Football Strategy & X's and O's
Offensive schemes, defensive fronts and coverages, blitz packages, special teams, and game planning — scheme breakdowns written by the coaches who actually run them.
Get Full Archive Access — $37/yrScheme wins when it's understood, taught, and adjusted — not just drawn. American Football Quarterly's strategy archive goes deeper than clinic-talk: every article walks through alignments, assignments, coaching points, and the answers opponents will throw at you, with diagrams you can take straight to your install meetings.
Start with the latest scheme articles below, or browse by topic: Strategies, Game Planning, and Play Calling.
Latest Strategy & Scheme Articles
Out-Scheme Your Schedule
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Subscribe NowFootball Strategy — Frequently Asked Questions
What does X's and O's mean in football coaching?
X's and O's refers to the diagrammed schemes of football — the alignments, assignments, and techniques drawn up on the whiteboard. O's traditionally mark the offense and X's the defense. Studying X's and O's means studying scheme: run concepts, protections, coverages, fronts, and the adjustments that beat them.
How do coaches study new offensive and defensive schemes?
Most coaches combine clinic visits, film study, and trusted publications. AFQ publishes scheme breakdowns written by the coaches who run them — spread and under-center run games, RPOs, odd and even fronts, pattern-match coverage, and situational packages — with diagrams and installation notes.
Where can I find game planning resources for football?
The archive includes hundreds of game-planning articles: opponent scouting, call-sheet construction, situational football (red zone, third down, two-minute), and in-game adjustment frameworks used by winning staffs.
The #1 resource for football coaches — innovative X's & O's, strategy, drills, and coaching insight, published by AFM Media.