There's much to gain thinking outside the box: taking a pass on first down runs can give teams a strategic advantage

Sporting News, The, July 15, 2005 by Dan Pompei

On first down, defensive players usually crowd the box as if it were a public pool on a summer afternoon. Excuse me, those are my toes you are standing on.

Yet NFL teams still ran 52.6 percent of the time on first-and-10 last season. It makes more sense to throw when the defense is expecting run and to run when the defense is braced for a pass. No team does that better than Andy Reid's Eagles.

Philadelphia threw 59.3 percent of the time on first-and-10 last season--the highest percentage in the league. First half run and pass percentages on first down are the best indicators of a team's intentions. That's because in the second half, game situations often compel a team to run or pass more. And on first downs in the first half, the Eagles threw even more--62 percent of the time.

"First down is an even down," Reid says. "It should be your best passing down. It could be your best run down, too. Teams don't know what you're going to do."

Throwing on first down can be advantageous even if the defense has seven men, a more neutral amount, in the box. Depending on the scheme, many defenses will have their linemen cover two gaps on first down, whereas they might use a one-gap approach in more obvious passing situations. A defensive lineman who is responsible for two gaps generally is going to be slower to get to the quarterback than a lineman responsible for one gap. Defenses also are less likely to bring extra pass rushers on first down. The result is less pressure on the quarterback, literally and figuratively.

The advantages of throwing when a run is expected helped Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb achieve a passer rating of 106.9 on first down, compared with 94.9 on third down, according to STATS Inc. And he threw for more yards--1,664--on first down than any other.

On first down, an offense has the possibility of attacking the defense's most vulnerable pass defender. That player, usually a middle linebacker or strongside linebacker, almost always is going to be off the field on obvious passing downs. But on first down, he's waiting for the run, along with seven of his most ornery friends.

"We have no problem saying, 'OK, you want to play an eight-man front; most likely we're going to throw the football,'" Reid says.

The first down pass doesn't always have to be a downfield throw, although the Eagles use just about every pass in their game plan. Many times, using the pass as a run--a short throw to a running back--can be highly effective.

Teams that use the West Coast offense have a long history of using their running backs as receivers in running situations. The Eagles threw more passes to running back Bryant Westbrook on first down than to any other player. He was thrown to 36 times on first down, compared with 28 times on third down.

The companion to passing on first down is running on third or running in nickel situations. A run defense never is softer than when it expects a pass. Two of the better run defenders probably are off the field, replaced by smaller players who aren't as adept at tackling. Pass rushers aren't as concerned about staying in their lanes. Blitzes might leave gaps unguarded. And the field is more open because the defenders are spread out.

Ask the Falcons. They rushed a league-high 79 times on third down, averaging 6.2 yards per carry. Very nice.

Throwing first and running later may not be conventional, but it sure makes sense.

The power of balance

Just because a team throws a lot on first down doesn't mean it will have its way with defenses.

The Raiders owned the second highest percentage for passing on first-and-10 in the NFL last year, but it wasn't because coach Norv Turner planned it that way. The Raiders' inability to run the ball--and inability to avoid getting their brains beat in--forced them to throw a lot on first down. They finished 17th in the league in total offense and last in rushing offense.

"We threw too much on first down," Turner says. "If you throw too much, you become predictable that way. It would be great if you were 50-50. If you are that, the opponent has to defend both."

Some of the most effective offenses in the league were among the most balanced on first down. The Colts rushed 52.1 percent of the time on first-and-10 and passed 47.9 percent. The Chiefs rushed 50.8 percent and passed 49.2 percent.

And then there is the opposite end of the spectrum. The Steelers led the league in highest rush percentage on first-and-10. They were highly predictable, running 67.3 percent of the time, but they were highly effective.

speed reads

Of the half-dozen or so players available for the supplemental draft next Thursday, the most intriguing are DT Manuel Wright and WR Roscoe Crosby. Wright, a backup at USC last season, has the size (6-6, 310) NFL teams covet. Crosby, who played at Clemson as a true freshman in 2001 before opting for a pro baseball career that fizzled, is big and athletic.

Braylon Edwards isn't the first--nor will he be the last--player to be duped by predraft rhetoric. The former Michigan receiver claims the Dolphins told him they would draft him with the second overall pick, but the team selected Auburn running back Ronnie Brown instead. Edwards was then taken third by the Browns. Deception is an accepted tactic NFL teams use in their predraft strategy.