QB Check List

QB AT THE L.O.S. (PRE-SNAP READ IN THE "FULL FIELD" DROP-BACK PASSING GAME):

1.  FIND THE SAFETIES
    a.  Safeties give away everything (Corners are "LIARS")
    b.  They give away the coverage
    c.  They give away blitzes
    d.  Corners and Linebackers can disguise what they are doing, Safeties
         are VERY LIMITED in their ability to disguise.

2.  QUESTIONS THE QB SHOULD ASK HIMSELF REGARDING THE SAFETIES
     a.  Is the middle open or closed?
     b.  How many Safeties deep?  Zero, one, or two?
     c.  What is their depth?
     d.  What is their alignment?
     e.  What is their stance?
     f.  Where are their eyes?

NOTE:  RON JAWORSKI QUOTE: Sid Gillman ("Father of the Modern Passing Game) advanced a critical concept that all quarterbacks abide by today: the “best-located-safety” principle. By that, he meant a passer should throw the ball to the receiver who is located the farthest from either safety on the field. The principle worked for his Chargers quarterbacks, it worked for me throughout my playing career with the Eagles, and it’s still a cardinal rule for today’s NFL passers.

PS:  Following is a Glazier Clinic lecture I gave on "Reading the Best-Located Safety".  The 2 pages of DIAGRAMS will not ATTACH, but anyone who wants to get a copy should PHONE me at:  804-716-7038 (Virginia)

TRANSCRIBED FROM TAPE:

I want to talk about the principles of reading coverages.  There has been a lot said about reading patterns and reading coverages.  We as coaches tend to complicate the term “reading coverages”.  We really do.  It isn’t that tough.  It isn’t that difficult.  Anyone can learn to read coverages especially if you don’t make it complicated.  It is the term when you talk pass offense that everyone wants to ask, “How to Read”.  How do you recognize coverages?  It is not that difficult and it is not that difficult to teach.  There isn’t anyone that can’t be taught to read coverages.  Some QB’s are better than others not because they can read better, but because they have more poise.  When the rush begins to close in, they will step up and stay with a disciplined pattern.  You may think I am full of bologna when I go over the “how”.  You may think it is complicated but it really isn’t, believe me.

The starting point for reading MOST of patterns, especially the "Full Field" Horizontal Stretch patterns, begins with the BEST LOCATED SAFETY principle.  In our terminology “B.L.S.” is the Safetyman furthest removed from the wide receiver.  He has a greater distance to to move to get involved with defending a wide receiver than the other Safety.  We see defenses that might look like they are lined up in a 3 Deep.  We normally face a 7 Man front with 4 Deep.  The QB comes up to the line and takes a PRE-SNAP LOOK, we call it “PSL”, and he looks for both Safeties.  If one of the two Safetymen is furthest removed from one of our wide receivers, then that Safety becomes the BEST LOCATED SAFETY.  We call that side the “BLS” side of the defense therefore we are going to attack with the pattern called.  He has less chance of doubling up on our wide receiver because he is not as close as the other Safetyman.  Not all patterns are “BLS” read patterns.  Some patterns require another read due to the specific design of the pattern.  However, all MIRRORED patterns are “BLS” reads.

When a pattern specifies a “BLS” read it means that we have determined which Safety is the “BLS” and then we are going to attack his side of the defense with the pattern called.  On the first two steps of the dropback the QB must determine if the original “BLS” remains the same.  So after the “PSL” the QB must concentrate on that “BLS” on those first two steps and this is where some QB’s lose their concentration.

If the defense does not show a “BLS” then we are going to stick with our original game plan or we are going to pick out one Safety and read him (usually the W/S).  You can’t read the entire field or entire defense.  The QB should key one Safety and before he finishes his third step he will be able to read that man’s moves.  Against a lot of teams we use a long (delayed) cadence on Third and Long situations or on Second and Long.  The reason we do this is because it is tough for a Safety that has SKY (flat) as his coverage to disguise it against a long cadence.  Most of the time he will tell you where he is going before the snap.

We call the Free Safety “JACK”.  When “Jack” is deep over the ball we say “THE STAGE IS SET”.  That is a Sid Gillman term he taught me.  When the “STAGE IS SET” we tell our QB that he will progress inside-out (if the WR is on an in-breaking route), or he will progress outside-in (if the WR is on an out-breaking route).  When the “STAGE IS SET” then “Jack” can’t help anyone except on the deep post route.

NOTE:  The thing that makes it easy for us to read the Safeties is our wide receivers’ splits (normally 17 yds. from the ball).  This is FIELD DISTRIBUTION.  With wide splits the Safeties are more aligned to tell you what they are going to do and they are easier to read.


EXAMPLES = show 2 transparencies) = from a Sid Gillman notebook:

DIAGRAM #1 = the “STAGE IS SET”  “Jack” (F/S) is deep over the ball, and the “BLS”.

DIAGRAM #2 = “BEST LOCATED SAFETY (“Jack”).  “Jack” is the “BLS” because Jack is further removed from X than “SAM” (S/S) is from Z. 

DIAGRAM #3 = “SAM” (S/S) is “BEST LOCATED SAFETY” because he is further removed from Z than “Jack” is from X.

DIAGRAM #4 =   “SAM” (S/S) is up and he is “BEST LOCATED SAFETY”.  We see a lot of this by teams that like to blitz.  There is not a hell of a lot he can do in this position (cover flat or blitz).  We will work the strong side.  The Corner in not going to get any help from “Sam”.

DIAGRAM #5 = Here is an example of where we do not have a “BEST LOCATED SAFETY” (“BLS”) so the QB must pick one out.


In closing: Sid advanced a critical concept that all quarterbacks (Manning, Brady, Rogers, etc.) abide by today: the “best-located-safety” principle. By that, he meant a passer should throw the ball to the receiver who is located the farthest from either safety on the field. The principle worked for his Chargers quarterbacks, it worked for me throughout my coaching career, and it’s still a cardinal rule for today’s NFL passers.

Be glad to send examples & if interested PHONE me:
Bill Mountjoy
804-716-7038
Virginia