Featured Articles

This page is an incomplete attempt at archiving the pieces for this blog and for outside publications that I think are worth going back to, well beyond their publications dates, based on reader popularity and my own judgment. Articles for outside publications are at the top; scroll down for articles from the blog.

Check out my bookshelf and reading list.

Writings for other sites and publications.

- Grantland. Click here for all of my pieces at one link.

• Al Davis’s strategic legacy.
• Darren Sproles and the rise of the space player.
• Understanding Dana Holgorsen’s West Virginia offense and Les Miles and John Chavis’s LSU defense.
• How Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady beat the blitz.

- Dr Saturday/Yahoo! College Football. Click here for all my pieces at one link.

• Deconstructing the BCS Championship: The night the spread ruled the world
• Cam Newton, Denard Robinson, and the search for the perfect spread quarterback
• The roots of Brian Kelly’s ‘genius’
• Penn State’s modern take on old-school defense
• The grisly demise of ‘Tressel Ball’
• Out of the wilderness at last, the Irish want it all
• The USC Trojan offense ain’t what it used to be (they designed it that way)
• Inside Oklahoma State’s prolific balancing act.
• Nevada’s Pistol, by any other name, would fire as sweet.

- The New York Times Fifth Down. Click here for all my posts for the NYT at one link.

• How the Wildcat Works.
• Drew Brees and the ‘Four Verticals’ 
• How the ‘Percy Position’ drives the Vikings and Adrian Petersen
• Happy Feet: How Wes Welker makes the Patriots’ pass offense go.
• Zone blitzes: Conservative and risky all at once.
• A look at the Pittsburgh Steelers’ strategy.

Smart Football.

• What are the basic principles of dropback pass protection?
• Packaging three-step and five-steps concepts into the same play
• Can a quarterback’s throwing motion be improved?
• The original one-back spread offense
• Snag, stick and the importance of triangles in the passing game
• Bobby Petrino’s shallow cross concept
• Can the west coast offense be taught anywhere besides the NFL?
• Breaking down Boise: How the Broncos use leverage, numbers and grass to gash the opposition
• A page from Gus Malzahn’s playbook (literally)
• Strategic trends for the next decade? Start with defense
• Why every team should install its offense in three days
• Teaching a quarterback where to throw the ball
• Did Cam Newton play in a “one-read” passing offense at Auburn?
• Jim Tressel’s new calling: Ball control . . . passing? (2/25/2010)
• Super Bowl Preview: Manning vs. Brees (Breakdown of the Colts’ O and the Saints’ O) (2/7/2010)
• Oregon’s zone read of the defensive tackle (12/4/2009)
• Thinking about thoughts, fourth downs, and the nature of evidence (11/18/2009)
• The “smash” route against man coverage (11/4/2009)
• Improving a quarterback’s throwing motion (with Darin Slack) (11/2/2010)
• You be the offensive coordinator/quarterback: Dealing with the blitz (10/31/2009)
• Explanation and cut-ups of the “Power O” play (10/20/2009)
• A very simple explanation of zone runs and the differences between inside zone and outside zone (10/17/2009)
• TCU’s “inverted veer option” (9/30/2009)
• Nick Saban schools you on how to play pass coverage (9/29/2009)
• Monte Kiffin’s scheme for Urban Meyer’s offense (9/26/2009)
• Understanding coverages and attacking them with the passing game (9/17/2009)
• Defending the zone-read: athleticism and the “scrape-exchange” (8/31/2009)
• Colt McCoy’s University of Texas passing game (8/24/2009)
• Tackling a cyclone: Grantland Rice, the internet, and the death (and rebirth) of sports writing (8/21/2009)
• The zone-read, gun triple-option . . . and the quadruple option? (8/17/2009)

- From the old blog site:

• The NFL Offense: What is it? Why does every team run it? And how does it differ from college offenses?
• Has the spread offense reached its apex? (Jan. 7, 2006)
• Auburn’s offense might be bad, but don’t call it the Airraid or Tony Franklin offense.
• The shotgun, the ‘gun, and the shotgun spread offense.
• Airraid offense information, reading material, and passing concepts (including Norm Chow’s reads).
• The Gus Malzahn/Auburn Tigers run game.
• St. Louis Rams/Mike Martz shallow cross concepts.
• The Triple Shoot Offense (by Manny Matsakis).
• The ballad of Hal Mumme.
• The Divide Route in the multiple smash concept.
• What killed the run and shoot?
• The A-11 Offense: A pragmatic approach.
• Three-verticals and converting pass patterns.
• Pass protection, the Super Bowl, Tom Brady, and the Blind Side.
• Packaging concepts: Putting “beaters” to both sides.
• How many concepts do you need on offense?
• Switch it: Add a little Hawai’i to your offense.
• Run/pass balance and a little game theory.
• Run/pass balance: Response to comments I.
• Run/pass balance: Response to comments II.
• Deep crossing route – Larry Fitzgerald style.
• Four verticals – Getting Vertical (with Dan Gonzalez).
• Organizing pass plays as concepts.
• Probability, pragmatism, and football.
• Linemen splits.
• Why you can’t just play assignment football against Paul Johnson’s flexbone.
• Shallow cross and the holy trinity from the bunch formation.
• The shallow cross, drag, and drive concepts in the west coast and spread offenses.
• Airraid practice plan.
• Notes on practicing and developing the quick game.
• Peyton Manning’s favorite pass play: levels.
• Urban Meyer’s “crazy” or “shovel option.”
• “Fire” zone blitzes.
• Rock-Paper-Scissors, Edgar Allen Poe, and play selection.
• Paul Johnson’s flexbone meets the run and shoot.
• Conservative and risky strategies (and kurtosis)
• David strategies and Goliath strategies (more on conservative and risky strategies).
• Bill Walsh method for gameplanning.
• Norm Chow reads and concepts.
• Texas Tech’s 31 point comeback and the “hot hand” theory.
• Follow-on on the hot-hand theory.
• Bill Walsh 49ers notes on dropback passing.
• Run & Shoot passing series.
• Bill Belichick on Bill Walsh’s “Finding the Winning Edge.”
• Former Northwestern Coach Randy Walker’s effect on the rise of the spread offense.
• Matt Stafford and the Wonderlic test.
• Was Steve Spurrier’s offense a failure in the NFL?
• Rise and fall of the spread via Purdue’s Curtis Painter.
• What does it mean to be crowned “national champion”?
• What makes a good runningback? How do you evaluate a team’s run game?
• The “jerk route” and the follow concept from bunch.
• Coaching points for the zone read play.
• Gunter Brewer on the four-verticals concept.
• Nevada’s horn play from pistol.
• There is no such thing as platonic ideal football.