Pass Protection Scheme 101 - Part 2

Last week I talked about two forms of pass protection, man and scat. This week I want to go into the two variants of slide protections.

Full Slide
What it is: Full slide is a six-man protection where the entire offensive line “slides” in one direction or another. Normally, a RB/FB will fill on the side away from the slide (OL slides right, RB fills on the left). When utilizing this, I teach my OL that they are responsible for the space “from their nose to the nose of their partner”.

Pros: I think the plusses are many for a full slide – it is easy to teach as it doesn’t matter what the defensive alignment is, the OL doesn’t have to think. They only have to protect their area. As always, there are technique issues that come into play, but they are minimal. A full slide protects well against teams that like to blitz inside, as you have true OL filling those A gaps.

Cons: You have to commit 6 blockers. For that reason alone, I rarely use it unless a team insists on blitzing inside and we have no other way to counter that. Also, it tends to work better for 3-step drops because although the interior is solidified, depending on the matchup between your back and the edge rusher s/he is assigned to, you may not have time for the QB to take a full 5-step drop and look around. While a tailback may be OK against a 3-4 OLB (again, check your scouting reports), I highly doubt they’d stack up well against a 4-3 DE.

Half Slide
What it is: A combination of man on one side, and slide on the other. Generally speaking, the slide would start with the first uncovered OL. For example, versus a standard 3-4 alignment, let’s say the line is sliding right (the direction of the slide can be determined by play call, scouting report, center/QB communication, etc.). The LT would be manned up against the DE. The LG would be the first uncovered OL, so would start the slide. Therefore, you would have the LG, C, RG and RT for the NG, Mike, DE and Sam. The RB would have a dual read to the left, from Plug to Will.

Let’s say you had a 4-3 look. The LT would have the DE, the LG would have the DT. The C is the first uncovered, so starts the slide – you have the C, RG and RT for the DT, DE and Sam. The RB would have the Mike to the Will inside out.

Some teams free release the RB and run a blitz beater package to a predetermined side, away from the slide.

Also, when first installing this, it may be helpful to have the OL call out “covered (LT), covered (LG), slide right (C)” in the 4-3 example. At the high school level, we ended up doing that in game as well. We just had to make sure we made the same calls when doing a play-action pass.

Pros: Overall, this is a very fundamentally sound protection. Assuming the direction of the slide is easily communicated, it is relatively easy for the players to determine who they have or are responsible for. I’ve used this protection very successfully at all levels – high school, women’s and men’s semi pro. You see it throughout the collegiate and pro ranks.

Cons: It can be a little weak against a 4-3 or 4-2 team that likes to blitz inside. In those cases, the RB must be a stud and forcefully step up to meet the inside blitz. In Pistol sets this can be problematic. However, the use of the RB and the backside receivers in a blitz beater package can alleviate this if the QB is well-drilled in blitz situations.

There is one more protection that may still be floating around – the old “cup” protection, where everyone covers their inside gap and the RB’s fill in to the outside. I personally haven’t used or taught this one in several years as I hate what it means: you can’t protect your QB and need seven blockers to do it. Yes, it’s a pride thing.

Basically, you are blocking for a field goal. It does take 7 blockers, so you’re running a 3-man route at best. Make sure your RB’s are coming inside-out on the edge rushers. I suppose if you’re normally a running team and don’t have the time in practice to drill pass pro, this would be OK. But from a philosophical standpoint, this protection just makes my teeth itch.

That’s it….this has been a very high level overview of the various protections out there. There are certain schematic adjustments that may need to be made to some of them (especially in man and scat), and dual-reading by both an OL or RB’s take some drilling, but it can be done. There ARE ways to keep your QB upright, mobile and throwing with confidence.

Please note that I’ll be out on vacation next week, so look for the next update on January 29. Feel free to let me know about topics you’d like to see covered! See ya!