WHILE ALL OFFENSES strive for a balance between the run and the pass, each offense has its preferred way of moving the football. You can really define an offense’s preference to run or pass by the way they attack a defense in 3rd-and-3 or 3rd-and-4 yard situations.

Despite each team’s offensive personality, however, running teams must pass and passing teams must run to be consistently successful.  With this in mind, we’ve developed and relied on 5 pass plays that every offense should employ no matter what their style may be.

Offensive coaches often want a wide variety of plays in their package to combat the variety of fronts, stunts, blitzes and coverages that they face. Our team is sometimes guilty of the same thought process. We’ve found, however, that these 5 basic plays, help us deal with many down-and-distance situations while countering the defensive looks that we’ll face from week to week. 

You’ll also find that adding the following 5 plays to your offense will cut down on the number of plays your players must learn.

These plays will all be displayed from a standard 2-by-2 receiver formation with base personnel. 

DIAGRAM 1: Standard 2-By-2 Receiver Formation. Obviously, by using different personnel groupings and adding the use of shifts and motions, multiple-formation looks can be achieved. There are plays to attack cover 2, cover 3, and man coverage. And of course there’s also play-action passes that can be added to complement the running game.


Play No. 1:
“478 Clear”

Pass play No. 1, “478 Clear,” is designed to attack both cover 2 and cover 3, as well as man-to-man coverage. We have also had great success by using this play with play-action.

DIAGRAM 2: “478 Clear.” This play is a 5-step drop for the quarterback and he reads the safety box through the play-side inside linebacker. We prefer to run this play versus cover 3 or man-to-man coverage, but the route will pressure cover 2 secondaries as well. This plays allows an offense to pressure the middle of the field and challenge the safeties.


PLAYER ASSIGNMENTS:
Receiver X: Runs a 4 Route. Post cuts at 12 yards.
Receiver Z: Runs a 7 Route. Bends in at 12 yards.
Receiver Y:  Runs an 8 Route. Shallow drags underneath the LBs.
Receiver A: Runs a Clear Route through near hash and influences safety.
Backs: 5-step-drop blocking rules.
O-Line: 5-step-drop blocking rules.

 Play No. 2:
“238 Post”
The next play is one we like to use against versus cover 2. The backside routes will keep cover 3 and man-to-man coverages honest, however, the hitch route can be thrown effectively versus cover 3 and the flag route is a good man-coverage beater. 

DIAGRAM 3: “238 Post.” The play is traditionally the play people call the “Smash Route” and is a 5-step drop for the QB. The QB reads the cornerback to the No. 2 flat defender. If the corner sinks, instruct the QB throw the hitch route, if the corner squats on the hitch, tell him to throw the flag route. 


PLAYER ASSIGNMENTS:
Receiver X: Runs a 2 Route. Hitches at 6 yards.
Receiver Z: Runs a 3 Route. Flag cut at 10 yards get into hole.
Receiver Y: Runs an 8 Route. Shallow drags underneath LBs.
Receiver A: Runs a Post Route or Bend In. If the safety occupies the middle of the field, instruct him to run a Bend In. If the middle of the field is open, he runs a Post cut at 12 yards.
Backs: 5-step-drop blocking rules.
O-Line: 5-step-drop blocking rules.

Play No. 3:
“618 Post”

The third pass play is one all offenses should run and it’s best when used against cover 3 or man-to-man coverages. The play is called “618 Post” and it’s a “Curl  — Slide” combo route. 

DIAGRAM 4: “618 Post.” The QB reads the play-side No. 2 defender who is covering the flat.
If the flat defender buzzes the flat, the QB should throw to the curl route. If the flat defender sinks into the curl zone, however, the QB should throw to the slide route.


PLAYER ASSIGNMENTS:
Receiver X: Runs a 6 Route. Curls at 12 yards.
Receiver Z: Runs a 1 Route. Slides at 5 yards.
Receiver Y:  Runs an 8 Route. Shallow drags underneath the LBs.
Receiver A: Runs a Post Route or Bend In. If the safety occupies the middle of the field, instruct him to run a Bend In. If the middle of the field is open, he should run a Post Route cut at 12 yards.
Backs: 5-step-drop blocking rules.
O-Line: 5-step-drop blocking rules.

DIAGRAM 5: “611 Curl.” This play can also be run as mirrored Curl-Slide routes on both sides as a 611 Curl and is one of our favorite cover three routes.


Play No. 4:
“999 Take Off”

With four vertical receivers this route puts maximum pressure on both cover 3 and man to man defenses.
By tagging one or two of the vertical routes, the play becomes a weapon against covers 2 and 4 as well. We call the base play “999 Take Off.”

The QB reads the middle safety in cover 3 or takes his best match up versus man coverage. If tags are applied to routes, the QB can read a specific defender to read the defenses reaction to the changes. This is also a 5-step-drop pass play.

DIAGRAM 6: “999 Take Off.”


DIAGRAM 7:  “999 Take Off” (With Tags).



PLAYER ASSIGNMENTS:
Receiver X: Runs a 9 Route. Takes off and stays on the bottom of the numbers. A tag route may be called.
Receiver Z: Runs a 9 Route. Takes off in the seam. A tag route may be called.
Receiver Y:  Runs a 9 Route. Takes off in the seam. A tag route may be called.
Receiver A: Runs a 9 Route. Takes off and stays on the bottom of the numbers. A tag route may be called.
Backs: 5-step-drop blocking rules.
O-Line: 5-step-drop blocking rules.

Play No. 5:
Play-Action Pass

The fifth and final play is an old standby in our playbook. This play-action pass is an effective weapon that makes defenses cover all levels of the field — from the flat to the deep third, and from the hole to the deep middle third portions of the field. 

DIAGRAM 8: Play-Action Pass. We teach the QB to take a quick peek long and then read from the drag route to the flat route.


The QB also has the option to run the ball if the perimeter is vacated by the force defender who drops into pass coverage.

PLAYER ASSIGNMENTS:
Receiver X: Runs a 5 Route. Post or Flag cuts at 12 yards.
Receiver Z: Runs an 8 Up Route. Whip routes in and out to the flat at 5 yards.
Receiver Y: Runs an 8 Route. Deep drags 12 to 14 yards.
Receiver A: Runs a Post Route. Post cuts at 12 yards.
Backs: Use a boot-action play fake and blocking rules.
O-Line: Use 1-back, boot-action blocking rules.