On Football

Tags: Football

As the 2024 seasons reach their end on High-School, College and the almighty NFL, it gets me thinking on how, besides its popularity, the sport feels under appreciated. Perceived as an all physical game, a gladiator brawl. And why not? On first sight it is not intuitive to figure out what is going on, with what looks like a full melee, with the occasional athletic feat in the form of a long pass or an audacious escape that captures the attention of the audience. Looking past the hits and the scoring highlights, the discovery of the game with its many layers and abyss-like depth is a great experience, the competition, the level of complexity, the commitment and attention to detail required at every aspect and level is in my opinion unmatched by any other sport.

At the foundation of a program, the coaching staff creates or adapts a system based on the strengths and weaknesses of their own team and the teams around them; the system at a high level defines principles for offense and defense, running game, passing game, special teams. Sets of offensive plays and defensive calls are modeled based on these principles; formations, individual alignments, assignments and adjustments are drawn and described in detail for every single offensive play, defense scheme and special teams cover. On offense, no play stands alone, all are part of a cohesive system that establishes sequences and combinations designed to condition and overextend defenses, attack specific schemes and areas of the field. On defense, the calls are designed to adapt to the known trends and meta-games, to neutralize the rival's best plays or players and to confuse offenses and reduce their attack surface. Some offense systems are very well studied and used profusely on the sport, with names like Wing-T, Flexbone, Spread, Zone-Read, Midline, West Coast. Defensive systems are more adaptive in nature and mix multiple fronts and covers, a front and a cover define a defensive call for a single play, common names for fronts are Bear 46, Flex, 1-Texas, 55 Wyoming, Stack, and for covers, cover 1 to 4, Tampa-2, Quarters, Match, etc.

Single play definition.

The dynamics of the plays calling are also designed, how to communicate the plays to the team in the nick of time? how to change a play? how to adjust a defense when the initial call is not looking good based on the offense formation? Play calling is it own form of art, play callers (Offensive Coordinators) are by far the most second guessed individuals in sports, no matter the results, they are questioned after every single play by other coaches, their own players, and of course fans, besides their regular responsibilities, OCs have to have the thickest of skins and the firmest of beliefs on what they see and do, at the same time be humble enough to recognize bad calls and make quick in-game adjustments.

On offense, play calling is designed to communicate the direction, the formation, motions, shifts, blocking scheme, routes and finally the play, which in many cases uses numbers to indicate the gap where the play is going and the ball carrier, plus some tags for specific actions to improve the play chances vs a particular defense.

Football players and coaches need to be able to comprehend, memorize and in many cases build in their minds on the fly (based on the call) a few hundred plays on a given system. Most players only focus on their own alignment, assignment and adjustments for each play, a few, like the Quarterback (QB), must know the details for every position on the field, they also must be able to identify the scheme presented on every play by the defense and adjust accordingly.

A basic high school play call:
Right Deuce A-M 128 Sweep - Tight End on the right, double wings, A back (main runner) motions from the wing to the M position (the full or blocking back position) before the play starts, QB pivots to the left side (odd side denoted by the 1), handles the ball to the 2 (A Back) who runs to the gap denoted by the 8 number (outside the Tight End), Offensive line executes a Sweep blocking scheme which means both OGs pull (run around to lead block on the play), each with its own assignment, LT blocks across and the rest of the line blocks down, or opposite to the play direction.

On a base offense and defense, not counting special teams or other bespoke roles, there are 21 different positions, divided in at least 7 units, all on the field at the same time. Every unit is coached separately, every position requires a specific set of techniques, hand and footwork, each different from the others. The technique of a Defensive End is comparable to that of an Aikido martial artist, a Defensive Tackle is closer to an Olympic wrestler, Offensive Left Tackles are agile Sumo practitioners, no move or step taken on the field is random. Players also need to hone and shape their bodies for the ultimate test of a game, here again, every position has its own requirements of length, weight, quickness, speed, strength. Football is played on the fall but preparation is year long, with heavy weight lifting, speed, agility and nutrition programs tailored for each individuals.

A note on players, which are the most important part of the system. Coaches and front offices spend the offseason building the roster. Recruitment considers the character of the individual as much as their physical gifts or talent, questions like; are these players going to be able to stay out of trouble, keep their grades, what does the tape says about their talent, what are their understanding of the game and effort levels, what teachers say about them of their behavior in class, their discipline and mental strength, can they follow strict diet and demanding physical building schedules while staying focused to attain the necessary grades to maintain their scholarship and program eligibility. Football athletes joining top college or professional programs are more scrutinized than any other scholars.

When one of these kids makes it to professional football it is motive of celebration, it is the culmination of about a decade of grueling competition, mental and physical commitment, of discipline, effort, and love for the game.

As Coach John Harbaugh writes in his entry "Why Football Matters":

Football is hard, it's tough, it demands discipline, it teaches obedience, it builds character. Football is a metaphor for life. This game asks a young man to push himself further than he ever thought he could go. It literally challenges his physical courage. It shows him what it means to sacrifice. It teaches him the importance of doing his job well. We learn to put others first, to be part of something bigger than ourselves. And we learn to lift our teammates – and ourselves – up together.

All the previous elements come together when the units take the field and line up to run a play, where all the strategy, tactics and techniques come to life. Still one of the greatest things of the game is that beyond all the planning and preparation, individual feats and performances are what defines the outcome of the game, players still have to win their individual battles, when everything is so evenly matched, every inch of the 100 yard field matters, and teams fight for every one of them.

The sport develops highly competitive individuals, they compete because that is what they have done since they were in elementary school. Every drill, every practice, every play, every series is a competition that they need to win. With all this tests and trials, motivation is a key aspect and is very well developed in Football, some of the best motivational sequences and quotes used in business and everywhere come from Football. Vince Lombardi is my personal favorite and this is one of the quotes that I like the most.

Winning is a habit. Watch your thoughts, they become your beliefs. Watch your beliefs, they become your words. Watch your words, they become your actions. Watch your actions, they become your habits. Watch your habits, they become your character.

References.

Why Football Matters, John Harbaugh (original article is no longer online, this is a saved doc) - https://toolboxforteachers.s3.amazonaws.com/PBL-Books/Football/Football_SS1_Football-Matters.pdf