Hot reads and progression
Question
QUESTION: Coach, When your in a six man protection against a base defense, how do you handle hot reads and progressions? My understanding is : 1) check for unaccounted for blitzer. 2) Read if blitzes or covers 3) If he blitzes throw into the vacanted spot, or if he stays go ahead with the normal progression of the play? Is this correct?
If this is correct it would seem to me the qb would get bogged down with information while in his drop. Example: He checks for the unaccounted for weakside LB, the line backer doesn't come, now he might have to look on the other side of the field to check for safties and read a flat defender in a smash concept. I know this might not be the best example of a pass play but, I'm having trouble seeing a kid do this effectively. I think my problem is quickly and effectively determining if the blitz key is coming for a blitz or just coming up to cover a running back. Then being able to refocus on the orginal play design.
What is the time table for each point (in sec or steps) for the qb to indentify if the blitzer is coming or covering, then read coverage, and last deliver the football.
I know its alot but this would help. Thanks
ANSWER: Mike I would like you to give me a little more info on this topic. First what is your offenses primary formation? Two is your six man protection a tight end staying in to block or a back blocking? Also what level of football are we talking as well?
Normal progression that I teach my Qb's is inside to out. We teach our kids that first open option working your way inside to out is the best option. Even if it is short of the first down on 3rd down. As far as hot reads your description sounds on to me. Although honestly I don't have our qb focus on that too much. At the high school varsity level, I've found that if I do my job right in scouting the opposing team, and preparing and practice plays that attack the correct areas of the other teams defense, I will call play that are designed to put our qb in a position that he won't have to really think about hot reads. E-mail me back and we can talk some more on this topic! COACH NOEL!
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: The offense's primary formation is 3 wide 1 te 1 rb set(2x1). In the offense the back is responsible for blocking and has check release responsibilities. The level of football is for D-3 college ball.
If your qb doesn't focus on that then how do you account for the the unblocked defender?
Also how do you decide to read high/low rather than low/high.
And can you explain a little more about the inside reading system.
Thanks
Answer
Our team seems to run the same formations as your team does. Often we face 4-3 defenses. Our team uses the check and release blocking for the RB like your team does. The RB is responsible to help in blocking the blitzing LB. In some of our pass plays or tight end stays in blocking as well, giving us 7 or our max protection. Well we do have the qb account for blitzing players, but we don't have him focus on that as he drops. We tell him to scan the field before the snap. While in his drop, I teach him to just react to what he see's, using his inside to out reads. Personally at the varsity level in high school, I like my qb to just react, not think. Thinking slows you down, and our protection is good enough to slow down our qb's thinking.
Where the inside to out reading comes from, for the qb is from Central Michigan University staff. Along with many other spread teams. Even though we are not a spread team, I thought the concept would work for us as well. We do have a few specialty plays that we don't use this concept, but all in all in works well. For example if we are in are normal set which would be tight end right along with twins right 3x1. Then if the qb looks from inside to out he is already account for two play side backers. Our tight ends do a lot of curl routes behind the blitzing backers. While our slots will do a lot of out routes, while the outside man does a lot of vertical routes. As for the back side the running back is most often taught to look backside first. Coach Noel!
I need advice on how to make the starting fullback for freshman football.
Offensive Linemans Workout???