Pitch Relationship Question???

djtrap2,

Have run the triple for a lot of years, never saw any reason to change our pitch relationship which is 1 yd. deep and 5 yds. wide. Never could see a pitch relationship that is any deeper as we are supposed to be going forward, not backward, agreed?

Coach Easton

Coach Easton,

I have never ran the midline option before, but I have ran the QB Veer from the spread, and a little Veer Option with the Tight Slot coming around as the pitch back. I would say that my experience with the option game isn't very much. Most of my experience in the option game is with the Speed Option. When we run the Speed Option we deepen our Super Back to 7 yds. The QB and SB both drop their opposite foot and run downhill. The QB attacks the inside shoulder of the DE. This pitch usually occurs around 5 yds. deep and 4 yds. outside. I was trying to get the same pitch relationship when I was running Veer Option.

Coach, just to confirm what you wrote in your above reply is that when you pitch the ball, your QB pitches the ball more width wise, rather than with width and depth?

My question Coach Easton is, "If you are pitching the ball 5 yds. wide and only 1 yd. deep, doesn't this give the DE a better chance to knock the ball down if you are attacking his inside shoulder.

A couple of years ago I remember watching an ARMY game and they were running midline and veer option and they were pitching the ball the same way as you have been (with more width). However, when they were pitching the ball, it wasn't with a lot of velocity. As a matter of fact it didn't even have a medium amount of velocity. It appeared as though the pitch back was running 3/4 speed and the pitch was like an "end over end" lob. I guess that they were more concerned with completing the pitch, instead of completing the pitch with good speed. What are your thoughts on the pitch?

DJTrap2

Coach, The Army pitch obviously is one designed to float the ball up in the RB's face, (thumb down method) that I stated in above post that I favor. However, I have never been a proponent of a "slow" velocity pitch because that is the one that gives the DE a fighting chance of breaking up the play, just as you were concerned about.

Coach Easton