Bob Davie's Football 101

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Thursday, August 29
Updated: August 30, 5:50 PM ET
 
Football 101: Trends and terminology

By Bob Davie
Special to ESPN.com

Editor's note: As architect of Texas A&M's Wrecking Crew defense (1989-93), Notre Dame defensive coordinator (1994-96) and head coach of the Irish (1997-2001), Bob Davie has been recognized as a top X's and O's coach. This season, Coach Davie will analyze offensive and defensive schemes as part of his season-long course on football for ESPN.com. Each Thursday, he will break out the chalkboard and break down the X's and O's in college football.

For long-time college football fans, it seems like just yesterday when we were talking about the wishbone, split-back veer and the Oklahoma defense. Football is ever changing and just as the game has changed, so has the terminology involved. If you talk to a college football coach or turn on the TV every week, chances are you will hear terms like spread offense and the outside zone. Instead of saying the base 5-2 defense, it's now called the 3-4 defense.

As you know, everything in football runs in cycles based on what's successful. Certain teams and certain coaches are best known for specific things. Northwestern and Clemson have had success recently with the spread offense, including the relatively new concept of the coach calling plays when the team is at the line of scrimmage. Nebraska's Bear defense and 8-man fronts have allowed the 'Huskers' "Black Shirts" to suffocate opponents.

Over the course of the season we will try to cover all aspects of what is en vogue in college football and identify each team's and coach's trademarks. We will try to cover everything as thoroughly as possible and do it on a weekly basis depending on that week's key matchups. We will try to tie the X's and O's into college football's biggest games.

2002 Syllabus
Ever wonder what the announcer or analyst is talking about when referring to an unbalanced line or cover two defense? Over the next 13 weeks, Bob Davie's Football 101 will tackle these and other issues. The course will take you inside coach-speak by providing definitions and presenting graphic displays of the plays and schemes used in college football. Here's a look at this year's agenda (Of course, we reserve the right to call an audible):

Offense
1. No huddle spread offense
2. Spread offense with quarterback run option (QB and one-back running game)
3. Designed (To the side) zone play
4. Triple option football
5. Empty -- no backs in backfield
6. Screen packages -- bubble screen, jail-break screen
7. Basic I formation running game -- isolation, tailback counter
8. Variations -- unbalanced line, big splits
9. Passing game terminology -- boot pass, play-action pass, drop-back pass, three-step drop

Defense
1. Three deep, two-deep zone coverages
2. Zone blitzes
3. Eight-man front, seven-man front
4. Man-to-man coverages -- man free, straight man, man under
5. Variations -- nickel packages (4-2-5), dime packages (4-1-6), prevent
6. Bear defense, double eagle defense
7. Odd front, even front

Term of the week: In the box
In the box refers to how many defensive players are within a five-yard radius of the line of scrimmage. It covers the area from the offensive tackle to the tight end. Normally, you would think of those players as defensive linemen and linebackers, but what coaches are doing now is using safeties too. The scheme is directly designed to stop the run.

Why the change? 5-2 or 3-4
In the base 5-2 defense, there were two defensive tackles, two defensive ends and a nose guard in a five-man front. There used to be the connotation when you said defensive end that people pictured big, strong and sometimes slow defensive linemen. Players associated defensive tackles and ends with being slow. For as much of a recruiting tool as anything else, we started calling the defensive ends outside linebackers. It sounded more athletic and exciting.

There is still a noseguard in the 3-4, but you now call the tackles ends and the ends outside linebackers. You play with three down men and four linebackers instead of all five being down guys. Plus, you can utilize the linebackers in coverage so much -- they drop and rush. A lot of the influence of the outside linebacker came from Lawrence Taylor. He the outside linebacker position a priority for teams. The Giants used a 3-4 scheme and used him as a rusher and in pass coverage.

Preparing for X's and O's
With two-a-days over, schools in session and most teams preparing for the first game, it might be interesting to look at a typical in-season game week schedule for players and coaches. In order to get the most out of the X's and O's, the preparation has to be right -- especially when working within the NCAA's guidelines.

The NCAA mandates that you give players one day completely off each week. Most teams choose to give Sunday or Monday off. It is also mandated that you only have the players in organized meetings and practice for a total of 20 hours. Three hours allotted for game day on Saturday. The time here is less than 20 hours so the players have time for mandatory weight lifting.

Here's a look at the weekly players schedule I used:

Sunday
Off

Monday: Total time - 3:35
2:15-2:30 p.m. -- Team meeting
2:30-2:45 p.m. -- Special teams
2:45-3:40 p.m. -- Offensive/Defensive wrapup of previous game
3:40-4:10 p.m. -- Scouting report
4:25 p.m. -- Pre-practice
4:30-4:40 p.m. -- Stretch
4:40-4:55 p.m. -- Conditioning
4:55-6:10 p.m. -- Practice

Alternative Monday: Total time - 3:35
6:30-6:45 a.m. -- Team meeting
6:45-7:00 a.m. -- Special teams
7:00-8:00 a.m -- Offensive/Defensive wrapup of previous game
3:15-3:45 p.m. -- Scouting report
4:00 p.m. -- Pre-practice
4:05-4:15 p.m. -- Stretch
4:15-4:30 p.m. -- Conditioning
4:30-5:45 p.m. -- Practice

Tuesday: Total time - 3:35
2:15-2:30 p.m. -- Kicking meeting
2:30-3:30 p.m. -- Offensive/Defensive meetings
3:45 p.m. -- Pre-practice
3:50-4:05 p.m. -- Stretch
4:05-6:05 p.m. -- Practice

Wednesday: Total time - 3:35
2:15-2:30 p.m. -- Kicking meeting
2:30-3:30 p.m. -- Offensive/Defensive meetings
3:45 p.m. -- Pre-practice
3:50-4:05 p.m. -- Stretch
4:05-6:05 p.m. -- Practice

Thursday: Total time - 3:10
2:15-2:30 p.m. -- Kicking meeting
2:30-3:45 p.m. -- Offensive/Defensive meetings
4:00 p.m. -- Pre-practice
4:05-4:15 p.m. -- Stretch
4:15-5:45 p.m. -- Practice

Friday
3:30-4:15 p.m. -- Kicking meeting
4:15-5:20 p.m. -- Offensive/Defensive meetings
5:55-6:00 p.m. -- Walk to dinner
6:00-6:50 p.m. -- Dinner
6:50-7:00 p.m. -- Gather
7:00 -- Pep rally

Saturday
Three hours for the game

Total time: 18:55

Next week:
You hear so much every time you turn on a game or listen to coaches talk about 8 in the box or how you counter 8 in the box. Next week's session will tackle this issue using last year's Rose Bowl teams: Nebraska's defense (8-man front) vs. Miami's offense (two-back offense).






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