Prostyle run game vs balanced sets ?

How do you guys deal with balanced sets from a number perspective. My first thought is a trey, trips, unbalanced set.

However I want here from you Iform guys. How do you deal with the 33,42,44 defenses. And the more I think about is 34 normal and 4-3 normal has the same number issues.

Here is the problem I run into. A balanced defense has 5 1/2 on each side. In a typical Iformation you have 6 strong and 5 weak. Now the problem is, this being pro style the QB isn't a threat to run. And since he is under center and just handing the ball off in actual play terms is we have 5 1/2 strong side and 5 back side.

So they now have negated our strong side run with numbers and actually have a 1/2 man advantage backside.

This has really got me a little confused on how to handle it. I mean usually if the team is balance to my formation I would go weak to the field with a pulling lineman or outside zone/ off tackle runs. Now I can't go back side because that have advantage and if I go front side i run into the boundary with no advantage, less space, and more bodies to deal/potentially make a play.

I guess I could take my formation strength to the field and take my chances but I would really like to here your guys take on this.

I'm no pro style guy, but unless I'm missing something don't you have 6 1/2 strong side and 5 1/2 weak side if you don't count the QB? I'm assuming your C is the 1/2 you're talking about so wouldn't you have these numbers for an Iform?
Strong:
C (1/2)
RG
RT
TE
WR2
FB
HB
= 6 1/2

WEAK:
C (1/2)
LG
LT
WR1
FB
HB
=5 1/2

Obviously your HB to going to the side of the ball, so he counts for both strong and weak and I'm assuming that FB is gonna be lead blocking him to either strong or weak (again wherever the ball is going) so he counts for both sides too, right?

You switch to a pass man. It's really that simple. If they are stacking the line, you hit them over the top or underneath depending on the coverages they decide to play.

Against those types of fronts in this game, you must make them respect your passing game enough to not always bring the safety down into the box. It's something that the Prostyle offenses in the NFL and NCAA deal with all the time.

In real life, you're able to do some different things with blocking assignments to negate the advantage (zone blocking scheme and basically allowing the weakside DE come free as you run toward the strong side with the negated numbers advantage, for example) but, sadly, you can't do those types of things in the game effectively.

So, because of your inability to take full advantage of those formation setups with zone blocking schemes and such, you basically have to play the numbers game and force them to play against the pass.

How can you have 6 1/2 and 5 1/2 that = 12 men if I'm not correct

you have realistically 6 strong side and 5 weak(11 men). With everyone who is on the center line being 1/2 player.

If I were running like old Nebraska iform football with the qb as a threat this would not be an issue because I have a 1/2 man advantage strong side(6 to 5 1/2). However, its pro style so the advantage of the qb in the run game is negated and his 1/2 count can essentially be excluded.


I hope I explained it a little better.

Your more than likely correct I just wanted to see if anyone had come up with some creative ways to get this to work. I am a big fan of Wisconsin's offense how without a dual threat qb they are able to still gain numbers advantage by motion and shifts.

I took a look a youtube video of them playing michigan in 2010 trying to figure out how they attack Rich Rod's 335 stack.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-r5qmrcWhew

It looks like they used a balance formation themselves 5 1/2 to each side. They put twins to the field. I think they did this get the free saftey to shade to the twins side making Michigain more like 6 men to the field and 5 to the boundary.

In any case they pulled lineman to weakside for big running yards. All of the big runs on that clip where the same formation and play pretty much.


As far as NCAA goes, beyond going to trips and trey formation to outflank the defense and force them to be unbalanced I think getting balanced yourself and pulling my be good technique.

Also for those wondering what I'm talking about with trey and trips formations. Here's a quote from talking about how Ohio state attacked Michigan's 335 stack.


"Michigan's 3-3-5 (or 5-3), however, is predicated on balancing the front 8 on both sides of the center and then adjusting the secondary accordingly. They could not do that against the tight trips, however, because they could not do so and get 7 men to the formation's strength. Thus, as you can see above, Michigan had to go to a different look against this formation to be structurally sound"


Old but good article
http://buckeyefootballanalysis.blogs...breakdown.html

all of that is good and dandy but twins wont cause a FS to shade... so just use trey and trips and attack with concepts until they go man, then attack the box

edit: wont cause a FS to shade *IN THIS GAME*

yea I get that the FS won't shade in the game but I will try balancing out then pull somelineman.