The Ravens Run Game is Heating Back Up

The Ravens under Gary Kubiak are built on running the ball.  Successful running allows for less risky "shot" plays in the pass game due to down/distance and dictates coverage concepts on the back end.  The run game hadn't been as effective going into Sunday's game versus the Browns as they managed only 93 yards and 33 yards against the Jaguars and Texans, respectively.  On Sunday, to the Ravens credit, they eschewed the former coordinator's tendency to stray from the run game and continued to pound the ball even after only minimal success.  As can be seen in the chart below that marks the yards on each attempt this past Sunday chronologically, the big gains came toward the end of the game:

How the Ravens Protection Let Them Down

The Ravens lost in frustrating fashion to the Texans 25-13 and with it, lost control of their destiny fate.  It was clear from early on that the Texans defense was going to be aggressive and look to bring interior pressure in the pass game.  The Ravens offensive line played admirably in one-on-one protection situations but the protection scheme let them down. 

Situation: 2Q 9:57, First and 10 on the Ravens' 8 yardline

With the Ravens backed up to their own 8 yardline, the offense came out on first down throwing.  They use their 12 personnel package to attack the Texans Quarters coverage look.  In order to account for seven potential rushers, the Ravens use "half slide" protection where the 5 OL + 1 RB are responsible for 6 rushers.  If seven rushers come, the seventh is on Flacco.  This is how it played out:

Both TEs (Gillmore and Daniels) are running short stick patterns to the middle of the field.  The outside linebackers follow them in "match" coverage while the two interior linebackers "cross blitz" (also referred to as "Fire X").  This causes havoc for the interior of the protection because they've opened up a lane for the blitzers to penetrate.  The protection scheme was built to withstand six rushers, but due to the Texans superior game-plan, they only needed to bring five to hurry Flacco into an errant throw.

This is football, though.  You get out-schemed on one play, you adjust, and move on.

However, the very next play:

Situation: 2Q 9:53, Second and 10 on the Ravens' 8 yardline

The Ravens show the same protection scheme against the same Texans front.

This time, the first rusher of the stunting linebackers (often know as the penetrator) times the snap and gets to Flacco before Forsett can step up.  The result is intentional grounding and almost lead to a safety.

In a vacuum I would rarely criticize this individual series of plays.  However, the Ravens have experience against heavy A-gap pressure teams.  The Steelers, Bengals, and (to a lesser extent) the Browns all show interior pressure versus the Ravens twice a year. 

Additionally, it wasn't until the 10th(!) pass play that the Ravens changed their 6-man protection call to account for A-gap pressure.  Specifically, "full slide" protection needed to be used to at least account for the interior gaps and allow Flacco to more easily throw "hot" off of edge defenders.  Full slide protection gives you the luxury of using play-action to lead the running-back to his eventual blocking assignment rather than away from it.

The pass protection, at least prior to the injuries, was a problem early in the game but they certainly can't shoulder all the blame.  Receivers dropped open routes in the first two quarters and the run game suffered from interior penetration as well.  Sprinkle in receivers slipping, tipped passes, and specific coverage beaters that Flacco simply missed, and you get a disappointing loss to a (slightly) inferior team.

Why Defenses Need to "Contain" to have Success

Containment is a concept forced onto football players from the very beginning. How else would 8-year-olds stop those sweeps that are so common at the Peewee level?

Yet, that very concept confounds players at every level. From the high school game I covered for my day job last week, in which a physically dominant team continued to give up big outside runs and thus allowed the lesser opponent to stay in the game, to the Baltimore Ravens big win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, containment is a crucial concept that too often goes ignored.

The Steelers ran several end-arounds in the game last week, some of which were well defended and others less so. Let's take a look at these plays to get an idea about the critical concept of containment.

How the Ravens Brought Pressure Against Big Ben

In week one against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Ravens defense was barely able to get pressure on quarterback Andy Dalton. According to Pro Football Focus, the defense recorded zero sacks, one quarterback hit, and four quarterback hurries on 43 pass attempts.

Before the game was even over, fans were calling for Dean Pees' head and pining for the days of the "aggressive" Ravens defense under Rex Ryan.

But then the Steelers came to town, and the Ravens' pass rush was born again. The defense recorded 11 sacks, hits, or hurries on 41 pass attempts against the Steelers, highlighted by Upshaw's huge hit on quarterback Ben Roethlisberger early in the first quarter.

Much of the difference can be attributed to offensive scheme, of course. Cincy brought a smart, efficient game plan to Baltimore in week one, and they used it to negate the Ravens front seven. And even though Pittsburgh used a lot of the same strategies in week two - screens, reverses, and quick-hitting pass plays - the Ravens also countered with some new wrinkles of their own.

Let's take a look at what Baltimore did to get pressure on the Steelers last Thursday.

How to Attack the Browns Defense

The Browns' defense has been up-and-down so far this season.

They completely shut down the prolific Saints offense (10 first-half points due to a late touchdown), but they also let the Steelers gash them for 27 first-half points. Statistically, their lean periods have left them near the bottom of the league in team defense (27th in Defensive DVOA and 31st in yards per play), but the Browns' defense should not be taken lightly.

The Browns run a very complicated defense designed to disguise pressures and confuse the quarterback into throwing ill-advised passes.  This compliments an aggressive run defense focused on creating negative plays by penetrating with second level players.

The Ravens offense will have their hands full on Sunday.  The team will need a cohesive, communicative effort from their offensive personnel as the Browns tend to play a bit unconventionally in order to capitalize on undisciplined play.

Early Takeaways from the New-Look Baltimore Ravens Offense

The hiring of offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak was one of the biggest coaching moves of the NFL offseason. As one of the smartest offensive minds in the game, the debut of his new Baltimore Ravens offense was eagerly anticipated by fans and players alike.

Though the results against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1 looked good on paper (5th-most total yards in the league), it was far from an impressive performance for the new-look offense.

One game does not a season make, however, and there is plenty of time for the Ravens to correct their mistakes. Given the very small sample size at our disposal, overreactions and extensive extrapolations are unwise, but here are some interesting takeaways from the Week 1 action.

Examining the Ravens Bend-But-Don't-Break Defense

The Ravens defense got gashed by Cincinnati on Sunday. The Dalton-led Bengals gained 301 yards through the air (7.9 yards per attempt) and 79 yards on the ground (3.04 yards per attempt) but were held to one touchdown and a 28% fourth-down efficiency.  Bend-but-don't-break, right?

Let me start by saying that I don't think any coordinator maintains the philosophy of stopping an offense only in the red-zone. I'll criticize Dean Pees' defensive game-plan, but I also think this defense's propensity to stop teams in the red-zone is due to the secondary personnel being far more suited to defending compressed fields.

Additionally, Dean Pees has been bashed for not being as aggressive as his Baltimore predecessors, Rex Ryan and Chuck Pagano. Pees has certainly been less blitz-heavy in his approach, but fans have to keep in mind the drop-off in secondary personnel that facilitated this change. Losing Ray Lewis, and to a greater extent Ed Reed, has disrupted the schemes that elevated the Ravens defense to top-of-the-league status throughout the 2000s.

Scouting the Ravens Offensive Rookies

NFL Draft season is an exciting time for every franchise.  What new tools can the coaching staff use in the coming season to replace those departed and/or bolster the current roster?  For months, us Ravens fans had only college film to go by, wondering how each player's respective college system would project into the Ravens offense.

With the preseason in the books, we've gotten to see just how the Ravens rookies fared in their first NFL(-esque) appearances.

A brief note: Scouting players using the TV tape is very difficult.  I've tried to mitigate this disadvantage by watching every preseason snap of every Ravens rookie.  Here's what I found:

Darian Stewart Scouting Report

At this point, the biggest mystery on the Baltimore Ravens' defense is Darian Stewart.

Ravens fans generally know three things about him: his name, that he will be a starting safety, and that he's known more as a run-stuffer than a coverage guy.

His actual style of play is a relative mystery to all but the most die-hard fans, and his signing barely registered for most.

So for all of those who need a primer on the Ravens' presumptive starting safety, here's a scouting report on the least-known name on the Ravens' defense.

The Screen Game Can Help Take Pressure Off the Offensive Line

If one were to ask The Dude how the Ravens' offensive line has played so far this preseason, he might say "ah, you know, strikes and gutters, ups and downs."

After all, the re-tooled O-line has shown improvement compared to last season... but that's also not saying very much. I do think that the run blocking has improved substantially, but unfortunately the pass blocking hasn't shown nearly as much promise.

On an individual level, Ricky Wagner is still making his way through the learning curve, and Eugene Monroe is playing well below expectation right now. Even Kelechi Osemele has made his share of mistakes. And then there's the issue of running backs trying to pass block, which hasn't been a pretty sight.

All told, the Ravens' pass blocking has looked rough this summer... and I don't anticipate them finding a miraculous fix before the start of the regular season, either.

How to get the most out of Kyle Juszczyk

After sitting behind Vonta Leach for a season, the fourth round fullback from Harvard is poised to assume a big role in the 2014 Ravens offense.

Coming out of college, fans were excited about his versatility - although many were perplexed as to why a franchise would select any fullback with the 130th pick in the draft.

In spite of this conjecture, we can assume that Juszczyk will get far more snaps this coming season compared to the four he received in 2013. That's because his skill set - if used properly - can give the Ravens offense the extra edge it needs to compete for an AFC North title.

Flacco's Interceptions: Second Interception VS Denver Broncos

Week 1 Baltimore Ravens vs Denver Broncos

12: 26 left in 4th Quarter Baltimore 17, Denver 42

4th and 1

The play call: 

The Ravens are looking for a quick yard to pick up the first down, so Ray Rice runs a quick out route. Brandon Stokley and Torrey Smith run in routes on the other side of the field, with Dallas Clark and Marlon Brown both running go routes with outside releases.

Where does Justin Forsett fit in the Ravens offense?

Justin Forsett, the seventh year running back from California, was brought in as a veteran free agent in order to soften the transition from the Cameron/Caldwell offense to Gary Kubiak's zone blocking/West Coast attack.  We can assume he will be called upon to spell Bernard Pierce in the first two regular season games due to Ray Rice's 2-game suspension.  Can he hold up?  If so, what can he provide?

I watched the film of all of Forsett's carries and receptions that I have access to (2012-2013; 69 carries, 18 receptions) to get an idea of how he will be used during the coming season.

Do the Baltimore Ravens Really Value Their Draft Picks More Than Most NFL Teams?

It’s the puzzle-making time of year for NFL general managers as they start whittling down their 90-man rosters into a squad of just 53 players. Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as choosing the 53 best men. GMs need to find the right mixture of veteran leaders, experienced contributors and youthful potential in order to build a winner—for both this season and the future.

Rookies have an interesting place in that process. Most players need a season or two before they are truly ready to become a starter or rotational player, so front offices need to decide how many roster spots they are willing to dedicate to prospects that aren’t going to play a significant role every Sunday.

The Baltimore Ravens are widely considered to be a team that places a great value on their draft picks—at least initially. That’s the party line that frequently gets tossed around by writers when they’re predicting what the final roster will look like.

What is the 4-3 "Under" and How Do the Ravens Use It?

It seems that, every year, there's an ongoing debate about the Ravens' front seven: Do they play a 3-4 or a 4-3? Are they switching to one or the other in the off-season? And how will that affect their defensive philosophy?

After all, the Ravens made their name as an attacking, opportunistic defense. They've intimidated quarterbacks and stifled running backs for most of their 18-year history, and fans take pride in the defensive tradition in Baltimore.

So with that in mind, I dug into the defensive front that the Ravens will use as their "base" this season: the 4-3 Under.

Examining Lardarius Webb Pre- and Post-ACL Injury

Following a monster 2011 season in which he was among the best cover cornerbacks in the NFL, Lardarius Webb was rewarded with a hefty six-year, $50 million contract.

Since putting ink to the contract, however, Webb has played a total of five-and-a-half games at his physical peak. He tore his ACL midway through the 2012 season, and unfortunately, he hasn't been the same since.

Prior to his injury, Webb's play was defined by superior agility - both lateral and straight-line - and aggressiveness bordering on recklessness. But with a history of injury (including his current back injury in training camp), will Webb ever return to form as one of the league's best cornerbacks?

VIDEO: Buffalo Picks Off Joe Flacco with their Cover-2 "Trap" Scheme

Dan Bryden draws up the Bills' Cover-2 Trap scheme and how it bested the Ravens offense in 2013.

How Does Bernard Pierce Fit in the Zone Blocking Scheme?

By the halfway point of the 2013 season, Ravens fans were calling for an end to the zone rushing attack. The running game was going nowhere, and it was clear that the entire offense was suffering as a result.

But this offseason, the team swung the opposite direction: They hired Gary Kubiak as the new offensive coordinator, a coach who adheres strictly to the zone blocking scheme.

Now, because of Ray Rice's suspension, the Ravens will be forced to rely on Bernard Pierce to keep the offense on track for the first two games of the season.  The question remains: can Bernard Pierce carry the load?  I take a look at the necessary characteristics for a zone rushing back and see which ones fit Pierce.

Running Back "Vision" in the Zone Blocking Scheme

Much has been made about Gary Kubiak bringing his brand of the West Coast Offense to Baltimore for the 2014 season.

In order for Kubiak's system to work effectively, the run game must be efficient. But what makes a good running back in Kubiak's zone blocking scheme? And what is meant by running back "vision"? I decided to take a deeper dive into the rushing attack that the Ravens will rely on this season.

In a previous post, I broke down the blocking rules for the zone blocking scheme, but I didn't touch heavily on the role of the running back.  Despite what many might think, there's more to being an effective zone rushing back than possessing the "one-cut-and-go" buzz-phrase that always gets thrown around.  Running backs have strict reads that are temporally tied to the blocks of the offensive lineman in front of him.

Breaking Down Joe Flacco's Interceptions: First Interception vs. Denver Broncos

When the Baltimore Ravens' $120-million man tossed 22 interceptions last year, fans and analysts alike thought the sky was falling in Baltimore, or at least for Joe Flacco.

But a closer look at each interception tells a different tale. Many of the picks were preventable, and most were the result of uncharacteristic errors from Flacco.

Over a series of articles, I plan to look at several of Flacco's interceptions, detailing what went wrong. So without further ado, let's begin at the beginning...

Playbook: Power O

Power O is possibly the most ubiquitous running play in football history. It is popular at every level of the game, mostly because it works. For example, below you'll see a screen cap of the Ravens using Power O last season. But if you click link #7 in Outside Resources, you'll also see a PowerPoint presentation from a high school coach who installed Power O as his base run play. It's that widely used.

In this play, each lineman down blocks (seals off the back side) while the backside guard pulls to the play side and attacks the SAM linebacker. It's a demanding assignment for the guard, who needs to be quick-footed and athletic to get around to the play side and then attack the linebacker in space. Some offenses also use a fullback as a lead blocker to kick out the end man on the line of scrimmage (E; below). Finally, to make Power O work, teams need a back who can explode through the hole with timing and the ability to cut off of his blocks.

Here's a look at it on the chalkboard:


















When it all comes together, Power O has a number of advantages. It's good against a variety of defensive looks, it can be used on multiple downs and distances, and it's great for setting up high-percentage play action passes later in the game. The Ravens even used it from the shotgun at times, as in the play below:

Like its name implies, Power O is just good, old-fashioned power football. No misdirection, just smart blocking and patient running.

Outside Resources

1) Explanation and Cut-ups of the "Power O" Run Play
2) Want to Learn the Base NFL Run Game?
3) NFL 101: Introducing the Power Running Game
4) The Coach's Corner: Utilizing New Power-O Innovations in the Spread Offense
5) The "Power O" Play
6) Playbook: Wisconsin's 'Power O' Scheme
7) Power "O"
8) One Back Power Game: Separating the Defense
9) More "Bang" for your Buck with the Power Scheme 
10) Football Fundamentals: Power O Blocking Primer 
11) Football Fundamentals: Power O Blocking (Part II)
12) POWER Variations Series 
13) Power Variations #2 - Super Power 
14) Power Variations #3 - 1 Back Power 
15) Power Variations #4 - Power Arc 
16) Football Fundamentals: RB and HB Blocking
17) Football Fundamentals: The Many Iterations of Power O

Playbook: Lead

Lead, or lead draw, is one of the most recognizable running plays in football. There are many variations, including HB Lead, FB Lead, Lead Strong, Lead Weak (or Open), etc., but all are meant to be quick-hitting running plays.

The blocking is man, meaning every OL, TE, and RB will have an assignment. This is a basic play that requires no "window dressing," as Matt Bowen puts it. The offense simply lines up and executes, leaving it up to the linebacker to be quick enough to fill the gap.

Here's another example. The play below is FB Lead Strong. FB Vonta Leach is the lead blocker (hence the name) through the 2-hole. Leach, along with C Gradkowski and LT Monroe, will take on the linebackers while the other linemen block out. RB Bernard Pierce will look for a quick opening and take the ball right up the middle. With the right blocking, this play will effectively gain solid yardage, though it's unlikely to go for a big gain.

Outside Resources

1) Playbook Sessions: The Base NFL Run Game
2) Want to Learn the Base NFL Run Game?
3) NFL 101: Introducing the Power Running Game
4) Football Fundamentals: Iso Primer 
5) Football Fundamentals: RB and HB Blocking

Playbook: Wham

"Wham" is a counter to standard gap or zone rushing plays that generally utilizes an inside trap element from a full- or H-back.

FB Vonta Leach (#44) with a "wham" block on NT Casey Hampton

Often times the "wham" will come against a nose-tackle (as above).  The center (Birk) uses an "olay" block (ignores the man aligned over him, climbs to second level) allowing Leach to trap the nose tackle.  It is an effective way to occupy a 2-gapping defensive lineman with one player instead of double-teaming him.

A draw-up of an H-back Wham on a 1-technique DT.  Courtesy of Coach McElvany

The success of this playcall tends to arise from its unpredictability.  Defensive lineman who have seen wham on tape are taught to collision the wham-blocker creating an undesirable amount of traffic at the point of attack.  However, a play-action compliment to this play can also be effective.

A variant of Wham that uses play-action to get the H-Back into the flat

Outside Resources:

1. Complimenting the Inside Zone with Wham
2. What is a Wham Block?
3. Playbook Session: The Base NFL Run Game
4. Draw Up: The 49ers and the Wham Play
5. Film Study | Because We All Need A Little More WHAM in Our Lives
6. All 22 film breakdown: How the 49ers found their offensive identity versus the Rams
7. A Multiple Run Game with the Zone Scheme
8. Film Review: OSU Tight Zone Wham vs. Oregon

Playbook: Inside Trap

Generally speaking, traps are quick-hitting runs meant to gain a few tough yards. 

Traps compliment plays like the Zone Read and Power O to achieve a well-rounded ground game. And anyone on the offensive line can run a trap: one OL leaves his man intentionally unblocked, only to be picked up by a different lineman - often unseen by the defender.

The inside trap asks one guard (in the image below, LG A.Q. Shipley) to leave his man intentionally unblocked and move immediately to the second level. The other guard (below, RG Marshall Yanda) "trap" blocks, or comes around behind the center and takes on the defender vacated by the first guard. 

The rest of the line tries to block out - away from the middle of the field - to give the running back as much space as possible.

Outside References

1) Inside the Clemson Offense: The Trap

2) Inside the Clemson Offense: HB Power/Trap

3) Inside Trap (34/36 Trap)

4) Power, Traps, Counter, and Zone: Breaking Down the Colts Running Game

Playbook: Texas

"Texas" is a route, usually from a running back out of the backfield that is defined as "run 1 yard outside [tight end], plant outside foot on [line of scrimmage], break at a 45 [degree] angle. Cross [linebacker's] face, keep going vs. man or zone" via the 2004 Shanahan playbook.  Texas is also considered a playcall with specific complementary routes from proximal receivers.

In order to isolate a slower middle linebacker on a running back in the middle of the field, the slot receiver above takes the nickel back out of the play by running an "out."  The Texas route initially pulls the linebacker toward the sideline and the inside cut forces the linebacker to trail the running back.  Its a flexible route combination vs. man and zone but works best against man coverage.

 

Via the Shanahan playbook, the running back uses a "Scat" (i.e. free) release and is commonly the first read in the quarterback's progression.

The 2012 Ravens combined the Drive concept with the Texas route, a combination referred to as "Follow"

 

Ray Rice (orange) has a fantastic match-up versus a linebacker in the middle of the field.  With Dennis pitta running the underneath "drive" route, Rice follow him and use the vacated middle of the field to pick up yards after the catch.

Alternate terminology for the Texas route includes 'angle.'

Outside References

1) The "jerk" route and "follow" concept from bunch
2) All-22: Film Study on how the Ravens rebounded against the Giants 
3) The TEXAS concept in the West Coast Offense
4) Texas Passing Concept
5) The Texas Concept: Using Your RBs in Base Routes

Playbook: Spot

"Spot" is a three receiver route combination that is found in every NFL playbook.  It is run out of a three receiver side (backs and tight ends included) and consists of a corner route, a flexible intermediate route (curl,whip, in), and a flat route.

This combination places pressure on a number of defensive looks.  There is a horizontal and vertical stretch component that makes this sequence of routes so lethal.

To a defense that hasn't strictly prepared for this playcall, the proximity of the routes can cause hesitation in the defensive back's judgement.  For example, a "cloud" or rolled up corner back (as in the Cover-2 scheme) can easily get "Hi-Lo'ed" by the flat and curl routes where a hook defender (W, above) can be stretched laterally.

Often times the reads for the quarterback go from 1) corner, to 2) curl, to 3) flat.  Although this changes based on defensive scheme and field position.

 

"Spot" is a fantastic call in the redzone.  It floods zone defenses to one side or can utilize a "pick" element against teams using man coverage.

Alternate terminology for Spot includes "Snag."

Outside References

1) Snag, stick, and the importance of triangles (yes, triangles) in the passing game
2) Three routes you must stop to win in the NFL
3) An inside look at the Packers' 'Spot Route'
4) Coach Maisonet's Spot Route Concept
5) Simplifying Passing Concepts
6) Brady and Manning All-22: Spot Passing Concept
7) Snag Route: Noel Mazzone
8) Detroit Lions All-22 Breakdown: Pistol Spot Passing Concept
9) Snag and Scat Revisited 
10) A look at the 'X Spot'
11) All-22: Snag, Tempo and the Eagles

Playbook: Counter

Counter is one of the staple "power" running plays at every level of football. The back fakes one direction after the snap but then takes the handoff the opposite direction, following a pulling guard through the hole. The guard will either kick out the end man on the line of scrimmage or lead the back through the designed hole, depending on the defensive front:

The counter is designed to trick the defense, which often keys on a running back's first step. If the first step is a false one, the defense will begin flowing to the wrong side of the field. Any hesitation or misdirection in the defense is a win for the offense.

In the play below, RG Marshall Yanda is pulling, and RB Ray Rice will follow him through the hole.

Outside References

1) NFL 101: Introducing the Power-Running Game

2) Want to Learn the Base NFL Run Game?

3) Power & Counter Runs
4) Adding Multiplicity with a Flexible Run Scheme - The Counter Play 
5) COUNTER - The Ying to Power's Yang
6) Football Fundamentals - Counter H/F Primer
7) Steelers "Counter OF"

Playbook: Mesh

Mesh is a common pass play in a number of systems.  It involves two opposite inside receivers crossing paths forming a natural pick against man coverage.

 

One receiver is designated as crossing over the other while the opposite receiver runs underneath of his route.  The "traffic" that is caused by multiple defenders and receivers gives the quarterback defined reads after the receivers break to the opposite side of the field.

 

Against man coverage, the two defenders are forced to chase from behind and are likely to get picked or rubbed while chasing.

The "mesh" terminology is common in the Air Raid playbook, but the play exists in the West Coast Playbook as well.  Against zone coverage, the receivers read where the defender's areas begin and end, and sit in between them. 

Outside References

1) Better Know A Pass Pay - Mesh
2) Air Raid Playbook - The Mesh
3) Texas Tech Air Raid - Pass Play 92 (Mesh)
4) Jets 92 Mesh
5) Mesh Play, Shallow Package - A Simple Yet Devastating Attack
6) Mesh Variations
7) Valdosta State Air Attack
8) The shallow cross, drag, and drive in the west coast and spread offenses
9) Oregon vs Michigan State Preview: Ducks Vertical Passing Game 
10) Rethinking "MESH" 

Playbook: Flanker Drive

Flanker Drive (or "Z Drive") is a West Coast staple where the typical strong-side wide receiver ("Z") runs a "drive" or "shallow" route that progresses all the way to the opposite side of the field.

The drive route (red) is designed to remain shallow throughout the play while a 10-12 yard dig route (yellow) forms behind it by the in-line tight end.  The weak-side receiver ("X" or split end) generally occupies the cornerback to make space for the drive route which will reach a depth of 4-6 yards by the time it reaches the far numbers.

Flanker drive puts stress on the middle linebacker (M) as he needs to choose whether to drop to cover the tight end or to collapse onto the drive route.  With good rapport between QB and receiver, the drive and dig routes will sit in between zones and get up-field immediately upon catching the ball.  On the weak side, the X and W will occupy the corner, nickelback and free safety.

Against man coverage, the drive route will run away from the corner assigned to him.  With the corner on his back, the Z receiver can catch the ball in full stride.

The QB's reads will depend on the perceived coverage, but the reads are often drive, to dig, to check-down (running back swing).  Variants of this play can place the drive route on the opposite side of the tight end drag (Hi-Lo Opposite) or use double drive routes from opposite sides of the field (Mesh) that creates a natural pick.

Outside References

1) St. Louis Rams Shallow Cross Concept
2) Georgia Bulldogs Passing Concept (Shallow, Y-Corner)
3) Play Diagram - Flanker drive explained
4) The shallow cross, drag, and drive in the west coast and spread offenses
5) West Coast Offense Playbook: Brown Right F Short 2 Jet Flanker Drive
6) Classic WCO play - Flanker drive
7) Lions vs Packers All-22 Drive Concept
8) The Pass Concept that Changed My Life
9) West Coast Offense.pdf

Playbook: Dragon

Dragon is a quick hitting West Coast route combination where the quarterback gets the ball out after 3 steps.  The term "dragon" comes from the tight end's "drag" route and the #1 (outside) receiver's "in" (i.e. slant route).

The tight end's "drag" route is defined as "drag 3-5 yards, if no ball sit 3 yards from sideline" (via the Shanahan 2004 playbook).  The tight end "drag" route should not be confused with a "drive" or "cross" that has also been referred to as "drag."

The outsider receiver runs a quick three yard vertical stem and breaks at a 45 degree angle inside.  He can convert this slant to an "in" if a zone dropper occupies his original destination:

The primary read is the drag.  The secondary read goes to the slant/in and the half-back (H; above) acts as the third/checkdown read.

A slight variant of "dragon" asks the outsider receiver to make his initial break at 5-8 yards (called "Drag Slant").

Outside References

1) West Coast Offense
2) Pass Concepts
3) Josh McDaniels and the Slant-Flat Concept in Superbowl XLIX

Playbook: 2-Man

A common way to play man coverage in the NFL is use two deep-half safeties with the underneath defenders playing "trail man" technique.

The deep safeties will drop to the top of the field numbers as their landmark.  Here they will drive toward deep and/or out-breaking routes.  The underneath coverage defenders use a "trail man" tactic where they will sit on the inside hip of their assigned receiver and break on any inside breaking routes.  This trail position forces difficult throws to vertical routes between the man defender and collapsing safety.  Cornerbacks have the option to play press coverage as they have help over the top.

Outside References

1) Film Session: Packers '2-Man' vs. the Bears
2) 3-4 Cover 2 Man Under Defense
3) Understanding coverages and attacking them with the passing game
4) 4-3 Cover 2 Man
5) NFL 101: Breaking Down the Basics of 2-Man coverage

Playbook: Tare

"Tare" is a short yardage route combination from a "trips" (i.e. 3 receiver side) alignment consisting of a 9-route by the outside receiver, a quick out/flat by the #2 receiver, and a "stick" or "option" route by the innermost receiver:

The outermost receiver (#1) takes an outside release to lift the cornerback from the flat area.  The 9-route here will rarely be thrown to; it is meant to clear the defender.  The #2 receiver takes a quick release to the flat and takes his coverage assignment with him.  The primary read is #3 who runs the "stick" route.  Often times the #3 receiver to one side can force a mismatch with a linebacker or a strong-safety.  Versus man coverage, a bursting out-cut at 3-4 yards forces the defender to chase from the inside out.  Versus zone coverage, the #3 receiver can sit between two zones and catch the ball for short yardage.

A variant of this combination can stretch the defense vertically by releasing the "flat" route with no depth (quick flat) and running the "stick" combination between 5-8 yards.  This forces underneath zone defenders to declare which receiver they will cover based on their depth.

Outside References

1) Breaking Down Woodson versus the 'Tare' route
2) How did Stafford, Calvin Johnson beat the Raiders?
3) NFL 101: Introducing the Basic Red-Zone Combinations
4) NFL Preseason 2013: Takeaways and Key Plays from Week 3

Playbook: Route Trees

Both the Ravens' old system, the Air Coryell, and their new one, Kubiak's version of the West Coast offense, use numbered route trees to denote the various routes that receivers will run.

The trees vary slightly from team to team, but generally speaking, even numbered routes break inside and odd numbered routes break toward the sideline.

Here's a look at the West Coast route tree:


This image shows typical routes for both the X and Z receivers. The numbered routes also have commons names:

0: Hook
1: Flat
2: Slant
3: Out
4: Curl
5: Hitch
6: Dig or In
7: Flag
8: Post
9: Go

The Air Coryell route tree looks similar, if a little more basic:


















Here, you see the similarities (and the differences) between the Coryell and the West Coast systems. With more intermediate and horizontal routes, the West Coast offense tries to stretch the field horizontally more-so than vertically, like the Coryell system does.

Outside Resources:
1) West Coast Offense
2) The Spread Multiple West Coast Offense
3) Saints Football 101: Receivers, Routes, and Personnel

Playbook: Smash

"Smash" is a very common two man route combination consisting of a short inward breaking route (or hitch) by #1 and a corner route (aka "flag", "7") by #2:

Ray Rice (#1; yellow) runs a shallow "in" route while slot receiver Marlon Brown (#2; red) runs a corner route

The "Smash" combination provides a "rub" element for the #1 receiver underneath while working to "Hi-Low" a "cloud" corner in Cover-2:

Against Cover-2, the corner playing the Smash combo is in a bind.  The #1 receiver is running through this corner's short zone but jumping the "in" route leaves the deep half safety chasing the corner route (red) from his inside landmark.  Coaches and quarterbacks refer to this bind as "High-Lowing" a corner.  Its the reasoning why Smash is still a standard Cover-2 beater at all levels.

To effectively play this combination as a corner, he must recognize that #1 is breaking shallow, pass him off to the hook/curl player (N/Nickel in the above image), and sink to "cushion" the corner route to give the quarterback a smaller window.

A variant on this playcall is the "smash switch" or "China" which refers to the outside receiver running the corner route and the inside player sitting in the flat.

Outside References

1) The Divide Route in the Multiple Smash Concept

2) The Universal Route that is Good versus any Coverage

3) Peyton Manning (and Tom Moore)'s Indianapolis Colts Offense: How a Handful of Plays led to a Decade of Success

4) Football Passing Play Series: The Smash Route or Smash Concept

5) The "smash" route against man coverage

6) The Smash Concept

7) Huff Analysis with All-22 film

8) Smash Passing Concept