Coup d'œil

Inspired by the insightful post of Alex Kirby at Life After Football , I wanted to offer feedback on this same process with an emphasis on developing a routine for interpreting live football broadcasts. The method I'll outline is one that I've used for years while being in the box for gameday communication.

What we'll outline here is how to assess the next play that is going to be run before that play starts.  The beauty here is this is a skill you can hone with hundreds of reps at your leisure. Likely, you will already be watching 12 hours of football each weekend that you can practice with.  Let's assume you watch 3 or 4 football games in a weekend. That translates to roughly 450 - 500 repetitions to train your brain with instant feedback to develop this skill. This allows you to stay engaged with any broadcast, playing this game (within a game broadcast) but also developing a skillset invaluable to football coordinating.  Watching games dispassionately, just focusing on formations and areas of the field,  allows you to develop an intelligence towards predicting outcomes.  Naturally, the type of plays called will depend on the play-caller, but those become exceptions to the rule.  The more you exercise this technique, the more scenarios you will have to draw from because you will receive instant feedback once the play is run (were you right or wrong? What did you learn from your hypothesis?).

When all is said and done, it really is the commander's coup d'œil, his ability to see things simply, to identify the whole business of war completely with himself, that is the essence of good generalship. Only if the mind works in this comprehensive fashion can it achieve the freedom it needs to dominate events and not be dominated by them. -Carl von Clausewitz 

Overcoming the Advantage of Run-Pass Option Offenses

Much has been made of the advancements of offenses in this 'modern age' of football.  There are endless articles on these new spread plays, but what of the defense? What can a defense do to not only adapt but limit the seemingly endless advantages of these offenses?  

We Talkin' Practice!

A young, passionate Brian Billick breaks down the overlooked FUNDAMENTALS of building a game plan and how it manifests itself in preparation through the week. 

See also

http://brophyfootball.blogspot.com/2011/01/dubber-effectively-measuring-offensive.html

http://brophyfootball.blogspot.com/2010/06/brian-billick-game-planning-openers.html

Speaking of PRACTICE, Coach B Dud has graciously provided some kickass notes after a visit to the Cal football program a defensive apocalypse is underway in the form of Sonny Dykes, Tony Franklin, and Rob Likens.

http://coachbdud.blogspot.com/2013/03/cal-spring-visit.html

Boned!

We are now through seven weeks of the college football season and one of the more exciting matchups this season was the pairing of the prolific and aggressive paced offenses of Texas A&M and Louisiana Tech.  Much has been written on this blog about Tech, but A&M has been one of the forerunners of tempo spread since the hiring of Mike Sherman in 2008 and also through his replacement,  new head coach, Kevin Sumlin. What was interesting about this matchup was how A&M, a non-powerhouse of the Big XII and now SEC, has used this style of play to compete when they are routinely outgunned in their conference then faces a team with similar philosophy.  Both defenses were well acquainted with tempo offenses, because naturally, that is what they practice against.

This post, as well as most posts on this blog, will simply articulate a momentum or trend that happens to be current.  I doubt we're breaking much ground here, nor are we attempting to deliver some great truth or provide a how-to coaching guide.  We'll just be documenting a direction or response encountered in today's game.  It can be easy to fixate on singular items, but where we're hoping to go is tie in the relevant connections to see what's at play in the bigger picture.  We could no doubt, review some of the same efficiencies and nuances of Johnny Manziel and the TAMU offense used by Kliff Kingsbury.


Tech (and other spread offenses) has been using a 3-back formation for quite a while, but what they have been using it for in the past 8 months to compliment their base package, is something to take note of.  To accommodate their frantic pacing in games, so much of the playbook has to be trimmed and streamlined to ensure efficiency.  Tech bases out of 2x2 and 3x1, but to provide a radical change-up against the nickel defenses they see, Tech uses tight-ends and versatile backs (extra linemen more recently) to force defensive personnel into non-standard situations, primarily to elicit a coverage response.  This cat-and-mouse game was illustrated throughout the second half of this game.  In this post, we'll take a look at what kind of changes were taking place.  You'll see much of this all goes back to the early one-back philosophies.

Against one-back sets, the defense will typically commit 6 defenders to the box and play nickel with 2-high safeties.  

After pacing through a series with receivers spread the width of the field, Tech will race through substitutions and be set within 10 seconds with 3 backs in the backfield.  The defense, in the given personnel grouping they had from the last play, have to determine how this formation will be played. Typically, the nickel will join the box, but this only provides 7 defenders to 8 offensive players (excluding the quarterback). 

Do you keep the safeties deep to prevent isolation of your corners? 
Do you drop a safety to bolster your front? 

The challenge is that the offensive formation is symmetrical with no declared run strength. The offense can run any play to either side equally well.

TAMU using 7 defenders in the box

TAMU using 8 defenders in the box

TAMU using 9 defenders in the box

Once you even up your numbers in the box, Tech uses their gap-power run to overwhelm the point of attack (with OF lead), forcing a defense to drop both safeties and leave their corners one-on-one with the single-split receivers.

Part of the beauty of this is that most of it fits within what Tech would be doing out of 2x2 or 3x1.  They (used to) run a lot of Rodeo/Lasso and fast and solid screens on the perimeter (which becomes even more effective if you can bunch the defense up in the middle of the field).  So even though they bring in an extra blocker to the formation, they can do all the stuff they would be doing from their base formations.

When the one-on-one matchup is assured on the receiver, they will look to exploit it through play-action (usually a post-dig combo).  From here, the throw will be premised on the leverage the receiver has on the defender;

If outside – hit the post

If in-phase low shoulder - fade

If in-phase high shoulder – drop out

With as much as one-on-one leverage is worked by Tony Franklin and as talented as his receivers are, these become extremely high percentage throws.


** This game is a wonderful study in the current competitive equalizers from both teams (offense and defense).  Down by 27 in the first half, what other program would give license to continue rolling the dice with attack tempo? If Franklin was at any other school what are the odds of the head coach pulling the reins on his method and try to 'hold the ball' on offense (and limit the ability to mount the comeback)?  Facing the explosive running threat of Manziel, watch Tommy Spangler adjust his 'cats'/'shaver' pressures to bring 5 to control the running lanes.

This all plays into a larger theme on determining what is truly important to becoming more efficient, both on offense and defense.  We are well aware that trends in the game ebb and flow and remain cyclical, but its not as if there will be wholesale scheme changes made; merely adaptations.  Playing into Hemlock's point about Saban's method, defenses may need to be measured by new standards as the game of football adapts.   

Mazzone Revisited

I wasn’t quite sure if we captured the premise of the Iowa State lesson of schematic concision well enough in the last post.  Admittedly, it was an off-the-cuff editorial to a climactic match.  I also wasn’t sure if we have done a complete enough job to date on stressing the simplicity of concepts within an offense (hemlock has tackled this exceptionally well in previous posts), particularly as it relates to Noel Mazzone this fall.  Yes, we get that Arizona State has underperformed this season and Erickson will likely be gone at the end of this year (though it is a shame, considering how explosive their offense has been), but I don’t believe that discounts the value of learning what is working with Mazzone.

With this in mind and to serve as a type of sidebar edification on the matter, we’re “reposting” an exchange offered by hemlock and I on COACHHUEY (explaining Mazzone’s system).  So not to break the flow of dialogue (or require any actual work on my part) I’m leaving the posts as-is in the sequence they occured .  Hemlock’s thoughtful prose and profound commentary is in gold, while my rambling gibberish is in diarrhea green.

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** I realize some of the video (through Vimeo) hosted here is hard to come by.  If you are not aware of how to rip flash already, I’ll direct you to use Firefox and download the video add-on.  Start a video, then enable the download (and its yours).

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Noel Mazzone is Noel Mazzone. He has always been 1-back. What he's doing in Arizona, is essentially what he's always done, having evolved it through the years.

It IS zone-read, but its all controlled/filtered through a systematic way of horizontally stretching the defense, while at the core being vertically orientated (zone-read, F swing, Stick/Snag/Scat/Drive/Shallows/Verts/and tons of screens). There is an efficiency in his application (which is what we've been writing about) that is worth exploring (certainly doesn't carry near the amount of stuff Air Raid teams currently do). It isn't necessarily the plays themselves, but how they're packaged together and used as punch and counter-punch diagnosis.

How he teaches "the offense" is evident in what you've seen with Threet and Osweiller. They are lightening quick in throwing 3-step and 5-step that appears brutal on defenses (they know exactly what they are looking for based on the concept and process through it all).

I would resist calling Mazzone's offense an extension of the pro-single back. If the source of this thought is Mazzone's stint with the Jets in the NFL then I think it a little off. Too me it's evident that Mazzone went to the NFL not to make that his final destination but as a sort of intense sabbatical in that he went there to see what that game had to teach him. I think his goal was always to get back to the college game.

Brophy and I are going to be writing more about the offense in weeks to come, but here are few things to keep in mind: Mazzone wants to stress the defense's perimeter fulcrum. Watch the USC game; I don't think I have ever scene such transparent objectives in my life; they are constantly trying to widen the defense. When they widen the edge their inside zone game become effective, but you need to remember that it's not a real rugged zone game; they don't do combos and stuff; its only effective if they have one on one matchups. But stretching the defense horizontally also helps his vertical game, because it transforms zone into man.

The thing to remember is this too: they really only carry a few concepts every game, especially in their dropback package. More later...
The thing to remember about their zone game is this: it's bang or bust; if they don't win their individual matchups the play goes no where. Think about some the idiotic comments that Rod Gilmore made the other night. It asked why on second and ten did Mazzone run what he described as an "inside handoff" that went for nothing. Well, it was the right call for the front; they had the numbers to win but simply did not on that play. I like to think of it as "scat" zone. I know that sounds odd, but it's not an inside zone in the Alex Gibbs, Eliot Uzelac sense.

In a lot of ways I think that Mazzone is reviving some old things that Purdue did once upon a time. Think of how he motions his backs; it reminds me of how Purdue, WAZZU, and for that matter Miami of yesterday all motioned to empty as a way of stretching the defense's flanks in order to create windows underneath, but also to put backers and backs on virtual islands.

Also, think of how they use the bubble. People talk about the bubble as an extended hand off, but most teams really do not throw it well enough for it to be considered their stretch or wide zone play; not the case with ASU. I don't think I've seen a team that can run bubbles with the back, from 2x2, or 3x1 as effectively as they do regardless of the look. In a sense, the bubble is one of their plays that they feel that they can run versus anything to make critical yards, regardless of whether the defense knows what coming or not. Their third scoring drive the other night that came of the Vontez's pick was built almost entirely of of bubbles in one form or another.
Chris is right, there is nothing radical about what their doing. We will cover this in a post later in the season, but the one thing that they have done better than just about anybody is to accelerate the speed of their vertical game; when their on their game they throw verticals just as fast as quicks.
Yeah, in a sense it really is just that - big on big; they never really get to the second level; basically, its the back's responsibility to make the backer miss, which is what happens when they get big plays out of their zone game.

In terms of packages they carry, if you watch them closely they basically run four concepts from 2x2 and 3x1: Snag; 4 Verts, Y Cross, and Drive or Shallow. Not a huge Smash team in the conventional sense; when they hit the corner its coming off their 3-man snag a lot.

That said, they do tag the backside with a number of different combos, such as double post, post corner, Dig choice, etc.


Its really about an Economy of Concepts

If you're horizontally stretching a defense and emptying the box (to run.....and run easy) I suppose it isn't necessary to mash and bang with getting vertical movement on IZ and working combos (still not sure if I swallow this just yet) them running IZ will blow your mind ("wtf are they doing!?!") if you're accustomed to how IZ is traditionally run out of 1 back.

watch how they 'zone' against a 3man front....not what you'd think

I would say that Alex Gibbs' one-cut rule is central to the success of the play in for Mazzone's back because of the nature of their scheme, which in part why the back aligns on the QB's heel rather than simply adjacent to him as he does in other zone gun schemes, such as Northwestern's, for example.

 

Against Oregon, the ASU offense relied heavily on motioning the H or Z into the formation.  They barely used motion against Missouri. It is only used to make a more decisive read for the throw (remove a defender from the running lane).

To build on Brophy's point, motion is used here in much the same way as it was used back in the day at Wyoming, Purdue, WAZZU, etc. Yes, it definately clarifies the read for the QB in that it tells him right away which side of the field he's going to work, especially in the Snag game, but it also is a way of putting extreme pressure on the number four to that side, the defense's fulcrum. It's another way of "controlling" this guy and making sure that he is out of the box, that he does not become a 1/5 player in the box.

Though most applications of ASU's offense are pretty basic in each game, the quirks against Oregon would be apparent for most coaches. Whereas most 7-man front defenses, Mazzone can pretty much give his quarterback a very clear picture. With Oregon's nickel/dime (2/1 DL) the picture was extremely cloudy with linebackers and safeties dropping into overhang positions. The heavy use of motion in that game was a product of getting Oregon to declare what they were truly running (where the safeties had to be.....and would the out-leverage themselves from helping their corners against the larger receivers). On the swing, it would primarily require the safety to make the stop because they were playing a heavy dose of C5 and rushing 4 or fire zoning and rushing 5.

What is interesting for coaches, was how Mazzone's system could adapt to it without losing it's shit. Facing something that was as different and that could get into and out of box threats pretty easy (from depth), ASU didn't have to do anything outside of themselves to handle it. With so many defenders outside the tackles on each snap, Oregon really was daring them to run inside and how ASU was hammering the flare/swing to open up the inside. If they threw the swing, it was going to have to be a safety to stop it (leaving X/Z pretty much 1-on-1) . I didn't find many times where Oregon didn't bring 5 every down, so it made the dig/shallow read pretty easy (either the WLB/MLB was widening for the swing or were both dropping to hook) .

What should be interesting for COACHES is not what they are doing but how they are processing the information on the field. Just by segmenting the defense, picking on one particular defender they can make some pretty safe assumptions on where everyone else will fit and who becomes the best ball carrier in that situation.

I think what we have to remember is that all spread offensive systems strive in some way or another to displace defenders and in the process place an inordinate amount of structural stress on the defense's force or alley players. Whether it's RichRod's spread option or Noel Mazzone's version, both offenses are really trying to hammer on a defenses adjuster backer, which in most 2 hi looks is going to be the sam, at least most of the time. RichRod does it with the Zone Read and Zone Bubble, as we've seen in the excellent talks that Brophy has posted on the blog. For Rich, it's really about trying to make sure that the adjuster never gets into the box, he's the guy they need to control. Mazzone too wishes to attack the adjuster, but his objectives are little different; yes, he wants to run inside zone, but, as Brophy noted, it's really more about identifying the defense's anchor player in order to diagnose not the scheme in general, but more importantly, the defense's individual matches, which, if you think about it, in the era of match-zone is more important than ever.

In a sense, it shows how motion is being used again not so much as a way of gaining mismatches and what not, the offense's general scheme already takes care of that, but of diagnosing what it is that the defense is doing. So, in a way, it just shows how we are coming full circle with the spread. Motion that was once jettisoned is now coming back as a tool for identifying a defenses seams and stress points.

Also, as was noted above, motion is not used blindly by Mazzone. In the Missouri game they hardly used motion because MU is fairly straightforward structurally; with Oregon, however, it was necessary.

Billick Case Study: Complete season

First off, I learned an important rule for blogging: don’t make promises you can’t keep.

I apologize to those who were sitting on pins and needles for my article……I hope both of you can forgive me…….especially you, Mom.

In all seriousness, I do apologize for the delay, I didn’t keep my word to get this to you in a timely manner, and that is not cool.

With that out of the way, let’s apply this study to a season’s worth of statistics.

Before we begin, MAD props to coach fingerz42, a member of Coach Huey's X's and O's site.

Seriously, if you find this to be of any use, send him a PM and let him know you appreciate his work. He was absolutely awesome, and this article would not be possible without him.

Coach fingerz42 is the first year head coach at "High School X". Suffice to say, they struggled in year one (hence the anonymity). Coach fingerz42 brought a new identity to the program, and the growing pains were evident. The team battled to a 2-8 record, and averaged 9 points a game. The adversity of learning a new scheme was further complicated by the loss of his starting quarterback in week 2.

With all due respect to Coach, the poor performance of his 2010 offensive squad makes this analysis especially exciting. The more an offense's talent outweighs that of the defense, the less important 1st down efficiency becomes. If you can have a holding penalty (1st and 20), a reverse for 1 yard (2nd and 19), a QB scramble for 6 (3rd and 13), and then throw a comeback for 15 yards consistently, then either your team is full of studs, or this must be your opponent:

Don’t laugh, these guys may win the Big East’s automatic qualifier in 2011

Team X's lack of offensive prowess, coupled with staring down a massive talent gap nearly every game, made staying on schedule exponentially vital, and that is something Coach told me he plans on scrutinizing more carefully in 2011 (good for him).

Before we examine Team X's first down statistics, let's see how they did in the other 3 areas Billick considers vital to offensive success:

1. Turnovers: Team X turned the ball over 26 times in 10 games. Obviously, stemming this tide is priority number one, of which Coach is well aware.


2. Explosive Plays: Coach didn't keep stats, but when you average under 200 yards a game in total offense, you can figure this is also an area in which Team X needs to improve.


3. Red Zone Efficiency: 9 scores in 19 trips. Lack of opportunities and low efficiency.

Despite the obvious shortcomings in these categories, the case could be made that they all trace the root of their trouble back to first down efficiency.

Falling behind (on the series and the scoreboard) leads to more passing, and when you are a run first team with a backup quarterback, throwing in predictable situations is a recipe for disaster (picks, punts, and poor field position).

This serves to highlight an importance game planning aspect for run first teams: If you plan on attacking a defense 80% run and 20% pass, merely having that ratio in the final box score doesn't mean you accomplished anything. If your 20% came in predictable situations (3rd and long, 2:00 situations, etc.), then there is exists NO semblance of balance, and conversely, there is no defensive imbalance.

Offensive football is all about stressing the defense as a means to the ultimate end: crossing the goal line. There is nothing wrong with wanting to run the ball 80-90% of the time, as long as you avoid predictability.

First Downs

What really got me excited about Coach's team was his breakdown of conversion percentages for those first down plays that garnered over and under 4 yards, respectively: On first downs where the offense gained 4 yards or more, they went to convert 80% of the time.

On first downs where the offense failed to gain 4 yards or more, that percentage fell to 31%

Think about this....here's a team that to the naked eye can't seem to do anything right (again, all due respect to coach fingerz42, almost all of us have been there), and yet, when they manage to gain 4 or more on first down, they manage to move the chains a whopping 80% of the time!

Now, the rub comes when we examine the frequency of these +4 gainers.

On the season, Team X had 194 first down opportunities. On 129 of these (66%), Team X failed to gain 4 yards.

Sidetrack

The big question for Coach this off-season is to figure out how to create more 2nd and <6. In fact, from the conversations we’ve had, I know he is already working on his first down success through 2 important endeavors that all coaches need proficiency in:

Our staff calls it the R&D department……..recruitment and development; THE foundation of any program.

The following conversation was overheard at a clinic between coaches from rival schools (as far as any of you know):

Coach 1: "We just couldn't stop you guys from hitting the speed out. We used our Tango technique, then switched to the Dragon Claw alignment, and even whipped out the Lombardi Kung Fu grip and we STILL couldn't handle it. What are you guys doing to make that that route so effective for you?"

Coach 2: "Our fast kid runs it."

Word?

All this effort into analysis and stat tracking will flesh out an extra game or two on your season (which can mean a world of difference), but the real wins come in the off-season.

Practical Applications

So, how can we make this work for us?

While I place a great deal of emphasis on analysis as it relates to decision making, there is no need to go all Beautiful Mind on your football team…

If you know a team runs Power Right out of the Pro-I forty-three percent of the time when on the left hash facing 2^nd and 5 in the 3^rd quarter when the wind is over 10 mph blowing from the west and the blah, blah, blah……….

Focus on the big things, and the little things will handle themselves.

Our staff (limited in time and man power) has started to focus on the follow areas:

1. First down tendency


2. 3^rd down tendency


3. GL tendency

We look at our opponents respective offensive and defensive strategies in these three areas and plan accordingly.

We also find 16 year old kids can remember a couple 1^st down tendencies (2 main runs, favorite pass), and a couple situational items (3^rd and long…..draw, verticals, etc.).

I wish you happy hunting. I hope this helps, and if you have analysis of your team, please feel free to share.

And again, one last BIG shout out to coach for making this article possible.

Dubber: Effectively Measuring Offensive Efficiency

brilliant perspective and analysis courtesy of new author and face-melter, dubber

In "Developing an Offensive Gameplan", Brian Billick, using years of statistical data, identifies the four main areas critical to an offense's success (or attributable to its failure).

They are:

1. Turnovers (pretty self-evident)
2. Explosive Plays (defined as runs over 12 and passes over 15, given an even turnover margin, teams who garner at least 2 more explosive than their opponents will win about 80% of the time)
3. Red Zone Efficiency
4. Success on First Down (success defined as 4 or more yards). (The math behind this is a successful 1st down will populate a shorter 3rd down, which is easier to convert.)

I kept statistics concerning these four areas while watching the Seahawks and the Rams. This was an excellent game to apply this study to, because I generally feel the respective defenses of these two clubs are better than their offensive counterparts, and both punters, kickers, and coverage units had excellent games.

This puts the onus on the offensive gameplan and decision making.

As a side note, I have done this a couple of times now, and while the reports are getting better, I think keeping track of a couple other items (1st down run/pass ratio, and 3rd down conversions by distances) would be helpful. For the future.....

So..........

1. Turnovers were even (one each)
2. Explosive plays............few and far between, but they were correlated to scoring drives, notably the only touchdown in the game, which was set up courtesy of the game's biggest play (61 yard pass play)----------the Seahawks garnered this bomb, as well one more total explosive overall.
3. 2 visits apiece, with the Seahawks coming away with 10 points to the Rams 6. The penalty in the red zone for the Rams was killer..........

It was probably these two categories that won the Seahawks the game.

I really didn't care who won this game, but of particular interest to me was the first down statistics, which bear out an important lesson from which coaches can learn.

4. First down

I took note of the yardage gained on every first down of the game. I computed an average. More importantly, I also took note of what happen from a conversion standpoint (IE, getting another first down) on first downs that garnered 4 or more yards, AND those that did not.

If I may put the cart before the horse, the Seahawks had 30 first down opportunities to the Rams 19.

• The Seahawks averaged 5.5 yards on first down
• The Rams averaged 4.2

While that tells the tale, it is also slightly misleading........obviously, whether the offense gains 13 or 50 yards on 1st down, they get another first down........and that 50 yarder can bolster my average enough to cover up my overall inefficiency on first down.

More important is to observe the RATIO in which I experience success on first down, not my average 1st down yardage.

• Of the 30 times the Seahawks had a first down, they gained 4 or more a total of 17 times (57 %).
• Of the 19 times the Rams had a first down, they gained to gain 4 or more a total of 9 times (53 %).

A big advantage for the Seahawks was their ability to overcome gaining less than 4 yards on first down.........they went ahead and converted 38% compared to the Rams 22%.

This was not due to a proficiency on 3rd down and long (in fact, both of these teams were generally sucky on 3rd and medium to long)..........a large part of this game was actually won and lost on SECOND DOWN!

The Rams (perhaps due to that first quarter bomb and the way the Seahawks were able to recognize and attack man coverage) played softer, zone coverage on 2nd down. Couple this with the Seahawks willingness to throw high percentage, risk averse passes on 1st and 2nd down (which is pretty ballsy when you are rolling with your backup quarterback), and you have a recipe for getting back into a manageable 3rd down situation.................

Here's the real kicker, and if you take nothing else from this, take this (remembering these teams are very poor offensively): Combined, the two team had 26 first down plays that gained 4 or more yards, and of those, only 6 failed to result in another first down.

That means that 77% of the time either of these teams gained 4 or more yards on first down, they ended up converting for another first down.

So, how is this helpful?

Go back to those couple of games where you felt like you didn't execute offensive, but should have. Not the game you blew a team out, and not the game where you were blown out........but that game that was close, or that you should have won, but your offense just struggled. Go back and look at just the yards gained on first down..................see what that tells you.

THE FOLLOWING IS THE SECOND OF TWO POSTS ON THIS SUBJECT, ADDRESSING SOMETHING I WOULD LIKE TO ADD TO FUTURE ANALYSIS: FIRST DOWN PLAY SELECTION AND THIRD DOWN CONVERSION PERCENTAGES.

Charting first down is really the most time consuming part of this exercise. Turnovers are easy to count, as are red zone visits and explosive plays. Charting first down production means I must be completely focused on the television (something that rarely holds my full attention for hours on end).

I think 1st down run/pass ratio would be a huge addition, but I want it to be more structured than merely listing percentages........I would like to have some way to account for variance. For example, if I say a team threw 75% of the time on first down, that may be misleading if they throw a ton of screens. Also, there is a difference, in my mind, between taking a PA shot on first down, and taking a 3-step and throwing quick game. As a side note, while I believe the overarching theme of successful first downs should be unpredictability and balance, I would (personally) skew my first down gameplan more toward quick passing game than PA. I'd rather have the higher probability of 2nd and medium than risk an incompletion and leave 2nd and long.

Remember, an incompletion means you failed to gain 4 yards on first down, and are now off schedule...........and when the defense is better than you (a situation both offenses faced last night), you MUST stay on schedule.

Not that I wouldn't (and don't) take shots on first down, it just wouldn't figure predominantly into my general gameplanning practices.........

The type of PA also makes a difference........booting and throwing the comeback or the flat route is higher percentage than dropping straight back and throwing the NCAA route off run action.

And I understand, most PAP's have check downs, but I would like to have some way to delineate between taking a shot, and moving the pocket/still throwing high %.....which, given TV's horrible angles, would be hard.

At any rate, I would love anyone's thoughts on how to break this down.

Maybe the following 5 categories would work: quick/short passing, Verticals, PA's (maybe look at the difference between "going deep" and "high %"?), Runs, and Screens?

As I think about, perhaps screens could be sub-divided even further, as perimeter screens and slower developing slip or middle screens have entirely different functions for an offense.

Personally, a perimeter screen is like call sweep, and I consider it a safe way to get the ball in space (and get my 4 yards). Meanwhile, the latter mentioned screens are more like "home run" swings against a pressuring defense (lump them in with "PA shots").

3rd down

The really interesting thing Billick found about 3rd down is the conversion ratios for long, medium, and short were pretty standard. There wasn't a ton of deviation from the best to the worst offenses. For example, most teams convert about 80% of their 3rd and 1 situations, and convert a low percentage of 3rd and longs.

Doesn't matter if you are the Patriots or the Dolphins.

The difference?

The better offensive teams excelled at have MORE 3rd and short opportunities, while the bad offensive teams routinely faced drive killing (and turnover riddled) 3rd and long..........a direct result of good teams have first down success.

Still, it would be fun to chart that conversion ratio, maybe doing that a couple of times would reveal something about 3rd down philosophy.

As a final note, it was evident on 3rd down how much the Rams were still holding Bradford's hand...........their gameplan called for them to run only one formation on third and long (3x1 open with a compressed 2 and 3).........this kind of simplicity works just fine in high school, but in the NFL it's a different story.

I plan on taking some of the ideas in this second section and applying them when I do my next study (I'm thinking Colts/Jets), so if any of you have categorical or organizational suggestions, I'd love to hear them.

Brian Billick - Game Planning & Openers

The following 10 key points summarize what I have attempted to share with you in this book;

1. You must clearly identify what your responsibilities are as the offensive coordinator (play caller) of your team.
2. You must constantly analyze the methods you are using to implement your game plan and determine the capabilities of the group of players you are dealing with each year.
3. Determining the size and scope of the offense you wish to run in any given year or game is the single most important aspect of developing your game plan.
4. In creating your game plan, you should keep the four key measures of turnovers, explosive plays, 1st down efficiency, and Red Zone efficiency in mind.
5. You should establish an opening sequence that can be identified, practiced, and implemented by the entire coaching staff and offensive team.
6. You should identify the parameters of every situational offensive segment and identify the measurable success of each segment and how you are going to achieve those levels of success.
7. You should have a plan for every conceivable contingency your team will face, no matter how unusual the circumstances may seem.
8. You should be as detailed and specific as your time and materials allow.
9. You should make sure you are using all the tools available to you.
10. You should recognize the most important factor in your game plan is the human element, and that the way you interact with your coaches and players affects any and all preparations you make.

Openers

Considerable interest has been focused on the concept of “openers,” whether it be the famous “25 Openers” Bill Walsh utilized, to the programmed shifting and motioning of Joe Gibbs’ Redskins teams. What the concept of openers boils down to is a very specific and detailed approach to your opening game plan. As far back as 1979 at the American Football Coach Association National Convention, Bill Walsh – in his clinic talk, “Controlling the Ball with the Passing Game” – labeled the establishing of your openers as “the single most valuable thing that a coach can do as far as the game plan is concerned.” At a minimum, establishing your openers should accomplish the following nine purposes:

1. Allows you to make decisions in the cool and calm of your office during the week after a thorough analysis of your opponent.
2. Allows you to determine a desirable pass/run ratio.
3. Allow you to make full usage of formation and personnel by making the run and pass interactive.
4. Gives you a chance to challenge the defense and see what adjustments the defense may have incorporated into the defensive game plan, based on your different formation and personnel.
5. Gives your assistant coaches a specific focus as to what is being run and what they should watch for.
6. Gives the players, especially the quarterback, an excellent chance to get into a rhythm, since they are able to anticipate the next call.
7. Allows you to script specific “special” plays and increases your chances of actually getting them run.
8. If your “openers” are successful, it will give your offense a tremendous amount of confidence.
9. Provides you with a great deal of versatility and enables your offense to look very multifaceted and diverse to a defense without having to run a large or unruly number of different plays.

Billick, Brian, "Developing An Offensive Game Plan", 2001, pg 23-26

Game Communication

One of the most under-utilized facet of managing a game occurs in exchanging useful information between staff and players. Like a winter door left wide open in a heated house, nothing saps peak performance faster than an inefficient data stream during the 60-48 minutes of a game. To do this, there are several KPIs staffs should strive for to protect this information link. Ensure the link and you will protect the quality product that will propel your unit toward (consistent) success.

While there are several avenues to take and much of it is based on personal preferences or comfort levels, I will touch on a few key tenets that one should keep in mind when preparing to use ALL their resources to win.

First thing first - recognize what is important and what isn't when fulfilling game night roles. Play-calling done by coordinator's decisions should be the central focus. This is aided by a few basic standards, regardless of which side of the ball we're dealing with;

1. Condition the calls through the week - You should already know how you plan to respond to your opponent in various scenarios heading into the first practice. This is what game planning / scouting is all about. When implementing, be sure to ridiculously exaggerate the packaging of reps through the week. Call out the down and distance, the situation, the coverage/formation, etc and yell out the play you are repping - be precise and specific. Not only are you training the execution of the play but you should also be conditioning mental focus, how your players frame a given down, so that by game night they have seen this situation a thousand times in their head.

"3rd and 6! 3rd and 6! Right Hash....

we are going to get Cover 2 when we present twins to the boundary.

Our call here is 'veer follow-check with me' into the bubble, away from the 3 tech".

Your kids don't have to memorize it, but the conscious declaration and rote patterns will build a foundation that they will package all situations into (to find the rationale).

2. Have a plan - no kidding, right? Along with #1's game planning theme, 'having a plan' entails paring down your playbook to assess just what will and what won't be used. This is what you need to have in order to efficiently utilize all of your practice time. This prevents you from repping plays you won't be able to take advantage of during the game. This prevents you from blinding and aimlessly drilling 'plays' against fronts, coverages, formations, and routes you'll never or infrequently see. Without completely plagiarizing Brian Billick's first chapter of "Developing An Offensive Game Plan", breakdown the time, quarter, areas of the field, down and distance(s) and allot your practice plans accordingly. Reassess how well you were able to keep to that 'preparation diet' after the game - did you spend too much / too little on certain elements? How can you improve?

3. Assess the situation and the play that you need - refining the above approach, begin chopping up the plays you have repped during this week. What plays that you thought would work, can now be completely thrown out? Drill this down to the bare essentials - build it up, tear it down, and build again - be bullet-proof. What will you call in the 'best case' / 'worst case'? What is your answer for backed up/going in? How does this fit your opponent's counter move? If you were them, what would you do?

4. Distill the 'menu' - By Wednesday, you should not only have your scenario scripts, but also a great feel for your opening script (script, yes, even if you're on defense). Be sure to consult with your players, see what they feel confident in. Allow for the 'comfort plays' to help them set their rhythm (could be a shut-up-and-play-Cover-0 check blitz or a fail-safe fast screen on offense). Don't be afraid to throw things out here, think tactical - your best 10-15 plays for this opponent. I say this because the 'menu' should be presented for ARM BANDS. Primarily, this is geared for a defense because most offenses, using arm bands, you may have your entire playbook on a band and never change all season.

For a defense, you must adjust for each opponent, some things will work better than others. You will likely be limited to 20 -30 defensive plays, so you'd better make them count. If your defense is worth any salt, you can burn up those 20-30 plays with multiple fronts, blitzes, stunts, and coverages. For brevity's sake, 1 call would specifically declare one defense (coverage,front,stunt/blitz), so you may end up with 12 calls of the same coverage. For examples of this type of paring, see an old sheet.

This disciplined framework for your attack also prevents the usual emotional spaz-out on most staffs. When you are faced with the pressures of the clock and momentum, the last thing you need to do is lose your wits like Jo Jo the Circus Chimp - Get Back To Fundamentals - work the plan.

When you have already accounted for (and believe in your answers) all scenarios, you can readily access the solutions. Anger/Frustration are a direct result of the sensation/interpretation of not having the resources to handle a situation (panic sets in). There is no room for thinking-on-the-fly or shooting from the hip if you want to win regularly (and actually teach your players something about structure, organization, reaching goals, etc).

5. (Game Night) Get the play in - Now that we have gotten the basics taken care of, this part is likely one of the most important, as tradition, emotion, and/or ego prevent us from streamlining this approach. You had 4-5 days to put the work in so if you didn't you'll be up the creek by now trying to change it. Your job now (as a coordinator) is to correctly assess the situation and rationally play the odds with a level-head. How do you get that 'perfect call' communicated to your players to execute as fast and without any room for error?
Nothing is more frustrating than short-changing your players in crucial situations with little time to transition (see 2009 LSU's Les Miles).

The more time a call has to be repeated/regurgitated the less time your players have to respond. Calls should be short and concise (terminology), as well as delivering that information quick and error-free. This is why arm bands will beat out shuttling players and sign language gesturing - direct them to the (play) 'menu' and immediately everyone is on the same page. Rather than calling, "Strong Right - Flip Left - 21 Zone Sucker - Z drag boot" (and repeating it from a coach-to-player, player-to-quarterback, quarterback-to-huddle-twice), just call "R7" (the grid location of the same play) and now everyone on the squad is ready to execute (saving you 8-13 seconds).

With this, because you've done your homework beforehand, all you have to do is call up your situation and match it up with your pre-planned response. If you're a coordinator in the box, all you have to respond on the phones is - "R7". It truly isn't imperative the assistant on the sideline signalling the call in know what the call is - he just has to relate the "R7" call. Once the call is received (on the field), the coordinator in the box can let sideline phones know the play (or they could simply look it up themselves on their own arm bands/play sheet). Cut out the BS - just transmit the data.

Once again, this does put tremendous pressure on the coordinator and staff to do significant planning and assessment during the week. After all, isn't that what the position is about, though? Game night should be completely free from emotion. If your kids "need you" on Friday night, if you need to "feel" the game and get hyped up, then one could seriously argue that you really weren't being efficient (in teaching the game plan) during the week.

6. Just The Facts, Jack - If you're in the box and on the phones, whether you are the coordinator or spotter, make sure you are concise, to the point, and deliver the required data. As we approached above, presnap 'concision' only further fuels momentum for your players. To aid in this regard, here are some basic press box guidelines (based on role) to keep in mind;

• Coordinator: If just the coordinator is in the box, obviously all that is required is that the play call is relayed to the on-field signaller. In addition, passing coaching points to his position coaches, reviewing 'executive decisions' for the Head Coach (timeouts, special team fakes, 4th downs, etc), as well as reiterating mental queues for key players (to position coaches) all play a part in managing players through his staff. In lulls, repeating and coaxing the assistants through a game can prove instrumental in grooming those assistants in understanding relevant data/tendencies and how to monitor player performances.

• Spotter: A spotter can be anyone from a trusted position coach to a volunteer booster dad. The information required can be basic or serve as the right-arm of the coordinator.

BASIC [anyone can fulfill this role - if you can't provide this info, you have no business being in the box]

• spot: getting a good spot would seem trivial, but when on the field sometimes the crown or external environment can overwhelm a moment. Deliver the spot of the ball, which leads to the corresponding down and distance. Never mind your opinion of the play or how hard of a hit you just saw - just say, "ball is on the 34.....3rd and 2, coach"
• down and distance: touched on above, but be sure to reiterate the scenario verbally. Condition the review of pre-planned scenario (for this situation).
• relevant substitutions/injuries: In HS, you will always have teams with 1-3 studs to monitor. Be sure to let the coordinator know if "their guy" is in or out of the game (which present unique targets of opportunities).

HELPFUL [any coach within the program (MS-Var) should be able to do this]

• Stating the Obvious: You may be whomping the hell out of a defense or bashing your head against the wall, but sometimes a coordinator needs a nudge for a change-up or hint to use the obvious. Sometimes the simplest solution can be so far away when you are desperate for answers ("hey, they are playing real aggressive, keep them on their heels with slo-screen / freeze" - "they're in the red zone - watch option" - "you're getting 2 high here, coach, middle of the field is open").
• Auto Reminder: There may be elements that you know you need to use certain players or plays. This helps prevent the game from getting away from us. This can range from "remind me to throw screens" to "make sure we throw field pressure at them before the half" to "reverse inside the 40". Don't be afraid to chime up with what will seem like a silly comment here.
• Who Made the Tackle: as silly or meaningless as this might sound, it is crucial in determining where the 'hole' is in the ship. If the backside linebacker is always making the play on your back on stretch, the culprit is probably your backside tackle (symptom leads to the diagnosis).
• Distribution: who is getting the ball? who isn't getting the ball? Are we forgetting someone? Keep track of touches/throws in a very basic sense to be mindful of where you are in the game plan (as our memory often fails us).
• Play Charting: Even if you can't keep up with it all, this really helps out at half time (when you can catch a breath) as well as at the end of the game. Simply sequentially chart the plays called (even if it is just the arm band call) so there is no question what was called on what play (i.e. "#1-B1, #2-A9......#35-D4"). It may look like like a game of Battleship, but it makes post-game breakdown and grading so much easier. At half time, this helps serves the distribution charting, noting what you've been going to (and how it measures up to the game plan)

PIVOTAL [usually offered by member of the staff that is a big part of the game plan]

• Tendency: This is hard to come by if you're not watching as much film (or more) as the coordinator. The press box is also where they film the games, so the same vantage you've watched a thousand times on the television is replaying right before your eyes (live). You should be able to call up the pattern (recognition) you've learned, as well as consulting with your scouting report (in the booth) to give a confident and timely prep to the coordinator on the field for the play that you'll see next. That same game plan/tendency sheet you formulated on Sunday will likely be what you can have as a quick reference for Friday night ("Coach, this is their 2nd & 6 situation inside the 35.....remember if we get 21 personnel, be looking for fly sweep to the field").
• Clues: This could be anything from stealing signals, to player fatigue, to personnel packages. If YOU were calling the plays, what would be tipping YOU off on the anticipated opponent play call? Are they preparing that killer play they've used maybe 4% of the time on you? Unbalanced / counter / etc is that 'sucker play' ready for them to use? Keep your coordinator frosty and alert by knowing what they like to do. This could be for monitoring your opponent or your own team. Knowing the ebbs and flows of certain players can help neutralize potential road bumps.
• Target of Opportunities: Have you lost/gained the momentum? What is your money play here? Their DI offensive tackle is cramping up under a pile, is it a good time to use your MARS stunt? Staying tapped into the game and the subtle events on the field will give your guy on the field the edge he needs.
• Real Time Stats: Largely stats really do not matter, however, they do provide a quick snapshot of where you are at in the game. Many times the numbers are there to justify or galvanize decisions that may otherwise be hedged. Half time updates are the most crucial and can help understanding where the coordinator is measuring up to his original game plan (keep going? make a change? etc). This can be tricky to do all of this at once, so if you can get a stat guy to do this impartially, the better off (and more accurate) the data will be.
  

don't be this guy up there drinking Cokes and eating popcorn polluting the decision-making process with inconsequential bullshit.

** for a great place to start, Coach Casey Miller has a host of great press box / program documentation to get you started.