Football Play Calling: Strategies & In-Game Execution
Effective play calling is where meticulous game planning meets dynamic, high-pressure, in-game decision-making. It's an art and a science, requiring coaches to read opponents, understand situations, manage tempo, and utilize personnel effectively—all within seconds. The right call at the right moment can be the difference between winning and losing.
This page brings together American Football Monthly's expert articles focused specifically on the critical skill of Football Play Calling. Whether you're coordinating an offense, defense, or leading the team as a head coach, you'll find valuable insights here to sharpen your abilities as a play caller.
Delve into strategies, techniques, and philosophies covering key aspects of calling plays:
Maximize Offense in the Real World of High School Football
IntroductionTime is a football coach’s most precious commodity. Most coaches at the high school and youth levels are challenged with limitations (such as player talent and perhaps a limited number of experienced coaches); but all teams are limited by time. Even the best coaches believe there simply isn’t enough time to fully teach, install and rep all phases of the game to all players. The Double Gun offense is unique because it offers such a wide variety of options wit
Subscribers Ask with Shawn Liotta part II
Shawn Liotta is the offensive coordinator at Clairton High School (PA), a team which averaged 59.9 points per game in 2014. Clairton also averaged 12.8 yards per play and 510 yards in total offense per game, even though the PIAA Mercy Rule was in effect in the second half of 12 of the 16 games his team played. His offense is aptly named the ‘No-Huddle, No Mercy’ offense.Along the way, Clairton’s quarterback, running back and wide receiver each set school records last fall. Li
AFM Subscribers Ask with Shawn Liotta Offensive Coordinator, Clairton High School (PA)
Shawn Liotta is the offensive coordinator at Clairton High School (PA), a team which averaged 59.9 points per game last season. Clairton also averaged 12.8 yards per play and 510 yards in total offense per game, even though the PIAA Mercy Rule was in effect in the second half of 12 of the 16 games his team played. His offense is aptly named the ‘No-Huddle, No Mercy’ offense.Along the way, Clairton’s quarterback, running back and wide receiver each set school records last fall
Having a Dominant Defense at the Point of Attack – URI uses a four word progression every snap to maximize the play of their defensive line.
URI uses a four word progression every snap to maximize the play of their defensive line.Coaching a defensive line to be dominant is based on consistency in coaching. The players standard of performance begins and ends with their coach. We believe if players don’t understand their assignments, we need to change the way they are taught. Consequently, if drills aren’t showing up on tape, the drill needs to be adjusted. There is no such thing as “dumb players”, ju
Building Champions to Win Championships
We recently surveyed coaches on a variety of topics, one of which was their interest in having more information about leadership. An astounding 80% said they would like us to present more information on this topic that is so vital to individual and team success.With this issue of American Football Monthly, we are introducing a new monthly Leadership report – Building Champions to Win Championships. AFM has assembled a team of leadership experts to explore, define and communicate
Get Organized - Having an efficient and effective play calling system can help maximize your offensive potential.
As the offensive coordinator, there are many ways to organize your play calls. After six years as an offensive coordinator, I have experimented with several formats to find what works for me. What I have settled on is a format that is flexible in games and helpful in game planning on the weekends.When structuring my call sheet, the first thing I did was to create landmark calls. We broke the field down by zones, similar to what air raid teams do. But we decided to get more specific
Situational Analysis – Having a specific gameplan for each offensive situation enhances your chances of success.
We teach our players to develop a thorough understanding of situational offense: its importance, its relevance, and the consequences of not recognizing and reacting to the many situations that exist and ultimately define our game. Here are eight main situations and how we develop our players’ understanding of them. During the beginning of fall camp, as well as in the opening of spring practice, we implement a well-planned-out installation that will be the foundation of our offens
ESTABLISHING A QUICK-PACED OFFENSE IN MIDDLE SCHOOL FOOTBALL
Aside from scoring, the ability to control the clock and the tempo of a football game is the primary objective of any offense. For years, the pattern was to pound the ball slowly and chew up the clock to control a game and defeat an opponent. Yet, with
Cheat Sheets - Making the Most Out of Your Play Calling System
A customized game call sheet can be a coaches best friend in tense game situations.When I first became an offensive coordinator, one of the biggest challenges I faced had nothing to do with which personnel I wanted to use, what plays I would call, or even what the opponent looked like. Rather, it was the format I was going to use for my game call sheet. My “grooming” for this position was not from coaches that liked to organize their calls. One coach called the plays based on feel.
Coach to Coach: An Efficient and Effective Play Calling System
Last year at this time, I wrote an article on the use of tempo as a weapon. I stated then that tempo was being used by many successful teams and that extremely fast-paced offenses were going to be a standard of football for years to come. Today, the use of the fast-paced, no- huddle offense is becoming more the norm than the exception.Webster’s Dictionary defines the word tempo as the “rate of motion or activity”. In today’s football terminology, the word tempo refers to how qu
Letter from AFM: Crowning Achievement
For the amazing job that he did taking an Auburn team that was winless in the SEC in 2012 and guiding them to the SEC championship and a runner-up finish in the BCS championship game, Gus Malzahn was a deserving winner of the many Coach of the Year awards he received. With the nation’s best running attack, they disproved the notion that you must have a high-powered passing game to succeed in the modern era of college football. And the two game-winning plays against Georgia and Alabama will
Self Analysis: Self-Scout Your Offense for a More Effective Game Plan.
The game has changed a great deal over the past decade. It used to be that offensive coordinators could create down and distance charts and run plays off of them with a pretty reliable sense of what would work. However, as the spread, no-huddle era has exploded onto the scene, it has transformed how coaches must approach the game.Our approach is to use statistics, specifically our offense’s own statistics, to formulate a game plan. The majority of our game planning time is spent
Coach to Coach – Upset Alert: 5 Ways to Plan Against Superior Opponents.
On October 6th 2007, the Stanford Cardinals arrived at the LA Coliseum for a football game against the University of Southern California Trojans. USC was riding a 35-game home winning streak and was one of the more dominant football teams and programs in the modern era. The Cardinal, who were coming off a 1-11 2006 campaign, were being led to the expected slaughter by first- year coach Jim Harbaugh, who would be starting a backup quarterback with a total of three passes on his resume.
Develop Your Dynamic Identity
Every experienced coach knows that teams tend to develop a particular identity during the course of the season. Some coaches argue that the best teams are the ones that have the flashiest, most dominating identities – teams like the Oregon Ducks, known for its high-octane offense, or the Baltimore Ravens, known for its suffocating defense. Other coaches counter that the best teams are often the ones that possess less exciting identities, those summarized with phrases like “balanced” or
Out With the Old, In With the New – Today’s tight ends have become an integral part of every offense.
Today, tight ends have become a fusion of a wide receiver, running back, and offensive tackle. Due to their athletic limitations, the old-school tight ends were always attached to the offensive line with their hand on the ground. The defense knew this and could call defenses accordingly. The new school tight ends are lining up in the backfield and flexing out both as slot and outside receivers to cause matchup issues. Many teams are now doing this with two or more tight ends in the game at th
Variables 101 – Knowing how to analyze over 100 offensive variables gives your defense a statistical edge.
Knowing how to analyze over 100 offensive variables gives your defense a statistical edge.Every defensive coordinator has his own style and process in preparing a game plan for the next opponent. Part of this process is detailing the statistical side of probability on the opponent’s play selection. Ideally, each defensive call has the probability of being successful, helps create one-on-one favorable match-ups and allows the players to execute the proper techniques in stopping the of
Coach to Coach – Want to Use a Faster Tempo as a Weapon? Be Creative in Deciding How
NCAA bowl games started on December 15th and finished on January 7th, and, like many of you, I watched almost every game. Of all the current football trends on display, there was one that seemed to present itself in almost every game - the no-huddle, up-tempo offense. Spread offenses have been a football standard for many seasons. However, the pace at which teams are executing their schemes is becoming more and more of a key factor in their offensive philosophy and identity.In today’
Subscribers Ask - With Tony Sanchez Head Coach • Bishop Gorman (NV)
Coach Tony Sanchez took over as Bishop Gorman’s Head Coach in March of 2009. The results over three seasons have been spectacular. The Gaels have won three straight state championships with records of 15-0, 13-2, and 16-1. Last fall, Bishop Gorman played three ranked top 25 teams – Chaparral (AZ), Armwood (FL) and Servite (CA). Their only loss was to Armwood, 20-17.Sanchez believes in playing the best teams he can schedule each year. “It was tough to lose the game to Armwood
Slowing Down the Spread
What do defenses do to slow down the spread and how do offenses counter? AFM asked spread offense coaches, “What defenses give you the most trouble?”Sparky Woods • Head Coach • Virginia Military InstituteSparky Woods has been the head coach at VMI for the past four seasons. Previously, he was head coach at Appalachian State and South Carolina and the OC/QBs Coach at Memphis. Woods was also a position coach at Alabama, Virginia, and Mississippi State. He has b
Reliable Performer
A Houston-area high school chose the HME DX300 sideline communications system to deliver superior performance in critical game situations.In the super-competitive world of Texas 5A high school football, coaches must pay close attention to every detail of program management – on and off the field – in order to achieve winning seasons. Decisions about which coaching technology to use, for example, can be just as important as which offense to install or which player to start at middle
When and Why to Zone Blitz
There are many types of zone blitzes. For this article, the focus will be on the 3 under, 3- deep zone blitz scheme that is widely used across at all levels. When looking at zone blitzing, you must first decide your philosophy on pressure vs. both the run and pass game. These blitzes can be equally effective in attacking the run and pass. An effective zone blitz package will use any second or third-level player as part of the pressure options. At Gettysburg, we have calls that allow both 5-an
Stopping Power – Part II – Basic Coverages in the 4-2-5
Due to its similarities to the 4-4, the most basic coverage in the 4-2-5 scheme is cover 3. In line with the “bend-but-don’t-break” approach, cover 3 is a three-deep zone scheme that keeps the football in front of the defenders and forces offenses to execute long drives in order to score. The base alignment of the 4-2-5 makes playing cover 3 a natural fit for the scheme, making it equally easy to teach, install, and execute. The presence of five defensive backs makes it possible to easi
Split the Field In Half
Every defensive backfield coverage has its strengths and weaknesses. What can maximize its effectiveness is knowing concepts of half-field coverage along with multiple disguises.We are a defense that defenses formations. The field always plays a part in how we cover that formation. Very few times are the run or pass requirements the same to both sides o
Take Your Quarterback From Good to Great.
5 steps to help your quarterback become a more efficient and effective leader.One of the most challenging things to accomplish as an offensive coordinator is determining what to invest in and what to eliminate. While there are plenty of offensive systems and plays that are effective, most of us realize that we simply cannot do everything. We still desire, however, to be highly productive and unpredictable while striving to make our offense better than the ye
Flying Ducks – Oregon’s Prolific Fast-Paced Offense Presents Monumental Challenges to Defenses
By Bjorn Zetterberg and David PurdumWhen former Oregon Head Coach Mike Bellotti hired Gary Crowton as offensive coordinator in 2005 to install the spread option offense, it was his intent to keep up with so many other teams in college football that had gone in that direction. In its first year, the Ducks’ spread yielded impressive results – a 10-2 record, 34.5 points per game and over 430 yards per game in offensive production.
The Importance of Formation Recognition
By Ryan Ruschhaupt, Assistant Coach Monterey Peninsula College Football is an ever evolving game where some of the most creative and intelligent coaches in sports find ways to defeat you merely by the alignment of players in a formation. Offensive coordinators search for alignment weaknesses
Setting the Tempo by Attacking and Reacting
By Kevin Cristillo, Defensive Line Coach Kentucky Christian University My philosophy as a D-line coach is to be aggressive and stop the run. As a defensive lineman, your main job is to stop the run. By stopping the run you are dictating the tempo of how the game is going to be played. Almost every team wants to establish a run game presence so that they can complement that with their passing game. Stopping a team’s ability to run puts them i
GAME STRATEGY AND PLAY CALLING: THE “HEDGEHOG” PHILOSOPHY
By Bruce Reynolds Former Head Coach William Penn High School, New Castle (DE) Game day strategy and play calling should not be too elaborate. Go with what got you there. Too many coaches make the mistake of trying to put in too many “new” things for the big game. My father, the Dr. Brooks E. Reynolds, a Methodist minister, was always preaching Steven Covey’s theme: “The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.” You can appl
No Punting Allowed
The controversy began last November 16th when New England Coach Bill Belichick went for a fourth down conversion late in a game from deep in his own territory against the Indianapolis Colts. With 2:08 left and the Colts with only one timeout, a successful conversion, in all probability, would have won the game. Belichick felt – from his own research – that the Patriots had a 60% chance of making the fourth and two for a first down. The Patriots were stopped short, the Colts took o
Your Take: Dealing With Bad Calls
Anyone who has ever played, coached or even watched an athletic contest has experienced the phenomenon I’ll call “Referee Induced Mental Hysteria.” We have all been there: some official, referee, umpire or judge makes a call that brings the crowd to its feet, causes a coach to rip his headphones off, or leave the dugout. What happens next can cost the team the game. Not necessarily the ‘bad call’ and its penalty, but the coach’s reaction to the call and the effect that reaction ha
Ditching Your Huddle – With so many teams going to the no-huddle offense, should you?
Until recently, the only time most teams would dare to run plays without taking the time to huddle up to get the play call and the snap count from the quarterback was during the two-minute offense, when saving precious seconds was critical. Not any more. Today, dozens of pro and college teams have instituted full-time no-huddle offenses with the simple goal of gaining an advantage over the defense by keeping them off-guard. High school teams are even beginning to follow suit. The no-
ADDING FLEXIBILITY TO YOUR DEFENSIVE GAME PLAN
As high school defensive coordinators, we are challenged on a weekly basis to stop a variety of offensive schemes. Over the course of last season, these offensive schemes included split-back veer, wing-t, fly, zone, pro-style, full-house double TE, and of course the spread offense. Our defensive staff has always prided itself in being able to prepare our players on a weekly basis to stop our opponent’s particular scheme, their most dominant player, and their bread-and-butter plays.
Pressuring the Offense with Effective Front Eight
As offenses continue to develop multiple ways to attack defenses, we\'ve found it necessary to find a scheme that can put the pressure back on the offense. The 44G defense has provided us with the flexibility to accomplish that goal. General Pressure Philosophy As a coach told me: \"Take the ball out of the offensive coordinator\'s hands; put it in the hands of a 17 year old quarterback.\" That is the foundational statement of our pressure philosophy: force the 17 year ol
555 Yards Per Game: The Shotgun I Offense
Quick trivia question: Name the winning est college football program in Alabama over the last five seasons. If you answered the Roll Tide in Tuscaloosa you’d be wrong – although much can be said about the job Nick Saban has done with that program. No, not the Auburn Tigers either. You can also count out such traditional powerhouses as Troy and UAB. Give up? Try the University of North Alabama, where the Lions, a Division II program in the town of Florence, have posted a record of 55-12 the l
- More Solutions to Problem #12
Continued from: 32 Solutions for the 12 Biggest Problems You\'ll Face this Season Problem 12: Communication issues between the press box coaches and the sideline coaches...how do you improve this issue? As an offensive staff, which includes our head coach as an offensive position coach, we spend a lot of time in the off-season talking and me
- More Solutions to Problem #8
Continued from: 32 Solutions for the 12 Biggest Problems You\'ll Face this Season Problem 8: Unproductivity in the red zone. Not being able to finish drives especially because of the lack of a strong field goal kicker...how to you deal with this issue? When we get within the red zone we limit our offense to what we do best: our ‘sainted
The Defensive Solution to Multiple Personnel / No Huddle Offenses
Traditionally, Middlebury College football has set their defensive calls in relation to the offensive personnel grouping on the field for that particular play. Most often, offensive personnel groupings dictate certain formations and favorite plays. Calling defenses based on offensive personnel groupings allows us to set the appropriate front and coverage, put our best personnel on the field and put our players in the best position for success. The Conflict Over the past
AFM Subscribers Ask...with Will Muschamp
Last fall, under Defensive Coordinator Will Muschamp, Auburn led the Southeastern Conference in scoring defense and finished in the top 10 nationally in pass efficiency defense, total defense, pass defense, and scoring defense. Since then Muschamp has joined the Texas staff as DC and inherits a defense that set school records for passing yards (3,611) and total yards (4,825) surrendered in a season in 2007. While he has his work cut out for him, Muschamp has a proven track record of fixing defen
Zone Blitzing the Spread Offense
There are some major philosophical components that need to be taken into consideration when coaches devise defenses. The first are structural concerns – what base front will you imply, even or odd? What will be your base coverage – will you be in a one high or two high safety defense? How will you defend the run game – will you be a “box” team that filters all perimeter runs to the middle of your defense, or will you prefer to “spill” everything to the perimeter, making the speed
Stifling the Screen Pass
Why do offenses run the screen pass? Very simple – it’s a high risk, high reward play. It’s an easy completion percentage for the QB and if the timing is right and the play gels, it could be potentially devastating to the defense. The high percentage of the throw builds confidence for your QB and gets him through a tough set of downs. Plus, the screen play gets the ball into your playmakers’ best hands and gives them plenty of room to run. Just a few months back in the April issue of AFM
How to Get Your Gamebreakers the Ball
University of North Alabama coach Mark Hudspeth has been coaching football in the South for awhile. “I grew up just south of Starkville, Mississippi, watching Emory Bellard run the option. So, I have been an option guy from way back.” Hudspeth has learned that the basic premise behind Bellard’s famous Wishbone offense, developed and implemented under Darrell Royal at Texas, is ball distribution and having the defense decide where the ball goes. Since Hudspeth’s arrival in 2002,
The Situation
John Torres, Head Coach, Santa Clarita (CA) Wildcats, AFM subscriber since 1998. We would immediately go into an attack mode. We run the Double Wing-T so there is no doubt that the opposing team has scouted and prepared for us to run our base power plays, a wedge or toss. With that in mind, misdirection plays this close to the goal line work extremely well. We would run what we call Tight Rip 47 C Criss Cross. Our A back/left wing would go in short motion. At the sn
Coach-By-Coach Responsibilities on Game Day
Coaches across America at every level require their players to be prepared for every game so they can be as effective and efficient as possible. If you do not require the same game day plan from your coaching staff in both responsibility and communication, then you are not being true to the requirements you place on your players. In researching another project for AFM, we found a wide discrepancy on game day responsibilities and communication among coaching staffs at various levels. T
Lufkin\'s Okie Blitz Package
Extremely versatile and aggressive, the Okie blitz package confuses offenses with up to 108 different pressures. Sound a little bit overwhelming? If your players have a hard enough time learning your base blitzes, where are you going to find the time to install 108, right? Don’t worry: Lufkin (Texas) High School Defensive Coordinator Todd Quick, an Okie blitz disciple, has simplified things. In 1986, Quick, along with Lufkin head coach John Outlaw, learned the Okie blitz from current
Bunch it Up: Oklahoma State\'s Bunch Passing Package
One of the most intriguing formations that I have seen in recent years is the Bunch Package. This formation offers such a wide variety of plays, advantages and mismatches that force a defense to defend drop back, screens, quick passes, strong side and weak side running game as well as play action. This package causes a defense to reduce to your formation and therefore creates more field space and key blocking angles. By being able to do a wide variety of plays you will be able to take advanta
Backed Up Against the Wall: Coming Off the Goal Line
Although many programs panic or go flat when their offense takes the field after the ball has been spotted on the minus one yard line, our program gets excited! In Hal Mumme’s Air Raid offense we have taken this negative part of the field and flipped the scenario into our favor. Many coaches may see it as an unorthodox approach to this situation, but we view it as a chance to demoralize our opponent. When backed up against the wall, we have three main goals: think touchdown, no negative
Coaches: Ways to Lose a Football Game
Everyone knows that brilliant coaching strategies, like those of Bill Walsh on offense and Buddy Ryan on defense, can win teams games. But the opposite is also true. Coaching mistakes can cost your team games. We talked to as many coaches as we could about what the key mistakes are that can cost you games, real world examples of the mistakes and how to avoid them. Here is what they had to say: Jerry Schmitt, head coach, Duquesne University “One thing tha
Simplifying Offensive Play Calling In the Spread Offense
Looking back throughout my coaching career, I am often amazed at how complicated and wordy the offensive systems I have coached in have been. Even as I read new articles on offensive football strategies, I am dumbfounded at how wordy these plays can become. Therefore, when I earned my first offensive coordinator position, I wanted a simplistic way to get across as much information to my players with as little wording as possible. As I started to design the new offensive system, I wanted e
Preparing your Defensive Game Plan
Every football coach, at one time or other during the season thinks “If only there were more time to prepare for this game, we could…”. DC’s are under great pressure each week to develop and implement a scheme that puts their players in the best possible position to make plays. This type of defensive game planning requires many hours of preparation – first breaking down game tape and determining an offense’s tendencies, and then selecting fronts, stunts and blitzes from the De
How do you Scout your Opponents Offensive Line
It always seems to work this way, things filtering down from the colleges to the high schools. As technology with digital editing has advanced and pro teams have become more intricate in their scouting, so, too, have colleges and high schools. One place that’s as prevalent as any other is picking apart your opponents’ offensive linemen. Anton Stewart, the defensive coordinator at Pittsburg State (KS), is among the growing number of coac
Running Wild
HOW TO CREATE AN EFFECTIVE RUNNING GAME THAT WILL BOOST YARDS AND WINS For all of football’s passing progress over the past decade, the running game remains a fundamental cornerstone of winning football. Whether you’re punching the ball across the line in short-yardage situations or controlling the clock, every team must be able to get the ball into the hands of a capable runner who can read and follow effective blocks downfield, breaking tackles and making defenders miss.
Crunching Numbers
Now that the season is over and the dust has settled, it’s time to look back and evaluate your season. As offensive coaches, we all accumulate a huge amount of statistical data over the course of the season. We also know that statistics can be deceiving. Using all the data we collect can help us understand our own offense as well as determine those areas which need improvement. In this article I will discuss how to collect data, evaluate your statistics, and implement the necessary changes to
Cover Story Gorilla Warfare: Chuck Broyles\' Pittburg State Gorillas\' Scary Offensive Attack Chuck Broyles doesn’t pretend
The Art of Play Calling
A good play is easy to spot on game day. It’s the decision to go for it on fourth-and-one that yields a fresh set of downs, a blitz-beating touchdown toss, or even a basic trap play, executed perfectly a handful of times, that marches your offense down the field. But while these plays unfold in the moment, it’s the weeks and even months of preparation that ultimately make them work. Good play calling is the result of repetition and trial and error without the glare of the lights or th
Gorilla Warfare
Chuck Broyles doesn’t pretend to hold the “secrets” for winning. But through an aggressive style of play, a loyal staff and players, and an offense that works to stay one step ahead of defenses, Broyles and his staff have turned Pittsburg State (Kan.) into a perennial power in NCAA Division II. During the last 15 seasons, under Broyles, Pittsburg State is 154-30-2. The Gorillas have won the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) championships nine times, missed the
2005 December 2005 Innovators of the option • From Scouting Report to Game Plan • True Football Speed • Quarterback Fundamentals November 2005 It Starts in the Trenches • Attacking Defenses with the Veer • 4 Technical Components of Punt Coverage • Teaching
Keeping Drives Alive: Effective Third Down Game Planning
At Western Michigan University, we utilize a multi-faceted approach when it comes time to game plan third down. It is a cooperative effort, involving all of the members of the offensive staff and the head coach. Before any meaningful discussion on third downs takes place, you must develop the down and distance parameters that will guide you through your game planning. We have two general categories, run situatio
Leaps and Bounds
Marshall’s Brad Helton refers to him as “The Godfather of Video Coordinators.” But like most of his colleagues, UCLA’s Ken Norris is a cipher unless you are intimately familiar with his work. Over the years, Norris has worked with and for a number of football giants – men such as George Allen, Terry Donahue, John Robinson and Norv Turner. Norris has been a big help to the coaches for whom he has worked. But like all good video c
Attacking the Blitz Defense
Related Videos American Football Monthly now offers a full line of coaching videos. So, if you enjoyed this clin
Letter From the Editor
Another football season has come and gone and as usual, many new faces have come to the forefront and many older faces have remained steadfast and stoic. The turbulent world of coaching tests a mans soul and strengthens his resolve ... yet by season’s end the truly great have stepped to the plate and performed. Each year American Football Monthly proudly presents the Schutt Sp
Focus on Critical Information to Place Your Players in Position to be Successful
FOR LAST YEAR’S TECHNOLOGY ISSUE, American Football Monthly asked me to share some insight on the organization of game planning staff and resources.* This year, Travis Davis has asked me to again address the subject of game planning, this time regarding an often asked question: In light of the finite time we coaches have available each week for strategic planning, how can we find and use the best from th
Technology Crossroads
Bobby April had reached a crossroads in his career and his life. When the New Orleans Saints fired Mike Ditka’s staff after the 1999 season, April – the special teams coach – found himself without a job. April also found himself with a year left on his contract, and decisions to make. “I had a daughter who was going to be a senior in high school, and I wasn’t going to
Letter From the Editor
It’s time for American Football Monthly’s annual look at new technologies in the game of football. We began this annual series in May 2000 because when it comes to technology, coaching is similar to many other jobs. Innovators and entrepreneurs are looking at ways to develop technology to make your job easier and to make you more efficient. For all that technology can do, it can’t add to the number o
Letter From the Editor
Granted, I am not a coach – never have been, never will be. To make matters worse, I don’t even play one on TV. But then again, I don’t have to be a coach to fully understand what American Football Monthly brings to the coaching profession. Coaches have often been a misunderstood sort – always receiving a bit too much credit when things go well and way too much when
Getting Hooked On Marshall\'s Passing Game
Coach Bob Pruett has a .862 winning percentage in his six years as the head football coach at Marshall University. Of all the head coaches in Division I football, Coach Pruett has the best winning record percentage in the NCAA for the first four years. Check it out! I firmly believe that what has led to his success is his philosophy towards running a football program. Coach Pruett keeps his philosophy
Press Box or Sideline?
Let’s face it: whether you’re coaching in the NFL or the local youth league, the sideline can be a dangerous neighborhood. No one is safe as aggressive athletes, wearing suits of armor and running full speed, hurtle toward their destinations with violent intent. Usually they knock the spit out of each other, but every once in a while, they end up plowing into the innocent crowd on the sideline, scatter
To Macho and Back with Stephen F. Austin
To start with I would like to thank American Football Monthly for providing coaches with valuable articles and ideas from some of the top coaches in the game. I am honored to submit this article and I hope it will live up to the standard of previous publications. The subject of this article “To Macho and Back with S.F.A.” is a brief overview of how we call, adjust and stem out of our Double Eagle or
2002 Hot Coaches RED HOT Tennessee’s Offensive Coordinator, Randy Sanders and Kansas State’s Defensive Coordinator, Bob Elliott are two assistant coaches that have studied and performed under some of the best head coaches in the game. Following the 2002 season, many athletic directors will be calling to enlist th
Option for the new Millenium
We came to Campbellsville in May of 1987 to start a new football program and played a JV schedule that first season. In our first varsity season (1988), we did not win a game. However, since the season of 1989, we have had a record of 57 wins, 57 losses and 1 tie, plus 2 Mid-South Conference Championships (1992 and 1997) and one trip to the NAIA national playoffs. We have attained a ranking as high as second in the nation as a team, and had several top 10 rankings in team offense and team defens
Achieving Maximum Benefit from Your Use of Technology in Game Planning
ALL STAFFS INVEST A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF time and effort in game planning. Strategic preparation for an opponent is a big part of what we do as coaches. It\'s a major element of the intellectual challenge of coaching which attracts us to the profession, and it forms the basis for the way in which we as coaches compete on game day. Play calling success is dependent upon a knowledge of the strengths, weaknesses and tendencies of both your own team and of your opponent. We all know that ot
Who\'s Hot?
When Clemson offensive coordinator Rich Rodriguez thinks about the right quarterback to run his offense, he can\'t help but compare him to a point guard. The ideal QB for Rodriguez\'s offense is someone who can distribute the ball, step back and hit the 3-point shot, but most importantly, is someone who\'s on the ball. Rodriguez, the second-year offensive coordinator for the Tigers, is known throughout college football for his \"On the Ball\" offense, a no-huddle, two-minute drill-type
Attacking the Red Zone
There are several considerations that must go into your staff\'s planning a comprehensive red zone ready list. As I present these concepts to you, you will have to establish your own answers to some of these factors and hopefully, be able to work your offensive system into each concept.1. Determine where the red zone begins. If you are fortunate to have a computer printout of your opponent, you may be able to see where they change their philosophy. Many times you can sense that yoursel
The Other Coordinator
Throughout the life of our magazine (now American Football Monthly), I have very seldom written articles. But, when we conceptualized this special issue on sports medicine, I immediately decided to author a piece on the role of the sports medicine staff for a football team. I wanted to do this because I strongly believe athletic trainers and sports medicine staffs are potentially one of the most under utilized and overlooked aspects of a successful football program. Lets face i
Star's Trek...
Just as James T. Kirk passed the baton to Jean-Luc Picard, Bob Stoops, Brian Billick and Chris Palmer have now ascended to the heights of the coaching world and the time has come for the next wave of "hot" superstars on the rise. The following is our look at the 25 coaches who are sure to be on the list of every athletic director or general manager looking for a savior for his or her program. These men will inspire confidence in the faithful and rally the troops because they are the next
Clock Management
With 10:10 left in the second quarter at the Cotton Bowl, Texas A&M quarterback Branndon Stewart stepped out of bounds at the line of scrimmage after being flushed out of the pocket on a first-and-ten play. No one thought anything of it. They should have. Stewart's "one small step" for an Aggie turned out to be "one giant leap" for UCLA. It cost Texas A&M the game. I have discovered about 145 principles of clock management-and counting. One of them is that football teams sho
Keep the Chains Moving
Achieving results on third down is one of the biggest keys to winning any football game. Third-down situations are often pivotal in determining the outcome of a game. A key stop for the defense can change momentum or significantly alter field-position advantage. Conversely, a conversion by the offense can keep a drive alive, eat up clock time, and keep scoring opportunities available. For the offense, the objective is simple: keep the football by making the necessary yardage. Severa
This page brings together American Football Monthly's expert articles focused specifically on the critical skill of Football Play Calling. Whether you're coordinating an offense, defense, or leading the team as a head coach, you'll find valuable insights here to sharpen your abilities as a play caller.
Delve into strategies, techniques, and philosophies covering key aspects of calling plays:
- Reading Opponents: Interpreting defensive fronts, coverages, offensive formations, and personnel groupings.
- Situational Mastery: Calling plays effectively based on down & distance, field position, score, time remaining, and specific game scenarios (red zone, third down, etc.).
- Game & Tempo Management: Controlling the pace of the game and managing the play clock strategically.
- Call Sheet Design & Execution: Creating and utilizing efficient call sheets during the game.
- Play Sequencing & Setup: Calling plays strategically to set up future opportunities.
- Personnel Utilization: Matching play calls to the strengths of the players on the field.
- Adapting & Adjusting: Making smart adjustments to the game plan based on live action.
Play Calling Search Results
Play callingMaximize Offense in the Real World of High School Football
IntroductionTime is a football coach’s most precious commodity. Most coaches at the high school and youth levels are challenged with limitations (such as player talent and perhaps a limited number of experienced coaches); but all teams are limited by time. Even the best coaches believe there simply isn’t enough time to fully teach, install and rep all phases of the game to all players. The Double Gun offense is unique because it offers such a wide variety of options wit
Subscribers Ask with Shawn Liotta part II
Shawn Liotta is the offensive coordinator at Clairton High School (PA), a team which averaged 59.9 points per game in 2014. Clairton also averaged 12.8 yards per play and 510 yards in total offense per game, even though the PIAA Mercy Rule was in effect in the second half of 12 of the 16 games his team played. His offense is aptly named the ‘No-Huddle, No Mercy’ offense.Along the way, Clairton’s quarterback, running back and wide receiver each set school records last fall. Li
AFM Subscribers Ask with Shawn Liotta Offensive Coordinator, Clairton High School (PA)
Shawn Liotta is the offensive coordinator at Clairton High School (PA), a team which averaged 59.9 points per game last season. Clairton also averaged 12.8 yards per play and 510 yards in total offense per game, even though the PIAA Mercy Rule was in effect in the second half of 12 of the 16 games his team played. His offense is aptly named the ‘No-Huddle, No Mercy’ offense.Along the way, Clairton’s quarterback, running back and wide receiver each set school records last fall
Having a Dominant Defense at the Point of Attack – URI uses a four word progression every snap to maximize the play of their defensive line.
URI uses a four word progression every snap to maximize the play of their defensive line.Coaching a defensive line to be dominant is based on consistency in coaching. The players standard of performance begins and ends with their coach. We believe if players don’t understand their assignments, we need to change the way they are taught. Consequently, if drills aren’t showing up on tape, the drill needs to be adjusted. There is no such thing as “dumb players”, ju
Building Champions to Win Championships
We recently surveyed coaches on a variety of topics, one of which was their interest in having more information about leadership. An astounding 80% said they would like us to present more information on this topic that is so vital to individual and team success.With this issue of American Football Monthly, we are introducing a new monthly Leadership report – Building Champions to Win Championships. AFM has assembled a team of leadership experts to explore, define and communicate
Get Organized - Having an efficient and effective play calling system can help maximize your offensive potential.
As the offensive coordinator, there are many ways to organize your play calls. After six years as an offensive coordinator, I have experimented with several formats to find what works for me. What I have settled on is a format that is flexible in games and helpful in game planning on the weekends.When structuring my call sheet, the first thing I did was to create landmark calls. We broke the field down by zones, similar to what air raid teams do. But we decided to get more specific
Situational Analysis – Having a specific gameplan for each offensive situation enhances your chances of success.
We teach our players to develop a thorough understanding of situational offense: its importance, its relevance, and the consequences of not recognizing and reacting to the many situations that exist and ultimately define our game. Here are eight main situations and how we develop our players’ understanding of them. During the beginning of fall camp, as well as in the opening of spring practice, we implement a well-planned-out installation that will be the foundation of our offens
ESTABLISHING A QUICK-PACED OFFENSE IN MIDDLE SCHOOL FOOTBALL
Aside from scoring, the ability to control the clock and the tempo of a football game is the primary objective of any offense. For years, the pattern was to pound the ball slowly and chew up the clock to control a game and defeat an opponent. Yet, with
Cheat Sheets - Making the Most Out of Your Play Calling System
A customized game call sheet can be a coaches best friend in tense game situations.When I first became an offensive coordinator, one of the biggest challenges I faced had nothing to do with which personnel I wanted to use, what plays I would call, or even what the opponent looked like. Rather, it was the format I was going to use for my game call sheet. My “grooming” for this position was not from coaches that liked to organize their calls. One coach called the plays based on feel.
Coach to Coach: An Efficient and Effective Play Calling System
Last year at this time, I wrote an article on the use of tempo as a weapon. I stated then that tempo was being used by many successful teams and that extremely fast-paced offenses were going to be a standard of football for years to come. Today, the use of the fast-paced, no- huddle offense is becoming more the norm than the exception.Webster’s Dictionary defines the word tempo as the “rate of motion or activity”. In today’s football terminology, the word tempo refers to how qu
Letter from AFM: Crowning Achievement
For the amazing job that he did taking an Auburn team that was winless in the SEC in 2012 and guiding them to the SEC championship and a runner-up finish in the BCS championship game, Gus Malzahn was a deserving winner of the many Coach of the Year awards he received. With the nation’s best running attack, they disproved the notion that you must have a high-powered passing game to succeed in the modern era of college football. And the two game-winning plays against Georgia and Alabama will
Self Analysis: Self-Scout Your Offense for a More Effective Game Plan.
The game has changed a great deal over the past decade. It used to be that offensive coordinators could create down and distance charts and run plays off of them with a pretty reliable sense of what would work. However, as the spread, no-huddle era has exploded onto the scene, it has transformed how coaches must approach the game.Our approach is to use statistics, specifically our offense’s own statistics, to formulate a game plan. The majority of our game planning time is spent
Coach to Coach – Upset Alert: 5 Ways to Plan Against Superior Opponents.
On October 6th 2007, the Stanford Cardinals arrived at the LA Coliseum for a football game against the University of Southern California Trojans. USC was riding a 35-game home winning streak and was one of the more dominant football teams and programs in the modern era. The Cardinal, who were coming off a 1-11 2006 campaign, were being led to the expected slaughter by first- year coach Jim Harbaugh, who would be starting a backup quarterback with a total of three passes on his resume.
Develop Your Dynamic Identity
Every experienced coach knows that teams tend to develop a particular identity during the course of the season. Some coaches argue that the best teams are the ones that have the flashiest, most dominating identities – teams like the Oregon Ducks, known for its high-octane offense, or the Baltimore Ravens, known for its suffocating defense. Other coaches counter that the best teams are often the ones that possess less exciting identities, those summarized with phrases like “balanced” or
Out With the Old, In With the New – Today’s tight ends have become an integral part of every offense.
Today, tight ends have become a fusion of a wide receiver, running back, and offensive tackle. Due to their athletic limitations, the old-school tight ends were always attached to the offensive line with their hand on the ground. The defense knew this and could call defenses accordingly. The new school tight ends are lining up in the backfield and flexing out both as slot and outside receivers to cause matchup issues. Many teams are now doing this with two or more tight ends in the game at th
Variables 101 – Knowing how to analyze over 100 offensive variables gives your defense a statistical edge.
Knowing how to analyze over 100 offensive variables gives your defense a statistical edge.Every defensive coordinator has his own style and process in preparing a game plan for the next opponent. Part of this process is detailing the statistical side of probability on the opponent’s play selection. Ideally, each defensive call has the probability of being successful, helps create one-on-one favorable match-ups and allows the players to execute the proper techniques in stopping the of
Coach to Coach – Want to Use a Faster Tempo as a Weapon? Be Creative in Deciding How
NCAA bowl games started on December 15th and finished on January 7th, and, like many of you, I watched almost every game. Of all the current football trends on display, there was one that seemed to present itself in almost every game - the no-huddle, up-tempo offense. Spread offenses have been a football standard for many seasons. However, the pace at which teams are executing their schemes is becoming more and more of a key factor in their offensive philosophy and identity.In today’
Subscribers Ask - With Tony Sanchez Head Coach • Bishop Gorman (NV)
Coach Tony Sanchez took over as Bishop Gorman’s Head Coach in March of 2009. The results over three seasons have been spectacular. The Gaels have won three straight state championships with records of 15-0, 13-2, and 16-1. Last fall, Bishop Gorman played three ranked top 25 teams – Chaparral (AZ), Armwood (FL) and Servite (CA). Their only loss was to Armwood, 20-17.Sanchez believes in playing the best teams he can schedule each year. “It was tough to lose the game to Armwood
Slowing Down the Spread
What do defenses do to slow down the spread and how do offenses counter? AFM asked spread offense coaches, “What defenses give you the most trouble?”Sparky Woods • Head Coach • Virginia Military InstituteSparky Woods has been the head coach at VMI for the past four seasons. Previously, he was head coach at Appalachian State and South Carolina and the OC/QBs Coach at Memphis. Woods was also a position coach at Alabama, Virginia, and Mississippi State. He has b
Reliable Performer
A Houston-area high school chose the HME DX300 sideline communications system to deliver superior performance in critical game situations.In the super-competitive world of Texas 5A high school football, coaches must pay close attention to every detail of program management – on and off the field – in order to achieve winning seasons. Decisions about which coaching technology to use, for example, can be just as important as which offense to install or which player to start at middle
When and Why to Zone Blitz
There are many types of zone blitzes. For this article, the focus will be on the 3 under, 3- deep zone blitz scheme that is widely used across at all levels. When looking at zone blitzing, you must first decide your philosophy on pressure vs. both the run and pass game. These blitzes can be equally effective in attacking the run and pass. An effective zone blitz package will use any second or third-level player as part of the pressure options. At Gettysburg, we have calls that allow both 5-an
Stopping Power – Part II – Basic Coverages in the 4-2-5
Due to its similarities to the 4-4, the most basic coverage in the 4-2-5 scheme is cover 3. In line with the “bend-but-don’t-break” approach, cover 3 is a three-deep zone scheme that keeps the football in front of the defenders and forces offenses to execute long drives in order to score. The base alignment of the 4-2-5 makes playing cover 3 a natural fit for the scheme, making it equally easy to teach, install, and execute. The presence of five defensive backs makes it possible to easi
Split the Field In Half
Every defensive backfield coverage has its strengths and weaknesses. What can maximize its effectiveness is knowing concepts of half-field coverage along with multiple disguises.We are a defense that defenses formations. The field always plays a part in how we cover that formation. Very few times are the run or pass requirements the same to both sides o
Take Your Quarterback From Good to Great.
5 steps to help your quarterback become a more efficient and effective leader.One of the most challenging things to accomplish as an offensive coordinator is determining what to invest in and what to eliminate. While there are plenty of offensive systems and plays that are effective, most of us realize that we simply cannot do everything. We still desire, however, to be highly productive and unpredictable while striving to make our offense better than the ye
Flying Ducks – Oregon’s Prolific Fast-Paced Offense Presents Monumental Challenges to Defenses
By Bjorn Zetterberg and David PurdumWhen former Oregon Head Coach Mike Bellotti hired Gary Crowton as offensive coordinator in 2005 to install the spread option offense, it was his intent to keep up with so many other teams in college football that had gone in that direction. In its first year, the Ducks’ spread yielded impressive results – a 10-2 record, 34.5 points per game and over 430 yards per game in offensive production.
The Importance of Formation Recognition
By Ryan Ruschhaupt, Assistant Coach Monterey Peninsula College Football is an ever evolving game where some of the most creative and intelligent coaches in sports find ways to defeat you merely by the alignment of players in a formation. Offensive coordinators search for alignment weaknesses
Setting the Tempo by Attacking and Reacting
By Kevin Cristillo, Defensive Line Coach Kentucky Christian University My philosophy as a D-line coach is to be aggressive and stop the run. As a defensive lineman, your main job is to stop the run. By stopping the run you are dictating the tempo of how the game is going to be played. Almost every team wants to establish a run game presence so that they can complement that with their passing game. Stopping a team’s ability to run puts them i
GAME STRATEGY AND PLAY CALLING: THE “HEDGEHOG” PHILOSOPHY
By Bruce Reynolds Former Head Coach William Penn High School, New Castle (DE) Game day strategy and play calling should not be too elaborate. Go with what got you there. Too many coaches make the mistake of trying to put in too many “new” things for the big game. My father, the Dr. Brooks E. Reynolds, a Methodist minister, was always preaching Steven Covey’s theme: “The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.” You can appl
No Punting Allowed
The controversy began last November 16th when New England Coach Bill Belichick went for a fourth down conversion late in a game from deep in his own territory against the Indianapolis Colts. With 2:08 left and the Colts with only one timeout, a successful conversion, in all probability, would have won the game. Belichick felt – from his own research – that the Patriots had a 60% chance of making the fourth and two for a first down. The Patriots were stopped short, the Colts took o
Your Take: Dealing With Bad Calls
Anyone who has ever played, coached or even watched an athletic contest has experienced the phenomenon I’ll call “Referee Induced Mental Hysteria.” We have all been there: some official, referee, umpire or judge makes a call that brings the crowd to its feet, causes a coach to rip his headphones off, or leave the dugout. What happens next can cost the team the game. Not necessarily the ‘bad call’ and its penalty, but the coach’s reaction to the call and the effect that reaction ha
Ditching Your Huddle – With so many teams going to the no-huddle offense, should you?
Until recently, the only time most teams would dare to run plays without taking the time to huddle up to get the play call and the snap count from the quarterback was during the two-minute offense, when saving precious seconds was critical. Not any more. Today, dozens of pro and college teams have instituted full-time no-huddle offenses with the simple goal of gaining an advantage over the defense by keeping them off-guard. High school teams are even beginning to follow suit. The no-
ADDING FLEXIBILITY TO YOUR DEFENSIVE GAME PLAN
As high school defensive coordinators, we are challenged on a weekly basis to stop a variety of offensive schemes. Over the course of last season, these offensive schemes included split-back veer, wing-t, fly, zone, pro-style, full-house double TE, and of course the spread offense. Our defensive staff has always prided itself in being able to prepare our players on a weekly basis to stop our opponent’s particular scheme, their most dominant player, and their bread-and-butter plays.
Pressuring the Offense with Effective Front Eight
As offenses continue to develop multiple ways to attack defenses, we\'ve found it necessary to find a scheme that can put the pressure back on the offense. The 44G defense has provided us with the flexibility to accomplish that goal. General Pressure Philosophy As a coach told me: \"Take the ball out of the offensive coordinator\'s hands; put it in the hands of a 17 year old quarterback.\" That is the foundational statement of our pressure philosophy: force the 17 year ol
555 Yards Per Game: The Shotgun I Offense
Quick trivia question: Name the winning est college football program in Alabama over the last five seasons. If you answered the Roll Tide in Tuscaloosa you’d be wrong – although much can be said about the job Nick Saban has done with that program. No, not the Auburn Tigers either. You can also count out such traditional powerhouses as Troy and UAB. Give up? Try the University of North Alabama, where the Lions, a Division II program in the town of Florence, have posted a record of 55-12 the l
- More Solutions to Problem #12
Continued from: 32 Solutions for the 12 Biggest Problems You\'ll Face this Season Problem 12: Communication issues between the press box coaches and the sideline coaches...how do you improve this issue? As an offensive staff, which includes our head coach as an offensive position coach, we spend a lot of time in the off-season talking and me
- More Solutions to Problem #8
Continued from: 32 Solutions for the 12 Biggest Problems You\'ll Face this Season Problem 8: Unproductivity in the red zone. Not being able to finish drives especially because of the lack of a strong field goal kicker...how to you deal with this issue? When we get within the red zone we limit our offense to what we do best: our ‘sainted
The Defensive Solution to Multiple Personnel / No Huddle Offenses
Traditionally, Middlebury College football has set their defensive calls in relation to the offensive personnel grouping on the field for that particular play. Most often, offensive personnel groupings dictate certain formations and favorite plays. Calling defenses based on offensive personnel groupings allows us to set the appropriate front and coverage, put our best personnel on the field and put our players in the best position for success. The Conflict Over the past
AFM Subscribers Ask...with Will Muschamp
Last fall, under Defensive Coordinator Will Muschamp, Auburn led the Southeastern Conference in scoring defense and finished in the top 10 nationally in pass efficiency defense, total defense, pass defense, and scoring defense. Since then Muschamp has joined the Texas staff as DC and inherits a defense that set school records for passing yards (3,611) and total yards (4,825) surrendered in a season in 2007. While he has his work cut out for him, Muschamp has a proven track record of fixing defen
Zone Blitzing the Spread Offense
There are some major philosophical components that need to be taken into consideration when coaches devise defenses. The first are structural concerns – what base front will you imply, even or odd? What will be your base coverage – will you be in a one high or two high safety defense? How will you defend the run game – will you be a “box” team that filters all perimeter runs to the middle of your defense, or will you prefer to “spill” everything to the perimeter, making the speed
Stifling the Screen Pass
Why do offenses run the screen pass? Very simple – it’s a high risk, high reward play. It’s an easy completion percentage for the QB and if the timing is right and the play gels, it could be potentially devastating to the defense. The high percentage of the throw builds confidence for your QB and gets him through a tough set of downs. Plus, the screen play gets the ball into your playmakers’ best hands and gives them plenty of room to run. Just a few months back in the April issue of AFM
How to Get Your Gamebreakers the Ball
University of North Alabama coach Mark Hudspeth has been coaching football in the South for awhile. “I grew up just south of Starkville, Mississippi, watching Emory Bellard run the option. So, I have been an option guy from way back.” Hudspeth has learned that the basic premise behind Bellard’s famous Wishbone offense, developed and implemented under Darrell Royal at Texas, is ball distribution and having the defense decide where the ball goes. Since Hudspeth’s arrival in 2002,
The Situation
John Torres, Head Coach, Santa Clarita (CA) Wildcats, AFM subscriber since 1998. We would immediately go into an attack mode. We run the Double Wing-T so there is no doubt that the opposing team has scouted and prepared for us to run our base power plays, a wedge or toss. With that in mind, misdirection plays this close to the goal line work extremely well. We would run what we call Tight Rip 47 C Criss Cross. Our A back/left wing would go in short motion. At the sn
Coach-By-Coach Responsibilities on Game Day
Coaches across America at every level require their players to be prepared for every game so they can be as effective and efficient as possible. If you do not require the same game day plan from your coaching staff in both responsibility and communication, then you are not being true to the requirements you place on your players. In researching another project for AFM, we found a wide discrepancy on game day responsibilities and communication among coaching staffs at various levels. T
Lufkin\'s Okie Blitz Package
Extremely versatile and aggressive, the Okie blitz package confuses offenses with up to 108 different pressures. Sound a little bit overwhelming? If your players have a hard enough time learning your base blitzes, where are you going to find the time to install 108, right? Don’t worry: Lufkin (Texas) High School Defensive Coordinator Todd Quick, an Okie blitz disciple, has simplified things. In 1986, Quick, along with Lufkin head coach John Outlaw, learned the Okie blitz from current
Bunch it Up: Oklahoma State\'s Bunch Passing Package
One of the most intriguing formations that I have seen in recent years is the Bunch Package. This formation offers such a wide variety of plays, advantages and mismatches that force a defense to defend drop back, screens, quick passes, strong side and weak side running game as well as play action. This package causes a defense to reduce to your formation and therefore creates more field space and key blocking angles. By being able to do a wide variety of plays you will be able to take advanta
Backed Up Against the Wall: Coming Off the Goal Line
Although many programs panic or go flat when their offense takes the field after the ball has been spotted on the minus one yard line, our program gets excited! In Hal Mumme’s Air Raid offense we have taken this negative part of the field and flipped the scenario into our favor. Many coaches may see it as an unorthodox approach to this situation, but we view it as a chance to demoralize our opponent. When backed up against the wall, we have three main goals: think touchdown, no negative
Coaches: Ways to Lose a Football Game
Everyone knows that brilliant coaching strategies, like those of Bill Walsh on offense and Buddy Ryan on defense, can win teams games. But the opposite is also true. Coaching mistakes can cost your team games. We talked to as many coaches as we could about what the key mistakes are that can cost you games, real world examples of the mistakes and how to avoid them. Here is what they had to say: Jerry Schmitt, head coach, Duquesne University “One thing tha
Simplifying Offensive Play Calling In the Spread Offense
Looking back throughout my coaching career, I am often amazed at how complicated and wordy the offensive systems I have coached in have been. Even as I read new articles on offensive football strategies, I am dumbfounded at how wordy these plays can become. Therefore, when I earned my first offensive coordinator position, I wanted a simplistic way to get across as much information to my players with as little wording as possible. As I started to design the new offensive system, I wanted e
Preparing your Defensive Game Plan
Every football coach, at one time or other during the season thinks “If only there were more time to prepare for this game, we could…”. DC’s are under great pressure each week to develop and implement a scheme that puts their players in the best possible position to make plays. This type of defensive game planning requires many hours of preparation – first breaking down game tape and determining an offense’s tendencies, and then selecting fronts, stunts and blitzes from the De
How do you Scout your Opponents Offensive Line
It always seems to work this way, things filtering down from the colleges to the high schools. As technology with digital editing has advanced and pro teams have become more intricate in their scouting, so, too, have colleges and high schools. One place that’s as prevalent as any other is picking apart your opponents’ offensive linemen. Anton Stewart, the defensive coordinator at Pittsburg State (KS), is among the growing number of coac
Running Wild
HOW TO CREATE AN EFFECTIVE RUNNING GAME THAT WILL BOOST YARDS AND WINS For all of football’s passing progress over the past decade, the running game remains a fundamental cornerstone of winning football. Whether you’re punching the ball across the line in short-yardage situations or controlling the clock, every team must be able to get the ball into the hands of a capable runner who can read and follow effective blocks downfield, breaking tackles and making defenders miss.
Crunching Numbers
Now that the season is over and the dust has settled, it’s time to look back and evaluate your season. As offensive coaches, we all accumulate a huge amount of statistical data over the course of the season. We also know that statistics can be deceiving. Using all the data we collect can help us understand our own offense as well as determine those areas which need improvement. In this article I will discuss how to collect data, evaluate your statistics, and implement the necessary changes to
Cover Story Gorilla Warfare: Chuck Broyles\' Pittburg State Gorillas\' Scary Offensive Attack Chuck Broyles doesn’t pretend
The Art of Play Calling
A good play is easy to spot on game day. It’s the decision to go for it on fourth-and-one that yields a fresh set of downs, a blitz-beating touchdown toss, or even a basic trap play, executed perfectly a handful of times, that marches your offense down the field. But while these plays unfold in the moment, it’s the weeks and even months of preparation that ultimately make them work. Good play calling is the result of repetition and trial and error without the glare of the lights or th
Gorilla Warfare
Chuck Broyles doesn’t pretend to hold the “secrets” for winning. But through an aggressive style of play, a loyal staff and players, and an offense that works to stay one step ahead of defenses, Broyles and his staff have turned Pittsburg State (Kan.) into a perennial power in NCAA Division II. During the last 15 seasons, under Broyles, Pittsburg State is 154-30-2. The Gorillas have won the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) championships nine times, missed the
2005 December 2005 Innovators of the option • From Scouting Report to Game Plan • True Football Speed • Quarterback Fundamentals November 2005 It Starts in the Trenches • Attacking Defenses with the Veer • 4 Technical Components of Punt Coverage • Teaching
Keeping Drives Alive: Effective Third Down Game Planning
At Western Michigan University, we utilize a multi-faceted approach when it comes time to game plan third down. It is a cooperative effort, involving all of the members of the offensive staff and the head coach. Before any meaningful discussion on third downs takes place, you must develop the down and distance parameters that will guide you through your game planning. We have two general categories, run situatio
Leaps and Bounds
Marshall’s Brad Helton refers to him as “The Godfather of Video Coordinators.” But like most of his colleagues, UCLA’s Ken Norris is a cipher unless you are intimately familiar with his work. Over the years, Norris has worked with and for a number of football giants – men such as George Allen, Terry Donahue, John Robinson and Norv Turner. Norris has been a big help to the coaches for whom he has worked. But like all good video c
Attacking the Blitz Defense
Related Videos American Football Monthly now offers a full line of coaching videos. So, if you enjoyed this clin
Letter From the Editor
Another football season has come and gone and as usual, many new faces have come to the forefront and many older faces have remained steadfast and stoic. The turbulent world of coaching tests a mans soul and strengthens his resolve ... yet by season’s end the truly great have stepped to the plate and performed. Each year American Football Monthly proudly presents the Schutt Sp
Focus on Critical Information to Place Your Players in Position to be Successful
FOR LAST YEAR’S TECHNOLOGY ISSUE, American Football Monthly asked me to share some insight on the organization of game planning staff and resources.* This year, Travis Davis has asked me to again address the subject of game planning, this time regarding an often asked question: In light of the finite time we coaches have available each week for strategic planning, how can we find and use the best from th
Technology Crossroads
Bobby April had reached a crossroads in his career and his life. When the New Orleans Saints fired Mike Ditka’s staff after the 1999 season, April – the special teams coach – found himself without a job. April also found himself with a year left on his contract, and decisions to make. “I had a daughter who was going to be a senior in high school, and I wasn’t going to
Letter From the Editor
It’s time for American Football Monthly’s annual look at new technologies in the game of football. We began this annual series in May 2000 because when it comes to technology, coaching is similar to many other jobs. Innovators and entrepreneurs are looking at ways to develop technology to make your job easier and to make you more efficient. For all that technology can do, it can’t add to the number o
Letter From the Editor
Granted, I am not a coach – never have been, never will be. To make matters worse, I don’t even play one on TV. But then again, I don’t have to be a coach to fully understand what American Football Monthly brings to the coaching profession. Coaches have often been a misunderstood sort – always receiving a bit too much credit when things go well and way too much when
Getting Hooked On Marshall\'s Passing Game
Coach Bob Pruett has a .862 winning percentage in his six years as the head football coach at Marshall University. Of all the head coaches in Division I football, Coach Pruett has the best winning record percentage in the NCAA for the first four years. Check it out! I firmly believe that what has led to his success is his philosophy towards running a football program. Coach Pruett keeps his philosophy
Press Box or Sideline?
Let’s face it: whether you’re coaching in the NFL or the local youth league, the sideline can be a dangerous neighborhood. No one is safe as aggressive athletes, wearing suits of armor and running full speed, hurtle toward their destinations with violent intent. Usually they knock the spit out of each other, but every once in a while, they end up plowing into the innocent crowd on the sideline, scatter
To Macho and Back with Stephen F. Austin
To start with I would like to thank American Football Monthly for providing coaches with valuable articles and ideas from some of the top coaches in the game. I am honored to submit this article and I hope it will live up to the standard of previous publications. The subject of this article “To Macho and Back with S.F.A.” is a brief overview of how we call, adjust and stem out of our Double Eagle or
2002 Hot Coaches RED HOT Tennessee’s Offensive Coordinator, Randy Sanders and Kansas State’s Defensive Coordinator, Bob Elliott are two assistant coaches that have studied and performed under some of the best head coaches in the game. Following the 2002 season, many athletic directors will be calling to enlist th
Option for the new Millenium
We came to Campbellsville in May of 1987 to start a new football program and played a JV schedule that first season. In our first varsity season (1988), we did not win a game. However, since the season of 1989, we have had a record of 57 wins, 57 losses and 1 tie, plus 2 Mid-South Conference Championships (1992 and 1997) and one trip to the NAIA national playoffs. We have attained a ranking as high as second in the nation as a team, and had several top 10 rankings in team offense and team defens
Achieving Maximum Benefit from Your Use of Technology in Game Planning
ALL STAFFS INVEST A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF time and effort in game planning. Strategic preparation for an opponent is a big part of what we do as coaches. It\'s a major element of the intellectual challenge of coaching which attracts us to the profession, and it forms the basis for the way in which we as coaches compete on game day. Play calling success is dependent upon a knowledge of the strengths, weaknesses and tendencies of both your own team and of your opponent. We all know that ot
Who\'s Hot?
When Clemson offensive coordinator Rich Rodriguez thinks about the right quarterback to run his offense, he can\'t help but compare him to a point guard. The ideal QB for Rodriguez\'s offense is someone who can distribute the ball, step back and hit the 3-point shot, but most importantly, is someone who\'s on the ball. Rodriguez, the second-year offensive coordinator for the Tigers, is known throughout college football for his \"On the Ball\" offense, a no-huddle, two-minute drill-type
Attacking the Red Zone
There are several considerations that must go into your staff\'s planning a comprehensive red zone ready list. As I present these concepts to you, you will have to establish your own answers to some of these factors and hopefully, be able to work your offensive system into each concept.1. Determine where the red zone begins. If you are fortunate to have a computer printout of your opponent, you may be able to see where they change their philosophy. Many times you can sense that yoursel
The Other Coordinator
Throughout the life of our magazine (now American Football Monthly), I have very seldom written articles. But, when we conceptualized this special issue on sports medicine, I immediately decided to author a piece on the role of the sports medicine staff for a football team. I wanted to do this because I strongly believe athletic trainers and sports medicine staffs are potentially one of the most under utilized and overlooked aspects of a successful football program. Lets face i
Star's Trek...
Just as James T. Kirk passed the baton to Jean-Luc Picard, Bob Stoops, Brian Billick and Chris Palmer have now ascended to the heights of the coaching world and the time has come for the next wave of "hot" superstars on the rise. The following is our look at the 25 coaches who are sure to be on the list of every athletic director or general manager looking for a savior for his or her program. These men will inspire confidence in the faithful and rally the troops because they are the next
Clock Management
With 10:10 left in the second quarter at the Cotton Bowl, Texas A&M quarterback Branndon Stewart stepped out of bounds at the line of scrimmage after being flushed out of the pocket on a first-and-ten play. No one thought anything of it. They should have. Stewart's "one small step" for an Aggie turned out to be "one giant leap" for UCLA. It cost Texas A&M the game. I have discovered about 145 principles of clock management-and counting. One of them is that football teams sho
Keep the Chains Moving
Achieving results on third down is one of the biggest keys to winning any football game. Third-down situations are often pivotal in determining the outcome of a game. A key stop for the defense can change momentum or significantly alter field-position advantage. Conversely, a conversion by the offense can keep a drive alive, eat up clock time, and keep scoring opportunities available. For the offense, the objective is simple: keep the football by making the necessary yardage. Severa
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