I have made it a point throughout my career to learn the sport from football coaches who are great teachers and present detailed information in a clear and concise way.

This principle has guided me in both my professional development as well as my application of learned concepts into a system that is player friendly because it is presented to in exactly the same manner.

One single play – broken down below – is the culmination of learning from three coaches who fit such a profile: Andrew Coverdale, the state champion offensive coordinator at Trinity High School in Kentucky; Dan Gonzalez, currently a high school offensive consultant; and a young coach with a great football mind, Josh Herring, offensive coordinator at Lassiter High School in Georgia.

Taking a concept that Herring has shared in his digitally enhanced book “The Squeeze Concept,” the spacing concept I learned from Coverdale a decade ago and a read progression and “navigation tag” that Gonzalez shares in his book, “The Blue Print.”

This concept is relatively simple to implement at even the youngest levels because the throws are short, the read progression are well-defined, and the protection is easier because of the quick timing of the throws.

The spacing side

The spacing side consists of three routes distributed in a way to create a horizontal stretch in the defense. As taught by Coverdale, spacing’ is a cousin of flat-curl family. However, it offers something unique in that it speeds up the timing of the flat-curl concept and presents a different challenge for defenses.

• Inside. The inside receiver splits three yards off the tackle and runs an arrow route with the goal to attract the flat defender’s attention and get him to run along. The technique is a bit different than a basic curl in that we emphasize width over depth. Take one 45-degree step then accelerate almost flat to the sideline, snapping the head around on the third step out of the break without slowing down. The receiver can turn up once he is five yards from the sidelines.
• Middle. The goal of this receiver is to hold second short defender and stay open if he flies by. Take a preferred inside release and aim for a spot six to seven yards deep and two yards beyond the defender’s far shoulder to help create spacing, then sit and face the quarterback. If the receiver feels the defender leave, slide as far inside as the next linebacker inside allows or just slightly outside if there is inside-out pressure.
• Outside. Aligned two yards outside middle receiver, this player runs a mini-curl with a slightly widened stem to create spacing. Burst beyond the flat defender as fast as possible to get out of his sight line, then run the top of the curl almost as if running around the defender. Use a speed break at four to five yards yards into a thin slant angle, drop the hips and accelerate back through the hole at 7 yards to present numbers to QB. Any sliding must be done after numbers are presented and to the outside, not inside.

Read more on spacing here and empty concepts in previous blog posts. Read more on Coverdale’s teaching philosophy here.

The squeeze side

The squeeze concept is a quick game concept that provides more of a standard cut than a slant with a five yard in route or “fin” from the outside receiver. The inside receiver is running a win route that will serve to gain inside leverage while preserving space inside. This also works different than a typical quick game slant in that the receiver will not continue bringing his angle inside to another defender.

The route also has the purpose of turning the inside defender’s hips so that the space for the throw to the fin is opened up if the defender runs inside with the win. Read more on Herring’s squeeze concept in this USA Football blog post.

The RAM read

R.A.M. stands for “Read Away from Mike.” This is a passing progression that Gonzalez likes for concepts that stretch a defense horizontally. It allows for a quarterback’s eyes to scan across his progression working from the inside out once he makes his determination on which way to take his eyes. If the Mike linebacker works to the right, the quarterback goes to the left and vice versa.

In this case, working to the spacing side, the quarterback scans his eyes through windows out in front of the receivers. With the Mike working away from the sit route, the quarterback looks to throw the sit if the receiver is in a clean window. If he is being squeezed inside by the Sam linebacker, the quarterback works the typical curl-flat type of read. Even against a Cover 2, the next two receivers are two on one.

If the Mike works to the spacing side, the quarterback can then work off of the Will linebacker. If the Will works inside, the fin will be working into a clean window. If the Will hangs or expands, the space for the win is available inside.

All of these routes are worked off of a quick timing. The ball should be out in about 1.5 to 1.8 seconds.

Protection

With the quick rhythm throws available to the quarterback, the protection does not have to hold up long. This takes pressure off of the offensive linemen, who will each work a man and a slide side to any linebackers. Essentially, the slide side is responsible for the gap, picking up any defender who threatens their gap responsibility. This will handle any twists. The tackles can jump set the defensive ends rather than taking a deep set. This technique allows them to quickly engage the defenders and keep their hands down.

If the defense brings a sixth rusher, the quarterback will have to get the ball out quickly. However, because he has all quick routes available, he essentially has five hot routes built into the play.

Even teams that lack vertical threats can be effective with this type of attack. Herring teaches this concept beginning in the fourth grade because of the simplicity of the play. Gonzalez most recent system and includes RAM reads because they are simple enough to teach to young players. He currently utilizes this read with his 10-year-old son’s team.

As with any play, this concept requires repetition and practice. Coached correctly though, it becomes a difficult play to defend.

Keith Grabowski has been a football coach for 26 years, currently serving as an offensive assistant and technology coordinator at Oberlin College in Ohio. He previously was a head coach at the high school level for eight years and the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Baldwin Wallace University. Grabowski serves as an advisor for several sports technology companies. He is a columnist for American Football Monthly and writes his own blog at thecoachesedge.com/blog. He's the author of "101+ Pro Style Pistol Offense Plays" and five other books available on thecoachedge.comand operates Coaches Edge Technologies. Follow him on Twitter @CoachKGrabowski.