Coach ,

I love the quote from Al Pacino in Any Given Sunday, 

“The inches we need are everywhere around us. They're in every break of the game, eve`ry minute, every second.”

Today let's to dive into and define where some of those inches are and how you win them.  We will focus on situations on offense, defense, and special teams.

Backed up - win the drill

Long-time offensive coordinator Jeff Mullen worked on the details of every aspect of the offense. He has a philosophy and strategy to win every situation, and he teaches and practices it so it becomes ingrained in his players.

Coach Mullen points out that offense is not points. It’s field position. The key to winning in this area is to get one first down and flip the field getting the ball punted across the 50.

The first objective is to get the ball far enough out for a 3 step punt. After that, it is about picking up a first down and flipping the field.

He believes that you need a series of play calls to make up your identity. He developed a philosophy in which his team is focused on “winning the drill.”

How do they do it?

1. Going under center even if they are a shotgun team because it allows them to QB sneak from inside the 1-yard line.  

1. Create Long edges.  The easiest way is to do it with 12 personnel. Of course, you may not have 12 personnel, but you can move guys around or motion them in to create and protect that edge.

1. No gap schemes only true inside cut back to dent the defense.

1. RPO only that are hitches and speed outs. No bubbles or smokes

Understanding what you need to do and developing a plan around your offense will allow your players a better chance of succeeding and driving the ball out of your own end zone.

Watch Coach Mullen explain his exact approach and plays he likes when they are coming out of their own end zone (click on image for video):

End of Game - Can’t Go Down

I see too many games on a play where one team is trying to score for the tie or the win that ends with a player being tackled with the ball.

The team gets in rugby mode, which we will go into detail on next. Ithaca Head Coach Dan Swanstrom explains and illustrates exactly what that means here (click on image for video):

Let’s go into more detail about what it means to be in rugby mode.

Last play - End zone is out-of-range of the QB’s Arm

As Coach Swanstrom explained, the biggest mistake made is that oftentimes a player gets tackled with the ball to end the game. This is 100% avoidable and though it may not always end up with your guy having the ball it ensures an opportunity to keep the last play alive.

I’ve said this often, but no one to my knowledge has taken me up on it. For the out-of-range play to work, you need to implement rugby techniques and strategies.

It starts with carrying the football. The traditional 5 points of pressure need to go out the door. You will want to teach all 11 players the way to carry and pass the ball when you get into rugby mode.

It is explained by a rugby coach here (click on image for video):

Next, consider who is on the field. If you can start your play with a quick pass that doesn’t require much protection, then maybe you get more dynamic personnel on the field. Please note that five of those players must have jersey numbers 50-79.

If you have rugby players on your team, this may be a time when you want to get as many of the 11 as possible to be rugby players.

Next, you will want to install some general rules as to spacing and alignment. Because most teams with the ball don’t have a plan of attack to move the ball forward, their series of laterals end up moving the ball backward instead of progressing toward the end zone.

This is distinctly different from what you would see on a rugby pitch. So familiarize yourself with some rugby strategies to better teach this situation,

Defense - let them score/free lunch

One thing I have seen a couple of times this season is a defense trying to let the offense score but the ball carrier being wise to it and trying to get down.  The adjustment that defenses have made is to not only let them score but to actually aid them in getting into the end zone and being sure they do not go down and kill the clock. Coach Swanstrom explains the strategy:

Special Teams - Straddle Return

This is a simple rule that you can teach your players. I’d also spend time teaching them the footwork and positioning to ensure you draw the flag and get the extra yards. Here is a video explaining how it is done:

The resource behind some of these strategies are from Dan Swanstrom’s clinic talk “Teaching Situation Awareness in All Phases.” It is the perfect teaching tool for you to cover these with your players because he provides video as well as explanations and coaching points.

The inches are truly all around us.  It’s our job as coaches to identify them, teach them to our players, and have a plan to win them.

Always be growing!

Coach Grabowski