Coach ,
I’m used to it by now.
I can help coaches find the answers, and because of that I get a lot of questions.
Being a student of the game, I watch and read everything I can get my hands on, and having done over 2,000 episodes of the Coach and Coordinator Podcast, I certainly talk about a lot of ball as well.
So heading towards the mid-season point, it’s about the time coaches start looking for specific answers.
This time it was, “Do you have any suggestions for 3rd and extra long versus double-mug sticks?” My answer,
Let’s start with the obvious. It’s a screen down. The problem is that is obvious to the defense as well, and any well-coached defensive lineman is immediately retracing steps as soon as he gets past the offensive line too easily.
Easy solution - don’t give the defense screen keys. The “shallow screen” provides the answer.
The best resource I have seen on this is by Josh Herring, now quarterbacks coach at Lassiter HS in Georgia. He utilizes the shallow screen which they call “Police.” It’s a concept that was popularized by Oklahoma State over a decade ago and is based off of a basic shallow utilized in the Air Raid offense.
The Benefits of Shallow Screen
- It’s a throw that is short, and requires no read. That means it’s good for the experienced quarterback as well as the back-up who might have to come into a game unexpectedly
- To a defense everything initially shows that it is a drop-back pass. There are not linemen releasing to get downfield, so there isn’t a key to defeat a block to beat the screen so it doesn’t even matter that the defense is yelling “watch the screen.”.
- For the quarterback, the thinking is out of his hands. He needs to get eyes downfield first and then throw underneath. The complicated reads are removed, allowing for a dynamic player to have the ball in space with blockers.
- This is an effective strategy when facing teams who get into their drops well, even teams that play drop eight.
Key Coaching Points
- Wide Receiver should aim at the feet of the defensive line and come straight down the line. He will “flush” at the center going behind the line of scrimmage. The key to any variation of this is that the blocks are legal because the ball is thrown to a shallow runner behind the line of scrimmage.
- The quarterback is looking at routes down field to be sure defenders are moving, then he can come down to the shallow runner for the throw.
- Three of the receivers have specific blocking points and assignments which springs the shallow runner into space where he can make plays. The assignments are explained by Herring in the video.
In this resource, Herrincovers other passes that are good against every defense. Play calls for him that are named “Corner Chase,” “Goofy,” and “Champ,” but “Police” presents a very effective concept and strategy for getting the ball to play makers and letting them do their thing to move it down the field.
Herring’s shallow screen “Police” is an answer for a multitude of problems:
Yes, it will require some teaching and coaching, but having the details provided as well as the video analysis can help you speed that process up and have an answer ready for Friday night.
I hope this helps you move the chains. If you have questions or need a resource, please do not hesitate to email or dm me. You can find me on twitter. @CoachKGrabowski
Always be growing!
Coach Grabowski
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