Blocking the Jet Sweep

The Jet sweep is designed to get to the outside (perimeter) of the defense very quickly. This is especially good if you have undersized lineman or not the best blockers in the world.
Its success is dependent on the full speed motion of a wing back and a deceptive 180 degree hand off by the QB. This eludes to our first rule: Timing is everything.
In order to be successful running the jet sweep you'll need to commit to practicing it and using it in a game. You have to build your players confidence in your system.
The Jet sweep attacks the "D Gap", which can be the biggest gap on the field. You need to practice running the play to the wide side and to the short side of the field. Most defenses will expect you to run the Jet toward the wide side of the field. If you can become just as effective running to the short side of the field you will give defenses fits.
I have had several colleagues tell me that the Jet can easily be stopped and that you have to have the fastest guys on your team running the play. Therefore it is not very deceptive even with the alternatives you can run out of it. What I say to them is by having my guy running at full speed he will already be faster than your guy who will be starting the play at a dead stop.
In order to have your team buy into and be successful at running the jet sweep you have to have several guys running the sweep in practice. This way you will have several guys use to running the sweep and have several different people that can run it in a game and out of several different formations. This also helps the fact that even though you have someone who is your primary ball carrier you can now spread the work load out even if the "D" cues on him. Also if god forbid he gets hurt you can have others run the ball effectively.
Now that I have gotten all of the babble out of the way lets talk about the line rules for blocking the jet sweep.
The rules for the lineman are really the simplest. This is nothing new, but I number the defensive players from the outside in. The play side corner is #1 because he is the furthest defender outside. The #2 is the outside LB or the safety, depending on the type of defense being run. The #2 is usually the person the D coordinator is depending on to stop the sweep. The #3 is the inside LB and the #4 is the other safety.
On the snap the offensive lineman will then work their way to the second level, which is the linebacker level. The all step play side gap. If an interior defensive lineman should get in our way then we would block him. Ultimately we are try to get outside leverage on the closest LB. If he is gone, don't chase or worry about him, just turn and wall off any backside pursuit.
The force player is the most important player that has to be accounted for. Usually he is one of the toughest players on the field. If we line up in a slot and run to the slot side we will crack on the force player or even double team the force player. (See diagram below)
When we run the jet the ball carrier will read the tight ends block on the defensive end. If the end fights hard outside than the TE will take him outside and we run inside. If the end fights hard inside we'll have the TE block him inside and we run outside.
We also will pull the play side tackle to help get around on the force player or to pick up the first odd color that would cross his face. If we crack the force than that allows the tackle to pick up a flowing LB or the safety.


In my Next article I shall discuss the QB Handoff and the back routes.

Formations, Formations, Formations

Before I get any further into blocking or running the plays of the 600 series (Jet and Rocket). I would first like to bring up what formations that I run the Jet and Rocket out of.
First of all it is imperative that you have at least one back that is able to move in a jet (full sprint) motion parallel to the LOS (Line of Scrimmage). Or to be able to have a back run the Rocket motion (Full Sprint behind the formation). If you do not have a back on the "wings" it is impossible to run these two types of plays.
You can run the Jet and Rocket out of the right and left formations. Traditional wing-ters would call this 100 or 900 formations. The only problems with that is deception. If you are going to run the Jet with the back one "wing back" than you are pretty much giving away the play to the defense. Your offense has become two dimensional. You are either running the Jet or are running a diver or trap with your Full back. If you Run with a "wing" on either side you are now have three points of attack. The first point could be the Jet back, 2nd point would be the dive back, the third would be the other wing back performing a counter coming back the other direction. (Actually a pass would make 4 points of attack)
I am not saying that running the Jet or Rocket from a right or Left, or one wing back formation would not be effective. They are just a little less deceptive and require more practice and more precise blocking. Deception in the wing-t make defences practice and prepare for even more. I have run the Jet from a single wing formation and dared the defense to stop us.
When starting out I would start practicing running the Jet and Rocket from the RED and BLUE formations. Make sure you work on timing with the QB and running backs. I would perfect this formation before moving on to others only after I have done counters and dive/trap.
These other formations help make teams multifaceted. I would suggest perfecting the plays first in one formation and then move on to another. Do the same thing there than move on to another. There are more formations than this that can be used. This is a good start and help form the basic formations in my playbook. Don't confuse the kids and the coaches with terminology and long names. KISS - Keep it simples, simplify!!!

Here are the different formations that I would run the Jet and Rocket from.

The Jet Sweep

I would first like to wish everyone a very happy new year and wishes for a quick return to the football season. I say a return because college ball is all but over with the bowl games being played today. The NFL is gearing up for the playoffs and our jobs as as high school coaches are taking a little hiatus.

What a better time if the year than to start thinking about the next up and coming season. That is why I am now going to start talking about the jet sweep series or what I like to call the 600 series.

For those of you who are not familiar with the jet(600) series, and a refresher for some others. It is a full sprint motion behind the QB. The QB will turn their back to the LOS (line of scrimmage)and reverse pivoting away from the motion. In some cases the QB could even take a lateral step after the reverse pivot. It all depends on the skill and ability of the QB.

This motion takes a lot of work on timing with the QB and the back moving in motion.That is why it needs to be practiced over and over again.

As soon as the ball carrier receives the ball they should take what I call a bubble step into the backfield. This steps allows for two things to happen. 1) for the back to be able to make a better cut and allow him to make up field movement and 2) allows the back to give the pulling lineman time to get out and make a block.

This motion is most deceptive out of a double wing set which I would call red or blue or a variation of these sets. I discuss these various formations in my playbook.

I would mix the double wing formations in with the traditional wing-t formations. I do this because It isn't very hard for us to make a few adjustments. The blocking is essentially the same but it is even harder for a defense to practice and make a game plan against several different formations. No matter what formation we are in the blocking rules stay the same for the series and play we are running.

Confusing for the defense to cover but not very confusing for us to run. It is actually to our advantage to run the same plays out of several different formations and looks. Heck we will even do trades and shifts. I will get into that after I finish discussing the 600 series.

This jet motion can also be run out of the traditional wing-t look of left or right (100/900 for true wing-t fans)

While at the same time this motion is being made the ball would either be handed off to the back in full sprint motion (jet) or it would be handed off to the full back making a dive. The call would be made in the huddle and the backfield motion would look the same every time.

Here is what the backfield motion should be drawn up to look like.(without the dive back)



Here also is a video of New Palestine running a typical Jet sweep in my system. Pay attention to the pulling lineman.



In my next post I will get into the basic blocking for the jet based on if it is given to the jet back or if it is given to the full back.

Have a happy New year

Coach D

You have to play this game like somebody just hit your mother with a two-by-four. - DAN BIRDWELL

Dennis Creehan New Head Coach at WV Wesleyan

West Virginia Wesleyan has announced the appointment of Dennis W. Creehan as its 21st new head football coach. Prior to joining Wesleyan, Creehan served as the defensive coordinator of the Hamilton Tiger Cats of the Canadian Football League.

“Denny brings with him an endless amount of enthusiasm and a wealth of experience including two successful stints as a Division II head coach,” said Wesleyan Director of Athletics Ken Tyler. “He is a nationally known coach who is both a man of character and discipline. He is excited and ready to take on challenges and is prepared to win now.”

In 1975, Creehan served as offensive coordinator at Carnegie-Mellon University (D-III) before joining the staff at his alma mater, Edinboro University in 1976 as defensive coordinator. In 1979, he took over as head coach, posting a 39-20-1 record in six seasons while capturing league titles in 1982 and 1984.

He left Edinboro for the Canadian Football League in 1985 as a special teams coach with the Edmonton Eskimos, a position he held for two seasons and again in 1991. The Eskimos won the Western Division Championship in 1986. Between stints with the Eskimos, Creehan served two seasons as head coach of San Francisco State (D-II) and three seasons as special teams/linebacker coach at California.

In 1992, he became the head coach at the University of South Dakota where he inherited a one-win program and improved to an 8-3 season in four years. He was named the 1993 North Central Conference Coach of the Year. At South Dakota, he coached future New England Patriots and three-time Super Bowl winner Matt Chatham.

Creehan was also a member of several NCAA Division I staffs including stints at Army, Duke, Rutgers, and Arkansas State. As a defensive coordinator at Rutgers, a special teams coach at Duke, and linebacker coach at California, he coached future NFL players Wesley Robertson (Kansas City Chiefs), Dax Strohmeyer (NY Jets), Ryan Fowler (Tennessee Titans), and Ken Harvey (Phoenix Cardinals). Creehan spent four seasons from 2004-2007 as the associate head coach and defensive coordinator of the Calgary Stampeders installing an innovative 3-4 defensive scheme.

A high school graduate of Bethel Park in Western Pennsylvania, he was inducted into their Hall of Fame in 2000 and was inducted into Edinboro University’s Hall of Fame in 2001. He is the author of five books and several published articles. He and his wife, Linda, have two sons, Kevin and Casey. “Linda and I are delighted to be coming to Wesleyan,” said Creehan. “This is a great situation for our families. I have always enjoyed coaching at institutions with strong academic reputations such as Wesleyan. I am anxious to begin building a coaching staff, meet one-on-one with current players, and begin recruiting student athletes to Wesleyan.”

Creehan plans to focus his recruiting efforts on West Virginia, western Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, and Virginia. “Denny is a bright, articulate, and an innovative coach,” said Terry Shea, current assistant football coach for the St. Louis Rams and former head coach at San Jose State and Rutgers University. “He will be a perfect fit for Wesleyan.”

“Coach Creehan is a first-class coach and gentleman,” added Charlie Taaffe, former head coach of the CFL Hamilton Tiger Cats and Division I-AA Citadel. “He commands respect and is always prepared.”

“Denny is a successful, driven, organized winner,” stated Bruce Baumgartner, current director of athletics at Edinboro University and four-time Olympic wrestling medal winner. Creehan replaces long-time Wesleyan coach

Bill Struble who stepped down after coaching at the United Methodist College for 26 years.

Finally The Jet

Sorry I have been away from the board for so long. I have been devoting all of my time to the football team and what little time I had left went towards helping with the new baby and spending time with my 5 year old.

I can finally start discussing the 600 series. This series is a little different than the others that I have talked about so far. It is different because of a couple of reasons. First of all it is run primarily out of a double wing set. Second it contains the jet motion or the rocket motion.

The Reason why I placed it into its own series was primarily because I found it a little easier for me to keep straight. I could have incorporated the Jet and Rocket motions into the other series but I thought they were getting fairly big already. I wanted to simplify things a little for me and my players.

I guess I should next explain what the motions look like and how I teach them to the kids. First of all both the jet motion and the rocket motions have a lot of timing involved. Especially if the ball is being handed off or if tossed, such as in the rocket.

In my system the Jet motion can be run by any back. Like I have already said it is a motion. The motion is a full sprint across the formation. As soon as the would be ball carrier passes the path of the QB, they need to give a little distance, I call this a "bubble back". The ball carrier than continues towards the edge. This bubble allows the ball carrier to clear any possible penetration at the line and also gives them an opportunity to read blocks and make a cut.

The Rocket motion is also done at a full sprint, however this motion is done behind the formation instead of across the formation, like the jet. The Rocket is a full speed motion where the ball is then tossed infront of the ball carrier. This will then help the ball carrier avoid any penetration and also afford them the opportunity to get to the edge of the formation and make a cut to the open block.

For both of these motions and subsequent plays, there are counters, fakes, reverses, and inside plays that count on misdirection and assignment conflict.

The Jet motion and the Rocket motion must be practiced over and over again in practice to be able to get the timing down between the QB and the ball carrier.

In my next couple of articles I shall discuss the formations that I use to run the jet and rocket in the 600 series. I will also discuss how I call the plays, numbering system, and what the plays will actually look like.

Here are what the Jet and Rocket look like

New Book

I recently was given a football book as a birthday present. The book was/is called Blocking the edges .... for the wing-t and beyond by Wes Elrod. I think it is a pretty good book and has a lot of formations and different plays that pertain to running the wing-t from the double wing.

When I first looked at the book I was intrigued but I was a little confused. I really liked all of the formations in the book and it gave me some good ideas. What I was mostly confused, well thought would hard to understand for players was the play calling.

I understand what he is trying to do but he also call the play by telling the back to the ball and which blocker is blocking the edge or the man.

Don't get me wrong it is a great book and I would recommend it to other coaches in a heart beat, however I believe that things can be simplified and that is what I try to do with my 600 series. I have tried to simplify the formations and the blocking, and the calls to make the jet and rocket series fairly simple to install into an offense.

I will be starting to explain my 600 series over the next several weeks. It has taken me a while because I had the addition to the family, and was trying to get our football team up and running and to be ready for our first game.

Good News we beat/outscored a team that was a class larger than us 38-8 for our first win of the season. They kids played really good with some minor mistakes.

Well keep your eyes pealed for the 600 series, which I will be starting next week.

New Arrival

I have been blessed with the arrival of a new baby girl. She was born yesterday at 3:59pm. This is my second child.

I will be adding more about the 600 series when I get her home and settled in and I have been back to school to deal with the havoc of having a sub take over for me.