Drag
Concepts
The
Drag Route Concept for a receiver or running back is major foundation to an
offense due to the versatility of this route and because of its efficiency to
both man and zone coverages. The drag route is a route over the middle of the
field that is a quick pass. There are two main routes ran in the drag concept
for a receiver, the tagged receiver and the free-release inside receiver.
The
tagged receiver is going to execute the drag route. The tagged receiver has two
options, go towards the opposite sideline or cut his route short once he passes
his offensive guard. The receiver will know what to do based on what the
backside linebacker does. Then, the receiver will run a full drag if the linebacker
comes up towards the line of scrimmage or backs down into coverage. While if the
linebacker moves towards the sideline (where the drag route is going towards),
he should then halt his route when he passes his offensive line. A full drag
route is described as, “Receiver should cut his split to four yards from the
end man on the line of scrimmage and set himself on a path to run out of bounds
on the far sideline six yards deep” (Gonzalez 59). Here we see that a drag
route is supposed to start in the slot position four yards from the last man on
the line of scrimmage and then head towards the sideline on the opposite side.
This shows me how to correctly run a drag route and how to make changes to my
drag if need be. From this, I now know when to change my route or when to cut
straight to the sideline in pick-up games.
(LB= Line Backer, D= Drag Route, C= Center, QB= Quarterback). Left: Short drag. Right: Full Drag.
The
free-release inside receivers’ job is to either run a “drive” or a “cross”. When the receiver is running a drive, he will
take an outside release to attract the closest linebacker while he runs upfield.
After his 12 yard drive he will then make a hard 90-degree cutoff on his
outside foot to create separation (Gonzalez 59). The drive route is usually ran
next to drag route so he crosses the drag route receiver at the start of his
route. The drive receiver is to cut towards the same sideline that the drag is
going towards. If the receiver is running a cross, he will line up on the
opposite side of the drag runner. He will then release 10 yards deep towards
the far sideline, pivot and return coming open behind the drag route (Gonzalez
59). The cross route is a diagonal cut through the field and then cut sharply
back into the middle of the field. The cross route receiver is usually lined up
on the opposite side if the drag route and the drive route. Both of these routes are used to create separation to either their route or the drag running across the field. From this I can
take in how to properly set up and execute a drag route so that it works and
runs efficiently.
(R= Receiver, C= Center, QB= Quarterback) Left: Drive. Right: Cross.
(R= Receiver, C= Center, QB= Quarterback, D= Drag) How a drag route concept looks like.
Which receiver do you think plays a bigger part in making
the drag concept function correctly? Why?
Gonzalez, Dan. Concept
Passing: Teaching the Modern Passing Game. Monterrey, California: Coaches Choice,
2009. Print.
I feel as if the player with the bigger contribution to making the drag concept works is the one on the left because he has more room up the field to be working as not having to worry as much about going out of bounds. while the right might pull away less attention I feel like they would have a harder time trying to get everything to pull together the way that the left receiver would.
ReplyDeleteHello Katie, I agree with you that the receiver running the cross route is a key component to making the drag route work efficiently. But, I personally think that the receiver running the drag route, the one on the far right, is the most valuable piece to this concept. This is because without this receiver there wouldn’t be a drag route at all which would take away the quarterbacks first read option in this concept. Also, if you have a receiver like Odell Beckham from the New York Giants or Antonio Brown from the Pittsburgh Steelers, they can create explosive plays from such a simple and easy route. We saw this in the Cowboys versus Giants game when Odell made a short drag into a 61-yard touchdown that ended up winning the game for the New York Giants. One play gave the Giants the win when they had done nothing offensively, which goes to show how important the drag route can be in any game.
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