The Spread Offense

with:
Mike
Emendorfer

Building a Passing System

 Offensive Mechanics
Multiple with Simplicity
• Focus Only On The Words That Affect
You
• Learn To See The Big Picture
 Huddle Procedure
LOS

5 YDS.
QB

X W R Y Z
 Play Calls

• Running Game - Words

• Passing Game - Numbers

 Running Game

Basic Play Call

Dive Right
Tells us the running play we Tells us the direction we are
are running. running the play to.
 Passing Game
Basic Play Call

962
The last number indicates what
The first number indicates concept we are running in our
the protection and the release routes. It also indicates where
of the running back. the strength is located (odd = left,
even = right)

The second number indicates the

formation and the series that we
are running.
 Passing Game
Play Call With Motion and Tags

Y MO 984 Boston Hot

Motion is first in Tags or adjustments If we want to
the play call. within the concept take the R-Back
are directly after the out of the
protection and
play call. hot release him,
that indication is
last.
 Cadence
• On First Sound
– Down
• On One
– “Down Blue – Blue, Set Go”
• On Two on Two
– “Down Blue – Blue, Set Go, Go”
• Hard Count
– “Down Blue – Blue, Set Go Go, Go, Go”
• On Repeat
– “Down Blue – Blue, Set Go, Go, Set Go”
 Terminology
Personnel
• Split Ends
• Wings
• X/Z
• W/Y
• R
 Terminology
Terms
• Wide Side (Field)/Short Side (Boundary)
• Front-side/Back-side
• Split
• Landmark
• Trouble
• Run/Quick Check
 Terminology
Terms
• R.A.C.
• A.M.F.
• D.A.
• Sight Adjust
• 6 Second Rule
• Q Receiver
 Formations
• Doubles • Hurricane
• Trips • Cluster
• Panther • Adjustments
 Formations
80’s Doubles

X XX ZZ

## W W W Y Y
Y
##
R RR

Right
LeftHash
Middle
Hash
 Formations
60’s Trips

XX ZZ

## W Y W Y
##
R R

Left Hash
Right Hash
 Formations
90’s Panther

X Z

# R W Y W Y
R #
Right
Left Hash
Hash
 Formations
70’s Hurricane

W X Z
Y

# #
X
Y W R Z
R

Right
Left Hash
Hash
 Formations
50’s Cluster

X W Y Z

# X Y W Z
#
R R

Right
Left Hash
Hash
 Formation Adjustments

5-7 yards 5-7 yards

X Z

W Y

Tight R
Squeeze

W Y
X Z

Flop R Flip
 Formation Adjustments

1 by 1
X Z

W R Y

Spread

X Z
W Y

R
Ghost
 Formation Adjustments

W Y
X Z

R
Ace

X Z

W W Y Y

Con R R Pro
 Formation Adjustments

X Z
W Y

R Bunch

X Z
W Y

R Double Bunch
 Motions
Why?
• To disguise our intentions/delay defensive recognition
• To gain a blocker at the point of attack
• To create personnel advantages
• To force the pass coverage to declare man or zone
• To create coverage problems or checks
• To force the coverage to bump, changing personnel and
alignment
• To help circumvent the jam
 Motions
Ram
X Z

W Y

R R

Lion
X Z

W Y

R R
 Motions
Player Specific
X Z
W W Y

R W Mo

Out
X Y
W W
Z Z

R
Z Out
 Motions
In
X Y
W Z W
Z

R
Z In

Trace
X Z
W W
Y
Y

R
Y Trace
 Shifts
Pre-Snap Movement
• To disguise our intentions/delay defensive
recognition
• To create personnel advantages
• To create coverage problems or checks
• To force the coverage to bump, changing
personnel and alignment
 Shifts
Y Stem
X Z

R Y W Y

W Stem
Y Z
X W R

W R
 Protections
• The first building block of our passing
game is protection. Great protection is
the most basic key to the success of our
pass offense.
 Protections
• Our linemen must be know and be able to
execute our schemes, but even more, they
must maintain a fierce pride in protecting
the passer that says, “Nobody touches the
quarterback.”
 Protections
• Our back must understand his role within
different protection schemes. He must get
himself to the right places, and be
physical enough to constantly handle
linebackers and defensive ends.
 Protections
• Our receivers play a major role by
identifying coverage and potential blitz
situations, understanding when they must
break off their route to sight adjustments
(being the ‘Q’ receiver), and most
importantly GET OPEN in the time
required by each pass so that the linemen
and back do not have to pass block for
unnecessary periods of time.
 Protections
• Our quarterback is the center of it all, and
he insures that we are a great protection
team through the right recognition and
communication. He must also get the ball
of on the correct timing, and throw the
ball away rather than taking foolish sacks.
 Protection Concepts
• 1- Slide Protection
• Rip/Liz- Gap Protection
• 9- Man Protection
• Smoke- Semi Roll Protection
 Protections
1- Slide Protection
W M S
E T T E

QB R
 Protections
1- Slide Protection
W B M S
E N E

QB R
 Protections
Gap Protection
W M S
E T T E

Rip QB R
 Protections
Gap Protection
S B M W
E N E

R QB
Liz
 Protections
9- Man Protection
W M S
E T T E

QB R
 Protections
9- Man Protection
W B M S
E N E

QB R
 Protections
Smoke Protection
W M S
E T T E

QB R
 Protections
Smoke Protection
W B M S
E N E

QB R
 Passing Concepts
• Simple
• Constant through formations
 Passing Concepts
• 0 (East/West)- Mesh
• 1-2- Vertical
• 3-4- Smash
• 5-6- Screen
• 7-8- Flat/Curl
 Passing Concepts
0 – Mesh
• Attacks the underneath edge of coverage very
rapidly, many times from a tightened
environment
• Creates multiple “rubs” by incorporating
different crossing routes
• Quick rhythm concept, whose primary purpose
is to attack man-to-man defense by creating
match-up problems and multiple rubs
Passing Concepts
980 West

FS

SS S M W
C C

E T N E
X
Z

W Y

R
 Passing Concepts

1-2 - Vertical
• Allows our offense to attack and stretch
the defense toward the end zone
• Designate our areas of attack as 18-22
yards down the field
• Lower level control route
 Passing Concepts
981

SS FS
vs. Cover 2

S M C
C W

E T N E
X vs Blitzes Z

W Y

R
 Passing Concepts
3-4 - Smash
• One of the best ways we have of putting
pressure on two deep coverage by creating
situations where the cornerback cannot cover
two people; he will see a six yard hitch in front
of him and have a deeper-developing flag route
behind him
• Attacks down the field on the deep outside edge,
or underneath as a ball-control pass
 Passing Concepts
984

FS SS

C W M S C
vs. Blitz
E N TE
X Z
W Y

R
 Passing Concepts

5-6 - Screen
• Controls the blitz and pass rush by
inviting the defense up-field and then
allowing them to rush
• Offensive line will block downfield as we
throw underneath to our receivers or back
 Passing Concepts
85
FS SS

C W M S
C

E N T E
W Z
X
Y

R
 Passing Concepts
7-8 – Flat/Curl
• Used to stretch the defense horizontally
• Stretches a flat defender to the sideline and
replace him with a receiver behind him
• Creates a triangle of receivers for the QB to read
• Attacks an area 12 yards down the field on the
hashes and the area 5 yards deep on the numbers
 Passing Concepts
988

FS

C C

W M S SS

E N T E
X vs Blitz Z
W Y