Draw Trap

I hope to put more run game stuff up in the future and be able to tie it together, however, I'd like to call attention to one of my favorite runs that I don't see run or talked about much: the draw trap.

The draw trap is a very simple play, that does require good execution and timing. It can be run from a variety of sets and doesn't require different calls for one-back versus two-back, etc.

The primary purposes of the play are:

1. To provide a running play that looks like standard drop-back pass action to help hold linebackers and safeties when you do and to help make the fake-draw playaction more successful. Without good draws your dropbacks and fake-draws aren't going to be very successful.

2. To provide an effective counter for upfield charging defensive linemen.

3. The draw-trap is particularly effective because it is designed to specifically attack defensive ends, which are often the most dangerous and aggressive, and can make them more weary of charging hard upfield.

4. Also, the draw-trap is much better than the regular draw versus certain blitzes. The traditional draw is most effective versus hard charging defensive linemen and fast dropping linebackers and safeties (outside rushers can also be negated), but the draw trap can seal inside dog blitzes better and get the runner more to the outside quickly.

The rules, in quick and dirty form are as follows. Then you can look at some of the diagrams. Sorry I did not have time to better label some of the fronts.

QB: Dropback, deliver the ball, and carry out your fake.
All linemen will pass set for a quick count. Traditional draws and slow screens have a much longer pass set up than the draw trap, which is fairly quick.

PST: Quick set, combo down with the PSG guard to near linebacker.
PSG: Quick set, combo 3 or 2 tech with PST, combo 1 or 0 with C to linebacker.
C: Reach/combo nose, drive 0, seal backside.
BSG: Quick set, pull and trap first man that shows. If no one turn up to LB
BST: Step playside, seal, drive, release downfield if nothing

PSY: Outside release like pass, block LB
BSY: Step playside, seal, drive for a count then release downfield

Playside back: Release outside tackle like pass route, block first man that shows
Ball carrier: Shuffle playside with head up--show pass pro look. Take ball and follow pulling guard, cut inside his block, get upfield and then look outside.

Wideouts and slots will block man on to, release for safety away.

At the line the QB is responsible for running this play to the side that it will be most effective. I do not ask my QBs to constantly check plays at the line, but I do ask them to run the ball where we will be most effective. We do that through common sense ("Don't attack walled cities") and some rules of thumb.

For the draw trap we tell the QB that if they are in odd (noseguard) we want to run it weak unless they are heavily shifted weak. If they are in even we want to run the trap to the "widest 3 technique", or I suppose it can be thought of as the wider defensive tackle. This adapted from our rule for the quick inside trap, but has served as well for wider traps as well.

If the defense is in some kind of monster style or slanting defense that is trying to fool us into running into their slants, then we will gameplan this.

Below are some diagrams:

Throwing Option Routes

After my post on Spurrier's read curl/corner route I got a nice response about running other routes to convert versus coverages. There are many forms of this--the most viable I think that can be part of any reasonably sophisticated pass offense is the middle read, where the receiver runs a post versus MOFO (middle of the field open) and a square in versus MOFC (middle of the field closed).

However, many successful passing teams use individual option routes, particularly the strain of one-back offenses stemming from Jack Neumeier and Dennis Erickson trickling through Mike Price, Joe Tiller of Purdue and others.

The simplest form of choice or option route is with pre-snap signals. I won't cover this in detail, but usually you split a single receiver backside (Archie Cooley used to put Jerry Rice on the backside from his five-wide-receiver/four-receiver-to-a-side sets). Based on the leverage of the flat defender and the cornerback the receiver will signal a route to a QB--shuffling his feet, a number behind his back, etc--and the QB confirms it and knows he can throw this route if he wants. Often it can be as simple as a hitch, slant, or fade choice. This is simple on the QB since he knows what the route is before the snap. See below:



More complicated are the option routes by the slot receivers. Usually you simply have the outside receivers run streak routes down the sideline, but if the safeties begin to jump the option routes you can tag the outside receivers on a post route.

Also, you can use a third receiver or the running back to control the undercoverage--either the flat or the inside linebackers.



However, primarily it all comes down to the option receiver. His rules are simple in explanation but this must be heavily practiced. Teams that run many option routes have few other routes--both because they don't need them and they have limited practice time. Timing between him and the quarterback are very key, and not easy to establish. Furthermore, Quarterbacks HAVE to look at this receiver to see what he will do, so this can draw more defenders to this receiver than on another, most simple, progression.

Nevertheless, an excellent receiver used in an option-route circumstance can be extremely potent. I personally do not believe in the R&S style where you have 3-4 receivers converting their routes on every play, but having a particular option route can be extremely effective.

Option Route Rules, 5-step:

1. Identify the man on you, first man inside, or nearest safety. This is your key.

2. Release at full speed at his outside hip--take away his leverage.
3. Identify man or zone: Is the defender looking at you or the QB? Are they bracketing you? Is he right on you?
4. If zone, push to 10 in the open grass, run a curl and sit in the open grass/zone hole. Make eye contact with the QB to find the passing window.

5. Versus man, push to 10. If he keeps his cushion run a curl and look back to QB. Look for QB's eyes--you will naturally slide to find the passing lane and this will keep you moving from the defender.
6. Versus man under, if he is tight on you: Push to 10, and try to literally step on his toes. Recognize defensive leverage, and break away. He's in? I'm out! He's out? I'm in! Stay flat, do not work upfield--this is when interceptions happen. Should not catch the ball deeper than 10 yards.


QB: You are peeking at the home-run first, then looking for the option route. Control the defenders wil your eyes--keep them fixed down the middle on your first three steps.

If you have options on both sides, key the free/weak safety. If he sits in the middle or goes weak, you work to strong (3 receiver side). If he works strong, you work weak.

Identify man or zone to anticipate the type of throw. Be prepared to slide in the pocket to find the window--do not throw this pass over defenders!

Most importantly: you are looking at the receiver, but you are throwing it away from the defenders. Pull the receiver away from the defense, he will get to the ball and this will both cut down on interceptions and will help him run after the catch.

Closing Notes

If choosing to make the option route an important part of your offense (if you want to run it right you must, just like running option football, etc) then there are many adaptations. Most commonly teams will also run the option from the 3-step drop, such as Purdue.

In this case the rules are the same, the back(s) stay in to protect, and the receiver will make his break at 6 yards. He will not come back to the football if he sits as on a curl, but instead sits and turns back to the QB, more like a hitch route.

Also, Norm Chow and Mike Leach at Texas Tech like to use running backs on option routes, such as in the following Y-Cross.



The QB peeks at the big play on the go route by X, and then looks down for the option route. In Chow's teaching, they always throw it to the option route unless two defenders play down and squeeze the runningback, and then they look for the deep cross by Y and the backside in route. The running back outside releases and does his read at 4-5 yards.

Lastly, it cannot be emphasized that extensive practice must go into this route. The QB and receivers must be on the same page. You should drill this with a cone at the break point and coaches giving the look as well as versus air and 7 on 7. Option routes are not necessary for a great pass offense--many great coaches never or hardly used them. But, they definitely can be a powerful weapon, particularly to feature an excellent receiver.

Lastly, an advanced technique by crafty receivers is to fake the sit/curl, and look at the QB, and then burst again in an in or out. Purdue's receivers are excellent at this--it becomes almost like a whip route of sorts. You'll see great option route runners start and stop all the time, but that only comes with experience and many repetitions.

Playing Pitch and Catch - Spurrier's Favorite Pass Play

Been plenty of boring stuff on the site about statistics and all that mumbo jumbo (hey I like that mumbo jumbo!), so here is a more true-to-form article about some bread and butter: passing offense

Who better to analyze than the Ole' Ball Coach, who will be back this fall at South Carolina? I for one am looking forward to catching some of the other USC games, now that Spurrier is back in coaching.

Despite his lack of success at the Pro level, Spurrier's offense is still one of the most well crafted offenses around. (I still think that Spurrier's lack of success at Washington was for many reasons, and likely it was not purely his offensive scheme as some would like to say. If it was schematic then some of it was due to some of the publicized protection issues, which I have not gotten the opportunity to study on film properly.)

Anyway, if you watch any old Spurrier tapes or if you see them this fall you'll see plenty of post/dig combos, the smash (hitch/corner combo), and the scissors (post and a corner combination), but the play that has always defined Spurrier, at least for me, is his Ralph/Lonnie combo.

Spurrier runs a handful of read routes--nothing like the run and shoot--but this is one that he will run over and over, often on successive plays. In brief it is a play that combines two plays that almost everyone runs into one play: the curl/flat and the corner/flat combination.

For him this is a 7-step drop play that he will commonly run with fake run action in the backfield, usually faking the lead draw. Thus the routes are a bit deeper. However, the same principles can be run at the high school level very easily at a 5 step pass with slightly shorter routes.

The basic theory is that versus cover 3 or off coverage he wants to run a 15 yard curl, and against cover 2 he wants to attack the deep third with a corner route. Below is Ralph/Lonnie drawn up in some common formations.



The read is fairly simple, though, like any other read route, requires lots of repetitions. Spurrier will rep this endlessly--often versus air--using coaches and dummies to help coordinate the reads along with the typical 7 on 7 and one on one drills.

I'll begin with the other receivers first and then finish with the option-route receiver and the QB. Spurrier has traditionally used a FS1, FS2, BS1, etc type system to teach his routes, but this can be integrated with any kind of playcalling system you use.

From a traditional pro-set the backside split end will burst inside for 3 steps, then push upfield to 15 yards and then break for the goalpost versus MOFO (middle of the field open, like cover 0 or 2) and flatten on a square-in versus MOFC (middle of the field closed, like cover 1 or 3).

The running backs will check release to 5 yards over the tackles, or a single back will settle over the ball in the area between the tackles at 5 yards, showing the QB his numbers.

The FS#2 will run a flat route to 4-6 yards. If he is a slot receiver he will push vertical for 3 steps, exaggerating his burst, before breaking to the flat.

The option receiver's rules are as follows:

1) Take normal split. If on the near hash no farther outside than the inside of the numbers.

2) Versus any "off" coverage (3 or loose man) he will simply burst straight off the line at the outside hip of the defender, sell the go, reach to 15 yards and curl back to the QB ("chop, stop, and return" in my terminology), looking for the QB's eyes, finding the window between defenders. There essentially is no read if the corner is playing you way off.

3) Versus "up" or press coverage he will inside release, taking a 3-step inside release, burst to 15 yards. This is the actual read.

The receiver is looking if there is someone deep and to the outside of him (deep 1/3). If there is he will settle at 15 on a curl and look for the QB's eyes. If the defender stays on him, it is man, and he will run his corner at 15, stick his foot, and burst somewhat flatter than 45 degrees.

If the defender lets him go and there is no deep 1/3 defender, he will run his corner route. At 15 yards he sticks his inside foot and breaks to the corner at a 45 degree angle, expecting to catch he ball between 20 and 24 yards downfield. Usually, versus cover 2 another defender--the hash safety--will rotate over and play the receiver heads up if he took an inside release. The receiver will run his corner route off this defender.

4) If you burst straight off the line and the corner comes up or does not move his feet, then immediately inside release for 3 steps and use your read rules: look for the deep outside 1/3 defender. The route may look funny on paper but it will still be effective.

The QB will read the safeties on his drop and should have a good pre-snap read, anticipating what the route will be. He looks down the middle of the field on his first 5 steps, and if the safety(ies) move out of position he can look for the post immediately.

Otherwise the read is option route, to flat, to underneath (backs). On the last two steps of his drop he will look at the deep 1/3, also looking for a deep outside 1/3 defender. His rule is very simple, if there isn't a deep 1/3 defender he will look to throw the ball in the "open grass"--essentially throwing the ball where the defenders aren't and anticipating that his receiver will also get to where the defenders aren't.

If there is a deep 1/3 defender, he should see the curl developing in the same line of vision, and will look through the window looking to deliver the curl route, sticking the ball right on the receiver's numbers.

Included in his read of the "open grass" this includes the flat defender being held short and not dropping back to get in the line of side of the corner or the curl. One of the few good hard and fast rules for QBs is to never throw the ball over a retreating flat defender, be it a cornerback or a linebacker.

It should be noted that Steve's quarterbacks were always very good at going through their progressions; we remember the deep posts, the many curls, the corner routes thrown, but his team's ate the defense up, infuriated defensive coordinators and troubled the linebackers and safeties by consistently finding the check-down and underneath receivers.

Below are diagrams of the play versus Cover 3, Cover 2, and Cover 1 (you can imagine it versus Cover 2-man).

Cover 3

Cover 2

Cover 1


A few more notes on the play:

1) This play is designed versus cover 3 and cover 2. Some good defenses are very good at switching back and forth from these defenses and catching you perennially with curls versus cover 2, corners versus cover 3, and never getting the right call. This play eliminates that, and the corner is a good man to man route versus cover 1 and 2 man. However, the play is not designed for cover 4 a.k.a combo coverage (bracketing by the corner and safety) and, while the post and the corner are often good calls versus cover 0 (all-out man blitz) this may not be the right call because of timing and protection. I'll save cover 4 and ways to defeat it in another article.

2) A very good high school team that I know of uses this play as their go-to play, and they simplify it by always having the option receiver inside release and read the outside coverage. You still get the same curl route you do with the straight stem, but if the deep 1/3 defender shows his intent early they will have the receiver fade his stem back out to the sideline and away from the safety abit, too.

3) Also, this school runs this play as a 5-step drop play where the curl and the corner routes are run at 12 yards rather than 15.

4) Another adjustment that can be made with this play is to make some kind of switch call, switching #1 and #2. In this case it becomes a kind of read smash, but the play and the read for the QB are the exact same. The outside receiver runs a hitch at 5 yards and the inside receiver bursts straight up the field to 12 yards, doing the same outside 1/3 read. Versus a deep 1/3 player he runs the curl, if not he runs a corner either for the open grass in the zone or sticking and breaking away from his man defender.

Below is a diagram of this.



5) Lastly, I didn't cover it (I'm not really the authority since I have always taught a strict progression, though have worked on it with experienced QBs.) but Spurrier teaches a lot of "look-offs." For example to help open up the curl/corner Spurrier's QBs will often look down at the flat during or near the end of their drop to keep the defender short. This has obviously served him well. I have always stressed reading the defense or the appropriate defender (usually free safety or middle linebacker) on the beginning of the drop (1st step in 3 step, 3 steps in 5 step) and then going to a strict 1-2-3 progression for the QB.

However, when I've had experienced QBs who were excellent at reading coverages pre-snap and who quickly got a read on the key defender, they could then use their 2nd, 3rd and sometimes 4th and 5th steps looking at the 2nd or 3rd receiver in the progression before looking back at #1 and then progressing (did I explain that well at all? Haha).

Controlling the Ball With the Pass - Bill Walsh

Old article from 1979 but still a good one. From the Unofficial Westcoast Offense Site:

Emphasis below is mine--

Controlling the Ball With the Pass
BILL WALSH
former San Francisco 49ers and Stanford Cardinal


My philosophy has been to control the ball with the forward pass. To do that we have to have versatility-versatility in the action and types of passes thrown by the quarterback.

Dropback Passes

We like the dropback pass. We use a three-step drop pattern, but more often we will use a five-step drop pattern of timed patterns down the field. From there we go to a seven-step drop. When our quarterback takes a seven-step drop, he's allowing the receivers time to maneuver down the field. Therefore, we will use a three-step drop pattern when we are throwing a quickout or hitch or slant which, by and large, the defense is allowing you to complete by their alignment or by their coverage.

The five-step drop pattern for the quarterback calls for a disciplined pattern by the receiver. He runs that pattern the same way every time. He doesn't maneuver to beat the defensive back.

Too often in college football, either the quarterback is standing there waiting for the receiver, or the receiver has broken before the quarterback can throw the ball. These are the biggest flaws you will see in the forward pass. Now when the receiver breaks before the ball can be thrown, the defensive back can adjust to the receiver. Any time the quarterback holds the ball waiting for the receiver to break, the defensive back sees it and breaks on the receiver. So the time pattern is vital.

Play-Action Passes

You can't just dropback pass. You have to be able to keep the defense from zeroing in on your approach. That's why the play pass is vital. By and large, the play-action pass will score the touchdown. The dropback pass will control the ball.

For play-action passing, we have certain blocking fundamentals that we use. We will show different backfield actions with basically the same offensive line blocking. We will go to the play pass as often as we can, especially as we get to the opponent's 25-yard line.

...

In Scoring Territory

I have seen many teams march the ball beautifully, but right around the 15-yard line, they are already warming up their placekicker, because right at that point defenses change, the field they can operate in changes, and suddenly their basic offense goes all to pieces.

My contention is that if we are on their 25, we're going for the end zone. Failing at that, we will kick a field goal. In an evenly matched game, I don't want to try to take the ball from their 25 to the goal line by trying to smash it through people, because three out of four times, you won't make it. Unless you are superior. Of course, if you are vastly superior it makes very little difference how you do it.

Why? First, every defensive coach in the country is going to his blitzes about right there. The pass coverage, by and large, will be man-to-man coverage. We know that if they don't blitz one down, they're going to blitz the next down. Automatically. They'll seldom blitz twice in a row but they'll blitz every other down. If we go a series where there haven't been blitzes on the first two downs, here comes the safety blitz on the third down. So we are looking, at that point, to get into the end zone.

By the style of our football, we'll have somebody to get the ball to a little bit late-just as an outlet to get 4 or 5 yards, to try to keep it. But from the 25 to the 10, we're going for the end zone.

...

Short Yardage

We have standard passes to throw against a goalline defense. Too often people try to go in there and butt heads with good linebackers on the goal line. Too often they don't make it.

If we get inside that 5-yard line, half the time we are going to throw the ball. Now, if you're marching through somebody, you can just close your eyes and hand the ball off But when it's very competitive, that goal-line pass is vital. So we have a series of those. We never call them anywhere else on the field.

When we are around their 35-yard line in a short-yardage situation, if we don't see somebody standing deep down the middle, we're probably going to go for the six points.

To make it on third-and-1 we will often throw to a back out of the backfield. Third-and-3 is the toughest of all to make. We have a certain list of runs and a certain list of passes. When we have a third-and-3, we don't grope. We go to it.

Risk and Return in Play Selection

Below is a chart describing the probability (based on a normal distribution) of gaining 10 yards in 3 plays, based on a particular play's expected gain/variance relationship (or three different plays with the same characteristics):



Chart courtesy of reader Brad Eccles.

You can muse on this for some time, but this is accounting for losses, as well. It shows the important relationship between risk and return but also demonstrates--looking at the steep slope for the results on the right hand side of the chart--that average or expected return has a huge effect, implying that higher return rather than conservative playcalling strategies are beneficial, even accounting for risks (standard deviation).

Quick caveats: This is highly abstract, and takes no account of down or distance or position on the field; what may have a low standard deviation or high return in one circumstance may not in another. Also, the standard deviation for higher returns may need to be higher than 20. I still am looking for a large enough set of data to analyze.

Lastly, and this is not a bad thing, is that the assumption of a normal distribution may be off, because I would imagine that returns for a football play are heavily skewed (i.e. in a single play it is more common to gain 30 or 40 yards than it is to lose 30 or 40 yards.). This may also work in the favor of aggressive playcalling, particularly if you can quantify turnover/field position risk.

Mini-Curl/Spacing Concept

A play that is gaining in popularity is the spacing/mini-curl. A simple route that happens quickly (especially important with protection becoming more and more difficult), Norm Chow at USC, the University of Michigan and many others have been using this play.

This description comes via Ted Seay, via the Chucknduck boards.

Coach: No film, but the following comes from Jody Ashby, on Coach [Andrew] Coverdale's staff at Newburgh Castle HS in Indiana:

Spacing - is the old curl/out route cut in half. So, think miniature post curl, arrow, and a sit route. You can make this look a ton of ways, but I'll give you the most basic way we would run it. Michigan does a lot of this (for your reference). Lets take a bunch formation, the outside receiver who is off the ball runs a miniature curl (4 yards vertical, skinny post to 7, drumroll and stick the toe in the ground, present your numbers to the quarterback, you will get some width on your initial steps to help create spacing), the middle receiver on the ball, runs the mini sit route (he should aim for the far shoulder of the "danger" defender, his depth should be @ 4-5 yards, he is the outlet), the inside receiver is off the ball and runs the arrow route (he should get width fast, aiming point would be 4-5 yards, but should emphasize width first, if he reaches the numbers and hasn't received the ball turn up).

The quarterback uses a big 3, because we want the mini-curl. He will use his shoulders to encourage the flat player to chase the arrow, opening up the mini-curl lane. He will often see the arrow pop open quickly reading flat defenders shoulders, but he will complete it for 2 yard gains, if he's patient, the mini-curl will work itself open. If his mini-curl lane was invaded from inside, he would go to his outlet "the sit." We often have a single on the backside of this and we will always check to see if we can throw single first. If we are unable to throw single, then we should have the numbers (unless 0 coverage) to work the spacing route. If you have "The Bunch Attack" book and look at the mesh route with a stem call, which gives you a sit route (because of the sandbox rule), there you have it - A quick version of mesh stem AKA "spacing."

Diagrams below are mine:

All-Curl

Expect some run game posts coming up soon, but first a post on one of my all-time favorite plays (though less good now versus the prevalent cover 4 and cover 2 defenses).

This has always been one of my favorite calls versus single-safety teams, and has been around since about the first time Angelo Bertelli threw a spiral.

The play is a horizontal stretch with 5 potential passing lanes stretching 4-under zones. Cover 2 zone with 5 underneath zones is difficult to throw this pass against and cover 4 with the safeties bracketing the curling receivers is also a threat. However, this is still a pass many teams use and will continue to be effective.

The techniques are simple:

12 Yard curl route by the outside receivers. Some teams teach an inside release or various stems or things to do at the top of the route. I still think that the best way to run it is to simply burst hard vertical for 12, selling the go route. Attack the outside hip of the cornerback with off-coverage. This route should be calibrated with steps, to achieve perfect timing.

Versus press coverage take an inside release and then push to 12, and box out your defender.

Flat or shoot routes. See my post about runningback routes . If you are a tight end or a slot receiver you will also take a direct shot to 3 yards, no wider than the numbers. If you are a slot and you have press man, push up the field a couple yards before breaking it out. Otherwise, shoot right away.

Last, the inside control route is a sit route over the ball at 6-8 yards. If a tight-end then it will be at 8, we say 6-8 if it is a slot split out 4-5 yards who must get inside as well.



Below is video of the New Orleans Saints using this play:



The QB will take a 5-step drop. The first read is the sit #1, curl #2, and flat #3. If he throws the sit it will be thrown on a rhythm--5-steps and no hitch step. If he throws the curl or the shoot it is 5-steps with a hitch step.

On his pre-snap read he will do his normal scan of the defense: left corner, safeties, right corner, back over the linebackers with eyes on the DL, back to left corner, repeat. He wants to identify the weak safety, the safety structure (1, 2, 3, 4), the mike-linebacker and any potential unblocked rushers.

On his first step off the line he will eye downfield at the safety structure. He doesn't need to think out "oh, it's cover 3" but he should get an idea of where the flow is. Also, keeping his eyes downfield will help hold the defense.

Then he will look at the Mike linebacker (middle linebacker or first linebacker inside Will in a 3-4 look), reading his drop. If he drops straight back or strong, then the QB will work weak (sit, to weakside curl, and shoot).



If he drops weak, then QB progresses strong (sit, strongside curl, shoot/swing).



That is it. Very simple. From there he reads passing lanes. "Do I have a clear lane to throw the ball?" The receivers on the curl routes are looking to make eye-contact. They will naturally find the proper window.


Next I'll briefly touch on a few adjustments one can make to the slot man to help the pass versus some different coverages and provide a different look.

First, versus cover 4 we will send the slot/tight end on a seam or post route to clear out the safety and to open up the lane for the curl.

Normally, the safeties will bracket the curl and there is nowhere to go with the ball.



However, with a post, now there is a passing lane to the strongside.

Next, is when we split out the player running the sit route we will have him run what we call a "shake", which is sort of a square-in/shallow cross. This is something we got from Gary Crowton's Louisiana Tech days. The slot will take a 4-5 yard split from the tackle. Basically he has some freedom to get open, keep running or find a window. He will inside release, push upfield to 5-6 yards. Versus man and he will stick and break flat, versus zone he will hook up, showing his numbers to the QB. He wants to catch it underneath the Mike linebacker.

Jeff Tedford on Quarterbacking

Start with the playbook, which Tedford wants quarterbacks to "learn" rather than memorize - akin to thinking in a foreign language rather than simply memorizing the right sentence for ordering dinner in a restaurant.

"So much of the game is the mental part, being prepared scheme-wise, and understanding the game, and understanding the concepts, so they understand on every play where to throw the football," Tedford says. "It's not memorizing; you find a lot of times that kids will memorize, but they have to understand the whole concept, and the whole field. There's a purpose for everything we do with every position, and they need to understand what that purpose is."

...

As he teaches understanding of the playbook, Tedford begins by drawing diagrams with pencil and paper. From that, he'll move on to the checkers. Across a table from his quarterback, Tedford arranges 11 checkers in a defensive formation, against the quarterback's offense and asks the quarterback to show what's happening - what's the formation, what's the pre-snap read, what's the play call, what are the possibilities out of the formation, what are the protections, what are the routes? "I'll make them say the snap count, the whole thing, and what happened," Tedford says.

I've never used checkers to teach a quarterback, but if Jeff Tedford says something about quarterbacks, I'll listen. Read the full article here.

Basic Approach to Three-Step Passing

There have been lots of new and recent developments in the three-step drop game recently, and with great defensive linemen coaches are converting many 5-step plays into three step equivalents and developing special concepts like stick, mini-curl, etc.

However, I thought it would be good to get back to basics about the primary purpose of the three step passes and review the three main passes, hitch/seam, slant/shoot, and the fade and when they are primarily used.

First and foremost, the 3-step game is best suited for getting the ball quickly to one of your outside receivers when the defense is giving you some underneath breathing room. The 3-step game functions well vs. blitz and some of these plays but, as much as anything, it is meant to take advantage of loose zone and man.

In gameplanning and for the QB pre-snap (we almost always mirror our routes) I try to identify the defender responsible for the "flat." Primarily, if I am going 3-step it is because this is a LB or inverted SS. Below are diagrams for common defenses. This is not meant to be all inclusive but to just illustrate the point. I have drawn boxes around the flat defender.



Generally, if the cornerback becomes the flat defender (i.e. he is lined up anywhere on the outside receiver as a "force" player) we do not want to throw the 3-step game. This is one reason why I shy away from the 3-step game versus 2 deep, other than the double-slant concept (see my post on throwing the slant) and sometimes the fade or other concepts. The focus of this article is on the flat defender.



The general approach is summarized above: if the flat defender is tight to the formation (and often LOS) we look to throw the hitch to the outside. If he lines up wide and is walked out 2/3 or so we want to throw the slant/shoot to draw him to the flat and hit the slant behind him. In the 1/2 to just inside area it is more about the grey area, and QB reads become more important and the throws must be tighter.

Below are two forms of the hitch to show this:



The drawings are a bit fuzzy, but in the first the flat defender is lined up tight, the second, he is wide. This is important to note and is the whole reason for this article: Yes, in the second the seam should be open, but one does not make a living looking to throw the seam in this circumstance and trying to get the ball to the inside player; the three step game is designed to get the ball to the outside (I will say in some spread situations the hitch to the slot can be a breadwinning play, but, in general this is the mindset).

In a given play yes the seam is an option for the QB, but, as a playcaller, the more that flat player slides outside, the more you want to make the move to the slant:



Below is my article on throwing the slant.

If the corner is the force/flat player and is lined up on any part of the receiver we may want to throw the double slants or not throw the 3-step gam at all. However, the fade is a common throw and, briefly to summarize our thought process:

If the corner is lined up to the inside of the receiver the receiver will attack the defender's coverage and then outside release. In this case we (usually) want to hold the other safety, so we send the slot/Y on a seam route.



If the corner is lined up to the outside (cover 2) the receiver makes his steps outside but doesn't force the issue, and gets upfield and back outside as fast as possible. As long as the safeties aren't cheating too far outside we look to hold the corner in the flat, so we send the slot/Y to the flat. If the corner turns and runs with the fade we will drop it off to the out.



A receiver looks to catch a fade route between 16-20 yards downfield, and the throw does not have a lot of air on it (To the short side it can be more like 14-18 yards).

Shovel Option (Urban Meyer)

The shotgun options and shovel options have become very popular recently, particularly with Utah Coach Urban meyer taking the job at Florida. Below are some coaching points from J.C. Easton (formerly coach of Raines H.S. and currently semi-pro coach) again from Jerry Campbell's site from this thread here.

Qb takes snap and attacks EMLOS. His aiming point is 2 yds. outside the original alignment of the play side end. IF DE comes upfield to QB, the QB will throw the shuffle pass to the back. The RB's land mark is inside hip of PST. BSG pulls and leads for the RB. If the DE crashes inside following the down block of the PST, the QB keeps and gets his butt upfield! The play side slot receiver takes bucket step and gets in pitch relationship with QB. He looks for pitch!!! This is out of spread gun.

Out of an EMPTY GUN the play works identically. The 3 receiver on the trips side replaces the RB as the guy who gets the shuffle from the QB. On the snap, he runs down the LOS with his land mark the inside hip of the playside tackle. This example features the play being run to the open side, away from the TE who is flexed to about 6 yds.

Here is a video link from the thread from another poster, which is very helpful. Also, below I have shown a couple of (very quick, sorry for the sloppiness) drawings to help show what this looks like.

Power/Guard-Pull

We have a very simple run-game. Our base run play is a very common one, and we use it in a variety of circumstances. To some it is known as "Power" or any number of numbers, but we refer to it as our guard-pull or base scheme.



The basic premise is that the frontside will "OIL" block (On, inside, linebacker). The center will work on to sealing weak, the backside tackle will step and seal playside then release downfield. The backside guard will pull and lead. His aiming point is the outside hip of the playside guard but he will read his block.

The playside guard (and tackle really) can take his man anywhere he wants to go, and the hole can open up inside or outside of him. The backside guard will lead into the hole and crush the first def. that shows, usually looking to kick-out.

The RB will not take a super-deep set, only 6 yards or so, will lateral step playside with his eyes up, and then will explode first for the outside hip of the playside guard and then will follow the block of the backside guard. He must follow this block into the hole and then cut off his block. The QB will front-out and then boot away.

We run this from all manner of formations, gun, etc. It is very adaptable to a variety of fronts. If there is demand I can diagram it vs. lots of fronts but these simple rules pretty much apply to anything. Our most common check at the line is to check this to or away. The hard and fast rule is vs. even fronts we want to run strong and vs. odd fronts weak, we also like this with twins and a tight-end, it makes the D commit to what they want to do.



This play is also very adaptable for us with a few simple calls. One of the most common for us is to just make a "Q" call (e.g. "22 Q").



We almost always run this from gun, but you can run it under center. This becomes a QB-faking play where everything is the same except the back goes away and helps seal (he must sell his fake) and the QB fakes, steps around and follows the guard. Once you've taught base you can teach this in about 5 minutes.

The other call we make is a "wham" call which turns this into the more traditional version of the "Power" play which Ohio St. and many other teams run.

It is only for two-back formations. The rules are easy. The outside man for us (tackle or Tight end) has his rule change from "OIL" to "IL" (he won't block the man on). This is commonly referred to simply a downblock. The playside/lead back will kickout the EMOL. Everything else remains the same.



Summary:

We like this play because of its simplicity and because it is essentially just a POV play. It fits in our scheme very well and it is predicated on power, leverage, and numbers. We often ran this with the jet-sweep last year to great success.

There are many other variations one can do for this play or various tags, etc. The only draw-back is straight-play action can be a problem depending on if you want to show the guard-pull or if you don't want to deal with it (and as a result they don't buy that it is a run).

QB Questions - Pre-Snap - Louisiana Tech/Gary Crowton

(1) Scan the coverage. Is it man or zone coverage? Are there two safeties, one safety, or no safeties?

(2) Check the perimeter and the edges of the box. How will I be protected? Will I be protected?

(3) Point to the "hot" defender away from the protection call. You are identifying the defender that must come to create a "hot" throw away from the call side. This is vital if you do not have a built in "hot" receiver to handle a 4th rusher backside.

In my offense the QB actually makes the # of safeties part of the snap count. We audible rarely and the QB will actually step out when he does it, so we have no need for long-winded "Black 81!" type notes. Our snap count is "Go! 2! 2! Hut! Hut!" or "1! 1!" depending on the # of safeties.

Also, these questions are imperative not only for the moment but also to help you as a coach. A quarterback who is asking himselves these questions every play not only will make better decisions, but will come to the sideline and help you make better decisions.

Communication in Football

The very act of writing, speaking, and articulating complex ideas disciplines the mind and its thoughts.

Football, and particularly coaching, is based almost entirely on communicating effectively. We each have to explain to our fellow coaches and our players what we are trying to do ("combo block this man, then move on to 2nd level linebacker"), how to do it effectively ("hips low, use hands, eyes up"), and why ("numerical advantage against this front, the fullback will kick out the end").

Further, football even has its own complex sub-language particular to it and to specific teams to help quickly communicate lots of information quickly, and, in some cases, to do so without revealing information to the competition.

Practice itself is a continual series of communications to reinforce desired behavior ("Good job!" "No, sink your hips, and don't false step."). In so doing we discipline our own thoughts and can often achieve new insights through the process--we have all experienced epiphany moments in the middle of practice. This is one reason that experience is so valuable: years upon years of articulating complex ideas in increasingly simple and effective terms to neophytes to that level of football (players and young coaches). This can and should be one of the goals of communication in football: to not only convey an idea but to broaden and deepen our own understanding.

To put an idea into words, to make a playbook, a gameplan, a playcall sheet and the like are essentially disciplining procedures for coaches. By forcing ourselves to write it out, to plan for various circumstances and contingencies, and--maybe most importantly--to transform it so it can be understood by others besides ourselves is often a difficult but highly rewarding process where discontinuities, excesses, and illogical ideas can be eliminated. Interestingly, sometimes it is not the superiority of the plan or even having a plan that gives a team or coaching staff an advantage, it is the process by which they created it and the fact of having gone through that process that provides them with the insight and tools to succeed.

Communicating With Players

Beyond the planning phase, the ability to communicate to our players what they want to do and how is under constant scrutiny because if they fail to understand us then, first, they will fail to even begin to resemble what we want them to do, and second, they will often tell you directly or tell other coaches that you simply don't know what you are talking about. I've met more than a few highly intelligent and knowledgable coaches whose own players all felt like that they understood the game of football more than their coach, and it could not simply be explained by labelling them arrogant kids.

With respect to relating to and communicating with players coaches are usually either portrayed by both the media and even other coaches as ones that require their players to come to them, and make little effort to understand them individually but instead to mold them into a football team in their image--the so-called disciplinarian or drill sargeant--or as "Player's Coaches", who are seen to gravitate to their players' levels, be one of the guys, and to usually be perceived as more lax with conduct, dress codes, and the like.

All coaches, if they hope to be successful--whether in building men or winning football games--have to "understand" and "relate" to their players, which includes socio-economic background, family status, age and maturity, and current environment (college campus, large city, small rural town), because effective communication of ideas to players is really all that is being judged on Friday Nights, Saturdays, and Sundays. Therefore, while the styles of communication may be different, communication is rarely effective if the intended audience, in this case the players, are not understood extremely thoroughly and in a non-critical, though still demanding, fashion.

Football Strategy and its Development

On the other side, the actual blueprint of a football program and its various strategies, decisions, and plans, despite the fact that most teams are coached by a staff of multiple coaches, is usually designed and made top down by one, maybe up to three people (Head Coach, O and D coordinators), and then articulated downwards through assistants and players in a non-collaborative way. I believe it is evident from some of my other writings that I endorse a collaborative approach, which includes involving the players whenever possible.

The common reasons cited for this consolidation of decision making and planning are a call to power or authority ("It's my team!"), experience ("I've been coaching for 20 years and I have three rings to show for it."), or simply time. I would agree with the first two before the last, time, which, I believe when used as an excuse is a fallacy given the enormous amount of inefficiently spent hours by football coaches, and the short amount of time necessary for effective collaboration (15 minutes is an excellent start). Further, assuming they don't cheat, your opponents are under the same time constraints that you are. Not collaborating can have its own side-effects, from loss of morale to lack of knowledge and growth in football knowledge by assistants and layers. Bringing coaches and players into the decision making process can help make the team theirs, which, among other effects, can increase work ethic.

For now, though, I only want to draw attention to the lack of communication involved in such a centrally-planned system, and that in a collaborative approach each person, if they want to productively contribute, must be able to communicate their thoughts in an understandable way in the form of words, drawings, powerpoint slides, handouts, videos, etc. This is a powerful incentive to think about and learn the game of football more thoroughly.

Furthermore, apart from this intra-coach communication there is an increasing amount of inter-coach communication going on now, through visits (w/ reduced travel cost being a large factor), mailings, videos, articles, and, of course, the internet, where sharing of knowledge has exploded the last few years.

In the oft-repeated story, Mike Leach of Texas Tech literally had to volunteer on the BYU staff in the 1980s in order to learn their offense; now you can track down Norm Chow's four-hour video on the subject. Or, to learn what Leach does now, attend one of his many clinics, give his staff a phone call, or visit one of the websites where you can download one of his playbooks.

When being so up front about what you do there is a very real risk of exposing your own tendencies and vulnerabilities to the competition. However, this risk is overestimated by most in practice. Looking at the NFL and Division I, transparency of tactics is high, film is readily available, and coaches (and players in the NFL) are frequently hired away and change team affiliations. This does not seem to cripple any of the established and successful teams, despite the fact that these high profile and well financed squads are in the best position to exploit this flow of knowledge.

However, offsetting that risk (which I argued was overestimated) is the fact that these coaches have to distill all their teachings, philosophies, and tactics into single, easily decipherable talks, articles, and videos, which are then heavily scrutinized by other sophisticated football minds. It can actually be looked at as a bit of an interesting paradox: your offense may not warrant making a complete installation video about, but the act of making one may make your offense that much better, because you are forced to think about it more, bounce ideas around, and make it useful to other coaches.

Therefore, giving repeated lectures about what you do may remove some secrecy (which was probably never really there to your opponents anyway), but can actually yield more gains to the coaches giving the talk or making the video than those on the receiving end. (Though I've seen some pretty informative videos!) Moreover, obviously communication is a two-way street. The more you communicate the more you will receive in return. I know this has been true for me and this website.

Conclusion

The lone inventor is a popular fallacy depicted throughout history, and is not foreign to football. Individuals, coaches included, are often elevated to "genius" status and the fact that great head coaches often spawn future head coaches from their staff is usually seen as merely justification for the original innovator. Just as likely, however, this points to the valuable collaborative process involved with making those teams and head coaches successful in the first place--coaching is far too time consuming for the all important decisions and adjustments to be left in the hands of just one or two people.

Do not be afraid to share ideas, to work through problems as a staff, to encourage dialogue at all levels of your program, including players, as well as outwardly, at clinics and even through the internet. The very act of sharing these ideas and communicating them can make them clearer and your implementation of them more effective.

Urban Meyer - Zone Read

Football's Golden Son for now is worth looking at a bit. Nothing revolutionary, but lots and lots of coaches incorporate some of these concepts now, and they are quite sound. I have never incorporated the triple from gun and am not an expert--check out Jerry Campbell's books and notes or study Meyer and others' offenses this coming fall--but it is fairly easy to incorporate the backside read by the QB in the zone or any frontside run play from gun.

Petrino at Louisville will incorporate this into more than just the zone, which is how I have used it. I use the QB read of the backside end with our "base" or "Wrap" or guard-pull scheme, which I diagrammed a few months ago here.

The University of Louisville will pull both the backside guard or the backside tackle (not something I do as much because it is harder to get the tackle over there in time) but both are viable tactics and easy to do.

Incorporating the QB read is simple and can essentially add another runner to your offense. From there you can add a pitch relationship with another runningback or a slot man. (Check out the earlier article on the no-back shovel and Meyer's offense here.)

Also, along with this are some broad outlines about the Utah/Bowling Green/Meyer offense and some coaching points, and diagrams from the 2002 Bowling Green playbook (very simple, so not overly informative, but the written material is excellent).

Mike Sanford - Bill Williams Football Clinic, San Diego, Ca March 2005

Offensive Strategy and Goals

1. about 65% run 35% pass
2. 95% out of shotgun
3. Most physical and best zone blocking team in the country
4. Stretch the defense across the field and make them play assignment football

3 Critical Keys

1. Protect the football
2. Score in red zone
3. Convert third downs, practice scenarios

5 Offensive Goals

1. Win
2. Score 66% red zone TD
3. No Turnovers
4. 45% on 3rd down conversions
5. 55% run efficient (4 yards a carry)


Wide receivers have key blocks every single down

Center's snap needs to be perfect everytime

Zone Read Play - 14/15 Read

Rules

- 7 in the box / cover 0 = audible to option or pass
- 6 in the box = block playside 5 and leave 1 (backside DE) Read
- 5 in the box = block 5 (give inside zone)

Running Back:

Alignment:

- Toes at 6 yards, inside foot on guards outside leg

Footwork:

- Shuffle step, step replace step and go, looks like a draw play, close gap with QB, responsible for creating mesh point, rollover ball , hands together even if QB keeps

Aiming point:

- Outside leg of PSG, Read first man of center to outside foot / butt of tackle (B gap)
- Slow to, Fast through - make cut and get vertical

Quarter Back:

Alignment:

- Toes at 5 yards, shotgun (practice everyday with center for a perfect snap)

Footwork:

- Wide open step, pivot opposite foot, extend ball, watch inside shoulder of read man - upfield = give
stay home = give
down line = keep

Aiming point:

- C gap in general
- Read C gap defender - could be DE or LB


Offensive line:

- Inside zone blocking front and backside
- Splits are 2 ft guards, 3 ft tackles

Learning to Live With Terrorism

Original article from the Economist can be found here.

The bombings will change London, but not in the ways most people expect

“OUR lucky day” was the judgment of one British newspaper on the second attempt in as many weeks to murder users of London's transport system. Unlike the four men who blew themselves up on July 7th, killing 52 others, the plotters who struck a fortnight later failed to take lives. But the second bombing hinted, unnervingly, at a long-term campaign. Before July 21st, London was recovering from a past atrocity. Since then, it has been coping with an enduring menace. Two terrorist bombings, it turns out, are more than twice as bad as one.

If spreading fear was the terrorists' objective, they have succeeded. A poll for The Economist shows that 90% of Britons (and almost the same share of Londoners) believe the city will be targeted again within a year. Fully 59% reckon that travelling in the capital has become more dangerous, while only 1% believe the opposite.

But what will be the lasting effect of the bombings? There is a simple rule of thumb. If it is difficult to imagine something ever returning to normal, it is likely to do so quickly. The sources of long-term disruption and damage are more subtle. Much of the harm will come only indirectly from the attacks, and will be caused by the responses to terror rather than the terror itself.

Any fear and anxiety whipped up by the bombings will dissipate quickly. “Most people recover of their own accord in just a few weeks,” says Anne Eyre, a consultant who specialises in trauma and disaster management. While some people who were close to the bombings or have experience of traumatic events will find it harder to recover, the great majority will not require counselling or therapy.

That was so even in New York, where the attacks of September 11th were far more deadly and visible than the London bombings. Project Liberty, a federally funded outfit, deployed thousands of counsellors to meet some 1.2m people. Just 6% were referred for further treatment, mostly for minor symptoms such as sleeplessness. Another survey found that the share of local people reporting symptoms of trauma fell by two-thirds in the six months following the attacks.

...

Meanwhile, the police carry on. Their conduct over the next few months poses the greatest long-term threat, as well as the best hope for stopping further attacks. So far, London's Metropolitan Police have a mixed record. Mosques have been visited and politically incorrect talk avoided. But the shooting of a man mistakenly thought to be a terrorist (see article) has set some Muslim nerves on edge.

The danger is that Muslims'relations with the police will sour, rather as happened with Afro-Caribbean men in the 1980s. Black anger stemmed from the seemingly prejudiced use of street searches—a tactic that, ominously, was increasingly directed against Asians even before the London bombings. Between 2000-01 and 2003-04, the number of Asians stopped and searched rose by 60%, compared with an 8% rise among the population of England and Wales. Fewer of these searches led to an arrest than searches of any other ethnic group.

In the aftermath of terrorist attacks, the extravagant use of such police powers might seem tolerable, or even desirable. In the long term, the consequences are more likely to prove otherwise.

I'm not going to say that greater law enforcement and a broader interpretation of the police's power to search, investigate, and prosecute crimes is bad (especially since this article refers specifically to London and the UK, while here in the United States our police are bound by the 4th amendment to the constitution). This is a difficult issue and will continue to be waged by the public, media, policy makers, and the courts.

The most important point to me of this article is the statement I bolded: that the causes of long-term change are subtle, and often fly under the public radar. Just as the fall of the Berlin wall was a visible but late-coming incident that reflected the many subtle changes that had occurred over the previous 40 some-odd years--particularly the prior 10-15 as the institutions and governments that practiced communism fell increasingly into disarray--these large terrorist acts are simply emblematic of the many subtle changes affecting our lives.

I can only hope that in the future more of these "emblematic acts" are positive rather than tragic.

Sprint-out and Half-roll Passing

Discussion of half-roll protection and diagram from my original website:

Our half-roll protection is very similar to that used by the run and shoot, except our QBs have more freedom to keep rolling out. It is actually designed as a full-sprint out, but the QBs usually end up stopping and setting up after a half or semi-roll out.

It has been a great benefit to vary the launch points for our QB. I am a firm believer in dropback passing, but a simple way to roll-out has been very effective. Further, this has helped a diverse number of QBs, particularly shorter QBs and ones without strong arms. I think many QBs can be more comfortable with the rollout and half-roll passing game.

The Rules:

Backside Tackle: Backside Tackle: Turn and Hinge
Backside Guard: Turn and Hinge
Center: If covered or shade to callside, reach. If uncovered with no shade to callside, turn and hinge.
(Note, on turn and hinges, unless you make immediate contact begin to get depth to stay between the QB and your man. You do not want to be still on the LOS as the DE comes upfield)
Playside Guard: Reach, plug hole/backside
Playside Tackle: Reach (Note: On any reach block, if you are unable to reach, ride your man out to the sideline. Don't get beat outside trying to reach hopelessly. A man pushed out of bounds and kept on the LOS is just as effective.)

RB: Take two steps to callside, looking at outside rusher. Look for OLB or outside rusher to come shooting, block first color that shows. If none show, check middle and then backside. You are the QB's bodyguard. Step to rush, do not wait for him to get to the QB.

QB:Pre-snap look is key. QB will go at a 45 degree angle to a depth of 5-6 yards and then will level off. He will need to get his eyes up, and look downfield. He can continue moving parrallel to the LOS, but he must know when he must stop and step up in the pocket and deliver the ball. If he breaks contain he can continue out, he does not have a set place he has to be, but he must be smart.

This is a protection reliant on the QB being smart. On a dropback everyone knows he should be in the pocket, 5-7 yards behind the center. In this protection his blockers are doing the best they can and he needs to find the best space to throw or run the football from.

He must help his blockers by not getting into trouble and thinking he can outrun everyone. He must have a good sense of timing and be well practiced, as this type of dropback is not as carefully calibrated as our 5 and 3 step drops are. However, its simplicity has been a real asset to us.

Below are some of my favorite sprint out/half-roll pass routes and a (very) brief discussion of each. I like to keep them simple. Also, this series becomes even more viable in the red zone, where giving your QB a run-pass option can be a huge boost to your O. Also, most of the passes are designed to go to the outside, since a) one advantage of moving the pocket is making these passes shorter, b) it puts the defenders in a tougher run/pass bind and c) throwing on the run is easier when the receivers are either stationary or moving in the same direction as you are, so we try to limit receivers to these two categories.



1: My favorite movement pass. The outside man runs a post-curl, looking to make his post move at 8-10 and then curling at 13-15, depending how upfield the defenders are. #2 wants to run a 10 yard out. I like to speed cut this out, but some good passing teams prefer a sharp cut. The QB reads outside to in. He wants to throw the out route every time, but if they fly out he will point his shoulders inside and throw the post-curl. If the post-curl isn't there he thinks run, looking to cut back against the grain. I've seen more than a few long-TD runs by QBs on rollouts, almost all cut-back runs.

2. My second favorite. #1 runs a whip. He will release inside and push to 6 yards and turn back to the QB. Versus man he will pivot and run back to the sideline, versus zone he will turn back to the QB and slide with him. #2 runs a 10-12 yard corner. The QB reads corner to whip, again looking to run/cutback if they are not there. Great in the red-zone.

Also, you can run this from trips sending a man on a seam route (#3) or a go route down the sideline (#1). Either can hurt the defense, but the go is the easier throw for the QB.

3. Great sideline route. Outside receiver runs a comeback to the sideline, making his break at 15. The slot pushes to 12-14, turning inside to the QB but pivoting back outside. Again, the QB reads outside to in.

4. This is a simplified version of the run and shoot choice route, diagrammed in 6. You can tag or call the single receiver's routes, and then from there read across the field as the receivers come into the QBs view. Some coaches would prefer to read deep to short for the deep cross and shallow cross/drag, and while this would be desirable, the receivers come into the QB's vision in this order and this will better reflect how the defenders will actually react to the receivers.

5. This is our adjustment to the first play I diagrammed. Here, the slot runs an out and up and the post-curl looks to whip back out to the sideline a bit more. Great if if you've thrown this a few times and the deep cover men (safeties/corners) think they can jump your possession passes.

6. The run and shoot choice route, thrown in just because it is so effective. Most of you won't want to install all the reads (I didn't), but it's a play many teams have had great success with.

Number of Plays

Coach Bill Mountjoy had a clinic a few weeks back (which I was unable to attend, but I heard was amazing).

From the early reports Larry Zierlein, formerly of the Cleveland Browns, gave a talk heavily based in empirical work about several topics concerning the run game in the NFL, but particularly about the number of run plays used by the best rushing teams. As reported to me (something like 3rd hand, so forgive me if I miss some details), is that there is an optimum number of base run plays for a football team, and, surprisingly, this ended up being only around 5 run plays--at the NFL level!

I'll have to wait for the actual numbers, but this makes intuitive sense, and can be applied to much of your offense.

First, how many times do you run the ball? The typical NFL team runs it around 25 times a game, so that is around 5 times a game for a run play to be run per game. High School games are shorter, D-1 football games are longer, and, along with how many times you run the football, the number of plays can be adjusted from there. The kiss of death is to have a "base" run play that doesn't even get run in a football game, even worse is to have several football games where it doesn't get called. This is a good sign it should NOT be in your playbook.

Implicit in these reported success rates is the amount of practice time dedicated to each play and its techniques, and how comfortable the players are with it. If the best rushing NFL teams only have around 5 base run plays, why do you have 8 or 9? They are dealing with players much more versed with the fundamentals of running the football (blocking, running, eyes up, even handoffs) which you could be teaching instead of adding new plays, have more time, face more variations in their fronts, and, sorry to say, are probably better coaches than you or I, as well.

Furthermore, let us say that you have identified a weakness in your opponent and you want to run the ball off-tackle. You have four off-tackle runs. What is the likelihood that you will call the right one? What is the likelihood that your players are comfortable with all four of them versus whatever front you see? Having extra plays makes your job and their job that much harder, without making your opponent any weaker.

This mindset applies not only to run plays. While we can dream up a multitude of passing scenarios, football is a pretty simple game in terms of what one team or another can do, and much of it is simply window dressing. Therefore, you probably need many fewer pass plays than you would like to have in a perfect world. The same logic used earlier applies to passing: if I have a play or two that can defeat a particular coverage, how many more do I need? It may even look dramatically different than the other plays that attack that coverage, but is it really a necessary tool? Especially compared to what else I could be practicing?

Up to this point I've focused mainly on "base" plays, i.e. plays that make up the large chunk of your offense. There are certain plays that only need to be called once in a game to be successful, or are necessary for certain situations and are crucial to help you win, but you may not actually experience that scenario. Examples are some play action passes, trick plays, goal line plays, and fake punt/field goal plays. These justify practice even though you may only call them a few times a season.

However, the same rules apply: how many of these do I need? Do I need 6 goal line/short yardage passes if I realistically only call a few all season? Do I really need so many trick plays if I only call one trick play per game--if that?

All this speaks to paring down your offense (and defense) as much as possible. This is not always so easy; we see the gains of adding a new pass play and scoring a touchdown or getting a particular first down more visibly than we see our general effectiveness at the rest of our passing game deteriorate from lost practice time. However, this is exactly what Larry Zierlein's empirical results showed with the running game in the NFL.

Further, it is sometimes difficult when comparing plays. For example can we really compare the inside zone or triple option with a quick trap? The zone and the option require significant practice time outlays, and are more adaptable to more scenarios. However, we could install the trap, and a fake trap with a boot pass, and a third counter in the same practice time. Which is better? One is three plays, the other only one?

This is why being a coach, despite the fact that football is simpler than we usually make it, can be quite challenging.