07-23-2004, 01:04 PM
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#18
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Rookie
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Re: Unofficial Tips Thread (For guys who suck......like me)
Getting sacked while waiting for someone to get open??? You need to read the defense. Here's a little system that I've found effective.
1. Determine if it's zone or man coverage. If there's a defender directly in front of each of your receivers, they are in man. If you're not sure, motion someone across and back. If a defender follows him, they are in man.
2. Will they blitz? Look for linebackers creeping towards the line of scrimmage. Even if they don't look like they will blitz, take note of their position so you know where to look for a blitz after the snap.
3. If you're sure a blitz is coming, review your routes and if necessary, hot route to the position where you believe the linebacker will be vacating his position to blitz. This should turn into your primary target if the blitz does actually come. If you see a safety blitz, I recommend hot routing one or both of your backs to stay in to block, and then trying to hit something deep to one of your wide outs.
4. If it doesn't look like a blitz is coming and they are in man coverage, figure out who your primary receiver is. The primary receiver that the play is designed for is show in red, but based on other factors, that may not be your target for this play. These factors include:
Down & Distance: Don't want to throw a 5-yard out on 3rd & 11.
CB Position: Don't want to throw a 5-yard curl against bump and run.
Safety Position: If the safety is playing up, it may be worth trying a deep ball.
5. If it doesn't look like a blitz and they are in zone coverage, try to choose a route that you think will be in a soft spot. Alot of times you can motion and overload the zone by putting more receivers in a location than they have defenders. I find that hook and curl routes work good against zones if you time them right.
6. If a blitz was disguised and you see that they're coming after the snap, dump the ball to one of your backs, especially if they're in man. If they're in zone, be careful as a CB may be sitting in the flat waiting for the pick.
To get used to doing these things, I recommend going into practice mode and running the same 3 or 4 passing plays over and over against random defenses, like 30-40 times each, taking all the time you need to read the defense pre-snap. Then play a game, and use only those 3 plays for the whole game (aside from running plays). Then pick another 3 plays, rinse and repeat. You'll get to a point where you know which receiver is your best option in that play based on the defensive alignment.
I know some of this stuff is pretty specific, but at a minimum, try to ask yourself these questions and you might do better.
Pre-Snap:
1. Man or Zone?
2. Blitz or Not?
3. If zone, where are the soft spots? If man, how tight is the coverage?
After the Snap:
1. Is the blitz coming?
2. If zone, is the soft spot where I thought it would be? If man, did someone break loose from their defender?
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