VERTICAL PASSING ATTACK

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Blitz
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A NEW STYLE OF OFFENCE IS NEEDED FOR TODAY'S CFL

Often, on Lionbackers, I emphasize that our Leos need to utilize a vertical passing game more often. A vertical passing attack does not mean that the quarterback is throwing a deep ball on each play. Rather it's a style of passing game that was once the favored style of passing attack prior to the introduction of the Calgary offence.

The Calgary offence was so successful at creating mismatches, by using five receiver and six receiver sets. The fifth and sixth receivers were often matched against slower linebackers. Crossing patterns worked very well against these slower linebackers as receivers were able to run away from them on crossing patterns and often turn up field for big games. The Calgary offence loved to spread the field and utilize the space provided by the wide CFL field, to get receivers open. It favored more of a horizontal approach to moving the football, with layers of crossing patterns at different depths, along with sideline (out patterns) or drag patterns underneath.

The vertical passing attack also allows receivers option routes (for example..both a post or a corner) or the ability on certain patterns to break the route or comeback at different depths, depending upon the coverage the defense is in...or the manner in which the defensive back is playing the receiver.

THE CALGARY OFFENCE NEEDED TO GET RID OF THE BALL QUICKLY OR REQUIRED A QUARTERBACK WHO COULD ESCAPE FROM THE POCKET

The Calgary offence was an offence that needed to get the ball to a receiver quickly because pass protection was a challenge, with only five offensive lineman blocking most of the time and the quarterback was usually lined up in a shotgun snap in the pocket. Hufnagel ran the Calgary offence with the quarterback lined up behind the center and the running game was more integral to the attack. However, Cortez liked to use the quarterback out of the shotgun.

The Calgary offence was really helped by escapable quarterbacks like Doug Flutie and Jeff Garcia. They could escape a blitz or pass rush and the time they bought meant that those receivers, mismatched against linebackers had even more time to get open. It made the Calgary offence look even more impressive and every CFL team tried to copy it.

DEFENSES ADJUST TO THE CALGARY OFFENCE

Defenses, continuously burned time and time again in the intermediate and short passing game, needed to adapt and they did. Defensive coordinators began to use zone more often and also zone blitzed this style of offence. They also began to take one, two, and even three linebackers out, going with nickel, dime, and eight backs. They often rushed only three players and dropped everyone off into coverage, flooding the underneath zones and negating the crossing patterns and underneath routes that were so effective. They also changed up by blitzing, knowing that the quarterback would be in the pocket and an easy target. They also knew that the offence would not challenge deep very often and took their chances.

Quarterback sacks piled up as defenses got to the quarterback or drives stalled as defenses choked up on the intermediate passing attack. Complex defensive packages added to the woes of offensive coordinators, disguised packages of combination zone/man and zone added addtional misery. Quarterbacks who were not mobile, like Dave Dickenson, took beatings.

DEFENSES GAVE UP SOMETHING TO ACCOMPLISH THEIR GOAL

However, defenses had to give up something to shut down the intermediate and short passing attack. They went with faster, lighter defensive ends while inserting huge nose tackles who were not as effective pass rushers. They weakened themself to the running game, especially off-tackle and outside. In order to shut down the intermediate and short passing game, they had less players covering the deep zones.

However, tunnel vision continued for offensive coordinators. Using single back sets and shotgun snaps they had difficulty running the football outside, where the lighter defensive ends played. They had difficulty throwing the football deep because the quarterback rarely had time to throw it deep, or was focused on his primary receiver underneath, or in seven or eight back situations the deep zones had at least two guys deep.

Defenses began to dominate the league, defensive turnovers increased, offenses had difficulty scoring in the red zone without an effective running attack, and offensive scoring went down in the CFL over the past few years.

OFFENCES BEGIN TO CHANGE

In 2007 we began to see CFL offences change and leading that change were our B.C. Lions. Hiring Hufnagel as a consultant and promoting Dorazio, an offensive line coach to co-offensive coordinator, our Leos began to favor the running game more often, began to incorporate two back sets into the offence, started to attack the outside with the running game out of the two back set and began to use more vertical patterns. Other offensive coordinators around the league also began to slowly adapt as well.

THE VERTICAL PASSING ATTACK

Utilizing more of a vertical passing attack does not mean that an offence throws the deep ball on every play. Rather, a vertical passing attack emphasizes different types of patterns when a defense is focused on stopping the intermediate and short passing attack. These patterns include fades, slant,go, stop, seam, corner, post, and comeback patterns.

THE QUICK VERTICAL PASSING GAME

A vertical passing attak also allows for the ability for an offense to use quick passes when they want or need to utilize them. Slants, arrows, and hook or stop patterns enable quarterbacks to use quick three step drops and be able to get rid of the football quickly and these types of routes enable receivers to get open quickly.

POWER RUNNING, PLAY ACTION, AND THE VERTICAL PASSING ATTACK

The best way to make the vertical passing attack more successful is with a power running game. A power running game forces a defense to adjust to stop it...or an offence will keep running the football successfully. That sets up play action and the ability for the quarterback to have more time to throw the football. Defenses hate play action and once a team has established that it can run it opens up the pass. If the passing attack is now successful it opens up the run. A balanced offence is the most difficult to defend and play action adds extra misery. Two back sets, utilized more often in the vertical passing attack, or single back sets with one or two tight ends, allow an offence to run both inside and outside, making the run much more difficult to defend.

Vertical routes also cause more fear for defensive backs. Crossing patterns, when completed, allow a defense to be able to pursue to the receiver. However, a mistake on a vertifcal route can lead to a touchdown. It creates more space for receievers.

CHAP BALL IS OUT

There will always be a need for offenses to stretch a football field, both horizontally and vertically. However, with defenses loading up on underneath zone and utilziing extra defensive backs and less lineman and linebackers the answer is obvious. Offenses need to run more and use more diversity in their running attack. Secondly, offences need to utilize more vertical patterns than horizontal ones.

Chap Ball is primarily a horizontal passing offence with a very vanilla running attack that likes to run inside the tackles with a single back used exclusively. The way of the near term future is to get away from this type of offence and exploit what defenses are giving rather than playing into their strength.

WRAP

The vertical passing game is a series of patterns which stretches the field vertically in different layers. It's the type of passing attack that will be most successful against today's CFL defenses.
"When I went to Catholic high school in Philadelphia, we just had one coach for football and basketball. He took all of us who turned out and had us run through a forest. The ones who ran into the trees were on the football team". (George Raveling)
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lion24
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I think going deep is important as well as it helps to open up the crossing routes and the shorter passes. Even a few deep balls that don't connect puts the doubt into the defence and then maybe Clermont won't get blown up every time he runs a crossing route.
Thank you for everything you did for OUR Lions Mr.Ackles, we will never forget you...RIP
rats2004
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Im confused. Chap didn't do anything in Edmonton and we hire him back. What's wrong with this picture
Blitz
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An interesting stat to show how Hufnagel is getting away from the old Calgary offence....he ran Reynolds 23 times against us in our opening season loss in Calgary...twice his average of last season. He also used him in the passing game...motioning him to the wide side of the field. Hufnagel plans to use Reynolds and the running attack a lot more this season and that will help set up play action for Calgary.

In the meantime we were back to a vanilla running attack in our first game and didn't run the football like we did last season. Buck was also sacked four times....and there is a tendancy to give up sacks when a team plays Chap Ball...as we saw by leading the league in sacks given up each season (2005, 2006) when Chapdelaine was our offensive coordinator. Oh..and last year Edmonton gave up 52 sacks under Chapdelaine while our Leos almost cut our sack total in half from Chap's previous two seasons, with only 32 sacks allowed.

One thing for sure, Jarious Jackson will look deep more often, no matter how many crossing patterns Chap calls next game...the question will be....will he have time to get them off??
"When I went to Catholic high school in Philadelphia, we just had one coach for football and basketball. He took all of us who turned out and had us run through a forest. The ones who ran into the trees were on the football team". (George Raveling)
TheLionKing
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Blitz wrote: In the meantime we were back to a vanilla running attack in our first game and didn't run the football like we did last season. Buck was also sacked four times....and there is a tendancy to give up sacks when a team plays Chap Ball...as we saw by leading the league in sacks given up each season (2005, 2006) when Chapdelaine was our offensive coordinator. Oh..and last year Edmonton gave up 52 sacks under Chapdelaine while our Leos almost cut our sack total in half from Chap's previous two seasons, with only 32 sacks allowed.
Interesting stat. I hope Buono and Shivers have some quarterbacks waiting in the wings because we're going to need them.
Blitz
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TheLionKing wrote:
Blitz wrote: In the meantime we were back to a vanilla running attack in our first game and didn't run the football like we did last season. Buck was also sacked four times....and there is a tendancy to give up sacks when a team plays Chap Ball...as we saw by leading the league in sacks given up each season (2005, 2006) when Chapdelaine was our offensive coordinator. Oh..and last year Edmonton gave up 52 sacks under Chapdelaine while our Leos almost cut our sack total in half from Chap's previous two seasons, with only 32 sacks allowed.
Interesting stat. I hope Buono and Shivers have some quarterbacks waiting in the wings because we're going to need them.
The amount of times we allowed our quarterbacks to be sacked, with The Chap as our offensive coordinator. was the highest in the league in 2005 and 2006. Last season we gave up the least amount of sacks until the final couple of games,when we had Dickenson back in there.

Four sacks in about a half of play on Buck alone last game....I don't like it at all...and it's not just the fault of the offensive line... :x
"When I went to Catholic high school in Philadelphia, we just had one coach for football and basketball. He took all of us who turned out and had us run through a forest. The ones who ran into the trees were on the football team". (George Raveling)
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