Still A Place For A Physical Goal Line Offense
There was a day that when an offense got inside the two yard line it was automatic that there would be some beef trotting in off of the offensive team’s sideline. The offense was going to get into some type of 23 or 32 personnel formation and attempt to impose their will on the defense for one or two yards.
We saw a hybrid version of it last week when Colorado brought a defensive lineman in against TCU. They ran a downhill lead play that walked in against the Horn Frogs. They still did not protect the edges but the downhill premise was the same.
Click On The Picture To See Colorado’s Goal Line Offense Play Vs TCU
So you still see some of this type of power football but not nearly as much. Many goal line offenses will stay in their normal personnel and let it ride. This is even if it is a spread offense that doesn’t match up nearly as well with the shortened eleven or twelve yard vertical field you are playing on in this area.
There is some merit to this. After all, it is one less thing to work on. Also this defensive advantage is only an advantage if the defense takes advantage of it right? Many defensive coordinators do not understand how to expose a short edge on a formation. Good Defensive Coordinators will create ways to have an unblocked defender hit your ball carrier in the backfield.
Your Goal Line Offense Is Not Necessarily The Place To Get Cute
A few years ago the Miami Dolphins thought that running the read option on the one yard line was a good idea out of a 2×2 formation against the Chicago Bears for an almost certain win. The Dolphins will tell you that their execution caused what was a catastrophic error and fumble that was recovered by the Bears.
Deep inside though, they were kicking themselves. They knew they should not do that in the NFL on the one yard line. Especially with the game on the line. Fortunately for them, they ended up winning but the lesson had to be learned. They would have been better off getting in a youth football style formation.
This Simple Youth FootBall Defensive Adjustment Could Have Stoped This
Back to our original thought and point. If you have blocking tight ends or extra offensive linemen, there can still be a place for 32 personnel. This also means a traditional goal line offense. This will give you the ability to protect the edges. You can also take a secure snap one yard from the goal line not five yards away in the gun. You will attack the defense downhill for the one or two yards you need.
All 32 personnel goal line runs are not created equally however. Today FirstDown PlayBook takes you through some of the thought process on this. Things that you should possibly consider as you attack either a 6-2 goal line or a 5-3 goal line defense.
