My objective has been to present each phase of our offensive running game, which can be utilized against the various defensive alignments. Our offensive passing game will be discussed in [Chapter 8]. My philosophy is to keep the offense simple, be sound in our coaching, and never settle for anything less than perfection in its execution!
CHAPTER 8
Our Offensive Passing Game Techniques
The passing game is one of the two main weapons of offensive football. In order for your passing game to be successful, you must sell this phase of football to your players, and then have good protection, good receivers, and a good passer. These essentials of a good passing game go hand-in-hand, and no combination of any two is any value without the third.
THE PASSER
It is beyond the wildest expectation of any optimist to hope for a good passing game without a good passer. Therefore, select an individual who has the natural ability to throw. There are certain things one can and cannot teach a passer.
It was my good fortune to have Vito “Babe” Parilli at Kentucky, one of the finest natural passers in modern-day football. Since his motion was natural, we coached him very little, other than on the basic mechanics of grip, holding the ball, etc. I feel it is possible to over-coach the passers, just like the kickers.
The Grip
Assuming a boy has natural throwing ability, the first coaching point to teach is the grip. It is generally preferred for the passer to grip the ball with the point of his little finger touching almost in the center of the lace. We feel if the points of any of his other fingers touch the lace, he will be gripping the ball in the center (the roundest part of the football), consequently limiting his ability to get a good grip of it. A passer definitely cannot throw the ball properly if he grips it with the point of the forefinger, middle or third finger touching the lace. The grip is very important. The passer should not grip the ball as tightly in inclement weather as he ordinarily does under more ideal playing conditions.
When employing the T formation, the quarterback is required to fake with the football, and then set up to pass. Therefore, he must always bring the football back into his stomach after every fake. When the quarterback’s forearms are touching his hips in a relaxed position, he is able to keep the football closer to his body and it is easier to hide. During the faking of the ball, the quarterback should shift his entire weight toward the back, rather than toward the extension of the arms and the extended football. This, too, is very helpful to aid in hiding the football after the faking is completed.