In his seminal work the "Football Coach’s Complete Offensive Playbook” the late, great Homer Smith said that “patterns must generate more of themselves”. Relative to making pass patterns look alike I think the following quote from the book illustrates perfectly what Coach Smith meant: “The important thing to know is that branches always sprout from trunks. A defender wants to be able to follow the trunk of a receiver’s route and know where the receiver is going. Each route must sprout branches if defenders are going to be kept wondering.” Those words were published in 1987 and are truer today than ever, as defenses continue to advance in pattern matching and recognition principles. We all understand how offenses like the Wing-T and Flex-bone Triple Option use play-series that initially look completely alike, fit together as a system of “Base” and “Counter” plays and cause tremendous strain on defenses. However, in my experience very few coaches view the passing game in the same way. Rather than a collection of disjointed passes, Coach Smith was encouraging a system of passes which also carried “Base” and “Counter” variations and in which a defensive response to a base pattern triggered an immediate response from the offense that was already built-in. But, while any offensive coach can draw lots of routes, fitting them into a system where patterns can not only be “generated”, but do so in a logical manner, and where a QB can find open receivers without being overwhelmed with new progressions/reads is another matter entirely. In its simplest form, developing branches from trunks involves taking one route stem (trunk) and creating multiple branches off of it. For example, from the initial Post trunk below, a defender has to be able to respond to not only the threat of the Post, but also a Post-Curl, Post-Dig, Post-Corner, and Post-Bench. When two receivers are involved it adds another layer of complexity for the defense. From the initial trunks below (#2 pushes vertical and #1 crosses him underneath), if an offense only runs one route, it is an easy pattern read. But if you create multiple branches it becomes very difficult for a defense to predict how they will be attacked. The more indecisive a defense is in recognizing patterns the likelier a chance a lesser player has of getting open. If you spend even a little time studying New England Patriots film you will notice just how often they employ this particular pattern trunk and the endless variations that branch off it. This "trunk-branch" principle is simple, but how can you incorporate it into a reading system for the QB? We’ll illustrate with an example. In the diagram below we are in a sniffer set and motion the RB outside of our best WR. The sniffer runs a check-release wheel route. The boundary WR runs a reduced split Dig route. The field slot runs a Drag with the option to sit down outside of the tackle box. This outlet pattern does not change. While you can mess around with the outlet presentation, receivers end up in these same spots and so the QB’s outlet fix doesn’t change. He knows that no matter what happens on the field-side of the pattern, receivers will be where he expects them to be as he scans his eyes backside. The RB has two routes: a Hitch and a Streak. This lessens the route work he needs in practice and sets the pattern structure. The goal of the route is to call the best route for Z against the coverage called. The RB's route provides protection for Z's route and a possible gift versus a coverage bust or matchup problem for the defense. The motion will likely remove a cover corner from Z, allow a free release on a safety with a limited reroute, and make the defense react quickly to the motion with little time to check coverage or communicate. With 4 of the 5 routes remaining static, we are free to generate routes for Z. We can use the best quick game route vs the defensive coverage …….. Attack off of a deeper route stem……. And generate patterns with the RB on the Hitch as long as Z’s route does not interfere with the Hitch’s space in the field flat. For the QB, although you can of course use a variety of reading methods, the play can be as simple as “Work the Z tag. If it’s not there get to your outlet system”. Putting 4 receivers in a defined outlet system with the ability to tag your best receiver on the best route to attack coverage is powerful and sound and limited only by an offensive staff's imagination.
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