Finding a way to be successful in football is about teamwork, hard work, talent and execution of the selected plays. It's also about strategy and gameplanning. Ideally, you want to use passing plays when your opponent is expecting you to run and you want to run when your opponent is expecting you to pass. The screen pass and the draw play are both designed to take advantage of an aggressive defense that may be expecting something other than the plays they will see.
Overpowering Defense
Both the draw play and the screen pass are designed to take advantage of a hard-charging defense that is overpowering and aggressive. The quarterback may be under constant pressure when dropping back to pass because the defense is coming with an effective pass rush. When the rush is coming on the outside from the defensive end or the outside linebacker, both the draw play and the screen pass often are effective plays to blunt that aggressiveness.
Draw Play
On a draw play, the quarterback will accept the snap from the center and drop back about five steps as if he is going to set up in the pocket and throw the football. Instead of turning around to survey the field and find an open receiver, he suddenly places the ball in the midsection of the running back, who is waiting for the quarterback. After taking the ball, the running back attacks the hole that the offensive line has opened and runs past the onrushing defensive linemen and linebackers. On a standard running play, the running back will start attacking the hole at the snap of the ball and get the ball from the quarterback quickly. On the draw play, he waits as if he is blocking for the quarterback in an effort to confuse the defense.
Screen Pass
The screen pass also is designed to fool the defense. It can be an effective strategy when the defense has been aggressive and has been sending linebackers to harass the quarterback on a regular basis. On a screen pass, the quarterback takes the snap from center, drops back about five to seven steps and then continues to fade back as the pass rushers leak through the offensive line. Just before the pass rushers can reach the quarterback, the quarterback lofts the ball over their heads to the waiting arms of a running back. By this time, three or four potential tacklers are already behind him because they were going after the quarterback. This is a potential big gainer because the defense often is out of position.
Draw Play Expert
Former Dallas Cowboy Emmitt Smith is the leading rusher in the history of the NFL through the 2010 season. He excelled at all aspects of running with the football, gaining 18,355 yards in his career. Smith was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2010. One of Smith's best plays was the draw play, and quarterback Troy Aikman had complete confidence every time the draw play was called for Smith. "Emmitt had so many great qualities as a runner and when we called the draw, he put them all to use," Aikman said. "He was a patient runner and he would never give away the play with his body language. He was also so tough and so hard to bring down. He could make himself appear small when he got started and that helped him run the draw extremely well."
References
- "Play Football the NFL Way"; Tom Bass; 1991
- "Inside the Helmet"; Peter King; 1993
- Troy Aikman; Hall of Fame Quarterback; Chicago
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