Concussion Movie & Coaching Ethos

There is no bigger issue the sport of football is facing today than the cloud of anxiety associated with long-term affects of head trauma. We have addressed this previously, but not to the extent we will be exposed today. This season we are presented with a social impetus that will move this issue into the minds of a wider audience than just football players and coaches. The movie, Concussion, amplifies the wake started with HBO's "Head Games" (2010) and Frontline's "League of Denial" (2013) with narratives too strong to ignore. The movie is a profitable venue because it is something on everyone's mind; everyone wants to learn more about this issue. 

Periodization Off-Season Conditioning

Now is the time of year that most programs are just now getting over the siege of the 2015 season.  Kids and coaches are on break and August 2016 is an eternity away.  Most program's approach strength and conditioning in January the same as they do in July.  This off-season, I would encourage you and your staff to sit down and assess how you wish to develop your athletes this off-season to have them primed for competition in game 1.

Below is a sample of a program we built a decade ago with this approach in mind. The goal was to reset our athletes to square one after the semester break.  While we use a maintenance lifting routine during the season , it is difficult to achieve gains during the season.  Therefore, we go back to the basics for core development as well as serving as a great teaching time for our incoming freshmen and underclassmen. 

When you look at the season from January until August, you have quite a bit of time to nurture athletes and work off a foundation of movements.  We structured our 32-week off-season conditioning as a 4 day week broken into 4 phases.  The goal here was to set aside enough time to lay a foundation of proper technique and foster team building in the weight room that would build the core of our team in the fall. During the early phases, we brought in outside instructors, spending a good portion of our time encouraging and involving underclassmen.  This program was built to be progressively challenging while being dynamic enough to change exercises from week to week.

Team Speed

Duke Track & Field Coach, Shawn Wilbourn, shares some fundamental training techniques to take the athleticism of your team to the next level.
Weather is great, get your team outside!

Future of Football

I attended an interesting debate regarding the (legal) future of football at Tulane the other night.  I find the changing landscape of the sport an interesting study that attempts to balance perception, neuroscience, liability, performance improvement and [game] fundamentals.  This discussion attempted to focus on using "what we know now" about the physical impact of football participation with the financial recourse of the NFL (and more importantly the 32 franchises that assume legal risk) and how this will shape the game in the coming decade.

DISCLAIMER: For what it's worth, I really don't have any preconceived notions on the issue. I find the NFL's legal finagling (and analyst reviews of hits) unrealistic, though I do understand the position they are coming from.  What interests me most is understanding the physical toll of the game, particularly in areas we have been ignorant up till now. I think we all would like to ensure the safety and well-being of players.  I don't see this impacting how the game is taught; an emphasis on proper fundamentals (separation/extension in line play - striking with the chest in tackling) has to be grounded in everyone involved.  This does not make the game less violent or aggressive. However, this issue is certainly bigger than collisions and contact.  Examination of these trends cannot be addressed with singular solutions, thus requiring us all to get the full picture and keep an inquisitive open mind.  It's also important to delineate our emotional response to providing safety to the game; blowing out a knee is worlds different than bruising your brain.

The event was moderated by Tulane Law professor, Gabe Feldman, with panelists Andrew Brandt (ESPN), Mike Pesca (NPR) and George Atallah (NFL) and delved into a very academic discussion of where the game's current momentum is leading it. Steve Gleason and Scott Fujita also joined in the dialogue.  

Yes, it is NFL-centric though the trickle-down impact and dilemmas are brought up late in the discussion.  Also, the "bounty" issue is belabored a little too long at the opening remarks.  That being said, this was an extremely worthwhile and mature discussion without the typical rhetoric.

Short rundown of discussion points:

• Bounty Issue
• Safety of the playing game vs ethics of watching the game
• Role of the player union in ensuring a safe work place
• Safety vs the momentum of revenue
• No one solution to CTE issue; exploring how to reduce it
• NFLPA's role in championing safety and influencing the NCAA 
• Role of a football player's in society
• Safety rules are lopsided against defensive players
• Dilemma of PED testing in the NFL

For audio only - listen/download here > "Future of Football @ Tulane Hillel"

For video - please visit Robert Morris' work at the Uptown Messenger 

"Regarding the evolution of the NFL, I believe the greatest asset the NFL has is the talent. The game will not, in my opinion, change because of viewers or governance.  The evolution of the game will come from the talent pool.  The safety measures, despite comments like Pollard's have primarily come from the talent pool (the players).

I do not feel the viewers will ever stop watching because they are put off by violence.  More likely, the talent pool will diminish because a six year old kid says he wants to be like Junior Seau when he grows up.  Now that kid and his parents do not want to grow up like Junior.  As a result, the talent pool has diminished, and thus, the game slowly becomes less relevant.  Obama, with his hypothetical comment, in his own way, diminished the hypothetical talent pool, which again, is the greatest asset the NFL has."
-Steve Gleason


UPDATE: Another timely piece that is worth reviewing

related:
http://www.aspeninstitute.org/events/2012/11/09/playing-safety-future-youth-football

http://theconcussionblog.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/nfl_notification_02.pdf

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/concussion-watch/

http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2013/01/the-nfls-response-to-brain-trauma-a-brief-history/272520/

http://davepear.com/blog/2013/01/that-new-nfl-neuro-cognitive-benefit/

2013 AFCA Clinic - Graduate Assistants Career Forum

If you can appreciate the grind of football, I highly recommend following "GA Life" on Twitter (https://twitter.com/ThatGAlife).

Grad Assistants Career Forum

 

 

Carlos Alvarado - Texas Tech

Chris Thomsen - Texas Tech

David Brown II - Missouri S&T
Todd Barry - ULM

Maurice Linguist - Buffalo

 “One of the roles of a leader is to create an environment that people want to be a part of.”

Nick Saban: The Process

Passing along a great link provided by Trevor McIntyre, detailing elements of Saban's program manual and how it influences players at Alabama.
Blueprint of a Champion Article

Though Saban isn't the only coach to use such intense indoctrination methods to build a positive-peer culture, this is an insightful look at how to lay a detailed foundation of expectations, behaviors, motivation, and mental processing to build a consistent product. Some of the insights regarding player expectations outlined in the article can be heard here and also through the 2010 ESPN "All-Access" special.

Some choice excerpts from the article;

“It's almost like you're being brainwashed into, 'This is how you play the game, how it has to be,'” [Colin] Peek said. “Those stories, those messages, and how that relates to us are reiterated by the coaches. It's a motivational tool to bring it home to us.”

“In short, perceived self-efficacy is concerned not with the number of skills that you have but with what you believe you can do with what you have under a variety of circumstances,” Bandura wrote in his 1997 book, “Self-Efficacy, the Exercise of Control.”

“Discipline, commitment and effort and toughness - that's the four fingers,” (Scott) Cochran said. “The thumb is pride. “So when you put the four fingers up, that's what it's all about. It means fourth quarter, but there's a lot more.”

The manual is obviously not just the sole creation of Saban, but a collaboration from his entire staff, selling a united message. Even at the high school level, there are many valuable tenets to essential program building to be garnered from this lesson ( framing competition, staging strength & conditioning, positive mental imagery, leading with purpose, etc).

Additional Links:
Dr. Kevin Elko
Albert Bandura
Self-regulation of Motivation and Action through Goal Systems

Fundamentals: Strength & Conditioning

No scheme or strategy will impact your program and team (next fall) than this "play" below, the clean.

Building core strength and explosive transfer of power (through ground-based movements) is the single-most important process in program building.

At a previous program, we brought in Palmer Chiropractic instructor and former Olympic Team coach, Dave Juehring, to properly train our athletes (and clinic our staff). It was probably one of the best things we ever did and allowed us to see dramatic athletic improvements in our players.

Review: HUDL

AWESOME

Easily the most efficient, cost-effective, and user-friendly video system any school could ask for. With packages running from $800 - $1600 (based on storage needs), your program can open up the world of film study and game access available to anyone investing in your team.

You can eliminate the spindles of DVDs needed in a season for trades, cuts, film study, and weekly distribution (scout & last game) because everything is housed online on HUDL servers.

As new customers, we have been toying around with the product for a few months and although most on staff are not techno-philes, everyone can use the system because it is no more difficult than a remote control.

Once the game film is uploaded, it will parse into play segments for the staff to detail (as little or as much as you like) later. You can upload game film, scout film, practice film, anything you want.

With the game film online and telestrated/commented as you like, you can distribute it to other coaches, to players, to parents, or even college recruiters.

The only thing required is to have MS Silverlight (Gates' version of Flash) installed on the PC to view the applet.

We plan on (and have been for spring) using this during the athletic periods (football class) to dial up situations pertinent to the game plan or teaching plan. This eliminates the need to cutup the game film and burn to discs for special presentation the night before. Just toggle the plays you want to review and its there in an instant.

There have been tons of video editing, databasing, scouting, and storage solutions offered in the last 8 years in the coaching industry, but nothing captures the full spectrum of needs like HUDL. Be sure to check out the current offer before the season starts!

http://www.hudl.com/blog/comments/test-drive-hudl-i-promise-its-free

I would have to say, one of the coolest aspects of HUDL, isn't the program itself, but the customer service. If you have a problem or question, just call their support line and you will actually talk to a real person (that knows the product). If they can't walk you through it, they'll remote desktop into your PC and fix any issues you might be experiencing.

Nick Saban: Leadership, The Process, and Cover 3

Nick Saban speaking at the Mississippi Association of Coaches Clinic yesterday.

( click for audio )

A great lecture sharing his philosophy on program building, dealing with athletes today, then follows up with him going over how he adjusts/morphs Cover 3 to handle everything an offense can dish out. 72 minutes of Saban.....................
Coaching is teaching
Teaching is the ability to inspire learning

Influence
Thoughts, habits, priorities - these are the triggers of everyone's actions

Develop Leaders
Leadership is understanding how what you do affects others

Rip/Liz (Rita/Lucy) linebacker adjustment in Cover 3
(though not articulated clear in MSU 97 or LSU 01 playbooks, I go over this 'safety-down' adjustment in cover 3 to handle verticals here)

more details on Rip/Liz here

Heading into spring (and other notes)

I, like you, am anxiously awaiting hemlock's dissertation on Run & Shoot (and you may not find a more qualified authority), and to kill time, I will share the recent developments of our spring program. Trust me, once Hemlock gets going, I'll do my best to STFU.

This post may be interesting to those without 6th period football and/or spring football (or program development, in general).

We have been using 6th period (final period of the day) for the last 5 months for lifting. The past month or so (since the weather has been gorgeous) we have been taking the kids out to run through skelly sessions twice a week. This certainly helps and gives a jump start on what spring football will actually be in the coming weeks.

We have one bonafide offensive player (our Y) returning from last season, who was our leading yardage gainer. We have our starting quarterback, and one developing split receiver, and a bevy of young sophomore skill and lineman talent. This largely would not be the case, had interim HC (now official HC) not pressed for a full-time freshman squad. Had he not been so adamant about the freshmen, we wouldn’t have much to be optimistic about this year. I preface that, because as we move forward making plans for spring ball, we are faced with a dilemma of what to do with this talent on offense. How does it define what we do? Do we change from what we attempted last year after losing a once-in-a-lifetime “do-everything” stud (Jacoby Moseley) and a DI skill position player (Jarrett Fobbs)? Losing two game-changing talents may significantly affect the direction we move towards, especially when both were the sole contributors to our run game.

Of note, current freshman, Joshua Hunt (tallest player in picture), looks to be the next rising star out of our program and may give us the luxury of supplanting our current Y, to allow Desmon to be featured as a more flexible threat. There are also two distinctive running backs up and coming, that will be relied upon to shoulder the burden of explosive plays out of the backfield.

Conventional wisdom says, "you should stick to what you do", right? Well, I agree, but we really didn’t have anything as a foundation to begin with, so where do you go? I could go in a thousand directions with a personal tangent, one that I have already shared when this came up last year, however, for the sake of sanity, I’ll just shut up and get in where I can fit in.

If you have a quarterback who is a thrower and not much of a runner, can you get away with a veer/option run game (* I would argue yes, especially with zone running) ? The argument is if you do not, then you must go to some type of 2-back, power/lead attack to get an extra body/threat at the point of attack. How does this hamstring you when you are deficient in the run game. The OC is exploring pistol/rifle looks to base the lead/power/counter/triple run game out of. If you are not that great of a running team to begin with, when you introduce 2-backs (from the gun or under center) you in turn, invite more defenders into the box, making a hard job even harder. So, have you really gained anything with that?

What complicates this even further, is that there are dispositions that exclude certain answers from being acknowledged. There is personal bias against TFS (even though we are basing much of what we do off of the package we initially introduced) as well as zone running (in favor of traditional base blocking). I don't see any absolute 'right' or 'wrong' answers in this and am enjoying the development of the program and players. I likely won't be involved in the offense much to begin with.

Maybe its a 'nice problem to have' (actually having talent), but one that I'm sure other staffs go through, as well.

TREME
Completely unrelated, but be sure to check out David Simon's new series, Treme, on HBO - a certifiable winner.

http://backoftown.wordpress.com/2010/04/12/thatll-work/

BRAZIL

Even more unrelated, but something I found interesting, especially considering some of the recent Kabuki politics in America (not that I have one iota of thought regarding the matter, nor a desire to pursue one) - this is an interesting story and perspective.

http://www.fdasbo.org.br/

Entirely unrelated to this event, but I have been exploring expating to South America in another decade or two, so if there are football opportunities let me know....

Off Season Team Building: Mat Drills

Football hasn't been a 'season' sport for over a decade at most high schools.

Outside of a weight program that cycles your athletes through progressive stages of development (peaking at the start of the season), the supplemental component to this training is "mat drills". This combines all the best from how the wrestlers used to train (no longer have to advocate players wrestling) without worrying about them stunting growth with outrageous body weight manipulation.

These are also great team-building exercises, because players will often be challenged more severely than they would in football practice. It also requires a greater investment in what the team is working for. Nothing invested, nothing lost. When the game is on the line in October, there is no way a player can just turn their back after enduring through such a demanding "off-season".

Having done this at other programs, just a few notes;
Schedule it before school - don't think you can accommodate schedules. After school, on the weekend, mid-day...kids will still find a reason to miss. Get in early, put in the hustle, and enjoy the rest of the day. Nothing will build your players more both emotionally and mentally than challenging them with this type of explosive training to start the day.

Mind Over Matter (don't mind the ones that don't matter) - your numbers may suffer at first, it happens. Don't worry about the kids that aren't there / showing up. Focus and support the kids that ARE there and seize the opportunity to cultivate deeper relationships with those players.


A collection of COD, plyos, agilities, and speed work

MAT @ Yahoo! Video



MAT @ Yahoo! Video



MAT @ Yahoo! Video

MAT @ Yahoo! Video

MAT @ Yahoo! Video

MAT1 @ Yahoo! Video

Amateurs talk strategy, professionals talk logistics.

Stealing an oft-used, Clausewitz-esque, military axiom, its application with coaching is profound. When you reduce it all down, it always comes down to fundamentals and execution. If you are looking for that next step, that competitive advantage for your team this off-season.....pump your brakes when you find yourself getting excited over schemes or philosophies.

Often times in the off-season, through clinics or bowl games, we can be influenced with stimulating Xs and Os and be convinced that those are the 'answers' we need to find to turn the corner.

Undoubtedly, setting players up for success on the field is aided with play-calling and match-ups. However, often times this is such a small, over-valued facade in football that it blinds us from the foundational tenets of successful football.

Here is my pitch, my admonition to you and your off-season staff to evaluate HOW, not WHAT, you will be doing in the Fall. How are you going to account for all situations, how are you going to competently teach your game plan for each opponent, how are you going to build relationships with your players and parents?

This off-season, SKIP the clinics - save your money.

Challenge you and your staff to think differently - make yourself uncomfortable. Instead of clinics or DVD, schedule time to spend quality time with a college or university program.

When you do so, SHUT UP. Listen, absorb, humble yourself and acknowledge what they do to create organized efficiencies. THIS is the logistical modality that you can apply to your program (regardless of what you run) that will improve the condition of your football schedule in 2010.

Enjoy the holidays.

The Competitive Perspective

Did you ever beat

more than one kid at a time?

Well, I’m going to beat

five kids at a time.

And then I’m going to beat

their fathers, too.

There may be some gray areas here, so I'll attempt to define the differences we're talking about;

Us vs "them" - the perspective of assuming we are the better team and we have to go out there and mop the floor with our opponent. They are not in our league, they are subhuman, and inferior in every way (even if we aren't physically superior). 'Demonize' the competition, because they are losers in every area, you don't want to associate with these vermin. If we lose, it is because they cheated.

Rivalry - the perspective of playing to be the survivor. Only one team wins and we have to not only ensure that we don't lose, but we have to ensure that the other team doesn't win. Make them hurt and demoralize them so they quit and not even think about competiting with us again. We can talk with our opponents, but when its all said and done, we will have the bragging rights in the district (the trump in smack talking), and we want to make sure they suck. If we lose, it is because our opponent dominated us and we aren't worthy of being champions.

Be the Best - the perspective of welcoming all challengers irregardless of talent, classification, or significance. We just want to play.....and we'll worry about how we go about winning once we play. You'd better be ready to go the full length of the game, because we won't be stopping until the game clock ends (no matter what the score is). If we lose, it is because we just weren't up to the challenge of the day.

Personal Performance - who lines up across from us really doesn't matter. We just have to go out there and play the best on each play....if we add it up, we should win the game and go hang out with our opponent after the game. If we lose, it is may be that our competition was too much for us or we didn't execute well enough.

The maturity of a competitor should naturally progress to the final stage here. As coaches, we should be doing everything in our power to advance the perspectives of our players (mainly in the off-season) to appreciate competition, embrace friction, and learn to harness their abilities to seize opportunity.

A Treatise on Platooning

Among the fundamentals that I will soapbox for, platooning, is another that I firmly believe in at the high school level.

This post will simply be a regurgitation of musings I've shared with others on this subject, most noteably here;
Mecca of Platooning

Help me understand when a program should NOT platoon.

I am not suggesting there are no legitimate reason to avoid platoon, because we all will use what "works" for us. I guess I'm stuck wondering;

1. Does platooning somehow "hurt" a players chances of being 'discovered' by college recruiters ( DI offensive guard playing DT)
2. The biggest excuse is obviously numbers.

To me, this is relative to people saying they can't buy a house because they don't have the money, so they rent. That kind of reason (IMO) is exactly why you SHOULD buy a house, so that you DO have the money (equity). I've seen big programs platoon, and little programs platoon. If you only have a senior & junior class of 30 and 20 of them are girls, well then maybe I guess I would understand..........help me understand, folks.

It takes considerable faith in your staff's coaching abilities, IMO, to go platoon where you have to "coach up that 2nd tier player" to become a legit starter, even when the instincts are telling you to put Johnny B.Goode who plays on the other side of the ball in. The security blanket of just letting the studs take over and let the marginal players "sink or swim" rather than forcing yourself (and the rest of the team) to rely on how well they've been prepared for a starting spot.

IF YOU COULD PLATOON, WOULD YOU?

The obstacles, limitations, etc are usually temporary and can be fixed with the application of resources.(more students, more coaches, more facilities, etc)

One could argue, that your "Charles Jefferson" at 60% isn't better than my 100% Johnny Slapdick

If you let your "Charles Jefferson" completely dominate at one position or do you try to distribute his talent among a bunch of positions?

It's the Law of Diminishing Returns at work in a 48 minute ball game on humid nights in the early Fall.(for those that do platoon, you almost ALWAYS have the 2-4 players that HAVE to play both sides, but the majority of players do platoon).

I’ve been at relatively mid-sized schools where we’d platoon. We would train kids both ways up until their Sophomore year. In their Sophomore / Varsity years, they will predominately play one way. There, of course, are exceptions where 3 or 4 kids will play both ways. Very few play an ENTIRE game both ways.

• Every off season, we look at kids and list the ENTIRE roster pool from incoming 9th - 12th graders.
• We list their primary and secondary positions.
• We rank the top 12 kids for offense and defense, regardless of grade or if they were listed for the other side of the ball.
  

I am in love with the platoon system, as it allows us to teach MORE quality football and it makes adjustments considerably easier, allowing the coaches more control of what happens on the field (execution). You have to have more confidence in the ability of the coaches to TEACH football than you do in kids to just slap stuff together on Friday nights to platoon, IMO.

If you’re waiting for “numbers” until you platoon, it's a chicken-before-the-egg argument. You'll NEVER have the numbers to be a comfortable platoon system UNTIL you start platooning. We try to have TWO teams whenever numerically feasible at the freshmen and MS levels.

When you are afraid of your second tier players having to start (discouraging you from platooning) then, you could say that those "turds" you cringe to start are basically that way because they haven't been coached up (this all is related to how we each value / perceive "coaching").If you just platoon at the Varsity level, I think you will find that the turds are more pronounced. If you platoon program-wide, it should be a different story.It's easy to say that is the case when you think short-term.BUT, if that 3rd string player is ACTUALLY getting reps at the 8th & 9th grade level (instead of runt garbage time), he develops;

1. a sense of purpose
2. identifies himself as a football player (motivation to hit the weights)
3. gets intense quality instruction (instead of 'lectures' he hears at the back of the line)
4. has immediate incentive to keep coming out for football (increase numbers)

Again, with short-term / long-term 'solutions' a lot of this becomes chicken-or-the-egg mentality. It boils down to We are going to slap-what-we-can-together to win NOW on every level or We are going to BUILD a program geared to win at the Varsity level.

A successful team that we adopted our platooning from (Vic Boblet at Rock Island, who got it from Bob Reade at Geneseo) did this at the lower levels; 8th - 10th

• Every kid is taught an offensive & defensive position
• One is their "primary" position and one is their "secondary" position.

It was well-known that the Freshman squad (usually had TWO units) was where they put all the best coaches (since it was all about teaching).

• Johnny's primary position is OT
• Johnny's secondary position is ILB

For sub varsity games, they play kids at their primary position for the 1st qtr or half

In the 2nd qtr / half they play their secondary position.

So, Johnny is playing OT the 1st qtr/half then he's getting his reps at ILB the other (not at the same time), while the primary ILB is playing while Johnny is playing OT, etc.

Teaching, playing time / experience, coaching up, technique are what are stressed - winning is a by-product of this.

Again, it all is based on your philosophy as the Head of the Program is......you may boast the 10-time defending City champion Freshman team, but if you never make the playoffs at the Varsity, who really cares? It all depends if you put more importance on the CHICKEN or the EGG.

Years ago I worked at an inner-city program that splits the talent amongst 3 other public schools a private school, and an out-of-district school that "recruits" - we did the Varsity platoon system with 3 coaches on each side of the ball (only one of them was a teacher in the school, the rest were paid assistants from other areas).

I guess what I'm getting at is whenever you have a less-than-perfect situation you can sit back and let temporary excuses limit you, or you can look to actively change your environment.

There are those who look at things the way they are, and ask why... I dream of things that never were, and ask why not?---Bobby Kennedy

If every kid plays and every kid learns fundamentals to make him successful, mission accomplished in my book.You play to win the game - but winning should be a by-product of great TEAM effort and teaching the game.

Maybe I should add that the biggest caveat that we were taught was that EVERY off-season you had to evaluate the talent (again, more work than some folks would care to do).......

• EVERY coach had to rank each player (in the program) from 1 - 100 on the player's value (i.e. Charles Johnson is #1, Johnny Slapdick is the 100th best athlete in the program)
• EVERY coach had to pick each players best offensive & defensive position.
• Then the offensive & defensive staffs had to essentially "Draft" their roster each year (some are no-brainers), with the TOP QB going to offense and most of the pivotal studs going to defense (fill the critical components to the defense first).
• Then you find out who you have to coach-up in the off-season (who you HAVE to make a starter by September). It gives the coaches a little more incentive to push certain kids in the weight room (as well as game plan, knowing their 'liabilities').

FYI - at one of the programs I was at years ago, we went from Ironman to platooning, the Sophomore & Varsity staffs worked together quite a bit. Especially during the first 4 weeks of football, so you essentially double-up the Varsity staff.Sophomores get reps with the Varsity during Indy & some Group. By the time you get to TEAM, you don't need tons of coaches present, mainly the coordinators.

You divide up the team with the best 11 to defense after the QB is selected.The bottom line with selection depends on "where can this kid make the best impact"?

We were a cover 3 team. We HAD to have the best athletes at OLB spots....we had a lot of guys we wanted at corner & FS, but being that we were a C3 team, they would've ended up making a bigger impact at TB and flanker. This forces the staff to really hash things out together and forces your staff to get on the same page.......

WE ARE DOING 'THIS' BECAUSE WE ARE DOING 'THIS'.........

THIS is who we need (because he's going to do ____)

This cuts down on/eliminates the whining about player placement, because EVERYONE gets an opportunity to air their beliefs and argue their point (that's what football is about).

Finally, I'm not going to convince anyone of anything - I'm not a salesman. I'm just giving some feedback based on my experiences. Each of us are different.

For those of you that believe in two-waying your program..........at what point (freshmen, JV, Varsity) do you begin LOOKING at those second tier guys? I mean REALLY looking at them as legitimate contributors? Honestly, what is THEIR experience like during a practice, during a game, during a season? Do they really have to be involved? I'm just asking, and you may not really care about those players, but I'm just wondering when does the coaching staff collectively say, "Hey, Johnny Slapdick could help us at ROLB instead of Bobby Eveready?"

Shoot, if ALL my players were 6'3", 205lbs and ran a 4.5 40, I'd have a pretty easy time "coaching". Its easy teaching the honor roll students....AGAIN, if 2-4 guys happen to play both ways, that doesn't mean you AREN'T platooning......if you have philosophically decided to have a separate OFFENSE & DEFENSE, then you are platooning .

For myself, the positives of platooning, I see far out-weigh the negatives. I see two-way as a quick-fix, short-sighted mentality to program building (win now). Now each of us have our own decisions to make, and I may be wrong in my opinions (it wouldn't be the first).

If I ran a company and made all of my drinking buddies my senior officers and to hell with everyone else. How many hours would you work overtime, how hard would you try to get those projects done, how long would you delude yourself with 'climbing the ladder', how much night-school would you be attending?

Then I, as the COO, am always bitching and moaning that nobody has any intiative and the only guys I can trust are my drinking buddies....when in truth, I CREATED THE PROBLEM TO BEGIN WITH......

how hard and how long is a 14- 17 year old kid going to bust his hump for you when he knows he'll never get a sniff of the field so long as Tyrone Allstater is out for football, because no matter what, he'll never be the athlete Tyrone is?Do we think that kids just magically quit football during the Varsity years and we wonder why we NEVER have any athletes to use? The problem is systemic, it doesn't just happen overnight.

If your 3rd & 4th team players now become 2nd string.....'Okay, the 4th string player would see exactly HOW much practice reps during the season?---Hey, I've coached two-way guys, and I'll be honest, those 3rd & 4th string guys got about 1 out of 40 reps when the season hit.

Now if you know you've only got 5 or 6 linebackers to coach up, you can spend a lot more time with each one, AND cross-training them (at more than one position) becomes that much easier (to have the backups fill in at any one of those spots)....mainly, because I'm FORCED to spend time with the kid. So the kid, who would've gotten maybe 2-5% of the snaps in a both-way system, now gets 15-20% of the snaps in a two platoon system.

Take for example a 4-3 defense....three linebacker spots. Your starters are bonafide, your second tier guys not so much. Well, instead of 2 studs and one guy you coach up......now you have maybe 8 guys (instead of 17 guys who don't have another position) at linebacker. So instead of trying to divide reps amongst so many guys. Now you can get;

1. a lot of reps
2. not many guys hanging around being distracted (zoning out)
3. brief breathers for your starters
4. drill time goes quickly (no kids standing around waiting their turn)
5. you actually are able to have one-on-one time with those deficient players and spend more quality time with instructions

Lets say you platoon THIS YEAR and just looking at this from a Varsity standpoint......Year ONE may be rough....and you WILL get tons of opposition (aww...they would've won won 3 more games if the tailback played DE and FS!!)

But lets say you have 22 starters.........

• 13 seniors
• 8 juniors
• 1 sophomore

Okay, you graduate 13 seniors, boo-hoo.....but now you have 9 kids with Varsity experience (instead of maybe only 3 because those senior studs would've hogged all the PT). Imagine how much more confident you'd be heading into the off-season knowing that you have SOME questions answered about your returning class as well as creating more opportunities for your Freshmen & Sophomore athletes to see the field. If you have a green SS that is a junior, maybe you have a little more confidence in turning him into a MLB his senior year (because you've seen what he can do, because he's gained confidence with the opportunity to see what Varsity ball is all about.....very little question marks).

Coaching is about CONTROL

Coaching a football program doesn't start with the Varsity in August and doesn't end with the Varsity in November. It is year-round and it is PROGRAM-WIDE. Coaching 'control' is being responsible for player retention, parental/community support / player off-season development & weights / team cohesion & building.

If I was a merc and just showed up in camp, sure...gimme the best 11. However, as a commissioned appointee of the SCHOOL, it is my responsibility to do my due-diligence to create the BEST football team the school can offer ALL YEAR LONG. Develop the product.

I have to do SOMETHING to make the team better than if I wasn't there. If I just say "show up" and just pick MY guys....then there is no point in any non-starter to stick around after Labor Day, because the roster HAS BEEN SET!

This isn't soccer and it isn't BASKETBALL where I just let the fastest 5 play and cut everyone else. Coaching is about taking the talent you have and TEACH assignments, game plan against specific opponents, limit my liabilities and accentuate our strengths in the course of a 48 - 60 minute game in 120 - 140 plays.How much faith do you have in your own coaching abilities to DEVELOP players beyond their own potential?

However, if you are considtently only playing 14 to 15 kids a game, and not looking vigorously for opportunities to play more kids, I can't see how that blueprint will ever lead to a championship caliber program. You may have years where the talent of those 14 or 15 could take you deep into the playoffs, and maybe even get a state title, but I can't see the program developing the program strength to be a solid contender on a yearly basis.

This is what I'm talking about regarding "diminishing returns" comment;
If "bobby" can get 260 minutes of instruction each week strictly on his position.......he can really shine and fully understand his assignment and know how to execute.....

• 35 min individual,
• 70 min group,
• 155 min group TOTAL for the week

Now if "bobby" plays two different positions (offense & defense), now he is getting 130 minutes TOTAL every week on his asignment.....

• 17 min individual
• 35 min group
• 78 min group TOTAL for the week

So, by all rights, this ONE player gets twice as much work / instructional time during the week to be prepared. Now work those Products to the context of a game....

a typical HS game averages 60 plays per unit......

• 120 snaps divided amongst 260 minutes of preparation time

or

• 60 snaps with 260 minutes of preparation time (not counting take home work ...ie. DVDs etc)

That equals 4 1/2 minutes preparation per play for platooning squads versus 2 minutes per play for two-way programs.

Show me a coach that says he gives ALL his players equal reps during the season, and I'll show you a coach thats full of it.

In addition, now you actually have a TRUE scout team to go against your no.1s in group time, instead of turd holding bags. Platooning, requires you coach the hell out of your kids. I have coached two-way systems, and it is a complete pain in the butt to try and put in anything other than your base plays because you have to juggle the roster, trying to accomodate enough time to put something in (okay...okay...."bobby" is the tailback.....now, now...if you're playing DE on THIS adjustment....etc). Now if "bobby" gets injured or has to come out of the game.....now you have to figure out how that affects special teams and the other side of the ball...you may have to make a series of adjustments that requires three other players.

Also, you get virtually ZERO production from your 2nd string during the season. With platooning, you can create specific role players as well as challenge your starters for playing time.From the number example, if you had two weeks to prepare for an opponent as opposed to one week.........

DO YOU THINK YOUR PERFORMANCE WOULD BE ANY DIFFERENT? (would you game plan any differently)

If you say no, then by all rights, platooning won't be your bag.

When you platoon, you really have a ton of time to game plan, make adjustments. You will always have two to three complete monsters that can go both ways and handle it all, but they are the exception to the rule. PLUS, it really promotes the numbers in your program ....more players playing = more parents taking involvement = more parents taking involvement = more money.

I think we are creating straw-man arguments by saying that your 2nd tier players are the class nerds. If the player can't run 10 yards, he shouldn't be out for football, let alone starting. The 2nd tier player are kids that are 2nd string players whom we are making an investment to COACH UP......you'd be surprised at how much a kid will do in the off-season when he knows;

1. he has a shot to start
2. he is being counted on (no, seriously) to produce (or get his job taken by an underclassman)

Quote:

The Law of diminishing returns is not applicable to football.

1. It can be argued that in most games, the point of diminishing returns is never met. Teams sit their starters early, games usually aren't close, and even if they are close, these are teenagers, engines running a 100 mph, most can handle it, with proper substitution.

2. If that point is met, it does not mean that the diminished performance of player A is still not heads and shoulders above that of player B.

3. The better kids on a football team usually aren't the best because of their athleticism, though there are always 3 that just run faster, jump higher, and throw better... but the other 11 starters are usually kids that understand the game better... and there is no diminishing return on knowldege. Here's the deal... kids are not equal... there are tangible quantifiable characteristics that separate kids... once you decide who your best players are... play them... to do otherwise does not make sense to me.

If you have 22 comparable kids, more power to you, impressive, and you are either going to be world beaters, or you're in a world of trouble. However, if you are like most teams across America... you have a solid 14 kids... play them. To do otherwise sends a very bad message, the best 11 should get on the field, any other criteria creates a subjectivity that will readily become the demise of the team.""

If you have the ability to platoon then by all means do it, I would think it's a no brainer."""Define ability... because that is a huge "if"

If football was a bunch of kids running successive 40 yard dashes, I'd completely agree with you. However, if you can prepare an athlete properly, you can train him to think / react faster on the field to complete his 1/11th responsibility on the field. Conversely, I can take your 4.4 athlete and turn him into a 4.9 athlete if I throw enough things at him to make him indecisive on the field.

11 athletes going balls out in the humid months of September & October for 48 minutes versus 22 athletes in the same 48 minutes......one of those groups is going to remain 'fresh'.

2nd point (gee, can you tell this is about the one thing I actually have an opinion on?) , platooning will NEVER make sense, if all you look at is one-season. Platooning is a switch you make for the benefit of the entire PROGRAM, not just a one season fix. It NEVER is the 'right time' to platoon based on your numbers / talent.Regarding the ORIGINAL question (sorry)

For you guys that platoon how much do your twos play not counting injuries?

it depends....we sub the DL & WRs plenty to keep them fresh throughout the whole game. Some times situational players come in (pass rushers / blitzers / etc). Some guys come in for reward time ( competent players who put in work during practice who aren't liabilities ). When you have guys go down with injuries, you don't want to have to start from scratch (and coach up in just one week) with a player who is his backup. In a nutshell, TRUE No.2s get about 15 - 17 % of the seasons game time (not counting garbage time).Why? because, again, platooning isn't about ONE season....it's about the program. Giving your underclassmen reps (experience) ....getting your seniors reps (who weren't starters EVER)...getting kids invovled in the game.....THAT is what the program is about, ALL the players (not just the studs)

About the only time we are separate is during Individual time. We go No.1s (offense) vs No.1s (defense) during INSIDE DRILL / SKELLY / 7 ON 7 / 2 MIN DRILL / GOAL LINEthen when it's TEAM time........it's balls out No.1s vs No.1s in DAILY scripted scrimmages.

• Offense gets 15 plays
• Defense gets 15 plays
• then offense gets 15 more plays
• defense gets 15 more plays

** we run OUR defense adjusted / modified to look like our opponent......we run OUR offense adjusted / modified to look like our opponent (you can pepper in your subs in any of those 30 plays) then, you can go into any situational work you want to go into.this is a LOT more better than going against your make shift turd scouts squad .

Nick Saban: Program Maintenance

Although a ridiculously absurd article and assertion, in today's Yahoo Sports piece, "Saban still influencing the pro game " some interesting tidbits regarding organizational structure within the program.

You have the peer review committee on the team,” Wilson said, referring to a group of players who help determine punishments for players who break team or school rules. “A big key in it is that he has guys from every class, seniors all the way down to freshmen, on the committee, so it’s really a situation where everybody is connected and it’s not just the older guys against the younger guys. It really is a situation where you have to answer to your peers, regardless of what class you’re in.”

The other useful part about the committee is that Saban gets a constant feed of information about what players are doing away from the field, Wilson said.

“It’s not a tattle-tale thing. It’s more of him keeping up with what everybody is doing. … Everybody. He knows everything that’s going on with every player on the team. He’s completely on top of it.”

I've done the player leadership committees (that essentially determine all team decisions) before and can attest to their effectiveness and necessity. However, the ability to keep a pulse on individual player happenings is a process still up for refinement. Outside of maintaining a mutual relationship with players, I would be interested to know what types of networking structure, he and his staff utilize to proactively tap into their 'family' of players.

Here's to November 7th versus the Tigers and the eventual SEC title matchup with Florida.

Homecoming Week Dinner

Being homecoming week, we play on Thursday night.

For Wednesday night practice, we conducted walk-thru, then, with the proceeds from Sunday's fundraiser, the players were treated to an all-you-can-eat buffet at Barnhills.

This served as another great team building opportunity and provided an "atta boy" affirmation to ALL the players on the team (a show of support) that could visibly seen on the kids.

Hats off to Judy Fobbs for all the hard work and dedication she has put into the Booster Club this season.

Great Fundraising

A tradition that our program has had for quite a while is, "A Taste of Raider Nation", which is usually an end-of-year banquet for parents, players, and coaches are able to get together and enjoy a fine meal.


This year, the potluck-dinner was moved to a Sunday afternoon in the middle of the season. This was a good way to raise needed program funds and bring together families and athletes before the season ends (which is a GREAT idea). Everyone had plenty to eat and were treated to a photo slideshow and highlight reel of the season so far.




Among the many contributors, Raising Cane's of Louisiana provided a generous donation of food and supplies to this function and established a partnership for pre-game meals this season.

Delegation of Authority (Using Assistants)

just bring me a juice box!

When we are TOLD what to do we often, as prideful men, reject it, no matter what it is because we want to maintain our autonomy and dignity. When we are asked what to do and given the choice to determine our own fate, we tend to buy in (even if its the very thing we would've been TOLD to do).

coach, let me get you a juice box!

Some thoughts I'll offer on managing your assistants to better serve them and the program;

1) Pick your battles / weigh the economics of responsibility;
What CAN they do? You likely have laid the groundwork of the Offense, Defense, and Special Teams. The frame has been built, why not let one of one of the most promising assistants to pick out the furniture? Maybe there is no incentive (monetarily / position), so it is going to come down to who wants to take on more responsibility. You may be stuck in a situation where assistants will do as little as possible because they just want a stipend and a good seat during the games (only you would know that). However, if a MAN is given the authority and responsibility, he will take interest and his pride usually takes over (to ensure the performance doesn't embarrass him)

This isn't just throwing someone the keys and told to lock up when he's done. I believe you'll have to be closely interactive with them ('what are we going to do about this?'/ 'what is our answer to that?' / 'what could go wrong?') This shouldn't be a blank check, but should be a stewardship position - "we need you to lead us in this area, we want to take full use of your knowledge and perspective of the game".

You may not be relinquishing the offense (naturally) but there are roles people can take responsibility for. Case in point, any monkey can run a defense (it takes a unique individual to actually screw up a defense).....now that you have a defense installed, why not just give them the burden of keeping it running? Another example, any assistant can run Special Teams, too.

I believe your main concern is HOW they see the position (their role on staff). What can you live with? If you give a guy the defense, you have to be willing to give up a 3rd down here, a touchdown there - and not freak out. Special Teams, that guy should be responsible for knowing the players and abilities to know what will be the best result in a given situation (reverse here? fake it now?). Just make sure you have the 11 ready to go. The "coordinator" title gives guys hard-ons apparently....feel free to invoke its power.

2) Define Expectations
Again, we can't just throw the keys to someone and say, "Drive!". He must define his costs & expenditures and justify the what and why (keep him within the budget of authority and responsibilities). Set clear expectations of what his job is. This is most important with regards to;
A) Scouting and Game planning -WHAT is this guy preparing for? Regardless of what you run, it is in response to your opponent. Your opponent is different every week. This guy has to be plugged in to scouting and the information to understand your opponent and provide answers for each situation.

B) Practice Planning - HOW is he preparing the rest of the TEAM? What is he declaring before practice that he NEEDS before the competition? ('speak up now, or forever hold your peace'). This responsibility will be a SHOCK to most of the guys you have on staff, but when there is plenty of warning of what is coming - there really is no excuse not to be organized or prepared (the true role of a coordinator).

C) Game Day Communication - WHERE do the pieces fit? How are the calls getting in? How are the other coaches fitting within this role (someone in the box? Someone signaling? Someone working rotations?) Let this guy define those.

So this becomes, "You're running this show - just need you to provide us the answers (for planning) so we can help you help us (this week)". If he can't come up with those criteria without shitting his pants, he isn't qualified to begin with (and may not need to be on staff).

3) Hold accountable for group results
It isn't the offense and defense...it should be the TEAM. If Bob is the DC or ST coordinator, the team of coaches should be meeting to define practices and game plans. Bob is going to have to articulate this to the rest of the staff. "What can WE do to help the defense better, Bob?" It shouldn't be a YOU / ME thing, it should be an US thing, where the staff works together and challenges each other. Criticism should be ENCOURAGED here. Rather than taking the approach of "damit, the defense ain't getting the job done - YOU SUCK!", (because, naturally, the guy will blame everyone but himself) present it to include all hands on deck. "how are we / what can we do to improve our performance?" (so that introspection analyzes how to improve the TEAM).essentially,

• Sunday - "We play City High this week. Bob, what should we watch for this week? What is our game plan? What will work? What won't work? What is the 3rd and 3 play we have to watch out for within our 20 yd line, Bob?"
• Wednesday - "Bob, how do we look this week? What are we opening with? Any concerns?"
• Saturday - "Bob, good work - what went right? What could we improve on? What should we look for next week?"

Your guy(s) will either run from this or embrace it - but the bottom line they won't be able to hide anymore. Give these guys an arena to prove their worth. This is essentially telling these guys, "You can do what you need to make this work, but you have to be able to make it bullet-proof and be able to justify it to the rest of the staff" . This isn't a "do whatever you want" approach, it is "justify what your are doing to the rest of us, and that it is fail-safe, so we ALL can get on board".

Having said ALL THAT --- I don't think it has to be as black & white as a coordinator position. More importantly, there just needs to be more interaction with the staff. Do you guys meet together for game planning? Do you guys hang out together after practice?

Staff Cohesion is very important to make a team work.

Put someone in charge of scouting / tendency tracking. Put someone in charge of game day rotations....something ANYTHING where they are forced to provide a product for the team, that we all are dependent on them.