RANGER FREEZE: QUICK PASS PATTERNS - #2

RANGER FREEZE: QUICK PASS PATTERNS - #2

Quick pass #2 is a short very effective possession type pass. It is a pass play that makes great use of motion by the offense.

Many people do not understand the effectiveness of utilizing motion to get people on the defense to move, get themselves out of position, or open up a huge throwing opportunity/window to make another first down and possibly more.

Often we get a defensive safety over top of the #2 receiver with a flat defender lurking in the area as well. But when we motion wide, past #2, one of those defenders goes with the motion man. When you, or your eye in the sky, notices that the deep defender stays on top of #2 and you need 6 yards for a first down, Quick Pass 2 is your easy play to keep the drive alive.

At the snap, the #2 receiver drives off the LOS. He has an option route. At a depth of 5 yards, his option is to sit down, turn away form the defender that is covering him. Now most of the time when the defense is playing zone, with the motion to the outside of him, there will be a huge hole for him to sit down in, get his head around and look for the ball.

The reason he is usually open on this route is because the defense plays lots of cover 2 zone and the cornerback widens with the motion leaving the safety to that side to cover #2. And, of course, at the snap of the ball, that safety is conditioned to take those read steps.

So, the defender aligns 8-10 yards deep, takes at least 5 ‘read steps’ at the snap of the ball, and deepens even further when the receiver drives off the ball. That means the defender is 12-15 yards deep when the receiver turns to receive the ball – he’s wide open.

The outside #1 receiver breaks off the LOS at the snap and is to run a loop-out pattern. It is very important to run the route properly to get open. The receiver must not rush the pattern and must literally step inside before breaking out to get the defender to bite on the in route. Young, inexperienced receivers tend to rush the pattern and just pivot the pattern not giving the defender enough time to bite.

The steps for the proper pattern are (for a receiver to the right of the formation): Drive off the ball the outside foot. Plant of step number three and take a square in step with the right leg on step 4; Continue to step to the inside with the left foot on step 5; Step 5 becomes a second ‘plant step;’ Step 6 with the right foot is back squarely to the sideline thus completing the loop out. Run this way, the receiver is almost always open.

We want the QB to deliver the ball to the receiver covered by the deep defender, to the shoulder away from the defender covering the receiver. It becomes an easy pass to complete. Remember, you have scoped out how they are going to cover the receivers with earlier secondary reaction to the called formation and use of motion.