"on two"....how much time and when

The last time I called a play on two was the fall of 1989, I used to mix up the snap count. We would work on it all the time in practice.

In games when I would change up the snap count we would get an offsides nearly every time.

I HATE penalties with a red hot passion of a thousand burning suns.

On that fateful day back in 1989 I really thought I was smart and called a play on two, to try and draw the defense offsides. I told the kids it's on two now don't jump. what do we do we jump offside 5 yard penalty and a drive killer.

I called time out I told the kids that if I EVER CALL A PLAY ON TWO EVER AGAIN I WANT SOMEBODY TO COME AND KICK ME RIGHT SQUARE IN THE A$$.

I have never went on two since.

We mix up the snap count with no play and quick count on sound.

Thanks guys. We're not good enough at anything to "mess" with this to the point neglecting other things. So, we concede one of the offenses advantages. Oh well. Thanks again. Glad to know it's not just me.

We havent gone on 2 in 14 seasons because- I HATE TO WASTE TIME
We go on go- shift down ready set go
If teams are jumping our snap count- we go to the "no play"
Going on 2 or 3 is not worth it IMO AND then you have to make sure some of your not so bright MMPs arent in when you do- I dont want to have to do that

We went offsides once calling it on two, HC told the offending player "I want my 5 yards back" so we went on 3 next play and it worked.

This does not bode well for the offense I'd like to install, which would usually have fly motion across and the ability or requirement to snap at various points in that motion without tipping it. I'd have the signal caller say "Go...one...two...three..." instead of a bunch of "hut"s, so he'd be the only one who'd need to count. But if the problem is with the rest of them either not being able to stay still in their stance (which I know at least some teams practice) or simply forgetting what count the play has been called for, I don't know what I'd do.

We use "Go, Ready, Hit". We snap the ball on the G of "Go" all no motion plays. We go into motion on the R of "Ready" on all motion plays and we snap the ball on the H of "Hit". I don't have to give my team the snap count because they learn it when they learn the play. This works very well. We can also snap the ball on no sound and or call our "No Play" and attempt to get the other team to jump offsides. Use a cadence to start all your drills and a whistle to end them. We run sprints on "Go" and on "Hit" on our offensive days and we bark out hard counts on defensive days in an attempt to get our defensive players to jump offsides. We practice firing off on the ball when the ball moves on defensive days.

I have implemented "no play" for the first time this year, based on a thread where DC suggested it. Our mishaps have all but dissappeared. "Down, Ready, GO!"....or no play. that's it.

Coach,

I agree, it was set up for failure, just like when my HC, who really runs the offense, tries to get them to go on 2 suddenly during team offense. He hammers in the huddle about snap count, and yet I'd bet my paycheck, my first born, and my life someone will jump offsides. I had hoped he would see the benefit of not going on two, and instead install "no play". I didn't anticipate that after we ran it successfully, he'd scream out "ok now run 34 power" which I echoed. Had we gone back to the huddle I'm sure it would have been fine. And the coach still says he wants to go on 2 some because last year the other teams started jumping the snap alot because they always went on one. I forsee lots a loss of 5 yards every time we try it.

Yet I'm also sometime amazed at the lack of attention span or the workings of the young football player's mind. Seriously, how did running that freeze play so short circuit their heads that they couldn't successfully get off the ball to run another play we'd just run fine for the last 15 minutes? I know I shouldn't be amazed, but yet I am...so many things in practice and what these kids can't grasp amazes me...I just don't recall being THAT stupid at that age! I got a center that can't grasp one friggin' blocking rule "Man On, Man Away". Won't grasp it, can't grasp it...we changed from a 5 man to 6 man front the other day in team offense. It blew his mind, and he missed who to block more often than not, and it short circuits his head when he hits the right guy and the guard next to him helps double team...he then quits his block thinking he's hit the wrong guy. I keep telling him the rules make the blocking work, and he only has one to remember...if there's a nose guard, he blocks him...man on...if there's not, he blocks the first man down on the LOS away from the side the play is going to, Man away. He can't grasp it! We hammer on the rules, they won't remember them. I shudder to think what will happen if we actually try to run something other than Power, like trap, or God forbid something with a reach block, and they have to remember ANOTHER rule.

That's why we teach the no play in the first 5 minutes of the very first pratice and teach it during warm ups of every practice every day

I've often thought "no play" to be a waste. Why not just call a play for a long count? But what I wasn't counting on was what you've found about children's memory span. I would think calling "1, 2, 3..." instead of "hut, hut, hut" would help...but not if they just forget the snap count.

DC

This is another post I was hesitant to enter for the obvious reasons. Sometimes trying to explain the blatantly simple things gets compound by over thought. Last season we went on sound over 90% of the time. Even when we used motion we still went on sound. All the reasons you have stated make us do that. In practice we do everything on 2 early, then as the season progresses go on sound. Our cadence is simple, Go Ready Set Go Go. In youth football in particular being aggressive off the ball is of paramount importance. Going on 2 is our version of your freeze, hence why we work it early. Making the cadence complicated is just overcoaching.

Joe

Funny you mention the color thing, because in 2007 the head coach of the NBYSA installed on our Cowboys Jr. Pee-Wee team, just in the hour before the game, a punt scheme that involved snapping on a color instead of our usual. It was way beyond our players in general installing this scheme, because they couldn't long snap and couldn't punt the ball beyond the line of scrimmage anyway, but he actually had one color for a punt to the left, another up the middle, and a third to the right! But he did think they could draw an offside, and indeed against a nationally prominent team from Staten Is. at their home field, we did draw a 5 yarder on them by doing that -- our highlight of the game!

Everybody does, and we've discussed them here before!


Heck, I found that entire season disturbing! The organiz'n (1 team in each of 6 divisions from 7 thru 18 YOs) had a lack of clear, consistent authority, and a head coach whose experience before that year had been with adult teams and did not take into account the capabilities of the younger divisions. The JPWs in particular were practically in full panic mode from the time I came back in pre-season prep to assist after my foot surgery to when they disbanded about 3/4 of the way thru the season. The HC of the PWs was said to have raised money under false pretenses -- tantamount to, or actual, embezzling! The only team that was run really well was the Mighty Mites, whose HC was the organiz'n's president.

The next spring during jury duty I ran into one of my colleagues from that experience. He said the organiz'n had coaches in excess of their needs, so I decided it was just as well I move on. My experience with another organiz'n in 2008 was no better, however. I took 2009 off coaching and am now with an organiz'n that seems to be considerably more modest in its goals and also seems more stable.

14 seasons of doing it this way and leading the league in scoring 12 of those
Not a concept- weve done it
On the occaisions team doesnt jump we call time out