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Coming from a power running background from when I first played the sport, I felt that this was the best way to win a game. Well It is and isn’t.

Early on I was put into various coaching roles that no one else wanted, one being Passing Coordinator. That experience was great seeing that I had never really bothered to learn the passing side of the offense being an offensive line coach. Many coaches view the passing game as more of a hindrance then asset. Like they say four things can happen:

1) Interception
2) Competition
3) Sack
4) Incomplete Pass

Three out of four of those actions are negative. Especially at the Minor league and Semi-pro levels time to implement an effective passing game is tough. With any level of football it is tough to get the time you need to run the routes and get the timing down.

Now it doesn’t matter if you run power I formation with two tights or if you run a single back field, you have how to throw the ball to keep the defense from loading up the box with eight or even nine players.

My solution to this problem was to create formations that spread the defense out. Now some coaches might disagree with me and give the excuse of exposure to QB sacks with the lack of protection, I disagree. If you come out with four wide receivers or even five then they can not blitz the same way as they would with those eight guys in the box. I learned from coaching the passing game that the hardest position to teach on any level is the defensive secondary. Those secondary positions rely a lot on athleticism and knowledge of the game, which on the lower levels most players possess one or the other but very rarely both. So as a coordinator why not take advantage of that? They do not need to be complicated routes, just ones that force the defense to defend the whole field. By keeping it basic for the receivers and Quarterback the time they needed to learn the routes and feel comfortable. If you need examples look at the Urban Meyer Offenses or the offense that Bob Stitt runs at Colorado School of Mines. Once you get that opposing defense to spread out then your running game will have room to breath.