to the pass, and you had tight ends with no one within five yards of them, a safety on Brandon Aiyuk (who actually didn't do that badly, but he's a SAFETY), very few pressures on the QB because the Jets had to leave their heavy package in, etc. It was the most graphic illustration of why you run the ball I've ever seen. Jets weren't able to get a similar run game going, so San Francisco's defense was able to cover passing attempts that forced Rodgers to place the ball perfectly. Not even the most accurate quarterback can do that every throw, and in the third quarter Lenoire, who was covering Wilson, was able to reach across and deflect the pass into the arms of another defender.

[@chrisballengee5746]

I think this was a great video. I believe that if someone quietly set up for a run offense right now that it would dominate because so many of the defenses are set up for passing. There are very few if any Ronnie Lott type safeties anymore. Also the line is much smaller and agile not really set up do defend a good run game all game long. I could not imagine a team dealing with a power I formation on most downs. My Ideal set up for this would be to have 3 running backs as committee. 1 fast, 1 power, and 1 jack of all. 2 good hard nosed fullbacks. My line and running a 2 TE line up. My receivers would be TE that are just a little to light for TE. I would have 1 or 2 receivers that can get down field that came in and out but they would be tougher guys that can handle crossing routes as well. I think that a defense like this would hit the weakness of present day defenses. It would not be flashy but the other team would be in for a war and would ware out.

[@KornHuskerJason]

Absolutely love these videos! Thank you!

[@Trizzer89]

Some of these RB cuts are RIDICULOUS

[@hellogoodbyeagain]

Football is in large part a wonderful chess game. Too but we only see 10% of it on tv.

[@dre3k78]

Football is a physical game of chess. Every down is a move on both sides of the ball.

[@ValkyrieXRAY]

I'd describe what you call a wham block a split flow, as a wham is usually done on IDL versus backside edge, but semantics! Good video!

[@misty0469]

God it feels so good to see the Lions featured in highlights of what you are actually supposed to do in NFL football

[@user-to9ge8ii9n]

When the examples switch direction (upfield/downfield) it sometimes takes me a moment to realize what I'm looking at, especially pre-snap. No idea what could be done to help, sorry. Love these videos. ❤

[@marvfj6451]

So glad to see this. Been waiting…

[@joshjones3]

Having the ability to run the football is the difference between games I swear

[@seansilva967]

Loving the alliteration in the introduction

[@mitchmay3867]

I desperately want an nfl team to go all in on the run. I’m talking paying and playing 7 oline men nearly every snap. 2 TEs a running QB and a big time back. With the occasional burner WR to just threaten the deep part of the field

[@jeshuamathis9013]

Aaaaaaww yeeeeah. Education 🎉. Thanks for your work.

[@kerrycoleman6050]

Great video!!!!

[@Kens94]

Great explanation of the game, thank you!

[@jp.wamble]

Dude. This video is incredible!

[@frankieangelone7727]

The alliteration at the start was CRAZY!!

[@gabrielrozier7485]

Damn, what did Richard and Alex do 😂

[@ThinkingFootball]

hahaha we're big fans of the show and love everything Alex, Richard, and Godfrey do!

[@scottr6755]

The trap block is my favorite. It’s genius

[@AyeYou-y7n]

Great videos bro

[@nigelstanford4]

Great video man!

[@TheJpyne518]

loving these

[@OGdienomyte850]

One thing my coach taught me that got me a lot of TFL SACKS and opportunities was "Follow the guard if he pulls" thanks coach Watson r.i.p.

[@raycapetillo5569]

Masterclass. Thanks!

[@Eidenhoek]

1. Be the Lions. 2. Get into overtime. 3. **** you we're going up the middle

[@heliotherapyy55]

thank you for your channel!

[@AndrewGraziani-k7d]

I'm hardly a football genius, but in order to have the best chance at victory, you need to control the 4 P's. Points, Possession, Position, and Pain.

[@XPLAYERJX]

Your video was great over all, but you left out 1 of the most powerful Blocks in all of Football! It is known as the Cross Block. It is also referred to as the X Block because of the movement which is being done by linemen. You mildly confused the X Block with the Trap Block in your video. A better way to think about it is an X Block involves 2 linemen standing next to each other. Tackle + Guard or Guard + Center. A good example was shown in your video at 11:19. No one is being trapped because the defender is never being left undefended and the defender can see who is coming at him. A Trap Block is when a defender thinks he has been left undefended because all the linemen in front or near his gap has left him unguarded. This is what make it become a Trap Block. Sometimes, X Blocks are used in conjunction with Cut Blocks which creates 1 of the most dangerous injury prone Blocks in Football. Most players who have ever been a Defense Linemen known about the X Cut Blocks because of the injuries they can cause. These sort of Blocks are often used due to a weaker player trying to compete with stronger player. A Strong Defender can over power a Weaker Offensive player. Their is very little for the Weaker Offensive player to do in order to prevent himself from getting beat. The only way for the weaker player to fight back is by using angles and/or going after the players legs. This is why X Blocks & Cut Blocks even exist to begin with. A Base Block has full power of defender vs. full power of offense player. The weaker player will always lose in that match up. X Block uses angles to attack player from the side so their full force isn’t being used and sometimes the momentum of the defender can be used against them in the angle attack.

[@charleshutson4276]

I didn’t know the run was so complicated

[@Ian92999]

Great video!!

[@twostepz4982]

Running the football is HUGE! Problem is pay for RB is far lower than wide receiver. So, what I am saying is we’re noticing a shift from RB position to RB AND wide reviewer at 250-280 pounds with a 4.2 speed at dash 40-yd.

[@terry7907]

Love your stuff.

[@wgme86]

Due to its quick hitting nature its designed for short yardage/goal line situations, #28 goes all the way in

[@zareh805]

Warren Sharp Shots Fired! 😆🤣

[@benjaminlambert4181]

Watching this after they pointed out during the TNF game that running yards are up and passing yards are down so far this season.

[@36inc]

this video coulda just said; because then all defense is prevent and thats unthinking football. meanwhile threatening with run makes defense honest. it elevates the gameplan from checkers to chess but yeah the deep crawl into it was appreciated anyway.

[@calebtan7447]

this is the video man

[@MF_DOOMer]

Pushin P's in that intro

[@Trizzer89]

Running is obviously the foundation. If the defense cant even stop the run, then you never risk interceptions and win easily.

[@TheAseer2020]

Great video! I was wondering about unorthodox tactics with the run game. Once the ball,in possession of the offence, crosses the line of scrimmage. Then every player on the offensive team is eligible for a lateral. Due to the nature of Gridiron football my question is kind of impractical but it is theoretically possible and legal. Has there ever been any run formations, that utilize the lineman in a way that as soon as the carrier crosses the line of scrimmage the lineman stop blocking and then follow the Ball Carrier that way the ball carrier can lateral offload to the lineman if they are about to get tackled. Thus using rugby tactics

[@NigelIncubatorJones]

Great video.

[@Teddypain20]

As a coach and a former WR I SWARE BY THE RUN!!!

[@theelike4302]

Good thing you aren't an english teacher

[@JeffSharonLive]

Masterpiece.

[@kelvinlaroche7768]

Thanks!

[@IGI_Media]

When Peter Piper pronounces a pack of proliferated plays like EPA, pundents ponder perpetually pounding the pig skin professionally

[@Curbstompextraordinaire]

@thinkingfootball I know I’m a dummy but why do you have to rub it in

[@duffykhalsa8281]

I really like this video and this series. Does Wham mean different things to different offenses? I thought it meant when a OL is freed to release to 2nd level by a replacing TE or Back taking on his DL responsibility. Often with motion etc to give the replacer momentum/angles, so it could be seen as a type of Trap. But less so about e.g. specifically working against the run or hitting the edge, and more so about replacing the OL for the release. Did i have that wrong?

[@toz.trendy]

Need a whole 6 hour long football for dummies vid for the panthers organization 😂

[@NoahBClark]

What a beautiful game.

[@matthewcarroll2533]

[@MrWizkid84]

Should be so many more than 142k too

[@scooter73-i2]

What you're calling a double reverse is really a single reverse. Other than that, this video is gold.

[@Getabuck12]

Great video, needs time stamps though

[@berinmind]

I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't start giving penalties to teams for running the ball. I miss smash mouth football.