Another question on playcalling.

[utchuckd]

Didn't want to hijack the other thread so I'll ask it here. How do you game plan your play calling with different series of plays? Say you have the base play, a second play, a counter, and play action off of a given backfield action, how do you fit those into given down/distance categories on your playsheet? Seems to me that running plays in a series gets the defense to react to the intial look of the play and then hit them with something else off that look, and during the game knowing when to call the next play/counter/pap would be more by watching how the defense is reacting vs. saying we're gonna run these plays from this series in these down/distance situation. Does that make sense?

[blb]

Short answer, absolutely. I think Down and Distance planning is overrated - you attack scheme and do what you do best within that. You know what your best running plays, passes off those are, and "must pass" plays are from your preparation, hopefully. And, obviously, coach like fury and adjust during the game.

Do HS guys really have THAT many formations, motions/shifts, personnel "packages", run and pass plays that you can refer to an 11x14, two-sided, laminated "game plan" to call the right one and find all that by D&D AND field position within 25 seconds? I can't.

A good friend of mine says it all comes down to matchups, anyway.

[groundchuck]

Here is an example of something I might do. I script my first 5-7 plays for each game.

1. Power I R Valpo R
2. Wing R Belly 1 L
3. Power I L or R Valpo L or R (depending on defensive personnel and HM)
4. Power I L or R Crossbuck (fake belly 1)
5. Power I Belly 2

So in our first 5 plays which, should be the 1st five of our opening drive, we have attacked
-C gap with power
-A gap
-C gap with the same play which either (A) allows us to start establishing that play or (B) we can find out better why it is not working
-Misdirection (A/B Gap) off the belly 1 fake
-C gap again with a different play in the same series as the belly 1 and crossbuck.

Now you could run and establish Belly 2 first which we often do. It depends what we did last game. If to open the game we ran a bunch of belly 2 then came back with crossbuck the following week we might switch that up. Or if we know they fast flow on the belly series we will game plan more crossbuck early to force them to slow down. But now we can start to see how they are playing our base plays and if they take something away what do they give us in return.

Now fitting those in D and D wise if we get into 3rd and long I am more likely to just run the next play and punt it if we don't get the 1st down. Or we might run the trap or belly option. Honestly belly option has been a better long yardage play for us than passing it on 3rd and long. So I might jump off the script in that case.

After I finish those 5-7 plays I just start running what has been working until they stop it. Then I run what they gave me in return.

We'll call our belly dump pass when the OLB ignores the TE. WE go belly 2 when they ignore the TB on the belly 1. We call crossbuck when they fast flow to the FB on belly 1. Belly option when the ends are really crashing hard and/or the OLB/invert is ignoring the outside threat of the series and tackling the FB.

I hope this makes even a little sense. I kind of started rambling.

[groundchuck]

My plays are written on a manilla file folder for the game. We typically use 8 formations, and I have 9 runs. I attack scheme, and personnel.

The other big thing I think is HS football is if I have a play that you cannot stop then I am going to keep running it until you stop it. In a playoff game last year we ran veer and FB trap to the tune of 300 yards. The other team could not stop those plays so we kept running them.

[coachnorm]

I'm a big believer in finding a play that works and running it until they stop it. Not jsut once or twice, but stop it consistently. Usually in doing so they open up another play in the same series.

[blb]

Just tossing this out for guys to mull over as far as play calling (keep in mind, if it makes a difference, we are a Houston Veer team):

To keep the defense spread out, off balance, break tendencies so they can't sit on what we really want to do (unless there are good reasons not to), at least once in the first half I want to:

1) Pass on first down
2) Run double option (pitch-keep instead of just triple hoping to get dive)
3) Throw deep (Post, Streak)
4) Run away from "strong" side
5) Put formation into side line
6) Run into side line

Obviously to do these things without wasting a play we must be intelligent in our play-calling, from game planning to communicating during the game.

Some games these things are not necessary or available. But also sometimes we hit on something good we hadn't anticipated, or something above makes the defense change and just opens up our base offense like nobody's business.

[blb]

I believe it was tog's favorite coach, Hayden Fry, who said: "Scratch where it itches."

He also said at a clinic I attended, his philosophy of passing was "Throw the ball to the one that's open." In other words, look at this guy first; If he's open, give it to him...If he's not, look at this guy second, etc.

Pretty good coaching in my opinion.

[groundchuck]

There are not that many 3rd downs where I elect to throw it. In normal game situations that is...end of the half or game not withstanding. I would prefer to throw it on 1st down or 2nd and short. Scheme wise are pretty similar to blb and do alot of the same things with our offense even though we are not splitback veer.

[knighter]

In our system we are more inclined to find a play that will work due to the fact that you do not have the ability to defend it (in other words we look for a "fat kid with a knee brace" and exploit him).

Fat Kid with a knee brace is just what we call that player- could be a DT that likes to get upfield, or a DT that does not show the ability to get off a double team, or a LB that moves to the direction of initial flow or chases motion etc.

We begin running that play, and if successful we continue to run it until you show an ability to defend it. (which for most HS's we see means they are not playing fundamentally sound) and than we hit the counter to that play or another play to take advantage of poor fundamentals. We feel that we can constantly keep your kids in conflict this way which maximizes our chances of success.

We also work to make your edge defender/contain player guessing (we make it a mission to make him wrong every time he tries to "guess". We hit him with kickout after kickout from several different blockers, and when he begins to come and meet the block we reach him and get outside with a sweep. By the 4th series we usually own poor DE/OLB's who are constantly trying to guess.

Also we try to take advantage of people who try to run stuff down from the backside by running several different "looks" of a backside screen pass or draw play.

I like the analogy that we play chess, we are constantly attacking BUT our hope is that you never know exactly where the attack is going to come from. (that is unless you can't stop a certain play, in which case you will see a steady diet of that play until you finally decide you want to defend it).

We truly take what you are willing to give us.