By Rich Alercio

richalercio@comcast.net
Among all run schemes, a Gap scheme is the most complex, time consuming yet rewarding run schemes. It combines
playside linemen blocking to their back-side gap with situational double team blocks with one or more back-side lineman
pulling to the playside. The two most common gap scheme running plays, and the two I will cover are the Power and
Counter Trey schemes.
We will utilize the 5 Run Steps discussed in Part 1: Grouping Plays into Concepts and Matching Corresponding Footwork:
1. Base
2. Reach
3. Angle
4. Bucket
5. Pull
In the Gap scheme runs, every lineman (Tight Ends included) is responsible for a Gap unless he is a "puller."
Let's begin by identifying the gaps. The area between the Center and Guards are the A gaps. Between the Guard and
Tackles are the B gaps, the C gap is between the Tackles and Tight Ends and the D gap is the area outside the Tight
End (Diagram 1). Below is the basic list of player responsibilities in the gap scheme. PS stands for "playside" and BS
stands for "backside."

Gap Scheme responsibilities:

• PS Tight End: C Gap
• PS Tackle: B Gap
• PS Guard: A Gap
• C enter: A-B Gap
• BS Guard: Puller
• BS Tackle: C Gap or Puller
• BS Tight End: D Gap
The Power and Counter Trey plays are blocked exactly the same for the Center and playside Linemen. They will all take
their first step with their back-side foot (the foot in their gap). On a gap scheme run to the right, they all will take a first
step with their left foot.
The responsibilities of the all the playside linemen, including the Tight End, are the same. With a defensive lineman
aligned on our inside shoulder, (man on in their gap) (Diagram 2) such would be the case with a guard against a shade
technique, a tackle against a 4i technique and a tight end against a 4-technique, we will take a Reach step with our inside
(gap) foot with a visual aiming point of the center bottom of the defenders facemask. If the defender works to maintain
his inside leverage, we will drive him down through the gap. If he slants cross our face to the next gap, we will get help
from our play side lineman.
Versus a defensive lineman aligned in your gap but on the man to your inside (Diagram 3), we will take an Angle step
with a visual aiming point of the center of the defender's body to cover him up.

If there is no defender aligned in our gap and no one aligned on you (Diagram 4), we will angle step to our gap with a
path through our gap to the Middle or back-side Inside Linebacker.

Just like the Man Schemes discussed in the previous article, the first Linebacker to the playside is not blocked by the
playside linemen. He is isolated to be blocked by a back-side puller. On the way to our linebacker, we have a visual read
on the near hip of the first defensive lineman to our inside to see if he slants out to your gap. If he does, the block
becomes a double team (Diagram 5).
With no defender in our gap but a defensive lineman aligned on our playside shoulder (Diagram 6), we take a Base step
with our gap foot to make contact on the inside half of the defensive lineman. This scenario leads to a double team
block for the Guards and Tackles. The Tight End can only be the outside man in the Double Team. After making contact
on the second step, it's important to get off the double team on the third step on a path through our gap to the
Middle/back-side Inside Linebacker.

The Center is the only player with a two-gap responsibility. He has his gap (A) and the back-side Pulling Guard's gap (B).
With a defender Shaded on his back-side shoulder (Diagram 7), the Center will take a Base step with his gap foot with a
visual aiming point of the playside bottom of the defender's facemask to maintain playside leverage.

With a defender aligned on the back-side Guard (Diagram 8), the Center takes a Bucket step to block back on the 1, 2 or
3-tech. It does not matter if the Center is covered with a playside Shade. He has no responsibility to help with the block
on the playside Shade.
The only time the Center is not in a one-on-one block is versus a 0-tech with two uncovered Guards(Diagram 9), which is
common among odd fronts. This will lead to a combination block with the Center taking a Reach step with his gap foot.
Because a 0-tech is a 2-gap defender (responsible for both A gaps) the Center will combo block with the playside Guard
to the back-side Linebacker. If the playside Tackle is on a path to the back-side Inside Linebacker, the playside Guard
may to able to stay on the 0-tech Nose Guard.

The responsibilities of the back-side linemen will differ on the Power and Counter Trey plays. The back-side Guard pulls
on both plays, but the pulls are different.
POWER
On the Power play, the Guard will take a pull step to execute a Lead pull with banked shoulders around the #1 defender
on the line of scrimmage to the second level on an isolation block on the first linebacker to the playside. Communication
from the playside linemen will help the pulling back-side Guard know how wide his pull is and the location of his
Linebacker. The pull around a Shade technique is a much shorter pull than the one around the down block of a Tackle on
a 3-tech. Knowing where the first linebacker to the playside is located will help him get through to the second level
quicker. As a suggested means of communicating the alignment of #1 on the LOS and the first linebacker on the playside,
the techniques can be called out by the play side Guard. For example, the call "3:50" would indicate the DT is in a 3-tech
and the LB is in a 50-tech (a 5 tech at LB depth) (Diagram 10) which we may see in 4-3 fronts.
The call "3:30" would tell the Puller that the DT is in a 3 tech and the LB is in a 30-tech, (Diagram 11) more synonymous
with 4-4 fronts.

The call of "Shade:30" could signify blocking a 4-3 Under front (Diagram 12) where the Nose Guard is in a Shade
technique with the linebacker in a 30 technique. The banked shoulders described in the previous Man Scheme report
prevent the Lead Puller from drifting on the pull around #1 on the LOS and allowing the first linebacker to the playside to
undercut his block.

The back-side Tackle and Tight End are responsible for the defenders in their gaps. A man on in their back-side gap will
be blocked with a Reach block and a center facemask visual aiming point. A man off in their back-side gap will be
blocked with a Bucket step and a center point aiming point.
COUNTER TREY
Both the back-side Guard and back-side Tackle pull on Counter Trey. The Guard executes a Flat Pull down the LOS to Kick
out the D gap defender to a Tight End surface or C gap to an Open side end. He will run with shoulders perpendicular to
the LOS with a visual aiming point of the center of the defenders body with the intent to kick him out towards the
sideline. The back-side Tackle takes a pull step then executes a Lead Pull. The Tackle's pull on Counter Trey is similar to
the Guard's pull on Power. The difference is that he pulls around the down block of the end man on the LOS and just
inside the kick out block of the Pulling Guard to Lead up on the first Linebacker to the playside.
In the "I" formation, the Fullback becomes part of the Gap Scheme. His steps, path and block are exactly the same on
both. He just goes in different directions. On Power, he goes playside to kick out the D gap to a Tight End or C gap to an
Open end. On Counter Trey, he goes back-side to kick out C gap.
More importantly, let's focus on the Double Team blocks. The double team block is a variation of the combination block
discussed in the Zone and Man Schemes in earlier reports. Two offensive linemen block one defensive lineman in
combination to a Linebacker. In a Zone or Man combination block, the side the Linebacker chooses determines who will
get off the combination and who will stay on the defensive lineman.In the Gap Scheme Double Team, it is predetermined
which player is getting off the double team. The outside man is staying on and driving down on an angle and the inside
man is getting off to block the second level. How quickly he gets off will be determined by both the pre-snap location of
his Linebacker and his post snap reaction to the play. The earliest we will get off the Double Team is on our third step.
The first step is with our gap foot (inside foot), while contact is made on the second step. If the Linebacker either blitzes
the inside man's gap, or aligned close to the double team, the inside man gets off on the third step(Diagram 13).
If the Linebacker is removed by formation or slow to flow, the inside man can stay on the Double Team block in an
attempt to drive the defensive lineman back into the Linebacker's lap (Diagram 14).

With the Angle blocking and Double Teams on the playside and Pullers on the back-side, the Gap Schemes are a bit more
time consuming to teach but well worth the effort.
As discussed earlier, the Power and Counter Trey plays are traditional "I" formation plays but they can also be used in
the Spread formation. The Power blocking scheme can be used as a shovel pass with the QB reading the man the
Fullback would have kicked out if the team was in the "I" (Diagram 15). Counter Trey can be used in the Spread as well.

By calling it to the side of the Running Back, the QB can hand the ball to the RB with a Zone Read handoff then the back
can cut back to follow the Tackle through the hole (Diagram 16).
COACHING POINTS AND ADJUSTMENTS
The first point to discuss is a lineman or Tight End who has a defender aligned on his playside shoulder and a defender
aligned off of him in HIS gap (Diagram 17). The defender in his Gap takes precedent. He does not even make contact
with the man on him. That man is not in HIS gap. He has a man in his gap and will go directly to him with an Angle step.

The Gap Schemes are good versus almost every defensive scheme. The one that can give it trouble is an Odd Front with
4i techniques on the Tackles, uncovered Guards and a 0-tech on the Center (Diagram 18).

By rule, the playside Tackle will reach step to block the playside 4i while the playside Guard Angle steps to Double Team
with the Center. This causes a Split read that the First Linebacker to the playside can take and disrupt the play before the
Puller can get to him. A similar situation is created when running a Gap Scheme play versus an Even Front to the 1-tech.
When the playside Guard takes his Reach step to block the 1-tech and the Center blocks back on the 3-tech, they create
a similar split reach that the back-side Inside Linebacker can take and either knock of the pullers or get in behind them to
get the RB. If a defense is well coached enough to recognize the Pull and that split read, then just run the play to the 3-
tech. Now the playside Guard can come off the Double Team on the 3-tech to pick up the back-side Inside Linebacker
trying to backdoor the play and take the hole created by the Center blocking back.