NFL and College, Top Pass Routes and concepts out of empty

 When you run empty there are several ways to teach the qb.

#1The most common I find is to run man/zone concepts out of it and teach the qb how to read it.

What I mean by that is you have man concepts to one side and zone concepts to the other. If the qb reads man he throws to that side, if he reads zone he throws to the other side.

#2 You can run your horizontal & vertical type passing game system. In that scenario you will run more universal concepts: Universal concepts means you have route concepts that work vs any coverage. But the read is vertical to horizontal. Or top down. Work the vertical side first back to the horizontal side.

#3 You need to have the ability to throw hot in empty protection. You can only block 5 so the qb needs to be taught who to read for his hot throw and have that built into the system.

Here are 5 routes out of empty that teams have had success with.

Empty 

LSU vs Georgia

2 wr side: man beater 2 slants

3 wr side: zone beater-spot route

pre snap read-zone, post snap zone so he works the zone side.

 Falcons Empty

Have the RB to the trips side as teh #2 wr with the te on that side as well. The Rb runs a quikc 5 yard in using the te on the clear route as a pick. Nice man beater on 3rd and 10 for a first down.

Rutgers vs Michigan

Vs Man Coverage

Read: progression read

Rutgers runs mesh for their wr with 2 wr setting essentially a screen. Man so the qb knows where he is going with the football

Texans run the hoss concept out of empty. (hitch , seem) with #3 working the middle of the field.

They match the #3 wr up and he can either run a sit or keep running vs the coverage Often times teams will put their best wr in the #3 position and have him work the middle of the field vs empty. 

More on the concept:

http://insidethepylon.com/pylon-u/teams-ncaa/division-ia-fbs/pac-12/usc-trojans/2017/09/06/usc-hoss-concept/

The wr sees the opening and takes it vertically.

#3 runs vertically as #2 runs a sit to the bottom of the screen. They throw the ball over the hook defender for a touchdown. Nice design

Cover 0. You have to have adjustments vs cover 0 pressure.

Hawaii offense

Presnap cover 0

so they check to their cover 0 beater. Coverage changes to single high presnap but the qb makes there read and  checks the route because he sees cover 0 pressure. 

#3 on the quick out. 

Packers vs Eagles

Packers run a progression read

read the vertical to the top of the screen to the in breaking route at the bottom of the screen. 

#1 runs the 2 beater deep slant bender route with 2 running the in route. on the backside you have a horizontal route with the in behind the seem route.

Cover 0

Ravens run double slants vs cover 0

The panthers are running a read it type concept with the ilb. If the guard steps your way drop.
They try to get the LB underneath but Lamar waits for the window on the nice 30 yard completion. Always have to have a hot side type throw vs cover 0.

Top of the screen:

Double slants good vs cover 0 or man

Bottom of the screen smash concept: Good vs zone

GA vs cover 0 presnap zero becomes cover o rat with the LB underneath and a 5 man pressure. QB makes a quick decision and excellent read vs the pressure. stack slant, Nice completion and route combo to the man side. 

Empty Houston goes bunch to the right and bring the motion behind the qb.

They run an excellent spacing concept

Colts run a drive concept to the 3 wr side and a smash concept to the 2 wr side. Some other backside routes also below that the Colts 

#2 runs a drive concept off #3 which is good vs man. With #1 running an in it could be considered levels. 

Smash/corner concept to the boundary with an out by #1 and corner by #2. 

UCLA runs deep over(y cross) with an out fade concept to the 2 wr side.

USC is in cover 4. Vs cover 4, the #3 gets open on the dover.

The weak safety gets occupied with the out cut in cover 4.

The safety starts driving on the out cut in cover 4 which opens up the dover route. 

The pass is completed as the strong safety has no help.

More routes to come!

Other resources:

Texans hoss juke

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxWtI57uaIc

LSU Empty Routes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiWS5dQIbTc

NFL PASS CONCEPTS # 6 SHALLOW CROSS

THE SHALLOW CROSS

THIS IS PART 6 OF MY UNIVERSAL ROUTE CONCEPT SERIES. I BELIEVE IN ROUTES IN THE PASSING GAME THAT YOU CAN RUN VS MAN OR ZONE AND TEACH QB THE PROPER READS. YOU HAVE ANSWERS VS ANY COVERAGE.

ROUTE CONCEPTS AND OTHER ARTICLES

#1 DOVER https://coachkoufootball.blogspot.com/search?q=DOVER+ROUTE

#2 MESH https://coachkoufootball.blogspot.com/2021/12/meshroute.html

#3 SAIL ROUTE https://coachkoufootball.blogspot.com/2021/02/nfl-pass-concept-3-sail-route.html

#4 4 VERTICALS https://coachkoufootball.blogspot.com/2021/02/nfl-pass-concept-4-4-verticals.html

#5  DAGGER https://coachkoufootball.blogspot.com/2022/01/DAGGER.html

#6 SHALLOW CROSS

THE SHALLOW CROSS IS A GREAT ROUTE CONCEPT. IT IS EASY TO RUN AND A QB FAVORITE AT BOTH THE NFL AND COLLEGE LEVEL. 

IT CAN BE RUN WITH THE RB RUNNING A CHUTE ROUTE OR AN OUT AND UP, WHICH YOU WILL SEE CERTAIN COACHES RUN. 

ROUTE CONCEPT #1 

NOW KEEP IN MIND YOU HAVE A TE RUNNING IT OR A WR DEPENDING ON THE FORMATION AND PERSONNEL GROUPINGS. YOU CAN RUN THIS CONCEPT WITH ANY PERSONNEL GROUPING WHICH MAKES IT A GREAT UNIVERSAL PLAY.

WORKING LEFT TO RIGHT, THE #1 WR HAS AN OPTION ROUTE. IF THE MIDDLE OF THE FIELD IS OPEN HE WILL RUN A POST. IF IT IS NOT HE RUNS A 9 CUT. THE QB CAN SNEAK A PEAK WITH #1 BUT HE ISN'T THE PRIMARY WR. AT THE PROLEVEL THIS WILL BE AN ALERT THROW. #2 WILL RUN A DIG  ROUTE AND CAN SIT IT DOWN VS ZONE AND # 3 WILL RUN A SHALLOW(CAN RUN THIS WITH #4 WITH A RUB ROUTE OFF #3. RB RUNS A CHUTE TO THE FLAT.

EXAMPLE #1 

VARIATIONS

#2 BRING THE BACK ACROSS THE FORMATION.

#3 RUN AN OUT AND UP WITH THE RB-SMART FOOTBALL GETS INTO THE CONCEPT IN MORE DETAIL.

http://smartfootball.com/passing/bobby-petrinos-shallow-cross-concept-concepts-routes-and-protection#sthash.cvpUhw3s.dpbs

#4 RUNNING THE DIG AND THE SHALLOW CONCEPT TO THE SAME SIDE. BOBBY PETRINO IS A COACH WHO WILL RUN IT THIS WAY. 

Thanks to Chris Brown's article on the NY Times Fifth Down Blog

#5 IS GETTING THE RUB ROUTE VS MAN BY RUNNING #1 OFF OF THE SCREEN BY #2 LIKE DEMONSTRATED BELOW. 

Air Raid Playbook: Shallow Cross - CougCenter

Air Raid Playb

NOW THE READS FOR THE QB:

1. SHALLOW: THE GOAL IS TO THE HIT THE SHALLOW

2. IF THE SHALLOW IS COVERED LOOK TO HIT THE SQUARE IN. 

3.  THE RB

4. SOME TEAMS WILL THROW THE POST IN AS THE #3 READ BUT MANY COACHES I SPOKE WITH WILL USE THE POST AS A PRESNAP ALERT TYPE THROW. 

WASHINGTON ST LEACH

I THINK IT IS AN EXCELLENT ROUTE CONCEPT VS COVER 2 AND YOU WILL OFTEN SEE THE DIG OPEN VS COVER 2

WASHINGTON ST VS COVER 2

Air raid version shallow

COVER 2

IN THE CONCEPT BELOW, THE LB TAKES THE SHALLOW CROSS WHICH OPENS THE DIG. THE WR FINDS THE VOID IN THE ZONE FOR A NICE COMPLETION.

shallow to dig progression.

IN THE NEXT EXAMPLE THE CROSS IS WIDE OPEN SO THE QB THROWS IT. NICE ROUTE EASY COMPLETION.

HERE;S THE MIDDLE OF THE FIELD OPEN CONCEPT.

LOOK HOW QUICKLY THE BALL IS OUT. THIS MOF CONCEPT IS SOMETIMES AN ALERT THROW AT THE PRO LEVEL. 

MIDDLE OF THE FIELD OPEN PRE SNAP. QB MAKES A QUICK DECISION AS IT'S COVER 4 WHICH MEANS MIDDLE OF THE FIELD MAY BE OPEN. HE MAKES A GOOD READ AND HITS IT FOR A BIG GAIN.

Here you see the shallow with the  dig window opening up.

Nice job taking a peak and hitting the wide open post route for a touchdown.

HERE'S ANOTHER THROW WHERE THE MIDDLE OF THE FIELD IS OPEN.

VS MAN COVERAGE,

YOU WILL OFTEN GET THE SHALLOW OPEN ON MAN AT IS A TOUGH ANGLE FOR THE SAFETY TO GET THERE IN COVERAGE

SEAN MCVAY Y CROSS-

JAMES LIGHT  DOES A NICE JOB LOOKING AT THE CONCEPT WHEN MCVAY WAS WITH THE WFT.

SEE HIS CLIPS HERE 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YOMrKgTEGk

MCVAY HAS THE #2 WR RUN A STOP/HOOK PATTERN RATHER THAN A DIG OR SQUARE IN. 

HERE IS THE ROUTE OUT OF 12 PERSONNEL WITH A WING FORMATION

Here are just some of the shallow cross concepts you will see.

Deshaun Watson and the Houston Texans passing game

Over the last 2 games, Deshaun Watson and the Houston Texans passing game is on fire.

There are a couple reasons for that as we will highlight that in the article but his stats are rather amazing of late. He's thrown for 662 yards and is 45/62 and a whopping 72.5% completion percentage. He's getting great protection from his offensive line and the offense is hitting on all cylinders. The amount of big plays is staggering.  

Vs The Patriots

He was 28/37 for 344 yards and 2 touchdowns and zero sacks. 

What's more impressive is he had 4 wr average more than 13 yards per reception.

Brandin Cooks    4 receptions for 85 yards    21.2 average

Jordan Akins       5 receptions for 83 yards   16.6 average

Will Fuller          6 receptions for 80 yards    13.3  average 

Darren Fells       2 receptions for  29 yards    14.5 average

Vs the Lions 

17/25    318  yards and 4 touchdowns and  only   2 sacks . He had 3 wr average 14.3 yards or more per reception.

Will Fuller         6 receptions for 171 yards   28.5 average 2 td

Brandin Cooks   5 receptions 85  yards      17 average 

Duke Johnson   3 receptions 43  yards   14.3 average 

Part of that can be attributed to the great pass protection and great job  the offensive line did. They let up zero sacks in the game and really did an excellent job. 

Let's look at some of the passing game and concepts they are using in the game.  

Vs Patriots

The Patriots love man free and the Texans made them pay early.

Here is a 2nd and 8 

Here is a great man beater where they run #1 a vertical after a pick from the #2 wr.

They get Cooks over the top with a little pick rub route.

Here the Texans run mesh with the deep over route by #3. Its man so the te runs.

2 things about this play: 

1. Tight end runs a great route                  2. Offensive line does a great job in protection. Clear lane!

Heres another good route concept out of 12 personnel. The patriots go man free again and the Texans run a good in shallow concept. Tight end runs the in because of the outside leverage by the cb. Good execution and again a clean pocket. 

Here they have a 3rd and 4 and hit the deep crosser  again. Watson does a great job staying in the pocket. Pats go man free with 2 rat under players and it doesnt matter as the rat defender doesn't get in the passing lane. Nice deep completion for 25 yards against Patriots man free coverage. 

On the next play,

1st and 10, The patriots go cover 2. They run the fake screen and hit the wr on a vertical vs cover 2. Great design and the cb reacts hard to the wr screen action. Another great job in protection by the Texans. 

Look at the clean pocket and how much time he has to throw.

Heres another cover 1 crossing route, They really hit this route in the game against man free coverage.

The patriots go to cover 4 down in the red zone and the Texans hit a nice square in route by #1. Good play design and again a great throwing lane. 

2nd half of the Patriots game. The patriots play man free with the weak safety playing #3 on the crossing concept. Safety is sitting on #3 which opens up Fuller down low for a nice 13 yard gain in man coverage. He runs a 15 yard stop route.

3rd and 10

The next play design is nice. They bring the tight end across like slice, they run a wheel route with 1 and 2 up top and he hits the inside wr with a great pass.

       2 clips are below:                                                             

Here are some of the concepts and why they have had great success the last 2 games. Hope to see it continue. 

Vs. The Lions.
Lions play cover 1.

Here you see a great job in protection, but also Watson sitting in the pocket. Not scrambling and making an accurate throw. Great job by the offensive line.

1st and 20 after a holding penalty and td get called back.

The Texans go empty and smartly put Johnson out as the #1 wr. The Lions put the lb out there and that is a complete waste of time as johnson runs by him for a 33 yard touchdown.