Inside the Playbook: Michigan State Pin and Pull

After a period of unsatisfactory years for MSU OL, the Spartans plan to reshape most of the class and put an honest youngster in the starting lineup. Here are their current lineups and key players .

position	LT	LG	VS	Arji	rt	LT2	floor 2	C2	At 3
player	c chew	T. Higgins	We have B	D. Beetle	L Campbell	D.Finley	K Jarvis	Mr Allen	J. Reed
Year	RS-SO	RS-SO	RS	RSJR	RS-FR	RSSR	IN	RS-FR	IN
Long	6-8	6-5	6-2	6-5	6-5	6-7	6-4	6-3	6-4
ballast	284	293	302	329	293	307	312	301	271

I would say some of these weights can get "academic details". It's not the calf that's growing at Spartan Stadium. Michigan State quickly unveiled one of the most diverse running books in the league, right there with the team's Michigan Harbaw. Run Power, Counter, Sweep, Traps, Internal Zone, Outside Zone and Yes Pin and Drag. But as his skills dwindled, so did his notebooks, and most of the strengths he attributed to Deep Zone teams have evened things out over the past year. This year they also introduced the small but nimble units listed above with an emphasis on "Let's get people off the ball" and "Force the defense to move with us and rely on the corner to find gaps." This should lead to more outdoor areas and pine trees and pools, which will be the focus of this article.

before
I talked about the outside zone a few times and blocked and shot a lot. In reality, little has changed. The idea is that behind the scenes, you're basically enforcing the rules of the outside area. On the front, if you have a man inside, pin him. Otherwise, draw and get a secondary block. The beauty of spit and drag is the collision on the front 7. Low and drag blocks provide more useful angles and are combined with a plan to prevent the defense from accelerating and reaching the "square".

But MSU is doing a thing or two differently than before, and I wanted to address those things.

closure of the outdoor area
For basic stretch games, MSU uses two different types of blocks: "area access" and "fixed access".

Zonal target
If MSU is not covered, OL will use the zoning method when receiving in-game assistance.

The first step should be to play from the side of play with the outside of the defender's outside shoe. The second step is to split the back leg of the defense. The third step is to build external capacity and start gaining access to the court.

The inside arm of the block goes over the forehead (the inside arm of the shield) and is pushed into the chest. Taking this hand does not allow the defender to control the block and allows the defender to move more freely. The outside hand must work to benefit from the protective chest.

Strict access
So the OL Comp next to you and behind the game cannot help you.

The footwork starts with the same "zone range" but the hands are different. Here, instead of hitting him in the arm under the defender's arm, pull his hand across the chest and close to the chest. The purpose of this block is not to scatter directly, but to use defensive power to get out of play.

If you're not covered, you'll have to do what MSU calls "short endurance." With this blocking technique, the blocking penetrates the defending knee area and determines at the third level whether the rescuer should continue or move on to the second level. The first step is to point the foot of the defender and move to the side. The second stage starts vertically, the third stage is the decision to stay or to leave.

Add and drag tags
MSU uses an in-game system that allows you to apply a specific PIN and shoot whenever you want. This means you can start the game with a combined 1-T block to start the game, but block the CAGE later in the game (block the bottom block with the player's defender, turn in the center). You can also place TAG (Win and Hold), TEX (Win and Finish) on the outer block where the inner wiper folds. And sometimes they pull the OGs back and tie them in the center with a "badge".

Folding lock
The first feature of the MSU pivot and tow plane that differs from most other planes is that it does not always carry the ball. Of course, they don't have to worry about pinching the defense and putting the game on the net. But just because the trailer is designed that way doesn't mean it pulls all the way forward. In fact, whenever possible, they prefer to "block" when exposed to the second level.

It looks like this:

side by side

From the final area

Practically. The red box is the pendant. Note that the traction increases. MSU uses a diving pool (type of toboggan for bikers).

(at the same time)

Watch the middle work down to the level of the rear LB and cut it off when the trailer reaches the front LB.

This can be seen in the Vimeo 1 ፡ 06 06 video below.

In other words, in theory, the lower blocks and the back blocks are the transition zones. This is an important point, because to bring a person to the second level, it is necessary not only to bend, but to bend to increase the angle of the lower block, but also to "pull" the observed " curved blocks" . According to the rules. Area restriction rules. That is, when DE enters, it is the cross-blocking work that exerts an external influence on the charged DE. MSU calls this connection "5" (or someone who vibrates from 5 techniques; originally it is called "connection with 9").

Look now, DE starts running inward. The Old Testament allows him to go with little pressure and begins to progress to the second level. In between, anyone who looks like they've started jumping needs to get that shiny DE first. Remember he changed OG zones, this is the first DE to enter the zone. RB, he had to read EMOL defensively, he had to see all of this happening in front of him and he had to fix it. Now he knows he's not cutting like he usually does in EMOL, but he wants to get out of it.

From now on, the center and the DE are fully involved.

Notice the middle leg here. Lower your waist and fully bend your legs. This allows the DE to rotate inward, allowing the cultivator to work outward.

This can be seen in the first two episodes of the Vimeo video below.

cross ban
Another change made by MSU is what they call "cross blocking". This is for overkill DLLs, but try locking and unlocking. When DE tries to play hardball, MSU stops at 3T and leaves with the gamekeeper.

Note DE does not work downhill, slide down, try to limit outside. Many teams do this in the face of area damage to build a wall in Los Angeles.

OG was present when FB went to LB Playside.

And again, a good job is to get outside influences in and imprint DE from within to keep RB out.

This can be seen in the Vimeo video below at 4:30.

shortcut
Here is an excerpt from the pine and billiard plan (Vimeo video)
Pin and Drag Theory - Michigan State University by Eddie Ostepo on Vimeo .

Mike Kuchar also took a closer look at the MSU PIN and Pool method in X and O Labs . Here is the link to the article (everything needs an intuitive approach, I don't have one). For me, it has all the coolest pieces you can put on below.

expansion plan;

connect and pull;

summary

This pin and pool plan combined with the plan allows MSU to become a favorite and not be relied upon for big advances in LS control. This way they have the right angle to the bottom block and a different but unitary plane that can still fight simple rules on every front. This way you can cover some of their weaknesses and focus on their strengths.