Michigan Football: Coach’s Corner — Playbook X’s and O’s — Fractured Football — The Rush End Query — Part II
Posted at 5:15am — 8/6/2012
Michigan Football: Coach’s Corner — Playbook X’s and O’s — Fractured Football — The Rush End Query — Part II
Less-
Coach, one of the techniques was a speed rush. It makes perfect sense that a rush end should have a speed rush. Help me out here: what is a speed rush and how can a player become good at speed rush technique?
CoachBt responds:
The speed rush is just what the name suggests. The rush DE will usually widen a touch, put a hand on the ground, put his foot back a bit, and try to literally out run the offensive tackle to the edge. In a perfect world the offensive tackle will not get a hand on the DE. But as we know football is not perfectly predictable, so what sometimes happens is by implementing a speed move the rush DE gets the offensive tackle off balance and is able to use the leverage gained by this to get to the corner or to able to bull or push him back into the quarterback’s lap.
Less-
See, I knew that made perfect sense. The last move I need to know about is the under move. Now the only guess I can make is that a player uses this move against a big tackle, say almost seven feet.
CoachBt responds:
The under move is where the defensive end attempts to beat the offensive lineman across his face; this is what is called underneath. One of the more popular ways to set this move up is for the defensive end to take a step up field to get the offensive tackle to open up his shoulders to the outside; the defensive end turns his feet and then rips his outside arm right through the offensive lineman’s inside shoulder. An under move is usually part of a stunt, blitz, or angle scheme. The classic example is what coaches call a twist, that is, where the DE, rush or strong, comes across the face of the OT and the DT will twist around to the outside. Basically what happens is the defensive linemen will switch gap/pass lane responsibility.
In a blitz situation the DE will again make the under move and one of the linebackers, inside or outside, will then blitz off the edge vacated by the DE making the under move. The angle scheme is similar to the blitz in that the DE will use an under move and the outside linebacker will come off the edge, but in an angle move the defensive tackle will also generally angle. This ties up, or engages, all the offensive linemen to the quick, or open, side by forcing the offensive guard and center to block the defensive tackle while the offensive tackle is attempting to block the DE. This allows the outside linebacker a free path to the QB, or, at worse, a mismatch with a smaller running back trying to handle a bigger, more physical outside linebacker. In the angle move the scheme can easily adjust the edge rusher to use either the cornerback or safety to that side to create a different type of mismatch or to get the QB quicker.
Less-
Are there any other moves I forgot Coach? I think there should be a spin move because the Tasmanian Devil would make the best rush end ever and when he gets mad he spins.
CoachBt responds:
I can see why your Dad is More Ron and you are Less Ron. The Tasmanian Devil was old school and collected too many personal fouls, besides he was a linebacker not an end.
Less-
Last thing, Coach. – I see folks always talking about who will be a nice rush end for Michigan. What do you think?
CoachBt responds:
This is the toughest question of the lot Less Ron. As regular readers of GBMWolverine already know we maintain the elite level rush DE/ edge rusher is #1 on our recruiting wish list. We do think that Frank Clark and Jack Ryan have some of the skills necessary to be successful but both also have flaws. They lack ideal height and wingspan. We also think Taco Charlton shows some potential ability in this area, but he is a bit raw and inexperienced for us to get too gushy about. But that may change.
Less-
I can’t thank you enough Coach. We are sure lucky to have you around these parts. Go Blue.
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Written by GBMWolverine Staff
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