Look & Arrow Flare

I would use the "look" or "now" pass here. No one else besides the X and the QB need to know this; in fact, you package it with run plays. The QB either makes an eye-gesture or a hand-signal behind his back to the X. The X takes one hard step up field (or almost in place, but sell taking off for a step) and the QB just steps back and throws the ball.

This way if the corner is off and the OLB is no threat, you get the ball out and tell your receiver to get upfield and get at least 5 yards. If he's a real good one he might even break the tackle. The beauty is it's not even an audible, all your other guys stay in the run play. You see this a lot in the Pros; it's a good concept. All you need to tell your QB is that the corner should be off to where we can get at least five yards. Tell him he's a thief and we're just looking to steal yardage.

As for thought process on the hitch/audibles/etc generally, I use the FEWAX approach for coaches but for the players it is much simpler. To start with, I don't go crazy with audibles. Generally, it is to get us out of a bad play: if we have a lengthy play-action pass on and they are in a blitz, we need to get out of it. If they are overloaded we need to flip the play or get into something else. (For a veteran QB we can package plays, but that's another matter entirely.)

But as far as getting in and out of quicks whenever you have 8 in the box I wouldn't really mess around with that too much unless you specifically package plays together.

As a final footnote, I like to use the spacing concept to the multiple receiver side and have the X run a hitch. The QB reads hitch to the frontside spacing (can also do this with stick). This puts the X one-on-one, and if they take it away you have a frontside flood. (This site has other info on spacing.) This is more of a called play though.


One thing that I've noticed Texas, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma doing this year in the quick game on the split side is to have the WR angle in for 5 yards and sit while the back swings.

They especially like this combo on the backside of "stick."

Oklahoma ran that combo several times the other night vs. OK State.