by Robert McAdams

EDITORS NOTE: This is the last of a series of five articles, graciously contributed to us by Coach and Self-Published Author Robert McAdams. The articles are actual excerpts from his books that he prepared especially for us, and we’re pleased that we have been able to introduce our readers to Coach McAdams ideas and his work. We encourage those with further interest in one or more of the articles to Click here to visit Coach McAdams web site to learn more about the books he offers.

The Double Wing Power & Counter Running Game

26/47 Power

This is the base play of the Double Wing. It is the play that convinced Hugh Wyatt that this offense was for him. It is the base play of the offense that caused landslide victories for Don Markham en-route to his national scoring record in Bloomington, CA. This play is the one that forces the defense to bend, change, and react. Without this play, the other plays have problems developing.

The different coaches who use the Double Wing Offense block this play differently. Most coaches are either Wyatt (mentored) or Markham/Valloton (mentored). The base rules are Gap/On/Down (M/V) or Gap/On/Area (W) regardless. I think there are pros and cons of either blocking call, but I opt for the Gap/On/Down call.

This play features the Gap/On/Down (double) for the entire play-side line with multiple (G-T) pullers and TE shoeshine on the back-side. The center always has a “momma” rule (man-on, man-away) block. The fullback runs a “banana” route to kick out the defensive end, and the wingback seals the linebacker. The back-side wingback motions either deep (shuffle) or flat (sprint). The quarterback either pivots all the way into the hole while pitching the ball en-route to the corner block, or he opens to flat motion and hands en-route to bootleg fake. The 5-2 defense is the base blocking call. In other words, against a 5-2, we shouldn’t need a blocking check call.

“Window”

There are a few assignment changes that happen when problem defenses occur. One problem defense is the 4-4. With prior blocking rules, the 7-tech (inside shade of TE) would get man-blocked down by the TE, and the wingback would go to linebacker. I’ve seen this as a serious weakness due to 7-tech’s that could build a wall shallow and then attack inside leg of puller or fullback. This causes a serious dilemma. My current head coach tried to fix this by doubling the 7-tech with our TE and tackle, but this left a small guard to man a large 2-tech (head up on guard). Obviously, that was not a very good deal for us. By making the “window” (wing down) call you force the 7-tech to get moved while forcing the 2-tech out of there also with 2 play-side double teams.

Click here to read the rest of this article in PDF format

This article is an excerpt from the book, The Double Wing Football Offense: How to Consistently Move the Chains & Score without Superior Athletes and/or Size, by Robert McAdams.

Coach McAdams has played football at the Junior High, High School, Amateur-Marine Corps, and College levels. He graduated from the Marine Corps Boot Camp where he played for the runner up 1st Marine Regiment Bulldogs in 1996 and later coached the 1st Marines to an All-Pendleton Championship over the 2-time defending Champion 11th Marines, finished his duty in the Marine Corps Infantry.

During his college years, he played Division III football, competed in Olympic Weightlifting, and researched strength and power training. He has played on a Championship Team in the Marine Corps as a Linebacker and Fullback and coached 7 different football teams, including a number of Championship Teams. Coach McAdams is very familiar with “unorthodox” offensive and defensive strategies from extensive research and experience. He has been a head coach, coordinated both sides of the ball, and heavily researched how to compete without great athletes.

In addition to his football coaching experience, Coach McAdams has 15 years of experience in weight training . He competed in Olympic weightlifting in the 85k, 94k, and 105k weight classes over his 5 year career and was invited to the 2004 Olympic Trials for weightlifting.

Coach McAdams has a Masters degree in Kinesiology from Midwestern State University where he served as an intern coach and competitive weightlifter for the Wichita Falls Weightlifting Club – a perennial power in the Olympic weightlifting world. His Masters thesis covered the topic of strength and power training for optimal results.

Click here to visit Coach McAdams web site at www.robertwmcadams.com