One of the most important things you can do as an offensive coordinator is to build a game plan. Building a game plan is time consuming and tedious, but technology has given us a cheat code.
No longer do you have to spend hours pouring over reports to try to figure out what the opposing defense is going to do. Harnessing the power of AI will completely revolutionize your ability to view the data and have actionable insights in just seconds. What once took hours now takes less than a minute.
AI can look at data on a much deeper level than a human. Where a human look at one or maybe two levels of data, AI can look at many more levels of data and do so almost instantly. Imagine knowing with near absolute certainty knowing when your opponent was going to blitz, or play man, or play cover 3. How much better of a play caller would you be?
Like many of you, I spent hours each weekend looking at several different reports, trying to figure out what they meant and what actions we would need to take. Because the data was fragmented, we had to look at several reports. These reports didn't talk to each other. This meant we had to do all of the connecting.
I am happy to announce those days are over. AI is a powerful tool that can provide you with analytics and actionable insights into your data in just seconds. So how does it work?
First, you don't have to change what you are already doing. You are going to enter your data just like you always have. The magic is what happens right after.
After you enter your data, you are oging to export your Excel File. This is a one click action. Then, you are going to upload the data into a custom AI Analyst. This analyst is already built. You don't have to build it yourself.
I spent nearly a year and several hundred hours building and training AI analysts to be able to take your data and provide you actionable insights almost instantly. Instead of pouring over reports, you use the analyst I built and you get data you can actually use.
This analyst does not use the internet. It uses specific training and knowledge that I provided to give you the ability to see your data the way you want to see it.
Here is an example of this AI Analyst in Action.
You can see how much of a cheat code this is! The analyst is able to quickly look at our data on multiple levels. It is able to tell us exactly what our opponent is doing and when they will do it. We are able to call more touchdown plays because we know wha tthe defense is doing.
Not only will you get access to the custom analysts I built, but you will get a full guide to give you the tools, systems, and processes to use AI as a cheat code! You will save hours each weekend, while being more prepared than ever before! For a limited time, you can use the Code YOUTUBEAI to save a few $$!
Don't wait, click the link and get the tools you need to be use AI as a cheat code!
If you embrace AI it will give you superhuman qualities! We are just starting to scratch the surface of what AI can do. This resource will give you a huge advantage over your opponents!
Call Sheets!
A big piece of the preparation puzzle is your call sheet. You have to do a great job of game planning for your opponents which will greatly improve your play calling ability. If you want to be more prepared each week, I highly recommend you check out my game and practice planning resource. I spent much of my career as a coordinator. I was an offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator, and coached at both the high school and college levels. I have made available all of our game and practice planning resources that helped us win more games. These have everything you need to be more prepared. They are editable and customizable, and are available as an instant download. https://sellfy.com/p/AndN/
It includes everything from a scouting report template, to weekly practice plans and scripts, to a two-sided color call sheet, and more! Each of the nine documents are fully editable and customizable! Order today and start preparing for your first game right now! This helped us be able to be prepared to attack the defense and put more points on the board. It also helped us be much more efficient and targeted on the weekends when we were game planning.
AI is not coming. AI is here. AI is already revolutionizing how coaches scout and prepare for opponents.
If you aren't using AI to game plan, you are missing out. Using AI to game plan can save you several hours each weekend. Over the last 12 months I have invested about 1,100 hours in building a system and processes to use AI to supercharge game planning on both sides of the ball. Using AI gives coaches superhuman powers.
We have built a system and tools to help coaches leverage AI to prepare better than ever before, while saving several hours each weekend. You get your data, your way.
What if you could have all of your data in one place? What if you could have an analyst look at your data and provide you a detailed report, with actionable data, and specific insights you could use to build a more streamlined game plan?
And what if you could get that information in less than two minutes? Instead of static reports, you can have a conversation with your AI!
That is what AI does for your game planning. Using AI means you don't have to pour over reports trying to find the most important data. AI becomes your analyst who can pour over that data for you, showing you what you want to see.
This not only saves you hours of work. It allows you to focus on what matters most, and that is coaching your guys. AI can look at layers of data to get more granular.
Imagine knowing what your opponent is going to run before they do. How much better of a play caller will you be if you know what the opponent is going to do?
What if you had your own AI Analyst that would run reports for you while being able to answer specific questions about the data? Keep reading for access to this analyst!
Here is an example of an overview of an offense we analyzed using the AI analyst I created. It took AI less than a minute to generate this report.
We see their Run/Pass % by personnel group. You can see how personnel groups affected their run/pass %. Every DC should have someone telling him what personnel group is in the game, and the run/pass % of that personnel group.
Next, AI gave us the Run/Pass % by Down and Distance and Personnel. On 1st and 10 this team is 67% run. But when they are in 10P, this drops to 50%, and in 11P they run the ball 77%. This helps us to know what defense to call.
Here we see what plays a team runs by personnel group. This is another piece of information that helps us make a better play call.
This is information that coaches previously had to search for in a multitude of reports. Now we have it available in one report. We have it in less than two minutes.
This also helps us to build our practice plan. We know exactly what we need to script into our practice. We can focus on stopping the 90% of what they do.
What I really love is that you can chat with your analyst to gain even more insight. The analyst will help you understand the data and take action.
To help you navigate using AI, I have put together a resource called: Using AI to Create a Dominant Defensive Game Plan
This resource gives you step-by-step instructions on using AI. It includes access to a custom GPT analyst I created and trained to provide you with detailed reports.
You do not need to invent the wheel. I have already invented it, and refined it for you! I put over 1,000 hours into this project. I worked with coaches at all levels of football to develop this resource and perfect it!
This is available for a special launch price of just $77, which includes access to the Custom GPT Analyst I created. I give you detailed instructions on how to use AI to supercharge your game planning!
The resource I put together will take you step-by-step of using AI to become more dominant. I worked with coaches at all levels of football over the last twelve months to develop this system and model.
I worked with coaches this year who had limited technological ability, and they were able to use AI to gain insights they never would have found before. One coach I worked with was in his 38th year as a DC. He had always used a pad and paper. This year he had the best year in his career, and kicked himself for not embracing this. Whether you are new to technology or an experienced pro, this will give you a process, a system, and tools to use AI to build a dominant game plan!
And yes, I also created a version for offensive coaches!
If you are an offensive coordinator, this will give you the data you need to call more touchdown plays! I give OC's the tools, processes, and systems they need to save hours each week while having the data they need to call more touchdown plays and win more games.
AI can look at data much deeper than a human can. AI can look at multiple layers and get more granular. You can use AI to have superhuman powers when it comes to game planning. This will save you several hours each week while helping you to know what offenses are going to do.
You also get access to the custom AI Analyst I created to help analyze opponent's defenses. It is amazing how fast this analyst will break down the data and give you actionable insights you can use. Here is a demonstration of the AI Analyst.
As you can see, AI is a powerful tool for coaches to use! Here is a demonstration of how we use the AI Analyst as an offensive coordinator.
If you are a head coach, you might want to order both. I put together a bundle with both resources. AI Bundle for OC's and DC's
AI is not going to replace humans. It is going to replace humans who do not embrace AI. AI is going to give you superhuman qualities. Take advantage of this opportunity right now!
Coaches often ask for book recommendations, and there are some great books that every coach should read. These are books that I read at different times in my coaching career, and still look back through today.
These aren’t just great books for coaches. These are great books for anyone who is a leader. These are listed in the order I read them, but all of them are valuable in different ways. There are really eight books here, but we are counting two books as one. I had also already published the title when I added the eighth.
The first book I read as a first-year coach was Winning Everyday. Holtz gave some great life lessons that were not only beneficial to me as a coach, but I used them as a human.
If you want a book focused on what setting standards off the field. If you do things right in your daily habits, everything will work out as it should on the scoreboard. This was a great book as a complement to Finding the Winning Edge. You can find copies of Finding the Winning Edge on Amazing, but the cost is often very high. I would recommend every football coach read it if you can get a copy. It is worth every penny.
Nick Saban’s book “How Good Do You Want to Be is written in typical Saban voice. This takes you inside how he built LSU and Alabama into championship programs. This book taught me the importance of setting high expectations and holding yourself and others accountable to the standard.
Next I read Pete Carroll’s Always Compete and Win Forever. These are both top-notch books that give you insight into how Carroll developed the USC program. I love Win Forever, but it is hard to find and that is why I included Always Compete.
Always Compete has many of the same principles, but they were much more refined when we wrote Win Forever. Win Forever gives you a bluepinrt for building a championship program.
We are counting these as one book, so don't @ me on the math!
Coach K is a legendary basketball coach, but his book Leading from the Heart is a great book for coaches to read. He gives you insight into how you can be a transformational coach.
And perhaps my favorite is Called To Coach by Bobby Bowden. Coach Bowden takes you through his journey as a coach and how he built the program at Florida State. He talks a lot about how important it is to be a servant leader.
These are very good books I highly recommend to anyone who is a coach or leader. I recommend these books because everyone in a leadership position can take something from these books and use them in their own situations. These books made an impact on me, and I hope they will benefit you in your coaching journey.
This is the bible of scouting opponents written by Bill's dad. When people ask me where I learned how to scout an opponent, it is this book. This book gives you everything you need to build a foundation of scouting teams you will play. The theories and concepts in this book are transferable to today's game and will help make you a better coach.
Newly Released 3-3-5/3-5-3 Book!
I just released my book on the 3-3-5/3-5-3! I take you through everything it takes to be successful with the Odd Stack Defense, from personnel, to structure, to gap responsibilities, run fits, pursuit, coverages, pressures, and more! I give you a complete tool box for dominating on defense. Whether you run the 3-3-5/3-5-3, or you just want to learn more, this book has nuggets to help you win more games! The book includes a video walk through that is 35 minutes long, where I talk you through the book and the defense! Dominating with the 3-3-5/3-5-3 Defense. Enter the code: DOMINATE at checkout to save $10!
One of the most important aspects of coaching is your preparation and organization. When I was a defensive coordinator we posted 6 shutouts and gave up just 6.8 points a game. A big part of this was our preparation.
Using AI to Create a Dominant Defensive Game Plan
If you want to be able to call the right defense at the right time, then you need to check out my newest resource! I spent over a year building an AI Game Planning Analyst that will help you save several hours each weekend while being more prepared than ever before! Using AI To Create a Dominant Defensive Game Plan will revolutionize how you prepare for opponents.
This was tested with programs of all levels, and every coach that used it said it revolutionized their game planning. Instead of flipping through multiple reports, you have everything in one place. The best part... You can talk to your data! You can ask questions and get responses. This is available at a special price right now! For a limited time, you can use the code AI at checkout to save $15.
Along with using AI, we want to make sure we are organized. I have a defensive game planning resource available for you! Here is a link to the defensive game planning documents. It includes 12 fully editable and customizable documents. https://sellfy.com/p/AY1u/ These are what we used to post 6 shutouts when I was a defensive coordinator. Defensive coordinators at all levels of football are using this.
I built our detailed game planning process and documents from these principles. If you are looking for specific resource you can use to help you be more effective with your game planning and more explosive on offense, check out my offensive game planning packet at https://sellfy.com/p/AndN/
It includes everything from a scouting report template, to practice plans, to a two-sided color call sheet, and more! Each of the nine documents are fully editable and customizable! Order today and start preparing for your first game right now! This helped us be able to be prepared to attack the defense and put more points on the board. It also helped us be much more efficient and targeted on the weekends when we were game planning.
When I was a defensive coordinator we adapted this to our defensive preparation!
Here is a link to the defensive game planning documents. It includes 12 fully editable and customizable documents. https://sellfy.com/p/AY1u/ These are what we used to post 6 shutouts when I was a defensive coordinator. Defensive coordinators at all levels of football are using this.
And finally, I put together a special teams resource. This has everything you need, included drill tape, practice tape, and game footage. It includes teaching presentations and scouting forms just for special teams! https://sellfy.com/p/tJwz/ This helped us to build dominating special teams!
I wanted these to be available at a very reasonable cost. These can help you to be more successful on the field and more efficient in the office!
A while back 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!
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.
Books
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 on multiple RPO Concepts. It will give you a simple process for implementing them into your offense.
If you don't have an apple device, you can order the paperback version! It is available on Amazon!
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.
Over the last several months, I have stepped out of my comfort zone and wrote a new book about faith and purpose. The book is available as a paperback on Amazon, and as an eBook for the Kindle App. The cool thing about the Kindle app is that you can read the book on any device. I invite you to read it, and discover the power you receive when you make a decision to walk with the Lord. Here is a link to the book: Finding Faith
Since publishing the book, I have received numerous texts, calls, and emails, from people who are going through similar trials and tribulations. They were feeling many of the same things I was feeling. The found comfort in the book. They also found they had a desire to change and to live better. They wanted more joy.
I would invite you to read the book and discover the possibilities that God has planned for your life.
With fall camp getting ready to begin, I wanted to share my review on the BEST remote available for coaches today!
I wanted to find a remote to watch film that would allow to me fast forward, slow rewind, and advance to the next play and go back to the previous play. Like many of you, I don't want to sit at my desk watching film. I want to be up walking around the room and engaging with the players.
The remotes offered by the video companies tend to cost $250 to $300. I wanted something that was more cost feasible. I also wanted something I could use with power point and would have more functionality. After testing several remotes, I found the winner! And it is available on Amazon Prime for under 1/5th of the cost of the remote offered by video companies.
The PR-820 is small, easily fits in the palm of your hand, and is comfortable to hold. It does everything you need a remote to do with video, including slow rewind! It also has a laser pointer!
This is the remote I would recommend using with Hudl and Quick Cut. The great thing is that you can also use it in the classroom to teach from your presentations. If you speak at clinics, this remote is a must have! No longer do you have to stand at your computer to show video.
Here is a YouTube Video I did showing the PR-820 Remote.
I would highly recommend you check out the PR-820 and get yours ordered today! PR-820 by Red Star Tec.
Check This Out! If you are looking for specific resource you can use to help you be more effective with your game planning and more explosive on offense, check out my offensive game planning packet at https://sellfy.com/p/AndN/
It includes everything from a scouting report template, to practice plans, to a two-sided color call sheet, and more! Each of the nine documents are fully editable and customizable! Order today and start preparing for your first game right now! This helped us be able to be prepared to attack the defense and put more points on the board. It also helped us be much more efficient and targeted on the weekends when we were game planning.
Here are a couple of screen shots to show you what our call sheet looks like:
This shows you a small portion of it. It is a fully editable, customizable two sided call sheet. It gives you the ability to better organize and be prepared on game day. It helped us to be better play callers on game day. There are eight other fully customizable documents! Some of the top high school programs in the country use this, as do several college programs!
When I was a defensive coordinator we adapted this to our defensive preparation!
Here is a link to the defensive game planning documents. It includes 12 fully editable and customizable documents. https://sellfy.com/p/AY1u/ These are what we used to post 6 shutouts when I was a defensive coordinator. Defensive coordinators at all levels of football are using this.
And finally, I put together a special teams resource. This has everything you need, included drill tape, practice tape, and game footage. It includes teaching presentations and scouting forms just for special teams! https://sellfy.com/p/tJwz/ This helped us to build dominating special teams!
I wanted these to be available at a very reasonable cost. These can help you to be more successful on the field and more efficient in the office!
A while back 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!
All three of these courses are detailed, with everything you need to be more explosive and to score more points.
As mentioned above, 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.
Books
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 on multiple RPO Concepts. It will give you a simple process for implementing them into your offense.
If you don't have an apple device, you can order the paperback version! It is available on Amazon!
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.
Over the last several months, I have stepped out of my comfort zone and wrote a new book about faith and purpose. The book is available as a paperback on Amazon, and as an eBook for the Kindle App. The cool thing about the Kindle app is that you can read the book on any device. I invite you to read it, and discover the power you receive when you make a decision to walk with the Lord. Here is a link to the book: Finding Faith
Since publishing the book, I have received numerous texts, calls, and emails, from people who are going through similar trials and tribulations. They were feeling many of the same things I was feeling. The found comfort in the book. They also found they had a desire to change and to live better. They wanted more joy.
I would invite you to read the book and discover the possibilities that God has planned for your life.
One of the most important thing you can do as a coordinator is your self-scouting report.
In my 20+ years as a coordinator, I evolved greatly in how I performed a self scouting report. In the early days of my career we did everything by pen and paper. I had legal pads filled with information and I had to do a lot of math.
After a couple of years we evolved into using Excel. Then video programs began adding reports that could give us some actionable information. From there we began using Recon, which transformed the data in actionable dashboards. The key word is actionable. You don't need data to have data. You want to have data that you can use and has meaning.
Everything we do has a purpose, or a why. We don't do things just to do things. Looking at our self-scout reports helps us to be able to find valuable information that benefits us greatly in our game planning. There are three things we will focus on today.
Our tendencies that opponents will find
Which concepts are most effective/least effective
Which formations/personnel groups have led to the most success/least success
Every defensive coordinator you play is going to look at data on your offense. They are going to look at your most recent games first. Most coaches are going to include at least 3 games of data in their scouting report, and many will include every game they can get for the season. I want to know our tendencies and find the same data the defensive coordinator is looking at. I want to see what he is seeing.
The defensive coordinator is going to prepare his defensive calls based on the data. He is most likely going to break it down by personnel group, down and distance, and field zone. He is probably going to look at our formation tendencies, trying to figure out what plays we run from each formation, and what formations we run from certain personnel groups. If we know what data he is seeing, we can then make adjustments to our game.
The first thing I run is look at our run/pass percentages for the last three games, as well as for the season to date. I am going to focus on the data for the last three games when we build our game plan. When the playoffs start I am going to look at our last 5 game tendencies and compare them to our tendencies for the season. Below is an example of an overview report for 3 games. This is from Recon Football, which saved us several hours each weekend with our data breakdown. Recon Demo
This gives us a global view of our play calls, and shows us our Run/Pass Percentages. Overall we run the ball 64% of the time. 1% of the time there was a penalty. The conversion rate is the percentage of plays that result in a first down. I then look at our run/pass percentages based on backfield set, field zone, down and distance, and formation. I also look at our play frequency to see what plays we called most. Looking at our data I can see some tendencies that we might want to consider. 3rd and 1-3 we are 100% run. We might want to look at play action or a boot concept. We have some formations that we are over 80% run. We might want to look at throwing some play action from those formations.
If I just looked at this data, I would have some actionable information. But I know our opponent is going to dig deeper. They are going to look at every formation we ran and put every play we ran from every formation on their board. I know that they are going to look at more specifics of what we do from each formation. I am going to dig deeper into our down and distance data and formation data. and look at how we can break some of our tendencies.
I am going to look at our formations to see if there are tendencies that might give away what we are doing. I am also going to look at our hash tendencies. I also like to look at our pass game and run game.
After we look at our tendencies, I am going to focus on our concepts. Which concepts have we had the most success with in the run game and pass game? I want to know if there is something we are doing well that need to more of, or if there is something we aren't doing well that we need to fix or do less of.
I can see here that when we are on the right has we don't throw short and intermediate passes into the boundary or middle of the field. This is something we need to look at. We want to know why this is, and is it something we can adjust? I look at what concepts we call the most, then I sort by completion percentage and average gain. I want to see what pass concepts we have the most success.
In the nearly 20 years I have been a coordinator, I have learned a lot about what doesn't work. Those mistakes have helped us learn ways to troubleshoot and figure out how to get better. A couple weeks ago a coach I met at the Glazier Clinic in St. Louis called me because he just got promoted to offensive coordinator. We talked about some things I thought were important, and figured this could benefit about anyone who was an OC or aspired to be. Here are some things I have learned that might benefit you. 1. Less Is More
The first and most important thing I have learned is that less is more. I have consistently been way too ambitious with our install menu. If we are going to use 32 formations, 10 runs, 6 passes, 2 screens, and a draw, along with a waggle and a naked boot, we have too much stuff. I used to think running a play is running a play regardless of formation. One season we decided to add new formations each week. Our concepts were the same, but the formations would change. One week we struggled with our inside zone read play. Our tight end came back to the sideline and said, "coach, it looks different." Even though we ran the same inside zone read concepts, running them from different formations changes the presentation. Our tight end gave us a valuable coaching point that day.
The more you install, the more your players have to process. The more you install, the more they have to remember. It is also important to remember that each team is different. Some groups will have a bigger capacity to learn and remember. Some teams will not be able to handle as much. You have to figure out how much each group can handle.
2. How Much Should We Install
Coaches often will ask me how many plays they should install. There is no concrete answer, but I will say most of us install too much. Realistically you need 1 inside run, 1 outside run, 1 off tackle run, and one counter or misdirection play. You need 2 to 3 intermediate pass concepts, 3 quick game concepts, a play action off your identity run, a sprint out, a draw, and a screen. You run these from 6 base formations. Add one trick play and one exotic formation each week, and you will have more than enough.
You might have one gap inside run and inside zone. You might have a pin and pull concept or outside zone to attack the perimeter. You might have a quarterback who struggles to read though a progression. If that is the case then you want to install key defender reads. Find what works best for your guys.
One important addition is this: You need to have an identity play which you can always run against anyone and anything. Too many offenses do not have an identity. They have a collection of plays, but they don't have an identity of who they are. You need to know your identity and who you are. This needs to be a part of building your install menu and schedule.
3. Think Players Not Plays
When the game is on the line you need to get the ball to your dudes. What you call is important, but who you get the ball to is most important. One of the biggest mistakes I have made is trying to call the perfect play. The perfect play to an average athlete will rarely be a "perfect play." If you call a bad play but get the ball to a dude, he will make it a great play. The best thing to do is call a great play to a great player, but when in doubt, get your dudes the ball. Many a time we have had a huge play on a bad play call because the right guy had the ball.
4. Match Your Philosophy To The Head Coach
This is really important. If you want to run an air raid system and your head coach runs the slot-t, you will have to marry your philosophy to his. If you can't do this, then it isn't a job you need to take. Don't take an OC job to take an OC job. Make sure your values are aligned with those of the head coach. If your head coach wants to slow the game down, then don't walk in there trying to run a bunch of tempo. When Joe Cluley hired me to be his OC at Estacado he laid out his expectations and we made sure we shared the same philosophy. This is vital to the success of our offense and program as a whole.
5. Get On The Same Page With The DC
This is very, very important. You and the DC must be partners. You have to work together to build practice plans and share personnel. You have to be able to bounce ideas off each other and make sure you are always doing what is best for the team. If you don't get along with the DC you will not have as much success and you will be miserable. At Estacado our DC is Cody Robinson, and he is awesome to work with. We have a great relationship and work as a team. We also compete against each other, but we work closely to ensure we maximize the success of the program. 6. Leave Your Ego At The Door
One of the most important things you must know is that it isn't about you. It is about the kids and the program. This goes with points 4 and 5. What is best for your program? What is best for your kids? Never walk in and try to impose your will on situation. You must fit your system to the strengths and needs of the program as a whole. If you want to play fast and snap the ball 90 times a game, but it isn't best for your team, then don't do it. Guys are always talking about stats. The most important stat is the win-loss record. No one person is bigger than the program, including the offensive coordinator. Never forget this.
7. Hire Smart People and Trust Them
I want the best people in football around me. Find people who are very smart, care about kids, and are great teachers. Then listen to them when it comes to building your system. If there is a better way to do something find that way. When you personnel your offensive staff, find a way to put them in the positions where they can best contribute to the staff as a whole. The most important thing you will do is put your staff in place. Give them responsibility and a vested interest in the success of your offense. Give them the authority to coach their guys.
8. Promote Your Staff
As a coordinator your goal needs to be to help the members of your staff grow as coaches and move up in the profession. You want your guys moving on to be coordinators. Do everything you can to help them move up. With that said, make sure your guys understand what it takes to be a coordinator. If a guy comes late all the time or is always the first one out the door, he probably isn't serious about being a coordinator. Find out the goals of the guys you work with and help them reach those goals.
9. Personal Growth Is Vital
The day you think you have it figured out is the day you need to quit. Everyday is a chance to grow. Everyday is a chance to learn. Early in my career I saw a very successful D-1 Head Coach speak at a clinic. After his talk he was sitting in the front row watching the next speaker, a high school coach talk about paired plays. This power 5 head coach was taking notes on a high school speaker. This was a valuable lesson. Every time someone talks football, be ready to take notes.
When a coach visits your school to recruit, ask them questions. Ask them about install. Ask them how the teach a concept or a drill. When you ask, then take notes. Taking notes is a great tool for learning. Taking notes helps you to remember information. It also gives you something to look back on if you do forget. Most guys are smarter than I am. But I know that when I don't take notes I will forget.
The biggest part of this is personal growth. Be willing to grow everyday. Always strive to be a better coach. Always strive to be a great example. Never ask your position coaches to do something you wouldn't do yourself. This is vital.
10. Always Have A Pen and Whistle-
Every time you talk on the field make sure you have a pen and a whistle. A pen is vital so you can take notes during practice. Too much happens for you to remember everything. Having a pen allows you to write down your thoughts immediately. You might want to look at how you are teaching a blocking scheme, or receiver steps on a route. If you don't write down your thought you might forget it. Maybe you never forget things. That's great. But having a habit of writing things down during practice will help you be more apt to remember.
11. Set Clear Expectations For You Staff and Players
Make sure you have clearly defined roles and responsibilities for your staff. If you don't have clear expectations your staff cannot meet them. This is an area that I struggle with to this day. You have to make sure your staff knows exactly what to expect on a daily basis. Once you set your expectations, hold your staff to those expectations. Your staff will only be as good as the example you set and the expectations you all strive to meet each day. Make sure you are the standard on a daily basis.
Make sure your players understand the expectations and standards you set. When they make a mistake you must first look at yourself. Could they have been coached different? Did they understand the standard? Was the expectation clear? If not, clarify. No one wakes up trying to screw up. Find a way to reach each player. If they don't get something don't give up on them. Find a new way to teach it. It all starts with clear expectations.
12. Preparation Is Vital
When I first became an OC I used to say "we run what we run." It didn't matter what the defense did, we were going to what we did. In theory this sounded great. But this kept me from preparing well. The truth is I really didn't know how to prepare. After that first year as an OC I went back and watched every single play from the season. I watched in disbelief of why we called certain plays. I winged our in game calls. There had to be a better way. I spent a lot of time researching how to prepare. I talked to successful high school and college coaches about how they prepared. I took pages and pages of notes.
During the summer of my 2nd season as an OC we spent a lot of time watching film and practicing our preparation. I built call sheets and began to simulate calling games. I had recorded college games on VHS tapes and would break them down. I would watch the games and try to find weaknesses. This was the beginning of our systematic approach to preparation.
When you prepare you have to watch film. I have written about this extensively, but the biggest deal is that you have to look at their structure, how they line up to formations, what coverages the defense plays, their blitz tendencies, and their personnel. We want to know were we can find leverage, numbers, and green grass, and where we can find a personnel win? Where can we win a matchup. We began to build a weekly menu, a very detailed practice plan, and very precise scout cards. Everything we did had a rhyme and a reason. Regardless of how you prepare, you must spend time in preparation. Final Thoughts
These 12 keys are by no means an exhaustive list, but they are the 12 things I find most important to being successful as a coordinator. I wrote this looking inward as I need to work on several of these myself. It boils down to this: Be confident in your abilities, but be humble enough to realize it is bigger than you. Don't get caught up in the title of OC. Be a great coach at everything off the field and put the program first.
And remember this; Focus on what you have, not what you don't have. Don't look for the weaknesses in your players. Find their strengths.See the greatness inside the guys you coach. See them not for where they are, but for what they can be. If you see a kid as a backup, that's how you will coach him. If you see him as a starter, that's also how you will coach him. See them for what they can be, then coach them to get there. Also, make sure you let them know what you see them being. That is vital.
Using AI to Supercharge Your Offensive Game Plan! AI is not coming, AI is here!
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Here is a video showing the power of AI!
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Next Level Preparation
A few years ago I was speaking at a clinic about our game planning and an FBS coordinator asked me after the talk to go through what we do. I shared with him our offensive game planning resource and he used it through the spring. He emailed me back that it was a game changer. It was an honor to have him use these documents. After speaking at clinics and hearing that more coaches didn't know where to start, I decided to make these available.
It includes everything from a scouting report template, to practice plans, to a two-sided color call sheet, and more! Each of the nine documents are fully editable and customizable! Order today and start preparing for your first game right now!
Here are a couple of screen shots to show you what our call sheet looks like:
This shows you a small portion of it. It is a fully editable, customizable two sided call sheet. It gives you the ability to better organize and be prepared on game day. It helped us to be better play callers on game day. There are eight other fully customizable documents! Some of the top high school programs in the country use this, as do several college programs!
When I was a defensive coordinator we adapted this to our defensive preparation!
Here is a link to the defensive game planning documents. It includes 12 fully editable and customizable documents. These are what we used to post 6 shutouts when I was a defensive coordinator. Defensive coordinators at all levels of football are using this.
And finally, I put together a special teams resource. This has everything you need, included drill tape, practice tape, and game footage. It includes teaching presentations and scouting forms just for special teams! This helped us to build dominating special teams!
I wanted these to be available at a very reasonable cost. These can help you to be more successful on the field and more efficient in the office!
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!
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.
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