Blog Archives
Refs Tend to Make Things Up
Yes, they do. They replace gaps in their understanding of rules with how they “feel” about things. It’s always best to educate them, politely of course, regarding the sidesaddle back. The sidesaddle can place his hands under center and is NOT required to receive the snap!
Rule 7, Section 2, Article 3
“Therefore, we run the ball…”
Back in the 1980s, many HS coaches sought an edge by adopting the pass-centric offensive system evolved by LaVell Edwards at BYU. His system was the pre-cursor to what Hal Mumme and Mike Leach evolved into the “Air Raid” that has been the football orthodoxy for the last 25 years. When the proper talent can be assembled (receivers, freakishly athletic OLs, and a QB) it can be an explosive force…
Without precisely the right talent, it is a shitshow.
The coaches at my high school were students of the game. They were well-prepared, knowledgeable, highly competent, motivated, and experienced. They were certain that BYU’s cutting-edge passing game was the answer to WHS’s lack of athletes. They were confident they could X-and-O the Warriors to gridiron success.
We went 0-10.
Our offense was a circus of long gains that were immediately nullified by sacks, holding penalties, incompletions, and interceptions. We could not sustain a drive, move the sticks, or flip the field. As a result, our defense was on the field, starting in our end, for 2/3 of every game.
0-10 coaches are almost always replaced. The new staff brought in a run-oriented, power/misdirection offense called the Wing T. They went 5-5 in 1988, then 10-0 in 1989.
Witnessing that turnaround had a profound impact on me.
When I started coaching, I knew I instinctively that running the ball would give my teams the best chance. I found and implemented John T. Reed’s single wing offense and my teams suddenly began to move the ball, sustain drives, and score. From there, I discovered the Double Wing through videos by Hugh Wyatt and Don Markham. They beguiled my mind and I immediately began melding their concepts into Reed’s single wing.
The last piece of evolution was the sidesaddle. After many fumbles while attempting to get a wedge snap to a sniffer back, I got frustrated and put the sniffer in the open QB stance. It immediately worked. The wedges were crisper and quicker and the kickout angles were significantly better. The sidesaddle single wing was born.
The league I coach in is isolated. It is very difficult to recruit kids from other areas. I have never been a strong recruiter, myself, and I do not really aspire to assemble an all star team. That process requires cutting players. I have never run a marginal player off and I do not even have the will to do it. I’ll leave that to the trophy-chasers. Instead, I want to see what I can do with the hand I’m dealt. You build relationships with these kids. Your heart bleeds for them. Your pride swells with them when they knock off a team vastly more talented. It’s a deeply satisfying experience for me to turn rec teams into contenders. If one must recruit an all star team to win a trophy, then so be it. I don’t begrudge them. But we have to find another way to success.
Therefore, we run the ball.
I’ve heard all the critiques of my offense a thousand times.
“That is not real football.”
“You have to pass!”
“That stupid/ugly/simplistic offense will never work in 4th grade.”
“It’ll never work in 5th grade.”
“It’ll never work in 6th grade.”
“It’ll never work in 7th grade.”
“It’ll never work in 8th grade.”
We run the same core plays in 8th grade that we ran in 2nd grade. Wedge. Power. Sweep. Counter.
Our 8th grade team gained 286.4 yards per game… our second best output ever.
This past year, despite a 4th place schedule, our rec team out-gained every opponent we played except 1. 4 of those opponents have significant numbers of out-of-area recruits on their roster. We have zero. We are a 100% rec team. We finished 5th out of 26 teams.
People can mock and sneer all they want, but there are no “style points” awarded in football. If you want a trophy, cut your weaker players loose and go get the dudes. But if you want to make a difference for a group of kids, give them a chance to succeed. Run the ball.
VIDEO:
https://www.hudl.com/video/2/689994/66ddee81203630716602987e
8 Man Variation
Caution: I’ve never applied this in the real world! I don’t know how the defenses will align so this is a pure guess.
Keep It Simple
A small number of plays executed well, will yield better results than a large number of plays executed adequately.
There Are Only 6 Route Concepts
I experienced the great benefit of being a high school assistant coach for two years on a team that ran the Mazzone version of the Air Raid offense. Although I was a defensive coach, I picked up on the core concepts by osmosis. It was reinforced upon me that passing is difficult, even in high school. There exists a predominant reliance upon the “get the ball to fast kid” strategy. That’s all good and fine, but that strategy is what I describe as “unicorn dependent.” As a coach, I just really don’t want to be reliant upon a contrast in talent in order for a play to work. So I dove in to passing concepts to see what makes route combinations work in the absence of a talent mismatch. After studying our high school playbook and watching dozens of hours of YouTubes, I’ve decided that there are really only 6 methods of getting receivers open. If I’ve missed any, please let me know and I will revise my analysis accordingly. As far as I can tell, the possible route concepts are as follows:
The Mismatch
Used against Man or Zone
As mentioned, this is where a faster, bigger, stronger kid can make his own space to catch a ball by simply running past, leaping over, or out-muscling a weaker defender. This is the dominant passing concept at the youth level. It is a perfectly valid tactic that every coach should exploit if available to him as it is the simplest to implement. Jump balls, go routes, and 50/50 balls are examples of mismatch. If no other route concept is employed, then the route concept is based upon Mismatch by default.
Obstruction
Used against Man
This concept seeks to create receiver space by obstructing the covering defenders (within the framework of the rules) to create open space for the receiver to catch and run. Mesh, rubs, and screens utilize this concept.
Conflict
Used against Zone
This concept seeks to force one defender to choose one of two possible receivers to cover (or forces two to cover three or three to cover four). The choice is presented simultaneously. If he chooses one, the another receiver will be open. Levels, drive, and four verticals, as well as scissors route combinations are examples of creating Conflict.
Spacing
Used against Man or Zone
This concept seeks to create space for one receiver with the route(s) run by another. It is similar to conflict but is sequential rather than simultaneous. The first route draws off the defender and the open space is then backfilled by another receiver. A clear-out, swing, wheel, checkdown, and shallow cross are forms of spacing.
Play Action
Used against Man or Zone
This concept is related to Spacing in that it attempts to draw a coverage player off his man or a coverage zone in order to support an illusory running play. Our “Y Corner” is a form of Play Action by design.
Receiver Choice
Used against Man
This concept gives an option to the RECEIVER who is reading the play of his defender. If the defender tries to take away A then the receiver exploits B. The run-and-shoot offense uses Choice routes extensively.
The 6 Route Concepts:
1. The Mismatch
2. Obstruction
3. Conflict
4. Spacing
5. Play Action
6. Receiver Choice
All route combinations attempt to leverage at least one of these six concepts. And they all must be executed within the context of time. The longer the design concept takes to develop, the greater the risk of play failure. The less athletic the offense (compared to the defense) the better the execution and timing that is required to be successful. This requires reps, reps, reps, reps, reps.
The concepts can be used in combination. Our Y Corner play utilizes both Play Action and Mismatch. Our Flood play leverages a Conflict concept against zone but we can tag it with an arrow route that adds a Spacing element. When designing pass plays, I think it’s important to build in a route concept other than The Mismatch in passing plays. If a mismatch exists, great! But the reliability and effectiveness of the play will be increased if it can be designed to incorporate another concept.
Y Corner/TE Fade (5th Grade/10u)
Our Y Corner play is a play action passing concept that releases the short side end on a corner route that is often uncovered by the defense over-reacting to Power in the opposite direction. Using a taller player with goods hands also creates a mismatch opportunity as most youth teams put smaller-fasters in at defensive backfield positions.
Play Action Passing Concept
Used against Man or Zone
This concept is related to Spacing in that it attempts to draw a coverage player off his man or a coverage zone in order to support an illusory running play. Our “Y Corner” is a form of Play Action by design.
Sidesaddle Single Wing Football 