Building A Defensive Call Sheet To Dominate

After being an offensive coordinator for 7 years and enjoying a lot of success, I switched over the the dark side and became a defensive coordinator. I was coaching at a program where we coached both side of the ball, so I was well-versed in the potential of our defensive players. We made the transition from a 3-4 defense to the Odd Stack. The biggest area we had to transition was on our preparation. 

As an offensive coordinator I had a very detailed call sheet. I decided to adapt this to defense. This article will give you a couple of ideas that will help you build your call sheet to dominate your opponents. Our call sheet helped us post 6 shutouts while giving up just 6.8 points per game. We made the deepest playoff run in school history. 

Our number one goal on defense was to get the ball back. That was the premise for everything we did. We could get the ball back one of four ways.

1. They score. This was the worst way to get the ball back.
2. We get a turnover on downs. This was good, but often meant they had driven into our territory and went for it on fourth down.
3. We could force a punt. This was good, as it usually meant we stopped them on their side of the 50.
4. We got a turnover. This was best as it meant we created momentum, and often would have great field position.

When we built our call we focused on a couple of areas first. We wanted to make sure we knew who their playmakers were, and when they went to them. One week we faced a team that had a great receiver they would go to every time it was 3rd and 4 or more. We knew we had to take him away. We scripted a couple of calls that were designed to take him away and disrupt timing. Below is an example of this column:

Depending how many playmakers our opponent has, we may use 2, 3, or 4 of these columns. Typically we are going to have 2 of these columns, because most teams have 2 playmakers. Some teams may have 3 or 4, but most teams have 1 or 2. Usually each of these guys are go to guys in specific situations. 

In addition to stopping playmakers, we needed to stop what our opponent did. It is important you enter the data into your video program. It only takes a few minutes to do a game, but having the data will give you what you need to build a championship call sheet. We wanted their run/pass percentages by personnel, formation, and down and distance. Once we know what they did, we can build a call sheet designed to stop them. 

The next column I built was our opponents personnel groups and run pass percentages, followed by the calls they made most often, and what we liked to call against this group. I used these typically on first and 2nd down situations. I had a coach telling me personnel, down and distance, and run/pass percentages. I would then make my call based on the call sheet. We were using concrete data to make calls. Below is an example of what this section of my call sheet looked like:

Most teams are very tendency oriented, and I wanted to know what their tendencies were from each formation and personnel grouping. I also wanted to be reminded of screen downs. We had calls built in to take away screens against teams that were screen heavy. I also wanted to know if there were certain personnel or formation keys that tipped us to what our opponent would do. The stars * are the calls they make most using our terminology. The numbers are the calls I like against these personnel groups. This way I am not trying to guess what to call. I am not smart enough to do that. 

The backside of my call sheet is designed with down and distance situations. We list each situation by hash, put our opponents run/pass percentages, and then list our favorite calls. Typically we will have 2 or 3 calls we list. Breaking this data down by hash helps us to be very targeted. Some teams will be 60% run on 3rd and short, but if they are on one hash that might be 80% run, and in the middle might be 40% run. This is important because it helps us make the best call in each situation. 

Here is an example of 2nd and short. You can see that our opponent tends to run more in the middle and right hash, but they are more balanced on the left hash. I can now make better calls based on the hash. 

Each section of our call sheet gave specific info that helped us to be able to take away what our opponent wanted to do and who they wanted to do it with. Using this data will help you make better play calls that are more disruptive to the offense. 

We called our call sheet an in-game info sheet because it contained a lot of necessary data that allowed me to call our defense quickly and efficiently. I had a communication coach relaying information to me based on this sheet. We felt like this helped us to put our kids in a position to be successful. A good defensive call can help your players to be able better do their job. We ended up with 6 shutouts and beat some teams we shouldn't have beaten. We were able to play very well on defense. Adding these columns might benefit you as you build your call sheet this season. 

There is much more to our call sheet, as we also had calls by field zone and down and distance. I also had a section called the Big 12, which consisted of the 12 things they do that makes up 90% of their offense. I talk more about that here. As far as generating the data, Hudl gives you some great reports. But if you want to take your data to another level, check out this post I wrote: http://coachvint.blogspot.com/2023/07/defense-game-planning-keys-to.html

Many coaches tell me they want to build a call sheet, but they don't know where to start. Many have asked about my call sheet, and I decided to put together a packet of every single document we have used to prepare on defense. This has everything we used, including our 2 sided color call sheet. You will be more prepared on defense and will be able to dominate your opponent! You can click here to learn more: Defensive Game Planning Resource You can order it now and download it instantly! For a limited time, it is one sale using the link above! It is completely editable and customizable. This resource is available for instant download! 

If you are looking to improve your preparation, take a minute to check out this resource packet.

Additional Resources for Coaches:

Last year I got hooked up with CoachTube, and put together three courses for offensive football coaches. I put together two courses on RPO's, and a course on Building An Elite System of Communication. All of these courses will help you to score more points!  https://coachtube.com/users/coachvint

Installing Post-Snap RPO's

Installing Pre-Snap RPO's To Get Your Skill Guys More Touches

Building An Elite System of Gameday Communication

All three of these courses are detailed, with everything you need to be more explosive and to score more points. 

The course on communication gives you a detailed approach to your gameday communication. I give you a system and a process to improve the quality of conversations, leading to improved play calling on game day. This course has received outstanding reviews from coaches at all level of football. A coach with multiple state titles told me this course helped them to be much more efficient and explosive this season. 

My two RPO courses take you through a systematic process of installing RPO's into your offensive system. RPO's put the defense in conflict, forcing them to defend all 53 yards of width and all 6 skill players every single play. I not only give you a system, but I teach you the methods to develop your own RPO concepts. 

https://coachtube.com/users/coachvint

A few years back I published a couple of iBooks that can help your program with X's and O's. The first is on Installing RPO's into any offense. Here is a link to the iBooks version: http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1078061959. The ibooks version includes explanations, diagrams, and video clips embedded!

If you don't have an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, you can order the Amazon version for the Kindle. It has everything except the embedded video. You can order it here: http://www.amazon.com/Installing-Explosive-Concepts-Into-Offense-ebook/dp/B01B12YSCG/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

I also wrote a book on Tempo. It will greatly help you build a multiple tempo system with simple communication that will allow your kids to play with confidence. It also had over an hour of video clips! You can order the ibooks version here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1075902270.

Order the Amazon Kindle version here:

http://www.amazon.com/Using-Multiple-Tempos-Create-Explosive-ebook/dp/B01ATOL46A/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

 

10 Keys to A Great Highlight Film

If you are a prospect wanting to play college sports, you need to put effort and intentionality into building your highlight film. There are thousands of talented athletes who should be getting recruited, but they sabotaged themselves with a lazily thrown together highlight film. These 10 Keys will help you to put together a highlight film that will give you a better chance of being recruited. 

Before I get to the 10 Keys, it is important you know why you are making a highlight film. Your highlight film is often the first introduction coaches will get to you. There are tens of thousands of prospects putting their highlight films together. What are you doing that will set you apart from the others? Coaches click the link to watch your film, and they will watch as long as they have a reason to keep watching. They will stop watching the minute you give them a reason to stop watching. 

When coaches put your film on, do you give them a reason to keep watching? Read these 10 Keys and then go through and fix your film. If you aren't intentional with your film, you are going to hurt your chances of getting a chance to earn a scholarship.

10 Keys To A Great Highlight Film

1. Only put highlights on your highlight film

Too many guys put average plays on their highlight film. Your highlight film is called a highlight film because it has only highlights. You being on the field does not make it a highlight. If you aren't sure if it is a highlight, then you need to ask your coach to look at it. If you aren't sure, it probably isn't a highlight. Too many players put average plays on film because they worry about their film being too short. Your highlight film does not need to be longer than 3 minutes. If you only have one minute of highlights, don't add average on film to try to make it longer. 

2. Put your most explosive plays first

This is a huge mistake I see many players make. They hide their best plays in the middle of the film. Your BEST plays come first. Your most explosive plays should come first. If you had a 99 yard touchdown run, that play should be the first play on your film. Give the coach watching your film a reason to keep watching. I want to add that your highlight film does not need to be in chronological order. This is a huge mistake I see prospects make. Put your most explosive plays first. 

3. Show them where you are before the ball is snapped

This is another mistake I see made far too often. Put a circle around yourself or insert an arrow pointing to you before the ball is snapped. If they have to guess who you are they won't find you. 

4. Don't put music on your film

They are going to turn the volume down most likely. But if a coach is watching your film in an airport or anywhere in public, they don't want loud music blaring. Music doesn't help your recruiting. The wrong song can hurt your recruitment. 

4 Keys To Getting An Athletic Scholarship

For most of my coaching career I have been heavily involved in recruiting. I have been a high school recruiting coordinator for over 17 years, helping our athletes to get recruited. I also coached at the college level, where I evaluated and recruited student athletes. Over the years I have directed camps and showcases, and hosted recruiting seminars for parents, prospects, and coaches. 

Recruiting is ever-changing. It never stays the same. But one thing remains unchanged. It is competitive. There will be over $3.6 Billion in athletic scholarships given by NCAA schools this year, and another $500 million or so given by NAIA schools and junior colleges. Only 2% of high school athletes will earn any sort of scholarship. Most scholarships are going to be partial, but regardless of the amount, can help make college more affordable. 

How do you get recruited? How do you become one of those 2%. What does it take for you to earn an athletic scholarship? There are four things that parents and prospects must know when it comes to scholarships. 

1. You have to be talented

    

    If you do not have talent, you most likely will not be recruited. This is important to understand. Coaches need to have a reason to recruit you before they will do so. What do you do that no one else can do? If you don't separate yourself, your recruiting will be limited. Before you can earn an athletic scholarship, you have to be a very talented player. Can the college coach see you having the ability to help them win more games? Talent is often measured based on your film. 

2. You have to have the measurables

   

    Recruiting is a lot like a beauty contest. If you run a modeling agency, it doesn't matter how good someone can walk, if they don't have beauty, you won't hire them. This is how measurables work. If you are the best offensive linemen in your state, but you are 5'11," your chances of being recruited are slim. If you are 6'6" and 275 pounds, you will get interest based solely on your size. 

    There are certain measurables that college coaches are looking for at each position. For some schools, not meeting their measurables means they will not offer you a scholarship. They are going to look at your height, weight, wingspan, shoe size, hand size, body type, and more. Again, how are you going to set yourself apart? The better your measurables, the better your chance at a scholarship. If you don't have the measurables, it makes it harder to earn a scholarship. 

3. You have to gain exposure

    No one will recruit you who doesn't know who you are. You have to get your name in front of college coaches. You have to attend camps and showcases. One of the biggest myths in recruiting is that if you are really good, coaches will find you. This simply isn't the case. There are literally thousands of really, really talented athletes who don't get recruited each year, that are good enough to play. They aren't getting recruited because no one knows who they are. 

    When you make a decision that you want to play college sports, you have to immediately begin to put your name out there. You have to be willing to do the leg work to get yourself known. If you come from an elite high school program, coaches might find you. But if you are like most kids who come from less well-known programs, you have to be very proactive. Reach out to college coaches. Go on their website and fill out their questionnaires. Go to camps and showcases. Use Social Media. There are so many things that you can do right now. If you want to be recruited you have to be willing to get your name out there. Just like in sales, the more contacts you make, the more chance you have of someone being interested in you. 

4. You have to have good grades. 

    The first thing a college coach asks for is your transcript. If you have below a 3.0 GPA, you are sabotaging yourself. The number of schools who can recruit you is reduced every tenth of a point your GPA falls. Every time you get a zero on an assignment, you sabotage yourself. 

    Getting good grades starts with being in class, and being there on-time. Second, you put your phone away and look at the teacher. Listen to them and take notes. Then, complete your classwork in class. Never say, "I'll do it at home" when the teacher gives you time to work on things in class. And when you do get homework, do it. Homework should be the first thing you do when you get home. Don't turn on the game system or FaceTime your girlfriend until your homework is done. 

    If you are struggling in class, go to tutorials. Your teachers will help you. Someone right now is reading this and saying, "but my teacher won't help me, she's mean to me when I ask for help." That may be true. It might be because your teacher is mean. Or, it might be because you haven't put forth much effort in class, and the teacher wants you to work harder. If the teacher doesn't like you, ask yourself what you need to do to change. Most likely, you have done some unlikable things. College coaches don't want to recruit guys that aren't going to do well in school. And if your GPA is too low, they can't recruit you. It is vital you do well in school. 

    Part of having good grades is knowing what your core GPA is. Your core GPA is not your overall GPA. Your core GPA is based on your math, English, science, social studies, and foreign language courses you take in high school. These courses must be on your school's 48H form. If you don't know what this form is, see your counselor. It lists every NCAA approved core course offered by your high school. I have seen kids lose scholarships because they took courses that didn't count towards the NCAA core course requirement. 

BONUS KEY: Your highlight film matters! Your film with either move you up the recruiting board, or move you down the recruiting board. Your film might even get you taken off the recruiting board. Your highlight film should only be highlights. Don't put average on film. 

Make sure you put your best plays first. Don't put plays in chronological order. Put your most explosive plays first. If they would say WOW, then that play should be the first thing they see. Don't worry if your film is too short. Don't put average plays on film to make it longer. This is a huge mistake too many prospects make. Only show them film that would make them want you to be a part of their program.

    

HERE IS WHAT YOU NEED TODAY TO GREATLY INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF A SCHOLARSHIP! Recently I made my recruiting webinar available online for parents and prospects. This has hours of valuable information that will help you with the entire recruiting process. It has everything you need to navigate the recruiting process. For less than the cost of attending a college camp, you can learn everything you need to know to increase your chances of earning a college athletic scholarship! Click the link below to take advantage! I have put this on sale for a limited time! Click HERE to take advantage of this offer!

How to Win The Recruiting Process Course!

Here are the downloadable resources that are included in this program!

Click THIS LINK to save a few extra$$! 

You will get lifetime access to all the materials in this course! You will get 24 hour access to watch the videos. That way, you can watch at your convenience. 

This course has literally everything you need as a parent or prospect to greatly improve your changes of earning a scholarship! I take you the entire process, teaching you what you need to do, and how you need to do it. I educate you on some very important details that will help you to better navigate the entire recruiting process! Click the link to get your discount, and improve your chances of earning a scholarship. 

Additional Resources for Coaches:

Last year I got hooked up with CoachTube, and put together three courses for offensive football coaches. I put together two courses on RPO's, and a course on Building An Elite System of Communication. All of these courses will help you to score more points!  https://coachtube.com/users/coachvint

Installing Post-Snap RPO's

Installing Pre-Snap RPO's To Get Your Skill Guys More Touches

Building An Elite System of Gameday Communication

All three of these courses are detailed, with everything you need to be more explosive and to score more points. 

The course on communication gives you a detailed approach to your gameday communication. I give you a system and a process to improve the quality of conversations, leading to improved play calling on game day. This course has received outstanding reviews from coaches at all level of football. A coach with multiple state titles told me this course helped them to be much more efficient and explosive this season. 

My two RPO courses take you through a systematic process of installing RPO's into your offensive system. RPO's put the defense in conflict, forcing them to defend all 53 yards of width and all 6 skill players every single play. I not only give you a system, but I teach you the methods to develop your own RPO concepts. 

https://coachtube.com/users/coachvint