The game of football has seen a complete change in the way it is played over the last 15 years, especially at the highest levels. Gone are the days of “Three yards and a cloud of dust” and “Using the run to set up the pass”. In fact, the 10 highest NFL league wide passing totals have come within the past 10 years. The 12 greatest years in the NFL by completion percentage have all come within the last 12 seasons. The last five seasons all rank within the top five for fewest rushing attempts per game in NFL history.

This change in style has penetrated all levels of football. Colleges, High Schools, and even youth league teams are all embracing the passing game. “7-on-7” football has left its roots on the practice field and become almost a sport unto itself. Flag Football, which features almost exclusively passing, is now being broadcast on national TV. We are becoming passing game obsessed.

While the game has continued to evolve at all levels, there are some bedrock truths that remain. You have to block. You have to tackle. And the best coaches are looking for ways to isolate and expose the opponents’ weakness.

“The Defense Can’t Be Right”

When the basics of “option football” were first invented, the object was to isolate one defender and make him choose between one of two offensive players. If the offense executed correctly, the defender could never be right. This idea led to the explosion of option football, especially at the College and lower levels. This brand of football dominated the game for decades starting in the 1940’s and was still used by the option powerhouse Nebraska to win three National Championships in the 1990’s.

While defenses searched for ways to stifle the option, offensive coaches looked for new ways to apply option principles to other areas of the game. Two of the leading innovators of the passing game, Bill Walsh and Steve Spurrier, incorporated option principles into their innovative attacks.

One the main ways Walsh and Spurrier chose to isolate zone defenders is with “high/low” passing concepts. A “high/low” is simply when 2 recievers isolate a defender between them, with one going beyond the defender (High) and the other staying in front of the defender (Low). Both Walsh’s “West Coast” offense and Spurrier’s “Fun ‘n’ Gun” used these concepts as a staple of their attacks.

The Concepts

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