NORTHMONT’S 4-VERTICAL PASSING GAME FROM FOUR AND FIVE WIDE RECEIVER FORMATIONS

Mike Schneider
Quarterbacks Coach
Northmont High School
former Head Coach
Wayne High School

In 17 years as head coach at Wayne High School and four years as an assistant to my son Lance at Northmont, we have earned a reputation as a productive passing team.  For the past 12 years we have operated almost entirely from four and, more recently, five wide receiver formations.

Our primary formations are in Diagrams 1A-1D, although we also utilize bunch, cluster, quads, and other formations and often utilize motion.

We feel that to be successful in the spread offense, a great deal of practice time must be devoted to teaching and drilling the important individual skills such as receivers’ catching, route-running, and releases, quarterbacks’ throwing skills, and offensive linemen’s pass blocking.  We also devote a ten-minute segment of daily practice to blitz pick-up and hot system assignments.  This is a team period and is usually done versus back-up offensive players, although at times we have our #1 defense provide the blitzes.  In this period the offense will not huddle.  A pass pattern will be called, the defense will be shown a blitz card, and the play will be run.  The offensive line coach and the running back are checking assignments.  We must be sure everyone understands the protection scheme and that we are getting the most dangerous five rushers (six if there is a back in the backfield) blocked.  Only the receivers who have hot route responsibilities run their routes.  Within a 10-minute period we try to get at least 16-18 plays run, dividing time with four minutes spent on each hash mark and two minutes with the ball in the middle of the field.  During double sessions and occasionally in-season we will tape this session from behind the offense.

Our 4-Vertical series gives us tremendous flexibility in our passing attack once the players understand the basic pattern and the high-low stretches that are created from the numerous tags that can be applied.

In Diagram 2, each receiver is running to his landmark, except #2 on the short side, who has been tagged with a choice route.  Landmarks are #1 Receiver – 6 yards in from the sideline at the goalline.  Landmarks for the #2 or #3 receivers are the hash marks at the goalline.  The landmark for #3 is the boundary hash mark.  If there is both a #3 wide side and a #2 short side receiver, obviously one would have to be tagged with another route or both would be running to the same landmark.

One call for the basic 4-vertical pattern is 197 or 297.  We can run switch on one or both sides and the #1 and #2 receivers on that side will switch landmarks.  If we call SWAP, the #2 and #3 receivers swap landmarks.  The receivers must identify the coverage on the run and adjust, as needed based on coverage. (See Diagrams 3A and 3B)

When a receiver has a tag, he is to run an “under” route.  He goes 5 yards toward his landmark, and then breaks under his adjacent receiver, throttling down if he comes open versus a zone and staying on the run versus man coverage.  The receiver who has the “under” coming under him continues to sprint to his landmark if the defender is going with him, but throttles down in the seam if the defender comes off of him to pick up the under.”  The QB reads the defender in the area where the “under” is coming.  If that defender runs up-field with the clearing route (beyond 7 yards), he throws the “under”.  If he hangs for the “under”, hit the clearing route as he throttles down in front of the deep defender.  All other receivers must sprint up-field to their landmarks to stretch the deep coverage.

If the play has two tags, e.g., Empty Left, 297 RX, the first tag runs the “under” and the second tag runs an “over”, which is a 15 yard dig route under the clearing route of the adjacent receiver.  When there are two tags, the clearing receiver does not throttle down because the QB will throw to the over if the defender in that area hangs for the “under” route.  (See Diagram 4)

Diagram 4 illustrates the flexibility of the 4-vertical series and the many options the QB has to attack wherever he feels the defense is most vulnerable.

H knows that he is to merely clear out and not throttle down because there is an “under” and an “over”.  He has a double hot read and may get the ball if either the outside or middle linebacker blitzes.  If there is a blitz and he does not get the ball, he must accelerate and complete his clearing responsibility. 

R has a blitz responsibility versus the OLB blitz from his side (which is the right since the protection call is 100).  If no blitz from his side, he runs the “under” in front of the MLB.  He must be patient in his release because X must get to 15 yards on his “over” and he should not be breaking in front of the MLB until X is breaking in behind him. 

Y and Z are not involved in the tags, so they will run to their landmarks.  Y knows to throttle down versus Cover 2 because the QB may elect to attack the horizontal stretch on the on the wide-side safety if he sees Cover 2 pre-snap.

QB can throw hot to H versus OLB blitz from his side or MLB blitz.  Hot to X, who will run a slant or hitch versus a blitz by the OLB to his side.  If no blitz and he has not elected to attack the wide-side safety versus Cover 2, the read is a high-low stretch vs. MLB with the “over” by X and the “under” by R.  When utilizing a high-low stretch, the QB should throw the “over” only if the read does not drop beyond 7 yards depth or vacates to cover man.

As you can perhaps see from these examples, the 4-vertical series provides great flexibility in a pass offense and allows a coach to become as creative or as basic as he wishes.