Sprint Out Passing Game For High School Football

Play To Your Strengths

I think it is safe to say that more and more HS football teams are using mobile, more athletic QBS in their offensive systems.  The evolution of the spread game and QB run game has offensive coordinators heading in a new direction.  Let's face it, every coach loves a guy that can extend plays and get you out of trouble.  It acts as a safety net for offensive coaches knowing that their best player with the ball in his hands can make a lot of things happen, especially when plays go bad.  It forces defensive coaches to be sound with their pressures, think a lot about rush lanes, and make sure they can fit 1 back runs that can now be lead and isolation plays with a QB that is a runner.  But what also happens is the offensive coordinator now must get creative in the passing game.  Most offensive coaches can draw up route combinations.  They all love the Mesh, 4 Verticals, Shallow Cross, Y Stick, Y Cross, Smash, Curl/Slide and the list goes on.  But many of those concepts involve three very key components that not all HS coaches have. 1)You need a pocket QB that can make all the reads and throws, 2)You need an offensive line and backs that can protect and 3)You need to have a plan for pressure which involves hot throws or sight adjustments.  Not to mention the amount of time you need to spend working on the timing and adjustments of intricate drop back passing schemes.  Think about Mike Leach saying he only has a few plays and the offense is installed in 3 days!!!  If that is the case imagine all the reads and adjustments those few plays must have to put up the yards and points Coach Leach has the last 15-20 years.

Using Your Athletic QB

What I want to look at today is the Sprint Out Passing game which helps QB'S that might not be traditional drop back passers, and lineman that may not be able to effectively protect in the 5 Step passing game.  Sprint Out passing moves the pocket which changes the launch point for the defense and effects their rush lanes.  It keeps the athletic QB on the move with the added potential of every pass play possibly becoming a perimeter run with a gifted runner.  On the negative side it will cut off half the field for the offense, and coverages will adjust or sling which makes it harder sometimes for QB'S to read.  There are generally two types of protection you can use when Sprint Out passing.  You can reach the frontside and hinge the backside with your RB becoming an extra edge blocker to the play side or you can fully turn your line away from the sprint out side and put the back on the edge.  Keep in mind most states have rules where you cannot cut the edge with a RB so putting him on a defensive end can be an issue.  We choose to reach the frontside and hinge the backside.  This gives me the ability to use my RB as an extra blocker for second level secondary contain LBER'S.  The issue with this is you give the DL reach blocks at the point of attack which triggers them to run to the play side.  Both protections will be very solid for sprint out passing, you just have to understand the constraints.

As far as the routes are concerned they are several combinations you can use.  Keep in mind with the QB moving you will want routes that are either breaking outside or stay on the outside.  One of the biggest mistakes a QB can make is throwing a blind ball back across his body to the inside.  Even if you like a combination with inside breaking routes, if the QB can not throw those routes before he passes them with his sprint out action, they may be a waste of time.  The two easiest combinations that are standard in just about every offensive system are the curl/slide and hitch/corner combos.   Keep in mind if you run inside breaking curl routes you will want to widen the split of #1 so the QB does not pass the curl window too soon.  You can adjust the hitch/corner combo as well by making the hitch route push the sideline with width since the sprint out action will make that an easier throw.  If you are sprinting towards trips you can now use flood routes which overload defenses with a deep route, intermediate route, and a short or flat route.

Hopefully the Sprint Out Passing game can help your offense move the football down the field.  As always the execution of the play is more important than the play itself so coach it up.  KEEP PLAYING FAST!!!!!

11 Robber Coverage As a Change Up

Old School Robber Coverage

Today we are going to talk about old school Robber coverage as a change up to your base coverage concepts.  When we say old school "Robber" coverage I don't mean the Robber coverage you hear about today where the Corners are deep half players and the FS is a Robber player off the release of the #2 WR.  We are talking about Robber players that will be run players first and then become low hole and high hole rat or robber players vs pass. This is actually the way Robber coverage was first taught to me in the early 90's.  Mickey Andrews and Florida State were having a lot of success playing it at the time, with outstanding defensive lineman and great cover corners.  It was actually their defensive base at the time if I remember correctly from clinic notes that I took from a clinic in the late 90's.  It was really good vs. 21 personnel because they would put the Sam LB on the TE and play their end in a wide 9 flying off the ball up the field in a "Jet" technique.  This helped turn all runs back inside and really helped with pass rush.

Shades of the "46" defense

There are two different reasons I wanted to use this style of Robber coverage as a change up.  The first reason is all about the coverage.  When people know you are a split field coverage, pattern match team, you will see a lot of "coverage beaters" in the passing game.  You will also see a lot of run pass option(RPO) stuff.  I wanted to have an answer for these things that wasn't always pressures or movements.  The thought of tighter man coverage to help vs the "beaters" and "RPO'S" was very intriguing, but usually came at the expense of pressure.  Pressure becomes a "BAND" scenario which generally means one school's band will be playing after that play, ours or yours!!! I love using pressure but do not want that to be my only answer.  11 Robber gives us tight man coverage with a low hole player to help vs screens, draws, and QB scrambles and a high hole player to help the over the top throws.  It also allows us to stay with our base 4 man front principles so there is no new teaching other than widening a defensive end.  The run fits are not exactly the same but they are real close and we have 2 safeties to help clean them up vs 21 personnel.  Run fits are the most important part of a defense in my opinion, but that topic is at least a Blog of it's own.  The second reason I like the 11 Robber stuff is it gives my front a slight change up.  Although not exactly like the old fashioned "46" or Bear front, the vice player on the tight end with the defensive end coming from real wide gives a similar feel.  As a standard even, over front team, we need some subtle changes to our front to protect it a little.  We move and stunt a whole bunch, but in general we need some other looks to make the offense prepare a little more.  The ability to play odd and even fronts is the best answer, but when trying to keep things simple you may not get to all that.  This is a nice wrinkle that helps on the front end and back end.

The coverage portion is basically a man under scheme.  The Corner's will play press man on the #1 WR'S, the SS will play man on #2 and vice(press) vs a Tight End.  The Mike and Will are man to man on the remaining backs while the FS and WS are the Robber players.  This will give us the 9 man box we want vs 21 personnel teams.  Because we are playing man we can afford to be aggressive with the Robber Safeties.  They do not have vertical routes by themselves so play action does not hurt them as much.  The WS is the adjuster vs. 1 back sets.  Quick history lesson, the "46" defense was named after Doug Plank who did most of the adjusting for the original "46" under Buddy Ryan.  He wore jersey #46 and that is how Ryan named the defense. The WS for us will adjust to all one back sets and play man on a receiver or Tight End.  This leaves the Mike and Will bracketing the single back with one of them becoming the low hole rat or robber.

I hope you can watch the video and adapt this concept into your defense if you are a split field pattern match team.  It is just a wrinkle for us but really helps protect our defense vs some of the things schemed up to beat us.  We will use it more as our kids gain a better understanding of what our defense is all about.

KEEP PLAYING FAST