Quarterback Tips: Quick Game Drops

As a quarterback, your drop back footwork dictates the play’s pace.

Let’s discuss quarterback quick game drops from both under center and in the shotgun. It’s very important for the quarterback to understand that his feet are his clock. What does that mean?  It means that the timing between your drop and the routes that the receivers are running is absolutely critical. These need to go hand-in-hand.  As such, there is no room for error or false steps in your drop or a mistake in the breakpoints of the receiver’s routes. Timing is very important for the play to be successful.

3-Step Drop from Under Center

After you receive the snap from the center, pull the ball into your belly and if you’re a right-handed quarterback, you will open to your right with one big step. When you take that one big step, your foot should travel on a line perpendicular to the line of scrimmage. Do not swing that foot all the way around, but rather travel the midline with slight knee lift exaggeration, letting the foot travel the midline making one big step to clear the “trash” or action from the line of scrimmage.

After the first big step, that will be followed with two smaller steps, again traveling the imaginary perpendicular line with the line of scrimmage. On the third step, plant your foot into the ground so that it’s perpendicular to the target.  So, if your plant foot is parallel to the line of scrimmage, you would be throwing a pass over the middle. If you were throwing the pass to the right, then that plant foot would turn approximately 45 degrees to be perpendicular to your target on the right side. If you were throwing to the left, again the plant foot would turn perpendicular to the target to make the throw.

One drill to help develop consistency with your quick game drops is to actually turn perpendicular to the side line and use the yard line as a guideline to ensure that you stay direct in your drop. As you take one big step followed by two smaller steps, your feet should land on the yard line. You will then gather your momentum and stab your third step into the ground perpendicular to the target. The yard line is a good marker to be able to keep honest with your execution. Have a coach or teammate watch you so you can keep your head up during your drop.

Drop from Shotgun

After receiving the snap from the center, start by taking a 3-inch drop step with the foot opposite of your throwing hand. This is followed by a position step with the foot on your throwing hand side, stabbing that foot in the ground to create your plant foot. This foot should be placed at an angle perpendicular to the target. You will then push off of this foot, stepping in the direction of your target to complete the pass.
It’s very important to execute your drops with precise footwork so that timing in the quick game is not compromised.