DIVE OPTION PASS

The Dive Option Pass has been THE MOST SUCCESSFUL PASS PLAY I have called over a 4 decade coaching career. It works. When I was in school back in the 50s, we ran this play from the old Iowa Wing T series and it worked. We have ‘modified’ it every decade to “fit” the system we were running at the time, right up to the end with the unbalanced EQualizer Offense.

Again, you can read about the plays online at www.addy.com/coachfree. Again the first four steps are the same as on the base play(s). On Dive Option 48 Pass, the QB on that 4th step pushes off and drives for a point 7-9 yards deep behind where the SE aligned. AT that point, he is to turn upfield and attack the LOS. His read progression is: short, middle, long.

Here are some critical coaching points on the play:

(1) there has to be a good fake on the play. The better the fake, the more wide open everyone will be.

(2) On his 4th step, the TB must locate the defender who is the threat to contain the QB and AGRESSIVELY block him. He must attack him and drive that person back. Ideally we would want him to block the defender’s outside number with his inside forearm and get the hips around to seal him inside. Younger, inexperienced players have to tendency and to slow down or stop and wait for the defender to come to him. That means that his feet are screwed into the ground and the defender is moving and will plow through the block and get to the QB. There needs to be a separation between the block being made and the path of the QB.

(3) The SE needs to come down the LOS and STRIKE the end defender on the LOS. After hitting that guy he needs to run an arrow route (45 degree to the sideline). When he gets to a point that is 15 yards deep, he is to square out his pattern to the sideline. When the SE executes in this manner, he comes open 90% of the time or more.

(4) The WB who is in motion, either short or extended motion, at the snap of the ball breaks upfield, and runs a deep corner route. He is to get to a depth of 25 plus yards. The receivers are to stack up: FB at 5 yards, SE at 15 yards and WB at 25 yards and getting deeper on every step. Often the play action freezes the defense and the WB has a chance to beat everyone deep for a huge gain or an easy score. The fake brings up the force man for pitch, and when the FB releases and crosses his face out there in the flat, that force man most of the time plays pass and picks up the FB in coverage. Due to those two factors, the SE has a chance to ‘sneak’ behind the under coverage and open under the over coverage and come open over 90% of the time. If he does not come open, that means usually that the deep coverage is up on him and the WB is open. You do not have to tell the QB to look deep; they will do that on their own. You need to teach them to look short middle long first. The deal is that if you teach them to look long first, they will never look short and see a wide open receiver.

This pass play has produced more first downs, and more touchdowns, than any other pass play run over that 40+ year time period: play action flood pass to the wide side of the field. It is the play to call when you are in a 3rd and long situation. Even if you do not run the EQualizer, there is a play in your scheme that you can modify according to these principles and your offense will be more productive.

View game cutups at: http://goo.gl/Dbj6s.

Be 11!

RF