章 17: A Tactical Breakdown
Anticipation, strategy, and trap-setting.
This was the chess match that took place before every play.
Blocking, intercepting, coordinating.
This was the battle that erupted the moment the play began.
Gradually, Lance was beginning to appreciate the deeper layers of football's allure. In this turn-based sport, there was time to regroup and re-strategize after each phase of attack and defense. It meant that each play required careful planning, and sometimes, strategies for different downs could be entirely distinct.
No wonder Burns had said:
"Football demands physicality and confrontation, but without understanding the nuances, you'll never become an exceptional player, let alone a legend."
So, Lance began to observe, to analyze. Play by play, he tried to deconstruct the game, developing his own understanding of football's structure.
As a running back—a member of the offensive team—Lance naturally started by focusing on the offensive group.
In an offensive team, there are eleven players, divided into three main parts.
The first part: the quarterback.
The quarterback is the field general, receiving plays from the coach via a helmet headset. The QB then relays the strategy to the team.
The quarterback isn't just executing plays, choosing whether to pass the ball or hand it off to the running back; they're also reading the defense. Top-tier QBs can decipher the opposing defense within three to five seconds and adjust the play accordingly to secure a successful advance.
The second part: the offensive line.
This is a "wall" made up of five players. The player in the center is the center, flanked by two guards on either side (left and right), with two tackles further out on the edges (left and right).
Their job? Stop the defensive players from breaking through, giving the quarterback time to execute the play. The performance of the offensive line determines how much time and space the quarterback has to think and adjust.
This protective formation around the quarterback is called the "pocket," and it gives rise to two types of quarterbacks:
Pocket quarterbacks: These traditional QBs stay within the pocket, using their brains to control the field, with passing as their weapon of choice.Mobile quarterbacks: The new breed of QBs, who aren't afraid to leave the pocket, using their legs to create opportunities—either by passing or running the ball themselves.
The third part: wide receivers, tight ends, and running backs.
Typically, there are three wide receivers, one tight end, and one running back. However, this can vary—sometimes there might be two tight ends or two running backs, depending on the tactical needs of the team.
The running back: Responsible for running the ball. This is the ground-based offensive approach, complementing the air game of passing.The wide receivers and tight ends: These players catch the ball. Though both positions are pass-catchers, they differ slightly.
Wide receivers are faster and more agile, usually targeted for long passes (deep strikes). Tight ends, on the other hand, are bulkier and slower, primarily used for short passes and close-quarter combat, relying on strength to push forward after the catch.
Of course, these are just general tendencies. Different tactics and player strengths can always lead to surprises.
How a team finds space within conventional strategies and breaks away from predictable patterns to create unexpected moments is another form of tactical genius.
Take the recent play, for example.
In seven-on-seven football, there are only three offensive linemen and two receivers, which means the pocket is more unstable, and the offensive line faces immense pressure.
So, Hurts and Jacobs used a deception play—Jacobs didn't run the ball as a running back would normally do but instead filled in as an offensive lineman, plugging a gap in the pocket to give Hurts time to make a pass.
Ultimately, Hurts completed the pass.
That kind of strategy fascinated Lance, as it cleverly used a misdirection within the typical framework. For a rookie like Lance, it was a fresh experience.
Lance approached Clark. "Fifth string—was that play something they came up with on the spot, or is it a standard team strategy?"
Clark, too excited to notice the "fifth string" label, eagerly explained, "It's a common tactic called a play-action pass. You fake the handoff like it's going to be a run but actually pass the ball. The running back has to act as a blocker to help protect the quarterback."
Lance realized something important: as a running back, he would need to do more than just run the ball. He'd have to block, protect, and even help intercept defenders.
Thinking further, Lance asked, "So, is there a reverse? A play-action where you fake a pass and then run the ball?"
Clark beamed, "Exactly! How did you know?"
To Lance, it seemed pretty obvious. "In those kinds of plays, do other players help clear a path for the running back?"
Clark nodded, "Usually, after deciding the running route, the tackle on that side moves to block, and the tight end assists. The tight end becomes a sort of bulldozer, pushing forward while the running back follows, waiting for an opening to break through."
Ah, that made sense.
The tight end in short-pass situations not only catches the ball but also blocks and protects.
This idea of a "short-pass zone" was also something new Lance had just learned.
Depending on how far the quarterback throws the ball, anything under 10 yards is considered the short-pass zone, where quick, short plays are key. The area from 10 to 20 yards is the mid-pass zone, where tactics and teamwork shine. And anything beyond 20 yards? That's the deep-pass zone, where long throws often depend more on individual talent, both from the quarterback and the receiver.
In the NFL, there are quarterbacks with rocket arms who can throw 60 yards, covering half the field. But typically, accuracy drops significantly beyond 30 or 40 yards, and quarterbacks need more time to wind up for these throws, requiring solid pocket protection from the offensive line.
Football is, without a doubt, a team sport.
While the quarterback is the heart of the offense, without running backs to share the load, without receivers and tight ends to catch passes, and without an offensive line to block, even the most skilled quarterback wouldn't stand a chance.
It's only when the team operates as one cohesive unit that football moves forward.
The running back is no exception.
Without the threat of a passing game from the quarterback, the defense would simply swarm the line of scrimmage, using numbers to clog every running lane. Even if the running back were the Hulk, it'd be nearly impossible to break through.
On the ground, a successful run depends on the offensive line and tight ends blocking effectively, while the wide receivers run their routes to distract the defense, giving the running back space to make progress.
At the core, this is because while the offense is orchestrating its plays, the defense is mounting its own counter-offensive.
To fully understand the offense, one must also understand how the defense operates and how to read their tactics.
No offense without defense, and no defense without offense. The two forces oppose and complement each other, just like in chess or Go. This is the true essence of football.
Who says running backs don't need to understand defense?
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