The Best Examples of Counter Offense Strategies in Football

Classic, Real-World Examples of Counter Offense Strategies in Football

If you want examples of counter offense strategies in football, the easiest place to start is with what you already know: the defense’s favorite tendencies. Defenses love to fly to the ball, blitz off the edge, and overload one side. Counter offense lives off that aggression.

Think about a defense that keeps crashing its defensive end down the line to stop your inside zone. A simple adjustment turns into a counter: show the same zone action, then pull a lineman and kick out that crashing end while the running back cuts opposite. Same look, opposite hit.

You see this every weekend in the NFL and college football. Watch any modern spread offense, and you’ll notice that once the defense starts overpursuing, the coordinator starts dialing up misdirection, counters, and constraint plays to punish it.

Below are some of the best examples, explained in plain language so you can picture them clearly and teach them simply.

Power Counter Run: The Foundation Example of Counter Offense

One of the oldest and best examples of counter offense strategies in football is the traditional power counter run.

Picture this:

• The offense shows a strong run look to the right: quarterback opens right, running back takes a jab step that way, linemen on the front side block down.
• The defense flows hard to that initial movement.
• Then the running back plants his foot and cuts back to the left, following a pulling guard and a fullback (or H-back) who kick out and lead through the hole.

Why this is such a strong example of counter offense:

• It uses the defense’s own rules against them. Linebackers are taught to read initial steps. Once they step the wrong way, they’re late.
• It looks just like your base power or zone play, so it pairs perfectly with your core offense.

You’ll see variations of this in high school, college, and the NFL. Offensive line clinics from major programs like the University of Iowa and Wisconsin (both known for physical run games) often highlight how they marry inside zone with counter schemes so the defense never knows which way the ball is really going.

GT Counter From Spread: A Modern, High-Speed Example

If you want a modern example of counter offense that fits today’s spread looks, think GT counter.

Here’s the picture:

• The offense lines up in shotgun with three or four wide receivers.
• The quarterback and running back show a run to the right: QB opens right, RB steps that way.
• The left guard and left tackle pull to the right, one kicking out the defensive end and the other leading up on a linebacker.
• The running back plants and follows the pulling linemen back to the left.

Why coaches love this play in 2024–2025:

• It works beautifully against fast-flowing defenses that chase zone-read and outside zone.
• It pairs with RPOs (run-pass options), giving the QB the chance to throw a quick slant or bubble if the linebackers overcommit.

Teams like the Kansas City Chiefs and many top college spread offenses frequently show GT counter variations. While the NFL doesn’t publish detailed scheme breakdowns, coaches and analysts regularly highlight these concepts in film rooms and coaching clinics.

Counter Off Jet Sweep Motion: Punishing Overpursuit on the Edge

Another of the best examples of counter offense strategies in football is countering off jet sweep motion.

Here’s how it works:

• A slot receiver goes in fast motion across the formation, and the quarterback fakes a quick handoff to him.
• The defense, especially linebackers and safeties, widens and chases the motion, trying to cut off the edge.
• Instead of giving the sweep, the quarterback hands the ball to a running back going back the other way, often behind a pulling guard or H-back.

This counter strategy:

• Forces defenses to respect horizontal speed.
• Sets up later plays: once defenses start sitting on the counter, you can actually give the jet sweep or run play-action off it.

High school and youth coaches like this example of counter offense because it’s easy to teach: “If they overrun the jet, we hit them back inside.” It’s also a great way to get the ball to a tough, downhill runner while the defense is worried about your fastest athlete on the edge.

RPO Counter: Using the Pass to Counter Run Fits

In the last few years, RPOs have become one of the most talked-about trends in football. An RPO is a play where the quarterback can either hand the ball off or throw a quick pass based on one defender’s reaction.

Here’s how RPOs become examples of counter offense strategies in football:

• The offense calls an inside run with a built-in quick slant, bubble, or glance route.
• The quarterback reads a specific defender, often a linebacker or safety.
• If that defender crashes hard toward the run, the QB pulls the ball and throws behind him.
• If the defender hangs back in coverage, the QB hands off and lets the run play hit.

This is counter offense in a different form. Instead of countering overpursuit with misdirection in the backfield, you’re countering it through the air.

Teams from high school through the NFL have adopted RPOs heavily. While medical and performance organizations like the National Institutes of Health and Mayo Clinic focus more on injury research and workload management than scheme, they’ve noted how modern offenses emphasize quick, low-impact throws and tempo, both of which RPOs support.

Play-Action Counter: Selling One Story, Telling Another

If you’re looking for examples of counter offense strategies in football that involve the passing game, play-action counter is your friend.

Scenario:

• You’ve been pounding inside zone or power to the right all game.
• The defense starts bringing safeties down, and linebackers are flying downhill on every run fake.
• You call a play-action pass that looks exactly like that same run: same backfield action, same line movement.
• Instead of handing off, the quarterback pulls the ball and boots out the opposite way, finding a tight end or crossing receiver wide open behind the linebackers.

This is a classic “constraint” play: the more the defense sells out to stop your run, the better this counter pass works. You see it constantly in offenses modeled after Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay, where wide zone and bootleg play-action are married together.

Screen Pass as a Counter to the Blitz

Not every counter offense strategy is a misdirection run. Sometimes the best example of counter offense is as simple as a well-timed screen.

Picture a defense that loves to blitz:

• Linebackers and safeties keep attacking the quarterback.
• The pass rush is aggressive and often gets upfield quickly.

The offense answers with:

• A running back screen, letting the rushers come free while linemen slip out to block downfield.
• A wide receiver tunnel screen, using aggressive cornerbacks’ leverage against them.

These are counter offense strategies because they punish exactly what the defense is trying to do. The more they blitz, the more space you get behind them.

Sports medicine and performance resources like Harvard Health and Mayo Clinic often discuss how repeated big hits on quarterbacks can increase injury risk. Strategically, screens and quick-game counters can help limit those hits by getting the ball out fast and forcing defenses to think twice about all-out pressure.

Option and Read-Based Counters

Option football is built on reading defenders, which naturally creates examples of counter offense strategies in football.

Some common option-based counters:

• Zone read counter: The offense shows inside zone one way, but the quarterback reads the backside end. If the end chases the running back, the QB keeps and runs through the space left behind.
• Counter read: Similar to GT counter, but the quarterback reads the edge defender. If that defender crashes down on the pulling linemen, the QB keeps outside; if the defender sits wide, the ball goes to the running back following the pullers.

These plays:

• Put a defender in conflict instead of just trying to block everyone.
• Turn the defense’s rules against them: the more they “do their job” aggressively, the more they open space for the offense.

In 2024–2025, you’ll see these option counters not just in traditional option teams, but in many spread offenses at the college and high school levels. They’re especially popular in programs that want to maximize a dual-threat quarterback without exposing him to unnecessary hits.

Red Zone and Short-Yardage Counter Examples

Counter offense isn’t just for midfield. Some of the best examples of counter offense strategies in football show up in the red zone and on short-yardage downs.

A few common situations:

• Goal-line counter: You’ve run straight iso or power off tackle multiple times. On third-and-short, you show the same heavy formation, but pull a guard and hit back against the grain while the defense piles into the expected gap.
• Tight end throwback: Near the goal line, you’ve been running bootleg to one side. Now you fake the boot, roll the quarterback, then throw back to a tight end slipping behind the flow on the backside.

These are great examples because:

• Defenses in the red zone are aggressive and compressed; they commit hard to their first read.
• A small bit of misdirection can create just enough space for a touchdown.

Coaches often script these counters in advance as “if-then” calls: if the defense overplays our base run, then we hit them with the counter or throwback.

How to Build Counter Offense Into Your Playbook

Seeing examples of counter offense strategies in football is one thing; using them is another. The key is to build them off what you already do well, rather than copying random plays.

Here’s a simple way to think about it in plain language:

• Start with your bread-and-butter: maybe inside zone, outside zone, power, or quick game passes.
• Ask: “If I were the defense, how would I overplay this?” Would linebackers flow too fast? Would safeties trigger downhill on run? Would corners sit on short routes?
• Design a counter that looks like your base play at first, then hits where that overplay leaves a hole.

For example:

• If your base is inside zone, your counter might be GT counter or a split-zone bootleg pass.
• If your base is quick game passing, your counter might be a double-move route or a pump-and-go screen.

The goal isn’t to have a thousand plays. It’s to have a handful of core concepts, each with a counter that punishes the defense when they start cheating.

FAQs About Counter Offense Strategies

What are some basic examples of counter offense strategies in football for youth teams?

For youth teams, keep it simple. A classic counter run off your main toss or power play is usually enough. Show the same backfield action one way, then hand to a wingback or second running back going the other way behind a pulling guard. Screens and quick play-action passes off your favorite run look are also great examples of counter offense strategies in football that younger players can understand.

Can you give an example of how to use play-action as a counter?

Yes. If you’ve been running outside zone to the right, call a play-action where the line sells zone right, the running back shows the same path, and the quarterback boots left. A tight end dragging across the field or a deep crossing route behind the linebackers is a simple example of using play-action as counter offense.

Are RPOs good examples of counter offense strategies in football?

Absolutely. RPOs are modern examples of counter offense strategies in football because they punish defenders who overcommit to stopping the run. If a linebacker sells out to fill a gap, the quarterback throws behind him. If he hangs back, the run goes as called. It’s a built-in counter on every snap.

What are some real examples of counter offense strategies used in the NFL?

Real examples include GT counter runs from shotgun, tight end throwbacks off bootleg play-action, running back and wide receiver screens against heavy blitz teams, and RPO slants behind aggressive linebackers. You’ll see these concepts every week; analysts often highlight them in film breakdowns to show how offenses answer defensive pressure and overpursuit.

How many counter plays should an offense carry?

Most successful offenses don’t carry dozens. They take each core concept and attach one or two counters to it. For instance, inside zone plus a counter run and a bootleg; outside zone plus a reverse and a play-action shot. The idea is that every main play has at least one example of counter offense ready to punish the defense when it starts guessing.

Counter offense isn’t magic. It’s simply smart football: recognizing how the defense is trying to stop you and having a built-in answer that looks familiar but hits them somewhere new. Once you start seeing these examples of counter offense strategies in football on film and on Friday or Sunday nights, the game opens up in a whole new way.