As a football coach I am consistently evaluating and tinkering with my depth chart. A lot of times I'll shuffle through it, add names, change names, and drop names. Move names from a defensive position to an offensive one and visa-versa. I find that consistently managing your depth chart keeps you organized an up to date in your player development.
Like all good football systems that you implement, your depth chart reflects your player's strengths and where exactly they fit in the scheme of things. A football coach by maintaining a depth chart will be on top of his player's progress and keep the best possible line up on the field. It's a good way to track player progress over the course of the season and identifies players that have improved or have gotten better than one that's in a starting position.
So how does it work?
Well, at the start of a season during training camp I'll set up my first depth chart. I'll list on it all football positions that are on the football team including specialty positions and for each position I'll assign a name or names to that football position of the player who at that time I feel is the best player for that spot. After each practice, I'll spend 15 minutes evaluating my depth chart, and move the players up and down the depth chart based on their performance and improvement. I refer to it regularly and have it with me all the time.
I find it is valuable when injuries occur in the game and you need a player substitution right away, pull out the depth chart and scan down and find the player who's the next to go in at that position. It saves time.
I also enjoy discussing the depth chart with the assistant coaches on a player's progress and development. A depth chart analysis will reward a player's hard work and progress while at the same time challenge your players to work hard to keep their positions and not to drop down the depth chart.
Cheers!
Monday, March 8, 2010
Football Goal-line Defence
Football can be exciting, last play of the game and you're on your goal-line winning by a slim margin and it comes down to one big play. All the marbles are on the line? But wait a minute! Do you have a goal-line defence as part of your football system, or are you in one of your regular defences?
The answer to that question could determine whether or not you will be successful in this situation.
Goal-line defence should be practiced regularly and be treated like a football specialty team. That is, you want your best players on the field for this situation. With the game or season on the line it could come down to one play on your goal-line to determine whether or not your football season is over or not. You bring in your best and biggest linemen, as well as your best athletes available to play in this situation. You practice it every week like a special team, put the ball on the 2 yard line and bring in the "heavies".
Perhaps your all-star running back goes in as an outside linebacker, your star receiver plays cornerback and your all-conference guard goes in to play tackle. Whatever, it is, make sure you load up in this situation. A lot of times just bringing in rested players will do the trick as the offence perhaps has been on the field awhile having marched the ball to your goal-line and maybe a little tired. The fresh legs can make a big difference. Just remember, treat your goal-line defence like a special team, bring this look in for this situation only, its hard for players to be effective on both sides of the ball for the entire game.
A lot of times a goal-line defence will play gap control with good outside contain with man coverage downfield and probably blitz a back to force the offence into making a mistake, create a turn-over, or sack the quarterback. You want them to be aggressive and to attack!
A goal-line stand can be a big momentum changer and can demoralize an offence, practice it every week and with your best players!
Cheers!
The answer to that question could determine whether or not you will be successful in this situation.
Goal-line defence should be practiced regularly and be treated like a football specialty team. That is, you want your best players on the field for this situation. With the game or season on the line it could come down to one play on your goal-line to determine whether or not your football season is over or not. You bring in your best and biggest linemen, as well as your best athletes available to play in this situation. You practice it every week like a special team, put the ball on the 2 yard line and bring in the "heavies".
Perhaps your all-star running back goes in as an outside linebacker, your star receiver plays cornerback and your all-conference guard goes in to play tackle. Whatever, it is, make sure you load up in this situation. A lot of times just bringing in rested players will do the trick as the offence perhaps has been on the field awhile having marched the ball to your goal-line and maybe a little tired. The fresh legs can make a big difference. Just remember, treat your goal-line defence like a special team, bring this look in for this situation only, its hard for players to be effective on both sides of the ball for the entire game.
A lot of times a goal-line defence will play gap control with good outside contain with man coverage downfield and probably blitz a back to force the offence into making a mistake, create a turn-over, or sack the quarterback. You want them to be aggressive and to attack!
A goal-line stand can be a big momentum changer and can demoralize an offence, practice it every week and with your best players!
Cheers!
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Football Play Selection
On the very first series of the football game would you run or pass the football? Do you script your plays or do you randomly call plays based on what you see or what is presented to you by the defence?
I think that most offensive coordinator's have their own personal philosophy on how they begin their play selection in that opening series. Probably, the play selection on the fist series of the game would reflect what your plan is coming into the game and what you already determined in you scouting and game planning. If you want to establish the running game, probably this would reflect in your play calling in your first series of the football game. You've scouted the defence and determined that you believe you can run the football against them so why not test the waters and see how things look inside. A big gain on the first play would indicate that you've done your homework!
Most times if they run big on that first play you know that a second run is coming. The game now begins to unfold as the defence adjusts to stop the run. A lot of times, once a offensive co-ordinator gets you on your heels they try and stay one play ahead of you. In other words while your adjusting to stop the inside run they're looking at exploiting you somewhere else. I find that this is more "old school" and is a very effective way to co-ordinate an offence.
Scripting plays is also an effective way to play calling. A lot of college and NFL coaches script their plays and have already determined in the game planning stage of what play they will call for a particular situation and have it marked on their play selection chart. For instance, if they find themselves in a third down and inches situation, they'll check their play selection chart and under the heading third and inches they would have already determined what plays to call for that situation and select one of the plays. Again, the play selection would be based on the scouting report.
Scripting can make play calling decisions a little easier as you have already determined in the comfort of your office with no pressure what plays to call for each situation. It also allows you to spread the football around to different players and attack different parts of the field and can take the predictability out of your play selections. The downfalls to scripting is that when things go bad you soon revert back to the "old school" way of play selections.
Cheers!
I think that most offensive coordinator's have their own personal philosophy on how they begin their play selection in that opening series. Probably, the play selection on the fist series of the game would reflect what your plan is coming into the game and what you already determined in you scouting and game planning. If you want to establish the running game, probably this would reflect in your play calling in your first series of the football game. You've scouted the defence and determined that you believe you can run the football against them so why not test the waters and see how things look inside. A big gain on the first play would indicate that you've done your homework!
Most times if they run big on that first play you know that a second run is coming. The game now begins to unfold as the defence adjusts to stop the run. A lot of times, once a offensive co-ordinator gets you on your heels they try and stay one play ahead of you. In other words while your adjusting to stop the inside run they're looking at exploiting you somewhere else. I find that this is more "old school" and is a very effective way to co-ordinate an offence.
Scripting plays is also an effective way to play calling. A lot of college and NFL coaches script their plays and have already determined in the game planning stage of what play they will call for a particular situation and have it marked on their play selection chart. For instance, if they find themselves in a third down and inches situation, they'll check their play selection chart and under the heading third and inches they would have already determined what plays to call for that situation and select one of the plays. Again, the play selection would be based on the scouting report.
Scripting can make play calling decisions a little easier as you have already determined in the comfort of your office with no pressure what plays to call for each situation. It also allows you to spread the football around to different players and attack different parts of the field and can take the predictability out of your play selections. The downfalls to scripting is that when things go bad you soon revert back to the "old school" way of play selections.
Cheers!
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Offensive Tackles Rank high In NFL Draft
Have you seen any of the mock NFL drafts yet ? If you do check it out you'll see that in the top ten mock selections that the offensive tackle position ranks right up there as far as one of the most sought after positions in the NFL draft.
Why is that?
Well if you consider that in the NFL a new breed of hybrid defensive ends has emerged that are big athletic and very fast, its not hard to figure out why the OT position has become high in importance. These athletic defensive ends can create a lot of problems for your offence with their speed and strength and if you don't have a offensive tackle that's just as athletic and strong, then your in for a long day on the grid-iron!
If you check the salaries in the NFL in regards to the offensive line you'll see that the highest paid offensive linemen in the NFL are offensive tackles, particularly the ones who cover the backside of the quarterback. Every season you hear the experts talk about O-line and the Tackle position and how it has emerged as the anchor position. A good offensive tackle can take on the rush and speed of the defensive end which creates time and space for the quarterback. With this time and space most quarterbacks in the NFL will be able to pick apart a defensive secondary, without it they're on the ground!
Consider now for a moment just how big, strong and athletic these Offensive Tackles have to be and also consider that they have to be fast enough to take their drop-steps back quick enough while engaging the end, who probably runs a 4.5 sec 40 yard dash. They're big men that are athletic, strong and fast.
They're also very hard to find! If you've coached football and particularly offence, then you know that it all begins and ends with your offensive line irregardless of who you have at your quarterback or running back position.
You need a solid offensive line!
Cheers!
Why is that?
Well if you consider that in the NFL a new breed of hybrid defensive ends has emerged that are big athletic and very fast, its not hard to figure out why the OT position has become high in importance. These athletic defensive ends can create a lot of problems for your offence with their speed and strength and if you don't have a offensive tackle that's just as athletic and strong, then your in for a long day on the grid-iron!
If you check the salaries in the NFL in regards to the offensive line you'll see that the highest paid offensive linemen in the NFL are offensive tackles, particularly the ones who cover the backside of the quarterback. Every season you hear the experts talk about O-line and the Tackle position and how it has emerged as the anchor position. A good offensive tackle can take on the rush and speed of the defensive end which creates time and space for the quarterback. With this time and space most quarterbacks in the NFL will be able to pick apart a defensive secondary, without it they're on the ground!
Consider now for a moment just how big, strong and athletic these Offensive Tackles have to be and also consider that they have to be fast enough to take their drop-steps back quick enough while engaging the end, who probably runs a 4.5 sec 40 yard dash. They're big men that are athletic, strong and fast.
They're also very hard to find! If you've coached football and particularly offence, then you know that it all begins and ends with your offensive line irregardless of who you have at your quarterback or running back position.
You need a solid offensive line!
Cheers!
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