WR focus and coordination

Coach,

The best advice I can give you as a long time QB/ REC. coach is simply this: You must teach your receiver corps that total concentration on the NOSE OF THE FOOTBALL AS IT APPROACHES THEIR HANDS IS AN ABSOLUTE MUST. THEN, THEY MUST STAY IN TOTAL CONCENTRATION MODE, FIXATED ON THE NOSE OF THE BALL AND STAY THAT WAY UNTIL THE BALL ACTUALLY HITS THEIR HANDS (LOOK IT ALL THE WAY IN), TUCK IT AWAY AND THEN RUN LIKE A DEER!!!

When they master the technique of really total concentration as described above, they will find themselves
not bothered by catching the ball in traffic, as they simply do not have the time to do anything else but look the ball into their hands!

I ALWAYS WORK THE RECEIVERS AGAINST THE DB's IN PRACTICE EVERY DAY WITHOUT FAIL. CATCHING THE BALL AGAINST AIR IS NECESSARY WHEN LEARNING A NEW ROUTE OR PATTERN, BUT THEY ARE NOT GOING AGAINST AIR ON GAME NIGHT!!! THAT OLD ADAGE ABOUT YOU PLAY LIKE YOU PRACTICE REALLY COMES INTO VOGUE IN THIS REGARD, SO WORK THEM AGAINST LIVE DB's AS MUCH AS YOU CAN. Just my way and my thoughts, but it has always worked for me. Hope it will help you.

Coach Easton

Rather than what FRONT they are in, I would need to know what COVERAGES are they using to compliment the 50 front, IN ORDER TO GIVE YOU A SOUND ANSWER. We all have favorite patterns and passing concepts that we prefer over others and the right choice is predicated on what covererages we are seeing.

For example: my favorite cover # 2 beater is the SMASH CONCEPT #1 RECEIVER RUNS 6 YD HITCH, SLOT RUNS CORNER ROUTE. Cover #3 beater I love 5 verticals from my 3 x 2 spread empty gun, curl/flat
is another good choice among many.

So, give me the cover scheme and I will give you my recommendations.

Coach Easton

Coach,

Anytime you CONSTANTLY do anything, you are more apt than not to be setting tendencies and that is never good. I believe in motion, and we use it alot, but not CONSTANTLY. CROSSING ROUTES, ETC.
CONSTANTLY, AGAIN MY ANSWER IS AN EMPHATIC NO, for the same reason. We see cover #4 not at all.
But, if we did I would try to influence the defenders that you feel your receivers can beat by running patterns that include MEDIUM square ins, post corners, smash routes, and floods. Just my opinion as always.

Coach Easton

Any well coached team is going to put their best receiver on the open side and the DC will put his best DB on him (their best against your best) If they play him man, and can run with him it makes it hard some nights. If they bracket him as you mention, it makes it even more difficult for sure. BUT, IF HE HAS THE PROPER COACHING AND KNOWS HOW TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THE DEFENSE IS DOING TO STOP HIM, HE HAS MORE THAN A FIGHTING CHANCE. In that scenario, I always encourage my guy to rest assurred that I have every faith in the world in him because I know he is better than they are trying to defend him, and to just go out there and let his natural athleticism take over. SPEED IS ALWAYS THE GREATEST ASSET IN THESE CASES, IMO, BUT IF HE CAN'T RUN BY THEM THEN HE HAS TO KNOW HOW TO GET SEPARATION FROM MAN COVERAGES AND HOW TO RUN TO THE VOID IN THE ZONE. The summer ahead offers the greatest opportunity for your receivers and your QB's to get together and work out little things between them that will pay big dividends come Fall!

Coach Easton

Bill,

Excellent thought! I totally forgot about distracton drills! One of my favorites has always been to have two defenders stand in front of receiver facing each other, and pump their extended arms with palms facing each other as QB makes his throw to the receiver. Old as the hills, but still a good solid distraction drill, IMO.

Coach Easton

Coach,

That is sort of a question that you could write volumesabout I guess. In my book, ANY ROUTE THAT YOUR GUY CAN BEAT HIS COVER IS THE BEST ONE FOR THAT NIGHT! To answer more directly, I would have to say in our playbook that the 18 yd post corner or deep out is truly hard to cover in man or zone. We drive hard at the DB's outside shoulder for 10 yds, step inside for 3 full steps, then drive back across the DB's face if in man at a 5 yd angle. If the safety rolls over and takes the corner route away, our receiver simply drives back a step on the angle that will take him to the Sideline and takes the ball over his outside shoulder away from the defender.

Coach Easton

To insure having both the corner and the FS NOT ON THE SAME SIDE OF THE FIELD, why not run your 10 yd out in combo with a regular post and not a post corner? If your plan includes influencing the FS from THE BACKSIDE, that is cool to run the post corner then. Just my opinion as always. I am referring here to a cover 3 or cover one look (1 FS - 2CB's)

Coach Easton