The passing game is one of the two main weapons of offensive football. In order for your passing game to be successful, you must sell this phase of football to your players, and then have good protection, good receivers, and a good passer. These essentials of a good passing game go hand-in-hand, and no combination of any two is any value without the third.
It is beyond the wildest expectation of any optimist to hope for a good passing game without a good passer. Therefore, select an individual who has the natural ability to throw. There are certain things one can and cannot teach a passer.
It was my good fortune to have Vito “Babe” Parilli at Kentucky, one of the finest natural passers in modern-day football. Since his motion was natural, we coached him very little, other than on the basic mechanics of grip, holding the ball, etc. I feel it is possible to over-coach the passers, just like the kickers.
Assuming a boy has natural throwing ability, the first coaching point to teach is the grip. It is generally preferred for the passer to grip the ball with the point of his little finger touching almost in the center of the lace. We feel if the points of any of his other fingers touch the lace, he will be gripping the ball in the center (the roundest part of the football), consequently limiting his ability to get a good grip of it. A passer definitely cannot throw the ball properly if he grips it with the point of the forefinger, middle or third finger touching the lace. The grip is very important. The passer should not grip the ball as tightly in inclement weather as he ordinarily does under more ideal playing conditions.
When employing the T formation, the quarterback is required to fake with the football, and then set up to pass. Therefore, he must always bring the football back into his stomach after every fake. When the quarterback’s forearms are touching his hips in a relaxed position, he is able to keep the football closer to his body and it is easier to hide. During the faking of the ball, the quarterback should shift his entire weight toward the back, rather than toward the extension of the arms and the extended football. This, too, is very helpful to aid in hiding the football after the faking is completed.
The quarterback should be ready to throw the football the instant he gets back and sets up. The ball should be held with both hands until the passer is ready to release it or fake a release. This procedure will insure the passer of being in a relaxed position, which is vitally important. After the passer has set up to throw the ball, it should be in a cocked position by the passer’s ear. This position enables the passer to save time as he prepares to release the football.
Releasing and delivering the football are next. If the passer has learned the grip and how to hold the football as explained elsewhere, then the release and delivery will come more easily. The passer must release the ball with a snap of the wrist. Very few passers have a good, natural wrist snap. Consequently there are few good natural passers. The wrist snap can be developed by drills, and we use several different types.
In delivering the football, which is actually part of the release, the passer, except in rare instances, should step toward the intended receiver as he throws the football. Not only will the passer be more accurate, but he will be going in the correct direction to cover his pass in case of an interception, when he steps and throws in the same direction. If he steps in one direction and attempts to throw in another or attempts to throw across his body, the passer is throwing from an awkward position and throwing against his own weight.
Perfecting the passer’s footwork is very important. He must know the spot from which he is going to throw the ball prior to his actual passing. It is especially important for the protecting line and backs to know the spot from which the passer is going to throw. They cannot do an intelligent job of protecting him unless they know and unless he makes certain he actually throws from that spot. When throwing from the pocket, the passer must retreat straight back, set up as quickly as possible, and stay inside the pocket formed by his linemen and remaining backs.
The running or optional pass is one of the best passes in modern-day football. It should be perfected by those teams who base their attack partially on wide plays. There are no definite rules or steps for the passer on the running pass, because all athletes are a little different. What might be right and proper for one passer on his fifth and sixth steps would be wrong and improper for another passer due to individual differences. Nevertheless, the passer should have the ball up and in a position ready to throw it by the time he reaches a spot directly behind the area where his offensive end lined up originally. He should start upfield as quickly as possible. This not only makes the play more effective, but it also puts him in a position to run if the defensive man drops back to cover the pass (see Figure 104).
Passing is one phase of football in particular that needs constant practice and close attention. It is also one phase which is overlooked and underworked by teams that do not have natural passers. The following individual principles and coaching points should prove helpful in teaching a boy with natural throwing ability how to be a better passer:
1. Push off with the left foot (right-handed passer).
2. Hide the ball on the way back to set up.
3. Set up quickly.
4. Get at least seven yards deep on most drop back passes.
5. Be under control when you set up, and be sure to be in a good position to throw the football.
6. Look straight downfield.
7. Stay in your pocket while throwing.
8. Keep the arm cocked, and the ball high at all times.
9. Step in the direction of your pass.
10. Throw the ball out-of-bounds or hold it if no receiver is open.
11. Know the pass routes.
12. Know the receivers.
13. Know the weak and the strong defenders.
14. Know when to drive the ball or pull the string on it.
15. Don’t throw interceptions.
A good passing game is based on the following primary objectives:
1. To flood an area, that is, to have more receivers in a particular area than there are defenders.
2. To get a one-on-one situation, and let the offensive man outmaneuver the defensive man by using various cuts or patterns.
Flooding an area is perhaps the easiest and surest way of having a receiver open or in a position to catch the ball. The basic thinking in this particular type of passing game is to assign two or three receivers to a particular area, as illustrated in Figures 109-111, making it impossible for one or even two defenders to cover the receivers if they stay spread out and run their routes properly.
Figure 109
Figure 110
Figure 111
There are numerous offensive sets a team can employ in order to force the opposition to cover using a man-on-man coverage. When using different sets and formations, I think it is more advisable to teach all of the eligible receivers pass cuts, rather than having them classified under pass patterns which would affect the whole team. As an example, the quarterback could call a formation that would set the left halfback right and split the left end out. He could then call a pass pattern to his right which would be a pattern to flood a particular zone, and at the same time call a particular cut for the left end who will try to outmaneuver the defensive right halfback—who might be forced to cover him alone. Figures 112-115 illustrate several individual pass cuts, such as, sideline, deep, out, drive, circle, stop, Z-in and Z-out.
Figure 112
Figure 113
Figure 114
Figure 115
A football team can have a great passer and good cuts and patterns, but unless the receivers do their jobs correctly the passing game is of little value. The pass receiving phase is broken down into the following six basic maneuvers: (1) the release, (2) the approach, (3) faking, (4) running, (5) catching the ball, and (6) running with the ball.
To be a good and consistent receiver, the first prerequisite is clearing the line of scrimmage. A good receiver should never be held up at the line of scrimmage. He must work on this important phase of the passing game in order to perfect it. Every time an end releases downfield on running plays, he should experiment on techniques which will aid him later on pass plays. No two defenders are the same. What is successful against one might not be successful against another defender.
1. Run at three-fourths speed.
2. Run at a specific point of the defender’s body.
3. Force the defender back, attempting to get him to turn in the opposite direction of your final break.
4. Make a good fake and step in the opposite direction of your final break.
1. Run at three-fourths speed.
2. Run an irregular course.
3. Through the change of direction force the defender to change his feet.
4. The number of weaves will be determined by the cuts called and the depth in which the ball is to be caught.
5. Give the impression that each weave is to be the final cut.
1. Head fake—accompanied by a short jab step in the opposite direction of the final break.
2. Roll step—fake one way and roll off back foot directly toward the defender.
3. Change of direction.
4. Hook.
5. Hook and go.
1. Run under control and relaxed.
2. By running three-fourths speed, the receiver is able to adjust to poorly thrown balls.
3. Keep the arm action parallel to the leg action, until ready to catch the ball.
4. While running, turn only the neck and head. If the body is turned at the waist, the receiver will be slowed down considerably.
1. Relax completely as the ball comes toward the receiver. Relax particularly the fingers.
2. Follow the ball with the eyes all the way into the hands.
3. Catch the ball in and with the hands.
4. Never attempt to trap the ball next to the body.
5. Eliminate all thought from the mind except catching the football. All great receivers concentrate to such a degree they are actually unaware of the presence of the defenders.
6. A ball thrown directly at chest level or higher should be caught with the thumbs in. If the ball is thrown below the chest level, the thumbs should be turned out.
7. Always try to get the body in front of the ball on short passes.
8. A ball thrown on the outside and away from the receiver should be caught with the thumbs out.
9. When attempting to catch a long pass, never allow the inside arm to be in a position to blind you from seeing the football.
10. Catch the ball and tuck it away before running with it.
11. Every pass thrown to a receiver belongs to him, and he should exert every effort to catch it.
12. If the receiver cannot possibly catch the football, he should not permit the opponent to catch it. This is a cardinal rule.
1. As soon as the ball is caught, take it firmly in the hand, tuck it under the arm, and most important, do not fumble.
2. Drop the inside shoulder expecting immediate contact.
3. Turn upfield to score.
Offense is based on two primary principles, running with and/or passing the football. The passing and running games supplement and complement each other. Neither phase is of particular value, however, unless the quarterback knows when, where, why and how to use each phase, along with the kicking game. Training the quarterback will be discussed in Chapter 9.