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Formation Exploration: WR Drag Option

From time to time, I like to break down plays I see in the Seahawks arsenal, especially ones that I haven’t seen before. In last Saturday’s game, you probably noticed the Seahawks run a play that resembled a college option play to a WR. It was successful both times, with the second time resulting in the Hawks final TD. The basic premise of the play is to confuse the defense with misdirection by having the whole offensive line and running back drive hard in the opposite direction the play is intended to go, and then have a WR drag across in the opposite direction to catch a little pitch from the QB.

The formation starts with 3 WR, 1 TE and 1 RB. The RB is on the side opposite the two stacked WRs.

1. The flanker motions inside the slot receiver
2. The ball is snapped and the RB slides in front of the QB in what looks like a sweep right. The entire offensive line and TE are pulling hard in that direction to sell the play.
3. The QB keeps the football and starts drifting left with the dragging flanker who has now come all the way across the formation.
4. The QB pitches or throws the ball forward to allow the flanker to get the ball in open space.

This seems like a great play for a player like Golden Tate to get some space and make people miss. It worked wonderfully on the goal line to Ben Obamanu, and well enough inside the 20 to Mike Williams. It looks like something that may be part of the team’s red zone package. I doubt we’ll see it again this pre-season, but if you see a 3 WR set with the flanker motioning inside the slot receiver, you may be the first fan to know what’s coming!

Click the arrow on the graphic to run through the play

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  1. I'm really impressed by all the info you give out HB. It's not just your typical news, but your views have substance. I have not seen bloggers do what your doing. You need to go bigger then what you are doing. An actual website with not only your views, but you should podcast(your own radio show),forums, and what not,etc. It's good stuff man! I'm serious, you should be thinking big buddy.

  2. Thanks, Pablo. I'm blushing. 🙂

    Seriously, with a full-time job and two young boys at home, this is just something I do for fun. My goal was to eventually earn a press pass so I could get a little more access to the team, but I'm not sure that's realistic in the near term.

    You are now one of a handful of readers, so if traffic ever picks up significantly, I may get more serious about "thinking big."

    If you have any suggestions, don't hesitate to let me know.

  3. I have access to a website. It was given to me for free. It has every tool you can think of. From creating your templates, etc. Most fans, as you well know, can find sports news anywhere. What most fans are looking for is a place they can relax, drink coffee or a beer and read peoples views and also be able to converse and debate through either comment or forum. I like forum because it attracts more readers. Yes, it has to be moderated, but it can be done. 12th Man Rising, Field Gulls, Seahawk Addicts, etc. they are missing the "STUFF" or let me say the "STUFFING" in the Turkey. You are not missing it! You are continuing adding the right seasonings to the stuffing, LOL! I'm not trying to set you up on a pedestal. All I'm saying is you have the write ups that most fans want to see. It gets boring reading the same ol' crap every day. If I want news I go to Danny of Seattle Times. Blogs should not be news it should be views. You have that my brotha. In high school I was a water polo player and swimmer. Never played football. So being a die hard fan, having someone break down plays for football, it's very informative. It helps me to love the game even more. Also, I understand being busy. I have 6 children and my beautiful wife. With that, a bigger platform can happen. You have to balance the time. I would like to see someone compete against the platforms already out there. I'm now babbling too much. Anyway, good "STUFF" dude.

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