Using the Mesh Drill for Multiple Read Schemes

By Jim Good
Associate Head Football Coach/Offensive Coordinator/QBs
University of Redlands, California
Twitter: @UR_CoachGood

Introduction:

The majority of our run game contains an option component. Part of our offensive philosophy is to “Protect the Defense.” It is imperative we maintain possession of the football and either score or set the defense up with great field position. The Mesh Drill has been critical in helping us achieve success in this area.

Drill Details:

The Mesh Drill will involve only the QBs and RBs at the base level. Later we add TE/Hs and offensive linemen as schemes become more complex. A high number of repetitions are demanded in our practices. The drill will allow us to focus on the QB/RB mesh, each player’s “reads” and the spatial relationships between players on each run play within our offense. We will work the Mesh Drill for 5 to 10 minutes per practice depending on the following variables:

• Time of year (pre-season vs in-season)
• Day of the week (more time spent early in the week)
• Game plan (play selection for the week)
• Number of players involved in the drill (TE/H’ and/or OL)

Spacing is imperative in this drill. We use an “offensive line strip” to maintain consistent alignment and landmarks for the players involved. To keep a quick pace, the quarterbacks will rotate from center to quarterback to defensive end to out. The running backs will rotate from running back to linebacker to out. If we have a TE/H involved, he will rotate from TE/H to safety or outside linebacker to out. See below for position descriptions for the drill:

Quarterback: