RANGER FREEZE: Quick pass 3

RANGER FREEZE: Quick pass 3

This from the EQualizer Online Playbook at www.jvm.com/coachfree:

The idea of quick pass three is to hit the man open in the seam/crease of the zone at eight yards in full stride to the goal line. The receivers are to "split" the coverage area of the secondary. The TB and SE are to run a streak-stop route with a cut at five yards on the outside of the HB. The TE is to run a streak inside the SS and between the SS and the FS. The TB is to split the seam between the CB and the free safety. It is important that the SE and the WB align fairly wide in the pro set to stretch the defensive zones of the secondary.

View Quick Pass #3 at www.maxcast.com/EQUALIZER. Scroll down the playlist till you get to Quick Pass #3.

We are a running offensive team 75% of the time, sometimes more. When we get ourselves into a passing situation, we will get ourselves into a passing formation much of the time. Just as we would get into a goal line formation on 3rd – 4th & short . . . we get into a passing formation on 3rd and long, wouldn’t you?

The object here is to get 4 receivers across the field and run combination routes to free up a receiver, especially on in the seam. If they are going to play cover 2 . . . that means we can get a receiver in between the deep defenders. If they are going to play 3 deep, the FS cannot cover both receivers going deep if they run the right routes.

Very often with motion, an inside receiver gets ‘lost’ by the secondary because they are so concerned with the man in motion. We can get as many as 7 people to change position in the secondary with the right kind of motion often leaving receivers uncovered just after the snap, especially if we put the FB in motion opposite trips. We have even put the QB in motion! Try that. We even got flagged one year because the official had never seen it done before. Gotta love those officials.

I like to run this pass from a doubles, doubles wide or 1-back pro set – as well as trips with motion back to one of the above sets. For example, if we get into a trips right set and then run some Liz motion by the TB, we get four receivers across the field: SE and WB to the right side in a slot set with the TE and TB to the left side of the formation in a Flanker/TE Pro set.

At the snap, the receivers run their routes. At 3rd and long we see lots of 3-Deep zone coverage. The WB runs a route that takes him between the CB and FS to his side, up the seam. The TE releases off the ball and also runs a route between the FS and CB to his side. The outside receivers run 5 yard stop routes.

The QB looks at the FS. His rule is to ‘throw opposite free.’ If the FS cheats over to the WB either before or after the snap, throw back to the TE. If the FS moves over toward the TE with the motion of the TB, throw to the WB opposite.

What if the FS does neither and drops straight back at the snap of the ball. In that case, hit the WB because the FS cannot get there from the middle of the formation, especially after taking those dreaded ‘read steps.’ He just cannot get there if the ball is delivered on time.

The three samples of the Quick Pass 3 cued up at www.maxcast.com/EQUALIZER are great examples of how the quick pass series should be run. Notice, especially on the second pass, the DE is not blocked, but it just doesn’t matter because the ball is delivered to the TE on time and “That’s another RANGER First Down!” keeping the drive alive on the way to another score.