But when the defense is matching Bush with a LB, it becomes a lot easier for the QB to read what the defense is doing. Its much more difficult for a defense to disguise what its doing when a LB has to worry about covering Reggie Bush. I would take my chances of Bush as a receiver out of the backfield against a LB with an easier pre-snap read for the QB than Bush running against a nickel formation. JMO. As poor of a between the tackles runner as Bush is, the defense still has to watch their gaps.
They don't cover you with a LB, they can cover you with a safety which is all well and good except their other LBs and DL will probably hit him within the first five yards to throw him off his route. They can't do that here. Bush isn't running against a nickel. To call the play a success I would say Bush has to get five yards on the outside. Literally he is in position to run to that boundary within a half second of the play starting. It's basically Bush running diagonal to the line of scrimmage versus your defense (which is engaged with your OL at the moment of the snap). That LB has to pursue and beat Bush in a foot race to the edge of the field and that's not even including the possibility that he's already been hit from his side by one of the linemen on the way there. Unless you key on the jet sweep it's very hard to stop. Those CBs have to blitz or the safeties have to come up and if they do, they are a Chad Henne completion away from Brandon Marshall versus one safety down the field or Clyde Gates taking it to the house for a huge catch.
I just want him to embrace his role, have Daboll keep him involved and his skillset on the field, and support the stud rookie.
Well if they are using a safety to cover Reggie Bush out of the backfield, then they are declaring what they're doing. If they want their LBs to redirect the RB off the LOS, then their LBs are going to declare what they're going to do. Either way you're forcing the defense into declaring their intentions. If you're lining Bush up as a WR and running jet sweeps with him then you're just using a formation to declare what you are doing. The defense is already spread out because you're taking a TE off the field and giving them less surface to block, there is no outside edge to get to, because the defense has one less gap to worry about.
If Bush is in the backfield I don't have to declare who I'm covering him with. You'll know during the play. I can use a myriad of strategies and unless you're doing the somewhat effective Thomas-Bush strategy it's not really a great threat to run with, nor is it all that dangerous. I'm not declaring anything with Bush. I'm running to the weak side where there is one WR, Brandon Marshall. You have no idea until the second Chad Henne either gives the ball up to Bush, Thomas off the draw, or keeps it for a pass play what I'm doing. At the snap I'm declaring to you you will be in dime formation and you'll be facing three possibilities each of them very effective.
If Bush is in the backfield you'll have to cover him with someone near the LOS. Every formation has possibilities. The one you're suggesting just has different ones than a formation with a TE on the field.
It's very hard switching the coverage on Bush in this new formation. On the other hand a good defense can fake and confuse Henne at the LOS with their coverage of Bush. It's tough to do that when Bush is in motion, you're somewhat forced to show. As far as with TE or without TE, nothing prevents you from putting Fasano in there instead of Hartline and running the play to the weak or strong side of the field.
