What is the Reverse concept in 11v11 tackle football?
In 11v11 tackle football a reverse is a trick play rather than a base run, because an eleven-man defense can afford to leave a backside defender home and still pursue with everyone else. The ball goes one way behind a full run action, then comes back the other way with a receiver. It is a once-a-game call, most often used near the goal line.
Why Reverse works in 11v11
The defense can afford insurance here and cannot in flag
A five-man defense that leaves someone home has committed twenty percent of itself to a play it may not be involved in, so most of them simply do not. At eleven, keeping a backside end or corner disciplined costs nine percent and is standard coaching. That single difference moves the reverse from a staple to a trick.
There is a full run action to hide behind
In flag the first carrier is genuinely running with nobody blocking, so the picture is thin. At eleven the entire line is blocking a real play in the first direction, which makes the fake far more convincing and is why the play can still work against a defense that knows it exists.
It is a red-zone call as much as a misdirection call
The field is compressed near the goal line, pursuit angles get shorter and a defense that has been stuffing the run inside is at its most committed. That combination is when eleven-man defenses stop keeping anyone home, which is the only moment the concept reliably produces at this level.
The first run has to be believed, so it is a real run
Unlike a fake, the first carrier genuinely has the football and could keep it. Defenders are not reacting to a mime; they are reacting to a ball carrier, and that is a far harder thing to ignore. The deception costs nothing extra because the first half of the play was going to be a play anyway.
It turns the defense's whole body the wrong way
Pursuit is not just direction, it is momentum. A defender who has taken four hard steps toward the sideline cannot simply change his mind; he has to decelerate, turn and rebuild speed. The reverse collects all of that, which is why the yardage tends to be large rather than incremental.
It works better with fewer defenders, not worse
A defense with plenty of bodies can leave one home as insurance and still chase with the rest. A defense without that luxury has to commit everyone to the first direction or give up the first run, which means there is often nobody at all on the backside when the ball comes back.
How to read it
- 1
The first carrier runs it like he is keeping it
Full speed, eyes upfield, aiming point honoured. A first carrier who is visibly waiting to give it away has told the defense what is coming before the second exchange happens.
- 2
The second carrier runs to the handoff, not to the spot
He should arrive at the exchange already at speed and going the way he intends to finish. Arriving early and waiting is how a reverse turns into two players standing still in the backfield.
- 3
Exchange where the paths cross, not where the drill says
The handoff happens at the point the two runners actually meet, and both should have that point in their heads before the snap. Guessing it in live traffic is the most common way the ball ends up on the ground.
- 4
Once you have it, go
The second carrier's advantage is temporary and measured in a second or two. Any hesitation after the exchange lets the pursuit he just beat finish turning around.
What changes in 11v11
The defense can afford insurance here and cannot in flag
A five-man defense that leaves someone home has committed twenty percent of itself to a play it may not be involved in, so most of them simply do not. At eleven, keeping a backside end or corner disciplined costs nine percent and is standard coaching. That single difference moves the reverse from a staple to a trick.
There is a full run action to hide behind
In flag the first carrier is genuinely running with nobody blocking, so the picture is thin. At eleven the entire line is blocking a real play in the first direction, which makes the fake far more convincing and is why the play can still work against a defense that knows it exists.
It is a red-zone call as much as a misdirection call
The field is compressed near the goal line, pursuit angles get shorter and a defense that has been stuffing the run inside is at its most committed. That combination is when eleven-man defenses stop keeping anyone home, which is the only moment the concept reliably produces at this level.
When not to call Reverse
Two exchanges is two chances to lose it
Every handoff is a moment where the football belongs to nobody. A reverse doubles that, in open space, usually while both players are moving in opposite directions. It is the highest-variance run in most playbooks for exactly this reason.
It is a once-a-game call
The concept spends a defense's willingness to pursue, and a defense only has to be burned once to stop spending it. Run it twice in a half and the second one meets a backside defender who has been standing still watching for it.
Take it to your team
Draw your plays in the free flag football play designer, collect them in the football playbook maker, and print football play cards so every player knows them come Saturday.
Open Reverse in the designer
Opens this exact 11v11 diagram. Move anybody, change the depths, then save it to your playbook.
Open this play in the designerRelated questions
Is a reverse a good play in 11v11?
How is a reverse different from an end around?
Why does the reverse work better in flag football?
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Coach Ray Carroll
Coaches 5v5 flag football from kindergarten through 7th grade in San Mateo and San Carlos, California, and built RC Football to design, teach and print the plays his own teams run.