What is a counter play in football?

In American football, a counter run is a running play that starts in one direction but ends in the other direction. Typically, the running back will take a step in the opposite direction of the play, only to get the handoff in the other direction.

What is a GT counter?

The GT counter, which involves pulling the backside guard and tackle (hence the “GT”), is very difficult to defend because the defenders now have to account for two gaps. The guard kicks out on the first defender he sees and the tackle leads through the hole looking for someone to block at the second level.

How do you defend Trey counters?

Defending the Counter Trey

Defenses can stop the play by reading their keys.
Defensive coaches can have their contain players “spill the play” by attacking the inside shoulder of the pulling guard that’s trying to kick them out.

Why do they call it a fullback?

As the game evolved and alternate formations came in and went out of fashion, halfbacks (reduced to typically just one rather than two) emerged as the offensive backs most likely to run the ball. These blocking backs retained the name “fullback” even though they were closer to the offensive line than the halfback.

Is there a counter run play in college football?

The counter run play is becoming a national favorite in college football. It seems to fall in and out of favor over the years as teams find new ways to run it without tipping off the defense so that they get a head start to where the pullers are headed.

What makes counter football such a popular scheme?

What makes counter such a popular scheme is that it’s an OL who handles the kickout block. That block is the one teams rely to open the lane behind the double team for the offense to insert a lead blocker and then the ballcarrier. On “power” that job goes to a TE or FB and it’s a difficult task that not all of them can reliably execute.

Who are some famous counter trey football players?

Back in the 90s the GT (guard/tackle) counter-trey play was immensely popular and teams like Nebraska and Kansas State made it big parts of both their normal run game and their QB run game to unleash athletes like Eric Crouch and Michael Bishop.

What’s the best counter play in the NFL?

This was one of the first shotgun counter plays to really take off, with Florida and Percy Harvin. Obviously you still see it around. It’s nasty for running at the weak side of an over front, the guard can block down on the nose while the tackle takes a free run at the LB.