Nothing we do is new. It was either borrowed or recycled from other coaches over the years. Cedar Grove High School has been running the Jet Sweep since 1999. It has been a very good play for us over the years. However, as defenses have become more adept at defending the jet sweep, we have found that complementary plays we run off jet sweep action have been very effective.
The first play is our “Gut” play, which is an excellent play if the defensive linemen follow pulling guards (See Diagram 1).
We like to run this play to a one-technique defender. The beauty of this play is we block it the same way we block the jet sweep. We pull the play-side guard and block the edge with the play-side tackle. Everyone else reaches and continues upfield. The ball is snapped behind the quarterback, who fakes jet and hands the ball off to the fullback who looks for daylight between the play-side center and guard gap. The quarterback then fakes a waggle away.
The next play is our “Back” play (See Diagram 2) to a three-technique away from the jet motion.
We like to run this play when we feel the defense is overplaying linebackers to stop the jet sweep. The blocking rules are trap (post and lead with guard trap). The ball is snapped behind the center similar to the Gut play. This time we run the fullback away from the motion behind a trap block. The quarterback, again, will fake waggle. The coaching point to remember with any of our double team blocks is that it can turn into a combo block depending on the reaction of the defense.
These two plays have been very effective for us because of the overplay to stop our sweep. The Down Play has been our best play as far as off tackle plays go. It is run like the jet motion and is a quick hitting play with a guard trap at the point of attack (See Diagram 3).
The rest of the line’s rule is reach, area, go upfield. The ball is once again snapped behind the quarterback, who then will reverse pivot flat and hand the ball to the fullback who’s aiming point is inside the leg of the tight end. The quarterback will then fake our down pass which will be discussed later.
Another play that has been very effective is the Tackle Trap. This is basically the Delaware Play 34 Counter. It is blocked the same way we block the ‘Back’ play except we now pull the tackle rather than the guard. The ball is snapped when the motion man gets behind the QB. He then reverse pivots and ball fakes to the fullback and then gives an inside handoff to the halfback away from the motion. The quarterback will then fake down pass and attack the flank (See Diagram 4).
There are more running plays we use to complement our jet sweep but the four that I have mentioned are the ones we use the most. It also should be noted that our backs must carry out their fakes in order for misdirection to work.
Our play-action passes off jet sweep have also been very good over the years. In addition to waggle which is in every Wing-T coach’s playbook, we also use play action which is used to complement our down play. We run two variations of the play. There are two plays we use off our Down play we call “Out” (See Diagram 5)
and “FB” (See Diagram 6).
They can be run to both the tight end / wing flank and also the wide receiver/slot flank. The offensive line blocks pass reach to the call side. The backfield action is down. It is important that the quarterback throws on the run for both of these plays. The pass routes are as follows: WB or FB arrow route (on the line of scrimmage); #1 play side 10 yard out; #2 plays side 12 to 14 yard flag; and #1 backside is a skinny post.
These play-action passes work extremely well on first down as well as second down with short yardage.
Another play I would like to talk about is our lead play out of shotgun. We use shotgun in our Wing-T attack about twenty five percent of the time. Although this is mostly a passing formation, we will run jet sweep. We started using lead two years ago, and it has been a very good play for us. The blocking is cross-block at the point of attack with reach blocking on the backside. The fullback will cheat up and lead the wingback through the point of attack (See Diagram 7).
This play also gives you an opportunity of a cutback, especially if the defense is flying to jet motion.
A successful play-action pass we use is Jet Pass. Once again the line blocks pass reach just like Down Pass. Backfield action is jet. The difference here is the quarterback will drop straight back after the fakes (Diagram 8). The routes are; play side #1 & #2 run verticals. If they cannot beat the defender they will pull up at 14 yards. The backside #1 pattern is an 8 yard drag.
These are some of the plays that have made our program successful over the years. The other part of our secret formula is having hard-working players and a dedicated staff that puts our student-athletes first. I hope this article helps your football program.
About the Author: Ed Sadloch begins his 31st year as a head football coach this fall. This will be his 20th season as head coach at Cedar Grove (NJ) High School. His teams have won 14 conference championships and three sectional state championships. Sadloch’s overall record is 209-86-6. He serves on the executive board of the New Jersey Football Coaches Association and the Essex County Football Coaches Association.