Coverdale Passing

Looking through the Coverdale books and videos and powerpoints this weekend and basically wrote down every concept he has and looked to see if they could ALL be put in an offense. If you'll notice, in his books he has 11 5 steps 51-59 as well as 50 triangle and 50 Over. For his 3 step 90 series he has another 12 plays: 91-99, 90 Wheel, 90 In/Out and 90 Spacing. When first looking at that I thought, dang, 23 concepts...that seems like a lot. But then I started breaking them down by the reads and a lot of them shared simple reads.

For example: The Hitch/Seam, the Out/Seam, the Curl/Flat, the Slant/Flat, the Stick, the Short, the Hinge, the Flood and the Mesh...all keyed the same thing: the #2/flat defender.

While the Smash, Quick Smash, Stop, Fade/Breakout and the Indy choice route all keyed the movement of the CB.

The 4 verts (both 90 series and 50 series) and the Vertical switch concept key the Safeties and the Dig and the Over key the LB drops.

Triangle is really the only one that doesn't fit into one of the above 4.

Covderdale himself, in Bunch Attack, said there was no way that he would use all of the plays he presented in his book in a season and he basically just wanted to give a solid group to choose from. What I see though is 4 different types of reads that can attack a defense in a multiple amount of ways.

In one of the quick passing game books Coverdale explains how you can cut down on the plays using tags.

So for example you teach Slant and Hitch and then you can tag them to create Out/seam, and short. Coverdale and Robinson are big or keeping the concept and adding formations. What Formations are cheap to learn and teach. Just by moving guys around some you can get what you want without having to carry a different concept into the season.

Coverdale is at Trinity and it appears at least that they do not run a ton of concepts. If you watch his offseason planning DVD it goes into part of what you are talking about. You can get determine which concepts will not fit and which ones you need. That way you are prepared before you even start spring. Also keep in mind that the 90 series can be taught to your feeder program and run by your freshman so it is less teaching for those concepts. They are big on reading 2 and putting him in conflict through formation, motion and run actions.

Coaching Basics

There are only 3 reasons a person doesn't do what you're telling them to do.
A - You didn't tell them
B - They can't
C - They won't

So if you tell them, it only leaves the other 2.
B - is your fault for asking someone to do something they aren't capable of.
C - is also your fault for playing someone who won't do what you're asking them to do.

Change the what you're asking them to do, change the way you're asking them to do it and get rid of those who won't.

"I don't care what kind of athlete you are, I don't care what grade you are in, if you want to play defense for me you will come to weights and I will only play people who are football players."

How to keep it together when you have a bad team

1. Have a plan and work your plan - use the experts and experience from this board and friends / mentors to do what works.
2. Stay the course - be consistent and constant in every thing. Teach and force fundamentals in all things - never compromise basic sound football so that you can "out scheme" a better opponent.
3. Be swift and harsh in discipline; loving, kind and caring in praise. My lovable losers will test me everyday but they need to be held accountable but also need my approval.
4. Don't second guess yourself - we all make mistakes, we all wish we did something differently. Move on - we tell the kids to strap up and play the next play - I also tell myself this every game.
5. Everyone has the answers but very few are willing to pay the price. Winning comes because you consistently do the right thing over the course of the season. NOT because of the scheme, plays called, etc.
6. You can't climb a mountain without first setting the rigging and climbing the wall. Set short term reachable goals and focus on them. Give the kids rewards for reaching goals.

The Big 5 DB Footwork Drills

1. Inch Step- This is a shorten version of a shuffle step. It is used to not allow huge cushion at the bottom/or start of a route. Make sure your kids are using their arms on the drill. Alot of them like to just leave their arms by their side.
2. WetField Stop- We use the wetfield stop for one simple reason. It allows us to redirect/comeback or break toward the LOS without stoping our momentum. I tell my guys to pretend that they are playing on a wetfield, hence the name of the drill. We never plant our foot. We simple drive our knees up and tap our feet slightly of the ground. Once the feet are back on the ground we drive back toward the line of scrimmage.
3. 45 Degree break- we inch step about 5 yards and I point in the direction that I want them to break, they break in a 45 degree angle after they have executed their wetfield stop.
4. Quick turn- I have them inch step for 5 yards, I point them to the post for about 3 steps and then I point them to the corner(post corner). To go from the post to the post corner, we execute the quick turn. We quickly get the chin around by sticking the low field foot and throwing the up field shoulder. I tell my guys not to make the turn to wide and to keep it tight and compact. If they turn to wide then they will just make one big circle. Ater we come out of our quick turn, we have to attack the WR upfield shoulder. We do not want to come on the low field shoulder and allow the ball to be thrown over our heads. Note: do not do this drill on any routes under a 45 degree angle such as a dig route or an in &out route. You are better served turning the hips in that situation.
5. Highest Point Drill- We have the kids line about about 15 yards in front of us and jog towards us. The ball is then then in an attempt to get it over the DB's head. The DB goes up and tries to grab the ball at it's highest point. If can not catch it, he knocks it to the ground. If he cathces the ball, he then yells oskie, oskie ,oskie which alerts his teammates of an interception.

DB Footwork Drills

FOOTWORK DRILLS
Line Drills. Have your DBs run the following line drills. Make the drills competitive by rewarding the first player to finish. Make sure the coaches are closely watching the players as they run, monitoring technique for a variety of factors including footwork, body positioning, pivoting and head/eye positioning.
Line Drill A: Backpedal 5 yards, turn and run 5 yards.
Line Drill B: Backpedal 5 yards, plant and run 5 yards in a straight line. Run one rep to the left and one to the right side.
Line Drill C: Backpedal 5 yards, turn and run 5 yards. Backpedal another 10 yards, turn and run 10 yards.

CONE DRILLS
We utilize cone drills to practice breaking on out and hitch patterns.
DIAGRAM 1: Cone Drill No. 1 "W-Drill."
DIAGRAM 2: Cone Drill No. 2 "Sideline Retreat."


COMMUNICATION, MAKING-THE-INTERCEPTION DRILLS
The following 1-line and 2-line drills help DBs better learn to communicate with their teammates during fast-paced live-action situations, while reinforcing proper techniques to create turnovers. During the line drills all DBs must yell out things such as "Pass!" "Ball!" or "Bingo!" to get them into the habit of communicating while on the fly.
DIAGRAM 3: 1-Line Ball Drills. From this 1-line alignment you can run three types of drills, the "High-Ball, Low-Ball Drill," the "Duck Drill" and the "Tip Drill."
DIAGRAM 4: 1-Line Drill "Step-In-Front Drill."
DIAGRAM 5: 2-Line Ball Drills "45-Degree Break Drill."
DIAGRAM 6: 2-Line Ball Drills "Turn-And-Run Drill."
DIAGRAM 7: 2-Line Ball Drills "Turn-And-Run, 45-Degree Drill."
DIAGRAM 8: 2-Line Ball Drills " Centerfield-Turn Drill."


PARTNER DRILLS
The following partner drill reinforce various DB techniques and fundamentals.
DIAGRAM 9: "Dog-Fight Drill." In this drill, 2 players align 1 yard apart and get into their backpedal. The coach signals the direction and the player closest to the pointed direction becomes the WR, while the other player becomes the DB and makes a proper break on the ball.
DIAGRAM 10: "Fade Drill." In this drill, the DB lines up slightly behind the WR. The WR sprints into a fade and the DB tries to catch up him and break up the pass.
DIAGRAM 11: "Strip Drill With No Ball." The DB works on numerous techniques from this alignment, including collision, interceptions, strips, knockdowns and point of delivery.
DIAGRAM 12: "Range Drill." This an effective zone drill in which the DB works on QB delivery keys.

Great Quote

" how this amazing game of football, introduces a man to himself. And through that introduction, impacts his life, like nothing else does."

If you were hired to start a program . . .

Establishing your coaches in your program first. Within those coaches I would hire a great strength and speed coach who is very creative. You would probably not have the facilities an established football program has so you would need to think outside of the box and let the facilities come in time after you have proven yourself (i.e.-Michigan-j/k).
I would also establish a character program before we even touched the football, something like-"Coaching to Change Lives" (Rutledge and Parker). IMO-You need to establish character before you establish schemes

First, I would make sure the administration is willing to hire good football coaches, and that there was some budget to do so.
Then, I would search out coaches who understand that for the first 2-3 years they won't be coaching football per se, they will be building football players.
I would make sure that they were relatively vertical ambition free in their career, because the drag of this required patience in building a football player, which includes a significant investment in building their parents into "football parents", would discourage most who just have their focus on scheming their way to victory with a, "Hey, I am just here to coach football" mentality.
They must have the maturity to realize, that the emotional drain on them in the beginning will be 5 times greater than any other football job they have done. Not saying there won't be fulfilling moments initially, its just that until you get THEM all to buy in emotionally, and ultimately passionately, the staff will have to be the emotional investment for the entire program. Like capital in a new business, it is a huge investment of emotional capital up front with little, to no, guarantees.
The risk is great, but so is the reward, if you have a staff willing to hang in there. That requires more than knowledge and a scheme, much more. Those kind of quality coaches are usually already working somewhere else significantly better because they are that way. That is why, if you find one, fight for him hard, because they are few and far between come August.
Starting a program from scratch, and creating a football culture, requires a patience and resolve that many, NOT ALL, young coaches may balk at.
Not because they don't love football, they would give their right arm for the game, its that some just haven't matured past their own coaching ambition to love the kids that are playing for them more than their career potential. So when a new player they are coaching doesn't execute, because he's never done it, they take it personal, and things can get high maintenance in a hurry.
This endeavor isn't so much about pure football knowledge, as it is about knowing, and caring about the kids and community, and wanting them to experience the incredible story that this game can give them. To want THEM to experience the life long lessons that this game teaches.
To have the resolve to START a brand new program, in my opinion, must include a staff, beginning with the head coach, who understands that the privilege will not be that he gets to build a stepping stone for a career, rather he will have the unspeakable honor of sharing with each one who dons a helmet, how this amazing game of football, introduces a man to himself. And through that introduction, impacts his life, like nothing else does.
You want to create a culture, take the greatest game ever created, that we have the privilege of talking about here every day, and hold it up like the greatest tool ever created for the development of a man's character - a mirror to his soul.
If we can get that young man, and by extension, his parents, to glance at that mirror for a little while, and to contemplate what they are seeing about themselves - even the slightest bit - they will be imprinted for a lifetime. Now, in those defining moments, when a kid, or parent, catches an honest look at themselves, what we as coaches standing behind them, whisper in those kids/parents ears as they gaze into that mirror, will define the culture we create, both in the heart of the kid, and in the community.
Here's the real challenge I have found in starting a football program, and creating a culture, it is just real hard to get those kids and parents to stop looking down at themselves long enough to look in that mirror.
Sorry to wax all psycho on you, but having done this "start a program" process twice in my career, I guess it has caused me to have some time to look into that mirror myself, and it changed me forever - that is why I love this game, and love coaching it.