My favorite run play-Counter

Since I started watching football in the mid 80s I became enamored with the counter series that was made famous by "the Hogs" in Washington.  I fell in love with with it because it was a violent play, it was simple in its execution, and it always seems to go for positive yardage.

When I started coaching high school football Da Coach Mo showed me how to run it out of the spread sets and the rest as they say is history.  It is no secret that all the teams I have coached or am currently coaching run this play and do so with a fair amount of success.

I thought I would place a couple of diagrams for you, the reader to view at your leisure when you are determining if you would like to add this play to your offensive arsenal.

 Here is an example of how we would run the counter series against the 30 stack defense.
The center and the RG would double the zero tech to the backside stack backer
The RT would down block to the Mike LBER
The LG would kick out DE
The LT wraps up to the the stack lber over the RT

Obviously this all changes if they opposing team is slanting and or blitzing gaps.
The coaching point on the counter series is everyone has a gap on the frontside and the guard kicks out the first defender off the backside of the tackle

The RB takes a jab step and crosses QBs face running inside the kick out of the guard
The qb holds ball out for the RB and carries out the fake on the backside of the play
The backside slot runs a bubble to influence the defender over them.

 The rules on the counter against a 4-1 box
In this scenario the LT and LG combo to the Mike backer
The center blocks back on the nearest adjacent defender
The RG Kicks Out and the RT wraps up to the olber
The action in the backfield is the same as the above example
Remember the front side of the play is gap responsibility and the RB needs to follow the path of the wrapping offensive tackle.

The rules for running the counter are the same as the 4-1 box except the wrapping tackle wraps up to the frontside backer.

Important coaching point on the counter series
The frontside has a gap not a man
If someone is in your gap you have to take them on the frontside
The guard is always kicking out the first person that shows outside of the playside tackle

In order to run this play successfully, you will have to spend a fair amount of time on working on combo blocks and then working to the 2nd level defender.  If you take the time to teach it and work it on a regular and consistent basis you will see the positive effects I have throughout the years.

If you would like to how we run throughout the seasons please click this link to watch my team run it.

Chicago Force Replay

If you would like to see how to implement it into your no huddle check out my manual on Amazon.com.