Help being a better passer

[shttymcgee]

Try to read up on pass concepts and how they are read. There's a lot of free resources on the internet if you just google it. I'll give you one:

...........................F/S....................................S/S...................................
.................................................. ..................................................
...C.............................................. ........................................C......
...................................W...........M.. ......................S........................... ....
...............................E.........N.......T ......E.....................................
....X..........................O....O...C...O....O ...Y............................................
.................................................. ..........................Z................H...... ....
............................................Q..R.. .................................................. .

Anything in the book called "drive"

This will be Z drive, in the game slot drive

Z runs the "drive" or drag route
Y runs a deeper in route
H runs a post
X runs a comeback (hot route it to make it a smart route or turn it into a streak)
R should run a check down to the right. If he is supposed to do anything else, hot route him to stay in to protect, preferably on the rt.

Find the 1st LB counting outside in from the lt, the W in this case. He will be your first read. If he vacates, blitzes, or drops deep, then throw the ball to the drive/drag.

If he stays covers the drag, your eyes should move inside to the Dig/Square In/Hunt/whatever you want to call it. In this case, its the Y. If the LB buzzes the flat, don't forget about your deep comeback.

If both the drag and the in are covered (seldom) or you happen to notice the safeties split, throw the ball deep to the post.

If you are uncomfortable with the post, throw to the back on the checkdown.

As for protection, if it looks like an overload to the side the drive is coming from, slide protect that way. If you get a 4 weak look, slide away from the drive, but remember, if you get blitz to that side, you should be throwing the ball to the drive anyway.

The concept is good (irl and in the game) because it can be ran so many different ways. You can basically run it from any formation, but I prefer it to come from a 3 receiver side. If the side you are running the drive to (away from where the route is coming) has two receivers, make sure the inside one is running a seam. You can use hot routes to run the concept if its not in your book. Just hot route the slot to a drag and the #3 to an in and then smart route it.

Some other variations you might want to try are if its a two back set, release one back to the side the drive is coming from. If you have or can motion the weak side receiver to a tight split, you can hot route him to a deep out and can read him first and then go through the progression the normal way.

Just to give you a head-start on your concept knowledge:

4 verts are too easy in the game, especially when in 3x1 sets

stick routes are good

curl/flat or all curls are good

mesh is good

double slant is good vs 2 high looks, slant flat is good vs 1 high

flood and its variations, both strong and the weak varieties are good as well

[ErasmoHar]

Im not much of a down the field passing guy

[polecatt]

Try and work on leading your receivers with passes. Often times I throw a receiver open this way. It's very effective this year with the new passing mode.