Mike Linebacker Play

The Mike linebacker in the Bear front is quite simply the focal point of the package.
Against one-back offenses (that don’t employ a tight end) he will be the player who will
often be unblocked at the point of attack. In Foster’s system, he is the player that needs
to be able to run down plays and make tackles. Last season, Foster played two players
at this spot who combined for 32 percent of the Hokies tackle output. Foster breaks
down the teaching of this player into specific run fits: zone scheme vs. gap schemes.
Since the Bear package is used primarily on first and second down, Foster is able to
structure his teaching into these two categories based on the alignment of the off-set
back:

 If the back is in a level three alignment (behind the quarterback) the Mike will
anticipate running through the back side A gap away from the back to draw the
double team of the back side center and guard. This was diagrammed earlier.
 If the back is in a level one or level two alignment (even with the quarterback) the
Mike will anticipate gap schemes with potential pullers and will key the center/guard
triangle. If there is a puller, the Mike will either be taught to hammer or spill the ball
based on the surface.
Hammer Technique:

The Mike uses the hammer technique when he has run action to a two-man surface
(Diagram 29). Here, he has to take on all blocks with his inside arm and keep his
outside arm free. The intent is to hammer the ball back to an unblocked defender, which
is usually the safety. According to Foster against two-man surfaces, the Mike needs to
be inside out to both sides so they like him to be a little deeper so he can run the alley.
Spill Technique:

The Mike uses the spill technique when he has run action to the three-man surface
(Diagram 30). The intent is to spill the ball with his inside shoulder to a perimeter
unblocked defender, which is usually the safety. “Now he can be as tight as he can be
to the 3-technique and underneath the pulling guard (on power schemes),” said Foster.
“We don’t care about the tight end. We want him underneath the puller. We don’t want
to make contact with the puller if we don’t have to.”
Y-Off Run Fits:

Against the Y-Off formation, the fits for the Mike stay the same. It’s important to note
that in the Bear package, Foster treats the sniffer as a three-man surface pre-snap, but
not post-snap. This means that if the ball is run to the sniffer side, the Mike is spilling the
ball but if the ball is run away from the sniffer, the Mike is hammering the ball regardless
of whether the tight end adds play side. Foster doesn’t treat the Y back in the other
direction as a three-man surface. “In three man surfaces sometimes that Y will come
underneath the Mike which is why we want him fitting underneath things,” said Foster.
“Some teams will try to get that Y inside on the linebacker. If that is the case, we just
spill it to the safety. If they have a puller, they have to block the edge guy (backer or
defensive end) and now they can’t block the drop safety. Against two-man surfaces, if
that Y comes around, he’s no different than a back so we would hammer it back.”

Foster also is one of the coaches in the minority that doesn’t have his linebackers read the
sniffer for reasons he describes. “Again, a lot of it is predicated on the alignment of the offset
back,” said Foster. “Does the back give away inside zone based on the level of his level or does
he tell you it will be power read or sweep action? If the tight end and back are opposite, you are
not getting any power play, you are getting zone like split zone. If the back and him are together,
you can get zone read but you’ll also get one back power. We have wired (read) the sniffer
before but when you start reading him, the cutoff block and base block looks the same so
whether the zone run is coming to or away from here becomes unclear.”