PUNT FAKES
Contributed by Coach Jerry Campbell
When we hear the terms gimmicks, gadgets or tricks we have a tendency to either smile or shake our head in disgust. Regardless of your reaction, a well timed gadget play could propel your team to a win, with the downside of losing some field position if it is unsuccessful.
We believe that gadget plays are an important element to special teams play, especially fake punts. However, these plays must be based upon the basic fundamentals, not just the element of surprise.
The head coach makes all fake punt decisions. The Protector will be told by the sideline to make the call. The Protector will make the call based upon the fake. If the return teams continually shows a seven man front (either two defenders on the Gunners or two retumers), then we believe that there is an excellent opportunity to run a fake.
COACHING POINT: There are times when you want the Bomb Squad to take a delay penalty to provide more yards for the Punter and Gunners to work with. Do not forget to work with the Protector on this.
Purdue punt formation looks like shield punt.
About the Author of this post:
Jerry Campbell has over 30 years of high school and college coaching experience. He has experience as a head coach, offensive coordinator, and various position coaches. He has written numerous football coaching articles in various publications, is the author of over 30 books on coaching football, and has produced 12 coaching video series. Additionally, he is a nationally sought after speaker on the coaching clinic circuit.