THE COUNTER

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The full text of “THE COUNTER” by Gene Shur, from the Vol 3 — Fall 2024 issue.

Muskegon’s offense combines elements of the belly series with the veer option, which gives his team other weapons when it’s not able to dominate up front. “What the option package does is give you something else if you don’t have an edge man-over-man up front,” Fairfield explained. “Or if a defense has a real stud on the line, you don’t have to block him with your 165-pound kid.

If you run the option correctly, you don’t have to block him at all, you just read him.” Fairfield bristles at the suggestion that the only reason the veer works so well at Muskegon is because of the team’s speed. He points out college programs like Army and Air Force that succeed with a ver - sion of the veer because of precision execution, and notes that he ran the offense with great success in his fives seasons at Holton High School from 2003 to 2007.

“It’s an offense that can give you yearin, year-out consistency, and is not entirely dependent on personnel,” said Fairfield. “The most import - ant thing is to develop a quarterback that makes good decisions and is a ball-distributor.” The key to Muskegon’s legendary defense prowess starts with its aggressive offensive mindset, ac - cording to Fairfield, as he often uses linemen on both sides of the ball.

“One of the problems I see with a lot of high school defenses is that you have kids up front that are lin - ing up on offense in a two-point stance and zone-blocking,” said Fairfield, who leads the defense along with Scott Fodrocy, Don Poole and Tracy Lewis. “Then you’re asking them to turn around and be a dog on defense and it’s hard for them to change their thinking that quick.

“We’re teaching our kids to attack on both sides of the ball.” The most celebrated statistic for Muskegon’s defense is tackles for loss, which means that players are being disruptive and bringing the fight to the offense. The defensive game plan every week for the Big Reds is to identify the opponents’ best play and best player - then take that away.

One thing that Muskegon’s coaching staff feels are counter-productive are defensive “goal sheets” - such as holding a team under 100 yards rushing or allowing two or fewer plays of more than 20 yards - preferring to keep the focus on shutting down every play. As for special teams, Fairfield’s key to success might surprise you, considering his teams have always had more than their fair share of kickoff and punt returns to the house over the past 14 years.

“Our motto is that special teams can’t win you a game, but it can lose you a game,” said Fairfield. “We don’t punt a lot, but you better believe we practice it every day. When the other team punts, I’m happy if our kids fair catch it every time.” Perhaps the biggest intangible that allows Muskegon to stay ahead of the pack in Michigan is that Fair - field and his staff are willing to make sacrifices of their personal time - weekends, nights, holidays, etc. - which most coaches simply won’t do.

Take spring break, for example, when many coaches were on a tropical vacation with their families.

Fairfield and assistant coach Lorenzo Rodriguez were driving 12 players in vans around the Midwest, visiting nine colleges in seven days - an opportunity which most of the kids would not have been able to afford or make happen on their own. That type of investment and commitment to the players creates a bond and level of trust that trans - lates to on-field success, Fairfield said.

15 “Here at Muskegon, we spend way more time with the kids outside of football than we do in football,” said Fairfield, who started coaching at Muskegon under Tony Annese, now a two-time national champion at Divi - sion II Ferris State University. “These kids know that if they are stuck somewhere in a bad spot, they can call one of us coaches and we will be there, 365 days a year. There’s a bond there and trust there.

So when we take that out onto the field, there’s something about the way that they play which is beautiful.” It’s a style of play which, at times, requires patience from the coaching staff. The Muskegon formula is to wear teams down with their size, physicality and speed, which can - especially against high-level competition - take time to materialize. A great example came in last year’s state championship game, as the Big Reds were basically stymied for the entire first half.

Even though the fans were getting restless, Fairfield stuck to his guns and eventually Muskegon’s combination of size, strength and speed broke through. Muskegon outscored Warren DeLaSalle 26-0 in the second half, culminating in a 33-21 win. That win in the state championship game was also historically significant, the 900th win in school history - moving the Big Reds one win ahead of Mount Carmel (Penn.) into sixth place nationally in all-time football wins.

Fairfield, 55, has a 154-29 record (84 percent) and needs three victories this season to surpass Leo Red - mond as the winningest coach in Muskegon High School history, which dates back to 1895. Not bad for a guy who grew up in a broken home, with a father who was an abusive alcoholic who left the family when he was 3, and a loving mother who had health issues and suffered a stroke when he was in high school. “Football saved my life,” said Fairfield, who has two daughters. “Football was the father I never had.

Football taught me all of the lessons about hard work, commitment, being on time, that you would normally learn from your father. “So, for me, trying to fill the voids in all of my players’ lives is a way of giving back to the game which has given me so much.

I let them know that I love them.” Fairfield was also honored after his second state title last fall as the Detroit Lions Coach of the Year, which led to him winning the national 2023 NFC Don Shula High School Coach of the Year Award - an award which earned him a trip to the Pro Bowl in Orlando and the Super Bowl in Las Vegas. Those two trips represented the longest time Fairfield has been away from his players since taking Muskeg - on’s head coaching position in 2010.

“I accepted the (Shula) award on behalf of every Big Red who has ever been part of this program,” said Fair - field. “It was a huge honor and the thrill of a lifetime. But you know what? It killed me to be away from the kids for that long.”

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FREE LEADERSHIP VIDEO FROM COACH STEVE SPECHT Developing Leadership Coach Vince Lombardi: Memorable Axioms on Winning and Leadership (Part II) Coach to Coach: Coaching Staff Self-Improvement from the Inside-Out Leadership Strategies: How to Develop a Steady Stream of ‘Championship Level QBs in Your Program, Part I Leadership Strategies: How to Develop a Steady Stream of ‘Championship Level’ Quarterbacks in Your Program (Part II) Post- Season Priorities - Wrapping up one season and transitioning to the next are critical times for successful programs LEADERSHIP ARTICLES

Proper positioning and anticipation are two prerequisites for making an interception. by: JohnAllen W. Snyder Just about every coach at every level will tell you that turnovers are critical. Interceptions, especially, alter the momentum and often change the outcome of a game. What can be done to help your defense cause an interception? What type of preparation is needed so that your defense is ready to anticipate a potential interception?

AFM spoke to five defensive coaches whose teams were among the leaders in interceptions last fall. They included four defensive coordinators: Josh Homolka – Ottawa University, Robert Wimberly – Lib - erty University, Chris Willis – the University of North Alabama, and Larry Harmon – the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor along with Cliff Collins, the defensive backs coach at East Mississippi Community College. They discussed the preparation, mindset and drills for being ready to force an interception.

What do you look for when analyzing your opponent’s receivers? Is part of it looking for tendencies they may have? The Art of the The Art of the Interception Interception

Homolka - We concentrate a lot on taking away route combinations. This changes from week to week depending on the team we are facing. We get very technical on how to break these combinations up. We talk to the defense about focusing on the #1 receiver. Our corners work on watching the reaction of the receiver and taking away the route when they break down. We also do a lot with down and dis - tances. I talk to our guys all the time about putting the offense in a low percentage down and distance.

When we can press based on the down and distance, we do. If it’s a long situation, we will play back a bit and play the sticks. Wimberly - We look at the concepts of the offensive team. What do they run? Are they a four vertical, high/low team? What are the splits of the receivers, and what is their stance for each pass play? Do they give anything away that we can use to help us? Willis - We look at each receiver in a number of ways - outside vs. inside receivers and the differenc - es between them both.

We want to identify who the possession guy is, who the main targets are, and last, who is the deep threat guy. Our coaches take each receiver and watch every catch they make, the one’s they miss, and what they do when the ball is not thrown to them as well as how they perform on run downs. We check their splits from the end man on the line of scrimmage to determine if there is a tendency. Does your strategy for pass coverage change based on down and distance?

Collins - Somewhat yes, but no matter the down and distance we want to disrupt the timing of the re - ceiver. Our goal is to be aggressive, and get in the face of the receivers, press them up and make them go somewhere they don’t want to go. If it’s a situation such as third and long, we will back up and play the sticks. This gives us more freedom to react to the routes. We base everything out of a cover 2 look due to the types of teams we face week in and week out in our league (DIAGRAM 1).

Diagram 1: Cover 2 We will play cover 2 press also. We want the cornerback to control the #1 outside receiver and see the QB. We teach making the zone turn here. It looks like cover 2 man coverage, but it’s not. This allows our linebackers to play run first and pass second (DIAGRAM 2).

Diagram 2: Cover 2 Press Homolka - Our strategy is based on our breakdowns of run vs. pass of the team we are facing. Most teams on first down are around 60% run and 40% pass. Our goal for first down is to keep them away from second and five or less. We want second and seven or worse. Our second down goal is to keep them above third and five. We feel this plays into our strength as a defense and puts pressure on the offense to come up with a play to beat us.

Harmon - We do change what coverage we are in based on down and distance. This is HUGE to us. If it’s a run down, we like to get into man coverage and work some of our run pressures from the defensive line. This allows us to be much more physical at the corner position. Often in passing downs we are in a Tampa 2 defense giving us a zone look (DIAGRAM 3). Our philosophy is that we will give up seven or eight yards on third down if you need 10.

Diagram 3: Tampa 2 Coverage What should your linebackers and defensive backs look for in pass coverage that may help for a potential interception? Wimberly - For linebackers, we always talk about the split of the receivers from the end man on the line of scrimmage. They must know the routes and where the wide receivers are lined up. We educate our play - ers on what they are going to see. Defensive back anticipation is very similar to the linebackers.

Often the back seven players are in the same meetings and we do a lot of things together at practice to prepare for passing plays. Willis - For linebackers, we look in our film sessions where the QB’s eyes go to. Often they won’t look anyone off. That is a positive for us. We teach them to keep their eyes on a swivel and to get depth. For defensive backs, we have them “thud” up in the skelly period. Thud is where the defense tackles the of - fensive player but does not take them to the ground.

We also have them play the ball at all times. This has allowed us to keep up our aggressiveness. Harmon - When we are in man coverage with our linebackers, we teach them to close the distance to the receiver’s hip. Our goal is to shut down the inside cut or break and if they go outside, we want them to trail the hip and work to get in the passing lane. If we are in zone coverage, we focus on our drops. We DO NOT backpedal but want to pop our hips at a 45degree angle and get depth to our zone.

We also talk about getting to our landmarks. Our linebackers are taught to break on the hand leaving the ball. With regard to defensive backs in man coverage, we again want to talk about their hips. I want our corners to control the receiver by getting to his hips and being physical. If he looks back for the ball, our defensive backs look back for the ball. We want our guys to keep inside leverage and force everything outside to the sideline using it as another defender.

If we are in zone coverage, I want our corners to read run or pass first. From there we want them to keep their heads on a swivel as they drop. What are the critical points for your defensive backs in covering a wide receiver? Homolka - I’m an old linebacker so I was always taught to be aggressive to the point that we were at times over-aggressive. Over the years, certain players have taught me that we don’t have to play that way. Patience can go a long way in gaining success out on the edge.

Our defensive backs are taught to punch the bottom of the ribs. This keeps their eyes on the hips of the receiver and puts them in the best position to read and cover. We let our DBs read the receiver and let them make a decision on the best way to cover the offensive player. Collins - We preach patience. It’s not easy because we also want to be aggressive. From a technical standpoint, we are interested in their stances being balanced and in control of their bodies.

I talk a lot about having control over their feet and eyes. From there, we teach reacting and knowing, not thinking. We want to take the thought process out of it because we feel that slows the defense down. Harmon - Stance, stance, stance. It’s so simple, yet so important. If your stance starts to break down, then everything after it will suffer. The next thing that is critical is your alignment. If we have poor leverage, we are opening ourselves up to everything they want to do to us.

Finally, your eyes must be where they are supposed to be. What are situations where your corner plays press coverage? What are the factors that make press coverage effective?

Willis - We like to mix it up. I don’t want to show our hand if we don’t have to. We will show something pre-snap and then, on the snap, go to man or zone. Where we are on the field is a big indicator also. This allows us in situations to bring pressure up front and allows our corners to get physical. When we get into the red zone the offense becomes as constricted as the defense. But we see this as strength for the defense. We can play off man as opposed to press coverage (DIAGRAM 4).

Diagram 4: Off Man Coverage Collins - We want to take the outside receiver out of the game in the sense that we want him to be a non-factor. The corner can rally up to the flat once the safety comes over the top of the #1 receiver. In do - ing so, he will do what is called bracket coverage. This allows the corner to cover the outside, the safety to cover over the top, and our linebacker to cover the inside (DIAGRAM 5).

Diagram 5: Bracketing the Outside Receiver - Bracketing the Outside Receiver - the corner takes away the receiver’s outside and the OLB takes away any inside cutting routes while the safety plays over the top taking away the deep ball. Homolka - We look at everything as down and distance as well as personnel groupings. These are great keys to factor in when considering a run or pass. When talking about down and distance, there are many quarterbacks that come out on first down and throw a 3-step quick passing game.

This is a situation where we will press them. If we get in a long distance down, then we will back off a bit. What types of risks do you let your defensive backfield take? Wimberly - I like to let them have freedom, but to do that they must buy into what we want to do overall defensively. We allow them to show anything as long as you they know what they need to do when the ball is snapped. Our players have to understand the game.

We want to let them have ownership of the game and have fun with the overall process of preparing each week. Harmon - I don’t like to paralyze them with absolute MUSTS and RULES. If they see something and can make a play, go and do it. We must trust that they will get in the right position. With younger corners, it’s hard because you don’t trust them as much and they have to earn that trust. Homolka - In our defense, we do a boundary/ field setup.

Here we take our best tackler (safe - ty) and corner and put them to the field to stop the peak and the bubble plays. On the flip side, we want our best cover corner to the boundary side. We like to think of our players as very cog - nitive players in that they go into a game know - ing where the opponent lines up vs. different formations and personnel groupings. This also goes for down and distance. This takes a lot of the risks away from our players. Do you have a favorite interception drill?

Willis - We don’t necessarily have a favorite team interception drill, but we do have two drills that simulate the ball being thrown and we have to work to get into the right position. The first is one of my favorite drills and it teaches the defender to come from behind and play the ball, not the receiver. As always, there is a ball in - volved and the defender must make the inter - ception in order to complete the drill successful - ly (DIAGRAM 6A).

Diagram 6A: Take Over Drill - Take Over Drill - the defender trails behind the offensive player. At different points, the coach throws the ball. The defender tries to make a play on the ball and go for the intercep - tion. The next drill we do is called a Trail Drill. This drill finds the defender on the hip of the offensive player in a man situation. The coach throws the ball up at different points in the route and the defender must read the offensive player and turn and make a play on the ball (DIAGRAM 6B).

Diagram 6B: Trail Drill - The defender again trails the offensive player. He is focused on staying on the WR’s hip and reading the hip and eyes. The ball is thrown and the defender must adjust based on the WR’s eyes and then turn and make a play on the ball. Wimberly - We are all about having fun and doing drills that emphasize the football. By that I mean we want to change the monotony of practice with drills that allow the players to play free and loose while working on fundamentals of the pass defense.

We are a big circuit team and all of our circuits involve the football. These are done every day so that our skills remain consistent. Harmon - In our defense, literally every person has the opportunity to drop and get an interception - even the defensive linemen. We incorporate this into our daily MUSTS. We are a big circuit team, not only with turnovers and tackling circuits but also with different pass themes. One station may be defending the fade and another may be in a man situation for out routes/out and ups.

Collins - We don’t necessarily have a favorite interception drill but we do a ton of work within our own individual drills. I talk to my guys about three things with regard to the ball. First, see the route and catch the ball. If they can do that, then we are fundamentally sound in our game. Second, to be great you have to have great ball skills. Here I want my players touching the ball as often as possible. I want us around it all the time.

Finally, I tell them that they will catch more balls in a given practice than the wide receivers do. And this is why in each drill we do there is a ball and catch element to it.

A complete day-by-day listing of priorities for getting ready for your next opponent. 44 Pages - PDF Download Written by Head Coach Joe Susan, the package includes: Proper ways to have an efficient meeting structure. Day by day game plan progressions to get ready for Friday night or Saturday afternoon. Detailed practice organization, Sunday-Friday. Critical content of your opponent’s film evaluation. Defensive front and coverage evaluation.

Pressure the defense may show as well as a breakdown of situational defens - es. Installing formations in the run game. Installing formations in the passing game. Prepare handouts for entire offense. What to emphasize with each daily practice. Prioritizing red zone offense and formulating situational game plans in priority order. Review of four minute concepts and the two minute offense.

Preparations for game day - everything that needs to be done as a staff, with the team, and a complete detailed review of the game plan. Essential elements to consider. BUCKNELL’s WEEKLY GAME PLAN PROGRESSION

42 by: Henry C. “Hank” Schrader, Jr. I have spent most of my adult life learning and practicing the art of leadership. I feel lucky to have at - tended the most famous leadership school in the world—West Point. This base coupled with a 20-year career as a military officer and coaching high school sports in Wisconsin, Washington and Texas has allowed me to develop some leadership principles that helped me achieve winning a state champion - ship in football.

I hope by sharing some ideas with you, it may help you achieve your goals. 11 Concepts to Make You a Better Leader Concept # 1. Great leaders make a difference . Leadership really does make a difference, especially in coaching a winning team. The primary responsibility of a head coach is to motivate all the mem - bers of the team to achieve the goals of the team. A great leader uses every opportunity to reinforce the team’s identity, purpose and mission. They paint the picture and set the environment for success.

They are relentless pursuing the team’s goals. They also create a winning atmosphere of enthusiasm, positive attitude, desire, love and a bit of healthy fear. Great leaders set the standards and then de - mand compliance to them. As they set the standards, they pick standards they are willing and able to enforce. Throughout history, great leaders have made a difference. Why do some teams win, while others lose? Often, it is the leaders who make the difference! Concept #2. Great leaders are not lucky.

Successful coaches are not “lucky”, they are prepared. It is not the right schedule, the great players, the right atmosphere—it is preparation. Here are six ideas Leadership Article Leadership Lessons for Leadership Lessons for the Winning Coach the Winning Coach

43 to improve your luck. 1. Luck comes to the prepared mind. 2. Luck comes to hard-working people. 3. Luck comes to those who have alternatives ready. 4. Luck comes to those who can clearly state what they are pursuing. 5. Luck comes to the person who goes after a dream. 6. Luck comes to the person who treats others with grace, dignity, courtesy and kindness. Want to be a better coach? I suggest you work on your luck skills. Concept #3. Great leaders care.

If you do not say to yourself every day “How can I do this better”, your program will not be as good as it can be. You care if you develop everyone to their fullest poten - tial, not just the best players or assistant coaches who you like. You can still care yet be demanding. There is a fine line between firmness and harshness, between firm leadership and bullying, and be - tween discipline and pettiness—great coaches know the difference and practice it every day. Concept #4.

Great leaders have developed superb leader-subordinate relationships. Want to have a great team? Then I suggest you use these tips. 1. Establish clear expectations with demanding but achievable standards. To accomplish this, teach your players how to meet those expectations, provide feedback on the performance and hold them responsible to perform without compromise. Let me give you two examples. 1. During one of the playoff games of my state championship year, a team was chewing us up in the air.

We were losing at halftime for the first time of the season. I told my players at halftime we would win because one of the players will make a big play for a turnover. All will perform as you had been taught. Then I told them if you do not, we will lose. They had to perform—no compromise. In the third quarter, we forced an interception when the opposing QB threw into a disguised double coverage. The final score was 42-24. They performed without compromise. 2. Demand mutual respect.

All must trust each person on the team. At a clinic I attended I heard a Division I coach express this as the 90-10 formula. Great teams spend 90% of their time chasing their goals and 10% on internal issues. Average teams split at 50-50. Poor teams spend 90% on internal issues and only 10% chasing their goals. Great coaches must take players where they can not take themselves. Concept #5. Great leaders are great teachers. Great coaches teach their players: 1. To accept re - sponsibility. 2.

To prepare physically and mentally for the game. 3. To gain and maintain proficiency for their position in the ultimate team sport. 4. To inspire confidence and eagerness to be part of the team. Great coaches know that it is not what they know about the game of football but what their players know and can execute on the field. Want to be a great coach? Then I suggest you need three items for success. First, establish a system you believe in without hesitation.

Second, ensure that you can teach your system so that players can execute every facet without any confusion. Third, you must sell your system to your players so that they believe just as you believe. Concept #6. Great leaders set clear expectations. All coaches and players must have a clear role of their job. This requires that every player and coach knows exactly what is expected of him and that his role is vital to the team’s success. Each player has to be prepared both physically and mentally.

A great coach creates an organization that all understand their role and are committed to accomplishing their specific job but are able to do so in an environment where creativity and the ability to adapt are not stifled. It is a tough balancing act but great coaches make it happen.

Concept #7. Great leaders have the vision to see, the ability to analyze, the integrity to chose and the courage to execute. They are resolute in where they are heading and how they plan to get there. They do not panic when the going gets tough. Many coaches fail in the way they react to pressure. Many coaches lose their nerve late in the game. Great coaches must act effectively and decisively in the most stressful situations. Concept #8. Great leaders inspire others to achieve more than they thought possible.

This requires superb people skills. Coaches deal with four types of players. They are: 1) Unwilling and Unable, 2) Willing but Unable, 3) Unwilling but Able and 4) Willing and Able. You need to get rid of players who are unwilling and unable. Despite a leaders best efforts this player will never be effective. Willing and able players just need reps and the opportunity to succeed—they are your team leaders. Willing but unable players need training so they can develop.

Unwilling but able players need an attitude adjustment to succeed. They also may have to go if they will not change their ways. Great coaches and leaders change the one nega - tive aspect into a positive aspect to get more out of their players. By concentrating on these players, you will have success. The more players a leader can transform, the greater success the team will have. Concept #9. Great leaders have many similar traits. All have commitment to doing what ought to be done.

All have a presence—they are extremely effective at influencing others to accomplish tasks. All emphasize teamwork. All are decisive. Almost all are great planners or organizers or surround themselves with key subordinates who can accomplish these tasks. Most great leaders are good delegators—they fully use the talents of all members of their organization. All great coaches are great leaders. Concept #10. Great leaders instill values and traits into their subordinates to make them successful.

Here are 11 characteristics of a good athlete that you might want to instill in your athletes. They are: 1. Coachability—a willingness to accept teaching. 2. Responsibility—assume your share when things go wrong. 3. Leadership—stand your ground, don’t be intimated. 4. Drive—setting goals and liking competi - tion. 5. Determination—hard work. 6. Self-confidence—belief in your talents and ability. 7. Mental tough - ness—being able to bounce back from defeat. 8.

Emotional control—turning your emotions into produc - tive play. 9. Assertiveness—make things happen; don’t let it happen to you. 10. Conscientiousness—self discipline for the playing season and dealing with the off-season. 11. Trust—faith in your coaches and teammates. A good example of how leaders can instill values in their players is the story of the Bellevue HS 2001

45 team goals. The players met before the start of the season and developed goals—without coach input during the meeting. They were told to build their season goals based on what they had been taught by the coaches.

Here is what the team came up with BHS Team Goals (2001) WIN STATE Win Kingco (district) 13-0 Discipline Respect Composure Team Unity Pride Off field Team Coaches Huddle Field Team First 63 (Tribute to fallen coach) MOTTO FTP (FOLLOW THE PYRIMAID) The players only used the initials all year—FTP—they were not supposed to tell anyone outside the team until the end of the season. The lesson was simple—without the base they couldn’t get to the top. Great stuff for young men--they achieved all of their goals.

Concept # 11. Great Leaders are leaders by example . Adherence to high standards of personal conduct by their leaders will earn the trust of subordinates. My favorite way of saying this is to “do what is right when no one is looking”. Setting the example always works to positively to motivate others to succeed. A great leader not only is willing to undertake any task he wants his followers to accomplish, he often excels at those tasks.

Deeds not words, a willingness to share hardships can inspire others to great achievement. So how can you become a better leader and use these eleven concepts to become a better coach? No one can change overnight or should try to change all aspects of their personal leadership style. You can however try and use these concepts where they apply to your program or coaching situation. Leadership is an art and a science. It is all about influencing others to achieve the mission.

There are many different styles from the fiery, charismatic leader to the quiet careful planner. Some are aloof even cold, others friendly and more open. Yet it all comes back to getting the job accomplished. The better the leader, the better the organization, and the easier it is to get the job done right.

Great leaders and great coaches embody mental toughness, have a commitment to an enduring set of values, know how to develop talent potential in their organization, give individual consideration to their subordinates and know how to teach others to focus. Take some time to reflect on these ideas and thoughts. Then use any or all to improve your leadership skills and your team.

Trickeration: The Art Trickeration: The Art of Deceiving a Defense. of Deceiving a Defense. When And How To Use When And How To Use Trick Play Trick Play by: David Srinivasan It was January 1, 2007 and the Boise State Broncos were reeling. Oklahoma’s 25 unanswered points gave the Sooners a 35-28 lead. The Broncos found themselves at 4th-and-18. Their season would end in 18 seconds. That’s when head coach Chris Petersen and OC Bryan Harsin reached into their gadget bag.

Broncos QB Jared Zabransky hit Drisan James for 15 yards, shy of the first down. But as five defenders bore down on James, he lateraled to Jerard Rabb, catching Oklahoma flat-footed. Rabb ran 35 yards for a touchdown. Boise State’s “Hook-and-Lateral,” sent the game into overtime (See Diagram 1).

Oklahoma scored on its first OT possession, a 25-yard run by Adrian Peterson. The Broncos got the ball, but their drive stalled. It was 4th-and-2 on the Sooners’ 5. Zabransky went in motion to his left. Backup receiver Vinny Perretta took the snap. Perretta rolled right and tucked the ball as if he was running for the end zone. Then he pulled up and passed to tight end Derek Schouman for six points. It was time for a final dice roll. Zabransky looked to his three receivers lined up on the right.

He strongly sold the pass. Running back Ian Johnson appeared to be nonchalantly standing around. Then Johnson trotted past Zabransky and grabbed the ball. Schouman and Ryan Clady provided superb run blocking, and Johnson headed left into the end zone, uncontested. A perfect Statue of Liberty play (See Diagram 2). Three plays, 14 points, and Boise State ended their season with a 13-0 record. What the Broncos pulled off was anything but lucky.

In an interview with the Washing - ton Post, Harsin said the Broncos practice their trick plays weekly – with specific opponents in mind. Boise State’s trick-play game-plan - ing factors in clock management, field position, down and distance, and the hash marks. All this prepa - ration is with a specific purpose: “In a game, you feel like you want to be safe, but for us, (trick) plays are conventional,” Harsin told the Post.

“An inside-zone play, a statue play – they’re just regular plays to (us).” Should every team have their own arsenal of trick plays? When is the best time to use them? How can they best be defended? Hal Mumme believes a team’s gadget repertoire should be inspired by its regular playbook. Mumme’s reputation as an offensive innovator began when he was a high school coach in Texas.

After stints at Iowa Wesleyan, Valdosta State, Kentucky (where the ‘Air Raid Offense’ got its name), Southeastern Louisiana, and New Mexico State, Mumme is now the head coach at McMurry University (TX) where his teams are still renowned for their fearsome passing game. “You gotta have a plan to attack people,” said Mumme. “You do the same things the same way three-to-four games in a row, and then you change things up when it’s a game you must win.

You take what they know about you from the last 3-4 games and then tweak your offense to counterpunch.” Bob Stitt built his reputation coaching at Doane College, Austin College (TX) and Harvard before becoming head coach at Colorado School of Mines. Stitt likes to build tricks using variations of his offense’s favorite plays. “There’s two times you should use (tricks),” Stitt said. “I think you should use them earlier rather than later in the game. Or maybe after a turnover to get a big play.

When we get a fumble or an interception, I like to go for a big play right after that.” Stitt is not a big fan of delayed gratification. “Too many people wait until later in the game,” he said. “I think there are times that are better than others to call a gadget play. I like to script them early in the game. The defense is usually fired up and little more aggressive than later in the game. I also like to call a gadget once we have crossed the 50-yard line.

A successful gadget play will more than likely result in a touch - down with this field position. If the play backfires and doesn’t work, resulting in a possible turnover, you really haven’t put the defense in a bad situation as far as field position goes.”

Why should you you use trick plays early? “If you’re behind, gadgets don’t really work,” Stitt said. “When you’re behind, the defense doesn’t have to take chances. Zone defenses aren’t going to bite on things, they’re going to make you earn it. You need to call them when the defense absolutely isn’t going to ex - pect something. It might be fourth-and-an-inch, and we might call a gadget because teams won’t expect it. I’m a little crazy, and that’s kind of our style of doing things.

You just never know what we’re going to do. People don’t know that with us. We might throw deep.” Mumme feels it’s best to keep certain players out of the loop when a gadget is about to be run. “The best trick plays are ones where the whole offense doesn’t know what’s coming,” Mumme said.

“If the O-line thinks you’re running a stretch play to the right, and you’re really running a reverse to your wide receiver running to the left, rather than teach the whole offense that it’s a reverse, you’re better off letting your O-line think it’s a stretch. That way you’re not giving the reverse away to the safety. Brett Favre’s been doing it in the NFL for years. He throws a quick slant even though a run is called. It is just between him and the wide receiver.

It’s hard for the defense to recognize it because everyone on the O-line is blocking their ass off on the run.” One of Stitt’s favorite gadget plays involves the tunnel screen. “We run a lot of tunnel screens – so we run a reverse off of it called the ‘Tunnel Flip,’ said Stitt. “We throw the screen to the single receiver (X) in a 3-by-1 formation. The running back that is offset weak in the backfield is used to blocking the most dangerous defender to the screen side.

On the tunnel screen, the RB will cross the line of scrimmage and pick off the defender. On the flip, the ball is delivered quicker to X to show the tunnel screen to the defense and X pitches the ball to the running back. Our tunnel screen is designed to be run inside the tackle box like a middle screen. Aggressive defenses will pursue to the tackle box as soon as they identify that we are running the tunnel screen and that makes the ‘Tunnel Flip’ a great complement to our tunnel screen.” (See Diagram 3).

Stitt uses a variation of the bubble screen to complement his running game. “When we throw the bubble screen, our coaches in the press box are watching how aggressive the defense is in defending the bubble,” said Stitt.

“If they are aggressively covering down with both defenders to stop the bubble, then we will call a play action pass where we full-arm fake the bubble and throw deep to the outside receiver that is used as a blocker on a bubble screen.” (See Diagram 4) Another wrinkle Stitt likes to run is from the shotgun set. “We’ll offset a running back, and simulate a zone read run play,” Stitt said. “The quarterback will bootleg and throw back to the running back.

We’ll use that in plus 10 or goal line situations when we expect to see man coverage. As soon as the de - fense sees the bootleg, they will tend to forget about the running back.” (See Diagram 5)

Mumme also identifies two other plays he thinks are super tricks. “The shuttle pass that June Jones runs at SMU is a great trick play,” said Mumme. “It’s been done so much that it’s become kind of old hat, but when we study it on film, it’s one of the more incredible things that people do. The other one along the same line is run at Texas Tech. It’s a running back screen that the coaches devised to look exactly like one of their best pass plays. They got some incredible mileage out of that play.

What the coaches did was change what the WRs did on the shallow play. They had one of the guys come underneath and block one of the defenders out of the play. And then they created a screen off that. We call it ‘shallows’ and will call it 6-to-12 times a game. You run that play, run that play, run that play, and then throw the ball to your best RB.

Tech got incredible mileage out of that play.” One thing coaches looking to add more trickery to their game plans must remember: tricks are not for the faint-hearted, and they’re not something you should pin your hopes on. Texas Head Coach Mack Brown wants to add more tricks, but he isn’t rewriting his playbook. “Now don’t get me wrong,” said Brown. “I’m not suggesting we replace our base offense with trick plays. I’d like to be able to look at using two or three a game.

I want to have more fun in our offense and I think the players and fans really enjoy seeing trick plays.”