The Fullback’s Role in the Football Option

Video Transcript

"Hi, this is Sean Hobson, for Expert Village. What we want to talk about now is when running the option play to set this play up by the fullback. We're going to show you the fullback position from two different types of sets in the backfield. The first set we're going to use is the I formation. The fullback will start in a three point stance. (video demo) He'll be good and balanced and as soon as the ball is snapped he has to fire out of there. He's staying low and he's going to open up. He's selling this fake. You can see how low he is. If I'm standing over here in the defense I can't tell if he's taking it or not. So, what I have to do as a linebacker is to come up and be disciplined to this guy until I see the ball come out of there. Once that fullback goes through then he's going to be looking up to either hit a linebacker or he may go all the way up the field if there's nobody uncovered and hit the free safety deep or wherever the situation allows. But, that fullback has to fake the ball, come through the line of scrimmage and then he has to find somebody to hit. It's a very important position and a very important part to setting up our option. Now we want to show you how he does the exact same thing but with a two back set. (video demo) If the fullback is there we want to fake him through and then pop this out. The tailback is going to be running here to throw the option play. So, you can fake it out of the I formation or out of the two back split."