Reverse
What it is
The ball is handed one direction and then handed back the other way to a receiver running against the flow.
Why it matters
A reverse is a punishment for pursuit, and it is only ever as good as the pursuit it is punishing — run against a disciplined backside it loses fifteen yards. It is a situational call rather than a base one, usually saved for a defense that has been running flat down the line all night, and usually set up by having shown the same perimeter action several times first.
Both sides of it
Running it
The initial action must be a run the defense believes, with the line flowing playside as normal. The reverse man arrives late and takes the ball going the other way; one blocker — usually a pulling tackle or the backside tight end — must peel back for the backside end, who is the only defender with a chance. Timing is everything: too early and the flow has not committed, too late and the backside has recovered.
Stopping it
This is what backside discipline is for. The backside end who does not chase and the backside corner who does not turn his back have already defeated the play. Coaches teach a simple rule: the last man on the backside stays home on every perimeter run, every snap, and accepts being wrong ninety-five times to be right the five that matter.
Also called
Programs call this reverse, end-around, double reverse or counter reverse. The Coach answers to any of them.
Related
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