4 Comments

  1. Nick

    I was reading your article about the “Five factors” and wanted know how should teams go about being efficient while generating explosive plays.

    Should they focus on effiecient plays and let explosives come from the talent of the person with the ball.

    Or focus on generating explosives by design like like deep playaction passes, after they have used more conservative plays to get them into a favorable situation to run explosive plays.

    I couldnt find this post on this site and wasn’t sure you were still checking the blogspot site. This is a great block and the links above are excellent.

    • ianaboyd

      That’s a Bill Connelly construction, the 5 Factors.

      I think a systematic approach to explosives is a good way to do it but relying on key players is probably more consistent if you actually have stars on your roster. If you don’t, you need the system to help them out. Systems that help generate play-action opportunities are generally the best.

  2. JMNJ

    I thought I had a basic understanding of option offenses until watching the Army/Navy games. Then it became clear that what many thought was a game of checkers, is actually chess. (And sometimes that 3 level Star Trek chess)
    (I firmly believe that Maryland and Arizona missed opportunities to establish their programs by hiring Ken N from Navy)

    Can you direct me to any option football resources that you like?

    • ianaboyd

      I don’t know of any off the top of my head, I know that if you google “coaching the flexbone” or peruse through smart football’s old archives you could find some stuff.

      The issue with the option is that you are kinda committed to something that probably sets a definite ceiling on your team because of recruiting. Maryland and Arizona’s thing is that they are sitting on a hotbed of talent and are trying to be like, “what if we kept our own talent and played big boy football with the traditional powers rather than serving as local doormats that they poach?” You can’t build out your program with the triple O if your aim is to become a legitimate player in the region. Georgia Tech likes the option because their academic structure is such that they’re never going to be a player for the top talent in that talent-rich state, so they lean into their alternative identity.

      Gotta play to your strengths.

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