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Pattern Passing; The Post, Corner, Comeback, Hitch, Slant, and Quick Out Passes |
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Written by Coach Bass
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Wednesday, 25 January 2006 |
Play Football The NFL Way - For a quarterback to be a successful passer, he must know the different pass routes that each of the receivers will be running. In football terminology, these patterns are often referred to as limbs of the passing tree. Each pattern or route not only will be given a name but also will be assigned a number so that the pattern may be called at the line of scrimmage during a game.
A quarterback must know the names and numbers of the patterns in order to call a play during a game, plus he must understand where the receiver will be throughout each pattern. Close work between the passer and the receiver, called the timing of the pass, is essential if the pass is to be completed.
Post, Corner, and Comeback Passes
As the quarterback becomes comfortable and develops accuracy in throwing the five-step drop patterns, work can begin on the other deep patterns.
Don't worry initially about passing velocity. In fact, it is important for a coach to guard against allowing the player to throw too hard. Accuracy, a groove passing motion, and an understanding of the various deep patterns should be the primary concerns.
In this drill, we start the receivers and quarterbacks in the same position as the previous drill. The difference in the exe-cution of the two drills is that the quarter-back takes a deeper drop before he sets and the receiver runs farther downfield before he breaks on his pattern.
When throwing any passes using the seven-step drop, the quarterback must keep in mind the added distance the ball has to travel and the added time the ball must be in the air.
Starting with the "post" pattern, the passer must anticipate the receiver's break toward the center of the field. As with the "up" pass, the quarterback should throw the ball with arc, allowing the receiver the opportunity to run under the pass to make the catch.
The stepping foot must be pointed at the center of the field, giving the passer's hips room to initiate the throwing motion. If the step foot is directed at the receiver and not the center of the field, the ball will usually end up behind the receiver as he runs his pattern. The step foot placement and the direction of the hips are keys to deep, accurate passing.
The quarterback should throw eight to ten yards in front of the receiver as he makes his break. This target area is often referred to as the "reception point," the first place where the receiver can make the catch while running at full speed.
The "post" pass does not require as great an arc as an "up" or a "corner" pattern. There is loft, but because of the fear of a defensive man in the center of the field, the quarterback should get the ball to the receiver as quickly as possible.
Of all the passes in the passing tree, the corner pass is usually the most difficult for quarterbacks to master. First of all, it is the pass requiring the ball to be in the air the longest. Second, it requires pinpoint ball placement by the quarter-back. Third, it is the route that takes the longest for the receiver to run. Consequently, the quarterback is forced to hold the ball for a greater length of time before starting his throwing motion.
The passer will find that he has to wait, with his feet under his hips, body erect, eyes focused down the field, and the ball held in both hands chest high after he has taken his set step. The quarterback must keep his body and the ball in this position until he sees the receiver begin his final break. At that moment, he can start the passing motion with the step foot directed toward the corner of the field. The reception point should be 12-15 yards in front of the receiver. It is im-portant for the passer to bring the receiver to the sideline as well as the corner with the pass.
The point of the ball should be up at the moment of release, allowing the ball to travel downfield in a high arc. For the quarterback, the "corner" and the "up" patterns should be thrown with a similar arm and wrist position and action.
The "comeback" pattern begins by looking like an "up" route. As the receiver starts upfield he will plant, turn his body to the sideline, and come back toward the line of scrimmage.
For the quarterback, this pass should be thrown with as little loft or arc as possible. The ball should be delivered like an "out" route, except the passer will not lead the receiver to the outside of the field but instead will bring him back to the line of scrimmage.
The step foot should be directed at a point five to six yards back toward the line of scrimmage and in a direct path toward the receiver's anticipated movement. When the timing is perfect, the pass will actually leave the quarterback's hand prior to the receiver turning back to the ball. Because this pass can be timed so well and because it is thrown to the outside of the field away from the defensive players, the "comeback" pass is one of the safest passes for the quarter-back to attempt.
Hitch, Slant, and Quick Out Passes
Finally, we will introduce the quarterback to the three-step drop for short pass patterns. Because these short patterns re-quire great timing, they are learned most successfully by using a center in the drill and starting the receiver in his normal position.
By using a center, the quarterback will become accustomed to receiving the snap, taking his drop, stepping, and delivering the ball on time to the receiver.
The passing motion for the "hitch" pattern is very similar to the motion used when throwing the "hook" route. The step foot should be directed at the receiver and the ball should bring him slightly back toward the line of scrimmage.
The "slant" pass is thrown with the step foot directed five to six yards in front of the receiver. The ball should be delivered to this point with velocity and at a height just above the receiver's waist.
Throwing the slant pass either too high or behind the receiver will create problems in that the receiver cannot protect the ball with his body as he makes the catch and the defenders will have a greater opportunity to make a play on the ball.
The throwing motion for the "quick out" pass and the "out" pass are very similar The passer must anticipate the break and step and pass the ball seven or eight yards in front of the receiver and slightly back toward the line of scrimmage. As with the "out" pass, the one area we do not want the ball to go to is behind the receiver. A "quick out" thrown late and behind the receiver will almost always be intercepted and often the interception will result in a touchdown for the defensive team.
As a quarterback becomes more and more proficient throwing each pass, the drills can be adjusted so the receivers run full routes and the quarterback takes his full drop on each pass, By starting with both quarterback and receiver off the line of scrimmage, many patterns can be practiced without running the receivers to exhaustion.
Obviously, the same drill will have to be run with the quarterback throwing each pattern to his right and to his left. It is important for coaches and the quarter-backs alike to remember that we are looking for the quality in the pass; repetitions that are done incorrectly only enforce bad habits and do nothing to make the player more successful. When warming up his shoulder and arm, the quarter-back should throw each pattern, starting with short passes and working down the field to the deep routes.
Play Football The NFL Way is the ultimate football manual for coaches and beginning players who want to learn the basics of football correctly. Author Tom Bass is a former NFL coach with more than 20 years of experience with the Cincinnati Bengals, San Diego Chargers, and Tampa Bay Buccaners. For a personalized autographed copy of Play Football the NFL Way, plus information on the new Coach Bass Sport Maps - football guides that aid in watching and enjoying college and professional football, please visit http://www.CoachBass.com. For information on Coach Bass' In-Depth Coaching Clinics go to http://www.Takeaknee.com.
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