ky s air raid offense afca proceedings 1999

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Kentucky Offensive Staff Coaching Clinic Wednesday January 13

z

University ofKentucky

Guy Morriss

QuarterbacksCoach

Tony Franklin

Chris Hatcher

Offensive LineCoach

Lexington, Ky.

RunningbacksCoach

Kentucky's Air RaidOffense

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Diagram 3settle V$. zone

r:~:"ed, ! 17yd,. o,lio" i Mx O!O~O

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The X is responsible to run an up routeand get deep as fast as possible. He will bethe quarterback's first read, and 3-5 timesa year, we will hit this for a big play.The V works under the Sam linebackerand climbs over the Mike linebacker. If hewere to reach the opposite hash, he wouldbe at a depth of 17 yards, and if he made itall the way across the field, he would beapproximately 22 yards deep. Once heclimbs over the Mike linebacker, he maysettle in the open "grass" vs. zone coverage, or continue to run and snap off hisroute vs. man. He is the second read by thequarterback.The H will release outside the defensive

end and press up the field to 3-4 yards andrun an option route. He will stick his toe inthe ground and break hard outside orinside vs. match-up zone or man, and hewil l settle in the "grass" vs. zone. It is crucialto have a great option route runner. We'vebeen fortunate to have Anthony White fortwo seasons to run option routes, and wehave him back one more season in '99. Hehas caught 59 and 78 passes the last twoseasons.The Z will run a post-curl at 14-17 yards

on the backside. He will settle in the opengrass vs. zone. He is our fourth option onthe V-cross route.The F will check release and run a

swing as he did on the mesh route and willbe the fif th option. Both backs will check onall our 5-7 step drop back passes.The quarterback will read X on the up

first, V-cross second, H-third, Z-fourth, andF-fifth.The last play today is one of our quick

screens. This screen is good versus pressor soft coverage. The University of Montanahas been great at running this for years,

The quarterback reads high to low: corner (Z) NO.1, mesh NO.2, backs NO.3,while taking a 5-7 step drop.Another great play for us has been our

V-cross play (Diagram 3). We use this playseveral times a game from a variety of formations.

3 yds. deep settle in grass 6J:;~S settlein grassNUM$EAS ~~)

~._-----o 0 ~ 0 0 Y4-7yds.

$NUMBERSH F--~'"

30th backs will check-release the Sam::.:-j the Will before releasing. If they blitz,'=' Nill stay and protect.

~6bye;~:~:~~"up:/~o 0 0 OY ZH F 1"The "z" will run a corner route to a depth- somewhere between 13-23 yardsJspending on where the best "grass" is. Heust read the coverage on pre-snap, and

~s the route develops, be on the same:,age as the quarterback.The "F" will run a swing route, and must;8 as wide as the numbers. If the ball is on

:.~s near hash, he should get a little wider::-an the numbers. He must work hard to:: .'lays get to the numbers or he will clog up--9 mesh area. The F should also work-;, d not to gain ground upfield as he runs-8 swing.

he "H" runs a shoot route to a depth of= /ards when he reaches the numbers. He~ must widen if the ball is on the near

The "X" will be responsible for the"mesh" with the V and will go under V at thecenter. When X crosses V, he will settle in'he open grass. X and V both will continueo run if they feel man coverage and slightly bend their route up field (Diagram 2).

Diagram 2

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Kentucky Offensive Staff Coaching Clinic Wednesday January 13

To WR (_mm mnnn 0WR\\ I\ Center

\",,3This drill is done at one-quarter speed,

and allows many things to be accomplishedwhile warming up. In a ten-minute period,our receivers are catching balls while loosening their legs. Our quarterbacks areworking on the quarterback/center exchange, drops, and accuracy.

The quarterback will work with the center on the exchange, and then take hisspecif ied drop (e.g. three-step, five-step,and seven-step). Once he hits his last step,he will step up in the pocket waiting for thereceiver to face him. When the receiver isready, the quarterback will release the football aiming for the receiver's number that isfarthest away from the nearest dummy. Thistells the receiver which direction to turn.(Diagram 6) This process is continued witheach receiver taking turns. If you have morethan one quarterback, several stations canbe going on simultaneously.

Diagram 6

Settle/Noose Drill: This is the first drillthat our quarterbacks, receivers, tightends, running backs, and centers participate in once they run onto the field. Placingtwo dummies ten yards apart on the sideline sets up this drill. The receivers will l ineup behind one dummy while the quarterback and center line up on the line perpendicular to the sideline. (Diagram 5) Thereceiver will start in a good stance, andrelease on the quarterback's cadence. Hewill proceed to settle closer to one dummy,than the other. He will then face the quarterback with his hands in the noose position (thumbs together and index fingerstogether) ready to catch the football. Oncethe ball is caught, he will then turn straightup field.

OWR WR WR.

Diagram 5

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Coach Franklin has already discussed afew of our base patterns, and now I wouldlike to talk about how we actually teachthese routes and the fundamentals that areneeded to execute them properly.One can describe our offense as a well

coached backyard team. We firmly believein throwing the football short first , long second, and then run the football when thenumbers in the box are favorable. Anotherbelief of ours is to keep things simple andput our players in a posit ion to succeed. Wenever want to ask an athlete to do something that he is unable to do effectively. Inour offense, the quarterback is the key toour success. Since this is the case, wekeep our schemes very simple because wecan run only what he is capable of comprehending. So in our dealings with the quarterback, we follow four basic objectives:1. We try to be fair with him especially

the way we treat him in front of the otherplayers. The worst thing one can do with aquarterback is to destroy his confidenceand the team's confidence in him bydegrading him in public.2. We must also be firm with him. We

allow our quarterbacks to check plays atthe line of scrimmage when needed.However, by allowing this, we must let himknow that he better have good reason tocheck out of plays called from the sideline.In other words, we handle our quarterbackwith an iron fist and a velvet glove.3. We try to make football as much fun as

possible. We do not stretch or run sprints.Everything that we do is geared towardsplaying football. In fact, recently I had theopportunity to hear Coach Spike Dykes givea lecture. He summed it up in one sentence,'We do not work football, we play football."4. The most important objective is

putt ing emphasis on the importance of fundamentals. We work hard daily on footballfundamentals and feel that our attention todetail has allowed our offense to be amongthe nation's best the past two years.Our offensive schemes are very simple,but we try to become very good at the few

things we do. This is accomplished by getting as many repetitions as possible in avery short period of time. The two drills thatI would like to share with you today are thebasic cogs that make our offense go. Boththe Settle/Noose and Routes on Air aredrills specifically designed to make themost of your time while on the field.Remember that time is one thing that cannot be replaced.

This is a great opportunity and privilegefor me to speak to you today about theUniversi ty of Kentucky "Air Raid" offense.

along with many other screens. Their offensive coordinator, Brent Peace, is one of thesharpest minds in the country.The play-side receiver (wide) is respon

sible for driving up the field three hard stepsto sell the vert ical route, before sticking andretracing his steps behind the line of scrimmage and back towards the hash mark andquarterback. He should receive the ballbefore reaching the hash and turn up thefield inside the play-side guards kick-outblock (Diagram 4). It is important that hetrusts the guard, set up his block, and getstraight up the f ield after the catch.

Diagram 4#4

#1 #2: ~3 Fs

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~~~Q ( fake - f lash bal l)Throw on RythymThe inside play-side receiver will drive

vertical for half the distance of where thedefender will end up who is guarding theball-catching receiver. He will then stick andplant his inside foot, break sharp toward thedefender, and kick him out at approximately the time of the reception.Both tackles will lock on and pass-pro

the defensive ends. The play-side guard willpass set for 1001 count, and then releaseflat to kick out NO.2 (Diagram 4).The center will pass-set for 1001 count,

and release, to block the Mike linebacker.The fullback's fake will help hold the Mikeuntil the center can get there.The backside guard will pass-set to

1001 count, and release to block NO.4 orattack any lagging "trash" along the way.The Y will check the Sam blitz, and releaseto block Sam. The outside receiver awaywill fake quick screen, and then release toblock his corner.The quarterback will flash the ball and

quick fake his fullback; he will glance to theopposite side, set his feet, and throw onrhythm. The fullback will fake and block theman over the playside guard.This has been a great play for us for two

seasons. Thanks for giving me this opportunity to speak.

Chris Hatcher, Quarterbacks

Proceedings 76th AFCA Convention 1999 114


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Kentucky Offensive Staff Coaching Clinic Wednesday January 13 Routes on Air: This particular drill

involves everyone on offense except theinemen. Our receivers and running backs'ine up in a base formation. All five of ouruarterbacks line up side-by-side in a presnap position. If you do not have five quar:erbacks, just insert a coach or manager.cross from the line of scrimmage (35 yardine), seven dummies are aligned to represent a particular coverage that we will see. the game that week. (Diagram 7) The",xtra receivers will line up behind their-espective positions and wait for their turn:0 run the pattern.

Diagram 7

Ask your sports information director to mention your membershipand involvement in theAFCA in your biographyin your school's mediaguide.

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Diagram 11B B

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\"..p/p ,C{' ~/,'/"LOVIE"CALL"d ~H F

(F-READS HIS WAY OUT)

H F(H-READS HIS WAY OUT)

The scheme applies to three-step, fivestep, and seven-step protections. The baserule is the same, the only thing thatchanges is the depth of the set by the offensive line.I see that we are out of time. Remember

that any lineman can become a better passblocker if he has the courage, determination, strength, and wil lingness to work hard.Please allow us to be of any assistance

by calling the University of KentuckyYootball Office at (606) 257-3611. 1':9

sive line which tells them whic directionthey block (Diagram 10).

Diagram 10

If the halfback stays and blocks and thefullback is in the route, the halfback makesa "Louie" call to the offensive line whichtells them which direction to block (Diagram11).

B B, ,-"'" E \. T TiE /

~ ,,.P f? ex ~///~d "0,' "ROGER" CALL

W M Si : ; /'. E\T: TIE /

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Diagram 8

If defenses play our base set with six "inthe box" we must define where the Mikelinebacker is. If the fullback stays andblocks and the halfback is in the route thefullback makes a "Roger" call to the offen-

This drill has been very important indeveloping our passing game. In fifteenminutes, we can run everyone of our playsat least f ive times. Again, this drill allows usa lot of repetitions in a very organized shortperiod of time.

Guy Morriss, Offensive LineIt is a great honor for me to be here

today. Our offensive linemen must developa passion to become the very best passprotectors they can be. Becoming a goodpass blocker requires hard work, study,concentration, dedication, strength training,and most of all, patience. Repetition mustbe accepted as a way of life for the passblocker. We spend 85-90% of our timeteaching our linemen how to block, ratherthan figure out who to block.The beauty of our system is just how

simple it is. We have only one protection atKentucky. We do not slide, turn, or zoneprotect. We use a man scheme and striveto be one well-coordinated unit, as well asexceptional one-on-one individual passblockers. The scheme is easy to learn, easyto teach, and easy to adjust during the heatof a ballgame.Our base rule is as follows: The offen

sive line will block the four down linemenand the Mike linebacker. The fullback willcheck Sam to any strongside edge player,and the halfback will check Will to any weakside edge player (Diagram 9).

Diagram 9

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07yds. 0

~ 0HOnce everyone is lined up correct ly, theach will then call a play. All the receiversn their routes while all five quarterbacks

-'" e their drops. Each quarterback will- row to one of the five receivers. Each-eceiver will catch the ball, turn straight up" e field and sprint to the end zone. Our-eceivers are taught to never settle behind2. dummy, and our quarterbacks will never:;)row over a dummy.During this drill, the receivers will workproper alignment, stance and starts,

- d running good routes. Also by makingem sprint to the end zone, the receivers

are being condit ioned. The quarterback'splay is probably one of the most importantaspects of this drill. The quarterbacks willread each route in a certain progression.For example, the quarterback with the firstread will throw his ball once he hits his laststep. The quarterback with the fif th read willlook at the first four receivers before hereleases his ball to that receiver. Inessence, the balls will be released in atypewriter fashion. (Diagram 8) After thisplay is completed, then the next group ofreceivers will line up and replace thereceivers who just participated. The quarterbacks will rotate and throw to a differentreceiver. This process will be repeated fivetimes, so that each quarterback will throwall five routes. If the balls are not beingreleased in the proper order, then I knowthere is a problem with one of the quarterbacks knowing his progression of reads.

Proceedings 76th AFCAConvention 1999 115

ky s air raid offense afca proceedings 1999

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