Sweep Action to Enhance the Inside Running Game

The jet sweep and other types of receiver sweeps are nothing new to offenses. They have been around for years and fit into many different offensive systems. The focus in offensive football lately has mostly been on using the jet sweep with a running quarterback. This certainly is a great mode for operating an offense, but the reality is that some coaches just are not comfortable running their passer or the passer does not have the ability to be an effective inside runner. This post will focus on using sweep motion with the running back or tailback still being the primary runner on the inside runs and the complementary play-action that goes along with it.

The key component for this is finding a sweeper who can present a legitimate threat on the perimeter. The player we use to accomplish this task was a running back in high school that had the speed and hands to become a slot receiver for us. At the high school level, the players typically used in my offense were second or third team running backs that also had legitimate skills as a receiver.

Whoever fulfills this role must be able to get the ball on the perimeter with speed, yet have the vision and patience necessary to let his blocks develop and find the running lanes voided by a defense that now must handle threats inside and on the perimeter.

The jet or fly sweep – sweep fake first followed by inside running game footwork.

Depending at where you are in the country, the motion used is called jet or fly motion. The idea is that the sweeper is at full speed by the time the ball is snapped, and the quarterback, who is responsible for the timing, snaps it exactly at the right time so the mesh occurs immediately after he receives the snap. Under center is easier to calibrate with the quarterback snapping the ball when the sweeper is at the leg of the tackle. The quarterback is then taught to open to the sweeper, give or fake, and execute the remaining footwork of the inside run behind the sweep.

The sweep can be blocked in a number of different ways. The offensive line can stretch block in that direction attempting to reach a defender on their outside. A pin and pull scheme can also be used, or it can be a naked run with or without a lead blocker. Each type has its benefits. The stretch blocked sweep provides a way to get a hat on a hat and let the sweeper pick the alley; however, as a defense adjusts to the speed of the play, it can have the tendency to string out towards the sideline.

Pin and pull allows the offensive line to use angles to block down if uncovered, and pull if covered. Both stop the pursuit of the interior defenders and put blockers out in front of the sweeper. For this to be effective, the sweeper must have the patience to stay behind his pullers and let his blocks develop.

The “naked” run gives the appearance of an inside run to the defenders in the box because the line executes whatever inside run scheme is tied to it. The sweeper is out on the edge either alone or with one lead blocker. This mode provides a very clean edge but relies on mixing in sweeps and inside runs that force defenders to play disciplined in their areas so that the chase to the perimeter is minimal. If defenders are staying home on the inside run, the sweeper can be very effective alone in space if he can make a defender miss.

From the gun the challenge becomes calibrating the speed of the receiver in motion with the speed of the shotgun snap. Time should be spent every week working on this calibration in practice. We normally devote a few minutes to this pre-practice or in a five minute period we call run timing. The set-up of the drill is diagrammed below. Whether under center or gun, this is something every team should practice if they are using this series.

Alternative ball handling – the shovel sweep

West Virginia has an effective series off of a fly motion shovel sweep in which the ball is quickly pitched to the sweeper after the quarterback touches it on the snap. Statistically, this actually counts as a pass because the ball travels forward in the air. Video of that series can be seen below.

Orbit motion – sweep fake happens after the inside run.

Another way to keep safeties from flying down into the box to stop the inside run is to execute a sweep or fake immediately after the inside run. This is accomplished by motioning a sweeper in towards the tackle or aligning him one yard by one yard off of a tackle or tight end. On the snap of the ball, the sweeper runs on a path that puts him at the original alignment of the tailback before the snap. While this can be done from a stagnant alignment in a tight slot, the effect of him beginning on that path signals perimeter defenders, linebackers, and safeties that they need to stay home, effectively keeping the defense spread out and preventing them from quickly converging on the inside run.

The orbit sweep is shown below.

Tying the sweep to inside runs

The final component in this series is to tie in the inside runs to the perimeter sweep. Any inside run can be executed with the sweep fake either before or after it. We have used power, counter, inside zone, outside zone, and trap as inside runs along with our sweep motion. From a wildcat set, we have even had a naked sweep to the motion man attacking one perimeter with a pin and pull attacking the other perimeter. This was based on a read of the end on the side the sweeper was going to.

Video of our orbit and fly inside runs is shown below.

Orbit Power

Orbit Counter

Fly Power

Fly Counter

Fly Zone

The sweep component added to any inside run game is an effective way to keep defenders out of the box while providing a great way to get the ball out on the perimeter. For an offense purely committed to the run, when coordinated with a naked opposite of the sweep, it allows you to spread the field and use all 53 1/3 yards.

When considering adding a sweep component to your offense:

1.Analyze your past season. Where were defenses loading up on your inside run game, and determine how you can attack one edge with the sweep and the other with the naked away? What inside schemes are you running that can be enhanced with a sweeper presenting a threat on the perimeter?

2.Identify your sweepers. They must have skill as running backs and be able to make sharp cuts up into running lanes. Speed on the perimeter is the benefit, but skill as a running back is most important.

3.Decide on your sweep blocking scheme. Will you reach this with stretch blocking, getting blockers out in front with pin and pull, or rely on a fast runner naked in space?

4.Calibrate the timing of your inside runs with the motion. Determine if you want to use a motion that has the fake/give to the sweeper before or after the inside run game execution. Either can accomplish the purpose of holding the perimeter defenders and safeties. Consideration should be given to what type of sweep you want to run.

5.Set up your game plan and eyes in the press box so that you know exactly how they are defending you. If there is a rotation to the sweep, then counters and nakeds away from the sweeper can be effective. If they are playing your inside run heavily, then it is time to get the ball on the perimeter with sweeps and nakeds.

Hopefully, this provides you with some ideas to evolve and enhance your offense. Additional information that relates to this topic both from an offensive and defensive perspective can be found in American Football Monthly and Gridiron Strategies archives, the largest archive of football knowledge available.

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