Coaching Quarterbacks To Be Effective Runners in the Shotgun Zone Fly Offense

by: Bryon Hamilton
Head Coach, Foothill High School, Palo Cedro (CA)
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The evolution of the quarterback from a true pocket passer to a passing / running hybrid is one of the most lethal offensive combinations that defenses have ever faced. A player that can beat you in the air and has the skill and confidence to beat you on the ground as well is what many of today’s best offensive coordinators are aggressively looking for. The Shotgun Zone Fly offense relies on this type of hybrid player.

The success of the SZF run game, in large part, comes from the ability to spread the field while maintaining 2 to 3 run threats on every play. This would not be possible if the quarterback was not an effective part of the run game. Obviously, the natural running ability of the player at that position will be a factor in his success. But, how that player is prepared and what the coach emphasizes in practice will also play major factors in his success.

In the past, the mistake that I made in preparing our quarterbacks is that I failed to spend the necessary time required to teach the intricate details necessary in being a great runner and yet I still expected them to perform at a high level on Friday nights. It would be ridiculous to expect our running backs to throw 10-12 passes per game with the effectiveness of our quarterbacks but this is often the exact mistake I made with our quarterbacks as it pertains to the run game. Our quarterbacks do run the ball 10-12 times per game and I expect them to do it well; therefore, it is my responsibility to train them to be confident and effective in the run game as well as the passing game.

At Foothill High School we have identified three areas of emphasis when it comes to preparing our quarterbacks to be successful runners. We work on these daily and the results have been extremely positive.

1. Developing An Aggressive and Attacking Mindset. The first thing I do with our quarterbacks is insist that they embrace running the football. There are three things I consistently preach: attack daylight with speed; get to the end zone, not the sideline; and deliver a blow – don’t take one.

Many quarterbacks have a soft approach to running with the football. They have been coached to get out of bounds or get down fast when they are being challenged by a defender. We work on breaking that mindset early. We believe that our quarterback can and will be one of the most aggressive and confident runners on the field. Teaching them the proper way to run the football and to be aggressive in their style, in my opinion, reduces their chance of sustaining injury. We certainly want our quarterbacks to play smart but defensive running puts our player at risk and we want to avoid that. We often include the quarterbacks in running backs drills that focus on being an aggressive runner and developing a mindset of attacking the defense with a physical style of play.

2. Physical Skill Development. We use several drills to equip the quarterbacks with the skills necessary to be effective runners. We include universally taught running back footwork drills in our EDD (every day drills), but the two unique drills I like the most are the Cut Drill (See Diagram 1) and the Press Drill (See Diagram 2). These drills emphasize setting up blocks, quick and aggressive cutting and bringing linebackers to double teams. It’s a skill that requires a lot of repetition.

Diagram 1: Press Drill

Diagram 2: Cut Drill

In the Cut Drill our quarterbacks join all of our backs and receivers with the focus being on setting up a block and cutting off of that block. It also drills open field blocking for the wide receivers. The drill includes a pair of players, one being the blocker and one being the defender, aligned in the middle of each number. The ball carrier starts on one goal line, runs a straight line splitting the numbers. When he is two steps from the number he makes a move to one side of the numbers. The defender reacts to tackle the ball carrier and the blocker chops their feet and drives the defender off of the numbers to the side that he commits to. The ball carrier presses that block and then cuts hard off of it at an angle that splits the number. The focus for the ball carrier is to set up the block with a subtle move to one side of the numbers and then to cut with a low pad level back to the middle of the numbers. They repeat this down the length of the field. It also is a great conditioning drill. We preach to our quarterbacks and all of our backs that we want low, hard and aggressive cuts that move us toward the end zone and not the sideline.

Our Press Drill focuses on the mechanics necessary for us to be an effective inside zone team. Our backs are responsible for bringing the gap responsible linebacker to a determined double team. Our quarterbacks run our inside zone and thus they must understand our concept of what we call ‘Hugging the Wall.’ It means that we press the double team until we reach the backs of the linemen. They cannot cut before they reach the designated double team and the direction of the cut is determined by the directional movement of the down defender. This is a concept that few quarterbacks are used to. They naturally want to run to a gap or a hole, but we drill them on the concept that it is their responsibility to bring the linebackers to the double team by pressing that block or ‘Hugging The Wall.’

3. Develop Mental Confidence. Quarterbacks undoubtedly spend more time than any other position watching film and becoming educated on what they will encounter during the game as it pertains to the coverages, pressure packages and personnel defending the pass. But rarely does a quarterback study the defense as intently through the lens of how they will defend him against the run. At Foothill, we prepare our quarterbacks through watching game film and by simulating certain defenders playing styles and schemes that will most likely be played to defend our quarterback run package. We then spend several periods a week simulating these players in practice and how they will play the zone read, the dart (tackle pull) and the waggle plays. Each of these plays have a run option on them for the quarterback and knowing how a defense and/or specific player will more than likely defend them adds to the confidence that our quarterback will bring to the game. This is especially true when they are called to execute those plays. We challenge our players to find the weakness in the run defense and come to each game ready to attack it and this goes for our quarterbacks as well.

This is just a glimpse into how we coach the Shotgun Zone Fly quarterback to be an effective runner.

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WHAT IF?
Q1. What if you face an aggressive blitzing team? Does your quarterback make any adjustments with his reads during the course of the game?

We have automatic hot routes built into every pass play. We also will max protect certain schemes (leave a TE home to block) if we feel we need the extra man in protection. However, due to our perimeter run game, teams seem to be blitzing inside less and less every season. Most pressure comes off the edge. Our QB's have to recognize which LB is his responsibility and take advantage of that player when he leaves his coverage area in various pressure packages.

Q2. What if you have a tremendous passing quarterback but somewhat limited as a runner? Are there additional drills (to the Cut and Press Drills) to develop his running skills?

Our QB this season is a better passer than runner. I think the main thing is that we want to preach on a consistent basis that he must embrace the running aspect of the position. It is more mental than physical as we feel a QB should be enough of an athlete to be a threat in the run game and give the defense one more thing to defend and prepare for. As far as drills go, we basically include our QB's in various RB drills a couple of times per week.

Q3. What if you have a QB that has difficulty with the zone read? What can you do to improve his abilities with this play?

We have a simple drill that we do that forces our QB to make the read on the DE or LB that we are reading. Executing that play correctly and effectively comes partly in being comfortable with the read and knowing what we will probably get from a particular defense. Reps, reps and more reps in practice helps the QB become comfortable in his read and allows him to be a real threat in that play.

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About the Author
Bryon Hamilton’s Foothill HS team has won 16 consecutive conference games, had back-to-back undefeated regular seasons and finished 12-0 in 2007, winning the California Northern Section Division I Championship. Hamilton played tight end at Long Beach State under legendary coach George Allen and then for Oakland Raiders Hall of Fame defensive back, Willie Brown.

Questions?
If you have any questions you can email the author at: BryonHamilton@AmericanFootballMonthly.com

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