As a young quarterback playing pee wee football, one of the first pass plays I learned was the tight end “pop” pass. It was a quick hitting play- action pass off of a dive play. From what I can remember we ran it from the straight-T formation made famous in Ohio by Woody Hayes. After faking to the fullback, the quarterback stops and fires the ball to the tight end who simply releases from the line of scrimmage and looks for the ball just after he cleared the linebackers who are filling downhill on the dive play to the fullback. It was a very short pass, yet the yardage it gained on the seam created in the defense allowed for big plays.
I don’t have my playbook from those years, but to my recollection, the play looked something like this:
This simple play remains effective today, and is making its way into spread offenses that use the read game. Teams are using it as a packaged run-pass option with the quarterback making his decision to give the run or throw the pass based on a post-snap read on the linebacker. They are also calling it as a pass to complement the power read/inverted veer and zone read plays.
The play allows for a big run after catch opportunities because the run action creates big voids in the defense.
The pop pass can be thrown to a receiver on the front side of the play or in other words the side to which the run is going. In general, this is most effective against defenses in which linebackers are flowing downhill to defend the run. Downhill defenders open a hole in the defense over themselves but under the safety. Against linebackers who are flowing laterally, a backside pop pass may be most effective, as they are vacating the area into which a backside receiver is running.
One of the keys to implementing the pop pass into an offense is utilizing formations that create a weakness in the defense either by alignment, by run fit reaction, or both. In the following examples, the defense presents a weakness that is attacked by the “pop” pass.
Ohio State Inside Zone Pop
OSU aligns 2 receivers to the right on this play and the h-back is in a tight position. In order to defend two receivers, Arkansas puts three defenders to the twins side.
The backside safety is a cut back player, and on the snap of the ball he reads run and begins to fit the run downhill. At the same time, the h-back is gaining outside leverage with an arc release. The linebackers are filling on the full-flow run fake and cannot defend a pass to the h-back.
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When the QB pulls the ball to throw, the safety is out-leveraged to the outside, and after the catch, the h-back has plenty of room for a run after the catch.
Here’s the video:
Ohio State Sweep Pop
OSU creates a three receiver side, and Miami aligns in a cover 2 shell. From this alignment, the defense is weak in the seam since the alley player and the safety align outside of the #3 receiver on the trips side. The only defender who is aligned to stop an inside seam is the inside linebacker to that side.
Sweep action on the snap of the ball pulls both linebackers toward the sweep side. A bubble route by #2 pulls the alley player out further, and #3 is running into a void.
The #3 receiver can turn and catch the ball in a void as soon as the quarterback completes a quick fake to the running back.
Here’s the video:
West Virginia Zone Pop
In this play, WVU aligns in a 2-back set. The defense responds by aligning in an odd front, walking a linebacker out over #2 to the field, and playing a quarters coverage behind.
WVU fakes a split zone action into the boundary. The #2 receiver to the field is patient with his release.
When the linebackers flow to the boundary, the #2 receiver is sitting in a void and has plenty of room to run after the catch.
Here’s the video:
Eagles Zone Pop
The Eagles utilize a tight end trips formation. The Redskins align an outside linebacker apexed between the TE and #2 WR in the alley to discourage any kind of bubble. With the safety aligned over #2 and both linebackers inside the offensive tackles, the TE is in great position to exploit a void in the defense
On the snap, the Eagles fake an outside zone run to the split end side. Both inside linebackers move to their run fit. The apexed linebacker is filling outside the TE, and a bubble by #2 holds the safety. The tight end is now running into a hole that is left in the defense.
The pass is a simple one to complete, and the TE has room to run.
Here’s the video:
Play Action “Pop” off of the Power Read
One of the points we emphasized in coaching this play was patience for the receiver in finding the hole in the defense. As illustrated in the video of plays explained above, receivers did not run at top speed on the snap of the ball. Depending on the run action and which side it is going to, the void may actually move toward the receiver or tight end. We don’t want a situation where our receiver is running himself into coverage. We want him in the hole in the defense. After the catch he can run as fast as he wants.
The quarterback also needs to be patient in executing his fake, and the running backs has to sell the run as well. On the power read play-action, we tell the quarterback to slide at least two steps while he reads the linebackers to see where the passing lane will be. The video walk through below explains some key coaching points in this simple yet effective play.