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One thing you can count on with Phil Longo is that he will find a way to keep things simple and streamlined in his Don’t Blink Offense at North Carolina.

Don’t get it wrong. He loves offense. He loves great plays, and as he’s said on the Coach and Coordinator Podcast, his playbook at home “is as tall as him.” However, the Don’t Blink playbook at North Carolina is as thin as he can make it.

This approach has helped him bring success to every program he has been a part of. Over his last 13 seasons as an offensive coordinator, Longo has helped produce a 109-55 (.664) record, won six conference championships, and made six playoff appearances.

It starts with a philosophy.  As Coach Longo points out, it’s important to develop the culture and understanding to have a high-performing offense.

He puts the offense and the staff through the process every year. He will find a way to simplify things all the way down to as easy as possible as long as it doesn’t affect efficiency.

Simplicity & Efficiency

One thing that maybe is getting overemphasized in coaching is simplicity. Coach Longo believes in simplicity with one caveat.  He will constantly look to simplify to the point where he says, “If we get any simpler we won't be able to handle all the situations that we see defensively.”

In looking at the playbook, just because something is simple doesn’t mean it stays. He wants to know, “Is this play efficient enough to keep it in the offense?” For him, he can’t have something simple without being efficient.

He explains his philosophy here (Click on image for video):

Video: Introduction to the Approach

Here’s the outline of his philosophy. It’s three things:

Play Fast (speed is a premium)

Play instinctive (play without thinking) Coach discusses how he evaluates instinctiveness here.

Next Play Always (the past does not dictate the future)

Practice and Communication

The simplicity and efficiency influence how the Tarheels practice as well. Their morning practice schedule has served them well in keeping their players physically and mentally fresh.

In addition to the time which works to benefit the offense (and the program), but also a focus on communication in practice that is done in a way that makes their communication efficient in practice.  

The morning practice and headphones are explained here (Click on image for video):

Video: Practice

Finding Efficiency in Technique

Efficiency makes its way into technique as well. Here Coach Longo explains their drop and how this little change helps to open lanes. (Click on image for video):

Video: See the Field

A lot of coaches say they want to be simple, but oversimplification is a danger to an offense. Focusing on simplicity with an understanding of efficiency is the key and it’s something that Phil Longo has figured out.

Hopefully, these ideas allow you to see your own offense or defense in a different light so you can best put your players in a position to win!

Always be growing!

Coach Grabowski and the Coaches Clinic Community of Coaches Helping Coaches