O n behalf of the Hanover College
Panthers, Head Coach Wayne Perry,
and our entire coaching staff, we would like
to thank the AFCA for allowing us the
opportunity to share some thoughts on our
passing game in the 2002 Summer
Manual. We would like to thank all of the
staffs and individual coaches who have
kindly shared their ideas and philosophies
with us over the past 18 years since we
implemented our “Black Cat Attack”
offense. We would also like to thank the
two previous Hanover offensive coor-
dinators, Mike McClure and Mike Emen-
dorfer, for their contributions and innova-
tions in helping make Hanover into a
nationally known football program.
First things first. We believe that our
“Black Cat Attack” offense is an attitude.
We do our best to instill this attitude into the
minds of our players, and get them on the
same page as the coaches. The “Black Cat
Attack” offensive attitude is as follows:
1. Always think positive
2. Strive for perfection
3. Stay on the offensive
4. Have fun
Secondly, from an X’s and O’s stand-
point, we believe in teaching a few base
concepts in all phases of our offense,
including run game, play-actions, passes,
screens and specials. We then create ways
to execute these concepts from a variety of
formations and motions. The shallow-cross
passing game has been a staple for us in
our offense for several years. It has been
one of our bread-and-butter concepts that
we can count on having high-percentage
completions with built in chances for big
plays. We would like to show you how we
teach our shallow-cross passes from our
Ace formation and how we adapt them to
one of our quad formations known as quar-
ters.
Diagram 1 shows our ace formation and
how we label our receivers. Because we
like to spread the field with the receivers,
they must be very conscious of their align-
ments with regards to both hash and num-
bers. We call this pattern under.
Diagram 1: Ace-Under
Assignments
Quarterback: Five-step drop; possible
sight-adjust throw to W vs. backside blitz;
Hanover’s Black Cat Attack
Offense: Adapting Base
frontside progression: Under-Hook-Swing. Passes to Quads
R: Check release swing route
X: Vertical route
W: Hash route; sight-adjust Slant route
vs. blitz
Y: Hook route
Z: Under route
Having used plenty of motion in our Mike Leonard
Run-and-Shoot days back in the mid-
1980s, we learned that by sending a man Offensive
in motion, several defenders will often react Coordinator
to the motion, thus taking away some of
their aggressiveness. Also, the use of Hanover College
motion can give our quarterback and
receivers the advantage of being able to Hanover, Ind.
better determine whether the defense is
playing man-to-man or zone coverage.
When using this pattern to the wide side of
the field (Diagram 2), we often like to
motion Z into a stack position behind Y.
This can enhance clean releases for both
receivers and can sometimes confuse
defenders that are in man coverage.
Dave Ebersbach
Diagram 2: Ace-Z-In-Under
Wide Receivers
Coach
We also like to motion R out of the back-
field (ringo motion), so we can see what
type of adjustment the defense will make
with us going from a one-back set to an
empty set. (Diagram 3). By using this type
of motion, we are obviously sacrificing R
from the protection. Therefore the quarter-
back will be ready to throw quick to either
side if the defense happens to blitz. The
quick throw receiver to the frontside now
becomes Z on the under route.
Diagram 3: Ace-Ringo-Under
Diagram 4 shows our compliment play
to the under pattern. This pattern is known
• AFCA Summer Manual — 2002 •
as spot. Everything remains the same in
this pattern, except Y will now run a corner
route and Z will run a spot route, getting
open in the area over Y’s original alignment
at a depth of four yards. A special note in
regards to the quarterback’s frontside pro-
gression is that both the corner route and
the spot route are in the quarterback’s ini-
tial eye fix. His eyes will not have to re-fix
from a normal 1-2 progression. He will
merely pass the ball to whichever receiver
he finds open in his line of vision. If neither
is open, he immediately dumps the ball to
R on the swing.
Diagram 4: Ace-Spot
Assignments
Quarterback: Five-step drop; possible
sight-adjust throw to W vs. backside blitz;
frontside progression: Corner/Spot-Swing
R: Check release swing route
X: Vertical route
W: Hash route; sight-adjust slant route
vs. blitz
Y: Corner route
Z: Spot route
Diagrams 5 & 6 show that the same
motions can be used in running spot, as
were used in running under.
Diagram 5: Ace-Z-In-Spot
Diagram 6: Ace-Ringo-Spot
Staying with the premise that we like to
use a few concepts in our passing game
with many different formations and motions,
Diagram 7 shows under from one of our
favorite quad formations known as quarters.
The benefits of this formation are threefold.
First, we isolate one of our best receivers on
the single-receiver side at X. Second, we
create a bunch set with our next best three
receivers. Finally, by putting R, who usually
is our worst downfield receiver, as the
widest man on the quad side, we will usual-
ly draw coverage on him from one of the
opponent’s best defenders, the cornerback.
This allows the three bunched receivers to
work against linebackers and the strong
safety, giving us several favorable match
ups across the field.
Diagram 7: Quarters Under
As the quarterback scans the defense
and sees how they align to our quarters for-
mation, he first notes how they are defend -
ing X on the single-receiver side.
Regardless of how X is defended, the quar-
terback will signal (behind his rear) a pass
route to X. These pass routes can be either
three-step drop routes such as a hitch,
slant, quick out, or fade, or they can be five-
step drop routes such as a vertical, come-
back, post, or post-corner.
The quarterback will then get a feel on
how the defense has shifted to the quad
side. The quarterback will decide pre-snap
whether he will throw to the single receiver
or to the bunched receivers on the quad
side. If he decides to throw to the bunch
side, the progression remains the same, in
that he will progress from under to hook to
swing. The R is primarily a decoy on this
pattern, running a vertical route trying to
eliminate the cornerback from the cover-
age. If he faces a hard corner, he is taught
to take a positive outside release (POR).
Being in a five-man protection, the quar-
terback must realize that he will need to
throw quick to either side vs. blitz. He can
throw quick to X on the hand signal route,
or he will be prepared to throw quick to the
under or swing on the quad side.
Assignments
Quarterback: Hand signal to X; make pre-
• AFCA Summer Manual — 2002 •
snap decision to work single-receiver side or
quad side based on defensive alignment.
Quad Side Progression: Under-Hook-
Swing.
R: Vertical route; Positive Outside
Release (POR).
X: Hand signal route from quarterback.
W: Swing route
Y: Hook route
Z: Under route
Diagrams 8 & 9 show how we will use
various motions to “jazz up” and help dis-
guise this play from quarters formation.
Diagram 10 shows our spot pattern from
quarters formation.
Diagram 8: Quarters-Z-In-Under
Diagram 9: Quarters-Ringo-Under
Diagram 10: Quarters-Spot
Assignments
Quarterback: Hand signal to X; pre-
snap decision to work single-receiver side
or quad side based on defensive alignment
Quad Side Progression: Box-Cor-
ner/Spot-Sit
R: Sit route; explode three steps up,
face toward quarterback.
X: Hand signal route from quarterback.
W: Box route; find opening deep
between safeties; sight-adjust Slant route
vs. blitz
Y: Corner route
Z: Spot route
 Regarding the hand signaling proce-
dure, we like the quarterback’s hand sig-
nals to be executed from behind his rear as
opposed to overhead or on the headgear.
The reason is that we will use these hand
signals daily during our one-on-one period
vs. or own defensive backs. Not only do we
guard against our own defensive backs
knowing our routes, but we also save valu-
able time during practice since the quarter-
back and receivers do not need to come
together to call the route before each rep.
Most importantly, by using these hand sig-
nals everyday in practice, they become
automatic and second nature in critical sit-
uations on game day.
In closing, we feel that by teaching a few
concepts to our quarterbacks and
receivers, such as the shallow-cross, they
will gain much confidence in execution
through perfect repetition. At the same New cutline...
time, we feel the need to give our opponent
as many different looks as possible so that
we can always stay on the offensive. The
use of the quad formations and the addition AFCA for the opportunity to contribute to any assistance, feel free to contact us here
of motions enable us to meet these goals. this year’s Summer Manual. We hope that in Indiana. Remember to always stay posi-
Again, on behalf of the Hanover College these passing concepts can be helpful to tive, strive for perfection, stay on the offen-
football program, we would like to thank the your offensive scheme. If we can ever be of sive, and have fun this season!

E v e r y b o d y ’s NOT
Doing It

Finger pointing and dismissing unethical acts with an “everyone’s doing it” attitude in the
public arena does nothing to help the game or the image of the football profession — your
profession.

Everybody’s NOT doing it, but those who do flaunt the rules and the AFCA Code of Ethics
are only encouraged if those honest coaches in the profession treat such acts lightly.

Stand up for your profession by acting responsibly. Lead by example and insist that your fel-
low coaches adhere to strict professional standards that are outlined in the Code of Ethics.

• AFCA Summer Manual — 2002 •