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Post by dacoordinator on Dec 29, 2009 3:10:12 GMT -6
If our offense is better than our d, I take the rock. If all things are equal or d is better defer. This year we had a great offense and a not as good d, so every time we won toss we took the ball. I figured up 7 is better than down 7. Our O was a threat everytime we had the ball so we felt it put more pressure on the other team. As far as deferring I love getting the ball first in the second half, but it is what it is. Agreed with UCbear, it depends on what you feel the strong suit of your team is. If you feel your offense is the best of the two, take the ball, score and put the pressure of the opposing team to respond. If you feel your defense is the best of the two then give the other team the ball and show them that you plan to stop them all night. Thinking about the other team if you feel that the opposing teams offense is potent and can score bunches take that ball and control the clock as much as possible. Regardless of what many may say football is as much a mind game as it is played on the field.
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Post by coachvenom on Dec 29, 2009 3:12:49 GMT -6
DEFER. That way, when you go in at halftime, you can make the adjustments to the way the defense is playing you, then come out and score on the first possession of the 2nd half. You get an extra possession in the second half when you know what the opposing defense is going to do to you. If you take the ball and the defense does something you haven't seen on film and you go three-and-out then you've wasted your coin toss win. I agree completely. It's nice to come out on defense and give them a chance to set the tone for a game. I always think about the old saying we've all heard and said so much 'still a lot of football left". If your up you have a chance to put the game away. And your not on your heels as much if your down, I think it calms your team down a little more in a close game of if your playing from behind
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Post by wingt74 on Dec 30, 2009 8:11:02 GMT -6
I was a "always defer" guy. My reasoning is exactly like xcoachx. Make the haftime adjustments on offense, and get the lead.
BUT, what I have noticed, is, self confidence. Teenagers are very emotional kids. Take it down the field to open the game, and get a score...and we play the entire game with more energy.
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hwkfn1
Junior Member
Posts: 258
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Post by hwkfn1 on Dec 31, 2009 9:34:11 GMT -6
I will almost always want the ball first, so we can get more possessions in the first half, thus allowing us more opportunities to score and take the lead. As was stated previously, the team that scores first wins most of the time.
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Post by 19delta on Dec 31, 2009 11:12:28 GMT -6
We always took the ball first if we had the choice.
We were pretty bad. Thinking was that if we took the ball first, we could at least run 3-4 minutes off the clock before giving the ball back to the other team.
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Post by phantom on Dec 31, 2009 11:43:57 GMT -6
I will almost always want the ball first, so we can get more possessions in the first half, thus allowing us more opportunities to score and take the lead. As was stated previously, the team that scores first wins most of the time. Although the team that scores first may win most of the time does the team that receives the opening kickoff score first most often? Years ago I saw a study that said that in the NFL the team that kicks off scores first about 2/3 of the time. Now that was about twenty years ago and it was the NFL, not HS ball. Those results may be obsolete and may be different at different levels. This would make an interesting study.
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Post by phantom on Jan 12, 2010 23:05:51 GMT -6
I've started researching the question about whether the team that receives the opening kickoff scores first and here's what I've found:
I watched tape of 31 games. In those 31 games the team that received the opening kickoff scored first in 13 games for a percentage of 42%.
31 games isn't a big enough sample to indicate a significant thread but it's a start.
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Post by phantom on Jan 13, 2010 12:56:28 GMT -6
BTW, if anybody else wants to add to the data I'd appreciate it. It doesn't take long.All you have to do is start the film, record which team received the opening kickoff, then watch on fast forward until you see somebody score and record which team scored first. Looking at 31 DVDs took me about an hour last night.
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Post by John Knight on Jan 13, 2010 13:08:06 GMT -6
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Post by phantom on Jan 13, 2010 13:37:51 GMT -6
Thanks for the link. I was not aware that deferring was not an option for NFL teams until recently. Since I don't coach in the NFL there was no reason that I should know. I coach HS football. I believe that the vast majority of coaches here coach either some level of HS or youth football. I would hope that those coaches are not making tactical decisions based on the opinions of a sportswriter writing about the NFL. I prefer data.
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Post by John Knight on Jan 13, 2010 13:46:47 GMT -6
Dude, just throwing out some info. I think we all watch pro ball and think about how it would work in HS.
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Post by John Knight on Jan 13, 2010 13:54:30 GMT -6
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Post by phantom on Jan 13, 2010 13:56:57 GMT -6
Dude, just throwing out some info. I think we all watch pro ball and think about how it would work in HS. Oh, sure. I'd never defer in the NFL either.
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Post by John Knight on Jan 13, 2010 14:22:47 GMT -6
Only time I would defer (as a rule) is if I had a kicker that was 100% at putting the ball in the end zone.
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Post by phantom on Jan 13, 2010 16:54:58 GMT -6
Only time I would defer (as a rule) is if I had a kicker that was 100% at putting the ball in the end zone. Why?
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Post by kylem56 on Jan 13, 2010 19:55:23 GMT -6
I have always based it depending on the team we are playing....
If we are over matched and heavy underdogs, we want the ball first and hopefully get a score to get some confidence going. I mean {censored} what do we have to lose?
If we are in a (even-matched) rivalry game, we want the ball first
Any game where we feel our defense is capable of getting a stop first or feel that their offense will struggle moving the ball against us, we always defer
Another situation that happened this year that caused us to defer, in a non-conference game, this team did not exchange films with us for whatever reason (alot of bs excuses). We were able to talk to some coaches who played them that at least gave us an idea of what to expect and what offense formations they used so we defered to let our D go on the field first so I could at least get a look at some of their worst athletes
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Post by centralilcoach on Jan 14, 2010 10:29:44 GMT -6
We always take the ball. One of coaches (head soph coach) put it best why give up the ball if you have the choice (he does not believe in punting either same belief or why volunteer to give up the ball). We usually have the better offense each week and like having the opportunity to score first and put the pressure on the other team to match it.
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Post by Coach Bennett on Jan 14, 2010 11:34:27 GMT -6
One reason to defer is weather. If it's crazy windy out and you win, why not force the team to accept the ball, you take the wind, pin them deep? Good momentum builder especially if they'll have difficulty throwing into the wind...of course, this means you give them the wind at the end of the half...
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Post by John Knight on Jan 14, 2010 11:58:10 GMT -6
If I know there will be no return and they are going to start on the 20 it is worth deferring. If they run the opening kickoff back for a TD, or back to their plus 30 then we have a problem. I just feel more comfortable getting the ball first.
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Post by blb on Jan 14, 2010 12:09:59 GMT -6
Playing percentages say defer for similar reason(s) that you play defense first if you win overtime toss (no Sudden Death).
If you are ahead at halftime you can try to put more distance between you and opponent on first series.
If you're behind, you can tie it up or get back in the game.
Either way, you know what game situation is with two quarters to go and you are getting the ball.
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Post by John Knight on Jan 14, 2010 12:45:36 GMT -6
I think the second half option that determine facing the scoreboard or wind at your back in fourth quarter are more important than who has the ball first in the second half.
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Post by mariner42 on Jan 14, 2010 13:14:28 GMT -6
If I know there will be no return and they are going to start on the 20 it is worth deferring. If they run the opening kickoff back for a TD, or back to their plus 30 then we have a problem. I just feel more comfortable getting the ball first. We actually have a kicker that's good enough NOT to put it into the endzone. Kid can routinely drop them around the 4 yard line on the numbers, to either side, so we could often get them pinned at less than the 20. With that kind of advantage, kicking was pretty sweet. I do think that the ability of your kicker should factor into the decision, although few people have the luxury of a kicker who goes to camps and practices on his own year-round.
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