Offensive Football Plays - The Sweep And Reverse

When designing offensive football plays you should begin designing basic plays and then make more complex plays that build on the basic plays. For example, you can first design a fullback dive and then run a counter with the tailback off of the dive or you can also run a fake dive tight end dump. Here are three great offensive football plays that build off of each other.

Sweep

A sweep is a basic running play in football. It is usually most effective when it’s run with a fast running back against a defense that isn’t very fast.

The sweep can be run to the left or the right. It’s usually run to the strong side of the formation – the side the tight end is on. It’s designed to get the running back to the outside. So you’ll have a tail back and a full back in the backfield. You’ll also have a wide receiver to the side of the formation where the play will be run.

The ball will be pitched to the tail back and he’ll run to the outside. The offensive line and tight end will try to seal their defenders to the inside. The wide receiver will block or at least shield his defensive back to the outside. The full back will be the lead blocker on this play.

Reverse

The reverse builds on the sweep. The play is set-up the same way as a sweep. Instead of the wide receiver blocking, he will take one step forward and then run into the backfield and go behind the tailback to take a handoff. The receiver will then run around to the opposite side of the field.

After the quarterback pitches the ball to the tailback, he’ll go to the opposite side of the field and become the lead blocker for the receiver running the reverse. The receiver on the weak side will try to seal to the inside.

Reverse Flea Flicker

This play builds off the previous two plays. The tailback will take the pitch, the receiver will take the handoff, but instead of carrying the ball, the receiver will pitch the ball back to the quarterback for a pass. So, obviously the quarterback will stay in the backfield instead of being a lead blocker.

The receiver on the weak side will run a go. The tight end will engage his man to the inside and then run a 10 yard out. The tail back will be a safety valve. The wide receiver who pitched the ball back to the QB will become a safety valve on the other side.

The first read for the QB is the receiver running a go. The second read is the tight end on the opposite side of the field. Then the third read is the tail back or the wide receiver on opposite sides of the field.

Offensive football plays should begin basic and then build their way up in complexity, building on the basic plays. Three offensive football plays that build on each other are the sweep, the reverse, and the reverse flea flicker.

Need More Help With Offensive Football Plays?

Steve Tucker's personal practice plans (which include countless drills and plays) are available at his website:

Steve Tucker's Football Plays and Drills