FUNDAMENTALS OF A SUCCESSFUL FORWARD PASSING GAME.
The forward pass has now been a part of offensive football for fifteen
years. In spite of that fact few teams have developed anything like a
consistently successful ground gaining forward pass attack. Apparently
many regard the forward pass simply as a valuable threat, something for
occasional use, something to take a chance with, something the
possibility of which makes the _real_ game still workable. To a large
degree this has been the attitude of the larger colleges. In general
they have frowned on the forward pass; opposed it, sneered at it, called
it basketball and done what they could to retard its adoption. It has
taken away from them the advantage of numbers, weight and power, made
the game one of brains, speed and strategy--even if you please like
baseball, luck,--rendered the outcome of their _practice_ games with
smaller colleges uncertain. Why should they have hastened its
development? Rather it has been the smaller colleges that have found in
the forward pass their opportunity, which have developed its
possibilities until now the larger ones as well are turning to it as the
final means of winning their big game.
It is doubtless fair to say that the early development of the forward
pass was largely due to two teams, Springfield College of the Y. M. C. A.
and the Carlisle Indians. Their game in 1912 at Springfield is said by
competent experts to have been probably the greatest exhibition of open
football ever staged. It is doubtful if two such finished exponents of
the open game have ever met before or since. To Coach J. H. McCurdy of
the Springfield team goes the honor, in the writer's judgment, of the
early recognition and development of the strategy of the forward pass,
for in this respect at least, Springfield excelled even the wonderful
Indian teams produced by Glen Warner. No one team can longer claim a
leadership in this or any other department of the game, but it is fair
to say that the Springfield team has continuously demonstrated an
unusual aptitude for the forward pass and a high degree of leadership at
least among the Eastern teams.
It is not strange, in view of the fact that the great leaders of
football have not taken more kindly to the forward pass, that its
underlying principles have not been more thoroughly worked out and
organized. It is the chief purpose of this work to state if possible
some of these principles and fundamentals to the end that the open game
of football, always in the past and still to some extent opposed by
certain groups, may be better understood, more successfully coached and
more firmly and thoroughly established.
REGULAR GROUND GAINING PLAY.
The first fundamental of a successful forward passing game is that the
forward pass should be used as a _regular ground gaining_ play and not
simply, as so many teams seem still to do, as a sort of last desperate
chance. With many teams the attack may be summarized practically in this
manner: first and second down, runs; third down, forward pass; fourth
down, kick. And then they wonder that the forward pass doesn't succeed
and stigmatize it as a dangerous, treacherous and unsuccessful play!
Rather a team must have the confidence to use it often on first and
second downs, and even on special, occasions on a fourth down. Not only
that, but it must be used frequently, persistently and continuously.
Nothing more disturbs the morale of defense than a series of forward
passes, some of which succeed even though a considerable proportion of
them are incompleted. There is always the danger that one may succeed
and get away! What proportion of the running plays are successful in the
modern game? No statistics exist. If the forward pass were tried
anything like as persistently as the running game, unquestionably its
percentage of success would greatly increase.
On this basis the pass should be used for short as well as long gains. A
running play that gains two and a half to three yards is regarded as
successful. Why should not the pass be used in the same way? Passes that
give little or no gain in themselves, but put the receiver in position
for open field running, and at least a few yards gain, disorganize the
defense, eventually make the long passes successful, spread the defense
so bucking becomes possible, and contribute generally to making the
forward pass a regular ground gaining play--a part of the regular
attack.
PASSER WELL BACK.
The early successes of the forward pass were secured almost solely upon
the principle of putting the passer a distance of fifteen yards back,
then letting the opposing line come charging through absolutely without
resistance. Practically the whole offensive team was sent down to
receive (apparently) the pass, thus confusing the defense as to who was
eligible and furnishing interference as soon as the pass was completed.
By actual experiment it was found that a distance of thirteen to fifteen
yards was necessary. Although lines are more wary and experienced today
than formerly, this single piece of strategy is still very valuable.
Many teams are failing with their passes simply because their passer is
not more than seven to ten yards back. The greater distance gives a
short but _vital_ length of time for receivers to get free and for the
passer to pick out the open man. It also gives a longer time for running
sideward and forward, helping to confuse the defense as to whether a run
or pass is really intended. Add to this the fact that with the greater
distance back little or no protection need be given the passer, it
becomes clear that though many plays can and will be built with the
passer up close and running back only the necessary legal distance, a
big distance back is an important fundamental.
This at once brings out the importance of the spiral pass back from
center, and the ability to make, when desired, a long forward pass of
from fifty to sixty yards. Unless the snapper-back can make a
consistent, accurate, speedy pass to a distance of fifteen or more yards
and can accurately _lead_ his passer, no advantage is gained by this
distance back. Many teams have failed to put their passer the necessary
distance back because, though they did not recognize the real
difficulty, their center was not adequately getting the ball back to
him. Consequently the passer was instinctively creeping up closer and
closer, being hurried in his passes and often failing. The spiral pass
back from center is an absolutely fundamental requisite for a successful
forward passing game.
The ability also to make long passes is fundamental. With the secondary
defense playing ten yards back and possibly covering twenty yards more,
with the passer fifteen yards behind his own offensive line, the pass
going outward at an angle must often travel fifty-five yards to clear
the secondary defense. Although such long passes need not often be used,
the knowledge that the offense possesses the ability to make them is
necessary to keep the secondary defense back so that short, sharp passes
may succeed for the disconcerting gains of the regular ground gaining
attack.
KICK, RUN OR PASS POSSIBLE.
The ideal forward pass formation is one from which a kick, pass or run
is possible. As the play starts it should be difficult to diagnose
whether a run or pass is intended. In fact, as a team becomes finished
in its performance it may often switch in its intention, running out a
play on the call of the passer that was intended for a pass, because the
defense laid back and waited; and conversely, though not so often, a
pass may be made to an open man on the call of the passer, though the
signal called for a run. This represents high art in team work but it
can be developed. Much depends upon the alertness and head work of the
passer in this connection. Such changing of plan should not be allowed
in the early season, but it may be encouraged later as the team becomes
unified and comes to know itself. Such a combination, operating with
basketball intuition, becomes exceedingly difficult to stop.
If in addition to this a kick is occasionally worked on something
besides the fourth down, the game becomes a real test of wits.
Naturally not every forward pass will be "pulled" from an ideal
formation. Many splendid forward pass plays can be built up from
ordinary close running, bucking formations.
ALL ELIGIBLE MEN OPEN--"CHOICE" VS. "MECHANICAL" METHOD.
An occasional forward pass play is developed where only a single
eligible man is open to receive the pass. Such a play depends for
success upon its speed of execution, its unexpectedness and its
similarity to other regularly used running plays. A few such plays
should of course be included in the team's attack, but they are the
exception and when successful are so because of that fact. They the more
strongly emphasize the fact that as a general principle a regular
forward pass play should aim to get as many eligible men as possible
open to receive the pass. These men should be so spread that they cannot
all be covered by the defense. The passer then selects an open man or
the _best_ open man to whom to pass.
This method puts great responsibility upon the passer. It fits in with
the idea of putting him well back and giving him as much time as
possible to make his choice. It requires a passer of special mental
type, and one of considerable basketball ability who can dodge and get
his pass off accurately even when apparently covered. The ease of choice
can be much facilitated by having an order for each play in which the
passer is to look for possibilities. The first choice should always be
the signal called. That play should always be made if it is at all
possible; in early season and during practice it should be executed
whether possible or not. But as the passer develops ability he should be
allowed when the pass signalled is covered to select second, third and
even fourth choices, and the order of looking for the choices should be
so arranged that a quick sweep of the field in front of him will give
the passer his open men.
Not all coaches agree to the principle outlined above. Many have had
difficulty in finding passers who could make the choice required. They
have felt, therefore, that plays had to be designed to special men,
calling these men to special zones, one time one place, next time
another place, and then the play made as quickly as possible to this
special man. If the defense was confused and the man got loose, the play
succeeded (barring mechanical failure); if he did not it failed. This
represents a purely mechanical method. It harks back to the "old" game
where everything was as mechanical as possible and there was little need
of brain power and little occasion to make quick decisions. The quarter
made the decisions; the player did _what he was told to do_. The new
open game is not played that way; it opens up a world of choice and
possibility to the player. Therein lies its greatly increased mental
value.
The big reason that many coaches have failed with the "choice" method
of passing is that their plays have not been so designed as to give
their passer the necessary time for making a choice. They have allowed
the defense to "hurry" the passer. Some of the methods of preventing
this have already been indicated. Occasionally it may happen that a team
possesses a passer of great ability who cannot work the "choice" method.
For such a player "mechanical" plays must be built. But the
probabilities are that many men would develop this ability if they were
given practice and the opportunity.
CALL THE RECEIVER BEFORE PASSING.
It seems a very simple matter to say that the receiver should be called
_before_ the pass is made to him. It seems so simple that time is rarely
spent in practicing it. It is assumed that it will be done, but in
reality it is _not_ done. The usual thing is for the passer to hurl the
ball into the air and yell "ball." Let any coach actually insist once on
his passer calling his man _before_ he passes to him and see what
happens. And yet this is exactly the thing that will change the forward
pass game from a happy-go-lucky chance into a mathematical probability.
When the passer calls his man _before_ he passes he knows what he is
trying to do, the team knows, the receiver is given more time to get
into position, he is then given a better chance to catch the pass and
the rest of the team are given a chance to form interference. It is a
small thing to count as heavily as it does, but it is one of the small
things that make success.
KNOW WHERE THE RECEIVER IS TO GO.
Have it clearly worked out on every pass play where each eligible man is
to go. This is equally true in fact for every man on the team, for
_every man on the team has something to do on a forward pass_. It is
just as important on a forward pass play that each eligible man know
where, when and how he is to go as it is on running plays for the
interference to know whom they are to take. This is where the mechanical
part of the "choice" method of passing comes in. To a surprising degree
this can be almost the same on all plays. It will of course vary
somewhat with the style of defense met, but again surprisingly little.
The eligible man should seldom go directly to the spot where he will
receive the pass if it comes to him. At the proper instant, which should
be pretty definitely timed for everybody on each play, and always at the
call of the passer, the receiver should turn and race to the spot where
he knows the ball will be thrown. This spot should have been previously
worked out so that the passer "leads" the receiver, the latter being in
better position to catch the ball and on the dead run. This should also
be so worked out and the preliminary run of the eligible man such, that
the receiver will get the ball with his body between the ball and his
covering opponent. Receiver and opponent should never be crashing
_together_ when struggling for a ball. It is not only dangerous but poor
strategy.
In working out the above possibilities some eligible men may often be
used simply as decoys going perhaps almost straight toward the defensive
halves and forcing them to cover them, making other eligible men more
surely available for the pass. In case the defensive halves, however,
refuse to cover these decoys, they should immediately be given the pass.
Between combinations of this sort and the problem of determining whether
a pass or run is in process, the position of defensive half in modern
football is one compared with which the "dizzy corner" in baseball is a
bed of roses. The fact is that a team with anything like a mechanical
perfection in the passing game, and any ability to select its men as
above indicated, simply cannot be stopped in mid-field. The greatest
single fault and the one thing that stops most teams, outside of
mechanical failure, is the failure of eligible men to spread widely
enough. Too often two or three eligible men go to the same zone or area
and a pass to any one of the three can be covered by a single defensive
player. Instinctively every man on the offense tries to be where he
expects the ball to go. It must be drilled into the players that their
"business" may be decidedly elsewhere.
INTERFERENCE.
Finally, plan definitely for interference after the pass is completed.
This is particularly true for the shorter passes. Insist that every man
is in every pass play. There is great temptation for linemen to "take a
day off" when a long pass is called in which they are not likely to
figure. But they should either be protecting the passer, making it
possible for him to better choose his open man, or down with the
eligible men in the shorter zones ready for immediate interference in
case that pass should be elected. This should be definitely mapped out
with each formation and the receiver should know where to find
interference behind which he can dodge the instant he has received the
pass.
INTERCEPTION.
The danger of interception, though much over-rated by many, should be
carefully guarded. The interception of a long pass often means nothing
worse than punting to the other team would have meant. Possession of the
ball does not count for as much as in the old game. It should never mean
worse if the danger of interception is properly guarded. Too often,
however, it means a touchdown for the defense.
In the first place when the receiver has been called every other man on
the offense should instantly become alive as a possible interferer or
possible protector in case of interception. It is a preparedness, mental
and physical, that is desired that in itself would probably prevent half
of the touchdowns now made by interception. A pass doesn't _finish_ a
play, it simply starts it--and it may _start it either way_.
In the second place all line men and eligible men in the shorter zones,
who perhaps can be of no assistance on the longer pass, should the
instant they find the long pass in process act as if they expected it to
be intercepted.
Finally the passer himself and his immediate protectors should, the
instant the pass is off, cover for possible interception. They are the
last and possibly by far the most important "safety" in case of
interception.