One false step can change everything

It seems that the more I break down the Xs and Os, the more positive feedback I receive. So I suspect that this week my inbox will be full, because it doesn’t get any more basic than the “false step.’’

Regardless of the position on the field, or how good a player is, time or space cannot be wasted. In football, what a player does the instant the ball is snapped usually dictates how the rest of that play will go.

Newly appointed University of Regina Rams head coach Mike Gibson was my offensive line coach for five pro seasons, and in that time he drilled into me that there is no excuse in committing football’s original sin — the false step.

Every player on the field should know, pre-snap, where he is going. On defence it is more reactionary, but the defensive players still know where their first step or two should take them.

On offence, footwork is crucial to the timing of the play. Each player’s footwork, from offensive line to wide receiver, is choreographed. One player messing up the timing of his footwork can throw off everyone else.

Generally, everyone’s first step is forward. The most obvious missteps can be seen at the wide receiver position because they are all alone in space.

You will often see a (non-waggling) receiver step backward upon the snap of the ball before he gets going into his route. This step in the wrong direction takes time. Effectively, that speedy receiver — someone who can run the 40-yard dash in 4.3 seconds — becomes an ordinary 4.7 receiver. Not only that, he also gives the defensive back exactly what he wants — time.

A defensive back only needs to cover a receiver for three or four seconds before the defensive line should be influencing the quarterback. If the receiver wants to gift the defensive linemen 10 per cent of their workload, well, I don’t know a person out there who wouldn’t gladly accept 10 per cent less work (for the same pay).

The same goes on the offensive line, except it is a little tougher to decipher because we are all bunched in tight. But as an offensive lineman, I loved it when defenders false-stepped. It made my job 10 per cent easier, and often awarded me positioning to further this advantage.

Taking this deeper into the offensive line play, when an offensive line is working well we look like a synchronized swimming team. We’re all doing the same thing, at the same time, at the same angles to get the job done.

One false step across the line and a seam is created — a seam the defence is desperately seeking to exploit. (I will not go into why it is so difficult to simply replace one of the five offensive linemen, but I hope you can get an idea of how tough it might be to play offensive line and not know who you’re playing with and how they play.)

As important as it is for the offensive linemen’s feet to work in unison, the quarterback has all eyes on him and his feet. If he takes a falsie, he makes my life 10 per cent tougher because now I need to block for longer. Not only that, it also throws off any timing routes.

The timing for a quarterback to throw a quick route is: Snap, drop step, crossover, plant the back foot and throw. (It probably took you longer to read that than it does for the quarterback to do it — provided there is no false step!) This is how long I expect to block for, and this is when the receiver will be open (and not for much longer).

Not surprisingly, the timing of running plays also depends on the footwork of the quarterback and running back.

Let’s use a draw play as an example. The offensive line, quarterback and running back show run with their first few steps before attacking the line of scrimmage. The handoff doesn’t just happen. There is a predetermined mesh point where the handoff actually occurs.

If the running back and quarterback don’t have their footwork in line, bad things will happen – like a fumble or a missed handoff.

There is no excuse for a false step. Pre-snap, players should have their weight evenly distributed, with their muscles loaded and ready to fire off in the right direction.

It doesn’t get any more basic than that.

(I value your feedback at Mike.Abou-Mechrek@InvestorsGroup.