The Abominable Snowmen - Why Teams Should and Shouldn't Worry About the Yukon Yeti

Yukon and undefeated are becoming synonymous around the league water cooler. No team has scored more than 20 points against the Yeti this season. Conversely, the Yeti have yet to play a game in which they have scored under 33 points. The closest game any team has played against Yukon this season was the Grizzlies week 11 game in which they lost by 18 points, 35 to 17. Every team that's scheduled to play Yukon can't escape the nagging fear that they're going to be blown out. Even traditional conference powerhouses like the Atlantic Tide and Carson City Comets have seen their potent defenses crumble and their dynamic offenses reduced to hopeless pass plays. In the face of such apparent mismatches, what can teams do to counter the Yeti?

The key to understanding Yukon's success begins with an examination of their offense. The Yeti rely on specific receivers running specific routes at specific times. Moreover, the Yeti rely on having an athletic, mobile quarterback. It shouldn't take an analyst to recognize that Yukon's smallest margin of victory this season came when Stan Payne was forced to play an entire half at QB. That being said, Yukon's QBs, particularly starter Torry Mathis and his backup (and current starter due to Mathis' season-ending torn quadricep) Ben Harris, can be stopped or severely inhibited by limiting their mobility. The go-to defensive options here are QB contain blitz packages and any form of QB spy zone.

QB contain blitz packages can be risky because they tie up defensive resources that might be better served covering Yukon's diverse and effective receiving corps. However, they also apply needed pressure and keep the QB in the pocket. Both Mathis and Harris tend to lead receivers by scrambling out of the pocket and then gunning/dumping the ball off or running for a gain. QB contain will keep them in the pocket and force them to spend more time reading the defense and less time toying with the idea of scrambling for yards.

QB spy zones are probably the most efficient means of limiting Yukon's QBs. Assigning just one player, such as the MLB, on a QB spy zone will prevent Mathis or Harris for scrambling for anything more than a marginal gain and also prevent short leading passes over the middle. A player in a QB spy zone will shadow the QB about 4 yards off of the line of scrimmage, preventing him from connecting on any sort of short vertical pass play and also stopping him from scrambling. This takes away Mathis and Harris' favorite options and forces them to make either deep upfield passes or short horizontal and diagonal routes. Just like the QB contain, the QB spy zone limits QB mobility. However, it's much more difficult to evade at the expense of giving the QB more time to read the secondary.

Although it might be tempting to blitz more or run certain types of zone defenses that tend to confuse the Yeti offense, these options work less consistently than QB contain. That isn't to say they shouldn't be used, but by and large they will only work once the Yukon offense is frazzled.

From the perspective of the secondary, stopping Yukon's receivers is usually a nightmare. Most of this can be attributed to the ability of the QB to scramble out of the pocket and lead receivers to corners or across the field. Once this ability is negated, the secondary still has to overcome the threat of 4 very talented receivers on any given play (Mack Pleasant, T.J. Oliver, Richard Cummings, Lamar Craig). Using individual assignments for each receiver is a must. The fastest corner should play on Pleasant, the second fastest on Oliver. Singe coverage is always risky, but is permissible in the cases of Craig and Cummings. A talented corner can shutdown Oliver, but it takes an all-pro to shutdown Pleasant. In order to negate the advantage of Mack Pleasant, the safety on his side of the field must either zone the deep area of his section of the field or be fast enough to play man with him.

Situationally employing a cover 3 zone takes away many of Yukon's favored short passing options to the outside at the expense of leaving inside seams open. When combined with an effective 3 or 4 man pass rush, the cover 3 can force either Mathis or Harris into making ill advised throws, often leading to interceptions.

Finally, the easiest and most effective way to counter Yukon's offense is not to let it on the field. Simply put, the best defense is a good offense. Leaving Yukon's offense on the sidelines keeps the opposing defense resting. It is crucial to recognize that the reason for Yukon's defensive success is largely because it is not on the field as often as most other defenses. When it is on the field, it relies heavily on a run stopping front and man coverage. By using Yukon's offensive strategy against its own defense, the corners will be worn down and the line will get frustrated pass rushing.

Even when making these adjustments, Yukon still possess a talented team with solid coaching and generally smart play. They are a good team. However, the blowouts of the 2007 season have shown that the league is simply not providing the Yeti an adequate challenge. Perhaps by taking this advice, or by developing their own unique strategies, teams will finally begin to understand and stop what makes the Yeti so potent. Regardless, it seems it is too late for the 2007 season.