Each week Coach Bass brings his 30 years of NFL coaching experience to USA Football. Email Coach Bass your question.Rick sent the following question:
I must admit I truly enjoy reading your articles. I am a huge fan of USA Football and promote USA Football all the time.
I reside in St. Petersburg, Fla., and coach the Azalea Bulldogs. I am a big believer in abalanced attack offensively. Many coaches and parents tell me pass plays do not work with younger players. I totally disagree. I am told passes are wasted plays - I think not.
I see RBs consistently tackled behind the line of scrimmage. Not only do you lose the loss of down but also yardage and sometimes the ball. At least with passing, on an incomplete pass you normally will just lose loss of down, unless it's picked of course.
I believe it is our responsibility as coaches to teachall aspects of the game and throwing and catching are equally as important as running the ball. I believe that you utilize what is working in the game. If it's running - run, if it's passing - pass.
But if there's difficulty, doboth and make the defense work that much harder. I have a son who isa two-year starter at QB and he is gifted with a strong, accurate arm, quite the spongewith the playbook and he always seems to remain poised throughout the game.
However, as coaches for his team, we have hadsome difficulty protecting him. We do have great athletes at skilled positions but seem tolack some sizeto protect, open holes and create a pocket. What is the best way to pass protect with players between the ages of 7 and 9 years old?
I really would appreciate your expert opinion and suggestions.
Hi Rick,
Thanks for the kind words concerning the column. I firmly believe that pass plays should be regarded in the same way that you look at your running plays. Both should be part of your overall offensive scheme, both should be designed to highlight the strengths of your team, both should include the assignments for all offensive players and both should include the techniques that your players need to master in order to accomplish their assignment successfully.
Like your running attack, your passing attack should start with blocking. As you have pointed out, the abilities of the skilled people and the quarterback are of little consequence if the quarterback does not have the time to throw the ball.
I would start with the blocking you want to use when throwing the short, three-step drop back type of pass. In this passing, the quarterback should drop three steps, step and throw and the ball should be out of his hands very quickly. These passes should be incorporated into your first, second and third and short offensive attack.
The offensive line should take one quick step back and then drive out into the nearest defensive player on the line of scrimmage. The goal is to stop the defender's charge and bring their hands down so the quarterback can deliver the ball. The offensive line should account for four defensive linemen and one interior LB.
Your tight end can be used to block any outside rusher to their side in the same manner. Your back away from the TE should drive up to the line just outside of the OT on that side and block any outside rusher. The back on the side of the TE should step up to the line and pick up any additional inside rusher.
This pass protection scheme gives you maximum protection with a helmet on eight potential rushers and should provide the quarterback with sufficient time to set and throw to one of the two wide receivers running one of the basic short routes (Quick Out, Hitch and Slant).
If you determine that the defense is only rushing seven players, then the TE or one of the backs can be added to the basic pass pattern.
When you decide to pass in the medium or deep areas, the assignments and techniques for pass blocking must change in order to provide the quarterback time to take a five- or seven-step drop, set and throw.
You can begin with your basic pass blocking assignments that you use for your short passing game to give the quarterback maximum protection in the beginning. Now the emphasis will be on learning technique to be used for the pass block.
Your players should understand that blocking on a pass play should be an aggressive block and not one where they merely absorb the rusher or get run over. They should continue their block until they hear the whistle blow or they hear the quarterback yell "cover."
To execute the pass block, all blockers need to be taught to bring both hands up the center of their chest, palms facing forward with their fingers spread. Their feet should be shoulder width apart, their knees bent, their hips and shoulder pads over their feet, their back straight and head up. Emphasize to the blockers that they should never cross their feet or lunge out at the defender.
For the offensive line, this would entail taking a first positive step, inside with the inside foot for the two guards, back with the outside foot for the two tackles unless the DL in front of them charges to the inside then they should step inside with their inside foot. The tight end would use the same technique as the OT. It is important that the inside gaps are secured on any pass play.
As the defender nears the blocker, the blocker should punch out with both hands, striking the defender, then extend their arms and momentarily stop the rush. The blocker should then shuffle back, then reset, bring the arms back in and prepare to block again.
When your RB is blocking an outside rush man, they need to take a step in with their inside foot, then swing their outside foot around so that they are facing the sideline. This positioning takes away the inside pass rush lane from the defensive man with his body and encourages him to rush wide to the outside.
As the rusher moves up the field to the outside, it becomes very easy for the RB to step forward and strike the defender's shoulder pad with their inside hand and drive him up and past the quarterback's location.
When the RB's assignment is to block an inside rusher, he starts the same way with an inside step but then the second step squares him up with the line of scrimmage. You want him to stay on the inside of the rusher.
If the rusher goes to his outside, the RB should use the same technique that was used for the outside rusher. If the rusher goes to the inside, the RB should step back with his inside foot, make contact with the rusher's shoulder pad with his outside hand and drive him across the formation to the other side.
This is again a maximum protection scheme with only two receivers out on the medium patterns (In, Hook or Out) run at 10 to 12 yards or the deep pass routes (Post, UP, or Corner) run deeper than 12 yards. Try to determine and only ask the quarterback to throw the passes that he demonstrates good accuracy in throwing during practice.
When you determine that the defensive team is only rushing six defensive players you can add one RB and the TE to your pass pattern to give your quarterback greater options. In this pass protection scheme, the center, guard and tackle on one side would step laterally with the foot on the side of their assignment and block the three pass rushers on that side. One RB, the remaining guard and tackle would have the assignment of blocking the three rush men on the other side of the ball with the line blocking the DL and the RB blocking either the LB or widest DL in the rush.
This would be a scheme that you could use if you ever think of going to a spread formation with only one RB remaining in the backfield.
Successful passing plays require good pass blocking, accuracy in passing by the quarterback and disciplined route running and catching by the receivers, but it all starts with coaches teaching a sound pass protection scheme and players developing good pass blocking technique.
Blocking for a pass play requires patience by the blockers and knowing that their only job is to redirect the rusher away from the quarterback giving the quarterback time to throw the ball. In my teaching of this skill, I have learned to speak in terms of pass blocking as opposed to pass protection in that I feel the latter calls for the offensive player to be passive and not think in terms of an aggressive block at the moment of contact.
Rick, I hope this material gives you some positive ideas and I want to thank you for helping to promote USA Football. Your effort is greatly appreciated. Good luck next season.
Coach Tom Bass
Coach Tom Bass, the technical writer and advisor for USA Football, is a 30-year NFL coach who has also authored several books, including "Play Football the NFL Way" - the first "how to" book ever authorized and published by the NFL. Coach Bass is happy to personally autograph his books to you. Book ordering information can be found at http://www.coachbass.com/.
