| Intermediate and Deep Passing Game |
| By: John Booth - Manatee High School (FL)
Originally Published in: Nike 2015 Coach of the Year Clinic Notes - by Earl Browning Provided by: Nike Coach of the Year The first thing I want to talk about is our quarterback expectations and responsibilities. Quarterback Expectations • Always know where you are going with the ball • Be decisive - trust your eyes • Be accurate - ball placement - percentage • Throw on time • Take care of the ball The quarterback must know where he is going to throw the ball. I see players on film drop back and they have no idea where they are going to throw the ball. They do not know who to throw to, which side of the field they should be working, or what coverage the defense is in. That is something I am always questioning our quarterback on. I want to know why he threw the ball where he did and what did he see? The quarterback has to have a plan and know where he is going with the ball immediately. We tell the quarterback to be decisive and always trust his eyes. For example, if we are throwing a curl/flat combination, the quarterback is reading the flat defender. He throws the ball to the flat and suddenly the curl pops open and he questions his throw. He should have waited for the curl to open because it was a deeper throw. I always tell our kids to trust their eyes because I am never going to yell at him for a completion. If the receiver turns up and gains six or seven yards on a flat route, that is a successful pass. We do not want to double or triple hitch waiting for something deeper to show up. When he sees an open receiver, he must throw the ball. I want the quarterback to be accurate but I want him to be accurate to a spot. I stress ball placement with the quarterback. When we warm up I do not want them simply throwing the ball back and forth. I want him to hit a target. I want him to throw the ball at the right shoulder or the chin strap. Sometimes I have the quarterback call out what his target is. If he is throwing to a back and the coverage is on the outside, I want the ball delivered on the inside. If a corner back takes an inside leverage position on a receiver, I want the ball going outside. We want to place the ball away from the defenders. Ball placement is a huge point with the quarterback. The placement of the ball leads to yards after the catch. If the receiver can catch a ball that leads him into a run after the catch that is what we want to do. We shoot for a 60-percent completion percent for every game. We did not do that this year but we were close. We completed 58 and change. We need to do a better job of that next year. I chart the completion percentages in our practices. I chart 7-on-7, 1-on-1, and team drills. That helps out in choosing who should start the games. It gives you some ammo, when you are talking to the players about why you decided to choose one individual over the other. Our passing game is a rhythm based passing game. The quarterback must throw on time. We want our quarterback to drop back, hitch, and throw. We do not want him waiting for someone to get open. He throws to the spot on the proper timing. The last thing is probably the most important. Take care of the football. Turnovers happen and most of them could be prevented. The ball goes through the receiver's hands and it's intercepted. The quarterback makes a bad read and it is intercepted. I have never seen a quarterback go through a season without an interception. What we do not want to do is fumble the ball on a quarterback run or scramble. We do not want a fumbled snap. We want to possess the ball at the end of a series. If we can take care of the football it gives us a much better chance to be successful. PRE-SNAP READS AND RESPONSIBILITIES Identify safeties and determine whether it is a 1-on-1 matchup, especially with the single side. • Majority of the one-on-one matchups will be with the single wide receiver • We take that every time until the defense adjusts and takes away the one-on-one matchup with a linebacker or safety • We want the defense to adjust to open up our running game or the wide side route combos We are a spread offense. We play with 2 X 2 and 3 X 1 formations with as many as five wide receivers on every play. In our pre-snap read we divide the field in half. When we do that the quarterback looks for the number advantages of receiver to defenders. What we see many times is a 4-2-5 alignment with a nickel back on the field. He is generally to the wide side of the field. If that is the case, the defense will have three defenders to the wide side of the field and two defenders to the boundary side. If we are in a 2 X 2 set we are outnumbered to the field and two-on-two into the boundary. We work to the two-on-two side. It is not rocket science and a slow quarterback can figure that one out. The 3 X 1 set is where it gets more involved with the numbers. When we break the huddle, the quarterback wants to see how many safeties there are and what their depths are. The number of safeties and their depth will give him an idea of what the coverage is going to be. He wants to look and see if he has a 1-on-1 match up. In most cases, the 1-on-1 is to the single receiver side. We put our best receiver as the single receiver. He is the best route runner and has the best hands. If you have a one-on-one match up, we throw that every time. It does not matter the defense. If he is one-on-one, we throw the ball to him. We want to force the defense to balance their secondary, which will open up our three-receiver route combinations or take a linebacker out of the box, which opens up our running game. The defense has to pick their poison as to how they want to play the 3 X 1 formation. All this becomes clinic talk unless we have a quarterback that can hit the one on one match up. If he is not taking the 1-on-1 matchup and trying to force the ball into the three-receiver side we are not going to be successful. No 1-on-1 matchup identifies the read defender for the route combo • We are trying to high-low a defender with our route combo, the quarterback must know who that defender is before we snap the ball • Versus man coverage, look for run-away routes • Continue to take this matchup until the defense adjusts In our combination routes we want to work on some defender in the seam. We have to identify him and work the hi-low read off him. If the coverage is man-coverage we want to look for run-away routes. Those are routes when the receiver is running away from his man defender. He is running deep or across the field. The post. corner, out, crosses. and dig routes are examples of run-away routes. Hitch and curl routes are stationary routes, with the receiver working back to the quarterback. Man coverage can play the curls and hitches. If the receiver runs a corner, the quarterback can throw away from the coverage and let the receiver run to a spot. We continue to run those routes until the defense commits someone else to stop what you are doing. If they do that, they weaken themselves somewhere else and we will find it. Check for blitz, Hot reads trump any other pre-snap reads • We put this responsibility on the quarterback and wide receiver • Must see blitz off edge. offensive line will block the interior • Quarterback and receiver both call out blitz and run hot In our league we did not see many blitzes. They ran simple stunts off the edge or double linebacker blitzes up the middle. Most of the blitzes we see are single defenders off the edge or up the middle. We have the responsibility for the blitz pick up with the quarterbacks and the receivers. The offensive line and running back are responsible for blocking all interior blitzes. That gives us a six-man protection scheme inside. The receivers are responsible for the edge blitzes. If an outside linebacker or nickel back blitz off the edge, the receiver must see it and sight adjust his pattern to the hot route. The quarterback must be on the same page with the receivers. The hot route is generally a slant/hitch combo, however, that can change depending on who is replacing the blitzer. Each week we go over what the hot routes are going to be. If the defense sends the safety down to play the slot receiver, when he moves down, we run past him, and go deep. If they buzz the linebacker to cover the slot, he runs a slant behind him. All that coaching is done during the week and is part of the game plan. We do not give options to the receiver. We tell him what to do and we do that from scouting and game planning. When they do this he does that. And that trumps all other reads. We do not want our players thinking. we want them playing. When the wide receiver sees the blitzer approaching the line of scrimmage, he calls it out to the quarterback and points at the blitzer. That keeps the quarterback and receiver on the same page. The quarterback does the same thing. If he sees what he thinks is a blitz, he calls to the wide receiver, "Watch 23, Watch 23," If number-23 blitzes, the receiver runs the hot route. It may be a short gain, but if the receiver makes the tackler miss it can be a big gain. All we are trying to do is not lose yardage on a blitz. We break our passing game up into two categories. We have a quick passing game and an intermediate passing game. Quick Passing Game • Ball needs to come out quickly, no hesitation • Throw on time, footwork has to be correct • Punch/Bucket Step • Look for soft corner back • Ball placement is critical and can vary depending on the route, our job to help with YAC (yards after catch) • There is no hot in the quick game since the timing of the throw gets the ball out before the blitz can get to the quarterback, quarterback should throw toward the blitzer We are in the shotgun with the quarterback. In the quick game the ball is coming out as quickly as we can throw it. The quarterback is not looking for the laces of the ball. He catches it and gets rid of it. You must practice throwing without the laces because it is difficult at the beginning. We throw the quick game on time. The quarterback must know where he is going with the ball. His footwork must be right. If he is a right-handed quarterback he uses a punch step to the right and a bucket step to the left. It is a two-step movement. If he throws to the right he punch steps with his right foot, which opens his hips to the target. He steps with his left foot to the target and delivers the ball. If he is throwing to the left, he bucket steps with his right foot. The right foot bucket step is behind the left foot. The left foot opens to the target and the quarterback delivers the ball. The object of the bucket step is to get the right foot on the ground as quick as possible so he can push off and get some velocity on the ball. In both cases it is a two-step delivery. We work that footwork daily. The first thing we look for in the quick game is a soft corner. If we have one corner pressing the wide receiver and the other playing off, we obviously go to the soft corner. If both corners are at the same depth, we go to the scouting report. We want to throw at the worst corner from our film study. The second option is to our best receiver. In the quick game we have rules we work with. We want to throw to the short side of the field if everything is equal. That is the shortest throw. If we have a hitch called and we get press coverage, we convert the hitch to the fade. The ball placement can lead the receiver into an easier path to escape the tackler by making his route a continuous movement. If the receiver runs a hitch, the ball placement will lead the receiver away from the defender. If the defender is on the inside, the ball goes to the outside. The spin up field by the receiver is an outside spin away from the inside receiver. If we run a slant route, I do not want the ball a yard in front of the receiver. I want the ball delivered as a body catch tight to his body. We do not want to stretch or expose the receivers coming into the middle of the field. The 3 X 1 rules apply even with the quick game. We throw to the single receiver in the quick game if possible. Intermediate/Deep Passing Game • Rhythm bases and timing • Throw on time, footwork has to be correct • 5-step/Quick-5 Drops • Identify safeties to determine coverage • Check blitz key for hot reads • Determine 1-on-1 match up • Ball placement is critical and can vary depending on routes, our job is to help on YAC These are rhythm throws. The five-step drop is one. two. and three, hitch, and throw. The quarterback plants on his third step. He gathers on the hitch and throws on the next step. When the quarterback hits his hitch step, the ball must come out on the next step. He has to know where he is going with the ball. It does not make sense, but in the shotgun we only take three steps. We still call it a five-step drop even though we are not under the center. The quick five-step drop has no hitch in it. It is one, two. three, and throw. That is the hardest throw we make. We tie the quick-five drop to certain patterns. It goes with the -out- route. which we stick at 10-yards and roll to 12-yards deep. If we throw the curl/flat combination, the curl route is a five-step drop with the hitch in the drop. However, if the linebacker drops under the curl and we need to throw the flat, we eliminate the hitch step and use the quick-five step drop. That way the flat receiver has a chance to turn the play up and make yards. If we put the hitch in the throw, the receiver gets too close to the sidelines with nowhere to go but out of bounds for a two yard gain. The quarterback looks at the safeties for tips to the coverage. If there are two high safeties, they are in some kind of cover-2 or cover-4. If there is one high safety we think that is cover-1 or cover-3. The alignment of the corners will give you additional information. If the corners have their butts to the sidelines and five yards deep, it is probably cover-2. If they are seven yards off and square on the receiver it is cover-4. He has to have an idea what the coverage is before he snaps the ball. Wide Receiver Play • We want our wide receiver to get off the ball and get up the field trying to make the defensive back flip his hips • Every route should looks like a 9-route at the beginning • 3 X 5 / 5 X 10 • Timing based passing game. receiver needs to be at a specific landmark at a specific time • Avoid collisions. do not mess around with the defensive back • Speed-turn. attack defenders shoulder or turn • Step based route running • Stack defenders on vertical routes I do not want the receiver getting held up anywhere during their routes. We want to get off the ball and up field in a hurry. If the receiver runs 4.7 in the forty, I want him running 4.7 on his routes. You have all heard about the 4.4 receiver that plays at 5.0 speed. I want full acceleration off the line of scrimmage. We want to eat up the cushion of the defensive back and make him flip his hips and run. Our belief is this: Once the defender turns his hips, he is beat. Every route at the beginning should look like a -go' route, which is our 9-route. The first three steps of any pattern should look exactly alike. We have a step rule. It should take the receiver three steps to get five yards deep and five steps to get ten yards deep. That is a general rule. A 6-5 receiver may cover 11 yards in five steps, where a 5-7 receiver covers 8 yards in five steps. We run our patterns on steps and not yards. However, they must be at a specific landmark at a specific time. They cannot get jammed or get held up. If they are supposed to be at 10 yards they cannot get jammed and run the pattern at 8 yards. Our outside receivers align with their inside foot up and the outside foot back in his stagger. If we run a 10-yard out. that is a six step route. The sixth step is his plant foot to turn outside. The dig is the same pattern breaking to the inside. He cannot run that pattern off his sixth step. He takes one more step to be on the correct plant foot. The "out" pattern for the wide receiver will be deeper than the slot receiver's "out" because he is off the line of scrimmage. The wide receiver runs his "out" at 12-14 yards while the slot will be 10-12 yards. The same thing will be true for the "dig" route. We speed-turn all our patterns. If we are going to run an "out", we plant on the sixth step and break to the outside using a speed turn. We do not chop our steps down so we can square THE pattern off. We speed-turn and try to get the pattern back flat in two yards. The ten yard route works to 12 yards. On the second step coming out of the break we want to be running lateral to the outside. A coaching point on the speed turn is to stem the route slightly as you run the pattern down the field. If he is breaks out, we want the receiver to stem his pattern so that his inside shoulder is on the outside shoulder of the defensive back. If he is break "in" he puts his outside shoulder on the inside shoulder of the defensive back. That allows him to roll over the pattern quicker. If it takes him six yards to get back to lateral. the defensive back will undercut the pattern and intercept the ball. Wide Receiver Expectations • Play fast – Be decisive • See leverage of defensive back • Check for blitz unless quick game • Maintain route integrity – use your hands throughout the route • Minimize the amount of your steps at the top of the drum • Proper landmarks and spacing • Speed-turns – two yard turns • Make the routine We allow our receiver to use an inside or outside release off the line of scrimmage. The only time we do not is when something is coming to the receiver. That is called a protection release. We want to turn the corner and get him to widen outside because we are running something to his inside. If the quarterback sees the blitz and gets blasted because the receiver does not, it is on the receiver. He has to see the same thing the quarterback does. He is in position to see it, curl at 14 yards. That is hard on your ankles and knees. Unless you drill it into the receivers they will not do it. The receiver has to maintain the integrity of the route. That means if he gets knocked off his landmark, he has to get back on it. If the defensive back is trying to hold him, he has to knock his hands off. He cannot mess with the defensive back but he must get the defensive backs hands off him. When we run a comeback or curl route it is not natural or comfortable for the body to shut down a full sprint forward in a short amount of time. That is what we ask them to do. We want them to get their down field momentum throttled down in three steps so they can run the comeback and knees. Unless you drill it into the receivers they will not do it. You always see the one-handed catches and diving catches the receivers make. However. you also see the ones right in their hands that they drop. The easy catch requires the same amount of concentration. Make the routine catches. In the first diagram, the quarterback looks at the safety. (Diagram #1) He sees there is one high safety and identifies the coverage as cover-1. There is going to be some kind of blitz from this alignment. The call is a quick game all hitch route.
The first thing he looks for is a one-on-one matchup. He sees our best receiver in a press coverage by the corner. The safety is too far to the inside to be a factor on the throw. The single receiver converts the hitch to a fade and he beats the corner. The safety is not a factor and the play ends up a touchdown play. The next set is a 2 X 2 set. (Diagram #2)
The quarterback looks for the numbers of defenders to each side. The defense is cover-1 so the defense is balanced on the perimeter. We ran a fake bubble screen to both sides with inside slants. The defense blitzed the inside linebacker on the left side of the defense, and left a big window inside for the slant pattern. The next play is a 3 X 1 set. (Diagram #3) 'The single receiver had an inside breaking pattern. If the pattern was an out breaking pattern we would have a one-on-one coming to the inside. The overhang safety gave underneath help and it was not a safe throw. The quarterback looks at the three-receiver side and sees a numbers problem for the defense. We have three receivers on two defenders. The defense is going to do something toward the trips side because their alignment is unsound.
The quarterback picks that side and keys the nickel back on the slot receiver. He will throw opposite the action of the nickel. When you work with your quarterback make sure you drill him on every throw he has to make. If you throw the back shoulder fade, work him. and give him the confidence to make that throw. You must rep everything in practice. If he makes a mistake it is probably because you did not rep it enough. Whatever your expectation are with your quarterback make sure you drill those things. I appreciate you guys being here. |
Intermediate and Deep Passing Game
