XO Wizard Coaching Perspectives

Michael Hoglund and his staff at XO Wizard have done a great job developing an extremely useful playbook application for any program. If you're building a playbook, I would highly recommend jumping into their 14-day trial and give it a run. It is a lot of fun to build within their applet.   

In addition to this tool, he has also regularly contributing insightful content from a variety of sources, so be sure to follow at @XOwizard 

In his latest blog offerings, he meets with several different coaches and explores their perspectives of the game, of program management and athlete training. This should be more 'smart football' to feed your off-season needs

http://blog.xowizard.com/

Pass Rushing Coaching Points

Coach Ron Roberts and staff have been busy beefing up their website offerings of late.  Be sure to check out their latest perspective of how to teach a dangerous pass rush










1. Pass Rush
2. Set Line Principle
3. Edge Rush
4. Power Rush






Also, their video selection has been improved...there is a Demarcus Ware hand fighting training video (for pass rush) that is worth checking out.


http://www.ronrobertsfootball.com/

Art of Smart Football

With The Essential Smartfootball, it was satisfying to see Brown's selection compiled and presented to a larger audience. This time around, The Art of Smart Football, takes many of Brown's contributions from his blog, Yahoo Sports and Grantland and presents them as he typically does, with a welcoming dialogue of mature reflection and clear analysis.  The content of this book is a complete package of contemporary football trends to afford the fair-weather fan to seasoned coach a competent perspective to fully appreciate what you'll see on the field this season.

As we explored when assessing his last book, Brown is the pacesetter of intellectual football discourse today.  There is no reason sports analysts should continue in the morass of the old media storylines (dumbing down what is delivered to their audience), when Brown has been showing how it can be done without losing the reader's interest.  The book is not heavy on football jargon or diagrams (though there are some great illustrations), so it is an easy read that one can digest quickly or casually pick up at their leisure.  This would be a great read in the coming weeks as everything he covers here, will be the narrative every weekend from the college to pro level.

There's no reason you shouldn't have this offering in your library.  Grab it at Amazon today....the electronic version (Kindle app for mobile) is as easy as it gets.

Annals of Cripes!

This blog has been around since 2007 (not really taking off until 2009) and has generated over 4 million views.  Over the years, we've covered a lot of different topics.  The intent has always been to share ideas and collaborate whenever possible.  We hope it's existence has helped you in some way.


As the off-season lull is fading and we're about to ramp up into a new season of high school, college and pro football, here are links to some of the more popular (and exhaustive) coaching studies we've conducted...





NICK SABAN

1-High Defense Principles I

1-High Defense Principles II

1-High Defense Principles III

2-High Defense Principles

Merging 1-High & 2-High (Rip/Liz) I

Merging 1-High & 2-High (Rip/Liz) II

Merging 1-High & 2-High (Rip/Liz) III

BO PELINI

Pelini Defense Intro

Pelini Defense Fronts

Pelini Defense Pressure I

Pelini Defense Pressure II

Pelini Defense Pressure III

Pelini Defense Library

ALEX GIBBS

Zone Runs (Alex Gibbs I)

Zone Runs (Alex Gibbs II)

Zone Runs (Alex Gibbs III)

Zone Runs (Beginning of Jim McNally)

Zone Runs (Editorial of the Future)

TONY FRANKLIN

Franklin arrives at La Tech

Franklin Evolves Air Raid Formula

Air Raid Patriarchs Evolve

Final year of Franklin at La Tech

Franklin at Cal

Maybe more importantly, we've been trying to keep tabs of where the game is going.  We're hoping to expand on some of initial impressions voiced over the years.  Below are some concepts you may want to watch for in the coming seasons....

DEFENSIVE TRENDS 

Spread Defense Basics

Spread Defense Pressure

Spread Defense Handling Tempo

Redefining Defense for Today

How to Build the Next Generation Defense

Non Stop Clinic: Ron Roberts Football

With the clinic season over, we've found a real gem to keep you inspired from the staff at Southeastern.  After coming off a whirlwind 11-3 season, Head Coach Ron Roberts has opened his clinic archives at http://www.ronrobertsfootball.com/ to offer a variety of consulting services, skills camps, an active blog and forum, and a trove of valuable clinic videos.

This is an impressive concept that Coach Roberts and staff have launched.  With minimal overhead, they provide superb content without all the marketing and commercialism that has spoiled a great deal of coaching resources.  

Most college staffs facilitate their own clinics, network and share with high school coaches, as well as host skills camps at their facilities. Southeastern has tapped into the accessibility of the Internet and has provided an opportunity for all coaches to take part in these off-season rituals.

I'd highly recommend checking out this site and taking part of this readily available content.

2014 Resources

ESPN Film Room with Addazzio, Chryst, and Sumlin was a step in the right direction for providing real time analysis of this epic bowl matchup.  Unfortunately, chuckleheads Millen and Spielman ensured the discourse never rose above the Buffalo Wild Wings demographic.

Coach Rob Paschall details how power compliments the veer run game 

Coach Joe Daniels covers a wide range of defensive topics including how to match up the 42 nickel against zone read 

A great off-season project of introspection from Coach Chris Fore on evaluating the performance and impact of all the throws his quarterback threw in a season 


Coach Alex Kirby is dropping bombs on his new website.  Plenty of great reads here 

Duece has some final thoughts on the college football season and assesses the future of defense.  Some interesting questions raised there and will likely prompt a follow-up on the work from hemlock and I previously ( uptempo defense, editorial 1, editorial 2)

Just some uptempo candy on how Auburn conditions their offense for speeeeeeed.

NFL guilty pleasures of the off-season - explore this site to find the dead weight heading into the next NFL fiscal year

Speaking of NFL, don't give yourself a concussion banging your head against the wall after watching this disingenuous argument from Nate Jackson on "heads up tackling"

Netflix for Coaches & Baby Saban

http://www.efootballflix.com/

Netflix for coaches you say? 

A $12 per month service to stream a library of Coaches Choice productions. Seems like a bargain.

Semi-related, here is a film that apparently is no longer available anywhere commercially.  A young and slightly annoyed Nick Saban delivering coverage coaching points.

I have 4 separate copies of this DVD and I haven't been able to successfully rip the video for years.  This version is pieced together from a few different video clips and consequently cuts off the last 10 minutes or so.  The video makes a lot more sense if you follow along in his 2001 LSU Playbook.  The tenets of the video are carried through many of his concepts which can be read here: Nick Saban Posts

Middle of the Field Coverage: principles

Middle of the Field Coverage: 2x1

Middle of the Field Coverage: 2x2

Middle of the Field Coverage: 3x1

Get Some!

Oh Hells Yeah!!

Dan Gonzalez Passing Game System & Blog

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

BLOGS

Must reads and subscribe!

 

http://coachjbird.blogspot.com/ 

http://coachvint.blogspot.com/ 

http://highspeedspreadfootball.blogspot.com/ 

http://www.football-defense.com/join/335defense/

Philosophy & Filler

We were fortunate to be able to collaborate with Joe Daniel and have a few conversations about the game of football.  Coach Daniel has a lot of great insight and is 100% football.  Be sure to check all his great work over at the following links:

http://chiefpigskin.com/

http://www.football-defense.com/ 

http://www.football-offense.com/

For whatever reason, Daniel was gracious enough to host me on his burgeoning podcast (http://www.footballcoachingpodcast.com/brophy/ ) to shoot the shit.  This, after visiting the football greats of James Vint ,  Tim Murphy ,  Jerry Gordon, and Shap Boyd.  After heavy-hitters like those guys, please keep your expectations low.  I will say I think it might be a little better than my last public interview

Links to the websites referenced in the interview:
http://www.coachwyatt.com/
http://www.eteamz.com/tobys/

Pre-season appetizer

The season is finally here! 

Enjoy some recent insightful gems to tide you over.

http://coachhoover.blogspot.com/2012/08/h-option.html

http://coachhoover.blogspot.com/2012/07/4-2-5-defense-defense-of-future-david.html

http://footballislifeblog.blogspot.com/2012/07/why-or-why-not-choosing-right-offense.html

If there are other blogs out there, let us know and post a link in the comments section so we can add it to our list.

Duece opens the flood gates with a rant on low-hanging fruit pickers here:

http://the12thmanblog.blogspot.com/2012/08/douche-bags.html

The underlying irritation has to do with providing the immediate 'answer', circumventing the enlightenment of discovery.  Delivering 'answers' to the game simply misses the mark on principle alone because it prevents a coach from coming to a complete understanding of how he game plans.  The real point of learning the game is coming to an understanding how YOU interpret situations and how YOU analytically process it (both strategically and logistically).  As Charlie Means so quaintly expressed not long ago, the relationships of coaching is what matters.  That relationship has to be bi-directional where there is a back-and-forth, not just "tell me what to do".  What makes us better competitors and coaches is forcing ourselves to become better than we were yesterday by engaging ourselves in an on-going dialogue where we attempt to give more than we take.  You can actually learn more football by just bullshitting with other coaches than by learning dogmatic applications of 101 position drills.  Embrace the conflict that discussions bring.

"People are buying other people’s experiences….[realize] There is no closure - closure is impossible.There will always be a residuum of mystery. We need to come to terms with this. If you live for closure you’re beating your head against a stone wall. There is a kind of an appreciation for the mystery that needs to replace the attitude that the mystery is an unsolved problem. The mystery has no relation to an unsolved problem."-Terence McKenna

This is why I often times take an abrasive tone.  Likely because that is how I had to learn (your questions and ideas will always be challenged, how will you deal with it?) and also to invite push-back friction in the exchange. If you come up with an idea/question but haven't thought it all the way through, you don't need an echo-chamber stroking, you need someone to punch you in the face with reality to avoid repeating that mistake (take the temporary discomfort for the long-term growth).

UPDATE:   I did not realize how cumbersome the 4Shared account was going to be (file ext, logins, etc).  The purpose is just to host videos to view and easily download without all the BS.  Here is my second attempt at making this work.  Use this link to readily access videos

https://drive.google.com/#folders/0B__SzX3ZrzTEcTg4dk01VTVSemc

Making a mark

Finally got through the Chris Brown book....I'm surely missing the boat on the many fine reviews that were offered when the book was published months ago.  Its exactly as you think it would be; clear, articulate and entertaining football dialogues from the creator of Smartfootball.  Brown does what he does, easily better than anyone else, covering the ever evolving world of football, schemes, and the players and coaches that shape it's landscape.  It would've been easy (and acceptable) if Brown simply republished many of his fine works, but he goes above and beyond by taking his great articles and further researches and defines narratives.

Smartfootball: The Book

The prevailing thought I had when breezing through this extremely easy to read paperback is the depth and distinct flavor Brown provides that is so lacking in any other mainstream football publication available.  To think how much Brown has obviously labored over these writings, collecting data, outling and refining the message, diagramming, etc.....and you've been reading his stuff for FREE for years!  Then you figure how many bullshitting sportswriters that are getting fat book deals to pour out some narrative drivel that doesn't give you any insight to the game at all (what a crime).  Brown should be getting paid to do "his thing" full time because he clearly is an industry leader.

Chris Brown for nearly the past decade (and easily the past 4 years) has truly shaped how coaches, fans, and passers-by engage in football discourse.  He has single-handedly raised the bar from spastic Chris Berman inspired dogshit to dispassionate, analytical reflection.  Go to any fan site or SBNation blog and you'll see the people regurgitating Smartfootball and doing their best to talk his talk (how many times did you see "Constraint theory" before it was on Smartfooball?). Enough cannot be said about his impact on the game (in my opinion) and how we all see football today and in the future.



Leave something behind

I'm not sure if I've ever addressed this before, but this site started years ago as a lark, but with the intention of giving something back to the many coaches who have embraced electronic media.  In particular, Tom Brandow, architect of the old AOL site, "Tobyz Football Site" that spearheaded much of what you see about (coaching) football online today.  This spawned the Hugh Wyatt blog (OG of football blogs) and Jerry Campbell sites. Now we have the Huey's message board (and weekly whiteboard sessions) and various spinoffs.

As a newer project, here is a url you can reference that should become a repository of sorts.  Game film for historical archives (you can really learn so much from the older film).  Nothing from the NFL and all film will be greater than three seasons old.  Bookmark it or set up an RSS feed from the link, but it is something that will grow each week.  Do what you will with the video, it's there to stimulate thought and increase the knowledge base.
Football Video Files for downloading

Assorted Football Documents / Templates for downloading

Get Back To Fundamentals: Coverages

Here for your reference archives – basic examples of the types of coverages everyone runs; 1-high to 2-high.  For more information, click on the hyperlinks/tags of each coverage type for previous entries for more in-depth explanations of what you’re seeing.

COVER 1

COVER 2

COVER 3

Backer force

Safety support

Corner support

COVER 4

COVER 5 (2 Man Under)

Unrelated to everything.... Just passing along an interesting development in artistry.....something interesting is afoot with one of our time's most creative storytelling voice, David Simon (and company).  Simon, of "The Wire" fame (and brilliant treatment of "The Corner" and "Generation Kill"), is deep in his current passion; the unique Americana invention of New Orleans music told through its principle actors (the musicians). The visual-novel of  "Treme" nearing the end of its second season has become an acquired taste for many.  Those missing out on the brilliance in its subtleties (it isn't meant to be swallowed whole, but savored by digesting each scene) of scenes and dialogue are losing sight of what the series (and Simon's craft) is about. I felt it was worth noting as the appreciation of performance art (and original storytelling) is becoming a dying craft.  Perhaps best summarized here by actor Clarke Peters.

My point in offering these thoughts is to pass along an observation of the use of technology as the social apparatus of our time.  The series (like any other event) is being chronicled online in various blogs.  One of which, Back of Town ,  has become a way of appreciating the episodes with many people responsible for telling this story.  With regular, affable interaction with (the real) Davis Rogan, Tom Piazza, David Simon, and Eric Overmyer and from the perspective of a 1-to-1 relationship (and not that of a lecturer or host), giving participants the organic feeling of being involved in the actual process.  This type of discourse wouldn't have been possible even five years ago - its exciting to watch this process develop, especially in the environment that this series has found itself in; a humble and artistic community of writers with a production geared for the exact opposite [commercial] appeal of its on-air counterparts.  I'm not sure what will come of it, nor am I star-struck that the production team would interact with consumers, but how it shapes the course of artist-audience relationship is something to watch.

INVASION!!!

In another decade we may look back at the advances (or revolution) in networked media (via Internet) as one of the most relevant accelerant towards coaching since the VHS/DVD video series.

More vibrant than static content websites, more accessible than message boards, the give-and-take of blogging has fast become the way for all voices to be heard.  Though not the premise for his post here, Chris Brown (the patriarch of football blogs) does a good job of articulating the nuances of this interactive media form.

This site started when I ate two slices of bad pizza, went to bed and grew a conscience!

….no wait, I mean just as an extension of 1) Coach Huey Xs & Os message board, 2) Chris Brown’s Smartfootball and 3) Toby’s (eteam) Zone (that I religiously soaked up through the 90s).  Point being, we’re all part of the evolutionary / adaptation process of the game.  I still don’t have a plan, purpose, any sense behind the endeavor and the address used is merely a result of my lack of any imagination – but it is a great way to document cathartic musings, nuggets and frustrations I’ve encountered over the seasons, and expose my idiocy.  Thankfully, some brilliant contributors have helped us out this past year.  The one important axiom in coaching (and life) is you get as much as you give.  Hopefully, you get something out of it.

the ‘itch’ is coming……

MORE BLOGS!!!!
Check these can’t miss gems out from some extremely wonderful authors
http://fourth-and-short.blogspot.com/
http://3backoptionfootball.blogspot.com
http://offensivebreakdown.blogspot.com/
http://footballpressbox.blogspot.com/
http://livingforwinning.blogspot.com/
http://iteachicoachiblog.blogspot.com/
http://strongfootball.blogspot.com/
http://coachmaj.blogspot.com/
http://coachjburk.blogspot.com/
http://coachroth.blogspot.com/

Riddle Me This...

Hey, this is Coach Hoover.  I have been running a series of articles on my site about the Defending the Flexbone.  I have not revealed any of the identities of the guest writers as of yet, but I will provide a clue about tomorrow's (Saturday at 1:30 EST) guest writer.  

http://coachhoover.blogspot.com/

You will probably be able to guess this certain individual by his affinity for a certain sports network.

...but if not, I provided another hint.

Coach Hoover: Defending Oregon Spread

There are some extremely insightful and in-depth articles created by Coach Hoover leading up to the National Championship Game.

43 vs Oregon Spread (DL play)

43 Fire Zones vs Oregon Spread

43 vs Oregon Spread (LB / Nickel play)

43 vs Oregon Spread Bash and Midline

43 vs Oregon Spread (DB play and coverages)


Be sure to check out his subsequent series on defending flexbone option with the 4-3
DT Play
DE Play
MLB Play
OLB Play
FS/SS Play
CB Play


SITE:
For updates and goings on or what not, feel free to follow (this site) on Twitter at
http://twitter.com/#!/GetBack2Fundies



or join the Facebook group (instead of following Brophy) at
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=147052308657775

pimp, yo

http://www.xandolabs.com/

http://coachjburk.blogspot.com/

http://offensivebreakdown.blogspot.com/

http://coachbdud.blogspot.com/

http://coachbindelfootball.blogspot.com/

http://footballpressbox.blogspot.com/

Check 'em out, B

you get what you pay for

Thanks to *Coach Hoover for the heads up on this (and saving my ass)....Yahoo Video is removing all of its existing content in March.

http://www.techieinsider.com/news/4873

On December 15, 2010 the functionality to upload a video to Yahoo! Video was removed and a download utility, available through March 14, 2011, was added to users’ video profiles to allow retrieval of content. The user-generated content will be removed from Yahoo! Video on March 15, 2011. We apologize if this causes you any inconvenience.

Thanks, dickwads. Now my Yahoo account will only be valid for the annual fantasy football pastings.

So, my attempt at avoiding the issues I had with GoogleVideo (2006-2008) randomly pulling any game film I posted (not broadcast footage) have hit a brick wall. I am reluctantly migrating all my 500 some Yahoo videos into my Youtube account to conform to the Google monolith.

Change is good, I suppose, and this was something I was actually planning on doing anyway to make the content more accessible for mobile users. This affords me an opportunity to experiment with creating higher resolution game clips for viewing online. Oh well, you get what you pay for (both free...........for now). Also, likely unrelated, I'm itching for an opportunity to use my Captivate's TV-out function to record practice footage (in 720p) and connect it to a big screen with component cables after practice to go over coaching points (beats lugging around a camcorder).


*be on the look out for a moster project Coach Hoover is putting together in the coming weeks

another great blog worth checking out that just took off this past fall is

http://footballpressbox.blogspot.com/

Blogger Addition: VassDiddy

He's the President of Punk.

The Earl of Funk.

The Duke of Cool.

The Ayatollah of Rock-and-Roll-a

.........and he's now blogging here!

Chris Vasseur, a long time friend and coaching cohort, is the epitome of coaching passion and youthful grind. Coach Vass has been coaching near a decade, spanning the football hotbeds of Florida to Northern California, and will be dropping encyclopedias of knowledge and insight.

He is a very welcome addition to the host of geniacs like Hemlock, Coach Hoover, and Charlie Means.