12 and 13 Personnel In The Air Raid Offense - Part II A - Dropback and Play-Action Passes - Coach Dale Carlson

This is the second installment of my three part series using 12 and 13 Personnel in the Air Raid Offense. The first post discussed the Quick Game. The second post will be divided into Part A and Part B. Part A will discuss Mesh, Four Verts, and Shallow Cross.

The first two Dropback concepts installed on Day 1 are Mesh and 4 Verts. Both plays have tags run for each that are installed in upcoming days.

Mesh is a play identified with Hal Mumme and the late Mike Leach. Both coaches have run Mesh extensively throughout their coaching careers.I first installed the Hal Mumme Mesh when I started the program at Ohio Dominican University in 2004. It was the basis of our offense and our most successful pass concept.

Base Mesh rules from a 2x2 Deuce formation:

Z: 4-Step Out. QB can signal Go, Corner, or Post based on coverage and leverage.

Y: Set top of Mesh. Under the LB no deeper than 6-yards. Settle in zone after mesh with X, Run vs man.

J: Shoot route. Hot. Stop at numbers and face QB if you don't get the ball hot.

X: Bottom of Mesh. Settle in first zone after Mesh with Y. Run vs man.

F: Check protection - Swing. Get to Z's original alignment no wider than the numbers. Catch ball behind the LOS. Make ball call if you can get 10 yards.

Q: Read Z - F - Mesh. Go hot to J if you feel pressure pre-snap. Throw F on his ball call. 

Not all "Air Raid" teams run Mesh. Some coaches say it is an expensive play. You do need to take time to rep Mesh everyday. This can be accomplished in a 5-8 minute period depending on the number of players you need to cycle through. Ideally we run the mesh drill in the following manner. All receivers run their routes. Each of the 5 QB;s will throw one portion of the Mesh concept determined before the rep begins. The balls should come out in the following order: J-Hot, Z, F, Mesh. Have coaches play the LB's so the receivers running the mesh can read zone or man cover and react accordingly

Each QB must go through his read progression so the balls come out in the proper order. The QB coach can stand in behind the two Mesh routes to watch the QB's head movements or behind the QB;s and watch their hip movement. Either way a coach must be watching the QB;s to make sure they are going through their progressions and the balls are coming out in the proper sequence. Rotate the QB's so they are all five throws.

 It should look something like the diagram below:

How do the Y and X know its man coverage? Teach both receivers to look at their buddy running the Mesh. If they see a defender trailing their buddy they call "Man-Man" and run instead of sitting. After the Y and X Mesh vs. man they should peak for the ball. If the ball isn't in the air begin to climb looking for the ball downfield. Sometimes a receiver will make a mistake thinking a zone dropper is trailing his buddy and call "Man." We never"get after" a receiver if he makes the Man call and its Zone.The receivers must always be looking for Man cover. If they get fooled so be it.

The first tag added to Mesh is Wheel. This can be a Single or Double Wheel Concept.

Mesh-Wheel rules from a 3x1 formation are as follows:

Z; Post

h: Wheel

Y: Top of Mesh

J: Bottom of Mesh

F: Check protection. Swing if aligned to trips. Wheel if aligned to single receiver.

Q: See C-S reaction for Post-Wheel. Mesh to Swing.

On Day 2 Install we would run Mesh-Wheel from various formations during our Mesh Drill Period. Balls would come out in this order Z-h,Mesh_F.

Defenses will try to take away the Mesh by jamming one or both receives running the Mesh. To counter this the following tag can be used to get a receiver in behind the Mesh.

Dagger. run from a 3x1 formation. The rules are as follows:

Z: Dig. Take on inside release and work to Hash +4. Get past the seam defender an look for the ball.

h: Seam - get inside the S and carry him deep.

Y: Top of Mesh

J: Bottom of Mesh

F: Check protection - Swing

Q: Peak h-Seam, Z-Mesh-Swing

The second Dropback concept installed on Day 1 is Four Verts. This concept stretches the field vertically. We can tag the outside receivers on Stop routes or check Quick Game to one side or the other.

Basic Four Verts rules are:

Z: Go route.Hug the bottom of the numbers. Expect to bat the defender deep. MUST take a outside release vs press coverage.Be ready for QB signal for Quick Game or Stop route (12 drop-off to 10).

Y:/J To field - MOF Closed Seam. Get hash +2. looking for ball 20 yds.  MOF Open - choice of Post, Dig, Hook 10-12 yards. To Boundary -  MOF Closed Seam. Get hash +2. looking for ball 18 yds. MOF Closed - Hook at 10-12 yds or Dropoff if Seam defender is walling you off.

X: Go route.Hug the bottom of the numbers. Expect to bat the defender deep. MUST take a outside release vs press coverage.Be ready for QB signal for Quick Game or Stop route (12 drop-off to 10).

F: Option route of MLB. Possible tags - Angle or Out.

Q: Read Boundary to Field. X-J-Y-F. Check Quick Game or Stop to Z/X based on depth and leverage of defender.

2x2 vs Cover 4 check F-Out. The Seam defender will be carrying The Y on the seam. F-Out is always open.

Rules for Four Verts from a 3x1 Early Heavy formation are:

Z: Go route.Hug the bottom of the numbers. Expect to bat the defender deep. MUST take a outside release vs press coverage.Be ready for QB signal for Quick Game or Stop route (12 drop-off to 10).

J: MOF Closed - Seam hash +2. Look for ball 20 yds. MOF Closed - Hookat 10-12 yds or Dropoff if Seam defender is walling you off.

Y: MOF Closed - get across to opposite hash to the grass. MOF Open - Split the S's.

X: Go route.Hug the bottom of the numbers. Expect to bat the defender deep. MUST take a outside release vs press coverage.Be ready for QB signal for Quick Game or Stop route (12 drop-off to 10).

F: Check protection - Angle Tag. Release outside like running shoot route. Plant on outside foot and work back inside on an angle no deeper tan 4-5 yds.(Like to run F-Angle from 3X1 to get under the MLB trying to carry the Y across).

Q: Read boundary to field. X-Y-J-F Angle.

I like to give the QB freedom when calling Four Verts by sending the play in Four Verts-Check. This allows the QB to check to a Quick Game concept to one side. He can check to a Stop route for one of the outside receivers. He can check to F-Out if he's getting a Cover 4 look to one side of the field.

In the diagram below the defense is playing a Deuce formation with and 8-man box Cover 3. The C's are mid pointing the vertical routes so the QB checks Stop to the X in the boundary.

Another example vs. Deuce. 3rd-5 the defense elects to play Cover 4. QB checks to Friday (Fade-Out) to the field. (Could check FB out as well)

One of myfavorite tags from Early Heavy is 90 Choice. This is an old Run-and-Shoot Concept.

X: Go route. QB can signal Stop or Slant.

Y: MOF Closed - May tag Y-Post

J: Shallow Cross

Z: Drive at 8-10 yds. May tag Z-Post.

F: Check Protection - Swing

Q: X-Y-J-F. Check X route vs leverage. Z-Y Post  Tag read X - Post.

Day 2 Install would include Shallow Cross. From Deuce I like to run either X or Z Shallow.

Z-Shallow rules are as follows:

Z: Shallow Cross. Aim at the heals of the DL run no deeper than 3 yards. Catch he ball and run to the opposite hash mark before turning upfield.

Y: Slot fade

J: Dig 10-12 yards. Get over the top of the Seam defender. Read drop of MLB to settle in open zone. run vs. Man.

X: Go

F: Check Protection. Let Z-Shallow clear and run Shallow Cross Opposite Z.

Q: Pre-snap to X-Go. Read Seam Defender for Shallow Cross-Dig check down to F-Shallow Cross.

X-Shallow would be exact opposite. X-Shallow, J-Slot Fade, Y-Dig and Z-Go.

Coach Leach was the first Air Raid coach that I saw run the F on the Shallow opposite. Coach Mumme and many others run the F on a Swing away from the Dig. I like Coach Leach's concept because the defense loses the F. I believe this is a beneficial change up to the normal F-Swing run in many of the Air Raid plays.

From 3x1 Early Deuce J-Shallow is diagrammed below:

Z: Go

h: Dig 10-12 yards. Get over the top of the Seam defender. Read drop of MLB to settle in open zone. run vs. Man.

Y: Post

J; Shallow Cross. Aim at the heals of the DL run no deeper than 3 yards. Catch he ball and run to the opposite hash mark before turning upfield.

F: Check Protection. Let J-Shallow clear and run Shallow Cross Opposite J.

Q: Pre-snap read Y-Post, Read Seam Defender for Shallow Cross-Dig. Check down to F-Shallow Cross.

In Part II - B I will discuss Y-Cross, Y-Sail, and Play-Action concepts from the Air Raid Offense for 12 and 13 Personnel. Feel free to contact me with any questions at:

dalercarlson1@gmail.com