Coach ,

Do you want to win 10 games?

Head coach of the Carolina Panthers Matt Rhule studied analytics on Red Zone scoring at the college level while he was at Baylor. What he found is that teams with a Red zone touchdown percent of 70% won at least 10 games. 

Scoring in the red zone became a key factor in what his team does offensively, and it’s part of how they game plan and practice.

Here are Rhule's offensive goals that apply:

1. Score 70% touchdowns
2. No field goals kicked until the fourth quarter

Rhule shares that with his players and emphasizes that no team will beat them by kicking field goals.

Main objective - Run it in!

Rhule believes there is a psychological effect of scoring with the running game that starts to wear an opponent out. Here are the goals he expands into the game plan objectives in how they want to score:

1. Run the ball in
2. On Defense do not let the ball get run in

Red Zone Strategy

Knowing that passing must be part of the game plan, Rhule utilizes details in their approach. To do this, they break the red zone up into 3 areas:

• High Red Zone 25-13
• Low Red Zone 12-5
• Goal Line 4-G

He noted that the top of the high red zone is where you feel comfortable in attempting a field goal and making it. The low red zone is where they start attacking (the divider). In game planning he recommends searching for the divider..at what point does the defense change from their normal coverage?

Here are Rhule’s Objectives for each area:

High red (25-13)

• Points in hand
• No sacks-no penalties
• Touchdown to checkdown
• Use of RPO=checkdown (RUN) touchdown (2nd level RPO/vertical RPO)
• Puncture the defense or
• Throw underneath for catch and run

Low Red (12-5)

• Run the football=run the qb
• Inside the divider - recognize and attack bracket, gl7, uno mas
• Extend the play - red zone scramble
• Create High low
• Create leverage
• Create 1 on1

Goal Line

• Each play gains 1 yard (1st and G from the 4)

It’s about details

Rhule shares the importance of understanding what they need to do and what ball should be thrown in the end zone:

End zone passing

• Balls at the goal line should be low and away (shortstop)
• Balls on the backline must be high and away (no tuck)
• Practice it and demand it
• Plan for bracket, GL 7, Uno Mas (one more than you can block)

A Plan is worthless without deliberate practice. Rhule believes that practicing red zone daily has several benefits for the offense.

• Quickens decision making for QB (space shrunk) windows are tight
• Improves ball skills - every ball gets contested because of the space limitations
• Winner loser - when a play ends in a TD it gets more competitive
• Saves legs - less of a toll on bodies

RZ Practice periods

• Red zone 1 on 1 18 to down inside the 5
• Red zone 7 on 7
• Run PAP period
• Team

Probably one of the most important points Rhule makes is that you have to have rules for and practice Red Zone scramble.

• 1st guy in flat to front pylon (back of endzone then to front ball low and away)
• 2 work to back pylon
• Run the backline
• Run the goal line

This results in a spread of the field. Rhule study shows where the balls are most often thrown on the goal line in a scramble (shown by the red stars).

These coaching points shared only scratch the surface, Rhule illustrates his plan with video in his clinic “Winning in the Red Zone” 

Here is a short video from the clinic:

Learn from Coach Rhule as he teaches his plan and shows how it works with game video in “Winning in the Red Zone.” 

Always be growing!

Coach Grabowski