DROP BACK PASS OFFENSE THOUGHTS:

Thinking in the simple 3 Step Passing Game (Hitch/Fade/Slant) = ATTACHED:

Coach Bill Mountjoy
804-716-7038

Homer Smith on "STRETCHING THE COVERAGE".  A GREAT article, which summarizes our THINKING = ATTACHED:

The ATTACHED is pretty much IDENTICAL to OUR thoughts on ATTACKING COVERAGES.

NOTE: He doesn't mention CURL/FLAT but we have that vs. Cover 3 also.  Otherwise = this is the SAME as WE do. This video is simple, but ALL you need in a successful Drop-Back Pass Offense.

PS: Begin 19 minutes into the VIDEO:

The "BLS" tells you what SIDE to go to (on MIRRORED patterns) but PROGRESSIONS don't change. 

We have certain patterns that are preferable vs. MAN.  It doesn't make a BIG difference if - receivers stay on the move vs. MAN, & settle in open area vs. ZONES (ALL our passes are designed to be good vs. both 2 Deep & Man-Blitz, OR, both 3 Deep & Man-Blitz)!  See my attachment (above) of April 21!

Here is some of our thinking, & PHONE  me if you need more DETAIL (it is next to impossible to explain all this typing):

ATTACKING DEFENSES:
1. You must know the theory of all coverages. Without this knowledge, you are dead.

2. You are either attacking man for man, or zone defense.

3. Vs. Man for Man Defense, you are beating the Man.
Vs. Zone Defense, you are attacking an Area.

4. Not knowing the difference will result in stupid interceptions.

5. Study your coverage sheets so that by merely glancing at a defense you know the total coverage design.

6. Man for Man Defenses
a. Hit the single coverage man. This will keep you in business for a long time.
b. Stay away from receivers who are doubled short and long.
c. Do not throw to post if weak safety is free unless you are controlling him with another receiver, and even then it can be dangerous.
d. Flare action is designed to hold backers. If backers are loose, HIT flare man.
e. The secret to attacking Man for Man is to attack the single coverage man who is on his own with no help short or to either side.
f. You must know the individual weaknesses of our opponents and attack them.
g. There are many methods of dropping off by deep secondary men. Each method provides a weakness – know them.

7. Zone Defenses
a. To successfully attack zone defense, concentrate on attacking the seams in the zone (X-Z Curl, Y Curl, Cross Routes).
b. Flare action is a must to hold the backers close to the line to help open up the zones behind them.

8. Exact knowledge of defensive coverage and the patterns to take advantage of these is a
must.

Coach Bill Mountjoy
804-716-7038

insert code here
Phone if you need more detail I can't give by typing (804-716-7038 = Virginia):

The "BLS" tells you what SIDE to go to (on MIRRORED patterns) but PROGRESSIONS don't change.  Here is a clinic lecture I gave on "BLS" (2007):

MY CLINIC TALK ON “READING THE DEFENSE” (GLAZIER CLINIC):

TRANSCRIBED FROM TAPE (2 TRANSPARANCIES USED = ATTACHED):

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.

RON JAWORSKI: Sid Gillman 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 coaching career, and it’s still a cardinal rule for today’s NFL passers.


The starting point for reading MOST of patterns, especially the 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). NO Quarterback can read the entire field or entire defense. The QB should read 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 to that side = 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. 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 (see 2 ATTACHED pages following this one):

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” 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. 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.

I cannot post more than this, but anyone wanting to discuss it can PHONE:
Coach Bill Mountjoy
804-716-7038 (Va.)

The MAIN COACHING POINT that we give our QB's is one that was taught by Sid Gillman, Don Coryell, Joe Gibbs, & Bill Walsh, ETC.

It is expressed here VERBATIM from Don Coryell (who taught this to Dan Fouts in the "AIR CORYELL" years with the Chargers):

"WE NEVER ASK OUR QUARTERBACK TO CHECK THE RECEIVERS ON ONE SIDE OF THE FORMATION, THEN TURN AND THROW TO A RECEIVER ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE. THIS IS A LEADING CAUSE OF INTERCEPTIONS. IF WE CHECK THE RECEIVERS (2 OR 3) ON THE INTENDED SIDE AND THEY ARE NOT OPEN, WE WANT TO THROW THE BALL AWAY"!