Coach

We’re thrilled with the exciting news that Coach Phil Longo has been named the new head football coach at Sam Houston State University! 

Coach Longo’s innovative offensive mind and proven leadership have made a lasting impact throughout his career, including his earlier success at Sam Houston as offensive coordinator. 

Please join us in congratulating Coach Longo on this well-deserved opportunity to lead the Bearkat program to new heights!

Let’s take a look at the approach he has used as an offensive coordinator… 

Don’t Blink - Phil Longo’s Approach

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.

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 for his yteam’s has been as thin as he can make it.

It Starts with Pholosophy

During this time, his teams have achieved a 130-70 record (.650 winning percentage), captured six conference championships, and made seven postseason appearances, all while implementing his innovative and high-powered offensive schemes. This underscores his ability to deliver results at every level.

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:

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

Coach discusses how he evaluates instinctiveness in this episode

Practice and Communication

The simplicity and efficiency influence how the Bearkats 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!

Congratulations again to Coach Longo and best wishes for a successful 2025!

Always be growing!

Coach Grabowski  

P.S. Get the bundle of Coach Longo’s resources here (45% off)