The "money" play in 2010

[StatTiger 3,188]

One of the primary keys to success in 2010 will be the execution of the zone read play for the Auburn offense. When you consider the options from this play, it will certainly be one of the base plays in Malzahn’s offensive menu. The following variation of the play, gives the Auburn offense multiple options, making the play much more difficult to defend.

The play…

  Right before the snap, the WR lined up to the right will come into motion over the top of the backfield. This forces the DB on that side to motion with the WR, away from the wide side of the field (one less defender). It also forces the backside of the defense to honor the possible end-around play with the WR motioning over the top. At the snap, the QB fakes the inside give to the RB, which freezes the LB’s (red circle in photo #2). The defense must play the inside run first and that split –second pause allows the QB to sprint out of the pocket. During this same moment, the FB slips out into the flat, giving the QB a passing option as he sprints out of the pocket. Keep in mind, a second pass option can be added to this play with a WR or TE running a drag route deeper down field or in this case, deeper in the end zone. On this play, the QB rolls out, allowing the FB to extend his route horizontally, which allows the QB to cut back inside on a “keeper”.

From the backfield (same play)…

  With Cameron Newton’s athletic ability, this play should be extremely difficult for opposing defenses to cover. We will see different variations of this play, including deep vertical routes by a WR, especially when opposing defenses put extra defenders in the box with single coverage on the WR’s. All it takes is one defender out of position to create a big play or impact play for the Auburn offense. Another comforting thought is the athletic ability of all the Auburn QB’s, who can stretch this play to the max and the variety of skill players, who can go the distance under the right circumstance.

  Think about  T-Zach, Carr, Stallworth or Reed coming in motion over the top and the damage they can cause on the end-around. The defense must always respect Fannin, Dyer and McCalebb on the inside run. Past those two options, the defense must now defend Newton sprinting out of the pocket with Adams running a deep route and Smith, Lutzenkirchen or Phillips running a pass-route out in the flat. I believe 2010 will be one exciting year for the Auburn offense.

[AUinEM 0]

No disrespect STAT but this is not a money play at all.All this play does is give the QB a pass or run option.

[StatTiger 3,188]

No disrespect STAT but this is not a money play at all.All this play does is give the QB a pass or run option.

Open your eyes my friend...

1) End Around over the top to the motioning WR

2) Inside give to the RB

3) QB play-action with sprint-out

4) Pass options to the FB in the flat, a drag route with a TE or a deep vertical pass.

5) QB keeps the ball and run.

  Again, the play illustrated is inside the redzone. I'm speaking of all the variations from this play from just about anywhere on the field.

[AUinEM 0]

Man your going way to much into detail. Gus uses this play to make the D respect the reverse. if they dont he will call the reverse over and over. it opens up the passing game to. but in the end with cam newton now running the show all this is pointless because the O is going to look so different next year.

[smuphy72wde 0]

Man your going way to much into detail. Gus uses this play to make the D respect the reverse. if they dont he will call the reverse over and over. it opens up the passing game to. but in the end with cam newton now running the show all this is pointless because the O is going to look so different next year.

That was last years offense holmes.  This year I fully expect to see the Zone Read become the bread and butter of our offense with Cam back there. 

[peck4au 0]

I also believe our 3rd and 4th receivers will be more prevalent this yr. because Newton can scramble and find them where as Todd usually only had two reads before getting rid of the ball.

[walker77 0]

With an athletic, strong, fast QB (which we haven't had in a long time) and with explosive skill position players, this play is a defensive coordinators nightmare...

= Puts extreme pressure on the defense...both mentally and physically...1-mistake probably means 6-points

If I was the OC I'd call it over and over, and utilize every option, until the D proved they could stop it...

In my opinion, we will see this a lot....Tulsa ran this repeatedly in the bowl game in CGM's last game there...Gus's pattern...

[aurules16 0]

Stat have u ever considered becoming a football coach? You seem to know a lot about plays as well as stats!

[AUFan1 0]

Man your going way to much into detail. Gus uses this play to make the D respect the reverse. if they dont he will call the reverse over and over. it opens up the passing game to. but in the end with cam newton now running the show all this is pointless because the O is going to look so different next year.

I have to disagree with you.. This play/ formation is the corner stone of our offense. CGM's offense is all about mismatches.. It starts here and opens up the whole playbook.. It's not used just to make the defense respect the reverse. It is the basis of setting up future plays... To think that we are just gonna toss out the current O because Cam is qb is ridiculous. Cam just adds one more wrinkle or aspect, and that is a dangerous athletic mobile qb.

[AU Counsel 64]

No one play is the cornerstone of our offense, and this isn't that difficult to defend if you recognize it.  We run so much reverse motion that this year it shouldn't surprise SEC defenses.  The zone read is problematic for a defense when you cover the wide-outs man to man and have to get to the QB before one of your DB's gets beat.  A defense will respond by playing zone and by keying in on the reverse.  As a defense, you check off (1) from the short side of the field (reverse), then (2) back across the middle (inside run), then to the other side of the line (QB keeper)...Drop two DB's with the streaking wide receiver and then if your linebackers do their job, you contain this play.  Designed roll-outs are always somewhat limited.  This play works when the defense screws up.  Or if the wrong defense is called and T-Zach or a speedster is left covered 1 on 1.  We'll see a lot of this set, in part because we'll run the ball alot out of it.

[guerra aguila 0]

No disrespect STAT but this is not a money play at all.All this play does is give the QB a pass or run option.

Open your eyes my friend...

1) End Around over the top to the motioning WR

2) Inside give to the RB

3) QB play-action with sprint-out

4) Pass options to the FB in the flat, a drag route with a TE or a deep vertical pass.

5) QB keeps the ball and run.

  Again, the play illustrated is inside the redzone. I'm speaking of all the variations from this play from just about anywhere on the field.

Excellent points!

[AUFan1 0]

No one play is the cornerstone of our offense, and this isn't that difficult to defend if you recognize it.  We run so much reverse motion that this year it shouldn't surprise SEC defenses.  The zone read is problematic for a defense when you cover the wide-outs man to man and have to get to the QB before one of your DB's gets beat.  A defense will respond by playing zone and by keying in on the reverse.  As a defense, you check off (1) from the short side of the field (reverse), then (2) back across the middle (inside run), then to the other side of the line (QB keeper)...Drop two DB's with the streaking wide receiver and then if your linebackers do their job, you contain this play.  Designed roll-outs are always somewhat limited.  This play works when the defense screws up.  Or if the wrong defense is called and T-Zach or a speedster is left covered 1 on 1.  We'll see a lot of this set, in part because we'll run the ball alot out of it.

Not bashing you, but you don't seem to understand what a cornerstone is...It's where you start, it's where you build around. You spent how ever many sentences explaining how to defend this, and how to contain it, and then finished it off with it only works if the defense screws up.....

Hello?? Why do you think we have so many options on this play? Why do we have receivers running the end around set up?? Answer: To get defenders out of position so they will screw up..When you don't know where the ball is going, you make mistakes on defense. You get out of position, and create seams....

You also proved my point (cornerstone) by saying, we will see a lot of it because we run out of it too.. Also to the naysayers of Stat's post, I think you are failing to realize this is "ONE" particular play out of this particular set. You can run lots of plays out of this set. Also, this same exact play can be run out of multiple formations, with multiple options.

[walker77 0]

No one play is the cornerstone of our offense, and this isn't that difficult to defend if you recognize it.  We run so much reverse motion that this year it shouldn't surprise SEC defenses.  The zone read is problematic for a defense when you cover the wide-outs man to man and have to get to the QB before one of your DB's gets beat.  A defense will respond by playing zone and by keying in on the reverse.  As a defense, you check off (1) from the short side of the field (reverse), then (2) back across the middle (inside run), then to the other side of the line (QB keeper)...Drop two DB's with the streaking wide receiver and then if your linebackers do their job, you contain this play.  Designed roll-outs are always somewhat limited.  This play works when the defense screws up.  Or if the wrong defense is called and T-Zach or a speedster is left covered 1 on 1.  We'll see a lot of this set, in part because we'll run the ball alot out of it.

Unless I am mistaken, most every offensive play is predicated upon this...

[DJ_Hatch 0]

Dang I had NO IDEA we had SO many brilliant coaches here!  Nice job Stat!!  Pay NO attention to the idiots that are trying to pretend like they know more than you do. I've NEVER seen anyone (outside of a few college coaches I know  ) who understands the ins and outs of playcalling like you do! Keep up the GREAT work, my friend! We are VERY lucky to have you here!

[StatTiger 3,188]

No one play is the cornerstone of our offense, and this isn't that difficult to defend if you recognize it.  We run so much reverse motion that this year it shouldn't surprise SEC defenses.  The zone read is problematic for a defense when you cover the wide-outs man to man and have to get to the QB before one of your DB's gets beat.  A defense will respond by playing zone and by keying in on the reverse.  As a defense, you check off (1) from the short side of the field (reverse), then (2) back across the middle (inside run), then to the other side of the line (QB keeper)...Drop two DB's with the streaking wide receiver and then if your linebackers do their job, you contain this play.  Designed roll-outs are always somewhat limited.  This play works when the defense screws up.  Or if the wrong defense is called and T-Zach or a speedster is left covered 1 on 1.  We'll see a lot of this set, in part because we'll run the ball alot out of it.

Most big plays on offense surface because the defense was caught out of position or there was a busted assignment. Josh Bynes shed light on what it is actually like to defend Malzahn's offense. He stated the tempo is the first thing that causes problems. Most of the time there is time for a presnap read, allowing the defense to adjust. With the no huddle and rapid tempo, the defense often loses that advantage. After a few plays, the defense has trouble simply lining up. There were times in practice, Coach Chizik would slow things down to give the defense an opportunity to just get set, which won't happen during an actual game unless a time out is called. Bynes then stated that once fatigue sets in, you begin to guess instead of think because everything is going so fast. This is when mental mistakes began to occur and physical blunders too. This is why you hear Malzahn wanting to make the pace faster than 2009. We saw glimpses of this against Tennessee but Malzahn wants to see it happen more frequently in 2010. I agree with your comments about defending the zone read. If you have to really good corners, it's much easier to defend this play but most defenses won't have two "lockdown" corners. Often, the blocking schemes by the OL will dictate the "true" point of attack. In short, it's not just the play itself and the many options from it. It's also the tempo of the plays and the level of speed they are executed. As I stated, it only takes on mistake by the defense to bust one of the options wide open. Don't forget, Malzahn is really good at reading tendancies by a specific player on defense. Once he pegs one, he will often make a very slight adjustment to take advantage of this specific player reacting in the same manner everytime. Like I said, it won't work everytime but it will work more often than not and you will see a lot of big plays from it.

[Rednilla 5,449]

Excellent breakdown Stat. People can harp on how easy this play is to defend all they want, but with so many moving parts and so many options, it's simply too easy for a single defensive blunder to turn into a big gain, and with a big, athletic QB like Newton, even if the defense plays it perfectly, he is liable to pull it down and run over somebody to create his own running room.

If things come together, this could be one heck of a scary offense.

[AU Counsel 64]

Brilliant analysis by DJ_Hatch who refers to people as "idiots" who disagree with him, Stat or whoever.   I expected better than that from a Mod.  Good site and good boards, but if there is no room for discussion and debate, there is no reason to have boards for us to just respond “great!” to every posting.

I like a lot of Stat's posts, and appreciate the time he spends on them and the entertainment I obtain from reading them.  But I see nothing in his diagramming of basic plays that would prevent anyone who has played, coached or who even simply understands football from disagreeing.

The zone read works best against teams who do not know how to defend the spread.  As the spread has finally taken route in the SEC, coordinators have adapted.  I’m still all for the spread, especially for the breakneck pace offense we will be running.  And the zone read will still continue to be a useful play, but I don’t consider it the cornerstone play/money play.  It is one of a handful though along with the sweep, counter, trap and a couple of other play, form the basis of our running game.   We run all of these plays with multiple fakes, motion and options. The issue with this zone read is that by including a designed roll-out, you leave out most of the receivers as viable options in the play.  In Stat's variation, except for that reverse option at the start of the play, the short side of the field is left out of this play as an option.  Which is why one lockdown corner instead of two may be all that is needed….

In the other running plays, the play action fakes still tend to leave the whole field open for the passing game.  Which is why I like the other plays I mentioned better.  Regardless, I agree with everything Stat says about tempo, not giving defenses time to adjust, etc.  Now as for defending it the zone read...

1. Switching the assignments of the defensive end and outside linebacker is pretty effective (especially if the H-back is sent out to the flat instead of left in to block the linebacker).  This is called a scrape exchange...the defensive end crashes in on the running back, ignoring his typical assignment of rushing the QB.  The QB rolls out thinking he is out of the woods but the outside linebacker has taken over the defensive end's role, and scrapes over the top coming for the QB.  If the QB forgoes the reverse and inside run, then the throw is forced to the H-back, not the best player to go one on one from behind the line of scrimmage against a safety.  However, Malzahn often has a bubble screen set up on his zone read plays to help the H-Back  in the flat with blocking.  

2. Some teams are defending the spread by switching to 3 man fronts and/or running more nickel packages.  Alabama is a good example of this.  With an extra DB on the field, they are better positioned to defend the spread, in part by playing in zone or a mixture of zone and man coverage.  It is not an absolute answer, but with the zone read, the deep threat and the man coverage issue is not as much of a problem if a defense is in nickel coverage.

Regardless, some people here go into convulsions if anyone voices even the slightest disagreement with some statement of Auburn grandeur.  It is silly to do so.  We have a coaching staff that, except for Taylor and Chizik, has not won at the highest levels.  We have little talent or depth in our upper classes.  We are in year 2 of implementing a complicated offense.  The SEC is the toughest conference by far.  Yet half the people here talk about going undefeated.

We may only be a significant underdog by odds makers in the Bama game, if you look at our schedule.  Despite our challenges, we have an up and coming staff that has proven quickly to excel in recruiting, and we have a lot of talent in our freshman class, and enough across the other classes to be dangerous.  If we catch a few breaks, we could win out, though I think 9 to 10 wins is what we are most likely to achieve.

[Rednilla 5,449]

Brilliant analysis by DJ_Hatch who refers to people as "idiots" who disagree with him, Stat or whoever.   I expected better than that from a Mod.  Good site and good boards, but if there is no room for discussion and debate, there is no reason to have boards for us to just respond “great!” to every posting.

I like a lot of Stat's posts, and appreciate the time he spends on them and the entertainment I obtain from reading them.  But I see nothing in his diagramming of basic plays that would prevent anyone who has played, coached or who even simply understands football from disagreeing.

The zone read works best against teams who do not know how to defend the spread.  As the spread has finally taken route in the SEC, coordinators have adapted.  I’m still all for the spread, especially for the breakneck pace offense we will be running.  And the zone read will still continue to be a useful play, but I don’t consider it the cornerstone play/money play.  It is one of a handful though along with the sweep, counter, trap and a couple of other play, form the basis of our running game.   We run all of these plays with multiple fakes, motion and options. The issue with this zone read is that by including a designed roll-out, you leave out most of the receivers as viable options in the play.  In Stat's variation, except for that reverse option at the start of the play, the short side of the field is left out of this play as an option.  Which is why one lockdown corner instead of two may be all that is needed….

In the other running plays, the play action fakes still tend to leave the whole field open for the passing game.  Which is why I like the other plays I mentioned better.  Regardless, I agree with everything Stat says about tempo, not giving defenses time to adjust, etc.  Now as for defending it the zone read...

1. Switching the assignments of the defensive end and outside linebacker is pretty effective (especially if the H-back is sent out to the flat instead of left in to block the linebacker).  This is called a scrape exchange...the defensive end crashes in on the running back, ignoring his typical assignment of rushing the QB.  The QB rolls out thinking he is out of the woods but the outside linebacker has taken over the defensive end's role, and scrapes over the top coming for the QB.  If the QB forgoes the reverse and inside run, then the throw is forced to the H-back, not the best player to go one on one from behind the line of scrimmage against a safety.  However, Malzahn often has a bubble screen set up on his zone read plays to help the H-Back  in the flat with blocking.  

2. Some teams are defending the spread by switching to 3 man fronts and/or running more nickel packages.  Alabama is a good example of this.  With an extra DB on the field, they are better positioned to defend the spread, in part by playing in zone or a mixture of zone and man coverage.  It is not an absolute answer, but with the zone read, the deep threat and the man coverage issue is not as much of a problem if a defense is in nickel coverage.

Regardless, some people here go into convulsions if anyone voices even the slightest disagreement with some statement of Auburn grandeur.  It is silly to do so.  We have a coaching staff that, except for Taylor and Chizik, has not won at the highest levels.  We have little talent or depth in our upper classes.  We are in year 2 of implementing a complicated offense.  The SEC is the toughest conference by far.  Yet half the people here talk about going undefeated.

We may only be a significant underdog by odds makers in the Bama game, if you look at our schedule.  Despite our challenges, we have an up and coming staff that has proven quickly to excel in recruiting, and we have a lot of talent in our freshman class, and enough across the other classes to be dangerous.  If we catch a few breaks, we could win out, though I think 9 to 10 wins is what we are most likely to achieve.

It's not hard to mold receiver routes to move with the QB on a roll out. This is known as a flood pattern. And while you do make good points about defending the zone read, there is a lot more than simply a zone read going on during this play. All it takes is one mistake by the defense to turn into a big play, and Malzahn has a proven niche for finding player weaknesses and forcing mistakes by playing to those weaknesses.

As for the little talent or depth in the upper classes, do me a favor and go back to look at the rank of this year's senior class on both major recruiting websites. It consists predominately of the 07 recruiting class, but has some redshirts from 06 as well. Both were in the top 10 according to rivals and scout. There are 22 seniors on this team, and none of them are exactly shabby players. As a matter of fact, I don't think anyone on scholarship at Auburn is really that bad; last year we were more a victim of numbers than anything else.

By the way, last year's offense, with a lead footed QB and only two receivers stepping up, was 16th in the nation. And that's in the FIRST year of a complicated offense. Is it really such a leap to think that it could be better?

As for going undefeated, no, I don't think that will happen. I do, however, think we have a good shot to go into T-town controlling our own destiny in the West. Is that so unrealistic?

[AU Counsel 64]

Whether we flood the wide side of the field, run a clear out for speedy receiver, or something else, the zone read is a perfectly fine play.  I'm not knocking the play.  I just disagree that it is the money play or the basis of our offense.  And on most of our running plays, there is a lot going on, whether it is jet motion, orbit motion, a shift, fake handoffs, or some combination thereof.  We don't run many simple running plays.  The keys to Malzahn's offense are the tempo, the resulting lack of preparation/substitution time for the defense, the mismatches created, and the constant shifts and motion.  The defense doesnt have to blow coverage or make a gross error...a simple misunderstanding of who has the ball combined with the defense getting beat one on one matchups can be enough.  I don't think there is much disagreement in most of what I said.

As for rankings, we were 10 in 2006, 7 in 2007, 20 in 2008 and 19 in 2009 (all as per Rivals) before the #4 finish last year.  Seven 4 star players from that 07 class never made it or have since departed.  The same can be said for five 4 stars and one 5 star from the 06 class, not counting graduation.  Tub's best classes contained too many highly ranked players on signing day who never made in through a season at Auburn.  Chizik experienced similar luck with Rollison and Aycock.  I've yet to hear anyone else try to make an argument that our senior class is some top tier class of talent.  Ziemba, Fannin, Zachary, Bynes, Stevens, and some of the others are excellent or at least solid players.  But it think it is difficult to argue against the proposition that Chizik & Co. are significantly upgrading our talent level.

As for last year’s offense, Fannin functioned often as a receiver and was very effective in that role.  Can we control our own destiny in the West?  Of course we can.  We get Arkansas, LSU and Georgia at home.  I think the MSU, Clemson and South Carolina games will show pretty clearly where we are headed, because we will get to assess (1) if our defense has the depth and ability to contain the opposition and force turnovers, (2) if Fannin can be the featured back and replicate what Tate did (I say a big yes here), and (3) if Cam has the game management skills and grasp of the playbook needed to be equal to or an upgrade over Chris Todd.  If the answers to those questions are yes, then I think our offense will be superior to what Petrino has with Mallet, and our defense will be good enough to improve to the level of talent we begin to face by the week of the Arkansas game.  Again, we have a great schedule.  I’m very excited about the season ahead.

[The SandMntTiger 9]

[StatTiger 3,188]

  This is a guess on my part but I believe AU Counsel misinterpreted my comments on the play. I never said the “zone-read” was the cornerstone of Malzahn’s offense. That is how he interpreted what I wrote and his usage of the word, “cornerstone”. My exact words were…

“One of the primary keys to success in 2010 will be the execution of the zone read play for the Auburn offense. When you consider the options from this play, it will certainly be one of the base plays in Malzahn’s offensive menu.”

  I stated it would be one of the base plays in his offense and I stand by that comment based on the frequency, we ran a variation of it in 2009. Though it’s true Malzahn utilizes motion, shifting and deception in other plays, I selected this particular play based on the variety of options (skill players) that can be featured. Not all of his plays will have as many designed options, especially when it comes to the quarterback having an option to run (not adlibbing).

  I agree this play or any other play for that matter is not perfect, which obviously means it can be defended. My point was that it should be more successful than not as it will force the opposing defense to play disciplined football and when they don’t, it could be payoff big for the Auburn offense. Thus… my comment of it being a “money” play.

  For the record, I'm no guru or expect when it comes to football but I have a strong interest and passion for Auburn football.

[AU Counsel 64]

AU Fan 1 in this thread called in the cornerstone, not Stat.  It is a good play.  Much better this year because Cam is actually a running quarterback, and a behomoth at that.  FWIW, my favorite running play, ever since high school and especially in our offense is the counter.  I think the jet sweep will be another one we do well with this year.

[DJ_Hatch 0]

No disrespect STAT but this is not a money play at all.All this play does is give the QB a pass or run option.

Man your going way to much into detail. Gus uses this play to make the D respect the reverse. if they dont he will call the reverse over and over. it opens up the passing game to. but in the end with cam newton now running the show all this is pointless because the O is going to look so different next year.

No one play is the cornerstone of our offense, and this isn't that difficult to defend if you recognize it.

THESE^^^ were the types of disparaging comments that provoked my response! Was it harsh? Ok... sure! I'll admit I can be a bit quick-triggered at times, ESPECIALLY when it comes to defended my colleagues on here, who put in their VALUABLE time to bring us the sort of UNMATCHED coverage of AU football that they do! The fact of the matter is that I read Stat's post and enjoyed it, as usual. Then, the very first response I read, along with a few subsequent posts, seemed to be more-so efforts to "correct" Stat and to show how incorrect his analysis was, than any sort of "debate". Therefore, I said what I did, and I apologize for being so austere.

Also, I NEVER said that there aren't others here, who have a VAST knowledge of not only AU football, but football in general! I would be the "idiot" if, in fact, that is what I believed! Quite the contrary, it is the fact that we DO have so MANY knowledgable members here that is one of the reasons that makes our site SO great! I, for one, not only ENCOURAGE debate (when it's done properly), I enjoy partaking in it on occasion!

Again, I will apologize for my stern response, but I do NOT regret my reasonings for doing so! Also, FTR, I do NOT see any evidence to believe that anyone in THIS thread is an "idiot", so I recant that comment, and apologize for making it.

P.s. Stat... YOU DA' MAN!!!  And, SandMntTiger... c'mon, man! You know I love you! 

[The SandMntTiger 9]

After sleeping on it overnight, I realized I myself was wrong in my response and therefore recinded my post. To a man, I realized a better way to handle my a problem would have been through a PM instead of posting it on the board for all to see. For that I appologize.

I would also like to add that in noway did I consider DJ's post a true indication of what he does for the board. I've been a member here long enough (and a lurker even longer) to have a pretty good idea of what each member is about and DJHatch is gold. My response was based on shock (from who I consider one of the best posters here, Mr. DJHatch) more than anything else. Again I appologize for posting my response for all to see instead of being a man about it and PM ing DJ about my concern.

Finally let me add, Stat your wrong. Your sir ARE A GURU and me as well as me others on here can't express enough gratitude for the fine work you do and (what has got to be) the long hours you put into it. DJ, I can't begin to describe the embarrasement of how I responded. You are one of the most valued members here and the hard work and effort you put into making this place what it is certainly appreciated. I know you spend alot of time and effort into the recruiting bios and they are 2nd to none. As I said you (and Mr. Stat) are some of the KEY cogs to making this site what it is. Which is the best Football Site on the web period!

[Rickys Rants 0]

The key to making our offense effective is the QB being able to read the defense, check us into the correct play, and execute the play properly with some plays (like this one) giving the QB multiple options/decisions to make during the play.  While I think we all agree that Cam has the physical abilities to be a great QB, his success/failure running the 'Gus Bus' will be determined by his decision making before and during the play........just my $0.02