How Much is

Too Much?
Brandon Houston
AD/Head FB
Taylor HS (TX)
Keeping the game plan manageable yet
bhouston@taylorisd.org
broad enough to handle the opponent's
817-320-4839
@CoachHuey
countermoves
Purpose
➔ Drives the call sheet
➔ Find most favorable
matchups - avoid
mismatches
➔ What must we do to win the
game?
➔ What will they do to stop
our best stuff?
➔ Play the game before you
play the game
How Much?
● How many times will we call it?
(investment)
● Can we practice it effectively?
(time)
● Success rate based on the
practice time? (risk)
● How vital is it to winning the
game? (reward)
● Does it fit other parts of game
plan? (carry over)
 Building the Game Plan
1. Chart the opponent
a. Data/Tendencies;
Game Plan b. How have others attacked them?
What do they do?
Who do we attack?
c. How have they changed?
What’s hurt them? 2. Evaluate opponent personnel
What do we think they’ll
do to us? a. Strengths/Weaknesses?
How can we hurt them?
b. What changes have they made? Why?
c. How do we compare/match up?
 Building the Game Plan
3. Analyze our tendencies
a. What do they know?
Game Plan b. What can we anticipate them doing?
What do they do?
Who do we attack?
4. Find our formations
What’s hurt them? a. What can we predict?
What do we think they’ll
do to us? b. What favors us or hampers them?
How can we hurt them?
5. Build play database (include specials)
6. Build situationals from database
Scouting the Opponent
Every coach has specific responsibilities for data entry.

Coaches evaluate opponent personnel Tip

What you do with data
determines what you
enter… How much? How
deep?
What do you want to
know? Set up data entry
to answer those
questions.
Data
Use data to get
tendencies & expected
defensives in certain
situations.
Summarize the data into
format that can be used
for general discussion.

Uses
What do you want to
know? What do you
want your players to
know?
Helps drive discussion in
situational game
planning.
Tips
Develop your own
“worksheet” based on
what information you
want to see. Assign
coaches specific
sections to complete.

Tips
This serves as a great
summary to be given to
players.
*Note: This was from
year 1 with half the staff
new to the process so
our summaries are still
too broad.
 Uses
Why Evaluate What misdirection will
slow down the fill of #11
Personnel? (best ILB) so we can run
inside zone into this
➔ Data over Anecdotal Evidence front?

➔ X’s & O’s only equal on the board What formation keeps
their FS from being able
➔ Why are they “lining up that way?” to help #7 (weakest CB)?

➔ Don’t waste chances

➔ What adjustments to my personnel
Uses
are needed?
#20 is very aggressive
➔ Know their strengths & how they on in-breaking routes.
can be minimized Sluggo in early downs to
take a shot.
➔ Know their weaknesses & how they #75 (Nose) is an upfield
can be exploited penetrator in A-Gap.
Stretch Duck away from
him to 2-man surface.
● Gap Technique
○ 1 gap or 2 gap?
○ Read or Stunt?
● Penetration
○ Yes, No, Neutral?
● Reaction to Pullers
○ Freeze, Squeeze,
Upfield?
● Zone/Reach Block
○ Fight, Widen, Slip?
● Down Block
○ Squeeze, Fight
Pressure?
● Double Team
○ Fight, Drop, Pushed?
● Contain (DE)
○ Yes, No, Neutral?
● Pursuit (DE)
○ Sqz, Squat, Heel-Line?
● Leverage
○ Box, Apex, Coverage?
● Depth
○ LOS, Neutral, Off?
● Fit
○ Outside, Stack, Inside?
● Pursuit
○ Heel, Cutback, Angle?
● Vs Blocks
○ Hands, Avoids?
● Eyes @ Snap
○ Backfield, OL, Rec?
● Drop
○ Spot, Collision, Match?
● Hips (on drop)
○ Square, Zone, Man?
● Carry (depth)
○ Lock, <10, 15+?
● Eyes (on drop)?
● Fill
○ Fast, Avg, Poor?
● Flow
○ Fast, Avg, Poor?
● Block Destruction
○ Great, Avg, Poor?
● Pursuit
○ Cutback, Angle?
● Eyes/Keys
○ Guards, Back, Flow?
● Depth
○ Off, Neutral, Press?
● Alignment
○ Over, Inside, Outside?
● Release
○ Jam, Collision, Catch,
Free?
● Hips (on drop)
○ Square, Zone, Man,
Full?
● Breakpoint
○ Over/In, Over/Out,
Under/In, Under/Out?
● Closure
○ Great, Avg, Poor?
● Routes That Hurt
○ Type, describe
● Routes to Avoid
○ Type, describe, why?
● Eyes (drop; PAP)
○ Where?
● Hard Deck (safety depth)
○ Above, On, Below?
● Pedal (safety)
○ Straight, Out, In?
● Run Fit (safety)
○ Force, Stack, Inside?
Example of Opponent Personnel Evaluation
Example of Opponent Personnel Evaluation
Example of Opponent Personnel Evaluation
 What Have Other Teams Done?
1. Who did they attack? Who did they
think was weak?
Game Plan
What can we learn
2. What had success? (formations; schemes)
and/or take from other
team’s approach? 3. What adjustments did the defense
Have they made
adjustments? What are make to offensive success?
they?
What similarities are 4. Is there a pattern or did they seem to
there between us?
correct the earlier weakness?
 What Are Our Tendencies?
1. What film do they have? What do they
know?
Game Plan
What do we do?
2. Are there glaring tendencies that we
What do they think we
will do?
must protect?
What do they feel like
they must stop?
3. What tendencies can we use to create
How can these explosive complimentary plays?
tendencies help us?
4. What do we need to avoid?
 Uses
What Formations? Vs Trey we can expect
54 Cover 3 over 85% of
the time.
➔ What formations give us the
In any 3x1 where the star
strongest defensive tendencies? is solo they stay Cover 2
➔ What formations create leverage or or play Cut almost
exclusively. When not
personnel advantages? (favorable matchups) the star, expect Uno.

➔ What formations must we avoid?

➔ Are any personnel adjustments
Uses
needed to utilize high tendency
Vs Doubles, they play all
formations? their fronts about
➔ Will shifts and/or motions help with equally & coverage
possibilities match this..
formations or personnel within Vs Empty they auto to 0
formations? & blitz but don’t think we
can handle this enough
to take advantage.
Run Plays (by formation)
● Find our best plays
○ Best strong side run?
○ Best weak side run?
● What takes us out of those?
○ Adjusted strong side run?
○ Adjusted weak side run?
● Do we have any explosives off
either of these?
○ What makes us call them?
● What will we do vs pressure?
○ What/where can we run?
Pass Plays (by formation)
● Best plays
○ Quick game?
○ Intermediate to Deep?
● What concepts protect these?
○ Adjusted quick?
○ Adjusted deep?
● Shot plays? (quick & deep)
○ What makes us call them?
● Pressure passes
○ Quick (screen)
○ Dropback/Sprintout
Game Plan
T is flat penetrator; RB
player; chases down
blocks
W poor block
destruction, gets caught
in traffic.
Solo CB bad vs dbl
moves & vs Win
Game Plan
T is flat penetrator; RB
player; chases down
blocks
W poor block
destruction, gets caught
in traffic.
Solo CB bad vs dbl
moves & vs Win
 Handling Pressure
1. Open field chances of a blitz?
2. What situation do they blitz the most?
Blitz
a. By Down/Distance
When does the DC say
“enough is enough”? b. By Field Position
Who/where does the
pressure come from? c. By Formation
Do they scheme the
protection/formation or 3. What are their favorite blitzes?
standard blitzes each
week? a. Same criteria as above.
b. Which player(s) most likely to blitz?
Game Plan
Likely OLB blitz vs 3x1
(especially Wk)
3rd Down is greatest
chance of blitz in open
field.
Inside the 25 expect
outside pressure.
Game Plan
ILB away from TE likes to
blitz (slower to fill but
athletic so blitz helps
him play inside runs)
Bring OLB pressure but
mostly Wk so TE can’t
chip.
Call Sheet
Prep Sheet vs Call Sheet
Call Sheet
 Establishing Bank of Openers
● What tendencies have we shown?
● What formations can we best predict
Thoughts
How predictable are
the defense? % we will get pressure?
they on 1st down?
What plays do we
● High probability of this being our best
execute the best?
How risky can we be?
plays or the adjuster plays.
Can we run for 5 yds on ● Great time for RPO or high % throw.
2nd & 10?
● Don’t be afraid to take shots!
 Building Situational Call Sheet
● Determine what situations are important
to you beforehand
Main Areas
● What can you predict?
3rd & Long / 3rd & Med
Red Zone ● What have you done prior to this game?
Goal Line
Game Changers
● Use the Prep Sheets to build situational
(specials)
Plays for Star
○ Best plays? Shots or pressure plays?
○ Do we need 1-offs?
Call Sheet
● 7 formations plus goalline
package
● 6 overall run schemes (tight zone,
wide zone, power, counter, draw,
iso + variations & tags)
● 12 pass concepts (several are in
the same “family”)
● 4 main protection schemes (+ 3
technique variations)
● 2 screens
● 6 specials (4 but 2 have variations)
FINAL THOUGHTS
● The game is about players, not plays
● Don’t over complicate it - find the best
ways to attack and ramp up execution
● Investment vs Return Thoughts

● Risk vs Reward How many ways can you

get from Point A from
Point B?
● Trust your planning - go where the If 3 will do, why do you
need 4?
data told you to go How many calls do you
need for a game that
consists of 65 plays?