Game Time !
A whole offseason of work has led us to the excitement and intensity of playing games. I wish you all much success in the sprint that lies ahead ..... enjoy all of it !
A ton of preparation, practice, effort and sweat by players and coaches have gotten us to the regular season and playing games. Coaches everywhere will be running the gamut of excitement, stress, elation, and relief probably every day in practice and certainly in games. As you all get into the sprint of a football season, I encourage you to enjoy what you are doing and be proud of the impact you are having on young people. It is such an important role you are playing and I wish you much success this season !
This edition of the Playbook includes:
The role of a big play in each game
Oregon coaching legend and current Stayton Head Coach Randy Nyquist talks about his coaching philosophy as well as how to guide your team through the beginning of the season, and much more
Keys to putting together a winning scouting report
Game Ball Video: My best blitz package over the past 25 years
I am excited to publish the 6th edition of the monthly playbook ! Since we launched the first edition in April, I have received a great deal of positive feedback and usage on the site which I appreciate ver much. As we enter the regular season, my aim will be to put together content and resources that can be helpful and pertinent in the hectic pace of the next months. Please message me if there are specific ideas or topics that you would like me to speak to…..I would love to make this as interactive a resource as possible. Additionally, all previous editions with all articles and videos are archived and available to paying subscribers. I encourage you to subscribe for $5/month using the subscribe button found a bit further down in the Playbook. I look forward to doing my best to make this a positive and useful resource for all of you!
JM
“You Never Know When the Big Play is going to Happen “
As the season transitions from the off season to training camp to now playing games, the stakes get higher and the margin of error between victory and defeat gets much tighter. The outcome of games can often come down to the smallest of details and inches. You need to value each and every play from the opening kick to the final whistle because it is not just the last part of the fourth quarter that determines the winner rather any single play has the potential to change the course of the game. For this reason, one of my consistent messages to my team is that you never know when the big play is going to happen.
In a football game, the result of each play dictates all the plays, strategy, and game situations that come after. For this reason, I believe it is important to emphasize with your team that each play has the potential to determine the outcome of the game. You need to have great urgency and focus on each snap because it can truly change the course of the rest of the game. In the second round of the 2019 playoffs, our Mountainside team was severe underdogs playing the undefeated #1 team in the state. On the first series of the game, our defense scored a touchdown on a scoop and score off a screen pass that was thrown backwards and fumbled. Not only did it give us an early 7-0 lead, but it instilled confidence in our players and coaches that we could actually play with these guys and find some success. While we eventually won the game in overtime, having a touchdown lead immediately reframed the rest of the game and had it not happened we quite possibly would not have won the game.
Having belief in this message can benefit your team in a variety of ways. First of all, it promotes a sense of urgency and belief that each play could be the one that makes the difference. I have always felt that one of the biggest flaws a player could have would be to give less than full effort or take a play off. If players truly believe that each play can be the one make the difference in the game, then they will be less likely to take plays off. You have to show your players examples of this happening in order to help them believe this. This past weekend, the 2023 college football season began and one of the biggest upsets was Colorado defeating TCU. Late in the second half, a TCU receiver broke loose and got past the last defender was heading for the end zone when Colorado’s star player Travis Hunter displayed great effort and caught him inside the 10 yard line. A couple of plays later, Hunter made an amazing interception to prevent a touchdown. The second play would not have happened without the first and Colorado may very well have lost the game. Showing and discussing these types of game changing situations in your own game film can help to drive the point home with your team.
Another benefit of this message is that it emphasizes to your team that everyone has a role in determining the outcome of the game. Whether you are a wide receiver stalk blocking on a bubble screen, reserve offensive lineman on the field goal team, or a rotational player in the defensive line, you know that your effort on a given play might be part of that play that has a big role in determining the outcome. I have found that this can promote a strong sense of team and accountability because the players are all trying to create that moment rather than waiting or relying on your best player to change the game !
Coaching Legend Randy Nyquist discusses his philosophies, how to approach a great or challenging start to the season, and much more
Randy Nyquist has been a head coach in Oregon for over 30 years. His coaching career has included stops at Jefferson, Toledo, West Albany, Oregon City and now, Stayton High School. Over that time, Randy has won 3 state titles , numerous league championships and is one of the most respected coaches in the state. His teams are always hard-nosed, fundamentally sound and play inspired football. When I moved to Silverton, Oregon in 2010, our teams had many epic battles and in the process Randy and I became great friends. I spoke with Randy about some of his philosophies, how he handles a strong or challenging start to season, thoughts about developing QB’s , and much more. Thank you Randy for sharing your wisdom !
Question: What are a couple of philosophies or traits of your program that have helped you sustain such a high level of success ?
Randy Nyquist: I really believe that winning is a result of a process and that if I focus on the process with my kids, that is the most important thing that I can do. I have also grown to understand that some things are not within your control so you have to focus on what you control. Winning is based upon having good players, good coaches, and even having some luck along the way. My whole philosophy comes down to relationships. Kids need to know that they are in a safe environment and they need to know you care about them. If they know they are safe and you care, they will go beyond what they are asked to do and you can get the most out of them. While I have good relationships with kids and coaches, that doesn’t mean that I am always a nice guy. It is important that we hold kids accountable: we can be firm, we can have high expectations, if they don’t get it right we need to tell them why, etc.
Kids learn the most about us when we face adversity. For example, if it is 4th and 2 and we have a good play called but the QB fumbles the ball, what do you do in that moment and how do you react. Your example and your leadership in this situation will go a long way toward building relationships you have with your players. Having these relationships is the most critical element in having a successful program.
Question: What are some things that you try to stress early in the season to get things off to a good, positive start ?
Randy Nyquist: I want to create a good, enthusiastic learning environment. That starts with me and my coaches leading by example, being organized, and having a plan and sticking to it. It is important for me to have enthusiasm and be excited about the game of football. We have to teach our players how to play football….we have to teach stance, start, fundamentals, assignments, etc. We have to create an environment where our players develop because if we don’t it will be a disappointing season. There is no fast lane….you have to work to get them ready. Part of this is challenging kids to push themselves beyond what is comfortable and in that space they can grow. When you start off a year, you often have a picture in your mind about your team and depth chart. I encourage you to also keep an open mind about your players and give them a chance because somebody might surprise you !
Question: As we are at the start of another season, I was curious about your messaging if your team gets out of the gate fast ? Secondly, how do you handle the other side if your team loses their first 2 or 3 games ?
Randy Nyquist: If you come out of the gates fast and win some games, I think it is really important as a coach that you keep your kids and staff humble. Make sure you have the ability to tap the brakes a little bit, keep everybody humble and understand the importance of getting better each week. Pick 2 or 3 specific things that you want to focus on as an area of improvement. I also tell the team that it is not about our opponent rather about us and there are always things we have to work on.
If you are on the other side and you stub your toe or have a tough schedule that results in you being you 0-3 you have to get your kids to believe and have confidence. The common thing is to continue to focus on the process but make sure that your kids, coaches, and parents don’t go South. Things can be turned around….my first year at Oregon City, we lost to West Linn, Lakeridge, and Central Catholic to open the season and then we won 8 games in a row.
Figure out what your team needs and find something positive to believe in. As a coach, don’t get too high or too low. We have a process that we will follow whether we win a game or lose a game. A loss, in fact, can be used as a motivating factor, players don’t like the feeling of coming up short and you hope that it can fuel your team. It is also important to keep your coaches on board. When you are winning games, it can be easy to feel good about yourself and pat yourself on the back. When you lose games, the tendency is to point fingers….we all need to take ownership to help resolve and make us better and get us where we need to go. Each season is unique and providers its own challenges. You have to coach in the moment, when I first got to Stayton we were 2-7 but that might have been the best coaching job we ever did. Getting teams to stick with it and play hard in the face of losing games is one of the most important coaching jobs you will ever do.
Question: Is there something you know now that you would tell younger coaches ? Is there something I wish I knew then that I know now ?
Randy Nyquist: When I got into coaching I thought I was pretty smart and had all the answers. The older I got, the more I realized that I don’t know as much as I think and that I need to keep improving and getting better. I need to keep picking things up and learning from other coaches.
Another thing would be to make things as simple as you can. I might know something and you might know something but to expect that our kids will have the same level of understanding is not realistic. A good coach makes it easy and helps our players to understand.