PLAYER DEVELOPMENT
Expectations of the Players
All players will be expected to: 1) make great work ethic a habit; 2) do their best academically, athletically, and socially; 3) do the right thing; 4) be honest; 5) be totally committed and loyal to our program; and, 6) take great pride in their individual performance and our team performance.
Areas for Player Development
The four areas that will be emphasized for development and improvement are: 1) attitude- we will never be out-hit or out-hustled; 2) conditioning- we will be in the best possible physical condition; 3) technique- we will teach and practice fundamentals and always be technique conscious; and, 4) intelligence- we will teach the whole picture so the players will know the why behind our system and gain an edge from using our brain.
Stages of Player Development
The stages of player development are: 1) the who stage- assignment and learning what to do; 2) the how stage- learning the technique and proper way to carry out the assignment; and, 3) the aggressive stage- when the player knows who and how and only has to concentrate on playing as physical as possible.
Team Rules
The team rules are: 1) no profanity; 2) no alcohol, drugs, or tobacco; 3) no outlandish clothing or jewelry; 4) no hair below the collar or facial hair below the lip; 5) no unexcused absences or tardiness to any class or football related activity; 6) no disrespect to any proper authority; and, 7) no substandard progress reports or final grades.
Daily Goals
The daily goals are: 1) improvement- a little each day adds up over the years; 2) great effort- there is no reason we can not work and compete harder than everyone we play; 3) unity- it takes eleven playing as one to win; 4) enthusiasm- it is contagious; 5) consistency- it comes from discipline and repetition; 6) toughness- mental and physical toughness are essential for success; and, 7) eliminate mistakes- identify mistakes and concentrate on correcting them.
PROGRAM LEADERSHIP
The Leader's Role
The leader of the program must: 1) have a plan- let everyone know what to expect and how to execute the plan; 2) set high standards- expect to win and do it with class and character; 3) expect and solve problems- identify them and attack immediately; 4) make everyone accountable and responsible- this is called manhood; 5) exemplify a positive attitude- it starts at the top; 6) motivate all participants- this includes the administration, faculty, student body, parents, media, and community; 7) expect and provide loyalty- this promotes caring and trust; and, 8) establish priorities- make them understood.
Public Relations
The guidelines for public relations are: 1) be positive about our program; 2) follow the chain of command in administrative dealings; 3) talk face to face with parents about problems and inform the head coach in advance; 4) remember the glass house concept; and, 5) do not say anything that will make the headlines.
Expectations of the Coaches
All coaches will be expected to: 1) be committed to excellence; 2) be committed to the total development of the player; 3) be intelligent and competent; 4) work hard, put in long hours, and make sacrifices; 5) be fair and honest; 6) have confidence and believe in the system; 7) be disciplined and tough; 8) be enthusiastic; 9) care for the player; and, 10) be supportive of and loyal to the head coach.
How to Win
The five keys to victory are: 1) sudden change- this includes turnovers, changes in the field position advantage, changes in the score, and the subsequent events; 2) big plays- gains of twenty five yards or more; 3) first and third downs- this correlates with drives; 4) contact- plain old fashioned out-hit 'em; and, 5) the fourth quarter- develop a mindset that no matter what has happened previously we can still find a way to win.
STAFF ORGANIZATION
Chain of Command
All coaches are expected to follow the chain of command if they have problems and/or suggestions. This will help our staff operate with minimal conflicts. The chain of command from top to bottom is: 1) administration; 2) athletic director; 3) head coach; 4) coordinators; and, 5) assistants.
Coaching Responsibilities
The various coaching responsibilities include: 1) head coach; 2) offensive coordinator; 3) offensive backfield; 4) receivers; 5) offensive line; 6) defensive coordinator; 7) defensive line; 8) linebackers; 9) secondary; 10) p.a.t./field goal; 11) p.a.t./field goal block; 12) punt; 13) punt return; 14) kickoff; 15) kickoff return; 16) academics; 17) recruiting; 18) strength and conditioning; 19) training room; 20) grounds-keeping; 21) facilities; 22) film swap; 23) game filmer (hopefully a booster or student); 24) pre-season scouting report; and, 25) weekly scouting report.
PRACTICE ORGANIZATION
Coaches' Guidelines for Practice
The coaches' guidelines for practice are: 1) no profanity; 2) no tobacco; 3) no on field discussions or arguments with other coaches; 4) be positive and enthusiastic; 5) stay on schedule; 6) change drills with intensity; 7) dress sharp and expect your players to do the same; 8) expect your group to be the best on the field; and, 9) breed confidence into your group.
Guidelines for Practice Formats
The guidelines for practice formats are: 1) dress- pads, shels, or shorts; 2) tempos- live, thud, or whiz; 3) areas of the field- the goal-line to minus ten is the backed up area, the minus ten to minus thirty is the conservative area, the minus thirty to plus thirty is the free-wheel area, the plus thirty to plus ten is the four down area, and the plus ten to goal-line is the goal-line area; 4) situations for game plans- first down, third and long (more than eight yards), third and medium (five to seven yards), third and short (two to four yards), short yardage/goal-line, first and goal/two point plays, the backed up area, the four down area, hurry-up, and slow down; 5)meeting- film, chalk-talk, and walk-through; 6)stretch and cals- hit position, side straddle hops, deep knee bends, alternate toe touches, alternate grass touches, six inches, neck bridge, layouts, and quick cals; 7) specialty- kickers, snappers, holders, kick catchers, kick blockers, QB/C exchange, and linemen walk-through; 8) individual- footwork, coordination, techniques, and competition; 9) group- inside, perimeter, half-line, and competition; 10) team- off the ball/pursuit, plays by front and coverage, plays by down and distance, short yardage/goal-line, hurry-up, and competition; and, 11) conditioning- sprints, pursuit, and perfect plays.
GAME WEEK PREPARATION
Monday
The dress for Monday is pads and the tentative schedule includes: 1) weights; 2) review of the previous game; 3) scouting report; 4) specialty; 5) team kicking game; 6) offense- opponent's base defense and special plays for this game; 7) defense- plays we must stop and special defenses for this game; 8) competition- inside and perimeter; and, 9) conditioning.
Tuesday
The dress for Tuesday is pads and the tentative schedule includes: 1) weights; 2) specialty; 3) team kicking game; 4) offense- segment emphasis, situations, short yardage/goal-line, and blitz pickup; 5) defense- segment emphasis, situations, short yardage/goal-line, and blitz package; 6) competition- short yardage/goal-line; and, 7) conditioning.
Wednesday
The dress for Wednesday is shels and the tentative practice schedule includes: 1) weights; 2) specialty; 3)team kicking game; 4) offense- team emphasis, situations, long yardage, and gadgets; 5) defense- team emphasis, situations, long yardage, and gadgets; and, 6) competition- hurry-up.
Thursday
The dress for Thursday is shorts and the tentative practice schedule includes: 1) pre-game warmup; 2) sideline organization; 3) kicking game/substitution; 4) offense- over the field; 5) defense- over the field; 6) all special situations; and, 7) itinerary.
CHECKLIST
Offense
The offensive checklist includes: 1) game plan; 2) give safety; 3) quick kick; 4) kill the clock; 5) take a delay; 6) victory; and, 7) take a knee.
Defense
The defensive checklist includes: 1) game plan; 2) no huddle rules; 3) unbalanced rules; 4) surprise rules; and, 5) prevent.
General Kicking Game
The general kicking game checklist includes: 1) scrimmage kick rules; 2) blocked kick rules; 3) free kick rules; 4) ten yard rule; 5) fair catch rules; and, 6) extra point chart.
P.A.T./Field Goal
The p.a.t./field goal checklist includes: 1) water-bucket; 2) kick it; 3) flip it; 4) guard over; 5) fire; and, 6) red field goal.
P.A.T./Field Goal Block
The p.a.t./field goal block checklist includes: 1) regular block; 2) desperation block; 3) water-bucket rules; 4) fakes; 5) red field goal; and, 6) two point automatic.
Punt
The punt checklist includes: 1)regular punt; 2) tight punt; 3) sky punt; 4) run fake; 5) pass fake; and, 6) bad snap procedure.
Punt Return
The punt return checklist includes: 1) return(s); 2) block(s); 3) safe; 4) fielder; 5) peter; 6) fakes; and, 7) spread rules.
Kickoff
The kickoff checklist includes: 1) regular kickoff; 2) pooch kickoff; 3) squib kickoff; 4) surprise on-side; 5) desperation on-side; 6) kickoff after a penalty; 7) kickoff after a safety; and, 8) free kick field goal after a fair catch.
Kickoff Return
The kickoff return checklist includes: 1) return(s); 2) surprise on-side procedure; 3) good hands procedure; 4) good hands return; 5) kickoff return after a penalty; and, 5) kickoff return after a safety.
Pre-game Warmup
The pre-game warmup procedure is: 1) stretch and cals; 2) specialty; 3) individual; 4) group; 5) team; 6) p.a.t.; 7) punt; and, 8) break-down.
Sideline Organization
The sideline organization checklist includes: 1) offense on the left and defense on the right; 2) know the situation; 3) know who is out of the game; 4) listen for the coach's call; 5) repeat the coach's call; 6) substitutes shout the coach's call to the players on the field; and, 7) enter and exit the game inside the players box.
THE GAME CLOCK
Timeouts
The reminders regarding timeouts are: 1) Each team has three per half; 2) the coach calls for timeout and the designated players relay the call to the referee; and, 3) we attempt to save all timeouts for the last two minutes.
Stopping of the Clock
The clock stops: 1) for all timeouts; 2) after an incomplete forward pass; 3) after a live ball goes out of bounds; 4) during the administration of a penalty; 5) during the measurement of a first down; and, 6) during the resetting of the chains after a first down.
Starting of the Clock
The clock starts: 1) when the ball is legally touched on a kickoff; 2) after the administration of a penalty if circumstances would have kept the clock running; and, 3) with the snap of the ball after a charged timeout, after a touchback, after an incomplete forward pass, after a change of possession, after a ball carrier goes out of bounds, after an out of bounds first down, and after the administration of a penalty if circumstances would have stopped the clock anyway.
Hurry-up
In a hurry-up situation: 1) know the down and distance; 2) get out of bounds whenever possible; 3) un-pile quickly and give the ball to the referee; 4) throw the ball away rather than taking a sack; 5) anticipate the next play based on whether or not the clock stops; 6) request a measurement whenever the ball is close to a first down; and, 7) put the ball in the field of play on fourth down.
Slow Down
In a slow down situation: 1) know the down and distance; 2) do not call timeout; 3) use the full time between plays; 4) stay in bounds; 5) commit no penalties; 6) have no turnovers; and, 7) un-pile slowly and hold the ball as long as possible.
BUZZ WORDS
Attitude
Some key phrases that the players need to hear every day concerning attitude are: 1) work hard and make it a habit; 2) find a way to win; and, 3) make something happen.
Fundamentals
Some key phrases players need to hear evey day concerning fundamentals are: 1) play pad under pad; 2) play behind your pads; 3) develop the speed of your game; and, 4) make the play.
The Three Phase Game
Some key phrases that players need to hear every day concerning the three phases of the game are: 1) offense- e and e (execution and effort); 2) defense- be in position; and, 3) special teams- pride.
Links to other sites on the Web
Coach D's Football Notebook
Coach D's Offset-I Offense
Coach D's Combo-Attack Defense
Coach D's Big-Play Kicking Game
Coach D's Strength and Conditioning Program
© 1997 d_mims@yahoo.com
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