The discussion came up with a coach in which a coach voiced his staunch belief that he would not have 5 man protections in the Scoring Zone. The reasoning given was pressure. While this aligns with "traditional" football thinking, it does not maximize the potential of the offense. The argument can be made that one must have these facets (5 man protection and empty sets vs pressure) in order to truly dictate to the defense.
One of the keys for us is the pictures we create and keys we coach for the QB. The route stems we put around our advantage routes provide consistent pictures, and we give directions on every play that allow for quick decisions.
How one plans is, of course, critical, but the point must be made that matchups cannot be ignored. Here, the supposed "vertical space" lost as one approaches the end zone is gained by attacking a slower player with more lateral space:
Also, "ALERT" packages are built in to give the most advantageous situations:
Alerts are neither tie consuming nor difficult. In fact, they save time, because one can practice vs. very specific looks. Because of ACTS and our system of play calling, my 6th grader literally has it as part of his plan (Plays 82 and 100):
Additional protectors DO NOT necessarily assure the passer more time, because a well-coached defense can always get 1on1 pass rush matchups. Here, the illustration is made of the 6th protector having little effect, but the QB anticipating and defeating the rush, despite not being the Advantage Route in his progression:
The result: more space in more situations for your players. Ever watch a player being asked to cover or tackle a player they know they don't physically match up with? Here is how a pressure defense responds, when there is no longer the certainty of how they will be attacked:
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