Each week during the football season USA Football will send out a "Play of the Week" from our Click ‘N Create Playbook to help youth coaches design a winning game-plan. The state-of-the-art playbook allows coaches to draw up plays, print them out and animate them for easy presentations to players and assistant coaches. This week's play is the Red 27 Jet Sweep.
Why it works
The Jet Sweep is a 21st century play and involves getting the ball into the hands of various players with excellent misdirection opportunities coming off of the jet sweep motion. The key elements to the play include seamless execution with the hand off, great fakes, and explosion of the line of scrimmage by the line.
Formation
While the play can be run out of various formations, we use our red formation which employs a single back behind the QB and two wingbacks on each side of the formation.
Blocking
In order for any play to be successful you need to get good run blocking from your offensive line. In this diagram you see we base block along the line of scrimmage where all linemen have the rule of stepping play side and blocking. The key blocks here are executed by the left wingback and the left side tight end. Our ball carrier, the right wingback, will read those two blocks and decide where to best cut up field. The left tackle also has a key block here in cutting off the linebacker from sliding down the line.
Handoff Progression
The wingbacks are set up in two point stances and line up a split away from each tight end, a yard off the ball, and slightly turned toward the football (inside). The full back lines up behind the QB, in a 3 point stance, and his depth should be about 1-2 yards behind the QB. Adjust the depth of the full back based on the timing of the jet handoff, which is followed by a fake dive hand off to that back. The right wing back will come in motion down the line before the ball is snapped. This is shown in the play with a zig- zag line. It is important that the wingbacks line up only a yard off of the ball, so that as they go in motion they are not moving forward. The Jet Sweep requires terrific timing between the Center, Quarterback, Wing Back, and the Full Back. Once the ball is snapped the Quarterback opens up away from the hole (to the right) and executes a quick handoff to the motioning wing back, once the wing back clears the full back comes through for a fake dive handoff. To keep the defense honest this all happens very quickly. Timing this out at full speed in practice is the best way to ensure game time success. If the wing back is past the quarterback before he can execute the handoff, then the quarterback should hand the ball to the fullback on the dive play. It's important to practice that as well, by telling the wing back to go faster and miss the handoff on purpose.
Final Coaching Points
It is important that the ball carrier reads the block of the wing and tight end and cuts up field quickly by getting his shoulders square and accelerating through the hole. Do not allow the ball carrier to string the play out and run into the corner back or sideline.
Click here to print this play.
This week's play courtesy of Liberty Mutual's Responsible Sports Program. Don't forget to nominate a Responsible Coach from your community for a chance to win a $250 gift card from Liberty Mutual.
