IDENTIFYING MAN COVERAGE

There are, obviously, a ton of variations that fall under the umbrella of Man Coverage. So, before we
move forward, we need to identify and define what I mean when I say “Man.” Soft man can look and
behave like zone, so it’s important to identify exactly what the defense is doing before you make a
gameplan to attack it. It’s also important to teach your WR’s and QB’s the keys to identifying
coverage so they become good students of film and are able to make in game decisions, recognize
blitzes, etc.

We teach our guys 3 keys to decipher man from zone:

1. Initial defensive alignment. If there are 4 guys lined up in press, it’s pretty obvious they are
playing man. But, if everyone is lined up at 5 yards with 2 safeties over the top, it gets a little
tough to decipher simply based on this key.
2. Where are the CB’s looking? If they are looking look at the WR, they are probably in zone. If
they look in the backfield, they are probably in zone.
3. In-breaking routes. If CB’s follow your WR’s on posts, digs, and crossing routes, they are
playing man. If I’m confused as I watch film, I always try to find an in-breaking route and
watch the CB.

Again, I know that sounds simple. But, remember, high school kids have very little experience
deciphering coverage. Give them a few keys that help them identify Man.

BEAT MAN COVERAGE BY FINDING THE OPEN GRASS

Every coverage has a hole. There is always open grass. When I think about plays that work against
Man Coverage, I want to exploit the open grass that the defense is conceding. So, as you look at
your opponent, ask yourself: What grass are they not defending? What grass are they giving
me? Then, call plays that put your best players in that open grass.

It sounds simple enough. Calling the right play is not really the tough part. The difficulty is coaching
your guys up so that they actually win and show up in that open grass. The difficulty is teaching your
QB to throw on time so that the ball arrives when the grass is still open. The difficulty is teaching
your WR’s to get off jams so they don’t get rerouted. The difficulty is teaching your QB to throw
away from the safety, over the correct shoulder. The difficulty is teaching your guys to catch the ball
between two defenders when you know they are going to get hit. You get the idea…it’s not the play
as much as the execution.

With that being said, let’s try to look at the best plays against Man so that you can focus on what is
really important…getting your guys to execute that play with great consistency.

Before we look at specific plays, if you are reading this and have not yet downloaded my version of
the Air Raid, some of the terminology might not make sense to you. The playbook are all free. Click
here to download the free playbook now.

COVER 0

I am going to assume that if you see cover 0, they are playing press and sending 7. That means you
have about 1.5 seconds to get rid of the ball. You won’t be able to throw crossing routes. The goal
should be to get the ball out to your guys and let them run after the catch.

Here are my favorite routes vs. Cover 0:

Ace Brown – The fade and the quick out are both great options.

Ace Red – If your guys can get off the jam, there is big play potential on the slant route.

Ace Yellow – I love the 6 yard corner route to the slot receiver.

Ace Orange – The natural crossing action of the arrow and the slant is great against press.

Ace Verticals – Pick your best match up and trust your guy to win.

Trips Black – The fade and the arrow route are both good options. The stick route can be good if
you have a physical Y that can create space and post up.

The other way I would attack cover 0 is to get into trips and isolate various guys that you think have
a match up advantage. Throw slants and fades all night and turn the game into a 1 on 1 drill. You
only need to complete 1 out of 3 to keep the chains moving. You have to like those odds
One note here: Cover 0 is usually a down and distance adjustment for the defense. If you aren’t sure
when they are going to be in Cover 0, one option is to use a dummy snap count, assess the defense
and signal in a new play from the sideline if the defense does line up in 0.

PRESS COVER 1

Much like cover 0, the majority of open grass is over the top of the defense. But, because they can
only bring 6 defenders, you will be able to pick up the blitz and have 3-3.5 seconds to deliver the
ball. This opens up your entire playbook.

Here’s how I attack Press Cover 1:

All Cover 0 routes are in. If it worked against Cover 0, it is still a good call against Press Cover 1. The
only difference is ball placement, especially on vertical routes. The other major difference is the
advantage created by trips. The safety will most likely cheat to the trips side and you will have a 1 on
1 match up on the backside. Because you have protection, you can run anything you want to that 1
on 1 side.

Here’s what else I like against Press Cover 1:

Ace Orange Wheels – If the safety jumps the slant you have a 1 on 1 matchup with your slot on a
backer running up the sideline. Throw it like a fade over the outside shoulder.

Ace Black – I love the RB out the backfield. The stick route creates a natural pick on the ILB trying to
get out to the flat.

Ace Mesh – Crossing routes are great vs. Press.

Ace Levels (all variations) – Again, crossing routes kill Man Coverage. I especially like Z and X levels
because the CB has to run all the way across the field to stay with the shallow cross.

Trips Right Mesh Z Post H Wheel – This is probably my favorite route against Press cover 1. First of
all, the mesh creates a natural pick and either your Y or your X will get open on the rub. Second, the
safety will stay home and cover the post and the wheel should be wide open up the sideline. Call
this play at least 5 times against Cover 1.
Trips Right Black X Post (or insert your favorite route…curl, comeback, dig, whatever!) – Make the
defense declare. If they play 3 on 3 on the trips side and the safety stays in the middle, throw Black
all the way down the field. If the safety cheats to the trips side, call 1 on 1 routes to your
X. Remember, you can mix up who lines up at X. Keep your guys fresh and let everyone exploit the
match up.

Ace H Option – If your H can shake their OLB, you should have the option route all night. But, the
big plays on this route will come to your Y on the crossing route. If the safety jumps the Y, the X
should be open on the post over the top.

SOFT COVER 1

This is probably the variation Cover 1 that most of us see. Most high school teams don’t have 4 guys
that they trust to play press coverage and most D coordinators would rather keep everything front of
them. Fine with me! Remember our premise…we want to exploit the open grass. If your opponent
likes to play 6-8 yards off and back pedal at the snap, take the grass in front of them all night
long. Do not get bored with 6-8 yard completions.

Here are my favorite routes vs Soft Cover 1:

Ace Blue – You should have the hitch all night long. Teach your QB’s to move the safety with their
eyes, and you will have the seam routes to your slots all night as well.

Trips Blue – Of course you still have the hitch on the outside, but the two inside verticals force the
safety to declare. He is either going to run with the bender, or stay home for the seam. Either way,
you get 1 on 1 to your slot.

Ace Black – Stick or arrow should both be open.

Ace Orange – The slant should be an easy completion against soft coverage

Ace Red – Again, the outside slant should be open

Ace White – You could probably call this play all the way down the field. If they don’t adjust, keep
taking the five yard hitches. Don’t get bored. When they adjust, come back with Verticals or Blue.
Ace Levels (all variations) – You might not get the natural picking that happens vs. Press, but you still
force the defense to chase your guys all the way across the field.

Ace X Mesh – I like the corner route to the H. If the safety jumps it, one of your guys will be open on
the mesh. Remember – vs. Man Coverage teach your guys to keep running on mesh.

Ace Verticals or Ace Comebacks – This really depends on the skill set of your QB. If he can throw the
back shoulder fade, run Verticals and let him throw your guys open. If not, run Comebacks. You still
get the same effect, taking advantage of the soft coverage.

Trips Right Curl – This is probably my favorite route vs Soft Cover 1. All 5 guys have a chance for a
10-12 yard completion. Go through your progression – Middle Curl, Outside Curl, Arrow.

COVER 2 MAN (MAN UNDER)

Before we talk about routes, let’s make sure we are all on the same page. When I say “Cover 2 Man”
or “Man Under,” I am referring to Man Coverage with 2 safeties over the top. If it is done well, this is
probably the best coverage against our offense. In true 2 Man, the CB’s will play a press and trail
technique, almost inviting a throw over the top, where the safety is waiting for a big hit or a
pick. But, I doubt there are many teams on your schedule who have that technique in their
arsenal. It requires a ton of practice because it is a totally different technique than Cover 1 or Cover
0. So, at least in my experience, 2 Man usually looks just like cover 1 with an extra safety over the
top. If you do see true 2 Man, the gameplan is still the same. But your QB needs to be aware of how
the safeties play so he doesn’t get suckered into a pick.

Ok, let’s start with what should be an obvious statement. When I see a team that plays 2 Man, I
know that my RB is going to have a big night on the ground and through the air. If they have 6 guys
in coverage, we have numbers in the run game. The QB reads the backside lineman, so we almost
always get a double team at the point of attack and the backside tackle can get up to a safety. You
have to be able to run the ball against a 5 man box.

In the passing game, I am not a huge fan of vertical throws vs 2 Man. Of course, you still need to
watch film and assess the skill of the opponent’s safeties, but they will always have you outnumbered
if you try to go over the top. So, if you throw a fade, or a corner, or a post, you have to trust your
guy to win a 2 on 1 match up. Some of us have that guy. Some of us don’t. If you don’t want to
mess with the 2 on 1, focus on the quick game and crossing routes.

Here is what I like against Cover 2 Man:

Ace Brown – The safety has to honor the fade, so the quick out should be open

Ace Black – The inside backer has to cover the RB. That is your best athlete on their middle
linebacker in the flat.

Trips Black – The safety should chase the fade route, which gives you 2 on 2 on the inside.

Trips Double Brown – Again, the safety should chase the fade route, and one of your quick outs will
be open.

Ace Yellow – The quick corner route can outflank the safety, but your slot may have to make a catch
in the middle of double coverage. Still, it is a pretty safe throw away from coverage.

Ace Verticals – Of course, we still want to read the progression, but when I call this against 2 Man, I
am thinking about throwing the Check Down to my RB. Let him set up the Mike backer and break to
open space.

Ace Levels (All Variations) – You might be picking up on a theme here. Levels works against every
coverage as long as you can protect.

Ace Mesh – The Corner route will be double covered, but one of the mesh routes should pop
open. If not, you always have your RB 1 on 1 in the flat.

Ace H/Y Option – Read the progression, buy most likely the Option route will be your bread and
butter.

One more note, a lot of 2 Man teams teach their safeties to read the backfield, run the alley, and play
very aggressively in the run game. If this is the case, use play action if you want to take a deep
shot. My favorite routes to tag with play action are Ace Smash, Trips Smash Y Sail, Ace Y Option, and
H levels. In each case, teach your QB to look directly at the playside safety as soon as the fake is
completed. If the safety is running downhill, abandon the progression and throw the post or the
corner.
HOLES IN COVER 2
First, let me give some props to this defense. It is very difficult to beat Cover 2. I love this coverage if
it is played correctly. Most spread systems are on heavy on routes and screens that attack the
flats. Cover 2 takes a lot of these routes away because the CB sits in the flat and waits for outs and
arrows and bubbles and hitches. A lot of the high percentage throws that we like and that get our
offenses into rhythm are hindered by a well-played Cover 2. If I had to try to stop this offense, I
would play Cover 2 and Cover 2 Man.

Most teams that play Cover 2 are going to line up their CB’s outside leverage and either jam or
strongly resist an outside release by the wideouts. By forcing the wideouts to release inside, they
limit how much field the safeties have to cover. The corners should jam and then run the WR while
keying #2 to #3. If #2 goes flat, they release the WR and cover the flat route. If #2 goes vertical, the
CB should keep running with WR.

The OLB’s will usually line up inside of the slot receivers and try to prevent an inside release or
crossing route. They should run the slot for about 12 yards and and then release them to the
safeties. We call this the “Wall and Carry” technique…walling off an inside release while carrying
coverage on the slot to 10-12 yards.

There are a couple things that the Mike can do. Sometimes he will be 1 on 1 with the RB. This is a
traditional Cover 2. If your opponent has an athletic Mike, they might try to play Tampa 2, dropping
their Mike to the middle of the field, 15-18 yards deep. This allows the safeties more latitude to
cover vertical routes up the sideline.

Like I said, if it is played well it can be really tough to beat cover 2.

But, do not fret. There is hope!

First, most high school Corners play a really shoddy version of cover 2. CB’s don’t jam well and they
rarely stay with the WR long enough as he runs vertical up the sideline. This gives the safety far too
much ground to cover and opens up a hole.

Second, while outside backers in the NFL and NCAA run 4.5 in the 40 and can cover slot receivers,
outside backers in high school are usually not athletic enough to run with your slots, even for 12
yards. If they had coverage skills they would be playing corner or safety. They play backer because
they can stop the run.

Third, I have only ever played against one middle backer that got to 15+ yards routinely on pass
plays. He was a ridiculous athlete, but he was definitely the exception rather than the rule. Most of
the time the Mike gets to 8-10 yards and even that is limited if you use some play action.

So, where are the holes? First, there is a hole up the sideline behind the CB. Second, there is a hole
between the safeties. Third, there is a hole over the middle in front of the safeties and behind the
backers. This is especially true if you can get the backers to bite on run. Remember why they are in
cover 2. They want 7 guys looking in the backfield. This means you can use play action to get the
backers to step up and create gaps over the middle and in front of the safeties.

GAME PLANNING STRATEGIES TO BEAT COVER 2

Ok, so a little review on game planning. It’s OK to add a tag or a wrinkle, but remember, we don’t
need to design new plays to take advantage of the defense. There are plenty of plays in our system
that can exploit Cover 2. The question we want to ask ourselves is: What plays in our system put
guys into the holes in this coverage? Also, we want to continue to improve on our stuff. If we spend
the whole week on new stuff, we lose an opportunity to improve what we already do well. Finally,
remember that Cover 2 is a balanced look. If you get into trips, they either have to walk a backer out
(which leaves only 6 in the box) or they can shift the backside safety over and leave the backside CB
to play 1 on 1.

BEST PLAYS TO BEAT COVER 2

If you are reading this and have not yet downloaded my version of the Air Raid, some of the
terminology might not make sense. Click Here to download the playbook for free.
Beat Cover 2 with the quick game:

Ace Brown – Make your Z and X get an outside release, no matter what. If the CB jams them out of
bounds, your H and Y will be open on the quick out. If the CB releases the Z or X there will be a
window up the sideline before the safety gets there. Throw the ball on a line.

Trips Double Brown – This is even better than Ace. If you don’t have the rail shot up the sideline, one
of the two quick outs will be open.

Ace Red – they are giving you the inside release, be patient and take the slant to the Z or X.
Trips Black – I like the rail shot up the sideline and the stick 1 on 1 against the backer.
Trips Orange – I love the outside slant in this progression.

Trips White – depending on how the defense adjusts to trips, the hitch to the H should be open.

Trips Yellow- This is probably my favorite quick game route against Cover 2. The CB has to make a
decision between the slant/stop and the bubble. The corner route should out leverage the safety.

Remember, they are playing a Cover 2 because they want 7 guys committed to the run, If you want
to hold the backers, you can tag any of these routes with play action.

DROP BACK ROUTES TO BEAT COVER 2

Ace Smash – The CB has to stay with the whip route. You have your H and Y 1 on 1 with the
safety. Tag this with play action to hold the outside backer.
Trips Smash Y Sail – This puts your Y 1 on 1 on a deep out with the outside backer. It’s also a great
sprint out route.

Ace Mesh, Ace X Mesh, Ace Z Mesh – Remember our rules about Mesh. If there is a defender in the
flat, you can teach the mesh runners sit down once they clear the tackle box.
Ace H Option – This could be a huge play. The playside safety has to choose between the Y cross
and the post by the X. Tag it with play action to hold the Mike.
Ace Levels (All Variations) – If you aren’t catching a theme yet, I run levels against almost every
coverage. It’s such a diverse route. Just trust your progression.
Trips Verticals – Lots of options here. The seam is probably the toughest throw because the backer
and safety will have your H double covered. If they don’t cheat their safety to the trips side, I love
the over route to the Y. If they do cheat their safety over, I love the backside fade to the X or Z.

Ace Curl, Trips Curl – This should be an easy completion to the X or Z in front of the safety.

THE ULTIMATE PLAY TO BEAT COVER 2

Ok, now for my ultimate Cover 2 beater. This is almost impossible to stop. If your line can protect,
cue the band and the cheerleaders!

In fact, it’s such a good play that we call the route “Z Kill.”

Ace Smash Z Kill

This isn’t really a new play, everyone is running Smash, except the Z and the QB.
This is a 5 step drop for the QB. His eyes start left. The QB progression on this route is – Corner,
Corner, Kill. There is a temptation to go right to the Kill route, but he needs to make the safeties
run with the corner routes in order to open up the middle of the field. If the safeties stay on the
hashes, the corner routes will be wide open. But, they won’t! They will run to the sidelines as the
recognize the corner route and the Z will be wide open. The 2nd or 3rd time you run it, the safety
might cheat for the Kill route…then the Corner will be open.
The Kill route is basically a lazy post, but there are a few key points to teach your Z. Make sure he
comes off the ball flat so the CB releases him. Then, he should run right behind the Y, single-file,
trailing him by about 3 yards. When the Y breaks his corner, the Z should take 2 more steps and
then break his post right between the uprights. Keep it skinny so the backside safety can’t get
involved. Of course, you can also flip this play and run it to your X.

HOLES IN COVER 4
To beat Cover 4 we have to understand where the holes are. Cover 4 is similar to Cover 3 in a lot of
ways. The defensive mindset is to keep the ball in front and make you line up again. But, it solves one
of the biggest issues with Cover 3 by dropping an extra safety to guard against 4 verticals. The holes
in Cover 4 are in front of the CB’s, in the flats, and behind the Mike (or in front of the Mike
depending on his depth). The seams can be difficult to hit because of the safeties over the top.
Like Cover 3, you can tag a pass play with play action which will pull the backers up and allow you to
slip behind the backers.

TO BEAT COVER 4 DON’T FORGET THE RUNNING GAME

This is maybe the biggest hole against Cover 4. If you line up in ACE against a Cover 4, they have to
walk their OLB’s out over your slots or you will kill them in the flats all night. This means that they are
leaving 5 guys in the box. If they respect your passing game enough to play like this, you have
created a mismatch in the running game. If they are going to play like this, run the ball all night and
take advantage of the numbers. Their safeties will have to make a ton of tackles, or they will be
forced to adjust. Then you come back with your passing game. It’s all about numbers. Create the
advantage and exploit it!

TO BEAT COVER 4 DON’T FORGET THE CHECK DOWN

The check down is not a failure! Because they can’t bring a ton of pressure with 5 guys in the box,
your RB should be able to get into the progression on almost every single pass play. If they are
dropping 4 guys deep and running their OLB’s to the flats, your RB is 1 on 1 with the Mike backer. I
will take that match up every time…my best athlete 1 on 1 vs a backer! It should be like stealing 5
yards every play. It sounds boring, but 5-7 yards a play is never boring. Their Mike cannot guard your
back. Instill that in your QB’s head. If he sees the middle of the field vacant, hit the back in stride and
let him run away from the Mike.

***Don’t forget to practice this. In practice, it’s tempting for the QB to force the ball to his first or
second read, even if it’s not open. His mindset is that it’s only practice, it doesn’t really matter if he
throws a pick or an incompletion. But, if you are going to use it in the game you have to make the
QB hit the check down in 7 on 7 and Team.

TRIPS VS BALANCED COVERAGES

This is something that I’ve mentioned before, but it bears repeating. Remember that Cover 4 is a
balanced coverage. One way to beat Cover 4 is to make the defense unbalanced. Trips unbalances
the coverage and forces the defense to make a choice. They are either going to stay balanced, which
gives you a numbers advantage on the trips side. Or, they are going to cheat their safety over, which
gives you a 1 on 1 match up on the backside. Either way, you have an advantage.

BEST PLAYS TO BEAT COVER 4

Before we get into the plays that beat Cover 3, if you haven’t downloaded my free version of the Air
Raid, some of the terminology may not make sense. Click here to download the playbook now.

QUICK GAME ROUTES TO BEAT COVER 4:

Ace/Trips White – This route was made for Cover 4. Pick your best match up and get an easy 5-7
yards.

Trips Double Brown – One of the quick outs will be open

Trips Blue – Take the hitch if they give it to you. Make them come up and then hit them with a fade
or a hitch and go later in the game

Trips Black – This is a game with the outside linebacker. He has to cover the stick or the arrow, he
can’t be right. The playside safety might come downhill to take away the arrow route. If he does,
come back with Trips Right Stick Z post.

Ace Black – Again, this puts the OLB on an island and makes him choose between the RB and the Y
or H.

Ace Red – The open guy will depend on how their OLB’s play. If they fly to the flats, the inside slant
should be open. If they try to reroute the slots, the outside slant should be open. Go through your
progression…Inside Slant, Outside Slant, Swing.

DROP BACK ROUTES TO BEAT COVER 4:

First, let me say I love drop back plays against Cover 4, because protection should not be a problem.
You even have enough guys to double team their best linemen if you so choose. You should have
your whole arsenal of drop back plays at your disposal. Here are my favorites.

Ace/Trips Curl- The Middle Curl is a really easy throw and should be open. The key to this route is to
make look like a crossing route, and then sit when the Mike opens his hips. If not, there is a huge
pocket for either outside curl.

Ace Levels (All Variations) – The playside safety will dictate whether you throw the Dig or the Post.
Don’t forget about the back on the arrow route.

Ace Mesh – The Corner routes could occupy the CB’s and the Safeties, if this happens one of the
Mesh routes will be open.
Ace Smash – The CB has to drop for the corner route. I love the whip. If the backers fly hard to the
flats, the check down is wide open.

Trips Verticals – This takes practice, but teach your QB to throw the back shoulder fade to X or Z. I
like to give my QB a landmark…13 yards on a line at his back shoulder. If he doesn’t like it, take the
check down.

Trips Right Mesh Z post – This is similar to the throw on Verticals. Throw the wheel route on a line to
the back shoulder.

Trips Left Sprint Left Flood – The OLB will cover the quick out. The Sail route will be 1 on 1 against
the safety.

Ace H Option – I love the crossing route. If the Mike takes it away, come back with Curl.

SPECIAL WRINKLE:
Here is a nice little special to throw in if you know they play a lot of Cover 4. Run this into the
boundary:

Trips Right Verticals X Skinny Post T Wheel: USC used to run this all the time with Reggie Bush. The
CB has to run with the X. This puts the OLB 1 on 1 with the RB up the sideline. Cue the band and the
cheerleaders!

YELLOW – QUICK SMASH CONCEPT

Hey guys, thanks again for reading and for being a subscriber. I really appreciate it. In the Air Raid
Course, I take you through video and cutups of every single route, but not everyone has seen the
course and I haven’t written about every single route in the playbook, so for the next couple of
weeks we are going to look at a few of the routes that we haven’t yet explored on the blog.

Today, we are going to look at Yellow – the Quick Smash Concept. Let’s get into it.
Ok first of all, if you haven’t yet downloaded the free air raid playbook, click here to download it now.

I have written about SMASH in the past. It’s a route that everyone should have in their playbook.
Yellow is the quick version of this route.

As you look at the playbook, you will see that we can run yellow out of Ace or Trips. But, today we
are going to talk about the trips version because I almost never call Ace Yellow. I’m not saying it’s
not a good route. But, it’s a little redundant if you also have Ace Smash in the gameplan.

QUICK SMASH CONCEPT – QB MINDSET AND PROGRESSION

As always, let’s start with QB mindset. On trips yellow, the QB will walk to the line and immediately
decide which side of the field he is going to work. Here’s what I tell my QB. If, the defense is 3 on 3
on the trips side, we throw Yellow. If, they are 4 on 3 we can still throw Yellow or we can look to
throw the backside slant if we like pre-snap leverage.
Yellow is a 0 step drop. He is going to take the snap , drop step with his right foot and immediately
get his feet hot. (I teach my QBs to be like a typewriter with their feet. It helps with balance). His read
is Corner, Slant Stop, Swing. And, as always, his job is to throw it the first open guy in the
progression.

Now, here is where we need to teach a little nuance. If our timing is good, we are going to throw the
corner route right on the break. That means, we can’t wait for him to be open. We have to read the
grass to where the corner is breaking. For example, if the defense is playing cover 3, the CB will be
dropping right into the window where the corner route breaks. The point is that the QB’s eyes have
to go to that patch of grass. He can’t stare at the Y and watch him run the corner route. If a defender
is in his grass, he will come off his first read and come down to the slant-stop. The quick smash
concept is exactly that. It hits quick. Teach your QB to use his eyes and throw it to the first open guy.

QUICK SMASH CONCEPT – WR COACHING POINTS

Next let’s talk about some WR coaching points. The most important and nuanced route in this
progression is the Y. We tell him to speed cut at 6 yards. But, this is really more of a guideline. Really,
it depends upon the type of coverage. If the Y is getting re-routed by a LB, he he has to clear the first
line of defense before he breaks. This may take him more than 6 yards. If it is press man, he just has
to get of the jam and he will break closer to 6 yards. The point is that we tell him 6 yards, but it might
end up closer to 8 depending upon the coverage. Either way it’s ok because the QB is going to throw
the ball when he breaks. That’s really important. You can’t throw the corner before he breaks. The
delivery should coincide with the Y’s speed cut. The aiming point is also really important. We tell the
Y to aim for the back pylon. The QB can always bend him flatter toward open space. This may be
necessary against a cover 2 safety or in man coverage.

The Slant-Stop is a really simple route. You do everything that you do on a 3 step slant route (If you
need more tips on the slant route, click here) And then you just stop and sit in open space. Again,
where you sit will depend upon the type of coverage you are facing. But, try not to overcomplicate it.
Run a slant and then just stop in the open space vacated by the Y. Once you stop, make yourself big
and show your numbers to the QB.

I teach the swing route a little different than most coaches. I teach the H to never turn his back to the
QB. By keeping his shoulders square to the line of scrimmage, it will be easier for him to get up field
after the catch and if the QB has to get him the ball early, he will be ready for it. If the H gets to the
numbers and doesn’t get the ball, he should stop. Don’t let him turn up field because he will bring
his defender with him. This could mess with the corner route if you are running the route into the
boundary.

WHEN TO CALL THE QUICK SMASH CONCEPT

I love to call Yellow against Cover 1 and Cover 2.

The cool thing about the short corner route is that it can be equally effective with little quick guys
and big slow guys. If you have a big Y and they are playing man, all he has to do is get his man on
his hip and your QB can throw the ball up in the air and let him jump for it. If you have a quick guy,
he should be able to separate from a LB. The other thing about this route vs Cover 1 is that the guy
man playing the H, will have to run through the slant-stop. This creates a natural pick and the H
should clear in the flat before his man gets around the Z.

Against Cover 2, you are really working to out leverage the playside safety. The QB will probably
bend the Y a little flatter away from the safety. But, if the safety does a good job and takes away the
corner route the slant-stop should be open because the CB will release the Z and stay in the flat to
cover the swing route. There should be a window between the OLB and the CB where the Z can sit
down and get himself open.

The quick smash concept can also be effective against cover 3 and cover 4. You aren’t likely to hit the
corner route, but you are still out leveraging the flat defender. He can’t be right. He either has to
cover the swing route or the slant-stop.

MY FAVORITE TIME TO CALL YELLOW

I love Yellow inside of the 10 yard line and it’s always at the top of my 2-point play sheet. Most
teams are going to go to some type of man coverage in goal line situations so Yellow is a perfect
route. If they stack the box to stop the run, you will get 3 on 3 man coverage and you should get the
corner route every time. If the Z is big and strong, he can just sit down, post up, and you can jam it in
to him. Plus, even if the defense sends 6 or 7 guys on a blitz, you will get rid of the ball before
pressure gets there. It’s a fantastic route inside the 10. So, in if you don’t run it a lot, I would
recommend putting it in at least as a part of your goal line package.

Today we are going to continue our series of posts on Quick Game by looking at Orange, the Slant
Arrow Concept and Orange Wheels, the Slant Wheel Concept. Let’s get into it!
QB MINDSET
Let’s start with the mindset of our QB. This, like most of the routes in the quick game is a mirrored
route. So, the first thing our QB has to do is identify leverage and choose the side of the field that he
is going to work. This can be based on leverage, or defensive alignment, or where his best WR is, or
which CB we have identified as weak.

This is an important point that I have made before but I want to repeat it. Once the QB picks one
side, he can’t come back to the other side of the field. The progression is Slant, Arrow, Check Down.
So, That means that even if the X is running wide open, if he is looking to the right, you can’t expect
him to see a wide open X or H on the other side of the field. Teach him to stick with his first read and
if it’s not there come to his RB.
Like most of the routes in the quick game, this is a 0 step drop. Pick your side of the field, open up
your back foot, and read Slant to Arrow.

WR COACHING POINTS
Orange is pretty straight forward for the WRs. The Z and the X have a 5 step slant. This is a little bit
different than the 3 step slant that we run on RED.
On Orange, we teach a 5 step slant. You have to push it to 5 steps because it gives the arrow room
to come underneath the break of the slant route and it makes a clear picture for the QB.

Teach your Z and X to push 5 steps and then break flat. That is an important point. When you break
flat you give the defenders less of a chance to undercut the route. Kids have a tendency to want to
cut more vertically on their break, so you have to coach flat flat flat.

The arrow route is pretty simple. It’s just like the route we run on BLACK I teach our guys to aim at 6
yards on the sideline and look over their outside shoulder. If they get to the sideline and don’t have
the ball, I tell them to sit down and find open space.

THE SLANT WHEEL CONCEPT

The Slant Wheel concept is an obvious variation on Orange. Everything remains the same as Orange,
except your H and Y are going to turn up the sideline as soon as they get to the numbers. Teach
your guys to look over their outside shoulder just like they do on the arrow route. This will influence
the defenders and potentially get them to jump the arrow, opening up the wheel route.
WHEN TO CALL THE SLANT ARROW AND THE SLANT WHEEL CONCEPT
Orange and Orange Wheel are great against Man. The crossing action of the Slant and the Arrow
creates a natural picking action. If the defense is playing Cover 1, I would run Orange Wheels all day.
I don’t know of many high school linebackers that can run with the slot on a wheel route up the
sideline.

Every route in the system works against Cover 3 and Orange is no different. As the LB flies to the flat,
the slant should be open behind him. I love to call Orange Wheel vs Cover 3. We usually get the
Slant, but we can also get the wheel up the sideline. It turns into a back shoulder throw in front of
the sinking CB.

My favorite time to call Orange is on the goaline. You are almost guaranteed to get Man Coverage.
The natural picking action should open up either the slant or the arrow. You can even teach your X
and Z to “accidentally” run into the LB as they run their slant routes. If you have a big Y or H you can
call Orange Wheel and throw a jump ball to the wheel route toward the back pylon.

The only time I don’t really like Orange is against Cover 2. The slant could break open but the CB
sitting in the flat will disrupt the arrow route. I would rather call Red versus Cover 2.

CONCLUSION
The bottom line is that Orange can and does work in a variety of situations. It’s n easy read and an
easy throw. Teach your QB to choose his side of the field and throw it to the first open guy in the
progression and you will have a lot of success with this route.

Inside Zone
Maybe you don’t think you have the guys up front. Maybe you think your back can’t see the cut back
lane. Maybe you think zone is a “soft” play that encourages linemen to stand up and lose leverage.
Maybe you think the play is too hard to teach and takes too much work to install.

Those are all valid concerns and I know that none of us build our playbook or our game scripts
without a ton of thought. But, I think that Zone actually has built in answers to all of those concerns
if we coach it and communicate it the right way.

So, let’s look at a few of these concerns

1) I don’t have the size up front to block Inside Zone.

That’s ok. You don’t have to be big to zone block. First of all, the scheme that I teach is built on the
concept of double teams. 2 small guys can generate movement on 1 big guy. Second, if they are in a
1 on 1 situation we teach our linemen to reach block on Zone. The reach is all about speed and
quickness. It’s all about getting off the ball before your opponent and working your head and hips to
the outside number. Smaller guys can get this done.

2) My back can’t see the cutback lane.

Some backs are blessed with vision and lateral quickness. If you have one of those guys, he was
made for this play. But, you can also teach the most robotic back in America to anticipate the
cutback lane if you know what to look for and how to communicate.

I had a kid a few years back named Ryan Montgomery. He was a track kid, strong and pretty fast, but
he had no shake whatsoever and pretty terrible vision. He couldn’t jump cut or run a 45 degree cone
drill without slowing down every step. But, he was strong with the ball and had good top end speed.
He also worked really hard and he was coachable. Because we knew that he would not see the hole
or hit the cutback lane, we had two options. Ether we scrapped Zone, or we found a way to teach
him to run it. We decided on the latter, and taught Ryan to keep the ball playside unless there was a
backside 1-technique. Most of the time the cutback lane on Zone happens when a guard can’t cutoff
a backside A Gap player. This isn’s always the case and sometimes Ryan would run right into a
defender because he listened to us. But, by making that little adjustment, we were able to take a
running back with below average vision and teach him to hit the cutback lane.

3) Zone is a “Soft” play.

This is pure myth. A lot of coaches think Zone teaches running backs to dance and linemen to stand
up, but Zone is like anything else in football. It’s only soft if you allow it to be. I think Zone can be
one of the most physical plays in the offense if you teach it that way. Think about it. You get at least
1 double team up front where 2 guys have the chance to drive block a down defender to linebacker
level. That’s as physical as it gets. Your back gets to make 1 cut and run downhill. He’s not supposed
to dance or wait. Make your cut and get vertical. Zone is a downhill, hard-nosed play

4) Zone takes a lot of time to install.

I’m not going to dispute this. It takes a lot of reps to get good at Inside Zone. But, I would argue that
while there is a lot of work that goes into it on the front end, the back end versatility actually saves
you time. First, the rules don’t change vs. any front (although you can teach it a bit differently if you
are playing a lot of 3-3 stacks). While Lead and Iso and Power and Dart all have to be retaught and
tweaked depending on what the defense does, Zone’s rules stay constant. Moreover, Zone is
sometimes the only play that works against moving and stunting fronts. It’s really hard to prep for
every look, every blitz, and every twist that you might see against certain fronts. But, Zone solves a
lot of the issues by giving very simple and consistent rules.

Second, by installing Zone you have already installed 90% of Stretch. The rules are the same for both
of these plays. The angles change a bit, because of the path of the running back so the linemen need
to know that they may be on a full sprint to reach a linebacker. But, the hardest question, “Who do I
block?” has already been answered.

Third, Zone is the perfect blocking scheme for play action, boots, run/pass option plays, and quick
screens. So, every time you install one of these, the blocking scheme takes no work. It also works for
other plays in the run game. For example, you can run Speed Option by telling all your linemen to
block Zone except the playside tackle who sifts or arcs to the backer. You can run lead by blocking
Zone with everyone but just telling your center and guard to stay on the double team forever so a TE
in motion or a FB can iso on the middle backer.

Zone is the best play to run if you want to play really fast. If your goal is to run the play before the
defense can substitute or even before they can get set, zone is the perfect call. It’s tough to run Trap
or Power, because sometimes defenders are out of position and will luck into a tackle simply because
they don’t get blocked. Zone solves this issue because it has simple rules that account for misaligned
defenders. No matter where a defender aligns he will be accounted for.

HOW TO TEACH ZONE

Ok, now comes the technical part. How do we teach Inside Zone?

I teach the combo block, and I teach Covered and Uncovered Principles. So, every time a linemen
comes up to the ball he will say Covered, Uncovered, or Combo. Each of these calls will dictate how
he blocks the play.

To be “Covered” means that there is a defender between your “head up” and the nearest playside
lineman’s “head up.” To be “Uncovered” means that there is no defender in that area. The nearest
defender is either inside of you or outside of the guy next to you.
So, if you are the Left Guard and we are running Zone Right, you are covered if there is a defender
head up or in the A Gap. You are Uncovered if there is a defender in the B gap or head up on the
center.

If you are Covered, your job is to execute a reach block on the defender that is covering you. This
means that you will take reach step with your playside foot, and step with your backside foot toward
the outside armpit of that defender. You have two goals. 1) Get your head outside of that defender
2) Try to generate vertical movement or at least to not give up penetration. We can win with 5
stalemates as long as we get our heads outside the defenders.

If you are Uncovered, your job is a bit more complicated. Your first job is to double team with the
nearest playside lineman to help him generate vertical movement. You can stay on this double team
until your 2nd level defender becomes a threat. If the nearest playside lineman’s defender is lined up
way outside, and you can’t get to him, you can give a hand to the backside lineman while you eyeball
the 2nd level. Then, you will come off of your double team and block the 2nd level defender. This will
most likely be a linebacker, but could be a safety depending on the front.

Or, if you come up to the line and you are uncovered, but the guy next to you has a head up
defender with a stacked backer, you can make a combo call. This means that both of you are going
to push the down linemen to the level of the backer and the direction that the backer flows will
dictate which lineman comes off on him.

For example, if you are playing Right Guard, we are running Zone Right and they have a C gap
defender and an A gap defender. You are uncovered. But, you won’t get to the C gap player in time
to give your tackle any help. So, you might as well help the Center generate vertical movement on
the A Gap player while you keep your eyes on the 2nd level.

Here is an example of Covered and Uncovered calls on Zone Right.

Notice, once a lineman identifies himself as covered, he is responsible for the down linemen. He will
not come off on a backer. This is different than a combo call, where either linemen will come off,
depending on the flow or stunt of the backer. In this case, instead of saying Covered or Uncovered,
the linemen will simply say “Combo.”

This is a likely scenario in a 3-3 or a 50 with a true nose.

Here are a few examples of what Zone looks like against different fronts.
OTHER TIPS

Now that you have the play blocked, there are a couple things you need to teach your QB and RB in
order to be effective running Zone.

First, you have to trust your QB to read the backside. Otherwise, the contain defender can close
down the line, eliminate the cutback lane, and kill the play. If you did a good job selecting your QB,
he should at least be a serviceable runner. The threat has to be real.

I think a lot of coaches make this read too complicated. They talk about DE’s turning their shoulders
or crossing over with their outside foot, or they talk about not letting the ball go past the front hip of
the back. That’s too much and it’s not applicable to all QB’s. Some are quicker than others, some
are slower than others. Here is a simple rule: I tell my QB’s that they should err on the side of giving
the ball. When in doubt, give the zone and let your RB work. But, if you feel like you can get the
edge pull the ball. That’s it. It’s simple. If you can get the edge, take it.

Remember, this is the kid you trust to run your passing game where he has to make 3 or 4 reads
every play. You have to trust him with this simple read.

For the RB, his alignment should be 1×1 with the QB, 1 yard deep and 1 yard outside. This will allow
a little more time for the cutback lane to develop and give him a downhill path. His first step is a
lateral step with his playside foot. This should mirror the first step of the linemen. Then he aims at
the outside hip of the playside guard. His rule is to press the hole and read the guard’s block. If the
guard’s head is outside of his defender, the back will keep the play playside. If the defender beats the
guard across his face, he will cut it back. Once he makes this one decision, get downhill and run
hard.

The final tip is simple. Reps, reps, reps. If you have downloaded my installation guide you know that
sometimes we spend the entire practice running only Zone. You have to rep it over and over and
over in order to really get proficient at it.

This is one of those plays that you really have to understand in order to teach. So, please do not use
me as your only resource. There are a ton of good links on YouTube and articles online explaining
the Zone principles and how to teach it. Here are a few of them.

WHAT IS DART?

If you haven’t downloaded my playbook on the Spread Running Game, click here to download it
now, it’s Free!

Dart, is a tackle lead play that is a great compliment to our Air Raid Passing Game.
I say that it is a great compliment to the Air Raid for two reasons. First, we teach the playside tackle
to pass set the DE and try to get him up the field. So, to the DE and the SAM, it kind of looks like a
pass play. This creates a massive gash in the B Gap. Second, because our tackles play in a 2-point
stance and line up off the ball as much as possible, an angle for the backside pull has already been
created. We don’t have to teach a kick step or worry about being light in our stance. We simply step
with our playside foot and run downhill right toward the playside backer.

I also love this play because we get a true double team from our center and our guard. The center’s
rule is to always double team the nose to the backside backer. If you are playing with undersized
linemen, a double team is sometimes the only way to create real vertical movement.

I also love this play because you can invert it and run it with your QB. You don’t have to change a
single rule up front, just have your RB fake across the QB and pick up the backside DE. Here is an
example of QB dart to a 3 Technique (Although, vs. a true college front, I would actually teach my QB
to check this play opposite and run it to the 1 technique)

WHEN TO CALL DART

I will call Dart against most 5 or 6 man fronts. I will not run it into a 7 man front. (If you are seeing a
lot of 7 man boxes, that means you have not yet proven to your opponent that you can throw the
ball effectively. Keep chucking it!). I love it against a 4-2 to the 1 technique. And, like I said earlier, I
will teach my QB to check the play to the 1 technique so we can get a true playside double
team. This doesn’t mean that you can’t run it to the 3 technique, but you have to make sure that
your guard can block their tackle 1 on 1.

I am always a bit hesitant to call it against a 3-3 stack, because a DE can slant inside and kill the
play. In this situation I am more apt to call Zone or Counter.
RUN/PASS/SCREEN OPTIONS

This is a great blocking scheme to use on run/pass option plays because linemen will not get upfield
before the ball is delivered. The danger is that the backside DE is literally unblocked so the QB has
to make his decision very quickly or you can invert the call and get the best of both worlds. Here are
a few ideas.

Ace Dart Right H Bubble. The QB just reads leverage on the bubble. If it’s 2 on 2, throw the
bubble. If it’s 3 on 2, run the Dart.

Ace Dart Right RED. If the QB has 2 on 2 or obvious leverage, throw the slant to the H or the X. If
not, give the Dart.

Check this one out… Trips Left QB Dart Right Verticals. Send the RB to pick up the backside DE. The
QB can throw verticals. If he doesn’t like it, tuck the ball and run it behind your lead blocker. It’s kind
of unfair!

Another creative example…Empty Right Z Fly, Qb Dart Right. Put the Z in fly motion opposite the
Dart call. If the DE chases the pulling tackle, give the ball to the RB around the edge. If the DE stays
home or widens with the motion, the QB pulls the ball and runs the Dart to the right.

You get the idea. There are a million ways to have fun with this blocking scheme. Be creative or stay
simple. Either way, you have to have Dart in your offense.

CONCLUSION

I believe that if you want to be effective throwing the ball, you have to spend the majority of your
practice time throwing the ball. As a result, your running game has to be simple. That’s what I love
about Dart. It’s a simple blocking scheme that is incredibly versatile. It doesn’t take much time to
learn because everyone, except the backside tackle, is doing something he already knows how to
do. Install it. You’ll love it!

Trap
Here are the things I love about the Trap.

Depending on the front, there is a good chance to get a true double team at the point of
attack. Remember, because of the way we protect in our passing game and to limit head and neck
contact as much as possible, we prefer the two point stance for our linemen. That means we are
trading a bit of leverage, for the ability to move backward and laterally with agility. (We can debate
this later…I have also run this offense out of a 3 point stance. But, I think with the way our game is
evolving and the style we want to play, the 2 point stance is the way to go). I will admit, however,
that playing out of a 2 point can limit your ability to generate movement at the point of attack with 1
on 1 base blocks. This is especially true if you have smaller linemen. So, any time we can get a true
double team at the point of attack, it gives us a chance to generate vertical movement

The Trap is a great compliment to the Dart. The DE is more than likely one of the best players on
the field. On Dart, we trick him by pass setting and running underneath him. Then we come back
with trap and hit him out with a quick pull. He is forced to defend a variety of blocks. All of that
slows him down on his pass rush.

The trap is adaptable. Like Dart and Zone you can be really creative with trap blocking. You can run
your QB, you can throw screens or quick routes. Here are a few ways you can use the scheme to add
wrinkles to your run and play action game

Ace QB Trap Right – your RB fakes across the formation and picks up the DE. QB pulls the ball and
runs the
trap
Ace H Fly QB Trap Right – Instead of reading the backside, read the front side. Send your RB to pick
up the backside DE, have your QB ride the H. The DE will widen to take away the fly sweep which will
set up the trap block perfectly,the QB pulls the ball and runs the Trap though a massive gap.

Ace Trap Right Red – The QB will decide if he has good leverage on any of the slant routes. If he
does, throw it. If not, give the trap. You can also run Ace QB Trap Red. This gives you a little more
protection because your RB can pick up the backside
DE

This is a cool little wrinkle – Trips Right H Fly Trap Right Shovel. The H Fly motion should hold the
backside DE. The QB takes a few steps playside to widen the playside DE and set him up for the trap
block, then slip the shovel right underneath him as he gets kicked
out.

You don’t have to install all of these wrinkles. These are just a few examples of how you can use
a blocking scheme in multiple ways. If the linemen already know how to block it, these wrinkles don’t
take very long to install. Little twists like this are a lot of fun for you, your staff, and your kids. Plus,
you might just get a few big plays out of it.

The Trap is versatile. You can call it against almost any front. Remember, if you are going to be
successful in the passing game you have to devote most of your practice time to throwing the
ball. So, we need versatile, adaptable, simple running plays that work from week to week. The trap is
perfect for this. I think it is even a bit more versatile than Dart, because it works really well against a
stunting 3-3. If you can teach your tackles to down block the DE if he slants inside, it’s actually my
favorite run play against a 3-3. Here are a few examples of trap various fronts and shades
RULES AND SKILLS:

The rules for the linemen are easy and repeatable.

Playside Tackles – They need to be athletic, when the tackle releases inside to try to get up to the
backer, a well-coached DE is going to stay attached to the hip. Be athletic and rip up to the next level
and get to the backer. If there is a B gap player, the tackle and Guard will double team up to the
backer.
Center – The Center has to handle the Nose on this play. Depending on defensive alignment, we may
get a double team to help him out. We can’t allow penetration to knock off our pullers. If your
Center is 1 on 1, it is ok to cut the Nose on this play.

Backside Tackle – This is the most important block on the trap play. If there is a backside 3
technique, have to be able to cut the backside 3 technique and/or cut off the backside linebacker. If
you can’t get that done there are a couple of options. You could allow your linemen to make a
“switch” call where the guard and tackle exchange responsibilities. The guard will stay home and the
tackle will Pull to Trap. Or, you could let your QB check opposite and run the ball away from the
down linemen that is giving you trouble.

Backside Guard – Pull to trap. Stay flat and aim for the inside shoulder of the DE, try get an inside out
block and push him away from the Line of Scrimmage toward the backfield.

QB Read – In order for your running game to be truly effective, you have to trust your QB on the
backside read. If the DE crashes teach your QB top pull the ball and follow the block of the slot
receiver.

RB – Make sure his alignment is correct. I like him 1×1 from the QB so he can hit the hole
downhill. On shovel and QB trap he can cheat up to even with the QB. This may seem like we are
giving something away with alignment, but we align even with the QB on quick game and stretch
also, so the defense really doesn’t get a read on what we are doing.

CONCLUSION

This is a downhill play that gives your linemen great angles. It also gives you great flexibility and
great opportunity to be creative. It hits a little quicker than Dart and it’s a great compliment to the
passing game. Install it. You’ll love it. As always, please feel free to email me at
[email protected] if you have any questions. I love hearing from all of you! Have a great
week. Next week we are going to look at the Speed Option.

Speed option
Today we are going to conclude the series on the running game by looking at Speed Option. Let’s
get into it!

WHY I LOVE SPEED OPTION:

The speed option is one of the oldest plays in football, but it has obviously undergone a rebirth and
a reinvention with the evolution of spread offenses. It’s one of the greatest plays you can have in
your arsenal in high school. Here’s why I love the Speed Option.

1. Speed Option puts the ball in the hands of probably my two best athletes. If you did a good
job picking your QB, he should be at least a serviceable runner. Remember, at the high
 school level, he does not have to be very fast. He just needs to be a 5-7 yard threat and be
able to make a good decision. If he does, you will either have the QB behind a wall of
blockers or you will have the RB on the edge. Either way, you win.
2. You have a real numbers advantage. Because you don’t block the playside end (and you
really don’t have to block the backside end unless he slants inside) vs. any six man front, you
will always be 5 on 5 or 5 on 4. Nevermind the fact that the DE is usually one of the best
athletes on the other team. Anytime, you don’t have to block one of their best players,
especially at the point of attack, you have a good chance to be successful.
3. Speed Option gets the edge quickly. Unlike Stretch, which often results in a vertical cut
through the B or C Gap, Speed Option gives you a true threat to get the edge and gain huge
yards. The worst case scenario is your RB 1 on 1 with their OLB or SS in the alley. I will take
that match up every time.
4. Speed Option has very simple blocking rules that apply across a variety of fronts. Remember
this is one of the keys to Win With The Pass. If you are going to be successful throwing the
ball you have to throw it almost every play in practice. That means that you need simple
running plays that work against multiple fronts. That’s why Speed Option is such a great
play. The rules are so easy for the linemen.
1. Rule #1 – Option the end man on the line of scrimmage.
2. Playside tackle is responsible for the playside linebacker. He can combo with the
guard if there is a 3 technique.
3. Center will combo with the guard to the side of the 1 technique.
4. Backside tackle will cut off any B gap threat. If there is no B gap threat, block the
contain defender for 2 counts then get up field and find work.
5. ***Teach your linemen the concept of the play, then just let them point and talk to
each other to establish their combo blocks.

Here are some looks at Speed Option against different fronts:

RUNNING AGAINST A 7 MAN FRONT

Remember, if the defense is going to sit in 7 man box all night long, you have to beat them in the
passing game. That’s a gift. Don’t bang your head against the wall trying to run inside against a 7
man box. Chuck it all night!

That being said, this is one of the few plays that I will call consistently against a 7 man box because
the numbers make sense.

Because you don’t have to block the playside end and the backside end should not be able to chase
down an edge play away from him, you are still 5 on 5. Here are some looks at Speed Option
against a 5-2 and a 4-3.
Here is a cut up Speed Option against a 5-2. Our opponent played really wide stand up ends in order
to rush the passer. There is no way we could have gotten the edge against such wide techniques if
we tried to reach them. But, with Speed Option we got the edge right away! ***Note the block of
the playside tackle. He does a great job of getting his head to the outside number of the flowing
linebacker.

Video Player
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COACHING POINTS:

1. Your QB is going to be tempted to run too wide. Reinforce the goal. We want to force the
DE to take us as quickly as possible so that we can get our RB on the edge as quickly as
 possible. Teach him to run downhill. I like to teach to attack the inside shoulder of the
contain player. If the DE crashes hard, the QB may pitch after 2 steps. That’s OK! Get the ball
to RB and let him work.
2. The pitch relationship is key. I like to see 4×1 relationship. The pre snap alignment of the RB
is 1×1, so if the QB runs downhill the RB can basically run flat from his initial alignment.
3. I don’t really like to pitch the ball once we are downfield. I’ve seen it go wrong too many
times. I teach my QB to make his decision at the line of scrimmage and then stick with it.
4. The block of the slot receiver is really important. The playside alley defender has the best
chance to make the play on the RB. Play around with formations to get the best match up. If
you run the Speed to the trips side, the SS will most likely align deeper than 8 yards and you
might be be able to get a double team on the OLB with your H and Y.
5. Some teams have really good run defenders in the defensive backfield. They play a 5 or 6
man box and the FS or SS is really good at running the alley and making plays in the run
game. Here are two home run calls to take advantage of it:
1. Ace Sprint Right Y Delay – Show option with your RB and QB, then have your QB step
back and hit the Y on a delayed Corner Route.
2. Ace Speed Option Right RB Pass – If your RB can throw at all, have him take the pitch
and then hit your Y on a delayed corner route. You only have to show it once and
you don’t even have to complete it…just the threat will slow down the SS.

CONCLUSION

We know that this game is not played by X’s and O’s on the chalkboard. My philosophy it to always
start with fundamentally good X’s and O’s and then adjust to get the ball to our best players. Good
offensive coordinators and play callers always try to create a numbers advantage somewhere and
then get their best guys to the place where the numbers advantage exists. That’s what our running
game is all about. Make them defend the passing game with at least 5 or 6 guys, and then find your
best numbers advantage.

Win With The Pass does not mean that we are going to throw the ball every play. Don’t let the name
confuse you. It means that we are going to throw it so much in practice that they have to commit to
stopping it. Sometimes our best chance to win on Friday is to feed the ball to our RB all night
long. That’s fine! Good play callers take what the defense gives them.