Smart Football now has its own online store, just in time for the holidays, featuring shirts, accessories, and more. It’s just getting started, but be sure to check it out and get some goodies for your friends, families, and — in the case of my coaching readers — staff. Check out the store here.

Be sure to keep checking the store as I hope to add new merchandise over the coming days and weeks. And don’t hesitate to drop me a line if you have any good ideas for products or items you’d like to see.

Why did Georgia lose to Alabama? What if I (or, more precisely, Coach Hoover) told you it was poor runningback pass protection fundamentals.

- Johnny Football and the era of Super Quarterbacks, with some quotes from your humble editor.

- Under defense from Pete Jenkins.

- Brady Hoke has sought to bring “Manball” (not his phrase) to Michigan. This is not Manball.

- Taxpayer spending on stadiums.

- Mustache transplants. Don’t tell Purdue.

- Macho Camacho’s wake sounded… interesting: “‘I am the actual girlfriend of Macho, and those who don’t like it better not bring it,’ Cynthia Castillo, who claimed to be Camacho’s girlfriend at the time of his death, told ESPN Deportes.”

- Trampoline to work.

- Good photos of 2012.

My affinities are well known, but I think all offenses should strive for this description:

“The thing is, it’s not complicated,” [Stanford head coach David] Shaw said of the Ducks’ offensive scheme. “It’s just complicated during the game. The adjustments they make are so subtle that you don’t realize it until they’ve scored three touchdowns on you. You change to try to cover what they’re doing, and they make another change.

“They spend a lot of time looking at you. They run simple plays and however you’re stopping their simple plays, Chip takes advantage of what you’re doing, which is the brilliance of the simplicity.”

Amazing, from LSUFreek:

- mgoblog on Michigan’s busted midline read and play-action against Notre Dame. In the first play I like outside zone and in the second the runningback needs to get away from his fake and step into that linebacker.

- Game plan nuggets.

- 22 keys to your 4-2-5 defense.

- Ole Miss’s Hugh Freeze hopes his scheme will hold up versus Alabama.

- Ben Muth on the Chiefs outside zone.

- Biography of John Keats.

- Fewer long-winded speakers at this year’s UN Assembly.

- Make sure to Like Smart Football on Facebook.

University of Wisconsin-Whitewater had won 46 straight games and three straight Division III championships. Last weekend, however, Buffalo State pulled out a hook-and-double lateral on 4th and 19 to help them topple UW-Whitewater for a 7-6 upset. Via CoachingSearch:

“That’s a play we practice every week, because it’s our last play type of play,” head coach Jerry Boyes said. “The kids executed it to perfection. It was a huge time, but something like that just doesn’t happen. You’ve got to practice those things. Through that, you give yourself a chance.”

Boyes called it the biggest win in the history of the program. Asked about his expectations coming into the game, Boyes wanted a measuring stick for his team. Surely, they passed the test.

“If you want to be the best, then you’ve got to play the best,” he said. “The opportunity came and we jumped at it. Win or lose, you’ve got to find out where you’re at. What better yardstick than going to play the No. 1 team in the land? Never afraid of a challenge.”

Although something very important is happening soon — the start of football season — something even more important is happening for me: I’m getting married. Aside from my general good fortune, this also means that I’ll be out of the country on my honeymoon for the next few weeks, until the second half of September. So if you’re wondering why I’m not updating or writing for Grantland despite the start of football season, this is why. Both of those things will resume once I get back.

So keep the seat warm for me. In the meantime, the best way to get your Smart Football fix is through the book, The Essential Smart Football, available in paperback from Amazon and B&N and on Kindle, each at this link. If you have an iPad, iPhone or Android device, the Kindle application is free. It won’t be available for Nook until sometime after I return.

Lastly, I ask a favor of you, my readers: If during the first few weeks of the season you see anything that might be of interest — some strategy trend, scheme, tactic, communication method or anything at all — please mention it in the comments to this post. It’ll be the first thing I check when I return, as I try to figure out how things have evolved from last season and where they might go.

Thanks to you all, and see you soon.

From Coach Joe, the stick/draw but with a shovel pass instead of a draw:

- Mortality rates for football players (and baseball players).

- Dave Raley on the future of defense: 4-2-5 straightline.

- Short story from F. Scott Fitzgerald.

- Former women’s soccer goalie Mo Isom might be LSU’s next kicker.

- Our long-time fascination with magic.

- Richard Posner on How much is enough?

- Will Apple TV crack the TV market?

I’m generally a fan of these. It’s obviously not *really* what it is like being a quarterback, but it’s useful coaching film because you can see if the QB was looking in the right spot on a given play:

It also reminds me of when former Houston Cougars receiver Patrick Edwards, who is currently battling to make the Detroit Lions roster, wore a helmet cam to a Houston practice:

(more…)

Bill previews maybe the biggest wildcard in the SEC, Texas A&M, and the Aggies have finally named a starting quarterback. Below are some highlights from A&M’s most recent scrimmage:

- My podcast with CougCenter, part 1 and part 2.

- No touching 28 in Vikings camp.

- Cam Newton on his rookie year, as well as his need to mature.

- Rocky Long is considering forgoing punts after crossing his opponents’ 50 yard lines.

- GQ with a short piece from Joe Posnanski’s Paterno book.

- YouTube re-imagined: Think channels, not videos.

- Le Tableau Vert.

- Daily deals are dead.

Solid (short) video from ESPN: