Georgia QB Carson Beck Making Plays Work
Getting to the backside dig on Y-Cross and hitting a post for a touchdown with a rocket throw.
Slot Fade
This play demonstrates Beck’s understanding of space and timing.
This concept is facing a cloudy pre-snap look. The slot fade concept to the boundary needs to be thrown quickly against a MOFC structure because the free safety has a good chance of getting over to cover it since there isn’t a ton of space to the boundary for the WR to fade out if need be. The ball needs to be thrown with air to allow the WR to track the ball, but not as much can be afforded due to this lack of space.
Here, however, the free safety is playing in the true middle and is leaning toward the field at the snap. So that’s not much of a concern for the quarterback.
The concern comes from the depth of the overhang over the WR running the slot fade. That space means that the WR will take longer to beat the overhang vertically than if the overhang were playing farther down. At the snap, the overhang is playing eight yards off the ball, and the WR doesn’t break that cushion until they are 15 yards past the line of scrimmage.
At this point, the free safety has turned toward the slot fade and booking it there. Beck is taking a three step drop — I don’t know if this is intentional given the pre-snap look and him knowing it might take longer to develop or if this is what he is taught. Regardless, the drop puts him on a solid timeline and after one reset Beck moves on. That is evidence of an accurate internal clock going on inside Beck’s mind. Though the WR running the slot fade eventually captures the vertical space, it’s just taking too long so Beck moved on. And he did so in rhythm.
During his reset, Beck got his eyes to his backside option, the deep dig from the number one receiver to the field. He might’ve peaked briefly at the cross from the number two receiver during his first reset, as that’s the second route in the read.
So Beck makes this play work by understanding the timing of the play and knowing where his answer was in the progression on time.
Post
This play demonstrates Beck’s understanding of defensive structure, space, and ball trajectory.
The offense has a post-wheel concept dialed up off of toss play action. The defense gets to a MOFC structure after the shift so the free safety is the biggest threat to the post.
The offensive design works well against this defensive structure because the crosser from the point man in the bunch occupies the free safety’s attention just enough to allow the window for the post. That crosser appears to be the first read for the QB and that also probably contributes to the free safety’s occupation.
As on the play before, Beck’s footwork is intentional given the situation. The fake takes time, so Beck uses a quick quick three step (no crossover) to then be able to throw the post off the reset. He isn’t in a position to throw the crossover as his weight is too far forward so the reset is necessary to get on balance. However, he must be reading that route or looking off the safety while knowing he’s going to get to the post immediately on the reset because he throws the ball in motion with the reset.
His ball trajectory demonstrates his knowledge of the situation as well because the free safety is still a threat to the play. He bullets the ball to the end zone to eliminate any chance the safety had. The WR catches the ball with about two yards to spare from getting blasted by the free safety or the free safety having a chance to make an interception.
So Beck’s intuitive footwork and laser throw make this post viable against a post safety.
Making Plays
These two plays from Carson Beck are excellent examples of a QB making plays work within the structure of an offense. While they aren’t wild scrambles or acrobatic throws, they are the position played at its best: on time and accurate.
When watching the very best QBs, the feats of athleticism are rarely found in their best plays. The best plays come from knowing the situation, the limits of the play, the strengths of the play, and making the necessary adjustments to make the play work.
Until tomorrow,
Emory Wilhite
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