Fast Break Football

Fast Break Football

Tim Keating Head Coach Western Maryland College Westminster, Md.

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n behalf of Western Maryland College, I’d like to thank the AFCAfor asking us to contribute to the Summer Manual. We’re honored by the request and hope some of our experience can be of value to you and your program. Over the past seven years, we have enjoyed a great deal of offensive success. Most of the credit for our team’s success and three consecutive conference championships however, belongs to great defensive and special teams play. For example, in 1997, Western Maryland’s first conference championship in 37 years, our average starting offensive field position was our own 42 yard line. With only 58 yards to move the ball to score, our defense and special teams were doing a great job. Fast Break football has played a major roll in our offensive production. It is however, just a small part of our total offensive package. What is Fast Break? It is a term we have for multiple (three, four or five) wide receiver, no-huddle and hurry-up tempo football. It is one part of a three-part, no-huddle package. (Each part has its own distinct tempo.) It is well planned, often scripted and practiced daily. It is a big play offense, but ball control and long drives are not uncommon. It is primarily a shotgun passing offense, but a productive running attack makes it much more difficult to defend. Although Fast Break is hurry-up, it is seldom necessary to conserve the clock. It also has been a very effective way to attack most any defense. Fast Break reflects our offensive philos ophy, which is to take advantage of the skills and ability of our players, get those players on the field who are capable of scoring any time they touch the football and then put the ball in those players’ hands. [As chance would have it, we first inherited and have since attracted intelligent and athletically gifted quarterbacks and wide receivers. Having skilled players at these positions was and continues to be one of the reasons why we are frequently in multiple receiver sets and not huddling. Certainly talented runningbacks and tenacious offensive linemen add to the offenses dimension and productivity.] When do we use the Fast Break? The answer is almost anytime. With just a few exceptions, most teams seem to use a version of it only when they are trailing either late in the contest or to a lesser extent, at the end of the first half; the “two-minute offense.” Although we most frequently go to

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our Fast Break after a change of possession, we have used it the first possession of the game and the first possession of the second half, often with positive results. We have planned to use it for an entire game but fortunately for us, we never have. Our use of it varies from opponent to opponent, but customarily we will use it until we take a lead. We will always use it when we are behind, unless we are moving the ball and have a good opportunity to score before time expires in the game or in the first half. In this case we don’t want to allow our opponent any time to score, so we will still no-huddle, but in this case we will slow the tempo. Why do we use the Fast Break? Simply, we get positive results, but equally significant, it is very similar to the way we practice. The old cliché, ‘you play like you practice’ has a real meaning for us. For years, we have rarely huddled in practice. Initially we chose not to huddle to find more practice time. Class schedules prevented us from starting earlier. Cafeteria schedules and daylight haven’t allowed us to finish later. We wanted to get more accomplished. We needed to run more plays in a limited time frame. The best place to find time was to stop huddling and pick up the tempo. By practicing the past few years without huddling and at increased tempo, we have become fairly good at it. We have been able to transfer how we practice to how we play on Saturdays. The Fast Break has become an effective part of our attack. In the future, we will continue to no-huddle in practice because we will still need the time. However, most importantly we will continue to use the Fast Break because our players like it. As the no-huddle came to us out of necessity, so did the multiple wide receiver attack. Our personnel took us in that direction. We took over a team with inexperienced offensive linemen and no tight end or fullback. Accentuating the positive, we did have a talented quarterback, runningback and a number of good receivers. What we needed was an unconventional way to move the ball. We found it in the basic run and shoot offense. We had the personnel to make it work and it worked well for a number of years. Each succeeding year however, our opponents got better defending us. So we changed, believing if we did not we would miss the opportunity to get better. Over the past four years we

have evolved into a three, four or five-wide receiver, shotgun, throw-hot team. Somehow, we have effectively stayed a half step ahead of our opponents. The Fast Break is another step in the development of the attack. How does Fast Break challenge a defense? In our experience, when we Fast Break, we see a limited number of defensive looks. Opponents usually defend us in one of two ways. They either check to a base front and coverage or they blitz [usually constantly]. With our quarterback in the shotgun a good deal of the time, blitzing or base looks are easier to read. If defenses over commit to stopping the pass, which often happens when we’re in the shotgun, we can and will run. Some big plays have come from Fast Break shotgun runs. We also believe the hurry-up pace tends to fatigue defensive linemen. This benefit is most apparent in the fourth quarter. As with many other styles of offense, if a defensive coordinator does not see more than once a season, it becomes difficult to replicate in practice and therefore difficult to defend. In short, the Fast Break is just another offensive weapon. This one however, puts additional pressure on the defense by limiting their ability to settle-in and react. When we’re ready to implement the Fast Break, oddly, we will huddle on the sideline. We will do this with a mix of all our personnel groups. They don’t know who will be on the field next. After the personnel group and play is called, we will wait for the officials to give the ready for play signal before the team sprints on the field. They will immediately line up in the appropriate formation. The quarterback will have the ball snapped quickly after all eleven become set. When the play is complete, the quarterback will move toward and look at the ‘live’ coach for the next play. Meanwhile, the other players will line up in a default formation. This is a predetermined formation usually based on lateral field position and personnel group. Once the quarterback has the play, he will signal it to the wide receivers and back(s) and use code words for the blocking scheme and snap count with the line and back(s). The wide receivers usually don’t need to know this information. As quickly as possible after the official has signaled ready to play, the ball will be snapped. And so it goes until we score or accomplish our goal. When do we practice Fast Break? We practice it from the very first day in mid-

Diagram 1: Default Right

Diagram 2: Default Right

Diagram 3: Default Left

August through our last game. Six or more of our most productive shotgun plays are installed at our first practice. Many of those same plays were run in our second round playoff loss this past November. In addition, to practicing the components of the Fast Break (the no-huddle and quick tempo), we practice the Fast Break purposely every day during the season with specific drills. The drill we most often run we simply call the Fast Break drill. We will take between five and 15 minutes of practice time for this drill. This specific drill is run up to four times a day in preseason and twice a week in season. The first, second and if we are lucky and have a complete third unit all get at least one turn. We will run a script of personnel group plays (usually one back and four wides). These plays are run against air. The drill begins with the quarterback moving toward and looking to the sideline for the play. Once he has it, he will signal to the wide receivers and back what he wants. He will use code words for the back and offensive line for the blocking scheme and snap count. (The first few times we do this, all the information is called aloud and signaled. This helps in recall and memorization.) The offensive

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linemen are expected to make calls based on an imaginary front. They are also expected to run down field when the ball is caught, similar to a defensive pursuit drill. All wide receivers to whom the pass was not thrown are also expected to pursue the ball. The drill requires that two or three coaches accompany the team down the field. It is the responsibility of the coaches to spot the ball usually on alternate hash marks. The ball is advanced in varying distances down the field. When a coach spots the ball (usually very quickly), the team runs to that yard line and aligns in their default formation. The quarterback again moves and looks to the sideline for the play. The process is then repeated. When a pass is thrown, whether completed or not, we advance the ball. When the team approaches the goal line, the coach will tell the team to score in which case, the following play completes the drill. The coach may also choose to have the ball placed on the one-yard line and the quarterback has to come up with something on his own and quickly get the play executed. This has been an all to brief and basic overview of our Fast Break package. If it has stimulated any ideas or questions, we would like to hear from you. Please don’t hesitate to contact us at Western Maryland College. Thanks to Tim Landis, chair of the Summer Manual Committee, for thinking of Western Maryland. It’s been a pleasure to prepare this article. Best of luck in 2000.

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