Pregame starts 24 hours before game time.
Myth: Teams play it by ear.
Reality: Teams need routines to prepare consistently.
Myths: Head coaches coach during the game.
Reality: Assistant coaches coach games, head coaches manage games.
Myth: Players win games.
Myth: Coaches win games.
Reality: Teams win games.
Myth: Teams that make the most big plays, win.
Reality: Teams that make the fewest mistakes, win.
Myth: Championships are the time to bring out the new stuff.
Reality: Championships are the time to dance with what brung ya.
Myth: The season ends after the last play of the final game.
Reality: The next season starts at the last play of the final game.
Myth: “What” you do is more important than ”how” you do it.
Reality: The “how” is far more important.
The Rules
Rules of football
In the words of Big Baby “All rules apply”
Football, like life, has rules. Break the rules lose the game. Before you can play by the rules, you need to know the rules. They include The Twelve Commandments for Coaches and and the Ten Commandments Players. There is also a set of rules each team is run by. Each position on a football team has a job. Each coach will establish their own set of rules. This book applies to our rules. If the team follows the rules, and everyone does their job. Winning just happens. Here are the rules we go by:
Coach’s Twelve Commandments
First Commandment
Build the Offensive Line First.
With a great line you can control the ball on the ground and have plenty of time to pass. All the speed in the world will do you no good if it can’t get out of the backfield and the best QB can not operate if he is running for his life. The Redskins have won 3 Super Bowls with 3 different QBs and running backs, but one great O line.
Second Commandment
Good players make coaches look smart. Bad players make coaches look dumb.
Great players have strong character traits and get stronger as the season progresses. Players with weak character traits are a cancer to a team.
Third Commandment
K eep It Simple.
The player responsibilities need to be simple enough to perfect. The number of plays can only expand to the level that you have the capacity to perfect.
Fourth Commandment
Dance With What Brung Ya.
Teams should focus on doing what they do well and improving their weakness. Success comes from perfect execution.
Fifth Commandment
You are Only as Good as Your Back Up Guards
Success is about redundancy. You need to have back ups at everything. If the water boy pulls a hammy, the back up water boy takes over. This goes for every position and every coach.
Sixth Commandment
Take Away What the Other Team Does Best.
Make them beat you with what they don’t do best.
Seventh Commandment
Turn your weaknesses into strengths.
In big games the first thing teams do is take away what teams do best. Make sure your weaknesses (and weakest players) can win you championships.
Eighth Commandment
Focus on Fundamentals.
Football is about blocking and tackling. The team that blocks the best and tackles the best usually wins.
Some people try to find things in the game that do not exist.
Football is about blocking and tackling.
Vince Lombardi
Ninth Commandment
Know Your Enemy.
Key players, plays and defenses help coaches build their game plans and set the agenda for the week of practice. There should be no surprises on game day.
