Power Spread Offense: Combination Pass Game

with Matt Drinkall,
Army Black Knights Tight Ends Coach;
former Kansas Wesleyan University Head Coach;
2018 KCAC Coach of the Year;
KCAC Regular Season Champions (perfect 10-0 conference record)

In just his second year as head coach (2015), Coach Drinkall led Kansas Wesleyan to its best season in school history. Coming off a 2-9 season the year before, the Coyotes racked up a school-record 10 wins and earned a berth in the NAIA Football Championship Series for the first time since 2002. Coach Drinkall's offense ranked fifth in the NAIA in total offense and pass offense per game and was seventh in the country in scoring. Coach Drinkall served as offensive coordinator at Saint Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa for two seasons, guiding an offense that ranked No. 4 in the NAIA in scoring offense (44.2 points per game), total offense (505.9 yards per game), passing offense (326.3 yards per game) in 2013. He helped SAU reach the NAIA Football Championship Series three times (`08, `12 and `13).

PASS, PASS, PASS. So many teams are now shifting to a pass-first philosophy, but they struggle to put together a successful passing scheme. Coach Drinkall has a simple, but effective passing scheme that allows an offense to move the chains with high percentage throws. His offense has built-in answers and adjustments for any problems it may encounter.

Coach Drinkall explains the quick combination pass game that includes directional quick throw packaged with a drop back concept. Using game footage and PowerPoint illustrations, he explains and demonstrates key coaching points for each route, how and why to tag specific routes onto the play call, and the quarterback read progression in man and zone coverage while keeping the same blocking scheme for the offensive line.

Combination Pass Package

One of the biggest keys for success in the passing game is space. Coach Drinkall's passing scheme is developed on having the receivers spaced apart so that one defender cannot cover two receivers. His base pass play package gives freedom to the receivers to read the defense and find the open area.

Coach Drinkall explains the individual routes and how they are adjusted based on the coverage the wide receiver sees. Also, Drinkall explains the quarterback's read progression using a unique color coding method to make learning and execution easy on the quarterback.

Combination Routes

Once the base package had been practiced over and over, Drinkall adds combinations routes to the system to get his best players an opportunity to make plays. He explains how they adjust this route concept with tagging individual routes by specific receivers to take advantage of how defenses may try to defend this concept. This will confuse defenses and provide open routes to throw to for the quarterback.

The individual tags presented are hitch, slant, and option. Coach Drinkall uses game footage and a PowerPoint to diagram and explain how each tag is taught, and, he explains why each tag should be called according to how the defense is playing. Coach Drinkall demonstrates how the hitch tag can also be tagged with a play action fake to add an additional element to the play and to give the defense an additional look.

Once your players have learned the system, it is almost unstoppable.

62 minutes. 2017.