Passing Offense
PASSING OFFENSE
THE FORWARD PASS CAN BE ONE OF THE MOST EXPLOSIVE PLAYS IN FOOTBALL. IT IS A VERY IMPORTANT PART OF OUR OFFENSE. WE WILL PASS THE BALL AS MUCH AS 30 - 40% OF THE TIME WE HAVE THE BALL. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT, THEREFORE, THAT EVERYONE LEARN THEIR ASSIGNMENTS, BLOCK WELL, AND RUN GREAT PATTERNS. OUR PASSING ATTACK IS BASED ON THE FOLLOWING PRINCIPLES:
1. OUR OFFENSIVE PHILOSOPHY IS TO FORCE THE DEFENSE TO COVER THE WHOLE FIELD: FROM SIDELINE TO SIDELINE; AND FROM THE LOS TO THE END ZONE. THE PASS PLAY FORCES THIS TYPE OF DEFENSE QUICKER THAN ANY OTHER ASPECT OF THE GAME.
2. WE WILL SPLIT RECEIVERS TO FORCE DEFENSIVE COVERAGE. WHEN A RECEIVER IS SPLIT, THE FIRST THING DEFENSIVE COACHES YELL-OUT TO THEIR PLAYERS IN THE SECONDARY IS, "BACK-UP THERE, DON'T GET BEAT DEEP!" SPLITTING RECEIVERS AND FORCING COVERAGE MEANS THAT WE WILL HAVE TO ONLY BLOCK 6-7 PLAYERS TO MAKE OUR RUNNING ATTACK GO BECAUSE 4-5 DEFENDERS WILL BE CONCERNED WITH THE PASS FIRST.
3. SPLITTING RECEIVERS OPENS BIGGER RUNNING LANES FOR OUR BACKS TO RUN THROUGH. IT ALSO CREATES BETTER BLOCKING ANGLES FOR OUR BLOCKERS.
4. WE WILL USE MOTION TO CREATE DEFENSIVE MOVEMENT AND INDECISION. WHEN WE PUT A BACK IN MOTION, IT FORCES THE DEFENSE TO ADJUST THEIR SET. THEY HAVE TO FIGURE OUT WHY WE ARE GOING IN MOTION, DECIDE, THEN MAKE AN ADJUSTMENT. ALL OF THIS CREATES CONFUSION. IT PROMOTES INDECISION. INDECISION PROMOTES UN-AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR BY THE DEFENSE. IF THEY ARE UN-AGGRESSIVE, THEY ARE EASIER TO BLOCK, RUN AGAINST, AND COMPLETE PASSES AGAINST.
5. WE WILL USE A "CONTROLLED" PASSING ATTACK. WE WILL MAKE GREAT USE OF THE SHORT PASSING GAME IN OUR OFFENSE. MOST OF THE PLAYS REQUIRE A 10-15 YARD PASS. THERE IS NO PASS DESIGNED TO BE COMPLETED BEYOND 25 YARDS.
A HIGH COMPLETION PERCENTAGE IS NOT NECESSARY FOR A TEAM TO BE SUCCESSFUL. EVEN THE MOST SUCCESSFUL COLLEGE AND PRO TEAMS RARELY HAVE A COMPLETION RATE HIGHER THAN 60%. OUR GOAL IS TO COMPLETE 50% OF THE PASSES THROWN. THIS MEANS IN A TYPICAL GAME WE WOULD HAVE 10 COMPLETIONS IN 20 ATTEMPTS FOR AN AVERAGE OF 120 YARDS A GAME. THIS WOULD BE VERY IMPRESSIVE. OUR ATTACK CAN BE EFFECTIVE, NOT IMPRESSIVE, WITH A LOWER COMPLETION RATE.
IT'S A LITTLE LIKE BASEBALL. IF I WERE A LIFE-TIME .400 HITTER IN THE MAJORS, I WOULD BE HALL OF FAME MATERIAL. THERE JUST ARE NOT ANY LIFE TIME 400 HITTERS AROUND. THE FANS AND THE SPORTS WRITERS ARE NOT CONCERNED WITH THE FACT THAT 60 OF EVERY 100 TIMES AT BAT I AM GOING TO MAKE AN OUT. THEY WAIT IN ANTICIPATION FOR THE 40 OF 100 HITS I AM GOING TO GET.
BASIC PASS OFFENSE:
OUR PASS OFFENSE FALLS INTO THE FOLLOWING CATEGORIES:
1. PLAY ACTION PASSES
2. QUICK PASS OFFENSE
3. SPRINT OUT TYPE PASSES
4. DROPBACK PASSES
5. SPECIALITY PASSES
PASSING TECHNIQUES AND MECHANICS
1. THE PASSER SHOULD BE CAREFUL OF THE WAY HE GRIPS THE BALL. USE THE FINGER TIPS.
2. BALL MUST BE HELD ABOVE THE SHOULDER LEVEL AFTER THE INTENT TO PASS IS SHOWN. THIS ENABLES THE PASSER TO THROW AT EXACTLY THE RIGHT TIME.
3. THE FORWARD FOOT SHOULD STEP TOWARD THE TARGET UPON DELIVERY. THE FEET MUST NOT BE TOO FAR APART BEFORE DELIVERY IN ORDER THAT THE PASSER MAY TAKE THIS STEP.
4. THE BACK FOOT MUST ALSO MOVE TOWARD THE TARGET UPON DELIVERY AND FOLLOW THROUGH. FINISH OFF THE PASSING ACTION WITH A COMPLETE FOLLOW THROUGH.
5. THE PASSER MUST ALWAYS "COVER" IN THE DIRECTION IN WHICH HE HAS THROWN THE BALL IN CASE OF INTERCEPTION.
6. DO NOT FAKE A PASS UNLESS YOU DO A CONVINCING JOB OF IT. DEFENDERS ARE COACHED TO WATCH EITHER YOUR EYES OR YOUR RECEIVERS: THEY WILL NOT BE FOOLED BY A POOR FAKE.
7. YOUR PROTECTION WILL NOT BE ADEQUATE TO ALLOW YOU TO "SURVEY" THE FIELD AT LENGTH LOOKING FOR A RECEIVER.
8. SET UP QUICKLY TO THROW. THIS GIVES YOU MORE TIME TO SPOT RECEIVERS.
9. DO NOT THROW FROM OFF BALANCE AS THIS CAN LEAD TO AN EASY INTERCEPTION IF THE BALL IS THROWN TOO HIGH.
10. WHEN THROWING ACTION TYPE PASSES, NEVER JUMP OR LEAVE YOUR FEET. STOP WHEN POSSIBLE OR THROW WHILE RUNNING.
11. ALWAYS RUN A FLAT COURSE, NEVER RUN BACKWARD BUT PARALLEL TO, OR ATTACK THE LOS.
12. WHEN THROWING, KEEP THE FEET TOGETHER, NO MORE THAN SHOULDER WIDTH APART.
13. WHEN ROLLING OR SPRINTING OUT WITH THE BALL TO THROW, ALWAYS GO AT TOP SPEED.
14. WHEN THROWING A SPRINT OUT PASS, KEEP THE BALL HIGH, UNDER THE CHIN AND CHASE THE BALL AFTER YOU HAVE THROWN IT.
DROPS
WE WILL USE A 3, 5, OR 7 STEP DROP DEPENDING UPON THE PASS THAT IS CALLED. DROPS ARE USED IN OUR 100, 200, AND 300 PASS SERIES. GENERAL RULES FOR DROP BACK PASSES ARE:
1. ON ALL DROPS THE LAST TWO STEPS ARE LITTLE STEPS. ON A SEVEN STEP DROP THEN, WE WOULD HAVE 5 BIG AND TWO LITTLE STEPS.
2. WHEN DROPPING AWAY FROM THE CENTER, IT IS IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO KEEP PRESSURE ON THE CENTER'S BUTT UNTIL THE BALL IS FIRMLY IN YOUR GRASP; 90% OF ALL QB/CENTER MISTAKES ARE DUE TO A LACK OF PRESSURE BY THE QB.
3. SEAT THE BALL IN THE ARM PIT ON THE FIRST STEP.
4. EACH OF YOU INITIAL STEPS SHOULD BE POWER STEPS. YOUR CONCENTRATION SHOULD BE ON A POWER-PUSH OFF FOR EACH STEP. DO NOT REACH BACK FOR BIG STEPS, THAT PRODUCES SLOWER DROPS.
5. GET MAXIMUM DEPTH:
A. A THREE STEP DROP SHOULD BE FIVE YARDS DEEP,
B. A FIVE STEP DROP SHOULD BE SEVEN YARDS DEEP,
C. A SEVEN STEP DROP SHOULD BE NINE YARDS DEEP.
BACKFIELD BLOCKING FUNDAMENTALS
BACKS WILL USE THE SAME BLOCKING TECHNIQUES AS THE LINEMEN; THE ONLY DIFFERENCE BEING THAT THE APPROACH TO THE MAN TO BE BLOCKED WILL BE LONGER WITH MORE TIME INVOLVED. BACKS BLOCKING IS NO LESS IMPORTANT THAN ANY LINEMAN. IT IS ABSOLUTELY VITAL THAT OUR BACKS BE EFFECTIVE, SURE RUN AND PASS BLOCKERS.
IT WILL BE NECESSARY FOR OUR BACKS TO FULLY MASTER THE NECESSARY BLOCKING TECHNIQUES INVOLVED IN THE DIFFERENT BLOCKS. THE PROBLEM OF WHEN TO USE WHAT BLOCK WILL BE LEARNED BY A BASIC UNDERSTANDING OF OUR OFFENSE AND THE PURPOSE BEHIND YOUR BLOCKING.
ALL BLOCKS CAN BE CLASSIFIED UNDER TWO GENERAL HEADINGS. WHEN BLOCKING AT THE POA WHERE IT IS USUALLY NECESSARY TO MOVE A MAN, THE BLOCKS ARE CALLED "DRIVE" BLOCKS. WHEN MOVING THE MAN IS UN-NECESSARY BUT MERELY TO HOLD HIM AND KEEP HIM FROM TAKING A PURSUIT COURSE, THE BLOCK IS CALLED "CONTAINMENT." THE TWO KEY WORDS USED TO DESCRIBE OUR BLOCKS, CONTAINMENT AND DRIVE, ARE SELF-EXPLANATORY.
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