The Double A-Gap Blitz Explained In Painful Detail

Despite the title of this post, this piece over at MSU's SB Nation blog, The Only Colors, is as awesome as something that's fairly depressing can be. I haven't been reading TOC for that long, but for as long as I have been reading it, it has easily been one of the best non-Michigan places for thoughtful, meticulous analysis backed by advanced stats and a thorough knowledge of the game. It's so good that it deserves a link here in its own post (HT to Zach for linking to it).

Heck Dorland breaks down the so called "Double A-Gap" blitz, one that has tormented Michigan in its last two meetings against the Spartans. Even if you know absolutely nothing about the Xs and Os of football, odds are you have at least heard of this play. You know, at minimum, that it is a thing that exists and has produced much pain for the Michigan offense.

Like Brian, who Heck Dorland cites a few times throughout the post, I admit to viewing this seemingly simple play in a reductive, not very nuanced manner. The nature of the play on an instantaneously visceral level sort of lends itself to that. In the aftermath of its successful deployment, I wouldn't criticize you for being all "WHY DON'T YOU TROW DAT SLANT OR DA BUBBLE TO DA SLOT GUY OR SOMETHING AL???"*

*I am a Bears fan.

As Heck explains, the play is surprising complex. A lot more than simply sending two backers crashing into the center of the line goes into the play. The defensive line and secondary also figure in prominently into the basic calculus of the play, as each will align differently and assume different responsibilities based on the particular wrinkle being used. Dorland breaks it down in the "picture page" style that MGoBlog, Burgeoning Wolverine Star, and other places have perfected within the Michigan blogosphere. It's prettyyy prettyyy prettyyy good.

In any case, since I have been bellyaching for weeks about how there's nothing to talk about that isn't either annoying or boring, I encourage you to go read this post and get your knowledge on. Dorland even offers some advice as to to how to combat this devilish play, so you'll want to read through to the end (it is pretty long, FYI). I know that the world outside of the Michigan Internets/blogosphere can be a scary, unforgiving place, but I promise you that this is worth your time. If you are a fan of college football in general and/or are someone looking to improve your Xs and Os knowledge, you, like I, will get a lot out of this.