Speed Kills

The other day watching the Air Force Football team practice, I saw the Falcons offense run a play that I can't tell you about. One of the agreements allowing the press to attend practice is you don't write or tweet about specific plays or formations. My hope is, Air Force runs more of this kind of play I can't talk about in the 2014 season. As I look at the Air Force roster I see several players on offense who have size and/or speed. And some of them are not running backs. Now, I am not advocating the Falcons throw the ball 50 times a game, or get away from their option offense. What I would like to see is a little more creative play calling, using players who are fast and quick, who can hurt the defense. Air Force has those players, from Wide Receiver Jalen Robinette, who stands 6'3 and weighs 220 pounds, to Z Backs Garret Brown, who had a solid year a season ago, and veteran Jon Lee, who was moved to the Z Back position. When you have talented players, you try to get them the ball, "in space," which essentially means you put them in a position in the open field where their athleticism can take over. Air Force did it 7 years ago with Chad Hall. He was the conference MVP that year. The Falcons have a myriad of formations, designed to confuse the defense. Teams come in each week trying to stop the option attack. If you, every so often, give the opposition something else to think about (The play I can't tell you about) it will make the defense hesitate just a bit. While College and Pro Football can be complicated, there's also times when ALL coaches overthink it. Just use the tools you have in your tool box.