Post by dubber on Nov 21, 2012 10:59:32 GMT -6
Coaches,
Our staff started a journey in 2007. We had one goal: win a sectional championship. 5 years later, we accomplished that goal.
Basically, the raw talent level was not higher than it was in previous years (in fact, it was probably lower), but there were some distinctive traits about our 2012 kids that made them champions.
Some Most of these are old hat, but now I OWN them as truth.....perhaps one or two will surprise you.
1.) Coachability is more important than talent.
We are a no huddle, multiple shotgun formation. We run Sweep and Iso, have 1 screen scheme, and a handful of passing concepts. We use formations and motions to create mismatches and angles to, well, run Iso and throw hitches.
I am on the box and the OC is on the field. We have a great working relationship and I know exactly what he's looking for...........and, while we had very talented teams in 08 and 10, there were times when we had the perfect play called, and our lack of execution/focus would ruin it.
Our kids this year ran and broke routes exactly as we taught, our back's attacked their responsibiities with conviction, and our offense (despite having less talent than previosu teams) has never executed better from a consistency standpoint.
And that, is the big deal......remove the variables of talented players who are inconsistent and replace them with constants.
The less variables in the formula, the more predictable the results.
2.) There is no way around team strength.
You can get all the angles, create all the conflict, and get all the people at the POA you want, but it's not about where you send your X's and O's, it's about what happens when they get there. A big part of that is technique (previously talked about in point number 1), and just as important is strength.
The baddest team on our schedule run the flexbone, and they have crushed us in recent years (50+ points, 400 yards rushing etc.).....the triple option was black magic to our kids, but the bigger issue was they were a stronger team.
This season our defense gave up 2 TD's to their offense. We intentionally stopped scheming, lined up in our base 5-2, and told them to beat the block and get to the football.
I believe a good defense and a good offensive line are essential to winning, and neither of those can be worth anything unless they are strong.
Our 2012 kids worked out harder than ANY other team we've ever had. At our level, a 225 lb bench, 300 lb squat and 200 lb power clean usually equals a varisty player. We had more of those types of kids than ever before.
The road to championships runs right through your weightroom. The sooner you embrace that, the better.
3.) You really have to pay attention to first down play calls.
I harp on this a ton, but it rings so true.
We wanted to run Iso. We were at our best when our OL was getting a hat on a hat, and our RB's were leading up LB's, and our ballcarrier was reading the hole and hitting the crease.
In order to make sure we COULD do this, we had to build in constraints to make the rest of the defense stretch out, so we could run Iso.
So, instead of running Iso on a majority of our first downs, we made sure to run Jet Sweep, throw screens, bootleg and throw PA routes and throw hitches to uncovered WR's. We were probably 50-50 on first down run-pass ratio.
However, we ended up 75%-80% run. By mixing it up on first down, we found ourselves in a ton of 3rd and short situations. We had more third and shorts than in previous years, and that is the perfect situation for our best play.
This goes for all offenses, imo.
4.) You cannot win anything meaningful without mentally tough players
This ties in with weightroom strength and confidence. You will not be successful with a team that cannot overcome adversity.
In 08 and 10 we had more athletes than any program we came across. We played and beat good teams. We had good enough team strength, our execution could be a little shoddy, but we had a scrambling Q (08) and a bevy of athletes (10) who could pick up chunks of yardage at any time. We lived in 3rd and long and it didn't matter.
Our playoff losses both incurred a time of adversity that we failed to rise up to.......in 08, we had the top 5 team in the state down a TD late in the 3rd. A questionable fumble scoop and score later, and you could tell our kids were not going to be able to overcome it.
In 2010, in the sectional final, we are down 2 at halftime. On our first possession we turn it over. They score. Next possession, we turn it over again.........game over early in the 3rd quarter.
In 2012, in the sectional final, we are up 2-0 at halftime. Our senior TE/WR has fumbled twice going into the endzone. Two TD's if he would have just hung on to the ball!
They score in the 3rd quarter to make it 7-2.......I'm thinking "here we go again". Trade possessions, and we get the ball with 6 minutes to go. We drive it down the field, and the SAME TE who fumbled 2 first half TD's away catches a 5 yard snag and runs through a couple defenders on his way into the end zone.
We went on to force two turnovers and score two more TD's in that game.
The kids never doubted they were going to win that game........I believe the amount of work they put in the offseason not only conditioned their bodies, but it conditioned their hearts. They had poured their soul into the program, and by God, they were not going to be denied.
Yes, that mental toughness is worth it's weight in track stars.
At any rate, those 4 things will be the focus of any future coaching for me.........all the "HOW's" that go into creating that? I don't know yet, but at least I know the WHAT's.
And that, at age 27, is what I basically know about champions.
Our staff started a journey in 2007. We had one goal: win a sectional championship. 5 years later, we accomplished that goal.
Basically, the raw talent level was not higher than it was in previous years (in fact, it was probably lower), but there were some distinctive traits about our 2012 kids that made them champions.
1.) Coachability is more important than talent.
We are a no huddle, multiple shotgun formation. We run Sweep and Iso, have 1 screen scheme, and a handful of passing concepts. We use formations and motions to create mismatches and angles to, well, run Iso and throw hitches.
I am on the box and the OC is on the field. We have a great working relationship and I know exactly what he's looking for...........and, while we had very talented teams in 08 and 10, there were times when we had the perfect play called, and our lack of execution/focus would ruin it.
Our kids this year ran and broke routes exactly as we taught, our back's attacked their responsibiities with conviction, and our offense (despite having less talent than previosu teams) has never executed better from a consistency standpoint.
And that, is the big deal......remove the variables of talented players who are inconsistent and replace them with constants.
The less variables in the formula, the more predictable the results.
2.) There is no way around team strength.
You can get all the angles, create all the conflict, and get all the people at the POA you want, but it's not about where you send your X's and O's, it's about what happens when they get there. A big part of that is technique (previously talked about in point number 1), and just as important is strength.
The baddest team on our schedule run the flexbone, and they have crushed us in recent years (50+ points, 400 yards rushing etc.).....the triple option was black magic to our kids, but the bigger issue was they were a stronger team.
This season our defense gave up 2 TD's to their offense. We intentionally stopped scheming, lined up in our base 5-2, and told them to beat the block and get to the football.
I believe a good defense and a good offensive line are essential to winning, and neither of those can be worth anything unless they are strong.
Our 2012 kids worked out harder than ANY other team we've ever had. At our level, a 225 lb bench, 300 lb squat and 200 lb power clean usually equals a varisty player. We had more of those types of kids than ever before.
The road to championships runs right through your weightroom. The sooner you embrace that, the better.
3.) You really have to pay attention to first down play calls.
I harp on this a ton, but it rings so true.
We wanted to run Iso. We were at our best when our OL was getting a hat on a hat, and our RB's were leading up LB's, and our ballcarrier was reading the hole and hitting the crease.
In order to make sure we COULD do this, we had to build in constraints to make the rest of the defense stretch out, so we could run Iso.
So, instead of running Iso on a majority of our first downs, we made sure to run Jet Sweep, throw screens, bootleg and throw PA routes and throw hitches to uncovered WR's. We were probably 50-50 on first down run-pass ratio.
However, we ended up 75%-80% run. By mixing it up on first down, we found ourselves in a ton of 3rd and short situations. We had more third and shorts than in previous years, and that is the perfect situation for our best play.
This goes for all offenses, imo.
4.) You cannot win anything meaningful without mentally tough players
This ties in with weightroom strength and confidence. You will not be successful with a team that cannot overcome adversity.
In 08 and 10 we had more athletes than any program we came across. We played and beat good teams. We had good enough team strength, our execution could be a little shoddy, but we had a scrambling Q (08) and a bevy of athletes (10) who could pick up chunks of yardage at any time. We lived in 3rd and long and it didn't matter.
Our playoff losses both incurred a time of adversity that we failed to rise up to.......in 08, we had the top 5 team in the state down a TD late in the 3rd. A questionable fumble scoop and score later, and you could tell our kids were not going to be able to overcome it.
In 2010, in the sectional final, we are down 2 at halftime. On our first possession we turn it over. They score. Next possession, we turn it over again.........game over early in the 3rd quarter.
In 2012, in the sectional final, we are up 2-0 at halftime. Our senior TE/WR has fumbled twice going into the endzone. Two TD's if he would have just hung on to the ball!
They score in the 3rd quarter to make it 7-2.......I'm thinking "here we go again". Trade possessions, and we get the ball with 6 minutes to go. We drive it down the field, and the SAME TE who fumbled 2 first half TD's away catches a 5 yard snag and runs through a couple defenders on his way into the end zone.
We went on to force two turnovers and score two more TD's in that game.
The kids never doubted they were going to win that game........I believe the amount of work they put in the offseason not only conditioned their bodies, but it conditioned their hearts. They had poured their soul into the program, and by God, they were not going to be denied.
Yes, that mental toughness is worth it's weight in track stars.
At any rate, those 4 things will be the focus of any future coaching for me.........all the "HOW's" that go into creating that? I don't know yet, but at least I know the WHAT's.
And that, at age 27, is what I basically know about champions.