The Shallow Cross and the Holy Trinity from Bunch

Making Passes Look Alike Part 2As discussed in the last article, sending all your receivers vertically is often very difficult to pattern read for zone defenders, safeties, as well as the very disruptive rovers/floaters. However, any quick look at the football landscape reveals that many, many teams successfully use lots of shallow crosses and flat routes. Given the discussion and some doodling on paper this is a surprise. These routes are almost...

The Shallow Cross and the Holy Trinity from Bunch

Making Passes Look Alike Part 2As discussed in the last article, sending all your receivers vertically is often very difficult to pattern read for zone defenders, safeties, as well as the very disruptive rovers/floaters. However, any quick look at the football landscape reveals that many, many teams successfully use lots of shallow crosses and flat routes. Given the discussion and some doodling on paper this is a surprise. These routes are almost...

Google Pt 2

From the Wall Street Journal Free Online Section: Google's Stock Sale Mystery IsSimply Solved: There Are BuyersAugust 24, 2005; Page A2(See Corrections & Amplifications item below.)Google's decision to issue $4 billion in new stock has been greeted with surprise and stupefaction by the army of analysts who are overpaid to divine happenings within the Googleplex.It is an impenetrable mystery, they say. The company already has nearly $3 billion in cash; why does it need more? Are the Googlers planning to build a global wireless network? Dive...

Google Pt 2

From the Wall Street Journal Free Online Section: Google's Stock Sale Mystery IsSimply Solved: There Are BuyersAugust 24, 2005; Page A2(See Corrections & Amplifications item below.)Google's decision to issue $4 billion in new stock has been greeted with surprise and stupefaction by the army of analysts who are overpaid to divine happenings within the Googleplex.It is an impenetrable mystery, they say. The company already has nearly $3 billion in cash; why does it need more? Are the Googlers planning to build a global wireless network? Dive...

QB Drill and Thoughts on Practice

QB Drill - Quick FeetGet a line on the practice field. Get the ball shoulder high, ready to throw. On your call have them quickly patter their feet back and forth on both sides of the line, rapid fire. Do this with them in various positions, stepping over it in different ways. When you show hands they must immediately throw the ball to you (or other QB or manager). Must be able to have quick feet and set quickly, always under control.Brief Thoughts for Good Practices and Prep:1. Simplify your handouts and playbooks. Can you fit everything that...

QB Drill and Thoughts on Practice

QB Drill - Quick FeetGet a line on the practice field. Get the ball shoulder high, ready to throw. On your call have them quickly patter their feet back and forth on both sides of the line, rapid fire. Do this with them in various positions, stepping over it in different ways. When you show hands they must immediately throw the ball to you (or other QB or manager). Must be able to have quick feet and set quickly, always under control.Brief Thoughts for Good Practices and Prep:1. Simplify your handouts and playbooks. Can you fit everything that...

Google is King of the Hill (For Now)

Had some updating problems so a couple of these posts are a bit late. According to last Friday's Wall Street Journal:"Google said it plans to sell 14.2 million shares of stock, valued at $4 billion. The surprise move about how the Web-search company might plan to use the proceeds, which would more than double its cash balance. Google shares closed down $5.11 at $279.99, still more than three times their IPO price... was characteristically tight-lipped... Google said it intends to use the net proceeds from the offering for "general corporate purposes,...

Google is King of the Hill (For Now)

Had some updating problems so a couple of these posts are a bit late. According to last Friday's Wall Street Journal:"Google said it plans to sell 14.2 million shares of stock, valued at $4 billion. The surprise move about how the Web-search company might plan to use the proceeds, which would more than double its cash balance. Google shares closed down $5.11 at $279.99, still more than three times their IPO price... was characteristically tight-lipped... Google said it intends to use the net proceeds from the offering for "general corporate purposes,...

Making Pass Plays Look Alike

Pattern reading is one of the most crippling tactics a defense can employ against an unprepared or poorly organized pass offense. Even a successful passing team can suddenly find themselves unable to get anyone open. Think about what it is like trying to throw against your own defense when they all know your plays.I was actually kidding: if your own defense can always identify what you're doing, then that is probably a sign that you need to rethink...

Making Pass Plays Look Alike

Pattern reading is one of the most crippling tactics a defense can employ against an unprepared or poorly organized pass offense. Even a successful passing team can suddenly find themselves unable to get anyone open. Think about what it is like trying to throw against your own defense when they all know your plays.I was actually kidding: if your own defense can always identify what you're doing, then that is probably a sign that you need to rethink...

Using the Pythagorean Theorem

I once witnessed a discussion (read: argument) between two coaches on how difficult and how far two different routes routes were to complete. I can't even remember which they were discussing, I want to say a skinny post and an out or something.Regardless, no less of an authority on the passing game than Hal Mumme interjected between the two coaches to inform them (in typical Hal Mumme "I'm a smart guy" fashion) that there was no reason to argue,...

Using the Pythagorean Theorem

I once witnessed a discussion (read: argument) between two coaches on how difficult and how far two different routes routes were to complete. I can't even remember which they were discussing, I want to say a skinny post and an out or something.Regardless, no less of an authority on the passing game than Hal Mumme interjected between the two coaches to inform them (in typical Hal Mumme "I'm a smart guy" fashion) that there was no reason to argue,...

The Dread Pirate Bin Laden

May only be of interest to a few of you, but those interested in the practicalities and legal structures regarding terrorism, and particularly the identification and prosecution of terrorists should find this interesting. From the most recent edition of Legal Affairs:The Dread Pirate Bin LadenHow thinking of terrorists as pirates can help win the war on terror.By Douglas R. Burgess Jr.INTERNATIONAL LAW LACKS A DEFINITION FOR TERRORISM as a crime. According to Secretary General Kofi Annan, this lack has hampered "the moral authority of the United...

The Dread Pirate Bin Laden

May only be of interest to a few of you, but those interested in the practicalities and legal structures regarding terrorism, and particularly the identification and prosecution of terrorists should find this interesting. From the most recent edition of Legal Affairs:The Dread Pirate Bin LadenHow thinking of terrorists as pirates can help win the war on terror.By Douglas R. Burgess Jr.INTERNATIONAL LAW LACKS A DEFINITION FOR TERRORISM as a crime. According to Secretary General Kofi Annan, this lack has hampered "the moral authority of the United...

Inflation on the rise?

From the Capital Spectator:DEAD, OR JUST DORMANT?Maybe it's not so benign after all. Producer prices rose 1.0% in July, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports. As with yesterday's news on consumer prices, removing food and energy from the equation lessens the pricing momentum, bringing the PPI pace of advance down to 0.4% last month. But 0.4% ain't hay.In fact, 0.4% is the highest monthly rise in the so-called core producer price index since January's 0.7%. As a result, core PPI now running at 2.8% over the past 12 months—the highest since 1995....

Inflation on the rise?

From the Capital Spectator:DEAD, OR JUST DORMANT?Maybe it's not so benign after all. Producer prices rose 1.0% in July, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports. As with yesterday's news on consumer prices, removing food and energy from the equation lessens the pricing momentum, bringing the PPI pace of advance down to 0.4% last month. But 0.4% ain't hay.In fact, 0.4% is the highest monthly rise in the so-called core producer price index since January's 0.7%. As a result, core PPI now running at 2.8% over the past 12 months—the highest since 1995....

I've Moved....Again!

I truly apologize for the inconvenience, but I've changed addresses again. Double apologies to those still being redirected from the freeservers site, but I can't get some of the old webmasters to change their links.After being hit almost daily with their daily bandwidth exceeded blockade I had to switch. Anyway, this is the new location, and all future posts will be here, so please bookmark the new address. I tried to move some of the articles over, but, prohosting, in its final annoyance, doesn't let picture files be accessed from off-site webpages--basically...

I've Moved....Again!

I truly apologize for the inconvenience, but I've changed addresses again. Double apologies to those still being redirected from the freeservers site, but I can't get some of the old webmasters to change their links.After being hit almost daily with their daily bandwidth exceeded blockade I had to switch. Anyway, this is the new location, and all future posts will be here, so please bookmark the new address. I tried to move some of the articles over, but, prohosting, in its final annoyance, doesn't let picture files be accessed from off-site webpages--basically...

Three-Verticals and Converting Pass Patterns

To kill two birds with one stone, I will continue to elaborate on the topic of pass pattern adjustments that began with Spurrier and some other plays by discussing the three-verticals play, known as "787" or the corner/post/corner combination. This is a big-play pass play effective versus all coverages, primarily cover 2 man or zone.In this play, here diagrammed from a base Pro-Set, the outside receivers will run post-corner routes, and the inside...

Three-Verticals and Converting Pass Patterns

To kill two birds with one stone, I will continue to elaborate on the topic of pass pattern adjustments that began with Spurrier and some other plays by discussing the three-verticals play, known as "787" or the corner/post/corner combination. This is a big-play pass play effective versus all coverages, primarily cover 2 man or zone.In this play, here diagrammed from a base Pro-Set, the outside receivers will run post-corner routes, and the inside...

Substitutions, Personnel, and Formations

Anyone who has watched Edge NFL Matchup (the best football show on television by far) is familiar with the idea of "matchups" or "formationing". However, rarely is the concept used properly by coaches. Often, even experienced coaches will give lip service to "using multiple formations" and that, without purpose, if you run X number of plays in Y formations it somehow inherently makes you a better offense. Further, tactical substitution is even less...