Into the Home Stretch
As we enter October and into the heart of league play, there are a lot of big games with league titles and playoff implications on the horizon.
Coaches and players can feel the intensity of this time of year, which can be both exciting and stressful. As we enter the home stretch, I wish you all the best of luck in having your teams play their best football in the exciting weeks ahead!
This edition of the Playbook includes:
The little things are big ….. why some teams consistently win.
Part I in a series with former Oregon State and 8-year NFL QB Sean Mannion discussing things he has learned and tips he has received regarding all aspects of quarterback play.
Thoughts on coaching your team down the home stretch of the season.
Game Ball Video: Great hustle plays win games!!
I am excited to publish this 7th edition of the monthly Playbook! I appreciate all your support and readership each month. As we enter the intense stretch run of the season, my aim will be to put together content and resources that can be helpful and pertinent during this time. 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 will continue to do my best to make this a positive and useful resource for all of you!
o JM
The Little Things are Big
Having coached for many years against excellent football coaches and programs in both CA and OR, I have always admired programs that seem to win year after year. While talent is certainly a big ingredient to success, I have always been curious and searched to see what made these coaches / teams consistent winners. What makes a winner and why do some teams consistently find success? I don’t believe that it is simply luck or coincidence, rather an understanding that each little step in the process is important and should not be overlooked or discounted.
A lot goes into being successful in high school football, in business, and even in life, but I have come to believe that doing the little things right and with a purpose is something that “winners” consistently do. Many things surrounding a football team may seem mundane or unimportant: do you start practice on time, how do you take the field for pregame warmups, how do leave the visiting locker room on a road game, how do your players carry themselves in school, etc. Surely these things directly reflect on your program, but I believe doing them all with a purpose will also foster consistent behavior / effort from your players. I truly believe that if a player is inconsistent in how they go about their business throughout the week, you cannot expect them to be consistent on Friday night. This consistency is developed by placing importance on doing things the right way, not just some things, but everything. As a coach I believe you need to take the time to explain why these things are important and why they make a difference. For example, at the end of each practice, I have the offensive linemen put the blocking bags back into the equipment shed. As a group they need to carry them in and neatly stack them by the door for practice the next day. I will often praise them for doing a great job with that and will get on them if they leave it a mess or if some players are not helping with the task. How they leave the equipment room each day has nothing to do with how talented a player they are but it can develop consistency and pride in your players knowing that they are doing things the right way.
When I was at Silverton High School, we had a great run from 2012 – 2014 in which we only lost 4 games over that span. We had talented teams but also teams that were as dialed in as I have ever coached. Going into the 2015 season, even though we had graduated many excellent players from those teams, I was confident that we would be a good, competitive team. As the season began, I began to notice some things that I knew were red flags: some of players changed in the parking lot rather than using the locker room, the weight room was not as clean and orderly as it had been in the past, players were forgetting their knee pads or practice jerseys so they often had to borrow before practice, etc. While this could be considered typical high school behavior, I knew it was important and concerning, yet in fast pace of the season, I did not address it with the team. It was not a surprise to me that after six games we had a 2-4 record. The players were giving good effort but we were not executing as well or playing as cleanly as we had in previous years. While we rallied back and won our last 3 games to get into the playoffs, I left the season mad at myself because I saw these little details being neglected and I knew better than to think it was not a big deal. That offseason my main priority was not installing a new offense or defense but re-establishing the identity within our program that everything we did was important. The next season, with similar talent, we had a 7-2 regular season record and a high seed in the state playoffs.
A football team, or any organization for that matter, is built upon the trust and knowledge among the group that everyone is accountable to the mission and can be counted on to not cut corners. Football is truly a team sport in that you have 11 players on the field at all times and if one of the players jumps offsides, does the wrong assignment on a given play, doesn’t communicate with his teammates, etc. it can derail the entire team. Building this mindset that if we are doing something, we are doing it the right way will create consistency of behavior and accountability among your players. This type of attention to detail can be contagious as players don’t want to be the one that is letting the others down. It is also critical that as coach you lead by example and that you too are doing the little things right. Why do some teams / people always seem to win? I believe that doing all the little things right and with a purpose is a big reason why!
1 on 1 Interview with 8 year NFL Quarterback Sean Mannion discussing tips and coaching points for playing the position, as well as specific things to help as young HS QB grow and excel
Sean Mannion played quarterback at Oregon State from 2010 – 2014 and spent the past 8 seasons in the NFL with the Rams (4 years), Vikings (3 years), and Seahawks (1 year). He has played under many excellent coaches including Mike Riley, Sean McVay, Gary Kubiak, and Pete Carroll. In the first of a 2-part series, he will share many things he has learned playing the game as well as wisdom he has learned from his coaches along the way.
Question: What are 2 or 3 characteristics you have found to be essential to being a successful quarterback?
SM: I have found accuracy to be the most critical factor. So much has to go right for a successful passing game: pass protection needs to be good, and a receiver needs to win his route. If all that happens as planned, you need to be able to throw a good ball. To put the ball where it needs to be on a consistent basis is the most important thing.
Next I would say is the mental processing and if the player can digest the offensive system and operate it. Is he processing things quickly and able to anticipate, make quick decisions, etc.
I would put footwork and mechanics as number 3. I think that footwork is the easiest area for QB’s to grow and it is the area that is most easily addressed ….having a good base and fluid, clean drops. Arm mechanics are a lot more difficult to make major changes in because his natural throwing motion is what his body is telling him to do.
Question: In terms of accuracy and mental processing, what would be some effective ways to develop that?
SM: With accuracy, I think a lot of it is repetition. You need to spend time throwing to moving targets. Don’t measure yourself simply on completions vs incompletions. If a QB has a poorly thrown ball and the WR makes a diving catch, don’t be satisfied with that. Push yourself for a perfectly thrown ball. You don’t want to be beating yourself up on the field, but in the offseason and practice, grade yourself on accuracy not the result.
With mental processing, the biggest thing is getting reps and having mastery of your offense. Once the QB shifts from needing to know what the routes are, formations, etc. they can then begin reading defenses. This is where the mental processing can take a really big leap. 7-on-7 is a great way to work on this. Even though it is not real football, it offers the QB and skill players an uninterrupted way to see the coverage players on the field. If your focus is on training your QB to read defenses and process quickly, removing the offensive and defensive lines from the equation can be helpful and make them more comfortable when it is 11-on-11.
Question: What do you think is the main cause of inaccuracy?
SM: Probably sloppy footwork….too narrow of a base leads to an overly long stride. If you have a consistent base where there can be certain amount of weight transfer from back to front, it helps with arm strength and driving the ball accurately. If it is too wide, you will have a hard time transferring weight so the ball may die on you. Target line is the other big one. The back foot in your base should always be perpendicular to your target when you throw.
Question: As far as mastery of offense, is it good with young QBs to start with a limited number of plays to allow them to master it ? As a coach, it is always tempting to add more….
SM: Watch out for too much, too soon. Pacing is the key…..have a feel for “do I really need this play in right now or is it just adding to the mental burden of the QB”. Generally speaking, less is more, at the high school level maybe it is 12-15 plays. You want your players to feel comfortable with what they are running, I found the easiest way to generate tons of time on task through Spring practice and the Summer program is to really hone in on a prioritized menu of the identity of your offense. Once you build your menu of plays, you can come back to them and then add a little each week depending on your opponent.