Author: James Taglienti

On July 30, Texas A&M offered a scholarship to massive 6’3 380 NT Samu Taumanupepe of Humble Atascocita during an unofficial visit. https://twitter.com/Samu4T/status/1553532485111349248 Today Taumanupepe decided to make his decision official and commit to the Aggies. https://twitter.com/Samu4T/status/1554268449618239491 At 6’3 380 lbs, Taumanupepe is a big get for A&M, both literally and figuratively. Samu possesses freakish quickness for a player his size, and the tenacity to chase plays down from behind. Samu’s size allows him to easily two-gap as a nose tackle, meaning he shuts down the interior running game of opposing offenses. Taumanupepe uses his leverage to blow up double-team…

After looking at split zone and outside zone, there is a point in play design where you can combine concepts to create a trick play. A&M combines split zone and outside zone in their Split Zone Reverse concept. Split zone reverse is a counter play to exploit defenses biting hard on zone footwork by the offensive line and following the linemen to the ball. Play Concept A&M runs split zone reverse from 12 personnel out of a bunch formation. The bunch is aligned to the boundary with a TE on the line and a TE in a wing position with…

We’ve previously broken down A&M’s inside zone play, today we’re looking at Devon Achane running inside zone. Achane has vision and speed which makes him a threat every time he touches the ball, especially on inside zone. Today we’re looking at how one quick decision can turn inside zone into an explosive play. Play Concept We’re looking at inside zone from 11 personnel with two receivers split to the field and one to the boundary. The TE and two receivers to the field give A&M trips to the field side. The slot runs a smoke route while the field receiver…

Today at noon it was announced on Twitter that Anthony Hill, 5-star linebacker from Denton Ryan High School, committed to Texas A&M University. https://twitter.com/thegoatanthony1/status/1553425304126951426 https://twitter.com/Hayesfawcett3/status/1553425284958982144 Hill is the #1 LB in the nation and the #15 recruit overall on the  247 Sports Recruiting Composite. Hill stands 6’2 and weighs 227 lbs. He runs a 4.65 40, benches 305 and squats 465. He has plenty of time to grow bigger and stronger in a college S&C program. Watching Anthony Hill’s highlight film, two things immediately stand out:  his vision and his aggression. Hill plays downhill at all times and is equally…

We’ve discussed the inside zone/glance RPO as part of A&M’s pro-option offense on a previous occasion. One of the advantages of the glance RPO is its usage as a short yardage play. Because the glance RPO attacks both second and third level defenders, it is a nice weapon in the arsenal when LBs and safeties are on top of the line of scrimmage in a short yardage situation. Today we’re breaking down such a situation as Ainias Smith runs the glance RPO against Alabama. Play Concept As we’ve explained before, inside zone/glance RPO is simply a combo play where the…

After looking at Hammer Read and CG Counter recently, it’s time to take another look at GH Counter.  Specifically, I want to discuss the need for patience and football IQ on the play. Defenses employ different strategies to stop counter runs, and patience by the RB and quick-thinking by the OL solves these strategies. Play Concept We’ve reviewed the GH Counter play design previously. Your key blocks are going to be on the weakside 3-tech and the blocks on the edge by the pulling BSG and H-back/TE. This is GH Counter from a quad set to the field, three receivers…

As I’ve pointed out in previous posts, some coaches use different terminology to describe the same play. A&M runs various types of counter plays as part of their pro-option offense, today we’re looking at Hammer Read, also known as Guard Tackle Counter Read or GT Counter Read. Pulling the backside guard and tackle to block frontside for counter hails back to Nebraska’s original counter sweep in the 1980s. USC head coach Lincoln Riley based his whole offense on running Hammer Read at Oklahoma. A&M runs Hammer Read as another option play to keep the defense honest in Jimbo Fisher’s offense.…

The Arizona Cardinals made Kyler Murray the second highest-paid QB in NFL history on July 21.  The $230.5 million, 5-year contract extension puts Murray second to Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers in annual salary at $46.1 million per year. Despite Arizona’s sizable investment in Murray and their future, the Cardinals don’t think much of Murray’s professionalism or maturity. https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1551661427949174784 The addendum the Cardinals included with Murray’s contract displays how little they think of his maturity or professionalism. Addendum Breakdown To summarize the addendum into a few bullet points: Murray will be required to complete four (4) hours of Independent Study each…

When it comes to the QB running game in Texas A&M’s pro-option offense, we’ve looked at QB Draw RPO, Triple Option, Speed Option, and Q Hammer Bash. Today we continue our look at the QB running game by breaking down the Bash concept. Basically, Bash takes the concept of inside zone and inverts it. Play Concept On inside zone, the offensive line zone blocks leaving the backside EMLOS unblocked. The EMLOS is the read man. The QB reads the EMLOS and makes the Give-Keep read. If the EMLOS crashes down to stop the inside run by the RB, the QB…

After looking at Earnest Crownover and Amari Daniels as 2021 backups to Isaiah Spiller and Devon Achane, today we’re looking at L.J. Johnson Jr. Fitting since it is a foundational play in A&M’s offense, we’re breaking down L.J. Johnson running inside zone for A&M last season. Play Concept When running inside zone against a 33 Stack defense, the play concept changes a little bit.  Running inside zone from 12 personnel against a 33 Stack, the math works out in the offense’s favor. When facing a 33 Stack, the focus is zone combos on the 1-tech and the 3-tech. The weakside TE…