Ramblings of Coach D

Every once in a while I feel like I need to ramble on about something. That is why I created my blog in the first place. What a better way for me to discuss football. It helps me from going crazy.

I don't want to turn my blog into a an advertisement for my playbook so I will only mention this once.

Everything you see on my blog is also in my playbook. There is also quite a bit more information in it. I cover philosophy, formations, each series (100's through 600's), The Jet and Rocket, Passing (3 step, 5step, and Play action)

I am willing to share my playbook and my knowledge with others. I have put quite a bit of time into making my playbook so I feel that I have to ask for some kind of monetary compensation.

What I have put together has come from my last 12 years of coaching the wing-T. It has evolved over the past several years and will probably continue to evolve. One way that I have found and really like to improve it is by talking to other coaches about it. That is why I have started up the Wing-T football forum. So please leave your comments there.(or leave them here on my blog)

I love to talk football and I can do that through my blog but now I am hoping that people will respond back in the forum. That is also why I have placed the poll wondering what people think about my blog.

I want to share my knowledge with others. I feel it a great honor when someone asks me for my advice or for when they want to have a copy of my playbook.

Just to show you a how my playbook is set up I have posted here what a typical page looks like.

I hope you have enjoyed what you have seen so far and I am thrilled that people are even listening to what I have to say.

End of commercial

Wing-T football discussion board Created

I have created a discussion to talk about wing-t football. Just click on the link for this post or click on the link on the main page.

Once you are on the discussion board you can browse the board. To be able to post you must become a member.

On the board you can discuss each of the series (200, 300, etc.), discuss passing, The Jet and Rocket sweeps, view videos, and even ask coach Dillon questions.

There is also a forum for the buying, selling, and trading of materials.

I hope you enjoy the message board.

http://wing-tfootball.proboards85.com/index.cgi

Coach D

400 series - The Option Pass

In this series I shall talk about how we work the pass out of the option look.

In the option there is a diving back and a trailing back while the QB works his way down the LOS (Line of Scrimmage) See below:

418 Keep

However when we run the option pass we need to make it look like we are running the option until the very last opportunity. We will than drop back and throw a pass.

In our passing model (700, 800 and 900 series) we would normally tag the receivers with the routes that they would run. However out of the option we limit the patterns that the receivers would run.

When we refer to the receivers I would refer to them by the outside/In. So the #1 play side receiver would be the farthest receiver on the outside on the play side. Backside #1 would be the outside receiver on the backside. #2 receiver play side or backside would be the next inside receiver.

We have the receivers memorize what each would run for the play. That way the rule is always the same no matter what formation we would run out of. This shall be demonstrated later.

The rules are as follows:

PS #1 - Out

PS #2 - Flag

PS #3 - Post/Flag

BS #1 - Under

BS #2 - Post

BS #3 - Seam

If we are running the 418 option Pass out of a right formation the play would look like the following. (Remember that running the ball is always an option for the QB)

We can also run the same play out of a number of different formations. Here are a couple of examples:

Power Left 418 option pass

Pro Right 418 option pass

Red Rip 418 option pass

Right Slot 418 Option Pass

As you can see we can run this play out of many different formations. This holds true for all of the plays in our playbook. This makes it look like we are a lot more complicated than we really are. It will also force defences to try and prepare for so many different looks.

Even though I have mentioned so many different series already, I believe that if you master a few plays and run them out of a number of different formations you van still be very effective and win ball games. I have tried to simplify things for my players and coaches so that we can get down to the business of perfecting plays and doing what we love. PLAYING FOOTBALL

Coach D

Confidence doesn't come out of nowhere. It's a result of something... hours and days and weeks and years of constant work and dedication. - ROGER STAUBACH

400 Series - The Option (post 2)

In my previous post I introduced my 400 series, or other wise called the option. This series gives the look like we are or could run the option. This means that we will often have a trailing ball carrier behind the QB.

In the 400 series I am often telling the QB what I would like him to run. If I wanted him to give the ball to the F. I would say 42? give. If I wanted him to make the pitch I would call 43? pitch. I would even tell him if I wanted him to keep the ball 41? Keep. In each play it is vital to make it look like we are running the same play.Each Play is shown below

Right 426 Give

Right 418 Keep

Right 438 Pitch

If I truly wanted him to have him read the play I would call it as a 418/419 option. This tells the QB to make two reads in the same play. The QB would have to first read if the hand off to the F is available or not (would he be tackled right away), He would then come down the line and read the corner. If the corner comes up to make the tackle he would than pitch it to the R. Notice that the play side guard is also pulling and looking to pick up the end. If we have a strong penetrating LB or D-line we would keep him in to block. We would then read the end man on the LOS. The Corner would then become a down field read pitch/option if the QB kept the ball.

Right 418 Option

In my next post I shall talk about passing in the option - Coach D

You have to play this game like somebody just hit your mother with a two-by-four. - DAN BIRDWELL

400 Series - The Option (post 1)

Over the years I have heard many coaches say that they either love the option or they hate the option. For me it is a love/hate relationship. I like to run the option but you have to have the right personnel. That means you have to have a quarterback that can think on his feet. If you try and run the option without the personnel you need than it can be disastrous.

I call my option series the 400 series. The only reason why I call it the 400 series is because when I was in high school the option was called the 40 series. So really no rationale behind it. The option is originally run as part of the veer but I, and several other coaches have adapted it to their offense. The option can be run out of numerous formations.

Out of the option the QB is moving down the line of scrimmage (LOS) and will either Fake or give the ball to the fullback diving through the hole. He will than continue down the line, read the end man on the LOS and decide either to keep the ball or pitch it to a trailing back. This is why the QB needs to be able to think on his feet. He has to make several reads on the same play.

The typical option would like like this:

Right 418 Option

Here is a video of Navy running the option out of a double wing formation

My next post shall be on other plays that I run out of the option series (400)

“Sure, luck means a lot in football. Not having a good quarterback is bad luck.” – Don Shula

The 300 series - the sweep

The 300 series is a lot like the 200 series. The only real change up is instead of pulling both guards, you only pull the backside guard, the fullback will now be the lead kick out block.

I use the 300 series if we see a LB who likes to blitz or a strong penetrating nose or tackle. I would keep the play side guard in for extra protection and have the fullback as the kick out block.

Here is the 338 sweep

This same play can also be run in a power formation and run with the fullback. The QB can open away from the hole and toss or he can open to the hole and hand it off to the fullback.

Power Right 328 sweep

I also run a boot and a throw back in the 300 series. In the boot there is only 1 guard pulling. In the throw back whoever is the ball carrier is they would throw the ball back to the QB. He can than either run with the ball or throw it again. Here are both of those plays.

Pro Right 338 Boot

Right 338 Throw Back

If you can't remember what to do just hit someone - Coach D

My System vs Traditional Wing-t

To try to explain my play calling I thought I would compare it to the traditional Delaware wing-t. That way people may be able to grasp the evolution of why I do things the way that I do.

The traditional wing-t has many different formations. They number the hole from left to right, counting backwards. 9 is to the left and 1 is to the right. Looking like the following:

9 8 7 6 X 4 3 2 1

They way I number the holes are odd and even. 9 is on the left and 8 would be on the right. so my whole would look like this:

9 7 5 3X 2 4 6 8

Their formations would also fall in line with this thinking. 900 would be my left formation and 100 would be my right formation. So if a play is called it would be 121. Which would be a sweep to the left. (right formation, 20 series, to 8 hole)

In my system, I try to simplify things and make it more understandable. I would call right 238 sweep. Essentially saying the same thing. (Right formation, 200 series, 3 back to 8 hole.)

The reason why I do the odd and even holes and saying the formations is because that is what I grew up with in high school and first coaching the wing-t under Bob Timmerman at Dubuque Hempstead. They have been running the wing-t since the school has been in existence in the 1960's. Hempstead has had great success running the wing-t over the years. They have won several state titles and has been a visitor to the playoffs nearly every year.

When I moved away from the Dubque area I became more of a student of the Delaware wing-t. I became a Defensive coordinator at Des Moines Hoover under Joe Kuhn. Joe was just becoming the head coach there and was implementing the traditional wing-t. He brought me in to help the kids learn how to run the offense. When I interviewed for the position however he had already offered the offensive coordinator position to someone else. This first year at Hoover was exciting to watch. We only won one game that year but things were moving in the right direction. There were a couple of problems and to make a story short, Joe left the program and so did I. I really would have to liked to have seen how things would have gone for a second or third year there. (You can see highlights in a previous post)

I than became a head coach myself the following year. I had taken over a program that had not won a football game in 6 straight years. I knew with the wing-t, things could be turned around. Here I was torn between what I learned at Dubuque Hempstead and Des Moines Hoover. Do I want to go with a modified wing-t or do I want to go with the traditional ways. The first year I decided to run the Dubuqe Heampstead modified wing-t. We tied the school record for rushing, and we won our first game that year.

However many of the players and even several of my assistant coaches were confused by the system. When I tried to explain the traditional system to them in the off season they even got more confused. What I did than was modify the Heampstead wing-t and added the back number into the mix. When I did that the confusion problem seemed to be solved. I have also modified some other things since then but the basis is still the same. What I changed was my numbering of some of the series.

The next year I resigned as a head coach because of lack of support from the administration, But that is an entirely differnt and rather ugly story.

Here is how I number my series:

100 - QB run series
200- The buck series (previous posts)
300 - The buck series modified (Lead back block & backside Guard pulling)
400 - Option Series
500 - The lead series (One back leading through the hole)
600 - The Jet/Rocket series
700 - Three step passing
800 - five step passing
900 - Play Action Passing

My plan through out this next several posts is to explain each of these series. I have already explained the 200 series (the Buck series). The next series I shall explain shall be my 300 series.

Coach D

Watch for an update in a couple of days