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Colin Duling, OC/QB Coach, Bethel (MN)

Full video on Glazier Drive:  Mixers out of the Spread Offense: PROs, Screens, & Compliments (Includes QB Technique/Drills)

WHAT "PRO" MEANS IN THIS SYSTEM

PRO stands for Pass-Run Option — essentially their flipped acronym for RPO, but with a key philosophical difference. These plays serve as the offense's quick-game package, pairing a run scheme (instead of a traditional quick-game protection) with quick passing concepts. The built-in checkdown on every PRO is always a quarterback run.

PRO VS. RPO: THE KEY DISTINCTION

The coach draws a clear line between RPOs and PROs. On an RPO, the quarterback only throws if he's 90% or more confident in completing it — otherwise he hands the ball off. On a PRO, the quarterback is pass-first: he comes to the line intending to throw, and only turns it into a QB run if the pass isn't there. This makes PROs a true progression read rather than a pre-determined percentage decision.

INSTALL METHOD AND DRILLS

Because roster size is limited (no scout team/extra bodies), they use specialists, injured receivers, or extra quarterbacks to stand in at each receiver spot. Quarterbacks then rep throwing to every single spot in rapid-fire, sequential order at first, then in mixed order to simulate real progression reads. The goal is to make every eligible receiver a legitimate option in the quarterback's mind.

THE BASE PLAY: HITCHES The foundational PRO is a five-hitch concept — all five eligible receivers run hitch routes while the offensive line blocks quarterback ISO. This is treated as their simplest, most repeatable play, meant to be a high-efficiency staple of the offense. On this particular play, the quarterback doesn't work a strict progression (1-2-3); instead, he's coached to identify pre-snap or immediately post-snap which hitch is the easiest/most open and throw that one, since all routes develop on the same timing.

FORMATION AND PERSONNEL FLEXIBILITY

The same core concept gets dressed up differently week to week: tight ends released on flat routes, receivers swapped into "spot" routes, screens replacing some hitches, stack/double-stack alignments, and running backs used as an extra ISO blocker (6th gap runner) when not in true empty sets. The coaching point emphasized: it's still the "same play" mentally for the quarterback, just with different bodies filling the same roles/reads.

QB TECHNIQUE COACHING POINTS

• Quarterback's drop should be shallow — heels around 5 yards deep, only losing about half a yard on the rocker step.
• Avoid a "punch step" (common with new quarterbacks) that pushes depth to 6.5 yards, since that puts him out of phase with the run scheme if he keeps it.
• Immediately get vertical after the catch/throw decision.
• Read the numbers/leverage post-snap (e.g., recognizing four defenders shifted to one side, leaving a receiver uncovered on the other).

GAME EXAMPLES SHOWN

Multiple in-season clips illustrate the concept holding up: a 10-yard hitch to the field, a double-clutch throw around a rushing defensive lineman, a quick screen replacing two hitches, and a red-zone/late-season example where the defense left a receiver uncovered — with the coach noting that situation "needs to be a play we score on."

BIGGER-PICTURE TAKEAWAY

The coach notes that season-long data showed roughly 70% improved efficiency on this play, with most gains landing in the 7–12 yard range — reinforcing the value of keeping this quick-game package simple, repeatable, and adaptable across formations/motions rather than complex.

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