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The East Coast Wing-T Offense
The East Coast Wing-T Offense
Offense
G entlemen, it is indeed a pleasure to
stand before this great convention
and talk to you about some of the things we
size rocks and carefully placed them one
by one into the jar till he could not get
another one in. Then he said to the class,
believe in and do at Ship. “Is it full?”
We have been very fortunate to have Everyone in the class replied loudly,
some outstandingly talented players and a “Yes.”
lot of team-oriented players. He reached under the counter and pro-
As most of you already know talent, duced a jar of small gravel and proceeded
speed and big play ability must be in your to pour some in the jar, shaking it periodi-
players from “The Get Go.” They must cally to let it settle into the spaces between
have those things in order for your teaching the larger rocks. Once again he said, “Is it
of technique, strategy and competitive spir- full?”
it to give them a better than average By this time the class was onto him, and
chance to win. one replied, “Probably not.”
You know as I stand up here in front of “Good”, he replied, and he reached
you, I want to pinch myself to see if this is under the table again and brought out a
really happening. bucket of sand. He started to dump it on
Like many of you, I’ve quietly dreamt of the top of the open jar and it sifted down
addressing this convention on our “Xs” between the spaces left between the rocks
and “Os.” Never really believing I’d actual- and gravel.
ly be here doing it. I think of the great Once again he asked, “Is it full?”
coaches that have stood on the platforms “No”, the class replied.
for so many conventions — The Staggs, Then he grabbed the pitcher of water
Yosts, Blakes, Hayes, Schembechlers, and proceeded to pour water into the jar
Paternos, Wilkinsons, Osbornes and so until it finally overflowed.
on. It is overwhelming. Then he looked at the class and said,
We at Ship run a variation of the “What is the point of this demonstration?”
Delaware Wing-T. In my early coaching One eager beaver raised his hand and
Rocky Rees career, I was very fortunate to be exposed said, “The point is that no matter how full
to the true Delaware offense. When I was a your schedule is, you can always fit some-
Head Coach beginning high school coach in Newark thing more into it.”
Delaware, I had coach Tubby Raymond’s “Wrong”, said the expert. “That is not it
Shippensburg University son, and coach Ed Maley’s son on my at all. The truth that this demonstration
team, and I was exposed to the philosophy teaches us is that you don’t put the big
Shippensburg, Pa. as well as the techniques of the Wing-T. In rocks in first, you’ll never get them in at all.”
later years, I was very fortunate to spend So, I’ll ask you the same question I
quality learning time with Ted Kempski. The asked the team, “What are the big rocks in
roots of our offense are deeply embedded your life?”
in the Delaware Wing-T. Time to be with your loved ones? Your
Over the years, however, we have faith and your relationship with your God?
diverged from the simple belly and buck Your dreams? A worthy cause? Making a
sweep series. Yet we remain true to the difference in your personal corner of this
philosophy of their origins. world? Your team?
Realizing many of you will never use the Whatever they are be sure to recognize
majority of what we will speak of I would and place the big rocks of your life in your
like to share an e-mail I received and jar first and not to fill it with the small stuff
shared with my own team and I believe of life.
everyone could make use of. I used this story because coaching is
One day an expert in time management not just X’s and O’s and all of us must
was lecturing at our school of business. To understand our priorities and needs and
drive home a point, he used a demonstra- find a way to incorporate them into a phi-
tion that his students will not forget. losophy that will keep us grounded and
As he stood in front of the group of high- allow us to attain victory with honor.
powered overachievers he said, “Okay, Now let’s move on to some football. The
time for a quiz.” Wing-T is more than just a formation, it is
Then he reached under the counter and also a philosophy of attack similar to any
produced a large wide-mouth mason jar other well thought-out offense. It tries to
and set it on the table in front of the class. identify a defensive personnel with two
Then he produced about a dozen fist conflicted responsibilities and attack him
Our belly keep pass (play action/cup Diagram 13: Dropback Diagram 16
protection), our dropback, and our sprint
out series all have a base route but
share the same variation combinations,
there is a set of seven variations that
can be used from these three backfield
looks. This gives 21 different looks
which can then be multiplied by several
d i fferent formations and again multiplied
by using several different personnel
groupings. halfback, tight end and flanker. Again, we The other playside receiver runs an
Let’s look at one basic route from all read the flat defender. If he breaks hard to eight-yard flag if he is inside the call man or
three series (Diagrams 11-13). the flat we sit down, if he sits inside we a fly if he is the outside man.
Because we use the same routes from break hard to the flat, if he blitzes we break The inside backside receiver runs a fly
many looks, actions and personnel groups, hot (Diagram 14). and the outside A 15-yard dig across
our quarterback still is limited in his applica- A simple and extremely effective five- (Diagram 15).
tion, but only changes his launch point. step drop was our under and cross play. The The frontside remains the same on a
Probably the most significant help to our called receiver on an under runs a six-yard cross call, but the backside inside and the
pass game came from the five-step pack- read down if he is the outside man — a six- backside outside reverse their assignments
age. We use an option read route to our yard dig in if he is an insider receiver. (Diagram 16).