Hoping some of the coaches and posters who closely study technique, play structure etc can comment. I'm just wondering what you think about the playcaller calling an outside pass over and over with very poor results? Is the play there for us often at the onset but the blocking receiver gets beat often? Is it a numbers play where the Xs and Os say the play should work? I'm not looking for smart ass comments. We have an experienced playcaller, and what I don't understand is I see what I believe is MANY more sideline passes than I can remember ever seeing any offense run in my 30 years of watching football. What is it that our coach is doing with this approach? TIA.
Gurus: Swing pass
- Thread starter georgiacorn
- Start date
Trying to force defenders outside to allow better running lanes inside, hoping that we will get playmakers in space to make plays. Throwing it as a lead pass is good, too often we throw to the chest or behind the guy which slows momentum and ends in a negative play.
My $.02. In this offense it is numbers dictated, most of the time. We had a lot of success with this against Wisconsin dart/bubble and even against Iowa last year zone read/smoke. But yesterday, we couldn’t block the perimeter. I also think not having a legit threat like Stan to, at least somewhat, stretch the field vertically has really hurt.
From what I could tell, Iowa’s DB we selling out to stop the run. I though Frost was setting up the double pass, Luke’s Td was made from the CB looking to stop the sweep, and the WR got behind him. That said why try the swing 4-5 times? When Nebraska ran straight at Iowa is when they had the most success.
If you don’t have good consistent blocking wide receivers these swing passes to the sideline are wasted downs...
Which is exactly happened this past season..
Which is exactly happened this past season..
I am not a football expert, but the bottom line is the swing pass has to be the least effective play in the playbook the last two years. It looks like we block poorly, Martinez is so-so on the passes, and we rarely have a real gain in yardage. If we cannot correct it, let’s call a different play, Scott.
Yeah, horrible blocking and inaccurate passes often make this one a loser
ive noticed that quite often our receiver catches it turned backwards to line of scrimmage and has to turn around after an awkward catch and get belted every time.
when i've seen other teams complete swing passes it is typically in front of the receiver or right to him.
Yep, have to block better. One was a total missed assignment (think it was kade) where we doubled one guy and had nobody on the other. One was a total whiff by stoll, I think. Then Stoll inexplicably fell down on one that would have worked.
As mentioned, the lack of vertical threat hurts the success of the horizontal play, and the passing inaccuracy is as bad as the blocking. It’s been a slow and predictable play that defenses have stuffed with ease repeatedly.
It’s baffling why Frost has been so stubborn with it. Even if it’s a trademark of his traditional repertoire, he needs to either coach up the players better or move on from the play and focus on what has been working better (literally everything else).
Putting my new Ad all over the board now:
“The Nebraska swing pass: when you really prefer 2nd & 12”
It’s baffling why Frost has been so stubborn with it. Even if it’s a trademark of his traditional repertoire, he needs to either coach up the players better or move on from the play and focus on what has been working better (literally everything else).
Putting my new Ad all over the board now:
“The Nebraska swing pass: when you really prefer 2nd & 12”
Mazour also dropped one that was probably the most accurately thrown of the day, although he would have had to break six tackles to make anything out of it.
Other than the element of surprise, I don't understand throwing swing passes to Stoll. He's not a terrible TE, but agility is not a strong point.
To be fair, they had quite a bit of success with that quick hitter to Stoll last year vs iowa
After 20+ games, it appears to me that Big Ten defensive coordinators have become more familiar with Frost's formations and tendencies and have adjusted accordingly. One of those DCs is Iowa's Phil Parker who happens to be one of the best in the business and he had his corners very well prepared for those plays.
Frost declared that the B10 will need to adjust to his offense. They are.
Frost declared that the B10 will need to adjust to his offense. They are.
My memory is failing me - were those on swing passes?
I remember Stoll having some nice runs-after-the-catch on short passes over the middle, when he's already moving in the right direction. I don't remember any success on swing passes, but I could be wrong.
Yeah, we threw several swings to stoll, especially later in the game when we were rolling.
i wondered about the swing pass myself. So i watched a couple Oregon games, it sets up other plays . Spreads the d , so you can run inside
Adrian is not good at short little passes like those, so the wr is not catching them in stride as has been alluded to, the blocking has been poor, the numbers have been off, and he has been way too scared to call a vertical play, so the the only thing he could do is try to stretch them sideline to sideline.
We needed those vertical plays, but Scott actually acknowledges this by bringing in Luke for a single deep play with a roll out, and then goes back to Martinez.
This means Scott understood Adrian was struggling with that for whatever reason. It also means Scott understood and made the conscious choice to keep Adrain in and throwing those sideline passes rather than go deep with Luke.
We needed those vertical plays, but Scott actually acknowledges this by bringing in Luke for a single deep play with a roll out, and then goes back to Martinez.
This means Scott understood Adrian was struggling with that for whatever reason. It also means Scott understood and made the conscious choice to keep Adrain in and throwing those sideline passes rather than go deep with Luke.
It's not rocket science!!
The swing pass was easy to defend because we lacked the vertical pass game. Defenders could confidently jump our routes when every pass was thrown short.
If we'd actually throw a few vertical passes from time to time then we'd see the swing pass become effective. Go back and watch UCF and Oregon. Watch their swing passes and watch the vertical attack that complements it.
The swing pass was easy to defend because we lacked the vertical pass game. Defenders could confidently jump our routes when every pass was thrown short.
If we'd actually throw a few vertical passes from time to time then we'd see the swing pass become effective. Go back and watch UCF and Oregon. Watch their swing passes and watch the vertical attack that complements it.
Iowa safeties struggle with the switch concept which is why the play with Luke sprung Spielman wide open. if they get the concept right the second time Luke has a running lane. Frost was too prideful to try it again
They were trying to set something up downfield with all the swing passes. Iowa's defense is too disciplined for that and was ready (we did catch them with McCaffrey's TD though). What's terrible is Martinez couldn't deliver an accurate swing pass to save his life and regardless of blocking, the plays were dead when our receivers had to break stride just to catch the ball.
finally someone gets it. Iowa cheated that play each time. You have to have the threat of a run (two bring the slot CB or LB in away from bubble target) or a deep threat so the corner and slot aren’t cheating underneath.
We were putting our WRs out there to fail. Iowa was there each time
yes, we play against cover underneath just about every early down because no team respects our passing game. Basically, teams try to stop our run or short pass
It didn’t work but they saw something on film. The arm chair guys know better though.
After Nebraska had so much success on those swing passes last year in Iowa City, I was interested to see the chess match unfold. I thought no way would Frost do the same stuff..:he did.
Parker made the adjustment and had the CBs bring the contact to the WR’s and TE’s instead of allowing the blockers to get to them. If you get good push on the blocker and push them into the back field, it pushes the ball carrier back a yard or two and allows for safeties and LBs to get there.
Exactly. How many of those swing passes went for negative yards? All of them? Most of them? There were some passes in the flat to the running back (Mills) that worked, but that was different. Overall though I thought our offense moved the ball respectably against a good Iowa defense.
I’ve watched the same passes thrown at UCF. When you have speed, this is a really hard play to defend and as others suggested, sets up the vertical and run game. When you don’t have speed, you see negative plays.
This is right I think. With the right people the swing pass is deadly. But you have to have speed and the ability to block the perimeter. With Wandale out we had neither.
With Frost affinity for this play one would think we could actually get vertical.
The swing pass is our new "short side option". A play that does not work yet we continue to run it over and over.
Wasn’t that long TD to Washington in the Colorado game a swing pass?
I don’t remember it working other than that.
I don’t remember it working other than that.
We've thrown plenty of sideways passes that have worked all season. Maybe we should stop running inside zone too since that plays gets stopped a lot as well.
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