Everybody and their sister is posting advice on how to do stuff in the pee wees, so I figured I'd throw out a basic guide to scouting. Your mileage may vary; the best scout is one that does what their respective coordinator wants them to do.
But here is some basic advice that might help.
Several keys to good scouting:
0) Greasemonkey Scripts
pbr's game scout and MonsterKill's scouting tool are both fabulously helpful in figuring out what plays are what and what the basic tendencies of a team might be. Neither is perfectly accurate, and neither gives you everything you need, but both are a great start. The built-in scouting tool is also useful, but is similarly imperfect and tends to give an overview of averages that might miss the nuance that a given play went for 98 yards and a TD one time, but went for -3 yards each of the other 10 times it was called; 11 plays for 68 yards looks pretty effective, but it really is not if only one of those plays went forward.
1) Learn the defensive formations
For example, any time you see RDE, NT, DT, LDE in a play, it's going to be a 4-x play, because there are 4 down linemen. On the other hand, if there's no DT, it's a 3-x play. Similarly, you can glance over at the linebackers and figure out if there are 1, 2, 3, or 4 of them--It's going to be MB, RO & MB, MB & LO, RO & MB & LO, or RO & RI & LI & LO. That's the second number, so if there are 4 DL and 4 LB, it's 4-4.
2) Learn the offensive formations
We use 4 different 2WR sets (I, Strong I, Weak I, and Pro Set), two different 3WR sets (Single Back & Shotgun), one 5 WR set (Shotgun 5WR), and the goal line set (3 TEs, 2 FBs). The difference between the SB and the SG3 is that in the SG3, the QB lines up far from the line of scrimmage and the HB lines up next to him. In the SB, the QB lines up under center and the HB lines up behind him. The 2WR sets can be distinguished based on where the HB and FB line up--if it's all in a line behind the QB, it's I formation. If the FB is lined up slightly to the right, it's Strong I. If the FB is lined up slightly to the left, it's Weak I. If the HB and FB are lined up diagonally behind the QB, it's Pro Set.
You need to know what the formations are because most of gameplanning is done by formation first; the only thing the defense knows in order to call its play is the down, distance, field position, score, what formation the offense is in, and potentially some tagging information. So defensive gameplans are largely based on formation, which means that effectively scouting a defense is based on how they react to certain offensive formations.
Anyway, once you know what formations each team is in, you can watch the play to figure out how the team you're scouting is using their players. When you're scouting a defense, you look for offensive players that are not covered, offensive players that are double-covered, whether the defense is using zones, and if there is a hole in the defense that the offense could take advantage of. The more complex defenses use a variety of plays against the same formation, so you'll want to keep track of which plays are called against each formation, and attempt to discover when and/or why each play is called (possibly based on down/distance, players on the field, etc).
On the other hand, if you're scouting their offense, all you really need to know is what plays they tend to call in various situations and how each player is used. If you can determine that a HB is a strength build, you know that he should be covered by a strong linebacker instead of a weak but fast CB. If you can determine that every time they line up in the Weak I they're going to run a HB sweep left, that is worthwhile information.
Here are two examples of scouting that would be really helpful to me (your coordinator may have no use for either). One is brief, the other verbose. Either would work.
Originally posted by BRIEF
Scouting XXX (defense), game vs. YYY (link)
vs. I
4-3 Cover 2, CBs blitz, LO/RO-WR1/2. NT over C, DT A-gap, DEs over OTs, MB-HB
Rec: FB/TE passes, PB dive, Elusive off-tackle right
vs. SI
Same as I
vs. WI
4-3 Cover 1, CB1/SS blitz, RO blitz up weak, MB on WR1, CB2-WR2, LO-TE, DL bunched
OR 4-3 C0, FS/SS blitz, CB1/2 on WR1/2, LO-TE, RO-FB, MB-HB, DL spread
Reco: WR1 quick passes outside
vs. Pro-Set
no data
vs. SingBk
3-3 C1, SS blitz, CBs-WRs, DL std, MB spy, LO-TE, RO-HB
Reco: QB Rollout Weak, deep passes to speedy WRs
no SG/SG5 data
Originally posted by VERBOSE
Take this with a grain of salt. The only quality opponent they've played was XXX in the first game of the preseason, so they may be hiding their real AI.
OFFENSE
They don't pass much. Their QB "XXX" is probably a strength-based build. He doesn't pass at all. He is also their punt returner.
They don't run the QB much at all.
Their outside rushes appear to be based on who's carrying. Their FB rushes left, and their HB rushes right.
They like to run HBs in the FB spot. When they do, it looks like they're exclusively running weak side, either between the tackle and the guard or outside the tackle. Watch for Pro-Set and Strong I FB to the weak side when they've got a HB in as FB. I tagged all the HBs rusher to make that easier to detect.
DEFENSE
They run a 4-3 base defense. Against the singleback, they run a 3-2-6 Dime. Against 5WR, they run a quarter.
Pro Set/Strong I, Weak I, Regular I Defense: They run the same play every time, near as I can tell, except that the FS acts a little funny on the regular I.
FS: M2M w/o move on the HB or Blitz. Sometimes he acts like he's in a zone, particularly when it's an I-formation play.
SS: M2M w/o move on the TE
CBs: Man to man on WRs
ROLB: weak side flat zone
LOLB: strong flat third or else strong under third zone
MLB: QB Spy
DL: all blitz
Recommendation: Weak outside rushes are probably a bad idea, though we may have some success with QB Rollout Weak (I): (link). Because the FS is on the weak side of the field, we might have some success with HB outside rushes to the right like HB Sweep (Pro Set) or HB Sweep Strong (Strong I). Because they don't appear to be covering the FB at all, long FB passes might work if he can get five yards deep and catch the ball. It takes a second for the SS to catch up to the TE, so quick TE passes will probably net a couple of yards. Because the SS starts out on the strong side, TE slants over the middle would probably be particularly strong. Maybe TE Slant (I), TE Medium Drag (WI) or TE Drag (Pro).
Single Back (mostly this one 3-2-6 Dime play--It looks like they called some other play from 4-3 once, possibly the above defensive play):
FS: M2M on HB w/o Move from weak side
SS: M2M on TE w/o Move from strong side
CB (4): One strong side blitzes, the rest each take a WR M2M
ROLB: QB Spy
MLB: Some kind of middle zone or else also running QB Spy
DL: All blitz
Recommendations: All the CBs start outside their respective WRs, so slant routes (particularly from a speedy WR3) might work well. There's not a lot of tacklers right on the line, so rushes up the gut are probably good for 2 or 3 every time. Weak outside rushes could break one loose if WR1 and WR3 both hold their blocks, but otherwise it looks like outside rushes are unlikely to net many yards.
Shotgun (4-3 defense):
FS: M2M on WR3
SS: M2M on TE
CBs (2): M2M on WRs 1&2
LOLB: QB Spy
ROLB: Flat weak 3rd or under weak 3rd zone
MLB: QB Spy
DL: All blitz
Recommendations: Nobody's on the halfback, but the SG handoff blows. HB Flat, Screen or Strong Flood might work if he can catch it. WR2 was regularly getting behind his CB for whatever reason, so putting a speed WR2 in and hoping for the check down from Deep Corner or Slot in N Up could work. The FS lines up outside of WR3, so Double Slant might work. The HB passes are probably the best bet out of the SG.
SG 5WR (based on limited data, but it appears to always be the same defensive play):
FS/SS: blitz from pretty close to the tackles
CBs: m2m on WRs, starting outside
DL: blitz
MB: QB Spy
Recommendations: The RE lines up pretty far to the outside, which means the LOT picks him up, leaving the FS free for the sack. I therefore do not recommend any slow-developing 5WR passes. The SS is slow, so a QB Rollout Rush Strong might go for some yards. If the QB can get past the MLB and doesn't get sacked by the FS before he takes off, a QB Draw might go for a bunch.
Anyway, scouting is an art more than a science. If you can discover some significant tendencies on their offense, you can put in just a couple of defensive plays to shut that down and probably win the game. If you can find a couple of holes in their defensive plays, you can put in a few offensive plays to take advantage of that and probably win the game.
But here is some basic advice that might help.
Several keys to good scouting:
0) Greasemonkey Scripts
pbr's game scout and MonsterKill's scouting tool are both fabulously helpful in figuring out what plays are what and what the basic tendencies of a team might be. Neither is perfectly accurate, and neither gives you everything you need, but both are a great start. The built-in scouting tool is also useful, but is similarly imperfect and tends to give an overview of averages that might miss the nuance that a given play went for 98 yards and a TD one time, but went for -3 yards each of the other 10 times it was called; 11 plays for 68 yards looks pretty effective, but it really is not if only one of those plays went forward.
1) Learn the defensive formations
For example, any time you see RDE, NT, DT, LDE in a play, it's going to be a 4-x play, because there are 4 down linemen. On the other hand, if there's no DT, it's a 3-x play. Similarly, you can glance over at the linebackers and figure out if there are 1, 2, 3, or 4 of them--It's going to be MB, RO & MB, MB & LO, RO & MB & LO, or RO & RI & LI & LO. That's the second number, so if there are 4 DL and 4 LB, it's 4-4.
2) Learn the offensive formations
We use 4 different 2WR sets (I, Strong I, Weak I, and Pro Set), two different 3WR sets (Single Back & Shotgun), one 5 WR set (Shotgun 5WR), and the goal line set (3 TEs, 2 FBs). The difference between the SB and the SG3 is that in the SG3, the QB lines up far from the line of scrimmage and the HB lines up next to him. In the SB, the QB lines up under center and the HB lines up behind him. The 2WR sets can be distinguished based on where the HB and FB line up--if it's all in a line behind the QB, it's I formation. If the FB is lined up slightly to the right, it's Strong I. If the FB is lined up slightly to the left, it's Weak I. If the HB and FB are lined up diagonally behind the QB, it's Pro Set.
You need to know what the formations are because most of gameplanning is done by formation first; the only thing the defense knows in order to call its play is the down, distance, field position, score, what formation the offense is in, and potentially some tagging information. So defensive gameplans are largely based on formation, which means that effectively scouting a defense is based on how they react to certain offensive formations.
Anyway, once you know what formations each team is in, you can watch the play to figure out how the team you're scouting is using their players. When you're scouting a defense, you look for offensive players that are not covered, offensive players that are double-covered, whether the defense is using zones, and if there is a hole in the defense that the offense could take advantage of. The more complex defenses use a variety of plays against the same formation, so you'll want to keep track of which plays are called against each formation, and attempt to discover when and/or why each play is called (possibly based on down/distance, players on the field, etc).
On the other hand, if you're scouting their offense, all you really need to know is what plays they tend to call in various situations and how each player is used. If you can determine that a HB is a strength build, you know that he should be covered by a strong linebacker instead of a weak but fast CB. If you can determine that every time they line up in the Weak I they're going to run a HB sweep left, that is worthwhile information.
Here are two examples of scouting that would be really helpful to me (your coordinator may have no use for either). One is brief, the other verbose. Either would work.
Originally posted by BRIEF
Scouting XXX (defense), game vs. YYY (link)
vs. I
4-3 Cover 2, CBs blitz, LO/RO-WR1/2. NT over C, DT A-gap, DEs over OTs, MB-HB
Rec: FB/TE passes, PB dive, Elusive off-tackle right
vs. SI
Same as I
vs. WI
4-3 Cover 1, CB1/SS blitz, RO blitz up weak, MB on WR1, CB2-WR2, LO-TE, DL bunched
OR 4-3 C0, FS/SS blitz, CB1/2 on WR1/2, LO-TE, RO-FB, MB-HB, DL spread
Reco: WR1 quick passes outside
vs. Pro-Set
no data
vs. SingBk
3-3 C1, SS blitz, CBs-WRs, DL std, MB spy, LO-TE, RO-HB
Reco: QB Rollout Weak, deep passes to speedy WRs
no SG/SG5 data
Originally posted by VERBOSE
Take this with a grain of salt. The only quality opponent they've played was XXX in the first game of the preseason, so they may be hiding their real AI.
OFFENSE
They don't pass much. Their QB "XXX" is probably a strength-based build. He doesn't pass at all. He is also their punt returner.
They don't run the QB much at all.
Their outside rushes appear to be based on who's carrying. Their FB rushes left, and their HB rushes right.
They like to run HBs in the FB spot. When they do, it looks like they're exclusively running weak side, either between the tackle and the guard or outside the tackle. Watch for Pro-Set and Strong I FB to the weak side when they've got a HB in as FB. I tagged all the HBs rusher to make that easier to detect.
DEFENSE
They run a 4-3 base defense. Against the singleback, they run a 3-2-6 Dime. Against 5WR, they run a quarter.
Pro Set/Strong I, Weak I, Regular I Defense: They run the same play every time, near as I can tell, except that the FS acts a little funny on the regular I.
FS: M2M w/o move on the HB or Blitz. Sometimes he acts like he's in a zone, particularly when it's an I-formation play.
SS: M2M w/o move on the TE
CBs: Man to man on WRs
ROLB: weak side flat zone
LOLB: strong flat third or else strong under third zone
MLB: QB Spy
DL: all blitz
Recommendation: Weak outside rushes are probably a bad idea, though we may have some success with QB Rollout Weak (I): (link). Because the FS is on the weak side of the field, we might have some success with HB outside rushes to the right like HB Sweep (Pro Set) or HB Sweep Strong (Strong I). Because they don't appear to be covering the FB at all, long FB passes might work if he can get five yards deep and catch the ball. It takes a second for the SS to catch up to the TE, so quick TE passes will probably net a couple of yards. Because the SS starts out on the strong side, TE slants over the middle would probably be particularly strong. Maybe TE Slant (I), TE Medium Drag (WI) or TE Drag (Pro).
Single Back (mostly this one 3-2-6 Dime play--It looks like they called some other play from 4-3 once, possibly the above defensive play):
FS: M2M on HB w/o Move from weak side
SS: M2M on TE w/o Move from strong side
CB (4): One strong side blitzes, the rest each take a WR M2M
ROLB: QB Spy
MLB: Some kind of middle zone or else also running QB Spy
DL: All blitz
Recommendations: All the CBs start outside their respective WRs, so slant routes (particularly from a speedy WR3) might work well. There's not a lot of tacklers right on the line, so rushes up the gut are probably good for 2 or 3 every time. Weak outside rushes could break one loose if WR1 and WR3 both hold their blocks, but otherwise it looks like outside rushes are unlikely to net many yards.
Shotgun (4-3 defense):
FS: M2M on WR3
SS: M2M on TE
CBs (2): M2M on WRs 1&2
LOLB: QB Spy
ROLB: Flat weak 3rd or under weak 3rd zone
MLB: QB Spy
DL: All blitz
Recommendations: Nobody's on the halfback, but the SG handoff blows. HB Flat, Screen or Strong Flood might work if he can catch it. WR2 was regularly getting behind his CB for whatever reason, so putting a speed WR2 in and hoping for the check down from Deep Corner or Slot in N Up could work. The FS lines up outside of WR3, so Double Slant might work. The HB passes are probably the best bet out of the SG.
SG 5WR (based on limited data, but it appears to always be the same defensive play):
FS/SS: blitz from pretty close to the tackles
CBs: m2m on WRs, starting outside
DL: blitz
MB: QB Spy
Recommendations: The RE lines up pretty far to the outside, which means the LOT picks him up, leaving the FS free for the sack. I therefore do not recommend any slow-developing 5WR passes. The SS is slow, so a QB Rollout Rush Strong might go for some yards. If the QB can get past the MLB and doesn't get sacked by the FS before he takes off, a QB Draw might go for a bunch.
Anyway, scouting is an art more than a science. If you can discover some significant tendencies on their offense, you can put in just a couple of defensive plays to shut that down and probably win the game. If you can find a couple of holes in their defensive plays, you can put in a few offensive plays to take advantage of that and probably win the game.
Edited by Gongadan on Feb 3, 2010 12:14:09
Edited by Gongadan on Feb 3, 2010 09:00:29
