DIAGRAM 1: “Mesh Pass.” The “mesh concept” is run from a trips formation and it attacks the underneath edge of coverage very rapidly, many times from a tightened environment. This concept creates multiple “rubs” by incorporating different crossing routes. It’s a quick-rhythm concept, whose primary purpose is to attack man-to-man defenses by creating match-up problems and multiple rubs. With this in mind, we also have a zone beater built into the mesh concept, which ends up attacking most of the defenses we come across. The play call shown is “960 East.”
Z squeezes down and runs a corner route. Y sets up as the middle receiver in the trips formation and runs a mesh route with X. He must run on the toes of the MLB and set the depth of the mesh — he mustn’t let the MLB cross his face. W runs a 10-yard option route and turns away from the pressure. Against a man-to-man coverage W turns this into a “get-open” route. The RB check releases to a 5-yard shoot to the play-side call. RB listens for the hot call and is the hot read on this play. X runs the mesh route with Y and controls the meshing point. Instruct Z, Y, W and X to settle vs. zone and stay on the move against man-to-man.
The QB’s progression is 1) Determine the pre-snap coverage. 2) If the middle is open, reads from high to low on the CB, then to the stick. 3) If the middle is closed, he looks quick to shoot, then the crossing route. 4) Keeps receivers moving vs. man coverage — someone will get open.
—Mike Emendorfer,
Head Football Coach,
University of Wisconsin — Platteville,
Platteville, Wis.