Three step and out
Why it works
In flag football the rush arrives on a timer, not on a beaten blocker, so the quarterback who survives is the one holding a clock rather than the one with quick feet. Counting out loud puts that clock outside his head where a coach can hear whether it is running.
Run it
8 MINTwelve reps per quarterback, mixed between the ball being there on three and deliberately not being there. Stop at eight minutes. Count the reps where the ball left on three out loud, because a quarterback who hears that number improves faster than one who is told he is late.
Say this
“The clock in your head beats the rusher, not your legs.”
The throw is governed by time rather than by what the rush is doing.
“Feet set on two.”
The base is ready a beat before the ball has to leave.
“Throw it on time, even if it is not perfect.”
An on-time ball to a covered receiver beats a late ball to an open one.
“If it is not there on three, throw it away.”
The quarterback has a legal answer that is not a sack and not a gamble.
Good looks like
- The ball leaves on three, audibly, on most reps.
- Feet are set and still at the moment of release.
- The quarterback's eyes are downfield through the whole count.
- A covered receiver produces a throwaway rather than a scramble.
- The count does not change the throwing motion. It is the same throw, earlier.
The mistakes
Watching the rusher and reacting to him. A quarterback who is looking at the rush is not looking at his receivers, and he ends up running from pressure that had not arrived yet.
Say: “The clock in your head beats the rusher, not your legs.”
Still drifting backward on three, which means the throw is made off the back foot. Those balls sail, and in flag a sailed ball is usually an interception rather than an incompletion.
Say: “Feet set on two.”
Holding it for something better. There is no better in flag football, because nobody is blocking. Late is the only way this play actually fails.
Say: “Throw it on time, even if it is not perfect.”
Scrambling on every count of four. It works twice a season and loses yards the rest of the time, and it teaches the receivers to stop running their routes.
Say: “If it is not there on three, throw it away.”
Drop the rusher entirely and count to five instead of four. The point is still the clock, but a young quarterback gets to learn the rhythm before anybody is coming at him.
Give him two receivers and a read, still on three. Then vary the count between three and four without telling him which, so he has to be ready on three and capable of holding it one more beat.