Game Planning

Joel Sienicki

Game planning is an important facet of any football team's weekly procedure and process to ready themselves for victory each week. Film study and knowledge of the opponent are key. As an assistant football coach on many different teams I have always wanted to perfect my own knowledge of football and to watch the opponent and to self scout completely each week. This is an endeavor that can be exhausting, but can prove incredibly beneficial to one's ability to assist in coaching their position players and assisting in game planning. Though this was my mindset as an assistant coach, as a head coach it is imperative that the responsibility of scouting the opponent be divided up amongst the staff.

The procedure of scouting is as follows: The defensive coordinator gets the whole picter of the opponent's offense. He will watch all aspects of the opponent and use his expertise and knowledge to get a handle on the entirety of the opponent while also keying in on small things that can bey keys to what the opponent will do. In addition to the defensive coordinator getting the big picture, the defensive line coach will watch the offensive line play, looking for schemes and blocking assignments as well as the strengths and weaknesses of each player on the offensive line and the unit itself. Likewise, the OLB coach will watch the running back and TE play to look for dictations of opponent running strength in formation and running strength in action and execution. In the same way, the defensive backs coach will watch wide receiver play and passing game schemes to look for situational passing tendencies, top targets, and any keys that can be had as to what route combinations and structures are going to be dictated by alignment to give our defense a snapshot overview of the opponent's passing game. The head coach will also watch the defense from a birds eye view overseeing all of it as does the defensive coordinator. All should take their own notes on each of the keys to be looked for and be ready to present these in the full coaches meeting.

Similarly to the defensive scouting process, the offensive scouting process will be broken down by position coach. The head coach and the offensive coordinator will get the big picture of the defense and what the defense tries to do to execute their plan. These two coaches will look for defensive formations, coverages, blitzes, and stunts in order to understand how we should attack the defense. The offensive line coach will watch the opponents defensive line in order to pick up on their scheme and strengths and weaknesses of players. The running back coach will watch all inside and outside linebackers and inverted defenders in order to assess blitzes, assignments, and reads/keys that the opponent uses for its linebackers. The wide receiver coach will watch the defensive back play and coverages to look for ways that our passing game can attack their weaknesses in coverage.

After we have had time to view the film in detail and break it down according to all tendencies and trends, the coaching staff will meet to share ideas of what offensive and defensive plays and packages should be at our disposal for the week in order to exploit the opponents weaknesses and control the game. Each coach's input is encouraged and will be validated whether their ideas are used in the game plan or not.

We will draft an offensive game plan and the offensive coordinator will put together the play call sheet for the week based on the input from the coaching staff. This call sheet will be comprehensive, but will be able to be adjusted as the week goes and the implementation in practice dictates the ability of the players to execute each play. Defensively, most of the entire playbook will be in play each week throughout the year. Certain coverage, blitz, stunt, and other schemes will be dictated during the meeting to similarly develop a game plan and call sheet.

Once the call sheets are put together, they will be added to the scouting report which will be delivered to the players upon their return to school.

Throughout the week tweaks will take place to the game plan, but the structure and foundation will be put in place through the staff meeting.