Here is my adaptation of Hal Mummes Routes-on-air drill. The 5 (or 4, or 3, or two and a coach, etc.

) QBs line up side-by-side and drop simultaneously, while your receivers run the routes from a given route package. Additional receivers are standing behind the drill by position, ready to jump in for the next rep. I like to stand behind, but have another coach on the side of the drill and, if possible, a third downfield. You'll notice the inverted V's in the diagram -these are traffic cones, placed where defenders will end up in their zone drops -I've diagrammed a Cover 2 zone with five underneath defenders in the short zones. If there is a third coach downfield, I like him to stand behind one of the middle cones. If you face a lot of man coverage, position the cones at the spot where receivers would make their cuts against man defenders; this will help them see where those cuts should occur, and will help the QB time his throw. The QB on the right calls cadence and drops with the ball, as do the others simultaneously. The #1 QB, on the right, looks to his first read in that route package and throws the ball; #2, next to him, checks the #1 receiver, then throws to #2; and so on down the line, until #5 QB on the left looks at all four other receivers before throwing to #5. It should be "zing-zing-zing-zing-zing" in short order when everyone throws to the right man in the proper sequence. This gives a clear indication of who "gets it" and who doesnt -- any ball thrown out of sequence or to the wrong receiver can be immediately corrected -reinforcing the ones who have done it right and fixing the problem for the one who hasn't. Yes, it gets crowded there in the backfield -- but that's good training for the QB. He steps up and throws even with bodies swirling around him. Before the next rep, all five QB's switch places -- #1 rotates to the left, and all others slide right one place. Thus each pass route package will get five correct

repetitions -- or multiples of five, if you have only a few patterns and really want to lock them into muscle memory. While we try to run the patterns as faithfully as possible, it may be necessary to slightly modify things in the backfield to accommodate the multiple QB's, especially with play action. In the diagram, the FB will not set to block before he Flares to the left, but will zip out of the backfield to clear out of #5's way. For the sake of proper timing, FB may then slow down a step or two until he is back in the normal rhythm of his pattern. One more point -- QB's throw between those cones, never over them. A completion which occurs over a cone will be ruled an interception, and the drill starts over for that pass route package until five perfect reps have occurred (or whatever multiple of five you specify beforehand).