Combining Boot with Quick Game Passing Concepts

Here is another offensive passing game concept. The play is from a 3x1 formation
combining a quick game passing concept on the weak side with a boot route concept on
the strong side.

The route progression for the QB:

1 Hitch (X)
2 Corner (S)
3 Slam Flat (Y)
4 Run
If there is space to throw the hitch take it.

If there is no space; the QB will pump the hitch and boot to the strong side. Typically if
there is no space the offense is playing a 2 over 1 coverage concept to the weak side.
Weak Side Squat & Half

Weak Side Invert Safety

In either situation the defense is overloading the coverage weak. Against both looks the
goal is to work the flood route concept strong.

The Z is running a skinny post. His route is designed to cross the face of the corner in
man, cover 3, or quarters coverages. If the route is run correctly the skinny post should
force the corner too deep and inside to play the corner route. The skinny post must be
cautious not to break too far inside on the post.

Against cover 3 or quarters the Corner may pass the post off to the Safety if the post
break is too aggressive.
The S is running a corner route breaking at 10. The corner route must stay deep
enough to high low the flat defender. If the flat defender can cover both the corner and
the flat route; the corner route is not deep enough.
The Y is running a slam flat. The Y will hit the DE and release to the flat. The route is
working to get width before depth. The Y will throttle the route at the numbers.
Once the QB runs the boot; he is reading high to low from the corner to the flat route. If
both are covered the QB will tuck the ball and run.
Route Adjustments
By game plan the weak side Hitch can be adjusted to a Slant or Speed Out.

Strong side can be adjusted to any 3 man route combination.

The Protection Full Turn Back Gap Protection

The protection is set to the 3 receiver side
Away Tackle Cut C gap defender
Away Guard Block back on B gap, No B gap threat = firm body position the A Gap with
eyes on your B gap
Center Block back on A gap, No A gap threat = firm body position the call side A Gap
with eyes on your A gap

Call Guard Block back on A gap, No A gap threat = firm body position the B Gap with
eyes on your A gap
Call Tackle Block back on B gap, No B gap threat = firm body position the C Gap with
eyes on your B gap
A C gap defender, block his outside number and seal the edge
Here is an example with the protection set to the Right:

The LT is the away OT and will cut the C gap defender (DE). The cut is designed to
keep the DEs hands down and out of the throwing lane to the hitch.
The LG has an immediate B gap threat from the DT and will block back.
The Center has no immediate gap threat in the A gap. The Center will provide firm body
position on the call side A gap to help the RG. While holding position the Centers eyes
are in the away A gap looking for threats from a slanting DL or blitzing LB.
The RG has an A gap threat and is blocking back.
The RT has no immediate gap threat in the B gap. The RT will provide firm body
position on the call side C gap to help the A. While holding position the RTs eyes are in
the call B gap looking for threats from the slanting DL or blitzing LB.
Another example, again with the protection set to the Right:

The LT is the away OT and will cut the C gap defender (DE).
The LG has an immediate B gap threat from the DT and will block back.
The Center has and immediate gap threat. The Center will block back on the blitzing
Will in the A gap.
The RG has an A gap threat and is blocking back. When the Nose slants to the call the
RG will let the slant go and block the new A gap threat from the blitzing Mike.
The RT will block back on the Nose slanting into the B gap.

0 RT/90 LT
We like running our 90 Rt/90 Lt out of 10 personnel, but we can do it out of 11
personnel using our TE or W-Back in the route concept, and we can organize them in
either a 2x2 set or 3x1. We teach the 3x1 set first.
Lt Trips 90 Option Right
QB: He is looking to the #1 receiver to the right for the 3-step pass. We use only a few of
our 3-step routes with this concept; hitch, slant, fade. You can add in more, but we like
using only a select few so there is less confusion between WR and QB. We do not use a
signal to communicate what he will choose, they must be on the same page. He takes
this throw if they are playing off coverage and give us the hitch, slant; or if theyre in
press coverage and we have a good match-up for the fade.

If he does not like what he sees we teach him to two hand pump fake a throw there to
pull the defense and he will reverse out to get depth quickly to 10 yards, and boot out
attacking the backside progression. We like for him to work his normal boot progression,
looking deep first then working back down to the flats. He must not take a sack if
everyone is covered make a play with his legs in space.
X: He runs the route given to him by the coverage. If the corner is off he will run one of
the short routes based on leverage of the corner. If the corner is off and outside he will
run the slant, head up to inside but off he will run the hitch. If the corner is pressed then
he will work an outside release for the fade.
Z: Post-Corner Route He will push vertical for 10 yards, take 3 steps with eyes in
(towards QB, to pull the DB in) on the post, and then break at a high angle to the corner
looking over your outside shoulder.
L: Pivot Route He will work directly to over the offensive tackle on his side at a depth
of 10 yards. He will then stick his up field foot in the ground and reverse out and work
back laterally towards the sideline. We want him to be in front of the QB so he does not
have to throw across his body. You may have to adjust how far in he goes based on
speed of the receiver and the speed of your QB.
R: Delay Route He must sell his block on the first man inside of him for two onethousand counts then reverse out and work towards the sideline no deeper than 3
yards. He must be ahead of the QB, so practicing the timing of the delay is key to
insure the QB does not have to throw across his body. If this is a TE or W-Back running
the delay it really makes the protection much more solid because hes blocking the end
that our back is responsible for. If your back is not the greatest blocker, or you are
playing a really good end I would suggest using an attached #3 receiver or TE to run the
delay and help the block for the back.
B: Lazy Block It is the backs job is to pin the defensive end inside so the QB can
escape outside if he chooses to not throw the quick game route. We call it a lazy block
because we do not want him to attack the end like normal, we do not want our back
having to single block the end for a long time. So he slow plays the block making sure
he can gain outside leverage if the QB boots out.

Line: Pass Protection We are a slide protection team, we will call the slide towards the
play call side. In the case below they will slide to the right leaving the backside end for
the back. If the defense is in an odd front with a 4 technique on the side away from our
slide we man him with the tackle and the back is responsible for the next man or help if
no one else comes.

Bump Lt 90 Option Lt:

In any 2x2 formation the pivot route is replaced by a 10 yard drag by the #2 receiver
from the call side. So in the case below we have called the quick pass to the left, so that
the #2 knows he is running the drag. He is dragging across the field to become the
middle level on the boot progression. In this formation we are in 11 personnel so our WBack is a TE type player, bigger body, better blocker. Like I stated above this will help
your backs job of blocking the end significantly because the W-Back is blocking the end

on his Delay route. Slowing him down and giving your back a chance to gain leverage
and momentum to get him blocked.