Anatomy of a Touchdown: Rashad Greene Goes 50 Yards

On Saturday night with the game on the line, Jameis Winston found Rashad Greene across the middle for a 50-yard touchdown that put Florida State up by 13 and essentially assured the Seminoles of their first win.

If you watch the replay, you see the throw Winston makes is actually a little behind Greene, causing him to spin as he catches it before continuing upfield for the score. If you were watching at home, it’s easy to look at the throw and think it was all Greene, heck you could even fault Winston for a poor toss– but that’s why you can’t trust armchair quarterbacks.

After the game on Saturday, Greene told reporters that Winston intentionally put the ball a little behind him to allow him to spin out of the coverage and avoid a hit. On the play Greene is between three defenders, he’s trailed by CB Kevin Peterson — who has Greene in the coverage — and he is heading between S Jordan Sterns and LB Ryan Simmons across the middle of the field. Winston puts the ball on Greene’s back hip, which causes Greene to spin out, splitting Sterns and Simmons as Peterson dives to make a play on a pass that is just barely out of his reach.

It was a throw that — at least according to Greene and Winston — was completely intentional.

On Monday morning, FSU head coach Jimbo Fisher elaborated.

“Anybody can throw the ball outside the hashes, everybody talks about the strong arm to throw the comeback and all that stuff — that’s great — but there’s usually not a lot of reading going on,” said Fisher at his weekly press conference. “Usually one guy is going up and over and you’ve got a lane to stick a ball in there. When you throw the ball between the hashes is when you know how to throw the football. That’s what matters. That’s where decisions are, that’s where timing [is], that’s where lanes [are], that’s where rhythm [is] and that’s where trust is built.”

Here’s how Fisher — who has had his last three starting quarterbacks chosen in the first round of the NFL draft — teaches his quarterbacks and receivers to read coverage and make throws over the middle.

“When you throw the ball on the front number, you know what that quarterback’s telling me? Accelerate through the football, there’s nobody there,” said Fisher.

“If he throws it on the back number, he’s telling me someone’s in front of me, I should always spin and I’ve got room behind me. That should tell me I’m spinning inside out and taking the ball out the back gate. If he throws it between my numbers, he’s telling me that I’m bracketed, I should catch it, cuddle up and get ready to get hit on both sides.”

You can tell that right now the only player Jameis Winston completely trusts over the middle is Rashad Greene. Greene was targeted 20 times on Saturday, catching 11 for 203 yards and the aforementioned touchdown. On that TD throw, if Winston throws it ahead of Greene, he runs him right into the linebacker. If he throws it in the middle of his numbers the play gets stopped short of a first down. But where Winston puts it allows Greene to spin out, split the defenders and race the rest of the way to pay-dirt.

The trust between Winston and Greene is undeniably strong. But the rest of the group is still developing its rapport with Winston. The return of Jesus “Bobo” Wilson, may add another trustworthy receiver to the rotation, but over the coming weeks FSU will be working hard to make sure its receivers and Winston are on the same page.

Especially over the middle.

“That’s what they’re taught, that’s how it’s done and that’s the rhythm and timing it takes over time to get like this– that’s the trust,” said Fisher. “That’s how those plays are made. So a guy can have me cut off, I can throw it back numbers, spin out and go. It takes a lot of work and time, but that’s how we do it. If you want a guy to go inside and be dependable for you to go into holes, you have to not hang him out and that’s what we spend a lot of time on.”