Run-pass option reads

Setup

1. Contact level: thud. Linemen block at thud, the ball carrier stays up and nobody goes to the ground. The QB wears a red jersey and is never touched.
2. Full helmet and shoulder pads, and a coach watches every rep. Count this drill towards the week's limit on full-contact time.
3. Offence: five linemen, QB in the shotgun, RB offset, a slot (H) and a wide receiver (X). Defence: four linemen, two linebackers (M and W) and a corner.
4. Mark the line of scrimmage with cones. Agree the downfield limit for your rules (1 yard in the NFL, 2 in US high school, 3 in college).
5. The diagram shows the read side only; add the backside players when you go full team.

How it runs

1. The play is inside zone with a slant from H. The QB reads W, the defender who has to choose between the run and the slant.
2. If W steps down to fill the run, the QB pulls the ball and throws the slant into the space W left.
3. If W stays wide or drops under the slant, the QB gives to the RB.
4. Linemen block the run every time. They must not go past the downfield limit before the pass is thrown, or it is a penalty for an ineligible player downfield.
5. Start with a walk-through so the QB says the read out loud, then run it at full speed with the defence told to mix their answers.
6. Run 12 to 16 reps, then swap the read side. A coach behind the QB checks every decision.

Coaching points

• Eyes on W from the snap, not on the slant. The defender tells the QB where to go.
• Ride the mesh with the ball in the RB's belly; decide before the RB's back foot passes the QB.
• Pull and throw in one motion. A late throw puts linemen past the downfield limit.
• RB: carry out the fake hard every time, even when the ball is pulled.
• H: win inside on the slant and expect the ball early, just behind W's original spot.
• Linemen: block it as a true run. If the QB holds the ball, stay at the line until the throw.

Common mistakes

• Deciding before the snap and ignoring what W actually does.
• Holding the ball too long after the pull, so linemen drift downfield and draw a flag.
• Loose ball at the mesh because the QB and RB both grab for it.
• Throwing the slant into W when W has dropped under it.