For many, the NFL preseason is a chance to catch up on entire seasons of House of Cards on Netflix or NCIS on DVR.  But I actually look forward to it, as it is a chance to look at what coaches are teaching.  While the media may refer to what they see as "vanilla,"  I see this as a chance to gain valuable insight as to the base offense and defense being installed during training camp.  

One thing in particular I look at are different ways teams feature a given receiver.  While the old standard of simply putting your best guy at X (the wide receiver opposite the TE) is time tested, the ability of a defense to negate easy completions to the split end is simply a matter of choice.  Sure, there are other vulnerabilities, but most defenses would like for the offense to "take what they give em".  This is because it represents the lowest threat level to the defense, and thus not always what an offense should strive for.

Below, the X at the bottom of the picture clearly has a rolled corner, who is supported by a safety to his side.  If an offensive coach will allow a defense to simply take away his best receiver BY ALIGNMENT, that coach is showing a serious lack of accountability to his team.

In Dallas,  I'm interested to see how much Dez Bryant will line up at Z (the strongside receiver/ to the TE side) in 3 Receiver sets.  This is normally where Williams lines up, but I know Scott Linehan featured Megatron this way in Detroit.  By placing him to the tight end, away from 2 wide receivers, he will get some sort of soft corner. in many instances. 

Below, Calvin Johnson is "starred" while one can clearly see the strong safety rolling down on the tight end side.  Because of the presence of a tight end (and thus an extra gap for the defense to cover), most disguises are predictable.  Combined with 2 receivers away, which almost always results in a "3 over 2" look by the defense, the result are almost uncontested short completions to that player.  Further, even though the free safety is seen running back to the deep middle, note the distance he must travel in order to affect a throw to Z.  In other words - he will be on the dead run (and uncontrollable drop) just to get there, and almost worthless in making getting back to the side he came from. 

Dallas aligned Dez at Z for a handful of snaps early this preseason, which tells me they have a larger plan in this regard.

In New England -  the machine keeps on rolling.  What I love about watching the Patriot offense is how they simply attack defenses from the kickoff until the clock hits "00:00".   There are no "probing runs" called to test a defense; every play is an act of surgery.  Here, the Jets propensity for press man is met with a stacked alignment by the receivers to the offense's left, helping gain a free release into the pass defense.  

I'm eager to see how they incorporate recent acquisition Tim Wright.  With their use of personnel and formations, combined with tempo, 

As I tweeted earlier this month - one of the few coaches whose offense I will DVR in the preseason is Chip Kelly.  His is an offense truly based on synergy, where the whole equals more than the sum of its individual parts (yes, I am a Texas Grad). Kelly features players based on using simple concepts, and moving players around within those concepts.  

As an example, the highlighted player in green (Z) represents the spot Maclin has played (where Jackson played last year) this summer.  By moving people around Z, coverage can be standardized for him, and because of the constraints of the offense, relatively simple pitch and catch opportunities can result.

The nuts and bolts of his offense are twofold: 
- It's an offense based on a downhill running game
- The QB doesn't need to be the runner people think you need to be in the spread, but the defense must still account for it

This results in very standardized coverage techniques by the defense, even at the NFL level.  From there, the Eagles just play ball.  But what really sticks out to me is the culture of toughness the receivers play with.  Last week, Celek took some hard shots on a couple of great receptions, and Maclin came back from a scary moment to make some nice catches.   Toughness allows a coach to attack the with screens and crossing routes, and generate explosives while minimizing turnover risk.

Great player + Ball = Explosive plays.

There is no excuse for failing to give one's best player the chance to affect the outcome of a game.  I have written of (and illustrated with video) examples of how coaches should reciprocate the accountability they demand of players in my latest iBook, Coaching Concepts, Developing an Offensive System Part 1.   For high school coaches out there, these elements can be added THIS SEASON without changing your current system.  

That's what I think about when I watch one of the four elite NFL quarterbacks play.  Everyone has the WILL to win; significantly less have the will to PREPARE to win.  In particular, I have a special fondness in the way Tom Brady operates.  He spreads the ball around with surgical precision, even though (with an exception his elite tight end) he currently has a very ordinary receiving corps by NFL standards.  With an exception of a few years in the mid-2000s, this has been the case throughout his career.

The Patriots offense is a wonderful blend of personnel groupings, mismatches, and tempo.  They are always attacking a weakness in the defense, and Brady's mastery and preparation are wonderful to study.  Watching Brady - or any of the elite quarterbacks - always gave me the desire to replicate their methods.   I've always been in awe of watching the greats spray the ball around, and especially hitting different parts of the same pass pattern.  Though it is easy to replicate plays and concepts, it is decidedly more difficult to guide the quarterback's decision making.  UNTIL NOW...

Now, there is a communication system that allows you to guide your passer's decision making on an every down basis, and what we have done is published an iBook with video and presentations to support that teaching.  

Furthermore, the manual outlines a basis for game planning and aligning play installation and teaching to make the most of precious practice time.  But, even better than that, the highlighted material can be assimilated into your offense WITHOUT CHANGING YOUR CURRENT  SYSTEM.

That time of the year is upon us, where coaches are doing the teaching that will determine the fate of their respective seasons. As this teaching goes on, it is important to note that while we have the best laid plans beginning last offseason and through the spring and summer, we must always strive to improve - to be the very best we can for our teams.  This is why I teamed with Keith Grabowsky on this project. 

As the first of a four part series, the groundwork for developing your offensive system to account from the game's newest trends will be set.  Teaching points borrowed from my Quarterback Manual are shared with video and presentation formats that will allow you as the coach to give your players a competitive advantage.   

Great care was taken to share to share the access I have been granted, allowing insight to the NFL and college football's top offensive systems.  I know many coaches that have a thirst for knowledge to better the young men they coach, but not the requisite connections to gain special access.  Regardless of style of play, this resource can help you RIGHT NOW. 

Get it HERE.

After numerous technical challenges, I am happy to announce that my new ibook, Coaching Concepts: Developing an Offensive System is now available.  It was a long road, but it will be worth it.  The content is dynamic, with over an hour of video embedded.    Most of all, information such as "Navigation Tags" will help your offensive system RIGHT NOW, without changing the system you are installing.