QB drills

I posted this a while back...it deals with how we teach the IV:

Teach them the philosophy of an option offense and the fundamental concepts (like creating an inside seal to isolate a defender) before (or at least while) they are learning footwork. This is a teaching progression for inside veer. All drills are done both right and left, with a QB-center exchange for timing.

1. Teach the QB's steps on air (no FB) but use cones for the dive path. Stand where his dive read would be and make him get his eyes on you immediately. We flash him numbers to make him focus on something.

2. Once he gets the footwork down, we start to give him different looks. Show him what a pull read looks like...anything else is a give read. Again, no FB.

3. Add the FB and do mesh drill. We rep the mesh with no read (that is, everything is a give for now) until it's smooth, but it's especially important to force the QB to get his eyes on the dive read immediately...we flash numbers at him. We also paint lines on our practice field to make the dive path consistent.

4. Do mesh drill, but add the pull read. We also will put a second defender where the pitch read will be. This can be another QB or coach. If he gets a pull read, he steps around the mesh point and gets his eyes on the pitch read. We teach him to attack that defender until his intentions are clear. Once he has pulled the ball from the dive back mesh point, its a keep, "unless" the pitch read attacks the QB. To this point there has been no pitch back.

5. At this point we back track, and talk about pitching the ball. We do a couple of pitch drills (QBs in a stationary triangle, then jogging with a partner across field). We talk about feathering with the pitch.

6. We go back to QB steps with no FB, but add a pitch read and the pitch back. The coach will still give the QB a dive read to look at, but now it's a pull every time. The QB goes through his steps, pulls the ball and attacks his next read. We call this "second level read". Sometimes the ball is pitched, sometimes the QB keeps. We also talk to the pitch back about being "in phase" with the QB...pitch relationship.

7. Now we have all three players in the backfield and both reads going during mesh drill. All of the looks the dive read can give are drilled, as are the pitch read. We keep it very simple. Everything is a give, "unless" the dive read attacks the FB. It is a QB keep "unless" the pitch key attacks the QB. We also begin to vary the location of the dive and pitch keys and teach defensive recognition. (this is also going on in a classroom setting) If the pitch key is up, the QB is ready for a quicker pitch, etc.

8. We then add the receivers and do outside drill. We do this drill to the left and right simultaneously. The defense has a dive read, a LB, pitch key, corner, and safety. We tell our scout team DEs to give the QB a pull read unless we tell them other wise. We start with the look we see most often, and then vary it after a few times. We add one or two play action passes by this point to help keep the defense honest. It also helps the QB and receivers understand what defensive reactions we're looking for and what we do to counter it.

9. We then go half-line. Add the Center, PSG, and PST and do outside drill. Vary the front, and tell the dive read to mix up his reactions.

10. TEAM-O.

This is how we teach inside veer. This is done during our summer camp.

COACH DEL,

You have lost me on the explanation of the drill you desribe above. As the QB fully understands, provided he is being coached correctly, HIS READ MAN IS NEVER BLOCKED. Thats what the option is all about, your QB is going to react (take his best option) based on the reaction of the UNBLOCKED read man.. I do not follow your leaning the bag one way down the LOS as if your running an inside veer he will be coming straight to the QB as a free runner (unblocked) not falling down as he is untouched. If your looking at an outside veer the same principle applies as the EMOL who is your read is never blocked on a true option. Now if your running a lod of some time that is not the case, but if it is a true option then it is most applicable. Could you please expound a bit on what your saying, I'm obviously missing something but can't figure out what it would be. Thanks for your time in advance.

Coach Easton-TIGER ONE

Dislerst,

If I may give you some helpful advice:

1. Get to coaching clinics, specifically ones that deal with the option. Several clinics are posted on this site.

2. Get to a library and read up. If your library doesn't have books on the option, get some thru interlibrary loan. Check out book web sites and see if you can pick some up on the cheap.

3. Coach Campbell sells some books & tapes on this site that deal with the option; buy them!

4. Ask some of these coaches to loan/give you tapes on option drills, techniques, Air Force/Navy games. Seeing is believeing.

5. Search for other coaching websites that deal with the option. A wealth of info there!

6. There are Option camps out there. Get your coaching staff & kids there. Getting a head start will do your program a ton of good.

7. Get to the college nearest you (that runs the option) and pick the brains of their staff.

8. Defenitely call TigerOne!

Best of luck to you and your program!

Coach Betsworth