Podcasts Sports The Football Coaching Podcast with Joe Daniel Offensive Game Plan for Week 1 | Football Coaching Podcast S07E19

Offensive Game Plan for Week 1 | Football Coaching Podcast S07E19

Published: Aug. 20, 2020, 9:30 a.m.

Week 1 of your season sets the tone, so you need to have your best offensive game plan ready to go. With the 2020/2021 season that doesn\u2019t mean having incredible strategies, either. It means getting the most from your offensive playbook.\xa0

The game plan that wins this year is the one that\u2019s tailored to your players. What they can handle. It\u2019s about keeping it simple so they can play with confidence from the start. No matter what that defensive coordinator throws at you.

Study Game Film

Unlike most seasons, you probably won\u2019t get any scrimmage film this year. You\u2019re going to get a couple weeks of practice, then jump right into that first game of the season.

You need to know all you can about the defense you\u2019re facing before you can develop your offensive game plan. So study last season\u2019s film. Anything you can get your hands on.

\u201cCan I break this defense with formations? Can I break this defense with plays? Where is it not sound? What is it not ready for?\u201d

Identify who they are. Not what you saw last year, but what that defense would look like if they had just a couple weeks to prepare. Because that\u2019s what they\u2019ve got.\xa0

Looking at what their JV team usually runs is a good start. Figure out the base defense. You aren\u2019t looking for tendencies here.

Now it\u2019s about figuring out if you can\xa0break their umbrella. Create seams in the defense. Take advantage.

What\u2019s Working in your Offensive Playbook?

Now you need to look at your own team. What you\u2019ve seen in the past, and what you\u2019ve seen in practice so far (if you\u2019ve had that).\xa0

The best plays are the\xa0plays that work in practice. They are the plays that your players have the most confidence in running. So make sure in your offensive game plan you expect to call more of those!

\u201cWhat do you feel like you can call on a 1st & 10 in almost any situation and guarantee that you\u2019ll get 4 yards?\xa0You\xa0need to have that play in mind.\u201d

You need a couple of calls in that game plan that you feel incredibly confident about. One is a play you can always get 4+ yards on 1st & 10. The other is a way to give your Quarterback some confidence throwing the ball with a simple pass.

Pull Simple Levers in Your Offensive Game Plan

Even in the best of times, game plans don\u2019t win many football games. Its the sad fact of coaching. You do a lot more damage over-coaching with fancy plays that win on a napkin that you\u2019d do under-coaching and letting your players play.

Formations are cheap. Plays are expensive. Don\u2019t over-do it, but as much as possible use base blocking schemes with special formations, shifts and motions to put the defense in a bind.

\u201cScript the first 10 plays, because you have an idea of things you want to see\u2026 but go off script in a heartbeat.\u201d

You do want to\xa0script your first 10 plays,\xa0but you don\u2019t want to be completely controlled by the script. If the first play call carves them up, keep calling it!

Finally, you need a plan for making adjustments throughout the game. The ASKA principle comes into play here, and pulling levers. Make sure you\xa0check out the ASKA podcast. It applies to offensive adjustments as much as it does to defense.

Do You Have the Right Offensive Playbook?

You\u2019ve got the details on putting together that call sheet for Week 1 of the season. If you\u2019ve got the right offensive system in place and your coaches are ready to teach the players, you\u2019re in good shape.

Need help getting that offensive system just right? That\u2019s where JDFB Coaching Systems comes in for your team. Clients get access to The Pistol Power Offense System plus all of my other coaching systems, web clinic archives, private message board and more.\xa0

Right now you can get instant access to the entire JDFB Coaching Systems resource library for 7 days for just $1:\xa0Click here to get started

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