Keen: Januari 2013

Selasa, 29 Januari 2013

Future of Football

I attended an interesting debate regarding the (legal) future of football at Tulane the other night. I find the changing landscape of the sport an interesting study that attempts to balance perception, neuroscience, liability, performance improvement and [game] fundamentals. This discussion attempted to focus on using "what we know now" about the physical impact of football participation with the financial recourse of the NFL (and more importantly the 32 franchises that assume legal risk) and how this will shape the game in the coming decade.

DISCLAIMER: For what it's worth, I really don't have any preconceived notions on the issue. I find the NFL's legal finagling (and analyst reviews of hits) unrealistic, though I do understand the position they are coming from. What interests me most is understanding the physical toll of the game, particularly in areas we have been ignorant up till now. I think we all would like to ensure the safety and well-being of players. I don't see this impacting how the game is taught; an emphasis on proper fundamentals (separation/extension in line play - striking with the chest in tackling) has to be grounded in everyone involved. This does not make the game less violent or aggressive. However, this issue is certainly bigger than collisions and contact. Examination of these trends cannot be addressed with singular solutions, thus requiring us all to get the full picture and keep an inquisitive open mind. It's also important to delineate our emotional response to providing safety to the game; blowing out a knee is worlds different than bruising your brain.

The event was moderated by Tulane Law professor, Gabe Feldman, with panelists Andrew Brandt (ESPN), Mike Pesca (NPR) and George Atallah (NFL) and delved into a very academic discussion of where the game's current momentum is leading it. Steve Gleason and Scott Fujita also joined in the dialogue.

Yes, it is NFL-centric though the trickle-down impact and dilemmas are brought up late in the discussion. Also, the "bounty" issue is belabored a little too long at the opening remarks. That being said, this was an extremely worthwhile and mature discussion without the typical rhetoric.

Short rundown of discussion points:

Bounty Issue
Safety of the playing game vs ethics of watching the game
Role of the player union in ensuring a safe work place
Safety vs the momentum of revenue
No one solution to CTE issue; exploring how to reduce it
NFLPA's role in championing safety and influencing the NCAA
Role of a football player's in society
Safety rules are lopsided against defensive players
Dilemma of PED testing in the NFL

For audio only - listen/download here > "Future of Football @ Tulane Hillel"

For video - please visit Robert Morris' work at the Uptown Messenger

"Regarding the evolution of the NFL, I believe the greatest asset the NFL has is the talent. The game will not, in my opinion, change because of viewers or governance. The evolution of the game will come from the talent pool. The safety measures, despite comments like Pollard's have primarily come from the talent pool (the players).

I do not feel the viewers will ever stop watching because they are put off by violence. More likely, the talent pool will diminish because a six year old kid says he wants to be like Junior Seau when he grows up. Now that kid and his parents do not want to grow up like Junior. As a result, the talent pool has diminished, and thus, the game slowly becomes less relevant. Obama, with his hypothetical comment, in his own way, diminished the hypothetical talent pool, which again, is the greatest asset the NFL has."
-Steve Gleason

UPDATE: Another timely piece that is worth reviewing

Tampa 2 Install

TAMPA 2 (MIKE AS MIDDLE RUN THROUGH)

Used mostly for 3rd down pass as 2 deep five underzone coverage, CBs are rolled up on WR, safeties are half field coverage. MLB is middle run thru

Change OLB drops to cover short underneath hole.

Strengths

Very good vs quick passing attack
Neutralizes dangerous receiving threats
Solid vs perimeter runs

Weaknesses

Downhill running game
Vertical holes along the sideline and down the middle of the field.

Corner not necessarily defending the flat – is defending the sideline and breaking back with the reroute.

Vs slot: linebackers adjust – SLB walks out, MLB becomes bubble weak / WLB stacked.

SLB – strong curl

WLB – weak hook

CB – pro align squat 1x5 outside normal split WR / slot: align 2LOS squared stance

SS – align to the closed call PRO: 2x12 off the core SLOT: C9

FS – PRO 2x2 off the core SLOT align 2x12 inside #2

Corners

Move to square stance 5 yards deep, with I/S foot to O/S foot of WRResponsible to get a jam and reroute on #1

Vs pass, work laterally in the direction of the receiver’s release. Do not crossover
Vs outside release – keep square and shuffle laterally (don’t crossover) outside and force WR flat. Force him as wide as possible. Post outside arm and zone turn inside. Be sure to carry him with vision on the QB to shrink the void between you and the safety.
Outside release and vertical = Post-flip-crossover run to 12 yard area….long stride, short shuffle
Vs inside release – shuffle laterally inside for 3 steps. If WR continues inside, do not chase, he has rerouted himself (to backer/safety). After 3 steps, hinge (with vision inside) at 45 degree angle working to get width and depth. Corner must run with wheel routes. Be alert for “opposite color” as you squeeze and hinge. (know how many threats you have, do you have a fast threat outside #1? Have to protect the sideline). Vs bunch, no reroute…hinge at the snap because of fast threat by #2 or #3.
Vs china – hing to sideline to get width and depth to get under the corner route by #2. When #1 sits at 5, the natural response should be to sink to the corner route ( can always brake on the hinge)

Safety Rules

Align 2x12 off the EOL . Work to depth of 14 by the time the ball is snapped - Key QB to #1

If #1 shows run by blocking the corner, come up and support the alley
If #1 shows pass, work to aiming point and play the deep half with vision on QB. Aiming point is half way between the college numbers and hash.
Outside Release by #1 – SA works to his aiming point. IF QB is looking to your side, SA may have to widen, if QB is looking away, squeeze to the innermost half of your zone.
Outside release by #1 – SA squares up and works straight back with vision on QB,. If QB is looking away squeeze to the innermost half of your zone.
If #1 eliminates himself by running a shallow crossing route. SA can squeeze to outside should of #2.

Sam & Will Rules

1. Dropback progression for hook, curl, & seam players

a. Read thru 3 step

b. Take peek at #1

c. Backpedal weave with urgency in drop

d. Setup on QB

e. Cheat to #3 if QB is looking away. Never cheat further than the ball

2. OLBs must always be in position to play #2

MLB Rules

1. Dropback progression for middle run through

2. Read thru 3 step

3. No 3 step, open to field or passing strength

4. When MLB opens, he must skate and look for double vertical threats

5. If #1 and #2 are vertical continue on middle run thru with vision on QB

6. If no double vertical threat, get eyes back on QB

7. If QB is looking your side, square up

8. If QB is looking top opposite side, flip back and look for double vertical

Senin, 21 Januari 2013

2013 AFCA Clinic - Sonny Dykes (CAL)

Sonny Dykes

Head Coach – Cal

2013 AFCA Clinic, Dykes’ shares his learned wisdom.

WHAT IT’S ABOUT

Started out at Navarro Community College. Lined the field, did the laundry, etc. Worked with Hal Mumme and Mike Leach at Texas Tech

#1 thing you can do as a teacher/coach is learn to prioritize. What are you good at? This may change from week to week and year to year, so learn to adjust based on personnel.

“Details matter, but the big picture matters more.”

Sometimes we as coaches can’t see the forest for the trees. You as a head coach have to be in a state of constant evaluation.

Surround yourself with good people. People you trust and are committed to the program’s success. “I hired guys to coach, and then I became the team coach. I hung around the locker room and picked the guys brains to get a feel for the team.”

“If you can recruit good football players who totally bought in, it’s gonna be better than a great player who’s only kinda bought in.”

The #1 thing I evaluate coaches on is how they communicate with their players.

Good character is more important than good knowledge when hiring a staff.

Morale is critical. What kind of working environment does the HC create? How do the assistants interact with each other? Everybody who has anything to do with the program must be bought in. This includes managers, trainers, video guys, academic people, EVERYONE. The players must be hearing the same message from everyone in the program, and everyone who comes in contact with them in any way.

“Don’t let it become all business.” Enjoy the experience, don’t always make it a grind. We as coaches enjoy being around young people. You’re trying to help kids and they’re allowing you to do what you’ve always wanted to do.

Have fun whenever you can. Lighten the mood once in a while.

Execution is more important than scheme.

If you can execute a small number of plays on offense and a few base defenses , you’ll be a pretty good football team. It doesn't matter what you know, it matters what your players know.

Be as simple as possible, the simpler you are, the faster your players will play.

Empower your players whenever possible. Force responsibility on them, it forces them to grow up.

PRACTICE

Practice is the most important part of how successful your program is gonna be. They never practice more than 2 hours, and that’s at the beginning of the season. The time spent on the practice field starts to decrease once the season progresses. By the end of the season, practice is often around an hour and ten minutes (and those are the long days). The normal practice time is about forty minutes near the end of the season. INJURIES HAPPEN WHEN KIDS GET TIRED.

Be as physical in practiceas possible. They do not bring people to the ground. This is part of the reason why they do not practice very long, it allows them to use the time they do spend on the field practicing physicality.

You must design drills that emphasize important skills. This depends on what you are doing on offense/ defense, etc. Don’t waste time drilling a skill that your players will never use in the scheme that you run. (If you’re strictly a zone team, don’t practice a power pull with your OL)

NEVER let bad effort slide. Address it and get him off the field. Shorter practices allow you to emphasize going 100% on all reps. Twenty reps going 100% are better than 80 reps going 25%.

“Rep it until you get it right, or throw it out.”

The players have to have confidence in the play during a game. How will they believe in the play if you never executed it in practice? A lot of times they have thrown out things in the middle of the week, even concepts that they may have ran plenty of times already earlier in the year, for whatever reason it isn’t working that week. They may end up coming back to it later on in the season, but will shelve it for that week.

“It took us until week six of year two to learn how to run and throw the slant properly, but once we figured it out, it was automatic from then on out.”

“You have to practice situations more than you think.”

PUT IT TOGETHER

Stats - You can measure data. The #1 thing is turnovers. They won 15 of their last 17 games, and won the turnover battle in all 15 wins. In the two losses, the lost the turnover battle once, and tied in the other game.

3rd down – Have to stop them and have to convert them. Once they get to about 3rd and 8 at the 50, they usually tend to treat it as two down territory. This allows them to call higher percentage plays that they couldn’t have called if they were automatically punting on 4th down. It makes your offense much more dangerous and unpredictable on 3rd down.

Red Zone – The difference between winning and losing games is the difference between TDs and FGs in the Red Zone.

Turnovers - Defense goes through a turnover circuit every day, starts practice that way. Offense does the same thing, they use offensive players to strip the ball, etc, to avoid getting too physical in these drills and getting your players beat up. Emphasized ball security with the QB, didn’t throw an INT until week 11. “Be smart on 3rd down. Punting is a good thing.”

At least half of practice emphasizes 3rd down, Red Zone, Goal line situations.

“Listen to your instincts, you’ve got a great sense of where your team is, trust what you see, and then address your issues.”

“The smartest guy in the room is the guy who’s always listening.”

Had some 2nd year leadership issues at La Tech. Started a ‘Leadership Council.’ (Read the book, Water the Bamboo. Talks about how bamboo doesn't grow hardly at all during the first two years after being planted, but you still have to put the work in, keep watering, keep taking care of the soil. Just like Saban says – “Respect the process”) The team started out 1-4, had some issues, but he kept reminding them to water the bamboo. It gave the players something to talk about and believe in. They ended up winning a conference championship.

Had some issues down the stretch this past season. 9-1 and two weeks away from going to a BCS Bowl, went 0-2 the next two games. “I could see there were issues, and I could’ve done something about them, but It’s pretty hard to change what you’re doing when you’re 9-1.” They had internal issues between the offense and the defense, top-ranked offense and 120th ranked defense. There was a lot of resentment between both sides of the ball. They needed to learn how to handle success.

There are several ways to create deception on offense. One is to run the option, another way is to use shifting and motions to disguise your intentions, or you can line up and go fast. Lining up quickly allows you to hide certain things, like receiver splits, because the defense doesn’t have time to recognize it and make checks because you’re snapping the ball so fast.

Yards per play is a great statistic for self scouting, allows you to quantify efficiency.

La Tech offense doesn't use as wide of splits as Mike Leach, they like to run the power play, and slightly tighter splits allows for the double teams you need to run the power. They don’t have a base rule, but on average they use 1 ½ yard splits.

Notes courtesy of:

Alex Kirby

AKirby7@sycamores.indstate.edu

Video Coordinator
Indiana State Football

2013 AFCA Clinic - Graduate Assistants Career Forum

If you can appreciate the grind of football, I highly recommend following "GA Life" on Twitter (https://twitter.com/ThatGAlife).

Grad Assistants Career Forum

Carlos Alvarado - Texas Tech

Chris Thomsen - Texas Tech

David Brown II - Missouri S&T
Todd Barry - ULM

Maurice Linguist - Buffalo

“One of the roles of a leader is to create an environment that people want to be a part of.”

Q: How do you develop a relationship with a coaching mentor?

- Summer camps are huge, they allow people to see you in action. Everyday is a job interview. Head coaches take notes on who is in the bar all night and who is there to work.
- 2-3 legitimate relationships are better than 20 artificial relationships. Genuinely trying to get to know people instead of empty and shallow conversations.
- Ask yourself, what am I doing when I’ve got time off in the summer? Am I sitting around for a couple of weeks just hanging out, or am I trying to get better by visiting with coaches, asking questions, working camps, etc?

Q: What’s another way coaches can align themselves with coaches who can help them?

- Reach out to the people around you, not just to get a job.
- Working summer camps is a great way to learn how to coach and find your coaching voice without your head coach there to be critical of you. You can tell whether or not a guy is coming to work a camp to get better and help kids or just for the money.

Q: How do you get selected to work summer camps?

- Just reach out to different coaches (Be mindful of NCAA rules depending on what level you’re at). Try to observe the differences between camps, and the differences in coaching styles that you see. Expose yourself to a lot of different styles and viewpoints and find what works for you.
- Start your own offensive, defensive, and special teams playbook and head coaches manual right now.
- February is the best time to contact coaches about summer camps, when preparations are just starting to be made for the summer.

Q: What is the most effective path to becoming a GA?

- It’s much easier to get a GA job at the school where you’re at. A good backup plan is to get your masters degree in teaching certification. Just in case you don’t get a college job you can go the HS route. Grad school can also help you improve your writing skills, because people do pay attention to the way you write.
- It doesn’t hurt to send your info to everyone. The best thing to do is to find that ONE guy who will champion you to other coaches. A head coach doesn’t have time to talk to all 15 of your references, but he does have time to talk to 1 guy.
- If you’re doing a great job where you’re at, the coaches will be inviting.
- “Surround yourself with people who love football and winning is important to.”
- “Communicate with everyone about your intentions.”
- “Get into a position where you’re able to work for almost no money.”

Q: What are some more characteristics of being a good GA?

- Work ethic and positivity are crucial. Negativity breeds negativity. Find a positive mentor you can call who can straighten you out and appreciate what you have.
- Have social intelligence. Observe how the staff interacts with one another and how they interact with the players. Handle your business, stay out of the way, and listen. Be able to absorb all the information you can.

Q: What should be a GA’s attitude toward working hours?

- “Non-existent”
- “You are what the kids do on the field. Put your name on it.”
- Your identity is how others view you. BE PROACTIVE. Humility with dignity. Be around people who care about you. No job is above another job.

Q: What are some characteristics you look for in a GA to possibly move to a position coach?

- How do you interact with the players? You’re not gonna hire a guy who can’t go in and control a room. How interested are you in the academic part of school? Do you really care about the player?
- Do I know that this guy will get the job done when I’m not looking over his shoulder? Can he bring something to the table?

Q: How do you know you are ready to be a full-time position coach moving up from a GA?

- Small school GAs get to coach, allows you to build confidence and develop your coaching style.
- Until you control your own room, there are things you won’t recognize while you’re a GA. If you’re fair to the players, they’ll allow you to make some mistakes. At the end of the day, you just have to jump in the deep end and start swimming.

Q: What is some good advice for preparing for an interview?

- “Know what you know, and if you don’t know it, let the coach know.”
- It’s easiest to talk about the stuff you do everyday. Have a teaching progression. Take the interview, don’t wait for them to ask you questions. Over-prepare.
- Be able to answer that you “don’t know, but this is how the special teams coach handled it.” Todd Barry will often put on drill tape of his own players and asks how the candidate would coach it.

- Have a coaching manual, drill tape, etc.
- Have a plan. Know what to teach and how to teach it. Schemes can be learned by anybody. Get away from schemes and teach fundamentals. Teaching progression is important, know what your plan is. Have confidence in what you’re doing. If you don’t know it, don’t open that can of worms. Who are the people I’m communicating with? What is the setup of the interview?
- Have a plan for the academic side. How will you motivate your guys to achieve academically?
- There is an art to drawing things on the board. Be prepared to draw up all kinds of schemes on the board. How are your circles?

Q: If a job is open, how do you position yourself to interview and get it?

- Send your resume to HR, and find the one guy who will go to the mat for you.

Q: How do you select guys for bringing into an interview?

- I don’t care what you know, you gotta be able to teach it.
- Be strategic in the jobs you go after. Realize that working in an ‘Air Raid’ offense probably makes you more marketable and upwardly mobile than working in a flexbone triple option attack. Obviously if you’re at a successful school, that jumps out as well.

Q: What kind of preparation do you do for interviews?

- Make sure you’re giving them your own information, don’t just repeat everything you’ve heard. Do you really know what you’re giving them? Can you teach it?

Q: What are the toughest questions in an interview?

- Why do you coach?
- Why do you want this job?
- Who has been influential in your life?
- What do you bring to the culture and the atmosphere? (Culture and atmosphere is the most important thing when hiring a staff)

Q: What should a young coach consider when selecting a job?

- “Do you want to manage your happiness or your career? Where do you see yourself? What are you looking for? Who are you?” - Todd Barry
- What are the priorities? Masters degree vs normal job.
- Lots of schools require a Masters Degree in order to become a head coach. If you have a chance to get your education paid for, you have to take it.

Q: What about balancing loyalty to the HC and your own ambition?

- Do what you said you were going to do when you were hired. Do a good job where you’re at. Are you a man of integrity? Be constantly grabbing information. Let people notice the good job you’re doing, and they will come to respect you and seek you out, rather than the other way around.
- “If you commit to something, how can there be the word ‘de-commit’? Have some integrity and do what you said you were going to do. If I ever hear of a guy taking a job somewhere and then taking another job somewhere else, I put his name in my ‘Do-Not-Hire’ file, and if he ever sends me a resume, I’ll know what kind of man he is.” - Todd Barry

Q: When is it OK to look for another job?

- End of the season until March 1st. “After that, if you go and interview for another job, you’d better get it, because you won’t have one here.” - Todd Barry

Q: Which is better, an FBS position coaching job, or a D-2 coordinator job?

- It depends on what the right fit is for you, what are you looking for?

Q: How does a young coach become a good recruiter?

- Get into the schools as much as possible. Your true work ethic shows on the road when no one is looking over your shoulder. Teaching and recruiting are the two things you do most in this job. Are you just hitting schools or are you really getting to know the high school guys?

Q: Hardest lesson you’ve learned about recruiting?

- The HC will know what kind of job you’ve done when he gets into the home, whether or not you’ve built a relationship with the kid.

Q: What separates a good recruiter from an average recruiter?

- Developing personal relationships, do you care about that player? Tell them: “At the end of the day, I want you to do what’s good for you.” Convey to that person that you’re generally interested in them. “You’ll be better off 4-5 years from now with us.”
- You have to take the recruit and guide them through the process, this is all new to them. Help the families understand what’s going on, a lot of times they get a lot of info and they don’t know how to separate it. When you’re a GA, recruiting should be at the forefront of your mind.
- Know what your team is looking for. Be realistic about the players you bring to the table. It’s not about getting a lot of numbers, it’s about evaluating talent, character, and football intelligence.
- If you don’t know about a position, defer to that position coach.

Q: How do you motivate players differently from a position coach to a HC to a GA?

- Be yourself, don’t try to be something you’re not. Be a good person, the players will know if you’re phony.

Q: Effective ways to develop players?

- Have your position group write down goals for the week, then have them exchange the goals with another player in the group. That player will be responsible for the others. A great way to create accountability, get them to buy-in to the plan. Do things with the intent to develop them as men.

Q: Effective ways to keep players in line?

- Most guys want discipline. You gotta remember that these are your guys. Find ways to infuse your identity onto your position group.
- “Men work hard for fear, but men work harder for interest.” Once they understand you care, you’ll have them.

- We are builders of men. Move from fear-based motivation, to taking ownership and being proactive.

Q: Philosophy of discipline?

- Ownership culture. If you have too many rules, there’s too many to keep track of. Develop a culture of positive peer pressure.

Q: How do you manage starting a family with starting your career?

- You have kids at home, and you have more at the locker room, the wife has to understand.
- Family planning is important. If you’ve got four kids and a wife at home, your job options are a lot more limited. Be aware of job opportunities and how they affect your families.
- GA at the FBS level or a position coach at D-2 school?
- Don’t think about levels. Just be a full-time coach. Don’t have a level as a goal.
- If your ultimate goal is to be a 1-A coach, you have to be a 1-A guy. The HC is gonna have to sell you to the AD. A lot of it depends on your scheme, if you know something someone else doesn’t.

Q: How important is it to get a GA job with your preferred major?

- More important to get around the right coaches and learn football. Are these some coaches that I can learn from? Is the classwork light enough to where you can do what you need for football?
- Do research on the school you want to work with. What programs, majors, etc?
- If you do get a GA job, take advantage of the free education: “Use the university, don’t let that university use you.”

CLOSING THOUGHTS

- Do the best you can. The strongest network you have is the guys you’re around every day.
- Enjoy the ride, this is a great profession.
- The impact you have is incredible, the longer you’re in this profession the more obvious it will be. Be more worried about who you are, not where you are.
- Perfect your craft. Be around the office, be a sponge, always be ready.

This post was a special contribution provided by:

Alex Kirby

AKirby7@sycamores.indstate.edu

Video Coordinator
Indiana State Football
more notes can be found on Coach Huey's - AFCA 2013 Notes

Senin, 14 Januari 2013

Chris Ash: Packaging Pressures Against The Spread

A rising defensive mind the past five years, Chris Ash is renowned for developing fundamentally sound players and being a passionate teacher. With the success of the zone read this season in the NFL, maybe the pros can take a clue from one of the better coordinators out there with this clinic. Ash reviews how fire zones and Tampa 2 coverage can stymie these quarterback-dependent offenses.

Minggu, 13 Januari 2013

Jay Rodgers: Packaging Your Spread Offense

Take a look at how to package your offense from Robert McFarland's Iowa State Cyclones of 2008, presented by receiver coach, Jay Rodgers. Be sure to take advantage of similar posts for more information:

Run / Pass compliments

Gun Run Game

Packaging Tempo

Keen