Read the Article
The full text of “The Past is Prologue - Winning Wisdom” by Bill Mountjoy, from the Vol 1 — Summer 2023 issue.
Page 32BILL WALSH: “I never wanted the QB in the Shotgun, because that means looking down to catch the snap, and then he won’t be looking at the defense and his receivers”. Belichick: The passing game: “What the passing comes down to is the timing and execution. That’s true of every team in this league. It doesn’t matter what level you throw the ball at. It’s a combination of the throwing and the catching of the skill players and the protection of the blockers, which includes backs and tight ends.
If a team pressures, they are involved in the protection, too. What you want to do is protect the quarter - back. Whether you’re throwing three-step drop or seven-step drop or whatever the pattern is, protect him long enough so he can drop back and get set and throw the ball on time. The receivers need to get open and come open on time when the quarterback is ready to throw. Not a second before he’s ready, not a second after he’s ready. That’s just not the way to do it.
You might get away with one here or there, but that’s not the way to do it. So all of that needs to be synchronized and if it is, then you have a well executed passing game. If it isn’t, then something’s going to go wrong. We are all part of that. Sometimes the receiver is open and the quarterback can’t throw.
Sometimes the quarterback can throw and the protection is good and the receiver is not able to get open on the route, or the distribution of the receivers is wrong and then the quarterback doesn’t have a clear throwing lane. Sometimes the guy drops the ball. Sometimes the quarterback makes a bad throw. Sometimes it gets tipped. There’s a lot of things that could happen in the passing game. If you throw the ball well, you’re completing in the mid-60s, the high 60 percents.
Not 90 percent, that’s a good passing game. You’re completing 68, 67 percent of your passes, that’s good. If you’re the best passing team in football, you’re probably going to miss one out of three.
The difference between hitting one or two more per game is the difference between having an okay passing game and having a good passing game.” “Once players understand concepts, you have the flexibility to interweave the concepts into sound, fundamental plays that deal with the concepts an offense throws at you.
If you can take 75 plays and boil them into 10 concepts, then a player only needs to learn 10 things before he can get out on the field.” si, jan 2007 RON JAWORSKI: “The best an Offensive Coordinator can do is to get one on one on the outside”! JAWORSKI: “THE BACK FOOT MUST DRIVE THE HIPS THRU IN THE PASSING GAME”. (ALSO: KNEES THE PAST IS PROLOGUE THE PAST IS PROLOGUE WINNING WISDOM WINNING WISDOM by Bill Mountjoy
Page 33FLEXED; SHORT LEAD STEP; HIGH RELEASE). (?SNAP HIPS). BILL PARCELLS: WE BELIEVE IN ½ FIELD READS & MAX PROTECTION FOR OUR QB’S”!!! JOHN MADDEN: “Tom Brady steps FORWARD into the pass, no matter where the rush is. He never steps sideways or backwards”!!! RON JAWORSKI: “Know where to go by the time you plant the back foot, & hit the receiver coming out of the break”! JOE THEISMAN: “QB MUST have a visual image of where ALL receivers are on the field (on each pass)”!
JOHN MADDEN (2005): “I don’t like that “hot receiver” stuff because they force you to throw short & the defense comes up & stops you short of a first down”. STEVE YOUNG: Footwork in the West Coast Offense (Example = 5 step drop): QB takes 5 step drop & throw to first man in progression without a hitch step; take 1 hitch step if going to 2nd man in progres - sion; take another hitch step if going to the 3rd man in progression.
JOE MONTANA: “I never felt comfortable with a pass route until I had thrown it 2,500 times in prac - tice”. BRET FARVE: “I believe in reading the PROGRESSION of receivers. I stick with the progression regard - less”. Bill Mountjoy - Associate Editor American Foootball Quarterly Coach has 33 years of High School football coaching in Virginia – most of it as Head Football Coach at 6 different High Schools.
Four of his former High School players played in the NFL, including “Parade All-American” James Farrior (2005 All-Pro Lber with the Steelers), AND “Parade All-American” Darren Perry (9 year starter at Free Safety for the Steelers, & was the Packers Secondary Coach). Won the 1971 VAAC Private School State Championship at Huguenot Academy.
Coached 6 years on the college level (including Offensive Assistant at Division III National Champion Randolph-Macon Col - lege from 1968 to 1971) and Passing Game Coordinator at CIAA Div. II Virginia Union University in 1995 & 1996). One of his former College players played in the NFL. Coached 1 year of Semi-Pro football with the Richmond Ravens.
During the 1987 strike – the team sent 9 players to the Redskins (including starting QB Tony Robinson) – who helped the Skins go 4-0 during the strike – including a win over the Cowboys’ regulars! 19 of Coach Mountjoy’s Assistant Coaches became Head Football Coaches in High School, and 1 in College (Andrew Faison at Virginia State University).
Coach Bill Mountjoy is a Life Member of the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), and has authored articles on football for American Football Monthly, Scholastic Coach, Texas Coach, Coach & Athlete, Gridiron Strategies, etc. He has spoken at many Clinics, including the 2006 & 2007 Mega Clinics.
