George Teague Breaks Down Clips from the Alabama Spring Game

The conversation focuses on analyzing specific plays from a football game. The hosts discuss offensive and defensive strategies, player assignments, and execution. They highlight the use of split back formations, push crack blocking, and misdirection plays. The hosts also point out defensive mistakes and the importance of gap discipline. Overall, the conversation provides insights into the intricacies of football strategy and the challenges faced by players and coaches.

Chapters

00:00 Analyzing Split Back Formations
07:03 The Effectiveness of Push Crack Blocking
10:07 The Importance of Defensive Gap Discipline
14:36 Defending Against Misdirection Plays

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Transcript

George Teague (00:04.558)
So the first thing I think this is actually the very first play of the game. Yeah. The reason why I chose this because we didn't see a lot of two back guns split back in the past. You remember much of no, no, no, no, not like this. This is actually at least offensively. I thought this was great. Yes. So let's kind of particular. So let's kind of talk through a little bit. Okay. So we used to call this.

I can't remember what we called it. It was a Queens set. I'm thinking of the pros, meaning there's no tidy in three wide receivers, two running backs. Okay, so it creates matchups and depending on who your running backs are, you got to figure out if he's going to be in the slot or something else. So think of to me, if you're thinking about pros, think of like San Francisco, you know, having.

McCaffrey back there with another another running back because they can actually put McCaffrey out wide or if you had a Reggie Bush or even if you had a Jamar Jamar Gibbs, right and another running back that can go out there and line up. So that's that's one thing the defense JT. This is what we thought we were kind of going to see right for to your safety is kind of condensed at the bottom. Yeah.

You got a safety walk down, which we actually this we actually do this a lot. We don't show it like this all the time, but we do. We as in JP to. Yes, we do this a lot because there's no there's no second receiver out here. There's not a lot of space. And you're actually kind of worried about exactly what happens right here. I don't think we particularly did a good job defensively. I didn't really look at what the linebackers were doing. I was really more concerned.

about this receiver and how good of a job he ends up doing. I don't know if I'm going to give him credit to say that it was actually a push crack. I think it was man over here and Xavier Brown just went with him and he wouldn't just crack the safety. But the results are the same time time time time. Just because I need for you to break that down. I know what you're talking about when you talk about push crack. You probably want to explain that for.

George Teague (02:25.71)
People that don't know yeah, so talking about a push crack is a way for a receiver to essentially block two people and In this case, he doesn't have to do that because one of the backs out of the backfield is actually gonna lead block But a push crack kind of looks like this you're gonna push the corner to get him to To give him to back up. Yes, but also the kind of

lull him into having to cover you and you're going to run a slant basically to this safety. So you the idea is that you're going to have this corner cover you on the slant while you're actually going to go block this safety right here. And that's kind of what ends up happening. Even though, like I said, when we watch it, it doesn't actually look like he pushes and then cracks. It looks like he just goes right here right now.

And it might be because of man coverage that David Brown ends up running with him But like I said the results the same you get the corner over here and the safety over here and Then the back is able to just lead block on this on the corner

and you get you get this very good explanation and one of the things I'll say that that you do have to be concerned with what you'll see a little bit later on one of our other places because that when you have condensed splits by those wide receivers, they actually run a route over to the other side of the field. So I don't know if you call it an over route or a crossing route, but you know where they're heading.

Diagonally across the field trying to get 12 yards deep on the other other hash. Yep, something like that. So the corner does have to cover that. Okay. Yeah. Well, you got to play on this a little bit. I don't know what order it is, but it's on here because that yes, that's what I'm saying. It happens. That's exactly what happens. So the corner has to play honest and you just can't let him go and pretend that it's or like he knows that it's run unless he's actually looking at the lineman. All right, so we're going to let this play go.

George Teague (04:40.206)
There's a lot involved in it. Let's look at the offensive side first. All right. You good with that, JT? And the design of this because you got a lead blocker. as you said, with the tail back at the bottom. Now this will get interesting. Get key. Please keep it right there because all the linemen are blocking back except the guard who pulls. So JT, I need for you to kind of talk to me about that a little bit because this is a read.

Maybe I don't know, you know, is this an outside run? Or is this what is where it gets confusing? You know, is it a trap with the other running back or is it a possibility that Melrose could pull the ball and file? I will the puller. I don't know. So if you're saying if you're asking me if there's a possibility that, Milro can

pull this and then follow the puller that would make it more like Veer, right? And I don't think so. I don't think that.

George Teague (05:54.062)
This doesn't I don't know his eyes look like like Milro's helmet looks like a beer. I just I just don't I don't see it here. But it could be because I mean the ball ends up hitting outside and I'm trying to remember what we what this guy actually does well because I don't think that he spills the the puller. What's the guy? He the he does it. He squeezed down. He doesn't even get blocked.

Yeah, I think he just kind of like boxes the puller and like if they wanted to they could just kick him out and then I think they're reading. I think they're reading him. That's what we'll let the folks say. It looks like they're reading him and the pullers coming around for the backer.

George Teague (06:39.15)
And that it's gonna be an outside run. That's what I think.

Which is a very well designed play on the offensive side. It's definitely there's no RPOP. All the wide receivers are blocking. So they're gonna hand it off. All right.

So I like the designer to play is the main thing. It is a little bit different type of run scheme than we've seen in the past from Alabama. It is confusing. Confusing is probably not the right word. You got to be really sound with this because this type of running game can't well that's what exactly we're talking about already block two. Yeah, he's able to block two and then once he comes off there's a there's another blocker coming that actually accounts for.

for both of these guys. And if you're reading the end, which I have to agree, probably right, because they didn't touch him. And it's not like he didn't see him, you know, right? So he's going up to the linebacker. So yeah, you read this guy, you don't have to block him. You have the extra guy on the corner. He steps down probably a little bit too far, and then you're able to get outside.

Because your left tackle also goes up for the other backer. That's why I think, I mean, if he pulled it, everybody's blocked in the box other than the in a man on line of screamers. He's out too wide. The crease. Like if you wanted to keep it right there. Yes. Cause they're all, they're all good. So I think that's pretty good from the offensive side. So.

George Teague (08:24.814)
Let's flip hats to the defensive side because I know we got to be pretty quick here since we're supposed to have Charlie He's already in here. He's backstage. he's checking out what we're talking about. He's getting his learn on a little bit Okay, so from a defensive side, I mean, what do you do? I mean the only thing you can ask for better is what you said the crack replace maybe or Yeah, I mean the crack replace has to be a bit better. I mean depending on

Like what his actual assignment is in coverage. Like this is he's out of there too far. I know right. He's already 17 yards off the ball and I would be saying hey look like we're this guy's in a bind because he's going to be wrong. Like if he takes the back the quarterback's keeping it and going underneath if he plays the quarterback he's getting flanked outside. So.

You need the extra man in the box and he happens to be almost out of the frame.

and you've got a hat on a hat. So we really.

George Teague (09:38.286)
Who knows what office that is? Sometimes you win. So yeah, I mean, you either got to win. You got to win a one on one, which yeah, you can always do better than do better at that winning your one on one, getting off a blocks, making a tackle. Right. But. You you're always trying to scheme to try to get plus one in the box, and they got plus one because they pulled a guy, they pulled a guy from one side of the field to the other side of the field. So they have their plus one.

this guy's not going to be able to help you. So your plus one needs to needs to get down here and he can't because he's so far away. Okay. Last little piece great hit by Malachi. It was a safety at that point. He laid the world on it. All right. So let's go back go back because this is the one probably if there's any reason that for us to.

go over a little bit and not show all the film is that this one is just so intriguing to me. We talked about this when we were breaking down the boys film while he was in Washington. And we also maybe did you talk about this with Ryan Fowler last week with the what's actually called vanilla and base? Yeah, we did. Yeah, I did. Because I was saying much like matter of fact, I give you my little anecdote.

Right? This is day three of spring. Right? So we're going through our vanilla stuff where we're just starting to handle motions and Granado comes out today and a double tight end set. And it's like, dude, like we're we're just trying to figure out how to get lined up and everybody's like, well, what am I supposed to do? We both can't get in sevens and like, yeah, you can't. But here we go going through run period with these weird formations.

and now you got a D 'Bor doing the same thing with one, two, three, four receivers on one side with.

George Teague (11:54.99)
an eligible tackle, which I don't know the college rules. He may not actually be eligible. But you got four receivers on one side, back the strong side. Right now, this guy is not eligible because he's on the ball.

George Teague (12:12.334)
Okay. So when you're looking at defense, you're already kind of go, they're not really lined up right in my mind. just because of you've got the three and the five over here and you got two extra gaps. Yeah. You got to, to open gaps. You got two bubbles on the same side. This is not good. Nope. Nope. So I don't know. but anyway, so here, so they started out with this and I first saw this, I immediately said this to Ryan. I was like, did you see that?

That's what I'm saying. Our eyesight is a little bit different than what other people looking at because I saw this one that actually happened. What's happened? Then they shift the running back over to the right side of the quarterback.

And move the tight end so we can show this when JT gets blank.

for the shift so you can actually see what just happened. So now they're back in a regular normal offensive set. Yeah, and then they shift out and now they're going the wrong way. Yes, they shift. You were fine. You were fine. Well, I don't know. I think they're shifting to a shade five nine. Or is that a corner down here? No, that's a corner. yeah, that's not right.

Anyway, yeah, I think so you.

George Teague (13:38.67)
Well, maybe it's not. I don't know who's seven, eight, nine, ten. There's a guy. There's a guy right here behind your head. yeah. I get rid of us.

George Teague (13:53.326)
Easy DB. Yeah. Okay. So anyway, the thing that was intriguing to me is one that they ran this already in spring football. You know, were they doing this for our defense? Were they doing this? So people have to study and see this because they know every opponent is actually kind of watching this like we are, you know, all right. You know what they're doing in spring football. So,

The main thing is you got to be able to get lined up right on defense because I could have snapped it from the other way too, right? All right, let the play go so we can see what actually happened. goodness.

It is basically the same dog on play JT that we just saw a minute ago with the whole line of smoke and mirrors. It is. It is the same play. Just the dude standing over here as a receiver. Now, now what is what's interesting to me though is.

the false read by the line because the ball is not going where like if you're telling your linebackers, hey, you got to read flow, right and you get well, we talked about fast flow slow flow with mixed flow. It's like it's fast flow left, but the ball ain't going that way.

So what he's talking about is those all the is ready. So all the linemen are going left. You still got the puller going the other way. I mean, it's identical from a defensive standpoint, kinda right. Or I don't know in my eyes. The play that we just showed before. Yeah, the offensive play other than the tidy and being. Yeah, it's it's close. It's the same play.

George Teague (15:38.062)
you just instead of having a guy standing out here, he's right here now. And instead of a back right here, he's over here and you still get the same.

George Teague (15:51.054)
Action.

Yes. So what would be interesting, what I wish I could sit in on a meeting or something and see how he actually calls this kind of stuff is it almost ended up being the same. Cause you got two shifts and emotion, but the play is actually exactly the same essentially, you know, so the lineman know they're doing the same stuff. Now he was getting ready to trap that in.

And maybe that's because it's a...

I don't know. It doesn't matter. It's the right read by the quarterback. Give it and. And let him go and they ran this a couple times out of different things. So I thought this was a great play. I think it's difficult on defense. Your defensive coordinator. Now it just seems like that's going to be hard to try to teach guys how to be sound. Yeah, we had, we played a team that kind of did that at least ran a similar play. If that, except they had a shoot, they had a heavy, heavy tendency.

Basically, anytime that dude went in motion, they were giving him the ball. So thankfully, I didn't have to think that hard. It was just like, look, if he goes in motion, we're checking the coverage and you're going to become defensive end and just hit that dude. He's getting the ball. I think they ran it of all the plays that we had. They ran it. They ran it 25 times. They ran the motion 25 times and 24 of them. They hand the ball off.

George Teague (17:15.374)
and only one time do they fake it and try to throw it over your head. So I was like, yeah, we're just gonna, we're gonna tackle that dude whether he has the ball or not. But at this level.

They know those tendencies that's happening, you know. It's gonna be a little bit tougher to defend. All right, well, let's try to get another one in for.

George Teague (17:40.366)
Yes, this is the pass. So from play one, right? Your push crack. And we were talking about him running across the field like this.

George Teague (19:38.99)
No, no comments on that. I think maybe folks lost your audio there for a minute because I took us on the screen. My fault, but we're back.

My fault. Yeah, that's okay. You were you were giving Milro praise. I heard you at least so. Okay. Yeah, I'll just say there's a great throw by Miro in the intermediate screen if you are throw if you missed that last year, we talked about him not being able to throw the 1015 18 yard pass accurately. That was an accurate throw right in that window, which would be different from last year. I think that was a great statement.

Made by him that not only can I throw the deep ball but I can get this one into that was the only point I was trying to make About that Okay, so which one you want to talk about before we get Charlie in? I think we can get these two pretty quickly. All right so this one I think I think we saw this at different times right because I was over at your house and You you asked me?

So I'm sitting on the floor playing with the kids and you sit in the couch looking at the film and you said who is number zero and when you said that this is this is the exact play that was in my head and I was like, I'm not sure who it is, but I don't know where he was going and for the first half of the game. It looked a lot like this a lot of times. The second half a little bit better, but.

For the life of me, I still don't understand why he crosses. Why he crosses over the formation and even passes his linebacker here. Yes, because the read should he should be stepping right?

George Teague (21:38.926)
In that in the hole right there. I mean, I think that's what you Yeah, I'm saying. Yeah, I'm saying he should be closing this window right here. And you know, there are going to be some people that say, well, there's a there's a gap right here. Well, that's what this dude's here for. Or in the big gap. Or you probably got somebody coming in right here. Yes. And but that's also I'll go to just a higher level that maybe if you go back, it's go back. Where is 96 shaded on this tackle?

See, so he ends up getting out of, he's actually in the ABC gap. So he actually gets reached on a big gap. So when you watch, he actually ends up in the C. yeah. He, yeah. Well, he goes out. He took a, he took a, he took a bad step. So he's supposed to be in that gap. 28 should be in the A gap and zero should be in the other.

Yes. And this is what happens when you vacate your gap. Look how big this is. yeah. Now he gone. So that's a, that's a mental error, right? I mean, those kinds of mistakes you really can't make at this level. I know he's a hell of a player, right? But that, I mean, right now,

That's that's our categorizer as a coach. I would be saying that's a lack of trust in your guys because now he actually jumps essentially into the backside B gap on the front side a gap to the backside B gap. If we're going to be very technical because he's on the other side of the guard now, who's kind of cutting him that he ends up he essentially blocks himself. Yeah, that can't happen.

We can't allow that. So we're talking about what does the defense have to work on and this kind of stuff. These are the things that they're going to have to be trying to fix. Any off season. All right. I know you got another play. Yeah. Last one. This was one that I was kind of like happy for a second. I was like, look at that. We got some, we got some pretty good DB play. It was still a good play at the end. You know, I don't want to, I don't want to take that away from him.

George Teague (24:02.094)
But then when they showed the replay I was like, so he did just kind of get like toasted inside though. So we're actually going to get just like this seam route by the tight end and he's actually going to stem Drake, who practice junior outside and there's no safety help since there's no zero. There's no help in the middle of the field. This this can't happen.

Which we did predict a lot of this, by the way, if you watch the film that we were saying, you're going to get a lot of cover zero down at a red zone by Wal -Mac. And it did show up. And so you can't you cannot be outside where he is. He's a full man outside and he is not even turned. Yeah, well, yeah, he's he's a full man outside. He's not turned. He doesn't get his hands on him. If this ball is thrown on time, this is the easiest pitching catch touchdown.

that you can throw right in the middle of the field just. You didn't have to throw it at the receiver using the throw it like somewhere in the end zone. It's a world where because this.

There's so much grass out here.

Well, you say a lot of grass, but there really wasn't a lot of grass on our field. Did you see that damn thing? That thing is horrible, man. I don't know. John O gave me the scoop on what was happening. I'm hearing we're getting new grass, new sod put in and should look a whole lot better. But man, it wasn't in good shape to be on the ESPN game. Okay, so this ball is on time and or in the middle of the field like it's supposed to be.

George Teague (25:47.854)
This is a touchdown and not an interception. It is a great recovery, all that kind of stuff, but good hands. Good hands. Good hands. But let me tell you when I don't know, Arch Manning or or what's the kid's name? Quinn Ewers is out there throwing a ball that's going. That's a touchdown every time.

George Teague (26:17.71)
you