Hello babies, welcome to another edition of ‘Coaches Corner: Make The Call’ – the series where we get into the nitty-gritty of play calling like never before! This time we’ve got the NFC East coaches, (well kind of. You’ll understand when you read the responses) and we’ve thrown a random football scenario at them to see what they’ve really got. So like always, check out the snapshot and scenario of the game I got for them, and get ready to dive headfirst into their thought processes. They’re breaking it down, giving us the lowdown on their strategies, and showing us how it’s done in the big leagues. Whether you’re a football junkie, a strategy geek, or just here for a good time, you’re in the right place. This series is all about getting inside the game, making those tough calls, and having a blast while we’re at it. So grab your snacks, settle in, and let’s get this show on the road – it’s time to Make. The. Call!
THE SCENARIO
4th & 7 from your own 42 with 1:23 on the clock. You’re up 27-24. Your opponent has 1 timeout left. Your long snapper went down with a concussion and your punter rolled his ankle. You come out in 11 Personnel and the defense double mugs their front with a cover 0 look. #31 your RB is your star, everyone else is just ok. What’s your call?
THE CALLS
“In this scenario the only play call that makes sense is one that takes advantage of the one on one man coverage that results from the cover 0 Blitz. First thing I’m doing is motioning the TE over to the left side of the formation, to create a strong front on the short side of the field. If the safety follows the TE then I’m blocking the TE, & RB, then shifting my line to the right, while identifying the MLB on the right side as the Mike. If the Safety does not follow the TE to cover him, I’m putting the safety on a out route, and hot routing him to the first down line. The RB will stay in to block and the LB on the right side of still identified as the Mike. If the TE is running the out route, I’m putting the WR on his side on a slant. The hope is that where the two routes intersect one another, a rub will be created that’ll free either the TE on the outside or the WR crossing the middle. On the other side of the ball the slot will run a Zig while the WR that spread out will run a curl to the sticks. With the defenders playing off 10 yards either route should have an opportunity to succeed if the rub on the short side isn’t executed. If the TE is blocking, the WR on the short side will run a Comeback route while the slot will run a slant and the far side wide out will run a in route that’ll take him to the sticks. These route combinations would result in an opportunity for players to get open, regardless of whether or not the defense brings the Blitz. This is how we’d get the first down to seal the victory and keep our defense from having to see the field.”
– Drama
“I am assuming that this defense will be a mid blitz play and set up my play based off of that but have a zone option built it. My play call will be a hb angle concept with a te streak and slot wr zig. My first read for man will be the hb and zig and in zone the te streak. This play will give me a high success rate at converting the down.”
– Burn
“I’m going to order a large number 5 from McDonald’s, probably with either an Oreo McFlurry (or Shamrock McFlurry if it’s around March) or a large Sprite. Hopefully the fries come out fresh because I hate when they’re all cold and hard, that’s the worst.”
– HD (who declined to participate)
“Ah, this would require a meticulously crafted operation. First, I’ll engage in a tactical reconnaissance mission to the kitchen – the objective: secure a cup of the finest brewed coffee. This is followed by a covert operation to the living room, where I’ll execute a critical couch fortification maneuver, ensuring maximum comfort for the day’s surveillance activities, namely, watching TV. If that doesn’t work I’ll embark on a daring solo expedition to the fridge for a high stakes quest for sustenance, involving complex decision making skills to choose between leftover pizza or a gourmet sandwich. In the afternoon, there’s a scheduled alliance with the remote control, ensuring a seamless transition between sports and reality TV.”
– Vet (who declined to participate)
