Hi Matt Wyatt

Dear Matt Wyatt, could you comment on my content presented in this section. I really enjoy your content and wonder if my subject matter is considered when you do your great work?

Schemes are a static start to an offensive run or pass play. Let's compare an offense with primary 3 receivers to the open side hash marks and 1 to the short side. Also consider the ball in the middle with 2 receivers on both sides. This is the primary formation for either the spread or air raid pass attacks.

Both play books have similar architecture. For example, both have shallow crossing mesh plays where the receivers read windows on the run. Both have next level mesh plays with one receiver crossing at 10 yards and the other at 20 yards sometimes called midline flood where the quarterback does a high low read on a specific defender. Offenses can only run so many patterns off the formations be it spread or air raid? Both have contingencies to deal with great pass rush pressure.

So what distinguishes two pass attacks in which both basically line up the same and run similar pass patterns within a three second time frame window? I understand that check downs and swing passes are substituted for basic run plays at times in air raid. Don't defenses drop eight against the spread also? Don't both pass attacks read the run box to check out of a pass play?

I attended the Kentucky game and was pleasantly surprised. What excited me most was some limited schematic pass plays executed that extended drives on third down. The quarterback made up his mind pre snap and launched. About three times a Mississippi State receiver was closely covered yet won the ball and extended the drive. Also, Mississippi State receivers drew about three pass interference calls to also extend drives. These critical plays were executed because lower valued plays like shallow cross mesh and swing passes were not called or prioritized instead of the match-ups executed?

What is the difference whether those three contested completions, on deep patterns, and three pass interference calls, on deep patterns, were executed in the spread or air raid pass attack?

Back in 2009, I was the secondary coach at Southwestern College in the San Diego area. The receiver coach was Darnay Scott who started 6 or 7 years in the NFL. We would get a back-up quarterback who would throw passes close to my defensive backs at eye or chest level. Darnay would have his receivers run into the defensive backs strike zone in a controlled drill environment. The receivers would bounce into the defender and trap the ball on their body. If receivers are going to make brutal and painful catches, they cannot reach with hands, they need to pin the ball on the body by funneling it into them. The drill would start with defender supporting a pop up dummy, then defender with shield, then thud contact. Darnay was teaching receivers to move the defender off the spot. We would do this drill during service time a couple times a week. This technique cannot be used on linebackers on shallow cross mesh plays but can be used on defensive backs because of size and strength factors. When a receiver is drilled in this manner, he will find his spot or window, in air raid or spread, and run thru a defender, or move him off his spot, on a marginally accurate pass and make the quarterback right. This is a lot different than just running a pattern, short arming, and letting a defender blow up a receiver? Check out 19 year old Darnay Scott go thru a defender and correct a bad pass? YouTube file 1992 Darnay Scott timeline 3:02 of 9:42.

In 2016 against Auburn, an Auburn receiver actually executed this concept against Mississippi State. On YouTube, if you go to the 1st quarter on the 3rd and 7 play with 5:14 on the play clock, you will see the receiver win the spot by shielding the ball from the defender and the receiver is posturing for a big hit from the safety. Included in this communication is a YouTube link showing this on timeline 0:35 of 3:53.

Against Auburn in 2021 I didn't see Mississippi State receivers knock defenders off the spot, but I did see Mississippi State receivers shield the defenders from the ball while making contested catches. The Auburn defenders would have to run thru the receiver to get to the ball. Mississippi Stated receivers generated three pass interference/holding calls on the Auburn secondary just like the Kentucky game to extend drives again. The three strategic penalties are the byproduct of a contested catch environment. I found this exciting because this is growth in the passing game. Again, this causes the same effect whether an offense is spread or air raid.


I would like your comment on a play in 2018 between West Virginia and Texas Tec on YouTube. The play is in the 1st Quarter with 12:29 on the play clock. The defender is within one inch of the receiver and flat out gets destroyed by getting knocked off the spot. Later in that game another defender is leaned into and out reached 2nd Quarter 1:15 on the clock. The receiver is imposing his will on the defender? Would that effort be any different whether in the spread or air raid? YouTube link attached has this on timelines 0:37 and 7:45 of 18:41.

When an offense adds pre snap determinations in which the quarterback launches the ball into contested catches, this takes pressure off the offensive linemen because they do not have to block for a longer time period. Defenders can't get to the quarterback in time on those designated calls? Upper tiered programs at all levels have this concept in their game plans in case their offensive line is getting beat. In addition to getting pass interference and holding calls against the defense, there are fewer holding calls against the offensive linemen.

Is there any difference when a receiver executes this match-up technique in the spread or air raid pass attack? If receivers dominate, the quarterback throws good passes: if defender dominates, the quarterback throws bad passes? I have included three YouTube links as match-up examples with receivers dominating the spot contested by a defender with timeline indicators.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8ka-gaGB-k Auburn Receiver Timeline 0:35

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lg7VctCWhvA&t=60s West Virginia Receivers Timelines 0:37 and 7:45

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcffLTHc_zk&t=273s Darnay Scott Timeline 3:02