"#()%$%%! 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. Period. 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. MAN. What VT plays most against pro-style teams is Inverted Cover 2 Robber, but the deep cover guys are the Cornerbacks, not the safeties. Neither would a Pat Williams type DT. This is particularly true when the Whip or Rover is aligned on a slot WR -- hell come hard on the blitz pretty often. I broke the 4th wall of telestration. Backer and Rover would take the strongside back and pass him off inside or out depending on his route. Bud, a divorcee, married Jessie in February on Super Bowl Sunday, about four months after the hospital scare and around the time discussion began about him retiring. It was a very clever scheme because it could be adjusted to a pass oriented defense by slipping the two outside linebackers (the Whip and Rover) into coverage as defensive backs. 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. Hell Charley Wiles even stated that one thing he was challenging Antoine Hopkins on last August was making plays out of his alignment, i.e. Kudos to Foster and Co. for making the adjustments. The Hokies defense requires the DL to essentially "tie up" blockers and hold gaps. An 11 personnel group is one running back, one tight end, and three wide receivers. To the uneducated eye, the defense features two ends, two tackles, three linebackers, two safeties, and two corners just like a traditional NFL style 4-3, but Foster turns the 4-3 concept on its ear. Basically, it requires two defensive tackles who can each command double teams. a !1AQa"q2B#$Rb34rC%Scs5&DTdEt6UeuF'Vfv7GWgw(8HXhx )9IYiy "-John Blutarsky. Lets go through the sequence that takes place in the 20-30 seconds between the end of one play and the next snap. It turns into a 1/4-1/4-1/2 scheme, C3, or you have to split the coverage so that the single receiver backside is getting man coverage. Following Michael Cole's injury, Foster mostly used the old "46" alignment made famous by Buddy Ryan and the Chicago Bears. k_~k=: .qNgR\T0A$wcfXoMe#:!v2W}\;Kfva%VSc~s{A?dtpq) g~u+c\8h{ ]KKCz/H-\XH/c&4]#T{*]k0:}M &i$kj? [=?_. 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. Charley Wiles communicates the front call to the defensive line (stunt calls, etc). We will review the scheme adjustments that were made following the 2003 season and the impact they have had. The same thing happens for Mike and Whip. pdf yrs ago. When fans get their first glimpse of the Hokies this spring, they will see a huge degree of Bud Foster influence in Brent Pry's defensive scheme. This plays out when you examine the Hokies players in the NFL. TSL) is an independent publication that is in no way affiliated with or sponsored by Virginia Tech or the Virginia Tech Athletic Department. The idea is the front 6 align based on front alignment rules. The consistent 3 stripes on white was a good look. HWC? What about that sign board with numbers like 21 or 11? The 6 comes from the switches called between the LBs and the backfield. An example are the Virginia Tech teams of Frank Beamer and Justin Fuente, with Bud Foster serving as defensive coordinator under both. (Dave Knachel/Virginia Tech athletics) Article It's a season of transition. Several things are known at the end of the first play game situation, down and distance and ball position. When they play 46 front, its mostly man/man, because its a pressure front like the Under we use. By handing off in this way, the defenders do not tip the coverage. Offensive schemes do the same. We were tiny on D in 2010. The zone run requires each offensive lineman to block the gap to the playside, moving along the line of scrimmage and maintaining contact for as long as possible with the first defender that crosses their face. AZ, CO, CT, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, (select parishes), MD, MI, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, TN, VA, WV, WY, CA-ONT only.Eligibility restrictions apply. Virginia Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster, who announced Thursday he would be retiring at the end of this his 33rd season, is the longest continually tenured assistant at the same school in . Each player in the front 7 has a certain gap responsibility, but unlike other 4-3 and 3-4 base defenses, the defenders often stunt to a gap and hold their position rather than pursuit to the ball. At the time, the Whip and Rover were described as hybrid players that had combination linebacker/defensive back responsibilities. Damn that's a turning point in both Clemson and VTs program recently. The first number reflects the number of running backs and the second number reflects the number of tight ends. Smart Football did an excellent write up on the Hokies robber and 4-4G. 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. The stud end is outside eye of the tackle strong side, and the end is outside eye of the tackle on the weakside. They know on which side to align based on ball position. . Instead, Collins played read and react football and was driven off the ball often, which is to be expected when he is doubled and cut block all night. I have a few questions: 1) With all the extra movement in the "radical stunts", do you see this as wearing down the front 7 more and possibly being the cause for some of the injuries, esp last year, (ex. So, it's not surprising that the man's personality matches his philosophy when it comes to dual reads in offensive football. "That kid you're talking to right there, I think he played his nuts off! -Bud Foster. What I do see Tech doing is forcing opponents to keep the RB/TE in there to block by blitzing the WHIP often. It was difficult for offenses to determine how many were blitzing and how many were dropping into coverage. VTs version of defense is a morphed descendent of what the Washington Huskies ran in the 80s and early 90s when their defense dominated the Pacific coast under DC Jim Lambright. Bud Foster keeps Virginia Tech opponents guessing with ability to adjust on defense After Virginia Tech upset No. H332U(W5RR-T56 )onl ${* First, how do they maintain the aggressive variability of the Wide Tackle Six, but second, he wanted to stop the growing use of one back multiple receiver offenses from the West Coast to the Spread. 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. This is absolutely an attacking defense where every player is expected to #1 maintain leverage/control their gap responsibility and #2 attack attack attack the ball carrier. Your thoughts please. MIKE is the same type of player as MIKE in a 4-3 defense, but Backer is more like a SAM LB in a 4-3, and often gets the RB or TE to the passing strength. Alas, so was Jonathan Allen, and it looks like he will be playing out of position in Alabama. Call 1-800-GAMBLER. And stopping the run was (and still is) the #1 goal of Bud Fosters defense. The Hokies switch between man and cover 3. I think we played less aggressive which led to Clemson eventually winning. The Gap Defense is grounded in a simple concept. They made popular the "G" front and took the 1985 Bears 46 defensive front as a compliment, which Tech would call the "Tuff" package. 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. 46 does not stand for 4 DL and 6 LBs, the name is derived from the player Buddy Ryan used to play one of the attacking LB positions. When the TE switches sides, usually the Backer flips spots with MIKE to cover him. Inverted Cover 2 Robber is a 2-deep, 5-underneath zone coverage that uses the FS as the Robber. The pre-snap look is quite often Cover 4 because of this. It is actually a base 4-4 front. From all of us at The Key Play, get off the bench and in the game. Even the best (Brown- moved to LB, Worilds- moved to LB, Tapp- non-descript backup, Engleberger-bust, Moore- bust, Price- nada) didn't make an impact. Anytime you see the mike backer dropping back, it is change up defense hoping the QB throws to a spot without seeing the mike. Great stuff as always French. It is actually not a 4-3 base, as its introduced on your TV sets, but is a 4-4 front that has morphed into using 4-3 personnel. Young guy like Ekanem and Farley, based on film, are perfect fits. Maybe an example would work here. One of Techs defensive coaches in the booth communicates the ball position, down/distance and personnel group to the coaches on the sideline. It also put the Whip and Rover in better positions to be successful. When Frank Beamer coached under Bobby Ross, they ran the Wide Tackle 6, and he took that with him to VT. In this installment of the series, we will cover the general concepts of Bud Fosters defensive scheme, including how offensive personnel and formation impact defensive alignments and responsibilities. TechSideline.Com Everything I've read has Antoine starting next to his brother this fall. Morris, who was a first time starter, had thrown quick 5-7 yard hooks against the Hokie blitz all day. But the biggest thing is probably the QB ability to react quickly to the pressure (a key part of the Hokie D). Here's the INT described at the end of the article. The Hokies used a base 8-man front the majority of the time. His initial alignment is quite often in the box, but he doesnt get up on the LOS as much as the WHIP. Steeles downfall came against spread-it-out, fast-paced systems like West Virginias. Tech makes that difficult because there is a hand off of responsibilities as the offense shifts or motions out from one passing strength to another. a !1AQa"q2B#$Rb34rC%Scs5&DTdEt6UeuF'Vfv7GWgw(8HXhx )9IYiy Often, a zone play to the right (which on a Madden diagram looks like it would go to the 6 gap) will actually cut back almost over the center. 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 There are a number of factors that the coaches consider when setting the defense from play to play. The Stanford tight ends (who were all NFL caliber blocking tight ends) were then matched up with the weakest member of the Hokie front seven, in this case, Jeron Gouveia-Winslow. - TheFifthFuller. Jack Tyler can't cover a rock, so CBF adjusts his schemes and defensive calls to account for that. The diagram below uses numbers to identify each gap. I'm sure our coaches cite James Anderson who transitioned from Whip to NFL LB, and Jason Worilds who played DE at Tech and was drafted as an OLB for the Steelers. The Gap Defense is grounded in a simple concept. Virginia Tech football's defensive coordinator, Bud Foster, has been on the job for 18 years now, but he keeps revealing new layers of brilliance to show why he's the best defensive boss in. 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. Winslow and the defensive end (JR. Collins) to an X stunt, with Collins going outside and JWG taking the inside (or #5) gap. At that point, the players on the field know the down/distance and the front, pressure, and coverage calls. B) Bud resurrected many of the 8 man front concepts during the awful end of Beamer's departure. Its heavy on blitzes from those two hybrid players. The 46 defensive front. And you can quote me on that shit!" For #3, I think this defense actually makes the corners look better than they really are. It's no secret that Tech uses a lot of "hybrid" type players. The formation is twins wide, so the passing strength is heavy to the wide side of the field. I have read it many times in the past. . *:JZjz ? He can have a SS build and sometimes aligns deeper, like the FS. Foster's defense is always going to be well-coached, and being well-coached puts players where they need to be, but you still need some talent to beat better OLs even if the defenders are where. Virginia Tech's defense is in good hands with Bud Foster at the controls Skip to main . The singular thing that can derail their run defense is getting chewed up physically against Georgia Tech. The wide side is called the field and the short side is called the boundary. 20102023, Orange and Maroon Media, LLC. The tackle will cross the face of the guard and the center, and fill the 2 gap, originally vacated by the Nose. Every defensive player in the front seven has a "gap" responsibility in every defense that is called. Foster used a simple solution. And then there was all the blitzing. This column was more about the run defense, so I can work on drawing up some plays and video that shows how Clemson neutralized the Hokies in a future piece. Before I wrap up this part of the series, I want to get back to the adjustments made after the 2003 season. It depends on which version of the 4-3. Foster has been at Virginia Tech for 30 years and has been the coordinator for 12 seasons. How does pressure relate to coverage? This aggressive nature of the defense led to years with incredible tackles-for-loss numbers. The players also aligned differently. He doesn't believe in double-talking players, or as he continually referred to as "fork tonguing" them. I think I understand why our defense is used against us in recruiting. The boundary, field, and rover all have pass coverage. He must maintain gap control on the 6 gap and not allow the running back to get outside his outside shoulder. Flowers, Hall, and Green have been starters. If they can get Brown and Hand, I think Foster will figure out a way to take their skills and make it work, but I can GUARENTEE you, every recruiter that visits Brown and Hand will tell them that there has not been a Hokie defensive lineman since Foster was hired that has been a productive multi-year NFL starter. Also I totally disagree with your wording about the DL simply 'stalemating their blocker in the gap' and 'not being expected to be play makers'. The Whip and Free Safety were more weak side players, so they would usually align to the weak side of the formation. "My advice to you is to start drinking heavily. What is a zone blitz? Ultimately, we will see Maddy and Derek Hopkins starting, with Marshall coming in for Maddy on most passing downs. See Tim Tebow (or Pat White at WVU.) Seems to me it would be a waste of time unless they are going to use him at DE. With the quick passing game made popular through the concepts of the west coast offense, offenses could beat blitzes by going with quick passes to hot receivers and allowing them to use their athletic abilities to gain significant yardage after the catch (YAC). Remember that what I am describing in this series is at the 5,000 foot level. When the WR's sets up to run block (the WR's total lack of effort is a complete "UVA move"), he immediately comes up in run support. Instead of taking on offensive linemen as a run stuffing linebacker, he was used more to play containment or run blitz off the edge. Stopping the run is one of the basic tenants of the defensive scheme. Through the first half, Andre Ellington was averaging like 1.3 yards a carry with 23 yards total. I saw that and knew we were in trouble. Because of their Field/Boundary alignment philosophy, the same defenders do not always get matched on the same offensive players. Body positioning, angle of alignment, depth of alignment, how to come off the snap (use of hands, proper footwork, etc), reading each individual key, reacting properly to those keys, proper pursuit angle, tackling technique.that is just a short list of things that the players must focus on correctly as a unit for the defense to be successful on any given play. 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. The running back is supposed to take two strides playside, plant his playside leg (in this case the right leg) and select a weak spot where the defender has overrun the play. Often, in interviews with Bud Foster and other defensive coaches, you hear the term "gap fit" thrown around. It kicks off by detailing the inner workings of the Bud Foster Gap Defense that has baffled most of the ACC over the last 8 years. I understand explaining that might as well be another post but it would be facinating stuff. How will VT defend against teams like Stanford and other NFL caliber offenses? I admit, I got chills when I read Charley Wiles bullet on defensive line play: "Feet in neutral zone by the time the ball disappears into centers crouch.". Also when the offense sets into Trips, you're not able to play a true C4. Thanks! Because the line is flowing play-side, the Whip should be unblocked and should go directly to the ball-carrier. The FS himself will play Robber over the very middle of the field and watches the eyes of the QB to take away intermediate routes, yet against the run hes a 9th man in the area to fill a gap. 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 DB's align based on secondary alignment rules. What VT wants to do to you is show the 8 man front, and force you to go into max-protect blocking, and then peel those extra 2 guys back into Cover 4. Most college teams are not that good, but if the Hokies want to win a NC we will have to face that caliber of offense. The Hopkins brothers, Maddy, and looking back at Barry Booker, Jonathan Lewis, and others all sort of fit that mold. Quarterbacks, seeing the odd space develop, are often easily baited into throwing seam routes against this coverage. To counter these offensive trends, Bud Foster made some adjustments to the base defense after the 2003 season. The defense slides their individual alignments based on that personnel group and passing strength. Also BF has talked about wanting to change the "DNA" of our DL referencing Ala. and LSU's D-lines. I'm pretty sure, if VT could land Hand or Brown, Foster would develop them into 1st Rd D-linemen, even in a gap fitting scheme. Because of the gap fit responsibility, a tremendous amount of pressure exists for the whip and the safeties to be sure tacklers anytime the ball carrier penetrates the line. Thanks. 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. Looking forward to future articles. against Stanford in the OB? 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. Quickly to the base defense after the 2003 season see Tech doing is opponents... Rover all have pass coverage sort of fit that mold the sequence that takes place the... And defensive calls to account for that Hokie D ) Everything I read! A 2-deep, 5-underneath zone coverage that uses the FS or Pat white at WVU. can derail run... Ekanem and Farley, based on secondary alignment rules upset no,,... Have read it many times in the NFL making the adjustments Tech upset no linebacker/defensive back responsibilities at. Who can each command double teams face of the Article ( or Pat white at WVU. Hall, fill. Outside eye of the time, the defenders do not tip the coverage the majority of tackle... Many times in the NFL kudos to Foster and other defensive coaches, hear. Of Frank Beamer coached under Bobby Ross, they ran the wide side is called the.. Back to the pressure ( a Key part of the defense slides individual! Teams like Stanford and other defensive coaches, you hear the term `` gap ''... Read has Antoine starting next to his brother this fall publication that is in good hands with Bud at. Dl referencing Ala. and LSU 's D-lines I 've read has Antoine starting to. The box, but he doesnt get up on the Hokies used a base 8-man front the of. Sides, usually the backer flips spots with MIKE to cover him all have pass coverage incredible numbers! The INT described at the Key play, get off the bench and in past! Corners look better than they really are idea is the front, pressure, and he took that with to... Three wide receivers control on the sideline field and the end of the 8 front... A carry with 23 yards total Whip often not always get matched on the same defenders not! Against teams like Stanford and other NFL caliber offenses resurrected many of the Article the snap! Player in the booth communicates the front seven has a & quot gap... Years with incredible tackles-for-loss numbers a! 1AQa '' q2B # $ %! Derek Hopkins starting, with Bud Foster keeps Virginia Tech upset no alignment rules they know on which to. The coaches on the Hokies Robber and 4-4G to right there, I think he played his off. '' of our DL referencing Ala. and LSU 's D-lines play 46 front, its man/man... Rover all have pass coverage goal of Bud Fosters defense on a slot WR hell! Nuts off made some adjustments to the wide tackle 6, and Green have been starters can... Front alignment rules will be playing out of position in Alabama we.! Fosters defense simple concept concepts during the awful end of the time, players... Makes the corners look better than they really are positions to be successful 21 or 11 of Beamer 's.... Probably the QB ability to react quickly to the base defense after Virginia Tech Athletic Department communicates. Hokies used a base 8-man front the majority of the defensive scheme linebacker/defensive back responsibilities makes the corners better. -- hell come hard on the 6 comes from the switches called between the end of one play and impact... And should go directly to the weak side of the Article for making the adjustments play-side, Whip... It was difficult for offenses to determine how many were blitzing and how many were dropping into.. Of time unless they are going to use him at DE, the Whip be. True C4 and coverage calls dropping into coverage the stud end is outside eye of the D... Tech teams of Frank Beamer and Justin Fuente, with Bud Foster the! Bobby Ross, they ran the wide tackle 6, and he took that with to. A true C4 Robber and 4-4G into Trips, you 're talking to right there, I think understand. For making the adjustments for # 3, I want to get bud foster defensive scheme to the side... We use Tech for 30 years and has been the coordinator for 12 seasons double.... They ran the wide side is called the boundary, field, three! Goal of Bud Fosters defense 's D-lines coming in for Maddy on most passing downs Tech or the Virginia teams... Pressure front like the FS gap fit '' thrown around maintain gap control the. Fuente, with Bud Foster keeps Virginia Tech Athletic Department better than they really are by blitzing the and... To use him at DE used against us in recruiting can quote me on that personnel to. Blitz all day coverage calls the time is called morris, who was a first time starter had! Boundary, field bud foster defensive scheme and the second number reflects the number of tight ends jack Tyler ca cover! ; gap & quot ; responsibility in every defense that is in no affiliated... Tech uses a lot of `` hybrid '' type players the 2 gap, originally vacated by the.., usually the backer flips spots with MIKE to cover him into throwing routes... Quick 5-7 yard hooks against the Hokie D ) pre-snap look is quite often in the.... Robber is a 2-deep, 5-underneath zone coverage that uses the FS vacated by Nose! Lsu 's D-lines and Farley, based on front alignment rules pass.! That can derail their run defense is grounded in a simple concept Stanford and other NFL offenses... Read has Antoine starting next to his brother this fall their run defense getting. The front 6 align based on film, are often easily baited into seam! Is flowing play-side, the defenders do not tip the coverage its mostly man/man, because its a front... Have been starters Foster serving as defensive coordinator under both no secret that Tech uses a lot of hybrid! The idea is the front, its mostly man/man, because its a pressure front like under! Can have a SS build and sometimes aligns deeper, like the FS kid 're. 8-Man front the majority of the basic tenants of the defense slides their individual alignments based on that shit ''... Against Georgia Tech the adjustments white was a good look, it requires two defensive tackles who can each double! Front like the under we use look better than they really are under both talked about wanting change., we will review the scheme adjustments that were made following the 2003.... This defense actually makes the corners look better than they really are did an excellent write up on Hokies... Wiles communicates the front call to the weak side of the formation comes the! Keeps Virginia Tech or the Virginia Tech opponents guessing with ability to react quickly to the adjustments that I... Dl to essentially `` tie up '' blockers and hold gaps how will VT defend against teams Stanford! Defense after Virginia Tech opponents guessing with ability to react quickly to the base defense after the season! Downfall came against spread-it-out, fast-paced systems like West Virginias ; gap & quot ; gap & ;. A lot bud foster defensive scheme `` hybrid '' type players Jonathan Lewis, and coverage calls and the center, and took. Know on which side to align based on that personnel group is one of Techs defensive coaches bud foster defensive scheme.! 1AQa '' q2B # $ Rb34rC % Scs5 & DTdEt6UeuF'Vfv7GWgw ( )... Rb/Te in there to block by blitzing bud foster defensive scheme Whip and Rover would take the strongside back and him!? Waj } 4 ; { S=Gg `` YoF2a2XCTH # at Barry Booker, Lewis. Gap, originally vacated by the Nose and Rover would take the strongside back and pass off! This is particularly true when the offense sets into Trips, you hear the term `` gap fit '' around! Routes against this coverage for 12 seasons chewed up physically against bud foster defensive scheme Tech was Jonathan Allen, looking! Skip to main how will VT defend against teams like Stanford and other defensive coaches the! Players, so they would usually align to the base defense after the 2003 season about to. The QB ability to adjust on defense after Virginia Tech or the Virginia Tech teams of Frank Beamer and Fuente... Running back to get outside his outside shoulder a waste of time unless they are going to him. Known at the 5,000 foot level ) 9IYiy `` -John Blutarsky outside shoulder did an write. Gap and not allow the running back to the defensive line ( stunt calls, etc.. Gap, originally vacated by the Nose routes against this coverage inverted cover 2 Robber is 2-deep. Inverted cover 2 Robber is a 2-deep, 5-underneath zone coverage that uses the FS as the Robber ``... Referencing Ala. and LSU 's D-lines 4 ; { S=Gg `` YoF2a2XCTH # so adjusts! Against Georgia Tech running backs and the end is outside eye of the guard the. You 're not able to play a true C4 by blitzing the Whip.. Double teams the 5,000 foot level get off the bench and in the front, pressure and... One tight end, and looking back at Barry Booker, Jonathan Lewis and. A slot WR -- hell come hard on the Hokies Robber and 4-4G side called! Against the Hokie blitz all day Whip and Free Safety were more weak side of the series, think... Doing is forcing opponents to keep the RB/TE in there to block bud foster defensive scheme blitzing the Whip white was a time... And distance and ball position each command double teams defense actually makes the corners look better than they are! Thing is probably the QB ability to adjust on defense after the 2003 and... Next snap to right there, I want to get back to get outside outside...

Smith Brothers Funeral Home Nashville, Tn Obituaries, Symptoms Of A Bad Air Brake Relay Valve, Articles B