Defending the Inside Trap

Winng T Defense

In response to the dozens of you who have requested information, X's & O's on defending the Wing T we offer up these pages. First of all let me emphasize that their is no magic other than Making A Greater Individual Commitment to the scheme that (1) you believe in and (2) that you can sell to your athletes.

Is this thing called the wing T better because it is a better system? Or are the teams you face who run the T composed of better, higher quality athletes? (A thoroughbred will defeat a plow horse in every race.) Are they better coached? You are only going to be as good in coaching as you and your staff can convey to and convince the players that your system will work. It is not how much you personally know about the game. It is a matter of how much you and your staff can teach to your team in the time you have prior to the game. Of course, you final exam is on Friday night, under the lights, in front of the community.

I have been around Wing T football since I started to watch football practice as a kid in 1954. Our high school team ran the Wing T with special emphasis in the old Iowa Wing T philosophy. When I got into the Junior High Program, we ran the T, and we ran it in high school with some twists, turns and twekes here and there. Most everyone was running some form of the T back then. What separated us from the rest of the teams is that we ran the outside belly option. this was a true triple option which we read. We would run that play as many as 25 times a game if the situation warranted it.

The teams we face today do not run the triple option or even the option (double). I have not faced an option Wing T team in over 15 years. I believe after talking to many coaches is that they do not have the confidence and faith in their athletes to the point of giving them the freedom to run the triple. These pages, therefore, will deal with defensing the other base plays of Wing T teams, i.e., the FB buck, the TB sweep, the FB blast, the WB counter or reverse, the basic bootleg, and the basic play pass.

In defensing the Wing T one must remember it is the hybrid child of the single wing. Offensive line play in the single wing and, therefore, the Wing T involves lots of angle blocks, double teams, and pulling guards. The most important element in defending the Wing T is proper attention to the line play. It is a basic fact that whoever controls the LOS is going to control the game no matter what offensive scheme they are running.

The basic concept of the Wing T is to mesmerize the defense with backfield action. While the defense is trying to figure out what the backs are doing (usually flatfooted), an offensive blocker gets a good angle block on the defenders, drive open a large whole which results in another of those frustrating 4-5 yard gains. The Wing T coaches know that 4+4=8+4=12 yards and another first down. Against Wing T teams, it is not the 80 yard TD run that usually beat you, but those 16 play 10:00 drives that average 4 yards a carry.

Our basic defensive philosophy is to limit them to less than 3 yards per play. We do not really believe that we are going to throw them for a loss on every play. It's just not going to happen. We do believe, however, that limiting them to less than 3 yards per play will mean that we will get our offensive chances.

Against a Wing T team our #1 fundamental is: Never LOOK at the backfield action. Doing so means you will get ear holed and a bigger than desired gain will result. The FUNdaMENTALS of our 4-3 defense are:

1. Proper stance and alignment.

2. Make your move; read your keys

3. Locate the football/pursue

4. Gang tackle the ball carrier.

The number one play of the Wing T is the FB buck/trap/whatever. You must commit to stopping the FB or suffer the consequences. Our basic 4-3 alignment enables us to outnumber the offense at the POA

Our DT's align on the inside eye (shade) of the OG's. Their move is to strike the G, step into, and control the A gap to their side of the ball. The tackle is to keep his shoulders square to the LOS and "read" the G. If the G pulls, our DT is to "get into the hip pocket of the G" and travel down the LOS executing an inside out force on the ball carrier when he cuts to the LOS.




In the play pictured the LDT strikes the OG and prevents him from getting a quick inside line on M. The RDT strikes the OG and notices that he is pulling across the C. The RDT moves with the pulling G and is in perfect position to make a play on the FB.

We have the MLB'er up closer to the LOS VS. Wing T teams. Normally he will play 3-4 yards deep depending. Against Wing T teams, we want M to be 2 nor more than 3 yards off the LOS. The key for M is the head of the C. He keys through the head of the C, past the QB to the FB. If C's head moves left of right (to fill for a pulling G), M is to execute a run through and fill immediately through the area vacated by the C.

In most middle trap blocking schemes, M is accounted for by one of the G's. If M fills immediately to the vacated area of C, he will be untouched (if the DT's are striking the guards as designed) and meet the FB on/or usually beyond the LOS successfully defeating the FB trap up the middle. We commit 3 people to first cover the 2 A gaps on the LOS. These 3 people must be extremely aggressive. The T's must strike and there can be no hesitation by M. Hesitation give the offense what they want - a better blocking angle and a larger hole. Sometimes I refer to M as the Terminator/It is his job to terminate plays.

We also use the ‘3-Down’ scheme as well, especially against the Double Wing’ers and those teams that have a good inside trap game. The deal is this: If the center could block better, he would be playing tackle; if he could block better and run, he would be playing one of those pulling guards, right? Our MLB’er is one of our very best defenders. We feel that if we put him into a three point stance with the assignment of striking and driving the center back into the backfield, we are going to win that match-up.


We also use the ‘3-Down’ scheme as well, especially against the Double Wing’ers and those teams that have a good inside trap game. Some people refer to this as TNT. They do not play this like we do. THE DT’s’ STILL PLAY A 1 TECHNIQUE WITH THE MLB’er DOWN OVER THE CENTER. We commit to taking away the inside trap, and this defensive front is very effective. The deal is this: If the center could block better, he would be playing tackle; if he could block better and run, he would be playing one of those pulling guards, right? Our MLB’er is one of our very best defenders. We feel that if we put him into a three point stance with the assignment of striking and driving the center back into the backfield, we are going to win that match-up.


The center will be driven back into the backfield over 90% of the time in high school because over 90% of the time, the center will snap the ball and then block of take his first step. Less than 10% of the centers in high school football snap the ball “AS THEY ARE SNAPPING.” I know. I played center in high school and college. If you get one that can snap and step at the same time, you have a huge weapon on inside trap.

With the center driven back into the backfield for two yards, everything gets disrupted, especially any pulling guards or tackles, and on just about every play in the T schemes, someone is pulling to block for the ball carrier. Since they do not get there on time, the ball carrier is now running naked and subject to gang tackle.

If the trap is called, the play is blown up before it gets started. Watch the video! There is a perfect end result shown there.

If they are faking the trap and running the sweep, the MLB’er has an inside out force on the play. The HB carrying the ball will be running laterally to the LOS 5-7 yards deep. We will get a hard corner force on the play meaning the runner will either have to cut back (which happens 75% of the time) our bounce deeper. Either way, the MLB’er is pursuing down the LOS to intercept the runner when he cuts up. The better the force, the more the runners cut it up into a smaller ‘window’ which means our defenders have less distance to cover on pursuit.

Therefore, we commit to stopping the inside trap or the T teams.