Late night ramble. I type extremely fast so it's very long...read it or don't.
In 82 years of FH football, the passing game has never been a first thought says Capt. Obvious. The Sentinels have racked up a ton of wins and championships by running the football...that's what they do 92% of the time on offense. So when it comes time to pass it's usually an awkward looking process. Through 3 and a quarter games this year it's been pretty bad. Allow me to play armchair coach. That's what makes football fun for the fan, not an intention to make someone look or feel bad.
WHAT'S THE PROBLEM WITH THE FH PASSING GAME?
1. No play action passes - we will come back to that one. It's a biggie.
2. The scheme is totally insufficient
3. The pass routes are horrible
4. The line is not protecting
5. The QB is uncomfortable and gun shy
6. No reps
1. So FH runs the ball 15 times out of every 16 plays. And there is no play action on the passing plays? Zero times against Hollidaysburg. Maybe once on a half attempted fake jet sweep. As for tonight, why would you be going spread/shot gun when they wanted to throw the ball against Hollidaysburg? It's like, OK defense...we are throwing the ball now. On a 4th and 3 and FH went shotgun/spread it was like say what? When you play action you suck the defense in. Those defenders are flying to the ball to stop the run. If FH is going to throw the ball, stay in the same tight wing-T formation. Send the halfbacks and TE out in patterns off play action. Keep the defense guessing. Don't show your hand when you want to throw. The bottom line, if FH is going to find any pass success they have to be in their usual formation with the defense 100% thinking run, period. I get the spread/shotgun in a 2 minute drill. But not every time you want to pass during the course of a game.
2. Don't roll a right handed QB to his left, on the weakside to boot. If you are going to roll, go right behind that big OT. The scheme is set up to run the ball. They generally only throw on obvious passing downs i.e 3rd and long, 2nd and very long. The wing-T with 10 men in the box is not a scheme set up to throw the ball. That's fine, FH wins game using this system. That's why play action and screens have to used, but they are not. They have two receivers running fly routes, nothing short over the middle. If you notice tonight, the only success at all in the passing game was the quick hit pass to the split end with blockers in front. It got good yardage both times.
3. Watch the film of every FH pass so far this season. No one is open. OK, not every time but most every time. Or they have two receivers running routes in the same area. Why is the first read 15-20 yards down field? Can't the halfbacks get open short? There is no other option for the QB other than to take off, take a sack or throw it away/up for grabs.
4. When you don't throw the ball but 4 times a game, you cannot expect an inexperienced OL to be superior pass protectors. The FH QB literally has 3 seconds at best and a defender is on him. You work out of that by skipping to item #6 below.
5. QB Blake Beal doesn't look comfortable in the pocket in the least. He is not looking at receivers, but at the pass rush like we saw with the QB vs. Friendship and Dunbar last year. The first instinct is to take off running. His receivers are covered most of the time. He is not setting his feet and he is gun shy now. I believe if you put this kid or last year's QB on the field and just run some pass drills like FH does at pregame, they can make the throw anywhere on the field. But that's obviously not the same as when the ball is snapped in real play. I really don't know if there is another QB on any FH roster the past decade or so that would not have difficulty in the situation we are seeing now. Which will all be explained and summed up with the last point: They have taken Blake as a first time varsity starter, gave him 10 snaps in the Quad scrimmage, a half of snaps in the 2nd scrimmage and then stick him in a game and more or less say throw it on 3rd and long.
6. NO PASSING REPS!!!! Here comes my biggest and most monstrous armchair QB complaint. FH is now 3-0 on the year with three of the next four games being against opponents where FH can literally name the score. Blow outs. Running clock the entire 2nd half. We've seen these match ups a billion times. So here it goes...and this is what we are likely to get in each one of these blowouts just as we have the past 8 years. Belly, trap, jet sweep until it is 28-0 or 35-0. Then 2 series of spread/shotgun passing game. Then subs and a running 2nd half clock. THROW THE FREAKING BALL 30 TIMES in these three games. Get up 7-0 or 14-0 with the same ole belly, trap, jet sweep and then throw it every single down, PERIOD!
If FH is not going to get their QB, their OL, their receivers practice in a real game situation throwing the ball, I can assure everyone that when a Friendship Collegiate or a Dunbar comes up and shuts down the run, it's trouble all over again. Expect the QB to play like a deer in headlights because he is a deer in headlights. For the life of me I just do not understand why you don't throw the ball continuously against these lesser opponents. Even when the passing game is going 3 and out against these teams, you better rep and work through it. Because if the passing game is going 3 and out against Silver Oak, forget it when a top rate team comes up. I don't want to see spread/shotgun every snap. Use the same formations FH uses 98% of the game when they throw it. I've seen this process play out a long time now. Luckily for FH the four years they won the state title, they had no cause to throw it in the post season. They will if they get to Dunbar again. They don't need to throw it 12-15 times, but when they need to it better work to some degree. Which leads to...
No one is asking FH to throw the ball more, that's stupid. But you have to rep your kids through a passing game against these weaker opponents. 30 passes a game at least. The final margin of victory is not relevant. Give your kids a chance to rep through the mistakes and awkwardness that exists in their passing game.
Hopefully I did not offend anyone playing armchair QB. I play armchair QB watching NFL. It's part of the fun. The FH lagging passing game cannot be blamed on any one person or any one position or any one coach. It's all one big conglomerate of issues right now in every facet.
On the plus side, Todd has done an absolute amazing job with this OL. I think most, including coaches, were all a little concerned just a month ago with all these new faces. And coaches have this defense flying man. They get after people. Other than one drive tonight, which was aided by a totally bogus pass interference, Hollidaysburg could not muster squat offensively. As for Danny King, nothing needs to be said, just watch the kicking/punting film. Someday we will all say we knew him when. And he is actually an incredibly good pass defender at safety when they call his number.
In 82 years of FH football, the passing game has never been a first thought says Capt. Obvious. The Sentinels have racked up a ton of wins and championships by running the football...that's what they do 92% of the time on offense. So when it comes time to pass it's usually an awkward looking process. Through 3 and a quarter games this year it's been pretty bad. Allow me to play armchair coach. That's what makes football fun for the fan, not an intention to make someone look or feel bad.
WHAT'S THE PROBLEM WITH THE FH PASSING GAME?
1. No play action passes - we will come back to that one. It's a biggie.
2. The scheme is totally insufficient
3. The pass routes are horrible
4. The line is not protecting
5. The QB is uncomfortable and gun shy
6. No reps
1. So FH runs the ball 15 times out of every 16 plays. And there is no play action on the passing plays? Zero times against Hollidaysburg. Maybe once on a half attempted fake jet sweep. As for tonight, why would you be going spread/shot gun when they wanted to throw the ball against Hollidaysburg? It's like, OK defense...we are throwing the ball now. On a 4th and 3 and FH went shotgun/spread it was like say what? When you play action you suck the defense in. Those defenders are flying to the ball to stop the run. If FH is going to throw the ball, stay in the same tight wing-T formation. Send the halfbacks and TE out in patterns off play action. Keep the defense guessing. Don't show your hand when you want to throw. The bottom line, if FH is going to find any pass success they have to be in their usual formation with the defense 100% thinking run, period. I get the spread/shotgun in a 2 minute drill. But not every time you want to pass during the course of a game.
2. Don't roll a right handed QB to his left, on the weakside to boot. If you are going to roll, go right behind that big OT. The scheme is set up to run the ball. They generally only throw on obvious passing downs i.e 3rd and long, 2nd and very long. The wing-T with 10 men in the box is not a scheme set up to throw the ball. That's fine, FH wins game using this system. That's why play action and screens have to used, but they are not. They have two receivers running fly routes, nothing short over the middle. If you notice tonight, the only success at all in the passing game was the quick hit pass to the split end with blockers in front. It got good yardage both times.
3. Watch the film of every FH pass so far this season. No one is open. OK, not every time but most every time. Or they have two receivers running routes in the same area. Why is the first read 15-20 yards down field? Can't the halfbacks get open short? There is no other option for the QB other than to take off, take a sack or throw it away/up for grabs.
4. When you don't throw the ball but 4 times a game, you cannot expect an inexperienced OL to be superior pass protectors. The FH QB literally has 3 seconds at best and a defender is on him. You work out of that by skipping to item #6 below.
5. QB Blake Beal doesn't look comfortable in the pocket in the least. He is not looking at receivers, but at the pass rush like we saw with the QB vs. Friendship and Dunbar last year. The first instinct is to take off running. His receivers are covered most of the time. He is not setting his feet and he is gun shy now. I believe if you put this kid or last year's QB on the field and just run some pass drills like FH does at pregame, they can make the throw anywhere on the field. But that's obviously not the same as when the ball is snapped in real play. I really don't know if there is another QB on any FH roster the past decade or so that would not have difficulty in the situation we are seeing now. Which will all be explained and summed up with the last point: They have taken Blake as a first time varsity starter, gave him 10 snaps in the Quad scrimmage, a half of snaps in the 2nd scrimmage and then stick him in a game and more or less say throw it on 3rd and long.
6. NO PASSING REPS!!!! Here comes my biggest and most monstrous armchair QB complaint. FH is now 3-0 on the year with three of the next four games being against opponents where FH can literally name the score. Blow outs. Running clock the entire 2nd half. We've seen these match ups a billion times. So here it goes...and this is what we are likely to get in each one of these blowouts just as we have the past 8 years. Belly, trap, jet sweep until it is 28-0 or 35-0. Then 2 series of spread/shotgun passing game. Then subs and a running 2nd half clock. THROW THE FREAKING BALL 30 TIMES in these three games. Get up 7-0 or 14-0 with the same ole belly, trap, jet sweep and then throw it every single down, PERIOD!
If FH is not going to get their QB, their OL, their receivers practice in a real game situation throwing the ball, I can assure everyone that when a Friendship Collegiate or a Dunbar comes up and shuts down the run, it's trouble all over again. Expect the QB to play like a deer in headlights because he is a deer in headlights. For the life of me I just do not understand why you don't throw the ball continuously against these lesser opponents. Even when the passing game is going 3 and out against these teams, you better rep and work through it. Because if the passing game is going 3 and out against Silver Oak, forget it when a top rate team comes up. I don't want to see spread/shotgun every snap. Use the same formations FH uses 98% of the game when they throw it. I've seen this process play out a long time now. Luckily for FH the four years they won the state title, they had no cause to throw it in the post season. They will if they get to Dunbar again. They don't need to throw it 12-15 times, but when they need to it better work to some degree. Which leads to...
No one is asking FH to throw the ball more, that's stupid. But you have to rep your kids through a passing game against these weaker opponents. 30 passes a game at least. The final margin of victory is not relevant. Give your kids a chance to rep through the mistakes and awkwardness that exists in their passing game.
Hopefully I did not offend anyone playing armchair QB. I play armchair QB watching NFL. It's part of the fun. The FH lagging passing game cannot be blamed on any one person or any one position or any one coach. It's all one big conglomerate of issues right now in every facet.
On the plus side, Todd has done an absolute amazing job with this OL. I think most, including coaches, were all a little concerned just a month ago with all these new faces. And coaches have this defense flying man. They get after people. Other than one drive tonight, which was aided by a totally bogus pass interference, Hollidaysburg could not muster squat offensively. As for Danny King, nothing needs to be said, just watch the kicking/punting film. Someday we will all say we knew him when. And he is actually an incredibly good pass defender at safety when they call his number.
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