The game of football is like a war between two
generals, each one trying to out think the other. Bill Belichick is
said to be one of the greatest defensive strategists of modern times
while Mike Martz has a reputation for being an offensive wizard. In
this article we're going to discuss some basic football strategies and
how offensive coordinators and head coaches try to out think the
opposing defense.
The main thing that an offensive coordinator or
head coach tries to do is play to the team's strength when running an
offense. Not every team is blessed with great running backs, a great
quarterback and great receivers. The truth is, many of the weaker teams
have very few great players, if any at all. However, regardless of how
strong or weak your offense is, you're going to have areas that are
better than others. You need to concentrate on those areas and make the
best of them.
For example, if your quarterback is your strongest
part of the offense, even if you don't have the best receivers, use him
to his fullest. Maybe he's got an uncanny ability to find open men
quickly. In that case you'll want to concentrate on your pass game.
But, you have to evaluate your offensive line. If your blockers are
poor or just average, your quarterback may not have enough time to pull
off long passes, unless he is a quick scrambler. In this case you'll
want to execute a short passing game. Maybe some quick outs to your
tight ends or even your backs.
However, if you continually
concentrate on one part of your offense, eventually the opposition is
going to catch on and they'll adjust and be ready for you. This is why
you ultimately have to establish a run game if you're strong in passing
or a passing game if you're strong on running. You must have a balanced
attack or your strengths will be shut down quickly.
Another thing
an offensive coordinator must do is mix up his game plan. A few times
on short yardage situations he should choose a short pass over trying
to run the ball. This will keep the defense off balance and guessing.
You don't want to do this too often as again, they will begin to look
for it. Same thing with long yardage plays. Occasionally you may want
to sneak in a run play or maybe a reverse.
Some of the greatest
plays in Super Bowl history have been trick or surprise plays. They
don't always work but when they do they are a sight to behold. They are
certainly some of the most exciting plays to watch. Of course to be
able to pull off these plays you have to have players who are capable
of doing it. X's and O's on paper are one thing, but having players who
can execute those X's and O's is a completely different subject.
This
is why a good offensive coordinator is worth his weight in gold. Just
ask Mike Martz if he's had a successful career in football.
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