Seattle Seahawks: 3 ways to get Russell Wilson more time to throw

Screen/Shovel Passes

A screen pass is the best way to beat an over-aggressive defense. Again, it’s up to the men up front to sell the situation. There are three good ways to run the play.

Option number one is to sucker in the defense. If the D is coming hard, let them. From there sneak a back or tight end out a few yards and throw the ball slightly over the defense’s heads to the intended receiver. Suddenly the defense is chasing instead of attacking. Pull it off once or twice and it will back off the defense.

The next type is a bubble screen. My favorite rendition of this is run from a three-wide set. Fake a play in one direction and come back to a receiver on the other side. The two additional receivers on that side wall-off the defensive backs and create a “bubble” for the intended receiver. A fast wideout such as Tyler Lockett could break a big play if his fellow WRs can effectively block for him.

Next comes the shovel pass. This again involves faking a play in one direction. A back or receiver comes across or in front of the quarterback and gets a short pitch forward. When this works the ball catcher should have some open field. Here is an example from the Packers.

The left side of the offensive line clears out the defense to the left. At the same time, the right side suckers the defense in. This opens a huge lane in the middle that James Starks exploits after receiving a quick forward pitch from Aaron Rodgers. The end result is six points for Green Bay.