Pass Protection Scheme 101 - Part 1

OK, enough with the Christmas wishes and New Year’s Resolutions – back to some nuts and bolts of offense!

Many newer offensive line coaches (and perhaps some veteran ones) ask about different types of pass protection. I’ll go over the four main types on a rather high level and try to explain the base scheme and the pros and cons of each. This week I’ll cover man and scat schemes. Next week will be slide variants.

Man
What it is: Man protection is just that – “You have that guy, and you have that guy.” Generally speaking, the idea is to handle the “four big guys and Mike” (middle linebacker). Your tackles will be manned up against the DE’s, the guards will be manned up against the DT’s and the center would have the Mike if he blitzes. On some teams this is also called “BOB” protection – Big On Big.

Running backs would be responsible in some form or fashion for the OLBs, either by blocking them or by running their routes to draw the OLBs out in coverage.

Pros: This scheme is easy to implement as a coach and easy to understand as a player. Many players, in my experience, prefer this scheme as they don’t have to think very much and just need to handle their guy.

Cons: Although easy to implement on paper, I think it is tougher to execute on the field due to stunts, twists and possible alignment issues. For instance, let’s say you have a 3 technique outside your LG, the Mike is showing blitz head up/inside shade over the LG, and then you have a 1 technique inside your RG. Because the center is responsible for the blitzing Mike, he’s got to set towards him thereby leaving the RG on a serious island with the 1 technique threatening his inside. Are there adjustments you can make? Sure – but then you’re getting away from the simplicity of the scheme, and should just transition over to one of the other schemes I’m going to describe. Otherwise you’ll find yourself with endless adjustments being made and your players will become confused. In my opinion man schemes are best suited for All Star games where there is little practice and no blitzing allowed.

Scat
What it is: “Scat” protection (as far as I can tell, this name originated with Ernie Zampese, the OC for Air Coryell and the Chargers back in the day), mans up the tackles but has the guards and center working in combination with one another. In the book “The Blind Side” author Michael Lewis describes how Bill Walsh neutralized Lawrence Taylor by using a version of the Scat protection.

In a nutshell, versus a 4-3 look, the two guards and the center would take the 2 DT’s and MLB. The center would set towards either a 1-technique alignment or a dominant player, depending on game plan and scouting. If the Mike was showing outside one of the DT’s, then the center would set for the DT and the guard would take the Mike. So it is a 3-man zone. If there were 2 RB’s, then they would take the OLB’s. If there was only one, then the center would have to make a call and “dual read” Mike to Will or Mike to Sam and the RB would take the other OLB.

Versus a 3-4 look, the tackles are still manned up. There would be a 2-man zone between one of the guards and the center, working NG to the designated ILB. The other guard would have a dual read, Mike to Sam or Plug to Will. If one RB, he takes the unaccounted for (by the dual read) OLB. If two RB’s they work outside-in, knowing that one of them will overlap protection with the dual reading guard.

Pros: This is a pretty fundamentally sound protection. It can work with almost any kind of personnel package – 2 RB, 1 TE; 1 RB, 1 TE; 2 RB or 1 RB with no TE. You can account for up to 7 defenders, and throw hot if they all come.

Cons: It can be complex to install, with multiple calls and tags sometimes being necessary to make coordinate the TE and RB blocking responsibilities. There’s a reason that this came from the NFL! I’ve used it successfully at the high school level, and been able to simplify it down to one version in the women’s game, but we only used one personnel package with it.  I’ve never attempted to even install it in the men’s game. There are also some technique issues that need to be taught to the guards/centers in terms of drilling the dual read that are normally second nature for tackles, but more foreign to the interior linemen. But if installed and drilled properly, it is rock-solid schematically! 

That concludes Part 1 of Pass Pro 101 – next week I’ll talk about slide protection and it’s variants. As always, hit me up with any questions!