Saints Football Today

Black And Gold X's And O's is a column written by Saints Football Today co-host and staff writer Will Osgood

Black And Gold X's And O's:

Indentifying Concepts: Press Coverage

By Will Osgood, Staff Writer

Why would a corner get right on a receiver at the line of scrimmage, especially if that receiver is bigger and quicker or faster?

The truth is that often times if the receiver is bigger and quicker, getting into that guy early—press coverage—may be the corner's only chance at all.

Of course, there is the possibility that the receiver will simply use a swim or a rip move to outmuscle the corner. Or he could use a double move—a la Steve Smith—and blow by the corner with quickness.

But the reality is that most receivers, even at the NFL level, are not good at getting off press coverage. Therefore, defensive coaches are going to use one of the few effective schemes they have left.

Individual Elements of Press Coverage

One of the main keys to press coverage for the corner is to get his hands on the receiver immediately, and to be as physical as possible. Remember in the NFL, you are only allowed to bump the receiver for the first five yards after the line of scrimmage.

This certainly helps the receivers, but it gives the defender a small ray of hope. If he can bump him off his intended path, even to the -nth degree, he has a much better chance of holding that receiver catchless on that play.

Another key though, is to focus on moving the feet. It is common to see a corner get overextended in trying to bump the receiver, and lose his leverage. This is one thing I noticed with Malcolm Jenkins when he was in press coverage. He was slow in getting his hands on a receiver, and as a result would reach for the receiver.

He got away with it in college against less talented receivers. But if he wants to start and have a successful career as a pro, he better get quicker in bumping the receiver.

Another key is the hips. A corner has NO chance to be successful if he cannot turn those things with the best of them. This is because eventually he is going to have to turn and run with the receiver.

Quickly let's assume the corner is strong and/or quick enough to stay with the receiver off the line. What comes next?

Well, the corner needs to stay in front of the receiver as best as possible. This is where the feet and hips come into play. But the hands also help redirect the receiver to wherever the corner wants him to go. Ideally, the corner would simply knock the receiver to the ground within those first five yards.

If he is unable to do that, he must get his hands off but stay on the receiver's hip—generally the outside, to move him inside where the big boys lay waiting.

It is interesting though, because there is a form of press coverage, like this where the corner gets up on the receiver, redirects him, and intentionally lets him get by him. This is called bump-and-run. The key to this, as I mentioned, is to stay hip-to-hip with the receiver.

The only difference is the corner plays back hip, assuming the receiver is getting vertical.

Black And Gold X's And O's:

Indentifying Concepts: The Play Action Pass

By Will Osgood, Staff Writer

Black And Gold X's And O's:

Indentifying Concepts: The Crossing Route

By Will Osgood, Staff Writer

A key to understanding the crossing route is to understand the purpose of the route. The main idea is to create a matchup problem either with a receiver on a linebacker, or a Tight End on a player that cannot cover him.

Generally, it is advisable to throw this pass after the receiver has cleared the extended pocket, for two reasons.

First, the quarterback has less of a chance of having such a pass deflected by a big defensive tackle.

Second, this allows the receiver to clear the coverage but still gives him room to run with the ball after he makes the catch.

Most crossing routes are designed to beat zone coverage, but some are also built to beat man-to-man.

These zone-busters generally come in three varieties.

First, you have the shallow cross, followed by the drag, and finally the deep cross.

You can think of these as short, intermediate, and deep-er.

The shallow route is generally run no deeper than three yards. It is intended to be run in front of the linebacker level. It is assumed the receiver can beat a linebacker going side-to-side.

Complimentary routes include hitches, clear outs, and occasionally even slant routes. But often times when a shallow cross is called, it's labeled as hot.

That's why quarterbacks will often throw this pass very quickly and generally fail to complete it.

The intermediate drag is generally run at five-to-six yards, but can be run deeper based on the depth of the linebackers and safeties on expected coverages.

Again, it is ideal to stay in front of the linebacker.

This time there will generally be deeper routes being run down the middle of the field, such as a Dig (Deep In), Post, or Seam. This will often take the attention of the linebackers to open up space for the receiver running the drag.

Finally, the Deep Cross is run deeper at ten-plus yards. This is intended to be run behind the linebacker level and in front of the safety level.

This route has beaten the Saints' defense many times over the past three years, but has also been a very effective play for the Saints' offense.

Lance Moore is probably the best at running this pattern. He shows patience running his routes so as to not give away the route, but he gets good burst in order to accelerate past the linebacker level.

He makes sure to stay in front of the safeties as well. Brees knows that as soon as he clears that final linebacker, he can make the throw.

Brees anticipates this very well, which allows him to make timing throws with accuracy.

There are also crossing routes designed to "rub" defensive players. Defensive players and coaches call this a "pick", but it really is a rub.

A "rub" is performed by two receivers. One goes in front of the defensive player, while the other goes about a yard deeper.

Often times the two defensive players, when playing man coverage, will run into each other, or at least bump each other enough to throw one off his path.

Once this happens, a receiver has plenty of daylight to run with the ball after the catch since the entire defense is playing man-to-man. The quarterback must read the defenders and determine which one will be most affected by the rub.

He then quickly must throw to the receiver he is covering.

If expected well, the crossing route is one of the most dangerous route concepts in the NFL.

It has become a staple of every offense at every level.

Yet, it is still safe to say the Saints do it as well anyone.

Black And Gold X's And O's:

Indentifying Concepts: The Swing Screen

By Will Osgood, Staff Writer

If you hear Jim Henderson yell something to the extent of "He's at the 10, the five, touchdown Saints, Reggie Bush!", there's a fair chance that such a call came is a result of Bush catching the ball in space with a lead blocker in front of him.

I say that because, through three full seasons in the NFL, about a quarter of Reggie's touchdowns or big plays have come off the swing screen.

It is such a great play for a number of reasons.

One of the most important of these is simply the concept of putting the ball in the hands of your most explosive player.

Other reasons include the notion that you have one of the best right tackles in all of football in Jon Stinchcomb as his lead blocker.

Finally, Sean Payton does such a good job of disguising the play by using multiple personnel groupings and formations.

It should also be noted that occasionally Payton will call 52 H Wheel, which is not a screen but a slant clear out by the outside receiver(s) on the side of the wheel (swing route).

This has the same effect as a screen because it pulls the coverage inside, freeing space for Bush to be one-on-one with a defender on the outside.

But specifically, the Swing Screen is not so much of a passing play as it is a screen. That means the lineman have different techniques they use.

Additionally, the quarterback knows he is throwing the swing no matter what.

Here are some of the key elements of the swing screen, in order to execute it well:

When the quarterback lines up under center, he must read the defense and check for a blitz.

If one is coming, he must determine where the strength of the rush will be.

He must then organize his blocking unit in order to pick up the blitz, but also to use the defense's aggressiveness against them.

For instance, imagine the swing screen is called to the right (as it is most of the time). And, let's assume the blitz is coming from that same side.

This may sound dangerous, but is actually the optimal location of a blitz.

The reason is that Drew Brees can suck defenders toward him and then simply lob the ball over their heads. Generally, there are fewer defenders behind the blitzers.

This gives Reggie a LOT of space.

The right tackle must be a good athlete. Generally, he will delay with a pass drop for a second or two, and then wheel around to go find a defender to take out.

If the call is H Swing Screen, that would indicate there is either a fullback or extra tight end in the game. Generally, they would be added to the swing element of the blocking pattern.

This gives Reggie two lead blockers.

A key coaching point for this play to be successful is for Reggie to be patient in the swing element of his route. He needs to delay about a quarter of a second at the snap of the ball.

He must then run straight to the sideline for three steps.

Only after three steps may he begin to angle upfield. By that point, Drew should be about ready to throw him the ball. Staying straight and then angling helps Drew throw to a spot, and gives Reggie the opportunity to catch the ball in stride and get upfield.

From a purely personnel and formation standpoint, this play excels because of the versatility of all the other players on the offense.

The fact that Billy Miller can be a lead blocker on this play gives them the ability to run the swing from a two-tight end set. Heath Evans' ability as a lead blocker makes this is a viable play with Reggie as the H-Back.

In three receiver sets, this play can still be run either to the tight end's side or away from him. All it takes is having the receiver(s) clearing out and using Stinchcomb as the lead blocker.

This is effective because it takes some defenders out of Reggie's area, and allows Stinchcomb to focus on blocking a linebacker or safety.

Overall, the Saints are blessed to have a player like Reggie Bush who creates tremendous matchup problems.

If teams overplay for the swing, many other viable options become open possibilities. The swing screen has been very effective in the past for the Saints' offense.

And there's really no reason for that to end this season.

 Black And Gold X's And O's:

Identifying Concepts: The Slant Route

By Will Osgood, Staff Writer

The slant route is perhaps the oldest route in all of football. It has always been an integral part of the short passing game from Sid Gilman to Don Coryell to Bill Walsh, and now to all of today's offensive geniuses; and among them Sean Payton is high on the list.

Payton has used the slant in many key situations over the past few seasons. In fact, it's been a go-to route on third-and-short or medium situations.

Marques Colston is often the guy who catches these quick strikes from Drew Brees.

As with any route, timing is so incredibly crucial to the pass/fail element of this route.

There are two key elements on any route, but especially the slant.

The first is the receiver's release.

Most often, the receiver will place the opposite foot, of the side of the field he is on, in front. This is generally true for slant routes as well, although there are occasions where a receiver may change his feet based on how many steps he is taking to get into his route.We will assume though, that he is taking the opposite-foot-approach.

He must be able to get his back foot going immediately after the ball is snapped. If he does not, the chance of success drops immeasurably.

If he stutter steps, his chances also go down, unless the corner is playing press, and he's using a stutter release (more on that later).

Assuming the corner is off, the receiver is aiming to get that back foot out quickly and get distance in that stride. Then his front leg in his stance comes next and again, he tries to get some distance all the while running straight at the corner in an attempt to get him backpedaling.

Meanwhile, the QB, whether he's working from under center or in the gun, needs to get out quickly and get his fingers on the laces.

By the second step, he should be ready to throw.

That was all meant to show a release and the timing of the beginning of the route versus "soft" coverage.

Versus a press, it is quite common for the receiver to intentionally stutter step while using a swat technique, similar to what a defensive end will using when rushing the passer.

The stutter step is designed to get the defensive back leaning toward the sideline to gain inside leverage. The swat is used to get the hands off so the receiver is able to prepare his hands to catch a football that will be coming into his chest within a quarter of a second.

Once the release is understood and executed well, receivers coaches can move to the next most important element of the route, the "stick."

This is the final step for the receiver in the slant route.    

In the stick portion of the route, the receiver throws his third (outside) leg toward the sideline, once again to get the defender leaning that way.

He then plants at a 45 degree angle back toward the middle.

A common error that many receivers make is not really "sticking" their foot in the ground. Instead, they "round" their break.

In other words, they don't plant their foot in the ground but make only a quick understated cut.

A good stick includes the heel literally "sticking" in the ground and is accompanied by a head bob. These elements become even more important with tight coverage, in which he will often throw his outside arm at the defender to thwart coverage.

Schematic Elements to the Slant

When a coach calls in a play that has a slant in it, the quarterback knows he has to look at a lot of things and make determinations on whether he will throw that route.

When it is a play in which the QB is supposed to drop three steps, the slant is a primary route. When the QB is designed to take a longer drop, sometimes a slant will be called "hot." This means that if the QB reads blitz he can throw the slant in order to avoid a sack.

Assuming the play is designed so that the "slant read" is primary, the Quarterback must look at a few things pre-snap to see if the slant can be thrown.

First, he must know what kind of look he is getting from the corner or other defender. Many quarterbacks don't feel comfortable (and receivers for that matter) throwing the slant if the defender starts the play inside of the receiver.

For Drew Brees, he will still throw it as long as he knows Colston, Moore, Henderson, or Meachem are going to get that original defender to the outside of him.

Often times, if the corner is showing "press," the Saints will convert this to a one-step instead of the more conventional three-step slant.

Additionally, it is possible to convert the route to a go-route or something else that fits against that given defender.

And almost always in goal-line situations, the slant is automatically a one-step.

Once the snap is taken, Brees now must read to see if a linebacker or safety is playing what's called curl-to-flat. Curl-to-flat is the area where the slant will generally end up.

Even if he is playing this zone, it is possible to still throw the route if the linebacker/defender drops his pads or turns his shoulders, which is generally an indication that he is running straight toward the flat (sideline).

Ideally, that is what both QB and receiver want.  But, if he stays balanced and straight up, the QB must then check off.

Most of the time, when a slant is called, there will be a corresponding out-breaking route in order to occupy that linebacker/defender.

Thus the reason why the slant is so effective for New Orleans is because that out-breaking route is often a swing or flat route performed by Reggie Bush.

Ultimately, a linebacker is going to view Reggie as more dangerous than Marques Colston.

Best Slant Receiver for the Saints:  Marques Colston

Other Slant Concepts

There are two main routes that are based off the success of the slant route that New Orleans and most offenses use.

The more well-known is called a "sluggo" or slant-and-go.

Within this alteration, the receiver still runs his slant in much the same way, but this plays on that linebacker who plays the slant, and an aggressive safety who desires to come up and make a mind-blowing hit.

Because a linebacker and safety both get overanxious, the receiver must only provide another stick back toward the sideline.

He then gets vertical on the seam.

At the corresponding time that the receiver gives his initial stick on the slant, the QB will often pump his way, hitch up, and prepare to throw the seam route, which is generally wide open.

Unfortunately, this route doesn't work as well against a cover-two defense where the safeties, while aggressive, don't allow anyone behind them.

But, against a cover 0 (no safety) or one Man (one deep safety) occupied by deep routes on the other side, this can still be successful.

Best Sluggo Receiver:  Marques Colston

The second, and more common in today's game is the whip or pivot route.

Once again, the receiver will do everything he does in the slant route. Only now, after he sticks, he will take one step and then plant his stick foot in the ground and literally pivot to "box out" the linebacker.

This is eerily reminiscent of a basketball move.

He then must work himself back toward the sideline at worst flat. If he goes upfield, the route is ruined.

It is okay, to an extent, if he even brings his route back to the quarterback (always a key coaching point: it's better to come back than to drift upfield).

But ideally, he would stay exactly straight back toward the sideline to keep the spacing since there could also be a flat or swing route coming in the same direction.

Best Whip Route Receiver:  Devery Henderson

Believe it or not, there is actually a lot more I could have wrote about this route because it is even more complex than I have shared.

But, if you understand these concepts, then you have a pretty good feeling of what a slant route is and how, when, and why it can be effective.

Until next week, Geaux Saints!