The con job starts with tackles that set their feet and hunch their bodies as if only one play can occur. The quarterback joins the deception, backpedaling and setting his eyes downfield, scanning for a teammate who won’t make the catch.
The running back steps as if he’s about to throw a block.
Meanwhile, the defensive ends charge full force. As they are about to swallow the quarterback, the ball is passed to a running back and the tackles break to the open field. The back scampers downfield for a long gain.
This is why Al Saunders loves the screen pass.
“It takes a lot of work,” said Saunders, the Redskins associate head coach/offense. “But they’re fun because of the chance for a big play. It’s the most fun of any play in football. … It’s the most choreographed play in football.”
It’s also one the Redskins can expect to use often this season. As the Redskins grow under Saunders, the screen will become a staple. Saunders said they have 25-30 pass protections and at least 15 screens to complement them.
Saunders likes it for a variety of reasons, but two stand out.
First, it slows the rush. Once, when Saunders was Kansas City’s offensive coordinator, he called screens on five of the first 10 plays vs. Oakland.
“They had big physical defensive linemen who weren’t very athletic,” Saunders said. “And we wanted to put pressure on them.”
Second, it usually puts the ball in the hands of a playmaker in the open field. When Saunders coached two seasons in St. Louis, Marshall Faulk averaged 84 receptions per season. In Kansas City, Priest Holmes averaged 69 in three full seasons with Saunders. He went 61 yards for a score against Washington last season on a perfectly-timed screen.
“It gives you a changeup and the ability to stretch the field laterally,” Saunders said.
Washington’s Clinton Portis does not have the hands of Faulk or Holmes and his career-high in receptions is 40. “It’s not a matter of having extraordinary receiving skills,” Saunders said, “it’s just providing him a chance to do it.”
In addition, the offensive linemen must be athletic, something the Redskins have across their front.
“I like it,” Redskins tackle Chris Samuels said, “[because] it slows down the pass rushers.”
Quarterback Mark Brunell must wait until the last second to pass the ball. Then, from the coach’s booth and even in the stands, it’s easy to see if the play will work.
Said Saunders, “It’s a beautiful thing to watch.”
