The most popular Smart Football articles of 2011

The coming of each new year gives us a chance to look back, and 2011 was a productive year here at Smart Football. In addition to my pieces over at Grantland, I had a number of fresh pieces here on the site. Below are links to some of the most popular pieces of 2011, in no particular order.

Dick LeBeau, Dom Capers, and the evolution of defense.

Why every team should install its offense in three days (and other political theories on coaching offense).

What is the inverted veer/Dash read?

Buddy Ryan’s “Polish Goalline” Tactic.

Bobby Petrino’s shallow cross concept.

Snag, stick and the importance of triangles (yes, triangles) in the passing game

The “Diamond” formation and other mult-back pistol sets.

Teaching a quarterback where to throw the ball – Grass, leverage, and specific defenders

Combining quick passes, run plays and screens in the same play.

These pieces were not from 2011 but were still very popular this year:

Breaking down Boise: How the Broncos use leverage, numbers and grass to gash the opposition.

Understanding and attacking coverages in the passing game.

And you can go here to see the top Smart Football articles from last year.