Inside Pitch

Description

Jumbo Wing was designed with sweeps in mind, and it excels at this purpose. Run enough sweeps out of one formation though, and pretty soon your opponent will wise up to it and start stacking the right (strong) side of the formation. Inside Pitch was created to compliment Sweep, letting the halfback seek and slam through holes as they form in the wide offensive blocking front. If the defense does spread its line out, the offense will get one-on-one blocking across nearly he entire line of scrimmage.

Inside Pitch is technically drawn up to run off tackle. It has to be this way because the Create-a-Playbook feature won't let a pitch play go any closer to the center. However, due to the offset position of the HB this is nearly a straight ahead run, slanted just slightly to the right. It doesn't have to go this direction though. For short yardage this is usually the best policy, leaning behind the offensive lineman who gets the best push. Shifty runners will have a lot of cutback opportunities, especially if the defense shifts to the strong side. Powerful runners can take advantage of the quick execution to hit the line with a full head of steam, carrying would-be tacklers for a few hard earned yards. These different approaches make Inside Pitch versatile while very simple to learn and execute.

Player Assignments

See the Madden Playbook Guide for a description of these symbols.

Blocking Assessment

Because every blocker heads pretty much straight forward (the outside fullback and tight end to the strong side angle slightly inward) there are no designed holes to aim for. Identifying the nearest soft spot in the defensive line is the key. Keep your back's shoulder's squared and prepare to make short lateral moves like sidesteps or jukes without sacrificing too much forward momentum. If the defensive front stacks the inside you can often bounce all the way to the outside. The one thing you want to avoid is hesitation as this play relies on catching the defense a bit off guard.

Analysis

Pros:

• Quick executing run play, good for picking up easy short yards when the defense expects a drawn out play involving pulling linemen and multiple lead blockers
• Wide open, straight ahead blocking format allows backs with good vision and quick feet to cut to the hole wherever it opens in the line
• Very simple, but effective with several running styles

Cons:

• No true lead blockers, meaning that quick defensive penetration can lead to a tackle for loss
• Hard to break for big gains