LETS TALK TRIPLE OPTION QB AT THE HS LEVEL!

MG,

Thanks for your reply. I found in my career that most HS coaches do the same thing when it comes to selecting a QB. They take the best athlete and hope by virtue of his handling the ball on every play, he can make something good happen for the team. Being a QB coach, I used to go all the way down to the youth leagues and look for the kid that I knew I could really develope. I would then go and watch him play on Saturday mornings, talk with his parents and coach, get the feel if the kid not only possessed the physical traits but was also a heady kid with a good attitude! I would bring him to our practices, let him sit in on QB meetings to get a good sound basis of our terminology and philosophy, etc. I never wanted to be a part of a successsful program and then experience that cyclical decline that is always a part of HS level ball. So, I did all in my power to always have a couple of kids who could really play in training and champing at the bit to get their chance to play varsity ball one day!

Coach Easton

Im not a QB coach but IMO intelligence has to be at the top of the list for an option QB.

kc361, John, Duke:

Appreciate all of the input of you guys. It is my belief that y'all hit the nail on the head as far as the MAIN thing we look for in an option Qb being the ability to make the correct reads. Once went 33-3 running the bone and triple out of it (ISV-OSV). Three different QBs in that run and the one that had the best success for us was the least gifted athletically of the three, but HE COULD FLAT READ IT!!! The other two were gifted runners and throwers and went on to major college playing careers, while Adrian (the least gifted) went on to play baseball. But, in all fairness, the attributes of being a real runner and thrower are, imo, not just fringe benefits but are real sought after prerequisites in making your decision on a starter. We were a TRUE option team, throwing only an average of 10 times a game. But, we practiced diligently our throwing game ( always off option action) every single practice game for at least 20 minutes. A kid has to really be an accomplished thrower to be asked to pass and hit his target with no established rhythm!

Lets see what others have to offer, I really appreciate your input coaches.

Coach Easton

I think most all of us are obviously in agreement that "smarts" is the key for an option QB. I'll take a borderline average athlete who can make the reads over a kid who is a remarkable athlete without the smarts any day of the week. This topic just ties right in with why I love the option game. Give me a QB who can make reads and an OLine that at least puts out effort and I will succed.

Coaches,

Great input all around! Keep the opinons coming!

Coach Easton

Coach Campbell, How are things shaping up for your squad talent wise this year? Playing all the rookies for the past two seasons should start bringing good results now, eh? Best of luck with spring ball in a month or two.

Coach Nickelson,

I coached the thumb down method for a long time, and still prefer it. My main reason for it's preference is the fact that when the thumb down pitch is made correctly, the ball floats up in the RB's face where it is easily SEEN and easily HANDLED. After the pitch I always coach having the QB GO LIMP and let the crashing DE just roll over him, not be all tensed up and taking a heavy hit that may end his night real quick! On the other hand, the BB pitch method is taught by almost all colleges these days. In my opinion it is a harder pitch to handle because in most instances the ball is coming STRAIGHT AT THE RB WITH FORCE. The main factor here that I don't like is the position of the QB's HEAD when making the BB pitch. As you step forward with your lead foot to make the pitch, and push the ball toward the RB, your head ALSO GOES FORWARD AND RIGHT INTO THE UNCOMING FORCE PLAYER WHO MADE YOU PITCH! YOU ARE NOT IN THE RIGHT BODY POSITION TO go limp and let the power of the hit roll off you, you are forced to take it head on! SOME ARGUE SAYING THEY TEACH THEIR QB'S TO TURN THEIR HEAD BACK TOWARD THE RB AND STEP LIKEWISE. That is fine, but I played option QB long enough to know that the RB is not always going to be in the perfect pitch relationship to you by being at 1 yd deep and at least 5 yds wide. OFTEN TIMES THEY ARE GOING TO BE AHEAD OF YOU INSTEAD OF BEHIND YOU AND IN ORDER TO GET THE BALL TO THEM YOU HAVE TO STEP FORWARD, NOT BACKWARDS, TO DO SO. Thats my story and I'm sticking with it.

Coach Easton

John,

QB procedure that I have always taught for thumb down is as follows: 1. drop the hips in order to get good power base. 2. step toward the RB and extend pitch hand toward him. Deliver ball with thumb down,causes the ball to float up in the RBs face where it is easily seen and handled, go limp.

If defensive guy blindsides you and does not get you around both arms ( pin them to your side) you still can make a thumb down pitch, not so with the BB pitch.

Coach Easton

John,

Can't get my answer to your post this morning to go through for some reason. Call me at 864-958-9545 and I'll be able to tell you a lot quicker than by email.

Coach Easton

First I would like to thank you for a great season. I spoke to you a few times ref. the point method, we changed and had ZERO tnrovers this season in our "mesh"

thanks,

1. Kid must be a leader number one, have that special buy in from his fellow players

2. Good fundemental concept of option, understand the simple part, if this happens you do that, if that happens you do this, if he can grasp that, I can teach him everything else. I'm not looking for him to "know" option, just understand that it is "AN OPTION"

3. Must be able to throw a little and run a little, athletic...

4. Be able to get into a huddle, call a play and demand performance from his teammates

Progression (Chalk talk, Film)
1. What is option... It is outnumbering the defense and gaining an advantage
2. How we gain the advantage
3. Get on the field
drill one,
learn the first read, one ball, fb, one guy on d-line (2nd qb) standing up and stepping into or out of gap, checking head position to insure read, check footwork per the point method, make hand off or keep, if it's there go, if the balls not there go...

drill two
add a second ball, same drill dline carriers secnd ball and hands it to the qb if there is a hand off, qb moves into small bubble and then to emol

drill three
add pitch back, same drill

Obviuosly, we work our qbs and slots in additional drills to work pitch, pitch relationship, this is usually done over the first week or two but no need to go further unless I have the wrong backs in place.

Later we will work the same drills complete with a center and an emol to run through the entire progression. This will give us, snap, steps, per point, read, hand off/fake, movement down line, read, pitch/keep.

We have been able to move our training to just a few days and have five minutes of drills per day instead of trying to mesh for weeks. We found training the expectation and the kids was much more succesful than mastering the option, you can not teach a kid option if you set out to teach him option. you can progress him through many facets of the option by teaching him the basics and modifying your plan around his success...does that make since?

We run exclusive option and even moved our passing game around it, so our kids may not know it, but they only know about six plays tops...they thoink they know more plays that the league combined...

Competitor,TEAM 1st,Hardest worker,Leader,calm and cool,ambitious to be a coach.

I HAVEN'T BEEN FACED WITH THAT DILEMNA YET,SO I DON'T KNOW.I start kids off at the Jr High level and I let them try out for the position they want to play,then move them from there.I usually get some pretty good athletes/hard workers at QB because they know what to expect.This year,I moved a slow footed SE to QB at the JR.HI level because of his will to win/learn.I think he will be okay there for the future.When I first started four years ago,I had a freshmen QB who couldn't throw it 10 yards or run out of sight in a day,but he was a competitor.He started for me the last 2 years and we went 18-5.He broke the school record for most TD's in a season and we averaged 29 points a game.He called a lot of the plays himself.This year I plan on starting a QB who has been the starting point guard on the basketball team since he was a freshmen.He is a better athlete than the previous QB,but his work ethics aren't as strong.I am hoping he gets that killer instinct this year.

Coach Easton et al,

let's say you have a great option QB who has all the intangibles mentioned above, but never wants to pitch inside the 5...because HE wants to score. We had this situation in HS...several times we had to settle for 3 (or sometimes nothing at all) because our QB would ALWAYS keep it whether the pitch was open or not..fullback dive? FORGET it....

So, how do you go about breaking a QB of this? What type of positive reinforcement can be used in this situation? Any ideas?

Thanks, Coaches.

Jimbo

Thanks for the reply, Coach Easton!

I guess I should clarify, I agree with you 100% about not risking the turnover that deep in the redzone, our QB was like that everywhere on the field however.

Thanks for the great advice!

Jimbo,

I agree with Coach Easton. We talk to our QB's about having a point guard mentality. Magic Johnson was a good basketball player that became a great player because he found a way to distribute the ball to the right guy. This made all the players around him better and helped them win more games. Magic had the unique ability to take what the defense gave him AND he was able to put up points when the defense took everyone else away.

Our QB's understand if they give it when they are supposed to and pitch it when they are supposed to, then the defense will eventually take those phases away allowing the QB to pick up big yards. This philosophy has paid big dividends for us.

just our way

kc