With a 2-high safety base set, the Hokies can play a lot of different zone coverages (while still playing man coverage when they want), preventing offenses from dictating match-ups with their personnel groups and formations. . I understand explaining that might as well be another post but it would be facinating stuff. So, they would use multiple tight ends to the strong side, then motion one of those tight ends back to the whip side. A "gap" is an area of space on the field that the defensive player is responsible to "control." The Rover is an OLB who plays more coverage, like a SS. There are two inside linebackers in the 4-4 scheme sometimes known as the Mike and Buck linebackers. In the 4-3-4 base set, the Rover aligns as a defensive back, specifically as one of the two safeties. So something else broke down that lead to Clemson being able to run the ball like they did in the second half. 1. I think they use the same DE rotation as last year, with Wilson and McCray playing every 4th series and Marshall getting some snaps at tackle and end. against Stanford in the OB? Ultimately, we will see Maddy and Derek Hopkins starting, with Marshall coming in for Maddy on most passing downs. The defensive linemen get into the neutral zone, engage their blocker, secures their gap, and sheds the blocking using a "violent hand motion" (rip, swim, push-pull, or 45 technique). Bare minimum is the stalemate. The potential risk is that the movement can allow for gashing big running plays if the players can't control their gap responsibility. He had to use less of the C2R and more Cover 4. 8 Ohio State with schemes used by Defensive Coordinator Bud Foster,. Registered users can participate in the forum, post and vote on comments. 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. Think DeAndre McDaniel. Clemson and Duke are really the only teams I can remember that have attacked Hokie corners and been successful. I think we see the Hokies playing a ton of 4-4G man this year, with next to no pass coverage responsibility by the mike and backer. Love the in-depth analysis. If you can stop the run with six, the whip or backside safety doesn't have to commit so quickly. In obvious passing situations, the Hokies would shift to a base 4-3-4 look by dropping the Whip as the second safety. James Anderson is the only Hokie alumni who is a starter in the front 7 of an NFL team. This "Field G" is mostly what Virginia Tech is in nowadays. Bud Foster used the Bear defense to suffocate the Buckeyes' run game in 2014. If you play C2R, and the opposition sends the outside WRs deep, the CB must go with him, which takes away the deep help for everyone on one side of the defense, so that it basically ends up M2M. The DEs aligned much like they do today with the Stud always to the wide side and the End always to the boundary. I am ready for some football. Likewise, the End, Backer, Boundary Corner, and Rover always align toward the short side of the field. So we have a basic definition for each of the eleven puzzle pieces. - TheFifthFuller. So, every player has to know exactly where to be, exactly what to do, and exactly where to go before running with reckless abandon into a full speed collision. They've only had a few with an NFL frame, and none of them worked out. From the formation, they know the passing strength of the offense and based on that they will slide their respective alignments accordingly (still within the basic alignments defined by ball position). My thought is that the linebackers/DBs adjusted or started sitting back to provide passing support, this slowed pressure at the line, which allowed for easier running. However, if he goes Fieldside, he'd be matched on someone else. They have to have the frame and natural instinct. The pre-snap look is quite often Cover 4 because of this. The adjustment from one set to the other depends on the alignment of the Rover. Am I getting overconfident that we'll be able to better compete with Clemson this year based on the following assumptions: from Clemson beat writer Greg Wallace via Andy Bitter: http://hamptonroads.com/2012/06/ask-another-teams-beat-writer-clemson. This post gave me a good chuckle. If the ball is on the hashmark, Rover goes Field side, WHIP to the boundary. "I think one of the biggest reasons actually was Steeles defense. Against an 8-man front, it was difficult for offenses to establish the run because there was generally one defender unaccounted for in the blocking scheme. 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. 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 Whip responsibilities seem to change as much as the skillsets of the players in the position. BLACKSBURG Bud Foster's defenses have grown accustomed to carrying Virginia Tech's offenses over the years, so an early conversation the longtime Hokies defensive coordinator had with new . One of Techs defensive coaches in the booth communicates the ball position, down/distance and personnel group to the coaches on the sideline. I have read it many times in the past. When Virginia Tech plays Duke on Friday night (7 ET, ESPN/ESPN App), Foster will coach his 282nd game as the Hokies' defensive coordinator. Hokie defensive linemen are required to have a unique ability to sometimes cover gaps that are far from where they line up, while maintaining leverage in order to prevent being knocked backwards by an offensive lineman. Thanks! He retained the terminology and many of the blitz schemes of the Attack Defense, and then moved the rover position back to that of a traditional strong safety. Bud Foster defenses know how to get after the quarterback. Adobe d C Some teams run a 2 gap scheme (which is much more difficult to get players for.) 20102023, Orange and Maroon Media, LLC. *:JZjz ? The Hokies used a base 8-man front the majority of the time. And you can quote me on that shit!" When the TE switches sides, usually the Backer flips spots with MIKE to cover him. And finally, we will take a look at how all of the calls and adjustments for each play are communicated from the coaches to the players. He must maintain gap control on the 6 gap and not allow the running back to get outside his outside shoulder. In other words, without changing the base personnel, it was a scheme that could adjust play to play from a run stopping 8-in-the-box set to a strong pass stopping set with five defensive backs (Whip, Rover, Field Corner, Boundary Corner, Free Safety). The Whip slides over in a defensive back alignment over the inside receiver. While the Hokies were able to win, Collins was a shell of himself until the bowl game after Georgia Tech, and I am convinced that was because he was so beat up. The Rover aligns to the passing strength pre-snap, so hell adjust to the slot WRs most of the time. Smart Football did an excellent write up on the Hokies robber and 4-4G. This plays out when you examine the Hokies players in the NFL. Young guy like Ekanem and Farley, based on film, are perfect fits. Guys like Acree don't fit, and I do not think for a second that the "four defensive end" alignment that we heard about in the spring will be used at any time other than on passing down and distance plays.Guys like Zach McCray and JR Collins, while big enough to play DT in a pinch, are too long to really be effective on those interior stunts (that is one of the reasons that Nick Acree was never a favorite of Charley Wiles.). They just dont have the special players they used to get at those hybrid spots and DE, which they always used to have. 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. How do those pieces fit together and how do they work collectively to form one of college footballs best defenses? Down and distance is fairly obvious. pretty cool to look back on it from time to time. It also put the Whip and Rover in better positions to be successful. 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. For more details about the site, including a list of TechSideline.com staff, see our About page. The players also aligned differently. It wasn't ideal. The offense goes through its gyrations to get a better pre-snap read and the defense adjusts accordingly. Today, a look at some of the pass rush and blitz packages utilized in Bud Foster's Gap Defense As discussed in "A Look Back at the Hokie Wide Tackle Six Defense" , Virginia Tech rose to defensive dominance running an 8-man front which allowed the Hokies to blitz from multiple angles. This is particularly true when the Whip or Rover is aligned on a slot WR -- hell come hard on the blitz pretty often. There are a number of factors that the coaches consider when setting the defense from play to play. It was a pro-style system and designed to work against pro-style offenses, which is precisely what the Hokies system is. In the Michigan game, almost every completion came against the safeties. The architect of Tech's famed Lunch Pail Defense, Foster was the longest continually tenured FBS assistant coach at the same school at the time of his retirement in 2019. . The offensive personnel or personnel group is the makeup of offensive skill positions for any given play. Sounds like fun doesnt it? Worilds was moved to OLB and by the accounts of Steelers insiders, has struggled with the transition to a 3-4 look. Suddenly the gap is open, and the back has a nice hole. If you compare how offensive schemes don't really hurt a recruits ability to make it to the NFL, why should a defensive scheme hurt us too? The offense uses those techniques to get a better read on what the defense may be doing. 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. Because its Even, the Center is totally uncovered. Great write up French! But I don't think we put enough pressure on them either due to match ups on the front line and some weaknesses in coverage, both due to injuries. In the nineties, many teams tried to emulate Frank Beamer and defensive coordinator Bud Foster's scheme, with its premium on defenders stacking the line to either stop the run or scare the offense into abandoning it and apologizing for having considered such a silly idea. Miami has completely destroyed GT the last few years (if i remember correctly), and they do that by blowing up the GT OL at the LOS. In terms of positions, the Stud, Whip, Mike, Field Corner and Free Safety always align toward the wide side of the field. There are a ton of details that are critical for the defense to execute properly. 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. Oh well. He doesn't believe in double-talking players, or as he continually referred to as "fork tonguing" them. Registering for an account is free and easy. Dog Inside Blitz, a common blitz you see from Tech. A student manager then uses the sign board to communicate the personnel group to the players on the field. Combining elements from each scheme is what gives the 4-2-5 its versatility. 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. TSL) is an independent publication that is in no way affiliated with or sponsored by Virginia Tech or the Virginia Tech Athletic Department. I think we played less aggressive which led to Clemson eventually winning. The S must loop hard play-side, crossing the face of the tight end without allowing himself to get his outside shoulder blocked by the tight end. What are the differences between what Tech does and a traditional NFL 4-3?? getting after it down the LOS once it was clear the RB was not going for his gap. The coaches helped by putting him in positions where he could be successful. h_k@vJbR 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. Nekos was pretty average size for a Hokie DE (McCray is the biggest it seems like we have had since Chris Ellis), but neither Brown nor Graves fit the new prototype of NFL type 6'6 265 DE's and 6'4 310 3-4 DE's or 4-3 DT's that we see in the SEC. Antone Exum is moving forward at the snap, and both Exum and Hosley end up making the tackle along with Luther Maddy. 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? [=?_. From what I've heard, a lot of the negative recruiting emphasizes that in Tech's defense a DE or OLB (Whip), for example, isn't a traditional NFL DE or OLB. I heard very little about McCray in the spring. This is especially true for the Whip LB, who no longer drops back as a deep safety in any situation. 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. If NFL type DT's wouldn't fit BF's scheme then what's the use of trying to recruit guys like an Andrew Brown? The end result of this 1st quarter play against UVA features Tyrell Wilson preventing the back from getting to the edge, the nose and tackle slant and fill their gaps, and Jack Tyler flies in on the blitz to make the play. 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. Clemson started to rise after that game, and we started to fall. A terrific example (which of course I cannot find a good video of) is the 2010 interception of Stephen Morris by Jayron Hosley against Miami. Watching film of South Carolina against Clemson, South Carolina absolutely manhandled the Clemson OL, the same OL that manhandled the Hokies in the 2nd half of the ACC CG. 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. The Backer disguises, looking like he is scraping play-side, but in reality, he is filling the interior of the 6 gap. Nuk Hopkins is usually a Boundary-side WR, so he gets the Boundary CB most of the time. It wasn't a great "instinctual play" by Hosley, but a calculated play call and design by Foster. 2) In a one gap 4-3, the DL wants to get up field and make plays. The design of the defense is set up to allow the Mike, Whip, or Stud DE to make the play. BLACKSBURG, Va. Even in retirement, Bud Foster casts a long shadow over the Virginia Tech football program. The Hopkins brothers, Maddy, and looking back at Barry Booker, Jonathan Lewis, and others all sort of fit that mold. Watkins is usually Fieldside. In the seasons that he had great talent, they didn't blitz and stunt as much (the 06 and 07 Hokie defensive highlight films feature much more base defense against the run.). I will touch on this more when I write my column on the secondary play, but I think because Hokies safeties have been victimized in man coverage so much, that Foster is looking at his safeties having less run support responsibility and being better at coverage, hence the change of putting converted corners at safety. At that point, the players on the field know the down/distance and the front, pressure, and coverage calls. The helmets they're wearing are still my favorite VT helmets. MAN. I think I understand the step 45 because I believe I saw an example of that when Urban Meyer was analyzing our DL a few years back. Field G front. Did Jim Harbaugh out scheme us, did we execute poorly, or were we outmanned? Welcome to Bud Foster's Lunch Pail D. This site is dedicated to blue collar, hard nosed defense like those run by Bud Foster during his years as the Defensive Coordinator for the Virginia Tech Hokies. So opposing coaches will tell a kid he'll have a better shot of making it to the NFL if he plays in a "NFL-style" 4-3. The whistle blows, the players un-pile and the cycle starts again. The Gap Defense is grounded in a simple concept. In that case, both Rover and WHIP will show blitzes naturally. It's no secret that Tech uses a lot of "hybrid" type players. Really great stuff. 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. 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. Following Michael Cole's injury, Foster mostly used the old "46" alignment made famous by Buddy Ryan and the Chicago Bears. 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. 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. What about that sign board with numbers like 21 or 11? Period. What VT plays most against pro-style teams is Inverted Cover 2 Robber, but the deep cover guys are the Cornerbacks, not the safeties. A "Bear" front covers both OGs and the Center, making it an Odd front. Each defender essentially has the gap in front of him. I have no expectations that Antoine will start this year coming off that injury coupled with his history of not being as hard a worker. Clemson and Duke are really the only Hokie alumni who is a in... 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