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Option Football – Few Plays, Many Ways: The Passing Game (Part II)

by: Paul Markowski
Assistant Coach, Army Sprint Football, and Shane Ziats, Assistant Coach, Mansfield University
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Five different pass concepts – play-action, quick game, sprint out, drop back, and screens – can be run successfully out of the option.

As a committed triple option coach, I try to run the ball as much as possible. However, it is critical to have, at the very least, some basic passing concepts. This is because many defenses today will stuff the tackle box with up to ten defenders if they feel that the offense will not be able to muster an effective passing game.

Just as we saw in last month’s AFM, when we talked about the running concepts, this month we cover simple yet effective passing concepts from different formations. The passing game can be effective out of the triple option, running the wishbone, flexbone,  pistol-flex, or power-I.

We believe in five different pass concepts:  play-action, quick game, sprint out, drop back and screens. Our play-action concept will keep the defense “honest” as they begin to cheat up in order to stop our running game. The quick and sprint out concepts hit the defense very quickly and effectively while our drop back concept will be used mostly in late game situations when we need a score. Lastly, our screen game is simply an extension of our running game.

 PASS CONCEPT EXPLANATIONS
 
TRIPLE PASS:  Option teams are run-oriented. What kills any option team is “defensive pursuit”. Defensive coordinators do their best to sniff out when an option run play is being executed so that they can get as many defenders to the point of attack as quickly as possible. Once you have established your triple option play during the game, you will notice that defenses will begin to cheat up one or both of their safeties in order to stop your option run game. As an offensive coordinator, when you see this happening, it is time to call your triple pass play. Not only can this play be a big gainer for your offense, it can also help to keep the safeties “honest” by forcing them to respect the long pass.
 
Execution:  Triple pass begins looking like the base triple option play. The QB goes through a very quick mesh with his dive back and then takes a couple of steps toward the play side before he sets up to pass. If this play is sold to the defense properly, your QB should have a great one-on-one matchup on the play side with his WR on his corner route. The progression of the QB is: corner, dig, out (Diagrams 1 and 2).


 
TOSS ACTION:  Establishing the toss play is very important for option teams as it allows you to get to the perimeter quickly. Once established, this passing play off of toss action can be devastating to any defense.
 
Execution:  This play begins looking like the toss play. What we are looking for is the safeties to commit for even a split second to stopping a perceived running play. Once we freeze them, then we should have a great chance at completing the pass. Like the triple pass, the first receiver in this progression is the playside WR on his corner route. The progression of the QB: corner, flat, swing (Diagrams 3 and 4).

 
SLANTS:  Our slants concept is our quick game passing play. It is a very quick hitting and safe play to run anytime during the game.
 
Execution: Prior to the snap of the ball, the QB should look to both sides of the field to establish a pre-snap read as to what side he will be focusing on during the execution of the play. He is looking for things such as how far off the defenders are from the receivers, how many players are on either side of the field, and for physical matchup advantages. Once he knows which side he will be focusing on, he calls for the ball. Upon the snap of the ball, the QB should throw to either his slanting WR or his slot receiver who will be running to the flat (Diagrams 5 and 6).


SPRINT OUT:  When a team is blessed in having a great athlete at the QB position, the sprint out pass should be a very effective play call for your offense. Having your QB sprint out toward the sideline will buy him lots of extra time to find his target and get him the ball.
 
Execution:  On the snap of the ball, the QB takes a short drop and then sprints out toward the sideline. His progression is: fly, 10-yard out, flat (Diagrams 7 and 8).
POST/CURL:  This is our drop-back concept. The option route is one of my favorite pass receiver routes since it truly gives the receiver an option while running his route.


 
Execution: This play is equivalent to a 7-step drop passing concept. The progression is: post, option, swing (Diagrams 9 and 10).
 


A-SCREEN:  This passing play is one of my favorite concepts as it utilizes the athleticism of one of our running backs. The key to this play is patience. That is, patience on the part of both the offensive line and the running back who will be getting the ball.
 
Execution:  Upon the snap, the A-back fakes like he is pass blocking backside. Once he sees the BSG leave, he should look to the QB and receive the ball. Then, the RB follows his entourage of blockers. The OL should wait for a count of two before they vacate their positions and get out to lead block (Diagrams 11-12).


 
About the Authors: Paul Markowski is the running backs coach at the United States Military Academy for the Sprint team and has also coached at Mansfield University and Simon Fraser University. He is a frequent contributor to American Football Monthly.
 
Shane Ziats  is currently the offensive line coach and run game coordinator at Mansfield University. He previously coached at the University of Charleston and coached high school football for six years.

This excerpt was taken with permission from the authors of “Option Football: Few Plays, Many Ways”. For more information about this manual, contact Coach Markowski at Paul Markowski2009@gmail.com.


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