offense / gap run
A misdirection gap run that moves pursuit one way before two pullers lead the back the other way.
Animated assignment view
The back aligns left, allowing the first step to sell flow away from the eventual right-side run.
Ball: center
How it works
The runner's initial step suggests a run left while the left guard and tackle pull right. Play-side linemen block down, the guard handles the edge, and the tackle leads through the newly created gap.
Use defensive pursuit rules against an aggressive front and create favorable angles at the point of attack.
Sell the first step before following the pullers without drifting laterally.
The runner first steps left to fool the defense, then follows two blockers running right into an opening they create.
Counter depends on disciplined spacing: the kick-out must widen the edge while the wrapper stays tight enough to prevent a linebacker run-through.
Decision point
The kick-out and wrap blocks create two immediate landmarks, while overaggressive pursuit can open a bend lane.
Stay inside the kick-out and run behind the tackle into the designed gap.
low riskCircle outside when the force defender wrong-arms and spills the puller inward.
medium riskBend inside the down blocks when linebackers race beyond the gap.
high riskTake this concept into the film room for a direct explanation. Ask Coach Grant about this concept
{
"schema": "openplay-football",
"schemaVersion": "0.1",
"id": "counter",
"slug": "counter",
"name": "Counter",
"side": "offense",
"category": "gap-run",
"personnel": {
"id": "eleven-personnel",
"name": "11 Personnel",
"grouping": "1 RB, 1 TE, 3 WR",
"positionCounts": {
"QB": 1,
"RB": 1,
"WR": 3,
"TE": 1,
"OL": 5
}
},
"formation": {
"id": "gun-trips",
"name": "Gun Trips",
"family": "shotgun",
"strength": "right",
"description": "Three receivers align right with the back offset left of the quarterback."
},
"situationTags": [
"early-down",
"misdirection",
"aggressive-defense"
],
"players": [
{
"id": "qb",
"position": "QB",
"label": "QB",
"initialCoordinate": {
"x": 26.67,
"y": -5
},
"alignment": "Shotgun",
"side": "offense",
"ratingRole": "quarterback"
},
{
"id": "rb",
"position": "RB",
"label": "RB",
"initialCoordinate": {
"x": 22.5,
"y": -6
},
"alignment": "Offset left",
"side": "offense",
"ratingRole": "runningBack"
},
{
"id": "x",
"position": "WR",
"label": "X",
"initialCoordinate": {
"x": 5,
"y": -1
},
"alignment": "Wide left",
"side": "offense",
"ratingRole": "receivers"
},
{
"id": "h",
"position": "WR",
"label": "H",
"initialCoordinate": {
"x": 37,
"y": -2
},
"alignment": "Inside right slot",
"side": "offense",
"ratingRole": "receivers"
},
{
"id": "y",
"position": "TE",
"label": "Y",
"initialCoordinate": {
"x": 33.5,
"y": -1
},
"alignment": "Attached right",
"side": "offense",
"ratingRole": "tightEnds"
},
{
"id": "z",
"position": "WR",
"label": "Z",
"initialCoordinate": {
"x": 48,
"y": -1
},
"alignment": "Wide right",
"side": "offense",
"ratingRole": "receivers"
},
{
"id": "lt",
"position": "LT",
"label": "LT",
"initialCoordinate": {
"x": 21,
"y": -1
},
"alignment": "Line",
"side": "offense",
"ratingRole": "runBlocking"
},
{
"id": "lg",
"position": "LG",
"label": "LG",
"initialCoordinate": {
"x": 24,
"y": -1
},
"alignment": "Line",
"side": "offense",
"ratingRole": "runBlocking"
},
{
"id": "c",
"position": "C",
"label": "C",
"initialCoordinate": {
"x": 26.67,
"y": -1
},
"alignment": "Line",
"side": "offense",
"ratingRole": "runBlocking"
},
{
"id": "rg",
"position": "RG",
"label": "RG",
"initialCoordinate": {
"x": 29.4,
"y": -1
},
"alignment": "Line",
"side": "offense",
"ratingRole": "runBlocking"
},
{
"id": "rt",
"position": "RT",
"label": "RT",
"initialCoordinate": {
"x": 32.4,
"y": -1
},
"alignment": "Line",
"side": "offense",
"ratingRole": "runBlocking"
}
],
"preSnap": {
"description": "The back aligns left, allowing the first step to sell flow away from the eventual right-side run.",
"shifts": []
},
"assignments": [
{
"id": "rb-counter-track",
"playerId": "rb",
"startsAtMs": 650,
"endsAtMs": 3400,
"coachingPoint": "Sell the first step before following the pullers without drifting laterally.",
"type": "run-path",
"path": [
{
"type": "curve",
"control": {
"x": 20,
"y": -5
},
"to": {
"x": 25,
"y": -2
}
},
{
"type": "curve",
"control": {
"x": 30,
"y": 2
},
"to": {
"x": 32,
"y": 12
}
}
],
"aimingPoint": "Inside hip of the pulling tackle"
},
{
"id": "left-guard-kick",
"playerId": "lg",
"type": "pull-block",
"path": [
{
"type": "curve",
"control": {
"x": 24,
"y": -3
},
"to": {
"x": 34,
"y": 1
}
}
],
"responsibility": "Kick out the force defender."
},
{
"id": "left-tackle-wrap",
"playerId": "lt",
"type": "pull-block",
"path": [
{
"type": "curve",
"control": {
"x": 22,
"y": -4
},
"to": {
"x": 31,
"y": 4
}
}
],
"responsibility": "Wrap inside the kick-out and lead on the play-side linebacker."
},
{
"id": "right-guard-down",
"playerId": "rg",
"type": "run-block",
"responsibility": "Block down and prevent penetration into the pull lane."
},
{
"id": "right-tackle-down",
"playerId": "rt",
"type": "run-block",
"responsibility": "Collapse the edge inward to create the counter gap."
},
{
"id": "tight-end-arc",
"playerId": "y",
"type": "lead-block",
"path": [
{
"type": "straight",
"to": {
"x": 36,
"y": 5
}
}
],
"responsibility": "Account for the widest support defender."
}
],
"decisionPoint": {
"id": "read-counter-gap",
"triggerTimeMs": 1900,
"prompt": "Where should the back follow the counter action?",
"explanation": "The kick-out and wrap blocks create two immediate landmarks, while overaggressive pursuit can open a bend lane.",
"options": [
{
"id": "follow-wrapping-tackle",
"label": "Follow the wrapping tackle",
"description": "Stay inside the kick-out and run behind the tackle into the designed gap.",
"intendedRead": "The force defender is kicked outside.",
"riskLevel": "low"
},
{
"id": "bounce-around-kick",
"label": "Bounce around the kick-out",
"description": "Circle outside when the force defender wrong-arms and spills the puller inward.",
"intendedRead": "The edge defender dives underneath the guard.",
"riskLevel": "medium"
},
{
"id": "cut-behind-flow",
"label": "Cut behind the pursuit",
"description": "Bend inside the down blocks when linebackers race beyond the gap.",
"intendedRead": "Second-level defenders overrun the counter action.",
"riskLevel": "high"
}
]
},
"timeline": [
{
"type": "pre-snap",
"atMs": 0
},
{
"type": "snap",
"atMs": 500
},
{
"type": "assignment-start",
"atMs": 650,
"playerId": "rb"
},
{
"type": "decision-pause",
"atMs": 1900,
"decisionPointId": "read-counter-gap"
},
{
"type": "contact",
"atMs": 3400,
"playerIds": [
"rb",
"lt"
]
},
{
"type": "play-end",
"atMs": 4200
}
],
"narrative": {
"summary": "A misdirection gap run that moves pursuit one way before two pullers lead the back the other way.",
"fullExplanation": "The runner's initial step suggests a run left while the left guard and tackle pull right. Play-side linemen block down, the guard handles the edge, and the tackle leads through the newly created gap.",
"strategicPurpose": "Use defensive pursuit rules against an aggressive front and create favorable angles at the point of attack.",
"idealSituations": [
"After repeated zone runs",
"Against fast-flow linebackers",
"Second and medium"
],
"strengths": [
"Punishes overpursuit",
"Creates defined lead blocks",
"Can produce explosive lanes"
],
"weaknesses": [
"Penetration can collide with pullers",
"Slow backfield timing reveals the concept"
],
"keyRead": "Read the force defender's response to the guard, then locate the wrapping tackle entering the gap.",
"watchFor": [
"The back's false step",
"Both pullers clearing the center",
"Linebackers flowing away from the play"
],
"beginnerExplanation": "The runner first steps left to fool the defense, then follows two blockers running right into an opening they create.",
"advancedNote": "Counter depends on disciplined spacing: the kick-out must widen the edge while the wrapper stays tight enough to prevent a linebacker run-through."
},
"simulation": {
"difficulty": "advanced",
"conceptTags": [
"run",
"counter",
"gap-scheme",
"misdirection"
],
"baseSuccessRate": 0.55,
"yardRange": {
"min": -6,
"max": 32
},
"turnoverRisk": 0.016
}
}
Gap-scheme coaching
How I Think About Counter
The counter run play is one of my favorite answers to a defense that is playing fast enough to become careless. The offense gives the linebackers and defensive front one picture, lets them start chasing it, and then attacks the space they just abandoned. That is why counter is more than a power run with pulling linemen. It is a misdirection gap-scheme run built to punish pursuit.
I like counter after the defense has seen enough inside zone or outside zone to believe it recognizes the backfield action. If those linebackers are flying downhill on the first step and the defensive ends are squeezing hard, now I can use their confidence against them. Second-and-medium is especially attractive because the offense still has the whole playbook available and the defense cannot sell out for one situation.
What I need from the offense is discipline. The back has to sell the initial step without turning the play into a dance. The pulling guard has to handle the force defender, the wrapping blocker has to get through the gap cleanly, and the down blocks must stop penetration before it wrecks the pullers. Counter works beautifully for teams with athletic guards and tackles, a patient running back, and blockers who understand angles. A line can be physical without being enormous, but it cannot be sloppy.
I am cautious with counter against fronts that are already creating immediate interior penetration. If a defensive tackle is living in the backfield, I do not want to send two blockers laterally behind the line and hope traffic sorts itself out. I also do not love it when the defense is sitting patiently instead of pursuing. Misdirection only has value if somebody believes the first story.
A useful way to think about the matchup is this:
Do not judge counter by whether the hole looks clean at the snap. The whole idea is to move the defense before the real point of attack appears. When it is blocked correctly, the best runs often happen because the defense was technically in the right place for the first picture and completely wrong for the second.