One of the most difficult things for defenses to do is to align when the passing and running strength are on opposite sides of the field. The defense then must make the decision of how they are going to separate their front from the secondary to account for this difference. The Bling Formation separates the passing and running strengths using two of the most difficult formations to defend in football.
Create Alignment Conflict with the Bling Formation
The Bling Formation is made up of two different sides, the Bunch and the TE Wing. The Bunch side has a wide Bunch that forces the defense to declare at least three defenders wide to defend the formation. On the other side of the formation the TE Wing combines two lead blockers that allow the offense to easily gain leverage on the outside of the formation. When this formation is combined with a running Quarterback, it makes for a difficult formation for the defense to defend.
Related Content: The Runway Formation Part 1
The base concept out of Bling will allow the Quarterback two main options based on how the defense decides to align. The Bunch side will be running a Jail or Bubble route. If the Quarterback thinks the defense has less than three defenders in a position to tackle the Bubble or Jail he will throw the ball immediately. If the defense has used enough defenders out wide the QB will run Inside Zone with a Wham block coming from the Wing. To make the play time up better he will take the snap and look at the Bubble for a second before running the ball. This will cause the linebackers to flow out towards the Bubble which will open up the Inside Zone path.
The other option that comes from the Bling Formation is if the defense does not have enough defenders to keep leverage on the outside. This call comes from the Coach when he notices that the defense can’t keep the edge on the TE Wing side of the formation. The Coach will make a call to tell the offense they will be running a Quarterback Outside Zone. With the Tight End and Wing the Quarterback can push the ball to the edge and gain a relatively easy 5 to 6 yards if the line can gain leverage on the defenders.
Related Content: The Runway Formation Part 2
There are a million things that the offense can do from the Bling Formation. The ability to attack the passing strength with the Bunch and the run strength with a Tight End and Wing makes it a difficult formation to line up against. Frequently it leads to a primary pass defender like a Cornerback, trying to stop the run while on the other side of the formation a primary run defender, like a linebacker, is forced to defend the pass.