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.

Just days away...

I am very excited to announce that I am partnering with Coaches Edge Technologies to create a series of iBooks that will give more depth to the system I have put together. The product will resemble the great work of Keith Grabowsky, where video, animated presentations, and voice overs are combined to give the coach greater understanding.

For many coaches, there is no "OFF SEASON"  -- conditioning and strength programs are in full swing, and many programs will implement QB School before team-wide football activities will take place.  Along those lines, I thought I would list a few bullet points:

Feeding a great player - having a specialized section in the game plan is nothing new; one thing I feel is important is that these methods should blend with the regular flow of the offense.   In other words, re structuring an entire system just to feature a single player is not the most efficient way to teach for the program's sake.  Obviously, if one were lucky enough to have a once-in-a-lifetime talent, one would want to take advantage of that.  However, a player can be GREAT for your level without being an NFL prospect.  Below, a simple variation to free up a great run after the catch RB is shown with  a complete pattern that is a staple of the offense.

Taking the same example of passing game match-ups with the back, we can augment the backside of STICK, taking advantage of W on an island:

Formationing to create stress on the defense - this is potentially the least expensive way to maximize your offensive attack.  Two things that need to be addressed are:

- The method for calling plays.  If the method for play calling calls for players to know their place in the formation relative to the ball (ex. inside, middle, outside), and there is NOT a descriptive way to call them, this can create chaos.  If the plan to take advantage of a great player is to move him around within the formation, the coach must consider the learning burden not only to the star player, but to the players that will be displaced as a result. The ability to move people within a given formation with minimal learning burden is yet another example of the benefits of our terminology structure.  

The above example isn't the only way to skin a cat; a client approached me this year of incorporating A.C.T.S.  into their passing game.  We were able to do so without changing ANY existing terminology for them.  Whether using word or numbers -- how the core pieces of the passing game are taught remain the same, and kids are able to execute a multi-dimensional attack.

- Creating new terminology to build new formations.  I have always felt that streamlining the terms used can be of a great benefit.  We have a terrific system of calling formations, that minimizes the memorization required at the same time.  Keith Grabowsky has also shared some great ideas here.  For now, here are the very simple alignment rules we use:

The chart above carries across all personnel groupings, and really cuts down the verbiage used in calling formations, allowing for more description in other parts of the call, and allowing for the next bullet point...

The use of TEMPO - much has been said on this topic, but I feel the need to clarify a few things.  We're all aware of the flashy, video game number-producing, throw it all over the park offense that gets all the media attention.  But the reality is that upper level college football is pretty much the only place  where teams can play full throttle the entire game and NOT hurt the rest of the team. Either that, or a program like the one I see every Friday night  (Allen High School has an enrollment of 6,000+).  Even Chip Kelly adjusted last season as his numbers dictated that he do so. That being said, I think analysts often miss the purest advantages of being up tempo from a coach's perspective:

 - Accelerated player development.  Being "up tempo" means devoting a practice philosophy to it (or at least - it should).  Working at a faster pace in practice means developing younger players at a faster pace, as backups would get as many repetitions as the starter.  In a high school setting, the ability to give the backup QB as many reps as the starter will pay dividends in both the immediate and long term future.

- Allows for balance.  Contrary to popular belief, I really am a proponent of balance.  Even more important - I think an offense has to be able to dictate to the defense.  The box count theory of running the ball is great, but the thing I have noticed is this: there is NO answer when you can run the ball right at a defense.  The one problem with running it 30-40 times a game?  It shortens the game too much, and can potentially let a team that is inferior STAY IN THE GAME.  Being up tempo and wide open does not have to be synonymous with soft; below, we see that of the top 25 offenses in Division 1 last year, only 2 huddled on a regular basis.  Furthermore, only 3 averaged less than 150 yards rushing per game.  The ability to speed up and slow down the game  help strike the critical balance between attacking mismatches and physically deconstructing a defense.

- Allows for "Navigation Tags."  Being able to guide the QB with specialized instruction is made possible when tempo is used as a weapon.  I wrote a post about these tags here.

- Shifting and Motion.  Having played in a college offense that shifted and moved on every snap, I saw very early on in my career the potential for stressing a defense.  If there was ever an opportunity to take advantage of shifting and motioning, a no huddle offense that varied its pace could take advantage.  

Being multiple, in addition to having the capacity to being up tempo, is invaluable in terms of creating stressors for the defense.  In business terms, these methods can be thought of as the "delivery" side of the offense.  Just as important is the production aspect -- the overall design. 

Prioritizing your passing game - not only is this pass offense built on its "bedrock" concepts, but it is based on universal individual routes as well.  By teaching the primary components of the passing game to all position groups, there is an enormous amount of flexibility.  One such route is a DRAG, with the drill illustration below:

With every skill group able to execute these fundamental building blocks, we are able to use the DRAG in an array of presentations, giving the defense different problems to consider: 

Practicing what you preach - too often, we get away from developing a kid's strength, instead focusing on his weaknesses.  At most levels of football, coaches cannot afford to do this. The best coaches I've known have maximized the potential of their players.  For example, much is made of the pass-catching TE at the NFL level;  while a kid may not be a Jimmy Graham, he could be and effective possession receiver, or even a solid seam threat vs. 3 deep.  It becomes incumbent on the coach to dial up these match-ups, not as a means of appeasing the player, but as a means of accountability to the program -- the coach must be committed to what is best for the team.  Sadly, I often see coaches who are not willing to be unselfish,  yet ask players to do the very same.

Taking this a step further, from a team perspective, it is imperative to commit to the development of players.  Development involves strategic planning on all levels of program and player development.  My last two posts, here and here, address these processes.

There is no doubt -- stability is the key to long term success; it is for this reason that a "system" needs to have all the answers, with as few "add-ons" as possible.  The ability to adjust, while minimizing learning burden, can only be achieved with a methodical, well-planned apparatus for teaching.

Coach Grabowsky, Offensive Coordinator at Baldwin-Wallace and author of the great new  book (calling it a book does it no justice) "101 Pro Style Pistol Offense Plays,"  was kind enough to post a review of my second book.   We have corresponded over the past few months, and shared a lot of great ideas.  

Here is a link to his review: 

http://coachgrabowski.wordpress.com/2013/03/31/book-review-recoded-and-reloaded-by-dan-gonzalez/

Here is a link to his "book:"

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/101+-pro-style-pistol-offense/id611588645?mt=11