By Bob Chmiel
Contrary to what might seem evident, this is a very busy time of year for a college football coach. So many factors figure into what used to be a time devoted exclusively to preparations for the spring football practices.
First and foremost, the preparations for spring football have changed due to the nuances of more sophisticated offenses. And in response, the defenses attempt to keep up with the sizes of the offensive playbooks by expanding their own considerably. This in turn means more teaching, which also includes more prep time for that teaching.
Add to that the fact that so many young men are foregoing the second semester of their senior years of high school in favor of coming to campus and getting a jump on the subject matter at hand. At Notre Dame this factor is accelerated in that Jimmy Clausen, one of those young men, is a quarterback.
Regardless of the demands of the most sophisticated high school offenses, learning the complete package of skills needed to execute a high-powered collegiate offense is an entirely new world of football, even for those regarded as “prodigies.”
Each morning the staff meets to work out the specifics of their daily plans. During that meeting, the academics of each current player are possibly discussed along with any other issues that may be relevant, including the accelerated recruiting process of current high school juniors. This wasn’t as prevalent years ago. So while you are in the midst of one of the most critical teaching periods of the year, life goes on with the day to day responsibilities consistent with being an assistant coach at a high-profile program.
After the administrative aspects of the day are covered, the defensive staff leaves the conference room to attend meetings concerning their side of the football. From time to time during the offensive and defensive breakdowns, the coordinators may interrupt each other to discuss practice plans. This usually occurs when one side of the ball wants to see a particular "look" from the other side. One of the coordinators may ask the other to adjust their particular base package to emulate something that they may want to see. This usually happens when the schedule calls for “first team versus first team” rather than using demonstration teams.
They also may interrupt each other to question how, perhaps, the offensive minds would attack a defense that the defense is trying to install. “How would you block this?” Or, “What under routes would you throw versus this coverage?”
Staffs that have been together know that there will be reciprocity as the preparations continue and have no problems sharing knowledge with one another as spring football rolls on.
After a “possible” lunch break, that staff usually reconvenes yet again to go over the practice schedule. This meeting gets into the specific nature of the practice in that they will review every play on the script. The script is a virtual menu of plays specifically thought out to show how a particular offensive or defensive call will fare against a particular call from the opposition.
The scripts are usually divided into plays that are third and long, plays that are run with third and three or less, goal-line plays, blitz package plays, first down plays…and so on regarding any number of other situations. This aspect of the meetings can get very technical in that there will be some experimenting with new material that will also be new to the other side of the ball.
Enter the word “installation.” That is the sequence by which the offensive and defensive schemes are presented to the players. The installation is usually cumulative and consecutive. This aspect of teaching can be compared to learning a language. Good teaching in football is what is comfortable and easily comprehendible for the players, one that builds upon their most recent lessons. You must be able to “run” a running play before you can turn that play into an effective play-action pass.
Adjustments to the script will take place at the end of the meeting. Here is an example of a scripted offensive play with the defense it will be run against:
Left hash:
1. Red up go 46 power vs. angle-fill-fire
2. Blue trade zip 446 vs. slant-fill-smoke
As each play is discussed in the script, the coaches are making notes as to what to expect.
The meeting usually ends with, “everybody on the same page? Good, let's have a great practice.”
Now, the coaches retreat once again to offensive and defensive meetings, and for a brief time, they review a few last minute items before going to their respective offices for a few recruiting or administrative duties.
After practice, each play is reviewed, “called” off the script and analyzed. Each assignment gets critiqued and the general successes or problems with the play determine whether that play warrants a permanent home in the playbook. It is also decided whether or not a particular play must be audibled because of what may have caused a problem in the spring.
The coaches’ lives are very full during the spring, and motivation is always critical, especially without a game to look forward to. Coaches must avoid the “dog days” of spring and keep each of their charges crisp and ready to learn. Every young guy must be evaluated every day, and you must come out of spring with a solid idea as to who would line up for your team if the game were tomorrow.
When you visit the Blue and Gold Game, remember some of these scenarios and know that the head coach and his nine assistants are completing a process that is concise as a result of much hard work, both physically as well as mentally.
Source: http://www.blueandgold.com/content/?aid=3512
