Coach ,
Every season, games are decided by the situations most teams only talk about.
A two-point play for the win. A defense needing to let the offense score. An offense needing to take a knee instead of crossing the goal line. A late-game decision where the "right" football answer feels completely backwards in the moment.
Those moments do not reward guesswork.
They reward preparation.
That is why late-game analytics, two-point strategy, and special situation practice deserve more attention than most staffs give them. It is not enough to have a two-point play on the call sheet. The real question is whether your team has practiced the exact situation, understands the decision, and can execute it when the game is on the line.
Coach Ash takes an historical approach to two-point analytics in his free course “The Analytics of Two-Point Conversions (You might be surprised!).” In this chapter, he discusses one of the most famous coaching decisions in history, Tom Osborne’s go-for-two decision for the National Championship against Miami in 1984.
Coach Ash goes through and explains the analytics behind two-point decisions from 20 games in recent seasons. You will be fascinated by the data for or against the decisions he analyzes in this course.
In regard to the two point play, they’re something that are usually on everyone’s call sheet. Are they really as well thought out and prepared as they should be? How much time is spent thinking about those and practicing the critical situation where the two point conversion is for the win?
After watching Coach Ash’s examples you will be convinced that maybe you need to give the two-point play more attention.
Who better to learn from than coaches who go for two every time they score. Kevin Kelley has won 6 state championships at Pulaski Academy with always going for two as a strategy. Tim Delaney does it out of necessity at South Park High School in Buffalo, New York because he never has a consistent kicker available.
Delaney begins his thinking with some key questions.
What is your best formation?
What coverage are you getting from the defense?
How can you get the ball to your best player?
Delaney prepares his team by having specific two-point play periods on multiple days throughout the week. They also “go for two” at the end of every offensive drive in practice.
Delaney’s two point play menu falls into these categories:
1. Sprint Passes
2. Throwback Passes
3. Option Routes
4. Pick Plays
5. Play-Action Passes
Here are two of Delaney’s two-point plays. The first is their sprint pass:
Option Route:
Study Delaney’s Course “Two Point Plays” Here
For Kevin Kelley it’s completely about the analytics. Technically speaking, Kelley will go for two on the first two touchdowns, and then after that they follow the numbers and analytics. For Kelley, his strategy is always around the numbers.
Kevin Kelley explains his philosophy on two-point plays and shares his throwback in this video:
Study Kevin Kelley’s Unstoppable Two-Point Plays Here
Late-game football is not just about having the right play.
It is about having the right plan before the moment arrives.
Whether it is a two-point call, a “let them score” situation, or the decision to stay out of the end zone, the best staffs have already talked it through, practiced it, and built the language their players need to execute it.
These clinics from Rob Ash, Tim Delaney, and Kevin Kelley give you a practical look at how coaches think through those moments and prepare their teams to win them.
They may help you steal a game when everyone else is still trying to figure out what the situation calls for.
Never get out-coached,
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P.S. Want to put the two-point decision to the test? Try this Two-Point Conversion Calculator with your staff. It’s a great way to start the conversation before the game is on the line, so your players can focus on executing the call.
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