Use Y-Delay to Take Advantage of Aggressively Dropping Linebackers
In our “Trends-Day” series on the Coach and Coordinator podcast, we talk about concepts that we see used by multiple teams. This past weekend, Y-Delay was used by both the Washington Huskies and the Fresno State Bulldogs.
The Y-Delay is an effective play that can be used at all levels. It is not a play called early in a game, but rather one you call to take advantage of linebackers who begin to drop aggressively against the pass, thus opening up some lanes for big run-after-catch opportunities.
The Y-Delay can be used as a tag to any route concept. Ideally it is tagged into a play that has been used a couple times and one the defense is defending relatively well. The key to the delay’s success is both the timing by the Y and the use of eyes by the quarterback to move defenders into their drops. It is worth noting that against a two-linebacker box, routes need to be incorporated to attract the attention of both linebackers.
As a rule, the quarterback should know that in his progression he should be looking for an opportunity to hit a downfield route. It should be clearly wide open. If he is following his normal progression, he will move the defense and open space for the tight end on the delay.
The key for the tight end is to be patient and appear that he is part of the protection. He can be assigned to pick up any extra blitzes if necessary, throwing the defender and getting out late. He does not want to allow a blitzer to have a free run at the quarterback. If it is a normal pass rush, the Y can get a hand in and help before getting into his route. If possible, he wants to have his eyes on the nearest backer that is being cleared by a route. Once he sees that, he knows it is time to release.
The route is not very deep. It’s over the ball at 3-5 yards and sometimes he only takes a few steps and can look for the ball. After securing the catch, he should turn and puncture the defense getting vertical and working to his top speed as fast as possible.
The video gives a simulation on the GoArmy Edge app and includes a clip of Fresno State running Y-Delay for a touchdown.
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