Some ideas to stimulate your thinking regarding your offensive philosophy. The list is not submitted in hopes that you adopt it, but rather in the hope that you can find a few ideas that you can use and a few ideas that help you to clarify your thinking and flush out your philosophy more completely.
Offense Most Aggressive with a Tight End in the Game
When running any offense with two running backs, two wide receivers, and a Tight End in the game is what makes the offense more flexible and puts it at its toughest position to defend. Whether from under center, from the gun, and Pistol your offense is flexible enough to provide that, and more.
By adding a Tight End to your offense you now allow your outside running game to get stronger. A Tight End allows you the ability to wall and seal scraping backers trying to run the perimeter thus, giving you more offense.
General Expectations When Developing Your Offense
The following list will be used to gain insight into the how, what and why of the offensive system.
1. Attack the defense with multiple formations, motion, and option game from Under Center, Gun, and Pistol to predict coverage and defensive alignments and no huddle fast past approach to challenging and limiting the number of schemes they can throw at us.. The ability to move in and out of the Under Center, Gun and Pistol and hurry-up no huddle creates additional stress on a defense. How does the defense react and or adjust to the looks they are given?
2. How does the defense align on 1st and 10? Find defensive tendencies.
3. What does the defense like to run on 3rd and long situations (Blitz, Nickel Package, etc.) Control coverage by using formations, motion and option game.
4. Execute the offense and let your players make plays. Work to put your players in position to make plays, this will happen when players know their assignments; i.e., players make plays when they know what to do!
5. Establish the option game in ALL packages. Run plays according to what the defense gives you whether you are in the Gun, Pistol or Under the Center.
6. Prepare to run plays based upon our opponents top 3 defenses (game plan).
7. Must understand the effect that the turnover margin means in a game. Impact must be understood by coaches and players, must always talk in terms of eliminating the mental mistakes (turnovers).
8. Offense is about production, which is the result of execution, which leads to points.
9. All players want to be good; they must understand their role as a player on or off the field.
10. Players want a coach that believes in them. Every player must understand that he is important to the overall success of the team win or lose.
11. Coaches and players must appreciate everyone’s role on the team. A team is only as good as the last player, so, how good will that player be. Must sell this point to coaches and players.
12. The coach and/ or player with the least role best measures morale on a team.
13. Must be able to expect 150% effort from your players try and get to their potential.
14. Expect problems on a team, they will occur, don’t get discouraged.
15. Players are mirrors of their coaches (must communicate and listen).
16. You get what you emphasize.
17. Coaching is teaching so have a lesson plan developed.
18. Teaching takes care of all excuses for failure. Only coach what you can correct. Only teach and coach what applies to the offensive scheme.
19. Demand certain attitudes, coach attitude. Must have skills; to be the best, must act like the best. Never be denied.
20. Coach fundamentals, coach skills, coach consistency. Be good at what we do.
21. Prioritize the importance to the scheme.
22. Coaches must be willing to change; don’t push square pegs in round holes.
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.