The Tony Franklin effect - Part 3
In our final installment of the series, Austin Lewis breaks down the key passing concepts of the Tony Franklin offense
The last article on the Tony Franklin offense examined the rushing attack. With the Blue Raiders officially kicking off their 2016 campaign Saturday, GoMiddle.com goes behind the scenes to examine the famed Tony Franklin passing attack.
The Tony Franklin passing attack is remarkably simple, containing a handful of core concepts divided into three distinct groups : the screen, the quick game, and the dropback concepts.
The previous article examined how Franklin packages a screen concept on the backside of his zone-based rushing attack to stretch the defense horizontally and give his receivers the opportunity to make plays in space.
Since his first stint in Murfreesboro, Franklin has trimmed down his playbook in favor of a perimeter-based passing attack, emphasizing plays like the Y-Stick concept (pictured below).
Stretching the defense vertically and horizontally, the playside (the trips side of the formation) concept quickly forces the defenders to play in space. On this particular play, the quarterback will look to the playside and is taught to only throw to the backside receiver if the playside receivers are covered.
The stick concept is a staple of the Air Raid offense and Blue Raider fans can expect it will make an appearance early and often in the 2016 season.
Designed to push the ball down the field, the dropback concepts, like verticals, push the ball down the field.
On "98" (pictured below), the quarterback reads the free safety. If the safety goes goes to the center of the field, the quarterback goes to the "X" receiver. However, if the defense shows Cover 2, the quarterback will read the trip side of the formation, progressing from the "Z" receiver, to the "X" receiver and finally the "H" receiver.
With Brent Stockstill leading the offense, Blue Raider fans can expect Tony Franklin to dial up the heat, challenging the defenders to play in space.
With a little bit of luck and hard work, Stockstill will helm an offense that will light up the scoreboard on Saturdays this fall.
We hope you've enjoyed "The Tony Franklin effect" installment. If you're crazy about football and all of its intricacies, follow Austin Lewis on Twitter @austinlewistn to join in on the discussion.