Current Arizona State Tight Ends Coach Jason Mohns led Saguaro to its seventh state championship in 2021 in Arizona including wins over two top 25 nationally ranked teams in the playoffs.
The way they get it done is through the execution of simple and sound concepts which are taught to their team in detail.
One area where every team can have the opportunity to attack a defense with the passing game is with the quick game.
This is something that has been lost in the RPO-laden offensive world. Of course, defenses have learned how to control the RPO game, and straight quick game calls can provide an advantage.
It’s a great way to get the ball to athletes in space with a high percentage throw. It also minimizes the need for an offensive line to hold up against pressure because the ball is out quickly.
The progressions are simple and effective, usually off of a single defender with simple rules.
Like any good offensive concept, you can dress up the quick game with a number of sets, widths, and personnel groups making it simple for you but complex for the defense.
Like the RPO, the quick game creates some great “open down” 1st & 10 and 2nd & 4-6 calls to move the ball down the field.
Coach Mohns explains the benefits of the Quick Passing Game in this video (click on image for video):
Video: Benefits of Quick Game
For Saguaro, the quick game starts with the stick concept illustrated below with slants on the backside:
A variation that attacks the defense in a different way, creating a high-low on the backside is the “Stab” concept:
A sure-fire way to get the ball into the hands of a shifty slot is to allow him to see the space and defeat defenders and that can be accomplished with an option or choice route which Mohns calls “Decide.”
The stick route takes on different personalities with how it is paired with the backside combo. The defense has to decide where they are going to create their numbers and slant, stab, and decide on the backside to allow the offense to leverage a defense in different ways.
Yes, the RPO does provide quick ways to get the ball out with its quick game components, but as Coach Mohns explains in the video, the benefits provided by straight quick game calls create an advantage for the offense.
Thank you to Coach Mohns for putting his “Must Have Quick Game: Stick, Snag, and Spacing”
presentation together which further explains these concepts with game film, as well as detailing the Snag and Spacing Concepts.
Consider how you can put a simple but effective quick game into your offense to continue to feed the ball to your playmakers in 2022.
