Coach Tom Bass brings more than 30 years of coaching experience to USA Football. Along with answering youth coaching questions, he also receives emails from young players. You can email the coach at NFLAskTheCoach@aol.com.
David had the following question:
I am a JV quarterback and I was wondering if throwing deep, accurate passes had to do with strength or form?
I really believe that your throwing form is more important than arm strength when throwing accurate, deep passes. Quarterbacks who have good mechanics push off their back foot, step with the front foot directly at the target, lead with their hips and chest at the target, bring the ball from over their shoulder pads and follow through to have the greatest chance for a completion.
It is also important to understand the pass route being run and to release the ball when the receiver is even with the defensive back and not wait until he is behind him. This is especially true on an Up route on the sideline. On this route, you want to aim for a spot 5 yards inside of where the receiver is running and loft the ball so the receiver can run under it. The ball will carry to the outside and by aiming inside you will greatly reduce the number of passes that sail out of bounds.
When you throw deep, set up as fast as you can, execute good mechanics, know exactly where the receiver is going to run and let the ball go as soon as you can (don't wait and make the throw longer than it needs to be). On a majority of deep routes, the receiver will run an additional 10 to 12 yards after the ball leaves your hand before he makes the catch.
Coach Tom Bass
David had the following question:
I am 16 years old and I live in Cancun, Mexico. I play football here in Lobos (Wolves), and I am a WR. I would like to know the best WR drills you know that can explode my potential.
Hi David,
It is nice to here from a player from Mexico. I have always admired the players from Mexico ever since I had the opportunity to play against the White Burros in Mexico City while attending junior college.
I believe that it is good to separate the drills that you can do on your own as opposed to the drills that will require another player throwing you the ball. With this approach, there need not be a day go by that you do not get in some WR drill time.
Working alone you can work on your hand-eye coordination and catching ability by throwing a tennis or hard rubber ball off a wall. You can vary the speed, the angle of the return and the height of the ball so that you are forced to make catches in a variety of hand positions.
You can also go out on the field and rather than just running sprints to get in shape, you can go through your entire passing tree, making certain that you are running the proper depth from the line of scrimmage for each route, that you run each of them at full speed and that you get your head turned back to the quarterback's location the minute you come out of your break.
Once you have someone to work with, it is good to start by facing the passer and having them throw you passes at different heights and different locations. This forces you to have the proper hand position, to reach out to receive the ball, to see both hands and the ball at the moment of the catch and to practice catching and securing the ball immediately.
Next, you can then have them throw you the ball as you take a few steps to your right, left and straight toward and away from them. Three or four steps are enough as you make the catch.
Finally, go through every pass route you have in your passing tree, starting with each short pass route (both right and left), then each medium pass route, and finally, each deep pass route. By running them from both the right and left side of the ball, you will find that you have gone through a very good workout.
Remember this is practice so any dropped ball should be repeated so that you make a good reception for every route. Good luck to you and Lobos this coming season.
Coach Tom Bass
Chuck had the following question:
I have recently started football. Last year my team went undefeated and won the championship, and I was an offensive lineman. This year, I have been told to play linebacker in a 3-4 defense in a 5A division. This is my second year playing, and I wanted to know if you have any tips I should know about watching the quarterback, predicting the play, covering wide receivers and helping me understand the plays?
Hi Chuck,
How you play as a linebacker in a 3-4 defense will depend on which of the four backer positions you are being asked to play. It will be necessary for you to focus on the offensive guard in front of you when you are lined up in either of the inside positions. This is the player that can attack you first.
If you are playing on the outside in front of a tight end, then this is the offensive player that you need to focus on at the beginning of each play. Playing in space (as an outside backer without a tight end in front of you) provides you with the opportunity to look through the near offensive tackle into the offensive backfield with your focus on the near back or fullback if it is an I-formation.
The particular offensive player mentioned above will give you the quickest read as to pass or run. Remember that as a linebacker, you always have to keep in mind that you must know who is blocking you, what type of block they are using, how you need to defeat the block based on your gap assignment and then you can locate the ball carrier and be part of the tackle.
You will know the offense is running a pass play when you see the offensive linemen setting up to pass protect or the tight end releasing up the field. What you do then will depend on the type of pass coverage that has been called in the huddle.
You will have a designated receiver to cover all over the field for the entire play if a man-to-man coverage has been called. Hopefully you will be covering an offensive back or the tight end and not a wide receiver. In this type of pass defense, you will need to concentrate on the player you are designated to cover for the length of the play. You should not look back at the quarterback for the ball until you can physically reach out and touch the player that you have in coverage.
You will be asked to drop off the line to a pre-determined, designated area of the field if you are playing a zone defense. Know where your area is on the field, know how to get there (sprint or back pedal), focus on the quarterback (not any one receiver) and break to the ball as it leaves the quarterback's hand.
I think you will really enjoy playing backer in a 3-4 defense and having played one year as an offensive lineman should give you a good understanding of the types of blocks that the offensive players will try to use on you.
Coach Tom Bass
Dave had the following question:
Does it matter which foot you are supposed to turn on when the wide receiver cuts? If he goes to the inside, are you supposed to roll over your inside foot or does it not matter?
Hi Dave,
There are two methods being taught to players when they leave their back pedal and react to the pass route being run by the man they are covering. The first is to plant your foot opposite the direction you want to go and to push off and move to the receiver.
The method we taught was to lean your upper body in the direction you need to go when you saw the receiver make his break and you recognize the pass route.
As you lean your upper body, your leg opposite the direction you desire to go will naturally come across your body and you will roll over the foot on the side of your lean.
We taught this technique in order that our defensive backs never planted a foot thus stopping their momentum and it allowed us to keep the speed we had generated while changing the direction of the run. We also found that by using this technique our players always had their feet directly under their hips and did not slip on a wet or frozen field.
In our teaching, if you desire to go to your right, you would lean to the right naturally bringing your left leg and foot with your body and roll over your right foot. Going to the left would do just the opposite. It was a technique which started by turning the head and shoulders, leaning the upper body and having the feet and legs naturally follow in a smooth running motion.
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 on http://www.coachbass.com/.
