Welcome to “Understanding Football with Joel Klatt,” a YouTube exclusive series where I explain all the football-related terms I talk about every weekend on FOX’s “Big Noon Kickoff” broadcast.
We kicked off the series by talking about defensive pass coverages. In this installation, I’ll discuss quick-game passing concepts.
We aren’t teaching plays. I’m teaching you these concepts as if you’re the quarterback. In quick-game concepts, the quarterback should only drop back three steps if he’s under center or a step if he’s in shotgun. I also need you to understand three things in this lesson: what the concept is, how it works and why we’re running it. If you can understand those three things, then you can be successful as a quarterback.
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Let’s get into it!
Dragon/Lion
What’s the personnel for the Dragon/Lion concept?
There are three wide receivers, a tight end and a running back.
What is the “dragon” in this concept?
The first call of the concept, dragon, is always on the strong side of the offense, which is the side where the tight end is aligned on. In the example I point out in the video above, the tight end runs a flat route and the wide receiver on the strong side runs a slant route behind him.
What is the “lion” in this concept?
The second call of this concept, lion, is on the weak side of the offense. That means it’s away from the tight end and it’s double slants. Some will call the inside slant the “lookie route” because that wide receiver doesn’t totally bend toward the middle of the field.
Quick-Game Passing Concepts Explained
How deep should the routes be run?
It’s imperative that the tight end goes no further than 3 yards down the field in the Dragon/Lion concept. If he does, it muddies up the route for the wide receiver running a slant over him. The slant should be a three-step slant.
On the lion side of the play, the inside receiver has to run a more narrow slant up the field. The outside wide receiver must also run a three-step slant. As the quarterback, you have to trust that your wide receiver doesn’t get beat inside by the corner on the two outside routes.
How does the QB go through this?
As a quarterback, decide which side you’re going to play before the snap. You’ll play the lion side against open coverage (any coverage using two safeties leaving the middle of the field open) and the dragon side against closed coverage (any coverage with one safety in the middle of the field).
If it’s open coverage, I know I’m attacking the lion side of the defense first. My eyes have to go to the receiver on the inside first, running the lookie route. My next progression would be to the outside receiver. It’s imperative as a quarterback that you work this way and not backward so you don’t tip your hand to the defense. If neither receiver is open, you go to your third progression: the tailback.
If it’s closed coverage, you attack the dragon side. The eyes have to go to the tight end running a drag route first. If I don’t, you’ll never get to him in time. If the defender on the tight end gets width, look at the receiver running a slant above him. If those two progressions aren’t there, throw the ball to the tailback. If he’s not open, then the quarterback runs.
Why are we calling Dragon/Lion?
For starters, it’s good against any coverage. I’ve got an answer and a foundational piece I can read out. It’s also quick game and both concepts do a great job of opening up the slant window for the outside receivers. You can run it out of a multitude of formations, too.
Y-Stick (X-Tag)
What’s the personnel for the Y-Stick (X-tag) format?
There are three wide receivers and a tight end or four wide receivers to go along with a running back. Two receivers and a tight end or three receivers line up on one side of the formation.
What is the Y-Stick?
The Y is almost usually the tight end. He runs an out route on the right side of the formation.
What is an X-tag?
Tag means you can tag any route to add a specific route for one of the wide receivers outside of the called concept.
Quick-Game Passing Concepts Explained: Y-Stick (X-Tag)
What’s the QB’s first order of business with this concept?
The first thing a quarterback must do is to see if he has a one-on-one opportunity with the wide receiver lined up alone on one side of the field in the formation. If it’s clean coverage (one-on-one), pursue that receiver. If it’s dirty coverage (two-on-one), look elsewhere. If that receiver has clean coverage and is running a hitch or an Omaha route, they should be able to convert against jam or bump coverage.
Typically, the receiver lined up alone in this formation is the team’s best receiver. This is also where fade routes (quick version of a go route thrown on a three-step timing from the quarterback) come into the picture, as they aren’t typically called in the huddle. If the receiver alone is one-on-one against bump coverage, the route might turn into a fade.
What about the other side of the formation?
The foundation of this formation is with the three eligible receivers on the strong side. If I’m uncertain at all with the lone receiver on the other side, I can always go to any of these three receivers.
The outside receiver on the strong side of the formation has to use outside release. If he runs into the inside, the eyes of the corner turn inside, which is where all of his teammates are running from. This route is called a “love of the game” or a “bus ticket route,” which means you better run hard on the outside because it’s the only way this works.
The receiver in between the tight end or innermost wide receiver and the outside wide receiver should run a two-to-three route out to the flat.
As for the tight end or the innermost wide receiver on this side of the formation, he’ll run a stick route, as mentioned earlier. This route might not convert a first down, but this receiver can settle in a spot against zone coverage and run against man coverage.
The receiver running to the flat is first in the progression if the quarterback is looking at this side of the field. The tight end/innermost wide receiver is the second progression, while the running back is the third progression.
*Check out the YouTube video at the top of this page to get a complete breakdown and visual examples of quick-game passing concepts.
Joel Klatt is FOX Sports’ lead college football game analyst and the host of the podcast “The Joel Klatt Show.” Follow him at @joelklatt and subscribe to the “Joel Klatt Show” on YouTube.
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