The Colts

Plays are simple & basic. Runs are Inside Zone, Counter, Stretch, Draw, etc. Passes roughly same as everybody elses'. They KEEP IT SIMPLE & OUT-EXECUTE PEOPLE.

Personnel = basically 1 TE - 3 WR - 1 RB, AND, 2 TE - 2 WR - 1 RB. They can go from one to the other by flexing Dallas Clark out as a WR, or bringing him in tight as a second TE (he is good enough to do both).

The PLAY CALLING at the LOS is the big thing. Essentially, they give Manning a 3 play package of choices (run left, run right, pass). He makes the decision based upon the number of safeties deep, or, the front alignment (techniques of DT is an important factor).

His big answer to blitz = WR screens.

This is some stuff on their philosophy I have pieced together:

TOM MOORE OFFENSIVE THINKING

1. “LESS IS BETTER”!

2. “IF THINGS ARE GOING BAD – REDUCE. GET BETTER AT WHAT YOU DO BEST”!

3. “DON’T ADD OR CHANGE THINGS (IF IT WAS THAT GOOD – WE WOULD HAVE PUT IT IN DURING AUGUST”)!



FROM AN ARTICLE: Offensive coordinator Tom Moore is a brilliant minimalist who keeps it simple. He stretches the canvas and lets his quarterback paint masterpieces. Sometimes it seems like the Colts only have four formations and seven plays, but defenses never know what's coming next.


TONY DUNGY PHILOSOPHY:

1. BE SIMPLE

2. TEACH FUNDAMENTALS

3. PLAY HARD


PEYTON MANNING: “KEEP IT SIMPLE”:

MANNING’S STRAIGHT FORWARD BUT EFFECTIVE PHILOSOPHY: “EVERY TIME YOU DROP BACK TO THROW, YOUR GOAL IS TO POSSESS THE BALL ON THE NEXT PLAY”!!!!!

Limited runs, but TONS of passes, & TONS of protections. MOVEMENTS (shifts/motions/finished fortmation packages) can be difficult to assimilate also. I spent 1 year working with a NFL Taxi Squad - what they have to learn is unreal!

One of the ways the good ones make a complex scheme somewhat simplified (at least we did) was by "conceptualizing" just about everything. For EXAMPLE:

1. We may have 25-30 formations, but all of them fell into two CONCEPTS:

a. Pro Family (Flanker & TE on SAME side);
b. Slot Family (Flanker & SE on same side).

Most all of these are accomplished ONLY by alignments of TWO people (Flanker & Slotback or H-Back).


2. We may have 80-100 passes, but all of them fall into 7-8 CONCEPTS. Each of the 8 concepts may have 10-12 passes. Each pass within that concept has the same READS (& generally the same PROTECTION).

3. We may have 23-24 protections, but each protection is a VARIATION (usually a "call") WITHIN a few basic protection categories. EXAMPLE: This is a CHART of the 7 basic protections we taught (& all 7 of these were "offshoots" of only 3 basic CONCEPTS). Each of these 7 had about 3-4 variations, that if multiplied by 7 - made it appear there were 21-28 protections:

7 BASIC PROTECTIONS CHART


“BASE”
TYPE = man
# = 7 (can be made 8 with H/Y both checking)
DB Action = split flow
Hot = none
B.O. = #4 str/wk
REDIRECT CENTER = 4 man side Call side
WEAKNESS = Ins. A gap dogs; mismatch RB on outs.
VARIATION = “OH” (RB takes H’s man; Y takes RB’s man; H takes Y’s route)


“HI/LO”
TYPE = man
# = 7
DB Action = wk flow
Hot = none
B.O. = #4 str/wk
REDIRECT CENTER = 4 man side Call side
WEAKNESS = same as BASE


“SCAT”
TYPE = man
# = 6
DB Action = split flow
Hot = #3/4 str
B.O. = #4 str/wk
REDIRECT CENTER = call side R/L 4 man side
WEAKNESS = strong side dogs


“SCRAM”
TYPE = man
# = 7
DB Action = wk flow
Hot = #3/4 wk
B.O. = #4 wk
REDIRECT CENTER = Center always weak
WEAKNESS = weak side dog


“OPTION TRIPLE”
TYPE = turn back
# = 6
DB Action = Str flow
Hot = #3/4 str
B.O. = #4 weak
REDIRECT CENTER = opposite into reduction
WEAKNESS = Str side dogs; wk 4 man rush


“OPTION SINGLE”
TYPE = turn back
# = 7
DB Action = str flow
Hot = none
B.O. = #4 weak
REDIRECT CENTER = none
WEAKNESS = wk 4 man rush; # of receivers out


“FLASH/LIGHTNING”
TYPE = man
# = 8
DB Action = split flow
Hot = none
B.O. = none
REDIRECT CENTER = weak
WEAKNESS = receivers check way out

Could go "on & on", but I simply do not have the time!