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AFM Magazine


Smashing Pass Coverage

by: Keeth Matheny
Offensive Coordinator, Truman State University
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The smash concept has become very common in today’s more wide-open brand of football. Its popularity is based upon the fact it is both versatile and effective. It flexible enough to be tailored to any offensive attack and can be easily woven into the fabric of the overall scheme. We have had substantial success with the smash concept at Truman State. In the 25 games heading into the 2001 season, we threw 76 passes using the smash route as a basis of the play, completed 65% and gained 20.8 yards per completion. Because we use the concept so frequently, we are constantly looking for new variations and adjustments to keep it fresh and make it compliment our offense as much as possible.

Though we throw it with multiple protection schemes (six or seven an drop back, play-pass, and sprint-out), we mainly use our seven-man drop back scheme with the smash concept. We are a protection first team (i.e. we do not use hots or sight adjustments. Our head coach, John Ware, is an excellent o-line teacher and we rarely give up a sack. In 2000, we threw over 400 passes and surrendered only 12 sacks. Regardless, of pass play used, we think protection first.

We base our offense out of a one-back, three wide, and one tight end personnel grouping, however, we run a variety of personnel groups and an extreme number of formations, shifts and motions. We believe firmly in the KISS (keep it simple & smart) principle so we only have four basic pass concepts (QB reads/ routes framework) in our drop back game.

The four pass concepts are taught by rules, so that as the formation changes, the QB’s read and progression stays the same, but the receivers’ routes change. The smash concept is our favorite series of pass plays of our basic four groupings. Diagrams 1-4 show some of our primary formations and how the smash concept adjusts to each formation. This allows us to teach one general concept (i.e. smash) to our players, while it presents a multitude of plays and concerns to opposing teams.


Diagram 1


Diagram 2


Diagram 3


Diagram 4

The smash rules:

Primary receiver (slot unless tagged): Runs a corner route. Outside release, three outside steps, stick post hard (smash the bug), them break at a point 22 yards on the sideline. Adjust to the ball, the QB will throw you open. KEY POINT: stick route and adjust to the ball.

First complimentary receiver (first outside free releaser to primary receiver’s side): Run hide/option route. The route must be varied to keep corners from pattern reading and simply dropping hard under the corner route. The receiver just needs to get to a spot six yards deep and three yards outside on the QB’s read rhythm. Some variations are: hitch (two outside steps then turnaround), walk route (walk off LOS and get to the spot), whip (release at 45 degree angle outside two steps, then plant and work open inside), and fake screen (three total steps outside then plant and angle back out to the spot). KEY POINTS: vary routes and be there on rhythm.

Second complimentary receiver (second outside free releaser normally on the opposite of primary receiver’s side): Run post-dig route. Three outside steps and break at 45 degrees toward the post for two steps, then at approximately 15 yards deep break across the field. Be sure to come across at a slight angle, losing ground to about 14 yards over the center. Gear down in the open area. KEY POINTS: the receiver must lose ground slightly to avoid undercutters or safeties.

Check releasers:
Execute protection first. The receiver then attacks the curl area to a point five yards deep and then plants and turns around to the QB, working away from coverage slightly to the open area. The tailback will fake draw, emphasizing a high helmet to simulate he draw and will yell, “draw” after the fake to aid in protection. Many DL are taught on “draw” to retrace steps out of the pass rush. KEY POINTS: Expect to protect first, good fake and sap head around quickly.

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Quarterback read:
Take a five-step drop and fake draw. The draw fake will help hold the weakside OLB so that the hide stays open. Eye fix down the middle as the QB drops to hold the safeties. The QB will read the corner’s drop, and if he sits in the flat, the QB will hit the first read (i.e. the corner route). If the corner bails out, the QB will hit his second read: the hide route. In rare situations, if the defense is rotating to the corner or looks cloudy as the QB drops, the QB should look inside for the adjusted first read control route, and if the LBs are snug to the controls, the QB will hit the adjusted second read, the dig.

The next step we take with the smash concept is to add motions and/or tag the primary receiver to make the play attack specific defenses or defenders, and to complement our bread-and-butter plays. Diagrams 5-10 are some examples of motions and tags.

Diagram 5 shows our two TE and one-back set with a fake fly sweep. This play has the X tagged as the primary, so he runs a corner. The Z simply fakes the fly sweep on his way to the spot six yards deep and three yards wide of the X. The QB does not fake, only the WR. The QB just takes his normal drop and read. The formation and the action look like a run, so it puts added pressure on the defense.


Diagram 5

Diagram 6 incorporates a bubble screen fake. The X is again tagged to run the corner and the slot fakes the bubble screen on his way to the spot. The bubble screen is one of our bread-and-butter plays, so this action complements our offense well.


Diagram 6

Diagram 7 tags the TB to run a vertical seam. This version is used with a six-man protection out of a shotgun. Here the QB looks at the TB first and then continues his read. If the QB feels good about the seam versus the defense, he is taught to sell the corner with his eyes and thereafter come inside to the TB seam.


Diagram 7

Diagram 8 includes motion and a twist tag. We have had success with this play versus man coverage teams. The Z crosses the slot’s path first both times. The slot just lets the Z pass, the runs his route.


Diagram 8

Diagrams 9 & 10 show two play-pass options. Diagram 9 is our naked bootleg off of a double fake of fly sweep and inside zone fake weak. The QB is taught to sell the fake zone, read the RB’s numbers, then boot out strong and read smash with the third option being a run. This play is tagged “naked Y corner”. Diagram 10 is off of our front side play action zone weak. The QB is taught to sell the fake hard then read smash. If the smash is cloudy, the backside dig is possible here as an alternative, but the QB needs to be careful of the panic dropping LBs.


Diagram 9


Diagram 10

As you can see with this brief explanation of the way we incorporate the smash concept into our passing game, it is simple and flexible. It is equally effect in the red zone as in all other parts of the field. It can be thrown versus any coverage scheme. Good luck for first downs and touchdowns.






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