Mike Leach Passing Fundamentals

Developing a Quarterback with Jim Harbaugh

Talking ball with Harbaugh as he shares his secrets to creating a better passer...

Sean Payton: Quarterbacking

Here is a decent resource for getting a young quarterback grounded in some solid fundamentals on throwing mechanics (circa 1992).  Now, granted there are a few things in the video that don’t lead to efficiency, but, hey…..this was over 20 years ago.  You’ll see a young assistant coach named Sean Payton running quarterback footwork and throwing drills.

If you want a great indoctrination of flawless throwing, you’d better invest in Darin Slack C4 and R4 materials.
Darin Slack Quarterback Training

Quarterbacking with Jim Miller

A collection of quarterback fundamentals with Jim Miller, the grittiest of the gritty.  Grab your pain meds and enjoy these drills from the Michigan State staff and Chicago’s John Shoop.

For the best quarterback instruction, it begins and ends with Darin Slack C4 Method.

Dub Maddox: Throwing Mechanics

The following was submitted by quarterback impresario, Dub Maddox, from the Quarterback Academy. Coach Maddox is one of the most infectiously passionate leaders of men in football and his body of work at Jenks High School (OK) is a standard to which we should all strive for. If you've spent any time on this blog, you know that QBA and Darin Slack are highly regarded here and their products come highly recommended from personal use.

With all of the coverage of quarterbacks and the NFL draft everyone seems to be talking about throwing mechanics. After Tim Tebow’s 1st round selection the talk still continues. So the question still remains to be answered….”Is it possible to change a quarterback’s throwing motion?”

While reading the article, The Pursuit of the Perfect Throwing Motion by David Flemming I was intrigued by some of the things he learned from his study. In particular, he discovered throwing the football is the most complex motor skill in all of sports. With most exercise scientists and kinesiologists agreeing, more people are finding out what most coaches have known for quite some time. Changing a quarterbacks throwing motion is challenging and can be flat out intimidating.

Once most people come to this conclusion there tends to be two schools of thought as it relates to changing quarterback throwing mechanics.

1. It’s all about the footwork (the feet are what throw the ball)
2. You can’t change a quarterbacks mechanics (he can either throw or he can’t)

This is the dilemma I found myself in as a coach five years ago after getting upset in the first round of the playoffs. Having to watch a very talented sophomore quarterback struggle with his mechanics that season pushed me to a path of pursuit on how to teach the perfect throwing motion. As I began my research through clinics, DVD’s, books, college visits, and local guru’s, I had compiled a list of coaching points like, “Stand tall, step small”; “Flick the booger of the finger”; “Pick the dollar out of the left pocket”; “Turn the key”; “Answer the phone with ball”; “Crush pebbles with your feet” ; “Slap the wall”; “ watch how Brady, Montana, or Elway throw” and the list goes on and on. At the end of it all I was left with a myriad of different philosophies and techniques and the same conclusions that Flemming had in his article. As a result, I had almost submitted my belief on throwing mechanics to one of the two prevailing schools of thought. It wasn’t until I came across a 3 DVD set on Passing Mechanics by Darin Slack that I knew that I had finally found someone who had cracked the code on how to teach and train the most complex motor skill in all of sports. He was explaining the “Why” behind every motion and drill. He was backing every movement up with science and biomechanics. I felt like I had just discovered gold. I no longer had to submit to the two schools of thought on mechanics and what I didn’t believe to be true. After 5 years of coaching quarterbacks at Jenks High School and working for the Darin Slack Quarterback Academy here is what I have learned as it relates to the two prevailing schools of thought:




1. It’s all about the footwork (the feet are what throw the ball)
It seemed when I first started my pursuit of learning how to throw the football that everywhere I turned most coaches only focused on the feet. Most of the material I came into contact with stated that the feet are what throw the ball. My struggle with this concept stemmed from two pictures in my mind…a picture of a man with no arms and another picture of a man with no legs. If the feet are what throw the ball then how does a man without legs throw? At the NFL combine, Tim Tebow clocked a 4.7 forty time, 4.17 pro agility time, and a 38.5 inch vertical. If I submit to the school of thought that footwork is the key to consistent power, accuracy, and velocity then Tebow should be the best pure passer coming out of the draft. Yet he is the most scrutinized, Why? In Flemming’s article he states, “Throwing the football well is not about doing one or two big things great. Instead, it's about perfecting a thousand different parts of an intricate, complicated kinetic chain that starts in the toes and ends at the finger tips.” Through Flemmings article I am finding that people are starting to discover what I found through a set of 3 DVD’s 5 years ago. Throwing a football is more than mastering footwork; it’s about mastering the sequential movements in the kinetic chain through the entire throw. If I only focus on footwork I am only focusing on half of the kinetic chain. What about the other half? I go back to the picture with the man with no legs. What does he use to throw the football? It is his arm. If the arm is the mechanism that throws the ball then wouldn’t it be important to understand how this mechanism controls proper ball flight? To overcome the arm issue a quarterback must understand the 4 key positions of the arm motion in the kinetic chain.
(To demonstrate we will use Peyton Manning on the left and Jenks QB Sawyer Kollmorgen on the right)

Pre Pass Triangle-the kinetic chain in the arm starts in the Pre Pass Triangle position. With the elbows level at the base and a loaded wrist in the “cocked” position off the back shoulder, the triangle shape provides for a powerful position to launch the football. If the body was going to throw a punch it would load the arm instinctually in the same position. The Pre Pass Triangle position reduces tendency to internally rotate (wind up) on the throw, aligns arm in a power position, and reduces wasted motion for faster a faster release.

“L” Transistion-is the next position in the kinetic chain during the throw. The move to this position is done by using the 4 rotator cuff muscles that surround the scapula. The infrasprinatus and teres minor externally rotate the arm back into the “L” position. When the arm is in the “L” position it elongates the suprasprinatus and subscapularis which allow the muscles to accelerate the elbow to the lead position.


Elevate to “Zero”-is the lead position the elbow has to be in to support the wrist. You may have heard coaches say “get the elbow up”. The elbow only needs to go high enough to get over and ahead of the shoulder on the throw. The smoothness and efficiency of this move is the key to consistent power and accuracy on a throw. With the loading of the suprasprinatus and subscapularis muscles in the “L” position the elbow can now elevate and move ahead of the shoulder aided by the deltoid to get to “Zero”. “Zero” is orthopedic term given to the elbow in the lead position because the rotator cuff muscles are neutral with no strain on them. The “Zero” position places the elbow 6 inches ahead of the shoulder 45 degrees up and out and loads the tricep in a position to fire the ball down the target hallway.

Extension- is the kinetic chain of power that occurs as the tricep fires energy up through arm and out through the wrist/fingers into the ball. If the wrist fires early before the tricep the kinetic chain is out of order and the ball will sail or wobble. A quarterback that pulls down on the football does not extend and therefore is not getting the full benefit of the tricep. When trying to understand the power of extension on a throw, think of the difference between a pistol and a sniper rifle. Which one is more accurate and can shoot the bullet further? The sniper rifle. Why? It has a longer barrel that allows the force and spin to act longer on the bullet which in turn puts more accuracy and velocity in the bullet as it comes out of the barrel.


When a coach and a quarterback get on the same page and understand the (How’s and Why’s) behind the most complex motion in all of sports it provides for a drastic advantage on the playing field. However, getting your quarterback to understand the concepts of throwing mechanics will not support a change on its own, which leads us to the second school of thought.
2. You can’t change a quarterbacks mechanics (he can either throw or he can’t)
There are many coaches who know way more than I do about football that have said you can’t change or quarterbacks throwing motion. I have even heard some say to stay away from the quarterbacks arm entirely. I have always struggled with this. If I am in the weight room and I see a kid with 315 pounds on the squat rack and he has he is leaning over at the waist with his chest down and a curved lower back am I going to not try to fix him? The argument could be made that teaching a proper squat is easier than teaching the most complex motion in all of sports. But just because teaching a proper throw is more difficult does it mean that I am pardoned of having to teach it at all? Maybe it just means that I need to put more effort into knowing my craft. The key to changing any motion (especially the most difficult) is knowing how a quarterback learns to throw. Most quarterbacks learn to throw by picking up a football at a young age and just chunking it. This is called implicit learning. Implicit learning is learning in the absence of proper instruction. While learning to throw implicitly allows for a fluid motion it tends to produce bad mechanics. The other type of learning is called explicit learning. This is learning with proper instruction. This type of learning focuses on the non-negotiables or rules of the task. While learning to throw explicitly allows a quarterback to know all the( how’s and why’s) of throwing a football it tends to produce a mechanical and choppy motion. This is the point where a coach becomes frustrated and gives up submitting to the second school of thought… you can’t change mechanics. The secret to changing mechanics is in the power of a process and the formula is the hinge pin of The Quarterback Academy by Darin Slack.

In order to produce lasting change you have to take a quarterback and teach him the non-negotiable (how’s and why’s). Next, you build a battery of drills that isolate each mechanic and then build each drill sequentially on the previous mechanics (process). Then you rep the movements over and over until you are feeling the move instead of thinking about it. Instead of muscle memory we call it the power of informed feel. When a quarterback learns the (how’s and why’s) combined with the feel he now has the ability to Self-Correct, not Self-Destruct….advantage Offense. To learn more about throwing mechanics and quarterback play come to a camp or visit www. quarterbackacademy.com

Pick up the newly released book here;
http://nationalfootballacademies.com/r4-book/

Beginning & End Of Everything You Need To Know About Football...

DARIN SLACK

Darin Slack F4: Quarterback Tai Chi

If you are looking at what you have coming back next year at that quarterback position and wonder what you're gonna do, be sure to pick up some Darin Slack products.
http://www.quarterbackacademy.com/Online_Training_System_product.html

Darin Slack's F4 Quarterback development series are the best in the industry and there is no rival when it comes to presenting material for easy absorbtion.

If you've received the mind-blowing C4 series and have the fundamental knowledge of throwing biomechanics and self-correcting, be sure to enjoy the F4 series that covers a wide array of fundamental-enforcing drills and competitive challenges. This series progresses your quarterback through living and operating like a quarterback though footwork, upper body, trunk, and mental training.

Of particular interest, was the final DVD of the series that established easy-to-use training methods that cemented proper alignment and mechanics of a thrower. This is a great tool for reinforcing the elements of C4 as well as slowing down the throwing movement to waypoints to enforce disciplined biomechanically correct throwing motion.

Quarterback Building: Todd Sturdy

Heading into the weekend after the first week of "fall" practice, I am trying to offer something new here. As with any clinic presentation, if you can take away just one thing, whether it is just a new nickname for your 'slappys', find something you can take away and use for yourself.

So why not share some insight from a coach whom I have the utmost respect and admiration for, Todd Sturdy (now Washington State Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks coach). Coach Sturdy helped me years ago (while HC of St. Ambrose in Iowa, before I became a carpetbagger) develop as a coach and in developing an offensive philosophy by allowing me to spend unlimited time with him and his staff, as well as welcoming me to his Spring installation practices at St. Ambrose.

Sturdy's offensive philosophy seen both at SAU and EWU, is premised on a steady misdirection run game and quick passing. Sturdy has a penchant for one back formations and believes in using slots and additional backs to force the defense to even up their fronts. With fly sweeps, reverses, inside zone, stretch, zone option, and speed option, Sturdy strives to keep a defense off balance (predictable) and moving laterally.

When spending time with Coach Sturdy during Spring ball, he shared his method for developing his quarterbacks over the years, and how they have always been able to perform at a high level.

LEADERSHIP
The unmistakable quality of a quarterback is leadership. When bringing in recruits, Sturdy's method is quite simple, but effective.

Model - First a coach must model strong leadership with humble and assertive decisions, always putting the team first. One should note that this attitude is not that of masochistic self-denial, but of one with a vested interest to see objectives through, paying whatever price is required.

Reinforce - Continue to find ways to find situations where a quarterback can be decisive no matter how great or small. Don't wait until game night or practice to instill the decision-making you want your quarterback to exhibit. This mentality is a lifestyle, not something the player can turn on or off.

"[You have to] constantly praise good decisions, because everything with a quarterback is a decision. Recognize and acknowledge every good decision as it comes. A coach's job is to teach how to make good decisions".

Talk About It (constantly) - "You must develop a relationship with your quarterback. Get to know him - what motivates him, what his strengths and weaknesses are". The nuturing and mentoring element of the coach-quarterback bond should be one born out of trust.

The quarterback is the point man, the beginning and end to the team's success/failure. Because the quarterback assumes the mantle of leadership, he must be the one setting the tone of the team attitude required. Sturdy believes the competitive mantra of, "Not only do we have to do things correctly.....we have to do it better than anyone else" is what shapes his subdued leadership he requires of his quarterbacks. However, with this, it is important for the position coach to, "let him know he just needs to be 'one of the guys' because the position itself has enough pressure".

Here's to Coach Sturdy and his family's continued success in the Pacific Northwest.

Slack R4 with Coverdale Quick Game

'91' hitch
#1 - is the primary on the fade conversion (RHYTHM)
.......this becomes part of the pre-snap read. Verify, by alignment, that the fade is there.

• If the cushion is broken (-5), the primary is the fade to #1
• If the cushion remains, by alignment, then (still presnap) it kicks to the decision-flow to the READ (seam route).

Because it is quick-game, the decision-making has to become part of the presnap read and a half of the field must be eliminated.

• If the RHYTHM (fade) is there by cushion being 'broken' (closure confirmation), then throw the fade on the plant.
• If the RHYTHM (fade) is not there by cushion (closure confirmation), then the READ becomes the seam by #2.

The collision by the defender over #2 will be the cue.
Can #2 put himself into the proper depth / angle to impact #2's seam?

• If not (he doesn't collision, stays flat, widens...) - throw the seam.
• If so (he collisions, closes the route by depth) - the RUSH becomes the hitch.

If either of those aren't there.....RELEASE.

I guess what I'm wondering is if the the decision making becomes truncated (you have to eliminate throws before the drop even occurs)...so by the plant (hinge) you are either throwing the RHYTHM (confirmed pre-snap....not post-snap) or you are going directly to the READ on the plant.

I understand the methodology of R4 to compartmentalize the passing game decisions into quick, succinct decisions;

1. I'm planning on going here on my hinge - RHYTHM


2. if that is not going to happen (based on cushion / coverage) - I go straight to READ. The READ takes into account why the RHYTHM was disqualified. The READ becomes an instant collision / closure confirmation decision to go-to NOW.


3. If the closure confirmation denies the throw, we go straight to the RUSH throw.

If we make multiple READ/READ routes packaged....then we're right back where we were before ==== holding onto the ball trying to "guess correctly".

Its about going tactical - bing,bang, boom.....

if THIS, do THAT

....go-to, IF THEN.....

'93' SHOOT

as I understand would be

RHYTHM - outside slant
Plan to throw the slant by #1 based on coverage shell and alignment (corner outside)...the closure confirmation would automatically put the corner in trail position - The Slant by #2, by alignment would create the conflict immediately for the safety (1 high or 2 high, by alignment)

READ - inside slant
If Rhythm route is denied go straight to the inside receiver. If the outside slant is disqualified then you must be in some man-coverage or deep-cushion C3. If the inside receiver is not collisioned by the #2 defender or he widens, then this is the throw to make - BAM, dude is open (MLB may be a 'danger player' for this throw). If #2 is collisioned and removes the inside throw - go immediately to RUSH

RUSH - Shoot
If inside slant is being collisioned, then no one can take the immediate threat to the flat. The Flat has already been eliminated from coverage because the RHYTHM route was disqualified (because for it to be disqualified would mean there is no corner floating in the flat)

Rather than your QB being Rainman in the pocket, trying to decipher each defender's assignment after recognizing and confirming the true coverage, you've drilled in him immediate responses when one door closes, open the next...he really doesn't have to "think", just react. Coverdale's quick game essentially has this built-in already. The R4 just puts an Intel Core 2 on it.

Definitely, Charlie Babbit........an', and K-mart underwear

RHYTHM,READ,RUSH,RELEASE should be tied to the hitch steps, or a way of thinking.

The question is a way of asking based on how a QB & coach can go into recognizing the concepts of each passing concept from craddle to grave, so to speak (chalkboard to game night), where the R4 becomes the glasses that the QB sees / filters the passing game through.....so essentially, the QB can teach himself on each subsequent concept installed.

For the quick game, the ball had better come out on the plant-to-hinge otherwise you're in trouble. The methodology of R4 is to compartmentalize the passing game decisions into quick, succinct decisions.

With the R4, my understanding that this is a decision-flow, more than it is a progression.

The seam still has a danger player based on MOFC, so that would require a read to determine closure confirmation before you could make that throw. The main threat for #2 seam is the OLB for collision, and he is, afterall the COG that ties in the READ to the RUSH (i.e. If he does THIS, do that......if he does this, do this...... )

Just because he is the vertical outlet doesn't necessarily make him the RHYTHM throw.

The R4 is used as a tool for the decision making process. Having two routes classified as RUSH doesn't help the QB. He has to get a confirmation off of one - that confirmation will lead him to the correct decision. Otherwise, we'd be right back to where we were 'before', just using more verbiage.

From Coach Slack, himself;

The Quick Game routes by definition are rush routes, except for the fade(rhythm) - thrown off any step of the drop - hitch or hinge.

Also, the depth of the route breaks being under 7 yards makes them rush routes. A Rhythm is a single, or no break, route, over 9 yards that can be hit on the last step of the drop(rhythm is usually a 5 step drop - but a fade and seam in the quick game combos, can meet the expectation of the offense, and not break R4 protocol(9+ yard route depth and hinge release off last step of drop)

Quick game is primarily two possibilities:

Rhythm/Rush - quick cushion/collision/closure look and we hit the complimentary Rush route early before the defense recovers on the quick rush route.

OR, the rush/rush, or rhythm/rhythm decisions are all defender keys with the collision/cushion concepts driving each. Keep in mind, that the quick game should be primarily a two option(2 seconds) offense, due to the depth of the drop and timed route packages. As a rule, I would suggest that it is probably best to reduce/rework what doesn't seem to fit, rather than trying to make up a new rule or force something to fit.

If there is a route that doesn't seem to fit, but works, it might be good to ask why it works and you will probably see one of two things: Either the play is designed to create 1 open route for a hinge throw and in that case you can coach that up with the progression as it sets up to R4 definitions of multiple Rhythm/Rush routes with no Read routes built in, OR the footwork and timing of the routes with the QB are being overlooked for the design of the play. Either way, R4 just gets you asking good questions. The Read route concept with a three step drop would, By definition, require a shuffle - Or hitch footwork, in a quick game drop set, with routes that take longer to develop. I am not opposed to that, there are teams that do it, but remember, we are trying to time up when the receiver opens to the QBs drop. If you WANT a Read route, just realize that regardless of what you want to design, the footwork must time up to the receiver's opening, not before. So make sure the Read route meets the Read route guidelines(multiple breaks, and the route comes open after 9 yards)

In my opinion, a third decision, without footwork tied in right, into a quick game combo, can lead to trying to do too much out of a precarious protection scheme. (aggressive protection with a shallow drop) I am not saying it can't be done, or shouldn't be done, it just needs to be thought through in terms of what opens when and what time exists, etc. So let's break down one series of combinations according to the standard 2 route Slant combos and then the route combo brophy mentioned earlier- SLANT/SLANT/SHOOT.

If you only have two slants(rush/rush), the outside slant is going to be there, or not. It is a defender key off the flat defender over the inside slant, checking for collision from the flat defender, and being aware of the Corner's closure on the outside receiver's break on the Slant. In a standard Slant/Arrow, it is still a read off the flat defender, we are checking collision off the inside receiver, and if he is collisioning the inside route, we can throw off his ear to the slant, with a closure confirmation on the corner.

A good rule of thumb is that the flat defender is usually the primary read in most quick game RUSH/RUSH routes, unless you have a rhythm route(fade or seam) and a rush underneath to compliment, and then it depends on the rhythm being inside or outside. Considering brophy's SLANT/SLANT/SHOOT, I would recommend if you want to simplify this progression, you can go SLANT/SEAM/SHOOT. This is a Rhythm(SEAM)/Rush(SLANT)/Rush(ARROW) progression combo now. The Inside Seam (Rhythm) route now becomes the first look, setting up an easy transfer of vision to the Slant if the inside route is collisioned. If he isn't hit, the QB hits him early off the third step, and the Mike LB is out of the picture because the receiver is wider, and won't be coming into the middle(like the slant). If it all goes bad, the shoot route is still our "hot" rush route if we need it right away, and it is our final option in the defender key off the remaining rush/rush after the rhythm is decided. So, by simply adjusting the intent/angle of the inside slot route from a quick game Rush(slant) to a Rhythm (Seam), you get a workaround that times up very nicely.

The coaching of the inside Seam can give you all the benefits you need in the quick game - inside release, throttling down in the hole, angling slightly where it makes sense, but you get a sound solution tied to QB footwork by incorporating this adjustment.

For what its worth. It is truly just my opinion. So, in terms of Coverdale stuff mentioned before, if you have a bunch package 3 step quick combo, or 3 option/3 step play from Coverdale's design, chances are you will have a rhythm/read/rush route combo already built in. The rhythm option is presnap and first step confirmed on cushion/collision. Just make sure the receiver will be available off the QB's third step.(Fade or Seam) If the first route is a corner, with a suggested 3 step drop, you need to reduce the Corner's vertical route stem to 4 steps(3 step QB drop), instead of the normal 6 steps(QB 5 step drop). Then you might consider using a quick hitch off the last two routes - whether it is a defender key, or a read route with a rush. Either way, you are sound.

The remaining read/rush concept, and/or double rush route can be thrown with a hitch or hinge within the mix according to Rush route rules - thrown off ANY step in the drop. The Read route is the odd concept, taking longer to develop, and must be thought out in terms of protection and timing of the route opening with the QBs footwork. The goal is meaningful simplicity, and you guys fighting through this is exactly the discipline of self-discovery that will put you in the best position to be successful.

I am resisting just giving you the WAY to do it for each route combo, because I think it is important to go through the process of really thinking about what we are trying to do with each quick game route, and whether it makes sense to keep it in the playbook. You guys are really doing great with this.I am grateful for the workthroughs on this, and if it makes one offense/QB better, I am glad.For what its worth to the skeptical, my own QB son is currently in an extremely conservative offensive run based setup, and R4, much less advanced passing, isn't currently a comfortable place for the coach, but he came home today and was very excited that while the coach doesn't necessarily know or ascribe to R4, he was still internally using all the concepts and he was able to get the ball out on the final step all day, with the coach being very excited with the speed of his decision making and ball delivery timing.

My point is that, understanding the accelerators and key opportunities of R4, even in the quick game, it can be an effective tool.

Like the military, there are robust guidelines and training for battle scenarios. The guidelines are part of the non-negotiables that officers hope will "kick-in" when the scenario goes to heck in a hand basket, as most battle scenarios do. Football is no where near war, but the same fluid situations present themselves to teenagers under pressure, with coaches trying to limit collateral damage with "rules of engagement." As you know however, "rules" while extremely necessary for order and discipline, can hinder productivity as much as free-wheeling can.

My point is this - the intermediate passing game puts the quarterback further from the LOS, and creates a more stable environment for R4 to function as a process, with footwork tied very tightly to it to ensure the quarterback stays on task and moves through his reads on his drop and gets the ball out according to his footwork. R4 and its footwork puts greater demands on the quarterback and coach to be as sound and consistent as possible while not stifling functional creativity for both.

The quick game, in my opinion, is an entirely different animal. It is an offensive ambush. The element of surprise is as critical to its success, as the quarterback's footwork. But even more important than either of those things, is the play called and its design. If the intermediate game is an infantry offensive with whole, the quick game is a covert operation with a handful of men
for a specific purpose. Additionally, the quick game is typically tied to an anticipation of a blitz. So within that operation, or play, there must be the capacity for a decision to be made "in theatre," so we don't lose our field position in the process. R4 relies heavily on the accelerators of cushion/collision/closure for its decision, and while the quick game may have those components present in a press situation, usually the quick game decision happens faster than even the "accelerators" would provide. What I mean is that in the quick game field side is determined "pre-snap," as is the expected open receiver, by defensive alignment -(ie. corners/flat defenders).

In today's intermediate game, many coaches have tried to do the same "pre-snap- know where you go" approach as the quick game to make things easier, and defenses have wised up with disguising, zone blitzing, and roll coverage, and therefore, R4 allows these things to become post snap again, while sustaining a full field of options, and providing competitive advantage to the offense with its speed of outcome.

The quick game on the other hand, while undergoing many upgrades, still has a clear non-negotiables tied to it due to aggressive protection(limited), and depth of drop and routes. Get the ball out quickly or you get sacked, and hit receivers in holes before the defense recovers.R4 was meant primarily to restore sanity, in my opinion, to the voluminous over-analysis of the itermediate passing game, that was intended to simplify the QBs read down to a "quick game" concept (Pick a side, hit it on five), but instead has left many coaches scratching their own heads about how to position every read, for every situation, on every play. It becomes exponentially confusing.

The quick game hasn't hit that point YET. It still maintains some of its original purity, because of those non-negotiables I mentioned. However, with the advent of increasing routes, and over design in the quick game, it won't be long before it becomes "top heavy", and will need to have a system to govern it. You see what is coming for sure, but even then, the speed of the play, the need for an on the spot decision, and the presence of immediate pressure, will always have the QB throwing on the last step, and "releasing" quickly if not. This is what R4 was trying to bring back to the intermediate game, without giving up on the big play.

I guess the simplest way to say it is, "if it isn't broke, don't fix it." The quick game isn't broken, in my opinion, like the intermediate game was. All the right pieces still operate in the quicks - rhythm footwork, fast decision making, and release. And they will always be there. What concerns me about the quick game more than R4 being applied, is the basic lack of understanding on the part of many coaches about the mechanics/footwork of the quarterback, and the timing of the routes that go with them. This is where I think the quick game will get "top heavy" faster. I see, in ever increasing measure, QBs being asked to make throws with footwork, and mechanics that DO NOT make sense to the TIMING of either the QB's readiness to throw, nor the receiver's being positioned in a hole. QBs don't understand throwing mechanics, so they are slow in delivery(footwork depth and hitching) and throw too hard(adrenalized fear, ignorance, or arrogance,et al), and the receiver's are faster than ever into space and through it for the same reasons. The Quick Game is a CONCEPT of skills, spacing, and timing, and R4 while assisting in the non-negotiables of intermittently ordering progression in man scenarios, or defender keys by presnap read sides, and helping with a speedy decision on cushion/collision - it cannot fix those things I just mentioned, because they exist as problems on deeper level.

That goes to the over wrought play design concern as I mentioned earlier that we all need to monitor in our offenses. And in terms of where the need is greatest in the QUICK game and how I believe we can best help with our resources, isn't as much a need for our R4 system, as it is a need for our C4 system of mechanics.

Just my opinion, and no disrespect to the many great coaches who are redefining great play design - they are mission critical. But, we still have to throw it, and catch it.

Best Quarterback Instruction................EVER!

Okay....so we're drawing near August.

Obviously, it signals the time for a new football season.

After going the last 7 weeks or so of off-and-on practices and 7-on-7 matchups, the kids are receiving a week break of organized activities.

In the first year of a new (spread / 5-wide) offense, and with marginal development in our quarterbacks....it was decided early in the summer that we were sending our quarterback to the Peyton Manning Passing Camp or the Darin Slack Quarterback Academy in July.

We were blessed to have a new player arrive via basketball in early June who showed considerable promise, so we moved #1 QB to defense where he would make the greater impact and solidify a key position.

As the date grew closer, we had two candidates that were going to go. Two weeks out, we had yet another promising candidate arrive (freshman) with loads of potential.


I was supposed to be helping out at the Les Miles Youth Camp Tuesday night, but committed an hour before (asked) to take the quarterbacks down to the Slack camp.

Probably the best decision I've made in a while (can't remember the last GOOD decision I made).

I started making arrangements to take our promising young athletes to the camp, got a great deal into the planning, then realized that I had lost my wallet two weeks earlier......kinda hard to check into a hotel without your ID or drivers license. This now helped pull in the services of our offensive coordinator, who was supposed to be attending the Louisiana High School Coaches Clinic in Baton Rouge during this time. It was probably best that things worked out the way they did, though.

Day OF, as the 11th hour approached, our Freshman phenom was no where to be found and his parents were talking of moving to another school. Plan B! Go with the former QB who is now playing well on defense....well, lets just take him instead - we'll make a good backup better. Calls to his parents reveal he is planning on moving out of the state!

Cripes! Get back to fundamentals.

We ended up taking our starting quarterback who had a shoulder injury for more than 3 weeks, and his #1 receiver (who would now be our #2 QB in a pinch).
The conversation at 20 minutes to departure went something along the lines of, "Good morning.....Get up.....you're going to Lafayette for two days .......we're picking you up in 15 minutes!"

Two good student-athletes that were able to receive top notch quality instruction at the hands of unequivocally THE BEST football instructor in the world, Darin Slack.

My friend and I were greeted by a enthusiastic Coach Slack, who knew exactly who we were (from submitting video of our QBs prior for analysis), and let us know that this was the beginning of a partnership / relationship in the development of young men....who happen to be quarterbacks.

The first 45 minutes of introduction were the most passionate arguments for athletic and character development I have ever heard. The kids were pumped and steered in the proper path to achieve greatness.

DARIN SLACK LAFAYETTE @ Yahoo! Video

The next 24 hours would be filled with hands-on instruction and correction of the proper mechanics and thought-process for quarterbacks. All the quarterbacks had to be stripped of their ineffecient and sometimes dangerous throwing habits. Not only were they taught how to correctly throw, they were taught WHY this was an efficient method for throwing - as well as being able to pinpoint when and where errant throws happen.







Of course, one cannot travel on I-10 without taking in some of the finest cajun cuisine.......


For a more complete write-up of our encounter with Coach Slack in Lafayette, check out;
http://coachhuey.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=general&thread=7895&page=1