Man in motion ... help please ...

[SpHSpH]

I send the outside wide receiver in motion right to left.

I can figure out zone vs man-to-man.

But the guy in motion goes all the way to his left and sets.

And then I sometimes want him to go back to where he began.

Do I have to let him stop and set (on the left) before he comes back right?

Can he go half-way and then just go back to where he started?

I am having play-clock issues ...

- - -

Any suggestions on how to be quick with my pre-play reads?

Thanks!

[Cyros]

I'm pretty sure he has to stop. My only advice for making better reads is being able to the read the safeties once you snap the ball. Unbalanced formations might also help you out some. Like I-form Twins.

[Squeezee12]

yeah i think this year he has to go all the way to the other side and stop. years past we used to be able to stop him when we want and send him back.

[heavy_hitter]

This is also a great thing. You shouldn't have to go to the line and motion to know man or zone.

You can't go to the line in a real game and know man or zone. The OC isn't going to motion a WR to find out man or zone. If he does, you couldn't necessarily tell if they were still man or zone. And if hypothetically he did, he wouldn't have enough time at that point to hot route or audible either.

[sra9888]

um heavy hitter.... actually that is one tool that offenses use in real life to determine zone/man. It is a well known fact. That is why you see WRs motion and then turn around and go back to their previous place. So yeah, it is a realistic way to determine the coverage and in the NFL it is known that if the coverage is read to be zone a WR and QB are supposed to know the 2 different routes that will be run based on the coverage.

[heavy_hitter]

Quote: Originally Posted by sra9888

That is why you see WRs motion and then turn around and go back to their previous place.

You very rarely see this happen at all. You will see motion, but generally speaking they won't move 3 yards and then back 3 yards. You also have to remember that the play clock is much longer in the NFL than the NCAA. In NCAA football you normally don't have time to motion. I watch hours and hours of football on Saturday, you see alot of motion but it is usually for reasons other than man or zone. In college they lineup and run the play. And there are plays you can motion the WR 3 yards and they will stop. There are plays where you can motion the WR and snap the ball while they are in motion.

And just because you motion you still won't necessarily know if they are man or zone. There are plenty of man/zone combo defenses out there. Don't you think defensive coordinators teach DB's and LB's to react differently to motion so that the offense can't get a read? Also, what about the 50 plays you watch every game and don't see motion? Motion is used for various reasons including to get movement to cause a defensive match-up problem. Also used to add a blocker.

The biggest thing is, on NCAA the series it is pretty lame to motion back and forth. If you have to motion back and forth to find out man or zone then you need to trade the game in. Call a play that has routes that will beat man and zone. Make your read and when you snap and throw the ball to the route that should be open.

Here is Bill Walsh's guide to motion.
By Bill Walsh
Quarterback Reads
Instructional notes from Stanford
A. STRONG SAFETY = PRIMARY KEY; SECONDARY KEYS = WEAK SAFETY, THEN WILL LBer:
1. STRONG SAFETY UP = SKY ZONE
2. STRONG SAFETY HEAD ON TIGHT END = MAN ( CHECK WEAK SIDE FOR BLITZ )
3. STRONGSAFETY & FREE SAFETY DEEP = DOUBLE ZONE
4. WILL LINEBACKER WALKED OFF = COMBO STRONG ( DOUBLE ON FLANKER )
5. WILL LINEBACKER UP & WS UP = BLITZ ( STRONG SAFETY HEAD ON TE )
6. SAM LINEBACKER WIDENS ON L.O.S. = BLITZ
B. MOTION:
1. BACKFIELD - NO MOVEMENT = ZONE
2. BACKFIELD - LINEBACKER MOVEMENT = MAN UNDER
3. BACKFIELD – DEFENSIVE BACK MOVEMENT = BLITZ
4. TIGHT END - NO MOVEMENT = ZONE
5. TIGHT END - SAM LINEBACKER MOVEMENT = MAN UNDER
6. TIGHT END – STRONG SAFETY MOVEMENT = BLITZ
7. FLANKER - CORNERBACK MOVEMENT = MAN
8. FLANKER - SLIDE MOVEMENT = ZONE

[SpHSpH]

I am not looking to start an argument - sorry ...

But ... I *AM* interested in being a better player.

Not the button mashing part - the thinking part.

Any other advice / something I could read?

Play calls / reads / route combination / all of that is cool to me!

Same goes for Defense!

Awesome ...

[SpHSpH]

Also ... sometimes I use motion to get a defender away from the side of the field that I am trying to run toward. I have called some kind of "Twins Right / Off-Tackle Right".

I motion one of the right WRs ... if it is man-to-man (even just on that one WR) then the DB will move to the left ... and this sometimes helps my off -tackle run.

If it is zone - then I want to keep my WR on the right so that he will attempt a block on the DB ... but I do not want to wait until he sets on the left before I have to send him back again to the right.