DEFEND THE SPREAD

***** I WATCHED A LOT OF HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL THIS PAST WEEK . FROM COAST TO COAST ,BORDER TO BORDER HIGH SCHOOLS ARE IN THE SPREAD OFFENSE .ABOUT 85% ARE SPREAD OFFENSES .

 WHY IS THIS ? COACHES HAVE A POWERFUL HERD MENTALITY . IF A TEAM HAS SUCCESS WITH A SCHEME OTHERS FLOCK TO FOLLOW .

 THE SPREAD IS A SIMPLE SCHEME . PUT YOUR BEST ATHLETE FIVE TO SEVEN YARDS DEEP TAKING THE SNAP WITH THE OPTION TO RUN OR THROW . THE OTHER FIVE ELIGIBLE PLAYERS CAN LINE UP IN MULTIPLE PLACES WITH ALL KINDS OF MOTIONS AND SHIFTS.

 ALL OF THIS MOVEMENT IS CONFUSING TO THE DEFENSE & MAKES IT HARD TO GET LINED UP IN THE RIGHT PLACE . IT CAUSES DOUBT AS TO WHO IS COVERING WHAT . A CONFUSED DEFENSE CANNOT BE AGGRESSIVE.

  SO TO BE A GOOD SPREAD TEAM , YOU NEED A DUAL THREAT QB & RECEIVERS WHO CAN BEAT ONE ON ONE COVERAGE . A DOMINATING   OFFENSIVE LINE IS A PLUS BUT NOT NECESSARY .

 IN THE EARLY DAYS THE SPREAD HAD THE ADVANTAGE OF SURPRISE & UNFAMILIARITY  . YOU DIDN'T SEE IT MUCH . MAYBE ONCE OR TWICE A YEAR . NOW YOU PLAY AGAINST THE SPREAD EVERY WEEK . THE ELEMENT OF SURPRISE IS GONE & TEAMS ARE FAMILIAR ENOUGH WITH THE SPREAD TO DUPLICATE THE OFFENSE IN PRACTICE .  

   HOW DO YOU DEFEND THE SPREAD ? FIRST DETERMINE IS THE QB A DUAL THREAT . MOST NFL TEAMS,THE QB IS NOT A DUAL THREAT .THE SPREAD IS LIMITED TO A THIRD DOWN OFFENSE  IN THE LEAGUE.

 NEXT , CAN YOU COVER THE WIDE - OUT ONE ON ONE ? THE ANSWER WILL DICTATE  THE COVERAGE USED . 

 THE MOST IMPORTANT ELEMENT OF DEFENSE IN HIGH SCHOOL IS THE FIELD ITSELF . THE HIGHER LEVEL OF FOOTBALL YOU PLAY , THE CLOSER THE HASH MARKS .

 IN HIGH SCHOOL THERE IS A DEFINED WIDE SIDE AND SHORT SIDE .

 THE KEY TO DEFENSING THE SPREAD IS TO OVERLOAD YOUR DEFENSE TO THE WIDE SIDE OF THE FIELD . THIS FORCES THE OFFENSE TO WORK IN A RESTRICTED AREA .

 ALSO FIELD ALIGNMENT ELIMINATES THE CONFUSION CAUSED BY OFFENSIVE MOVEMENT . THERE IS NO QUESTION AS TO HOW TO LINE UP  & DEFENDERS ARE FREE TO BE VERY AGGRESSIVE .

 I THINK FIELD ALIGNMENT IS THE ANSWER TO DEFENDING THE SPREAD IN HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL . YOU HAVE FORCED THE SPREAD INTO TWO TOUGH CHOICES ; ATTACK THE OVERLOAD OR ATTACK A RESTRICTED AREA .   ALSO THE DEFENSE IS MUCH MORE AGGRESSIVE DUE TO THE LACK OF CONFUSION .

 THANKS FOR READING !!!!!!!!!