Coach Bigelow's Blog

Spread Offense GT Counter Play-Action Pass

2012-01-19T23:41:00.000-07:00

This is a topic that came up on Coach Huey with another coach asking if anyone had any experience running some play action pass off of the GT (or Guard Tackle) counter action. The GT counter has become a huge play within the spread especially at the high school level that having a pass off of the action is a great way to slow down a defense from immediately crashing the pull.

This play can be run from a doubles, trips, two back, and multiple other formations with effectiveness from the gun. The first three drawings are of how you can run the GT Counter from the gun in three of the formations. I haven't gone into great depth about how to block the running play against the different fronts, since you could block it differently than I would up front with the line. Again these are just examples to give you an idea on how you can incorporate play action passes using the GT counter action. The motions I give are pretty generic but they can be adapted to how you call it.

GT Counter Plays

Doubles Yo-Yo 37 Counter

In this formation you can see that we bring a receiver in motion to block the backside end. I would use a larger receiver like a TE so that they can make this block. I used Yo Yo to represent the Y going in a motion one way and then coming back to make this block.

Right Trips Halo 36 Counter

This play we have the H coming across to the left, hence the halo and blocking the end. Again this is setting up the defense using that motion to get them thinking run.

Blue 36 Counter

As you can see we run this out of two backs as well with the back that isn't getting the ball crossing in front first to pick up the backside end. This is where this play can get extremely effective, you have started to pull the defense more into the box which will allow you to get a back out on one on one coverage against a backer or safety. You should be able to win this more often than not for a big play.

GT Counter Play-Action Pass

Now that we have run the counter play with the motions, you will start to find the defense want to cheat to the side opposite of the motion. It happens with kids, especially high school kids who see the play and then want to get a jump. So here are examples of the play run off of these motions and formations.

Doubles Yo Yo 137 Counter Boot

Even though the play goes to the right it is called 137 because the line action is the same as running 37 Counter. The 100 is added to signify to the players it is the play action pass. This is a simple yet effective way of not over complicating your team.

As you can see by the draw up, are motion receiver will chip the end then get out into the route. The QB is going to watch the end and see if he can get outside on a boot or needs to pull up and get rid of the ball now. The QB should get depth should he choose to roll out, to avoid any chance of that end catching him. He should take a look at the deep ball and see if it is coming open but the quick shoot route or 10 yard crossing will be the routes most likely coming open. The deep post is the last read on the play before taking off running with the ball. It is important that the line doesn't get too far down field in their play action look.

Right Trips Halo 136 Counter Boot

Same as what happened above the chip and then out into the route is vitally important. It will help sell the run to the flat defender giving your receiver a chance to get out and run with the ball.

Blue 136 Counter Boot

This formation has been where I have really seen this play hit for big yardage. The defense has packed more into the box and sold for the run, Usually the back slipping out into the flat is open by at least 10-12 yards, usually leaving them one on one with a safety to make the tackle.

Now for a lot of coaches these routes are very similar to the boot routes they run off of the inside zone from the gun. One of the great things is that your kids learn a lot of new routes and can still have an effective counter to a defense cheating against your counter play.

And lest you think you can only run the play with two receivers to either side you can still call the play and run it with three receivers to one side as shown here.

Right Trips Ha Ha 137 Counter Boot Flood

So there you go coaches, an idea on how to run some play action passes off of counter action in the spread. Of course this isn't the end all of be all when it comes to pass combos and routes. I would love to hear from other coaches what their experience has been and ideas on route combos, please leave your comments below.

David Yost Explaining How Screens Make Up Part Of Missouri's Run Game

2011-11-04T13:49:00.000-06:00

Here is a video of David Yost offensive coordinator at Missouri explaining how they use the bubble and now screen as part of their run game. Contrary to what some coaches believe there is a read on the play as Coach Yost explains with reading the middle backer and his alignment during the play. Many more coaches are implementing the screen game as part of their offense. It puts pressure on the defense because they get a run read but then the ball is passed out to a receiver. Coaches I suggest you take a look at using these screens as part of your run game from the spread as it will help pull more defenders out of the box. What have been some of your experiences running a screen off of your zone run out of the shotgun spread?

The Reason Why I Love to Coach

2011-09-04T21:08:00.000-06:00

Here is a clip from the Boys of Fall documentary that ESPN did. It is segments talking about the role of coaches in the lives of the boys we coach and teach. I have said it before, you need to think about why you coach. Why do you want to be out there? Is for yourself or is it for the boys??

Coaching at Sunset High

2011-08-21T15:01:00.002-06:00

Well since moving back to Portland Oregon I have found another school I will be coaching at. Tomorrow morning I will start helping the Sunset Apollos, my old high school. I have often wondered what it would be like to come back to my old high school and help with the program and now I will get the chance.

I will be working with the O line again as well as the Tight End, running scout team, and handling the Hudl system for the school. I am excited for this opportunity. Sunset isn't the same type of place like Timpview, but it will be a great chance to learn how to rebuild a school from a very good coach. I enjoyed meeting Coach Riley, I think we will mesh well in terms of coaching philosphy. I also look forward to working with my new staff. As a side note one of the coaches is my old head coach and it will be good to see him again.

I will continue to bring up posts talking about different football topics and events. Football season is here, let's get to work!!!!

Funny to Think About Now

2011-08-14T15:40:00.000-06:00

So one advantage to moving back has been the ability to watch some classic football games. Here are a couple things that stood out to me this past week that really kind of made me chuckle about the offense side of the ball.

I was able to watch the 2005 Fiesta Bowl between Utah and Pitt on ESPN Classic. It was near the end of the game when Brent Musberger asked his co-announcer Gary Danielson if Urban Meyer was going to have trouble running his spread offense in the SEC? Well Gary of course replied that he thought so because of the speed of the linebackers and d-line. Why does that give me a chuckle? Well 5 years later the spread offense like Urban Meyer is alive and well in the speedy SEC. Seems like commentators forget for all the speed on one side of the ball, the other side will have it too.

The second game I saw was the 1993 Rose Bowl game between Washington and Michigan on the Big Ten Network (yep even the west coast gets this channel). In the second quarter Washington is driving for the go ahead touchdown and Brent Musberger (man that guy has done a lot of games) is commenting on the passing game for the Washington offense. At this particular point they were 10 of 12 passing with 188 yards and one touchdown. Their run game was ineffective as Michigan had basically everyone in the box. Right after he says this, Washingon runs the ball being stuffed on two straight runs. Brent then comments that Washington fans are probably thinking, stop running the ball and just pass it!!! Next play, Mark Brunell passes for a touchdown and Washington goes ahead 21-17. This made me chuckle because of how insane it would seem to coaches now doing your offense that way.

It is just kind of funny to see how football has changed since that 1993 bowl game. Offenses more spread out and defenses not stacking the box as much (Washington was basically like a 5-3 that game). I think at some point the tighter formations will make a return but just interesting to see how much the game has changed from even just a few years ago.

Moved Back to Oregon

2011-08-07T17:18:00.001-06:00

Well I recently resigned as assistant Offensive Line Coach at Timpview and moved back to Portland Oregon. I decided that I needed a change in my career outside of football and to take some classes while here. It wasn't the easiest decision to make as I knew I would miss the kids and working with the coaching staff. I have learned so much from Coach Wong and the other coaches I am really indebted to them. I am thankful that Coach Wong took a chance on me 5 years ago to hire me on his staff. I hope I can continue learning and remember what he and the others have taught me.

I want to wish the Timpview team good luck this season as I will still be checking up on them.

As for me coaching up here in Oregon I am not sure. I would love to help a program out, though it is close to the season starting at the high school level. I would even be up for volunteering at one of the small colleges around here. Any Oregon coaches in the Portland area I would love to hear from you so we can talk and meet.

Pass Protection When You Go Five Wide

2011-04-11T21:46:00.002-06:00

After my last post about the passing game from 5 wide, I was asked to talk a little about what we did for pass protection using the five wide set. One of the difficult situations when passing from empty is that you will only have five blockers and a defense that can bring six pass rushers while locking up man to man. So what can you do as an offense to provide protection without giving up big sacks?

This last season I had my line step to protect inside gap to outside gap first. The reason behind us doing this was because the fastest way to get to the QB is from the middle of the line. We would step down half a step to protect that inside gap, if no rusher showed then we would look outside. However as I look back on this past season I would like to make some changes to our empty pass protection to better protect the QB. Not that we had many problems last season when we went empty but I am always looking to optimize our performance.

What a lot of teams like to do when it comes to pass protection is either slide the whole line right or slide left:

This type of slide protection can help your line pick up outside blitzes to one side but also help pick up a middle blitz that many 4-2-5 teams will employ. Against a 50 front team, the backside guard and tackle of the slide need to check inside gap first to help teammate and then look outside gap to help pick up rushers.

So if a team brings six rushers what needs to happen? Again you need to protect inside gap first and the QB is responsible for the sixth rusher to get rid of the ball. Ideally you want that sixth rusher to be an outside rusher as he will have further to come and the QB can see him and even throw the ball to the area that has been vacated. Your receivers also need to recognize the blitz and help the QB out by adjusting their routes to help the QB get rid of the ball quickly. They need to look and see if there are any safeties over the top. If the QB sees that there is a 6 man blitz coming he can also audible to a hot route. You might want to slide protect to the backside of your QB since that is the side he won't be able to as easily see the outside rusher coming.

I have also thought about widening our line splits a little more to widen the defensive front to help slow down their line stunts and also their outside blitzes. My only concern is the middle blitzes that will come and if we get to wide if our tackles will be able to slide and pick up the defender over the guard.

You can also help make that pass rusher go further by rolling your QB out of empty. You can use your 3rd receiver to act as a lead blocker and run roll out pass plays. You can even go quads and do roll out game with the 4th receiver staying in to block.

By getting rid of the ball quickly, you will start to force that pass rush to slow down. Every time having to chase the QB then go chase the ball after it is down field will start to wear down the rush. Combine that with a run game and you can keep the defense guessing instead of just always rushing the passer

The biggest thing you can teach your line is that they don't need to make a huge block when it comes to pass blocking. Sometimes all they need to do is give a nice push to knock the rusher off track to give your QB just a few tenths of a second more to get rid of the ball. Watch this video from FSN's Sports Science to give you an idea of what I mean.

So there you go, just an idea of how you will want to do some pass protection when going five wide. I would love to hear other coaches thoughts and what they have taught their players. Any coaches widened their splits when in empty and how did that go? Like I said I am looking to optimize the blocking for this coming season.

Example of Passing Game in Empty.

2011-04-07T21:30:00.011-06:00

Even though we are a team that doesn't necessarily do empty all the time I have found that I like going empty and wanted to talk more about some plays you can run from the empty set. In my previous post I talked a little about the run game from Empty. Today I would like to talk about using the passing game from empty. A great advantage of this type of offensive set is that it puts the defense in a real bind by spreading them out allowing more one on one situations. Because of the quick passing game one thing that you can find is that it starts to tire the defensive front out. They start to rush the QB, ball is gone and they then have to turn and chase the ball carrier. If a team blitzes it is the same situation as they will have to turn and run once the ball is gone. Teams will have to be rotating multiple players and this again can put help your offense as you will be wear a defense down.

One disadvantage obviously is that there is no back in the backfield to help block and so you need to have a good short passing game to help prevent teams from blitzing. One of the most common passing plays that teams will run is where all five receivers will run curls.

Empty Right 50 All Curls

By the spacing you set up, it will help allow your receiver to find the open spot in the defense. The inside curls can help punish a team that brings it backers that can also be checked into go routes if the middle backers blitz and the defense is in cover 0 This is a great universal play against zone and man to man coverage. Usually against zone you will find on the three receiver side that #2 receiver will come open quite a bit.

Run Game Out of the Empty Set

2011-03-13T18:16:00.000-06:00

I really do like going empty on the offensive side of the ball and find that it puts the defense into a bind on what they have to do. While spreading the defense out, this formation also allows you the opportunity to still have a run game out of empty.

Jet Sweep

A great play that is commonly used is the Jet Sweep by teams. You bring the slot back in motion and at the snap as he is going full speed is given the ball by the QB or if you are really good, he can read the backside D with the QB keeping. Line blocks just like a stretch play and the ball carrier reads and makes his cut upfield. If the defense starts to cheat a backer to cut off the run on play side, the slot on the 3 receiver side can align closer to cut that player off.

If the backside backer goes in motion with the motion of the slot, then your QB will want to pull the ball. A great compliment play especially if a defense starts cheating to the motion is a QB counter play.

QB Counter Play

This play is a great way to take advantage of an aggressive defense and allow you the opportunity at some big plays. As you fake the hand off to the motion back, the QB follows the pulling tackle. The back can carry out his jet sweep fake or you can have him go pick up the backside end to prevent him from disrupting and chasing the play down from behind.

Another way to take advantage of an aggressive defense as well is to play action off of the motion and try to take advantage of a safety that is rolling or coming up early to stop the jet sweep play.

Play Action Post SE Drag

This is a just an example of using the run to also set up your play action passing game as you take advantage of a defense that rolls to the 4 receiver side. By isolating 1 on 1 backside you can have a favorable match up. If the safety rolls too far the post can take advantage of the defense. If the safety stays in the middle you can look at the post if the defense isn't in a zone or check down to the drag or swing route. Another play change that you can do is have the 3 players actually slow block a screen to the motion player if the safety stays in the middle and it looks like the defense is staying in a 3 deep zone.

There you go just a few examples of having the run game out of an empty set and how you can also take advantage of what a defense gives to you. You really can force the defense to run a coverage that you like and get them into a position that favors your offense. Coaches let me know about your experiences running the ball out of an empty formation. Also what your opinions are of the example plays I have shown here.

Need to Take More Chances

2011-03-04T16:58:00.000-07:00

This is something that I need to get better at in my own life. Taking risks can be so scary and I tend to be cautious. Ironic huh? Here I am having coached football for the last 5 years and I am afraid to take chances in my life. Another irony to all this is that I got the opportunity to coach at Timpview due to taking a shot in the dark.

So why I haven't I taken more chances with regards to my coaching career? It isn't because I'm not extremely confident in my ability to coach. In fact I dare say I could probably go to a program and be able to make a difference to that staff immedately. Sounds pretty arrogant I know but that is actually the confidence I have received from coaching at Timpview. Part of the reason I don't take chances is that I tend to get pretty complacent and let's be honest it is nice to coach at a school where your first three years you win a state title. Still I need to take a chance and put myself out there to continue to progress as a coach.

Let me give you an example of how I didn't take a chance. Recently I wrote a blog post about how I would rebuild a high school football program. This became a popular post still receiving traffic till this day. Guess what I did after writing that post? I didn't even ever contact the school I wrote about. I didn't contact any schools that were looking for coaches. I did nothing just played it safe.

Compare my actions to one of my fellow coaches Zach Nyborg. After two years of coaching he took chances, he even applied to take over his old high school. Though he didn't get the position Zach kept taking chances (unlike me) and was able to get a student assistant position at Utah State University. Now does this mean he is on the fast track to a college coaching career? No it doesn't guarantee anything, but I am jealous of him because he has a real opportunity in front of him.

You might ask why I am writing this post? Well one of the points of this blog is to help other coaches, even young coaches starting out to learn from my mistakes and avoid them. If you want to coach you need to set out specific goals. Where do you want to be in 5 years as a coach? What level do you want to be coaching? As for me writing this blog post is a way to now keep reminding myself that I need to take more chances not only as a coach but also in my daily life.

Importance of Coaching Staff Unity

2011-01-29T14:45:00.000-07:00

I wanted to talk today a little bit about the importance of staff unity. For the past few months I have been speaking with a friend who is coaching at the college level. As a GA my friend has a great chance to learn and has been giving their all for the program.

Well this past season has been very tough on my friend as a new assistant came in. This new assistant had been a college head coach and knew a lot of technique. My friend was initially excited but over the last few months the situation has deteriorated and become increasingly frustrating. I won't go into too much detail about what was happening between my friend and this assistant but let's just say it has become an untenable situation.

My friend went to a coaching clinic and was able to network and meet other coaches. Now my friend has been interviewing with another college and the head coach of the other school wanted to use the offer to get a job at the current college. My friend told me this and I said do you really think that this could work for you to stay with this assistant? I also asked could you really recruit a kid to your school while you have a staff that can't get along? It will come out at some point.

And that is the point I was trying to make, maybe the head coach wants to keep you, but this situation is not ideal. We expect the players to be a team and that is how the coaches should be. We have all seen programs where the coaching staff will argue. I have seen staffs argue on the sideline and get into fights. We have played teams at Timpview that have been that way. No good can come from this situation and could hurt the program for a few years.

I have encouraged my friend to continue for the job and they are a finalist for the position now. If you are a new coach coming into a program or just starting out pay attention to this fact. You can't have cancers within a coaching staff. If you feel like you can't get along with the staff then moving on could be the best for both parties involved.

What do some of you other coaches think?

My Coach Sucks

2011-01-28T18:37:00.000-07:00

Saw this on the Coach Huey forum and just had to share. All you coaches know you have experience with this happening no matter the sport.

Smart Football Breaks Down the BCS National Championship Game

2011-01-10T13:28:00.000-07:00

Check out Chris Brown's article on Yahoo about the BCS National Title game and the spread. It's a good read and will provide a lot of good insight to others who will be watching the game. This should be a good chess match.

Oklahoma State's Unique Hand Off on the Jet Sweep

2010-12-31T14:15:00.001-07:00

I have been looking for clips online of the Alamo Bowl so that I could show you what I mean by unique handoff in the game. Unfortunately I haven't been able to find it yet. They would bring a receiver in motion and then instead of handing the ball off, the QB would just overhand toss the ball to the receiver going in front of him.

Why would Oklahoma State do this? Well I can think of one reason right now. How many times in a game have we seen where there is a fumble on the read hand off that leads to a turnover. Instead if the toss to the receiver is dropped it isn't a fumble but instead an incomplete pass that doesn't result in a turnover.

Does anyone have any clips of the play being run in the bowl game or not? I really would like to post video here on the site to show. It happens in the first half.

How to Properly Run the Hurdles

2010-12-31T10:16:00.000-07:00

Ok so it really isn't but I ran hurdles in high school and boy did I feel like doing this at times while running them.

Eagles Use Of The Power Play

2010-12-28T19:51:00.001-07:00

I meant to comment on this earlier but got distracted with the holiday. I had wanted to talk about how the Eagles use the QB power play with Mike Vick when in the red zone out of the shotgun. Here is a clip of the play during the Philadelphia/New York Giants game to bring the team within 7. It was a brilliant call that caught the Giants un-prepared for the play. And despite the call by the announcers, this was not a draw play.

This of course wasn't the first time that the Eagles used this play with Vick. For his first td run as an Eagle they called the same play just to the right.

So how is the play blocked? Well I have included a Power Point draw up of how the Eagles blocked the play against the Giants.

The Eagles run the play to the TE side pulling the backside guard and leading with the back. The blocking is as follows:

TE blocks down on end
Play side Guard and Tackle double down on DT to Middle Backer
Center down blocks on DT over pulling Guard
Backside Tackle blocks end and
Wing blocks backside to prevent chaser.
Back leads blocking most dangerous, usually outside defender
Pulling Guard looks inside out blocking most dangerous.

As you can see this has been an effective play for the Eagles with a running QB. For other coaches you might want to look at including it with your offense as it can be a great play for your team to run.

Don't Go Chasing Ghosts

2010-12-22T12:15:00.002-07:00

I was reading a section in Alan Trimble's football book about game planning and he brought a very importat point that young coaches should learn. He calls it chasing ghosts when it comes to game preparation. What is meant by this is going into practice and preparing for plays that you think are going to happen and wasting too much time doing so.

That isn't to say that you won't encounter adjustments by other teams, but do you really believe that a double wing team is going to put in a shotgun spread play for the week playing you? Maybe, but chances are pretty good that they won't. If you start to worry too much about these ghosts you will cut into the game plan you are preparing and can take away from precious practice preparing for their main plays.

I unfortunately have seen this a lot from other coaches as they have tried to install a play or formation that another team has success doing. In doing so they are chasing those ghosts and hurting their team with chances in preparing to win the game. For you newer coaches, don't spend too much time preparing for what if's.

When Patience Pays Off For A Football Program

2010-12-15T10:45:00.000-07:00

In my last post, I wrote about things I would do to rebuild a high school program. One of the items on my list was that you need to be patient, and need the patience of the school administration. Too often you are expected in 3 years to have it turned around. I have a perfect example for everyone of how patience can pay off for your program.

This last weekend Aloha High School won the Oregon 6A state title for the first time in history. What makes this run even more significant is that for 20 years the program had been the doormat of the state. I remember my playing days and no matter what, you knew that you could beat Aloha in football. That all changed 7 years ago with the hiring of their current coach.

When Coach Chris Casey arrived at the school, people were ashamed to be from Aloha. Here is the story about what he encountered when he arrived.

A generation ago, Aloha was an attractive, close-to-downtown suburb offering new homes with large lots, proximity to good-paying jobs and a successful high school football program.

In the years since, things have become tougher. Wages have stagnated over time. Scores of businesses have closed in the past 12 months. And the Warriors football team withered, with winless seasons (four) outnumbering above-.500 finishes (one) in one 18-year period.

Under seventh-year head coach Chris Casey, though, the football team has gradually revived. Last year, the team achieved a winning record for the first time since 1989. This year, the Warriors won the championship of the uber-competitive Metro League for the first time since 1984, and beginning with tonight's first-round playoff game against visiting Barlow of Gresham, the Warriors are expected to make a serious run at a state championship -- and take a riveted community along for the ride.

"There are a lot of people barely hanging on," said Steve Cutone, owner of Buddies Sports Bar & Grill, less than a mile south of campus. "With the football program over at Aloha doing well, it kind of takes the thought of, 'Geez, we're not doing so well,' and you think, 'Hey, these guys are doing great.........'"

Casey, brother of Oregon State baseball coach Pat Casey, remembers his first meeting with the Beaverton School District superintendent, when he heard all about how the school was down on its luck, overshadowed by its more affluent neighbors in the district.

"I took it as a challenge," said Casey, the father of four children, ages 9 to 19. "When I got here, people were depressed and apologetic about being from Aloha. It's like people were acting like losers."

In the three seasons before Casey arrived at Aloha, the team lost 25 of 27 games and drew small, disinterested crowds to home games.

"The stigma on the kids was, 'Well, you go to Aloha, that's the loser school,'" said Mark Girard, a 1973 graduate who has lived in Aloha his entire life and attended games every year. "This means so much to me, and the people I know that played there, that they're erasing that stigma."
When the Warriors played host to perennial powerhouse Jesuit on Oct. 15 with first place in the Metro at stake, the stands were full one hour before kickoff. A crowd estimated at more than 5,000 watched Aloha win 38-25 to end a 24-game losing streak to the Crusaders.

"That win, that night, was by far the biggest thing I've ever witnessed at our high school, and at any high school, in my life," said Ed Macsisak, a former youth football coach who now serves as director of football operations for the high school.

As the Warriors finished their warm-ups and prepared to return to the locker room about 30 minutes before the game, Casey had them take a knee on the field.

"I told them to look around at what they had created," Casey said.

"It's a big buzz around the town, wherever you go," said Cutone, who put a "Go Warriors!" message on his sports bar's readerboard a few weeks ago. "The news is damn depressing, so you take something like Aloha football, a real positive like that, and it lifts everybody's spirits."

Starts with youth Aloha's decline on the football field coincided with changing times for the surrounding community.

New high schools opened in the Beaverton School District, redefining Aloha's enrollment boundaries. The median income of the community, in inflation-adjusted dollars, has been stagnant since 1980. In the 2009-10 school year, Aloha had a free or reduced lunch rate of 40 percent -- highest in the Beaverton district by a third.

A Washington County-issued newsletter says 100 businesses are expected to close in the next year on top of the 103 that folded in the past year.

The Aloha football turnaround began in 2000 when Oscar Cardona, a Nike executive and father of senior running back Troy Cardona, took over as president of Aloha Youth Football. Cardona didn't rubber-stamp waiver requests for players to join nearby youth programs.

"They wanted to go to Beaverton or Southridge or Westview," Cardona said. "I said, 'Let's try to be proud of our community. Help me solve the problem. I'm not going to let you run away from it.' I was threatened with lawsuits."

The youth program began to build, and in 2004, the high school program got the motivational leader it needed in Casey.

A college assistant for 19 seasons at Linfield (1985-93) and Whitworth (1994-2003) in Spokane, Casey and his wife, Kathleen, looked to move back to the Willamette Valley to be closer to family. Aloha needed a coach, and the school's athletic director, Kevin Bryant, was the same athletic director who hired Casey at Whitworth.

The year Casey was hired, the program got another shot in the arm when Nike, the Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation District and the U.S. Soccer Federation joined forces for a $1 million project to install artificial turf on Aloha's football field.

It was just the beginning. Nike helped make new football uniforms affordable. Jim Reimann, a businessman whose son played for Casey at Linfield, started giving $6,500 each year for the high school team to attend a summer football camp at Gold Beach. Rick Miller, an Aloha parent, gave $237,000 for a new weight room.

The school got a boost when the school district spent $15.7 million to build a science wing.

Changing the culture

Meanwhile, Casey was at work instilling a work ethic in the football program. The team began to win more and made breakthroughs last year with the winning record and long-sought playoff spot.

"There's about four kids that played Westview youth football that are now in the Aloha program because of what they've done over there," Westview High School coach Greg Fisher said. "I guess that's kudos to Chris. He's built a belief in a program, and kids want to play for that."

With their good-guy coach, lunch-pail image and underdog back story, the Warriors have become sentimental favorites. Casey said two Metro coaches have told him their wives pull for the Warriors.

Around Aloha, the Warriors have become celebrities of sorts. More than 300 people jammed into the Peppermill Restaurant for a party after the Jesuit game, cheering players and coaches as they arrived.

"I don't think the kids there fully realize it," said Girard, the 1973 Aloha graduate, "but I run into classmates and people that graduated before me, and they're just ecstatic about this. And they're coming out and they're going to games again. And they're saying, 'You can hold your head up and say you went to Aloha High now.'"

This is what makes high school football so great, as it can raise the spirits of an entire community. Look at the patience exhibited by the coach and administration to give him time to build this program. Imagine if he had been canned after 3 or 4 years? Would they have their state title? Coach Casey would be a great coach to talk to about rebuilding a high school program. He stuck to his beliefs and helped turn not only a program around but also a community.

How I Would Rebuild A High School Football Program

2010-12-07T22:51:00.004-07:00

Recently a fellow coach told me that the Lehi high school position was open and that I should apply for the position. I declined initially but it did make me think how I would build up a high school program. Lehi hasn't won a game in two years. This is unfortunate since they won the state title 10 years ago and have fallen on hard times recently.

So what would I do to re-build a program like this? Well here is just a list of a few of the things in no particular order I would do:

Recruit The Halls- This is pretty cliche but this is a school with around 1800 students. They won the soccer title in men's soccer, there are players and athletes in the school that can help. There has to be some size that isn't out on the field that can be coached into players. First thing I would do at any school is get in the halls to get kids out for the team.
Build Team Pride- When facing a losing streak, the players start to become ashamed of being a part of the team. You need to build up pride to be a part of this team. You need to have team-building activities for kids (movie night; pool parties; bonfires; etc) They need to bond and have that pride to be a football player again.
Schedule Easier Non-League Games That You Know You Can Win- This in my opinion is one of the most important things you can do. Pride about who you are playing isn't worth it in the middle of a losing streak. You need to win some games to get the monkey off the back. Practice after a win is always better than after a loss. Wins give kids confidence to win. An example of a team I would schedule were I at Lehi would be American Leadership Academy. They are going back down to 2A but only won 1 game last year and have struggled over the years as well. Find a way to play them, start to build some confidence.
Simplify Your Game Plan- Too many times, new coaches come in and try to install everything they want to do on offense and defense. This is a mistake in my opinion and can lead to confusing your players. It takes time to get your system fully into place. Figure out what your base plays are and install those and make sure the kids have them down. Then you can build off of them from there.
Be Patient- Unfortunately the Lehi program hasn't won in two years. You can't change overnight the way they act and play; it will take time to undo and remake what the players do and how the community reacts to you.
No One's Position Is Safe- There will be returning players that were starters last year. Well that doesn't mean anything now that I am in charge of the program. I would say that every position is open for competition. The best players in that position are going to play, no ifs ands or buts about it. You win your starting position back then good job but don't expect it to be handed to you. Competition will help breed success.
Stick To Your Plan And Believe What You Are Doing- You may make decisions that others will disagree with even on your staff, but you need to send the message. If that means sitting a star player because his grades are poor then do it. Once you have established how your program is run you can't change your mind for certain players. Doing so will lose any credibility your players and parents will have in you and can lead to more troubles in the future for your program.
Bring In The Success Of Past Teams/Cut Away From The Past Struggles- What do I mean by this? Well for Lehi I would bring in the former players from the 2000 state championship team. Have them meet the players, speak and let them know what it meant to them to be a part of the school. Likewise you will need to make a clean break from the past struggles of your team. There may be coaches from the previous staff that would like to stay and help. Unfortunately I would say thanks but no thank you. That isn't to say they would be a terrible fit with my philosophies but any tie to the past struggles counters what I would be trying to build.
Get The Backing Of Your School's Administration- You need to have the full support of your school's administration and AD. Nothing hurts more than not getting the backup from your principal and that kills a program faster than you know. I have seen horror stories on coaching boards and know that I want with respects to that. This also includes being able to pick your own staff. If a principal wants to hire some of your coaches, then it just won't work out.
BE FULLY INVESTED WITH YOUR NEW PROGRAM- Were I to leave Timpview (a successful program) for one like Lehi, I would make sure to be fully invested. How many of us as players saw coaches that looked longingly at the previous school they were at acting as if they were wanting to return there. How can a kid trust that you are doing what is best for them, why will they play hard for you if they feel that way? Once you are there, be fully there as a coach.
Stay In Contact With Your Mentor- Every coach will have a mentor that helps teach them the ropes. If I leave Timpview to take over a program I will continue to speak with Coach Wong for advice on how to handle certain issues that arise.
Make Sure Parents Are In The Loop- Let the parents know what is going on with the program and what your expectations are. Doing so will help avoid any issues that could arrive because of miscommunication.
Engage The Community- Make sure you have a good booster club president that will help you fund raise. Make sure to get the community involved in what you are doing, if they support your team, success will follow..

Well these are just a few of the things I would do to build a high school program were I to take over. I may add more to the list as time goes by and I have more to think about. I would love to hear any feedback from any coaches that read this post on things that they have done to build a high school program.

PS. If the head coach is still there at Lehi I apologize for any misunderstanding it is what I was informed by a fellow coach.

Timpview Loses in Quarterfinals to Springville

2010-11-12T09:49:00.000-07:00

This has been a post that I have dreaded posting for the last week. Today are the semifinals in Utah and for the first time I won't be on the sideline for one of the games. We lost last week at Springville in the Quarterfinals. This is a game that still bums me out and haven't watched the film or read any articles about the game.

We made mistakes and they made the plays to win so you have to give them credit. Coach Wong had warned them during the season that you can't make mistakes in the playoffs because the better teams won't let us back into the games. It's unfortunate that this happened as we had some seniors who had been a part of the previous state championship teams and unfortunately won't get a 4th ring.

I do feel that the players might not have taken this team as serious as they could have. It started during film session with players cracking jokes. The offensive line had a rough game as their front four caused us issues and Covey getting a concussion in the game.

So now the players coming up will have to step it up. Next year will be quite interesting as we will be replacing a lot on the offensive side of the ball.

Timpview Sophomore Offensive Line

2010-11-02T11:28:00.001-06:00

Here are some pics of the O-line from the 2010 Timpview Sophomore Team. They had a great season including one game leading the way to rush for 380+ yards. I am really proud of these kids and we became a very mean offensive line. I have also included pics of the 2010 Sophomore team. I am in the middle in the team pictures.

Massachusetts Play-by-Play Announcers Lose It Over A Bad Call In Football Game

2010-10-28T17:54:00.003-06:00

Well I am just gonna be honest this is a terrible call. Not sure how this got blown incomplete, it wasn't even close to being backwards but that is ok. The best part is the reaction of the announcers and how they start yelling out the window at the refs.

2010_1022_Abington_vs_Rockland_Touchdown_Nullified from Norm Caseley on Vimeo.

Timpview Vs Logan 1st Round of Playoffs

2010-10-25T11:30:00.000-06:00

Well what a draw we got this year for the 1st round. We have Logan High which is a very good team. This is one of the few programs to actually ever beat us in the playoffs so we have to be prepared for this game intensely. With the sophomore season done I will help with the varsity group more now during the playoffs and look forward to the practices.

It is supposed to snow this week so it will be cold outside. We need to be physical this team is very aggressive and we need to be aggressive in return. We will see what happens, I may just give you a daily post about practice this week.

Timpview Sophomore's vs Timpanogos, Lehi, and Provo

2010-10-22T12:19:00.000-06:00

Well I need to update you on the Timpview sophomore team and how they did to finish out the season. The Timpanogos sophomore team is a good team even though they didn't have a lot of players. They played us tough as they responded to our score with a score of their own. In fact they actually led us at different points of the game. We learned that the team had been undefeated so far so this was a good test for our boys.

Heading into the half 14-14 we made some adjustments and the defense did a better job and getting some turnovers. Offensively we struggled at times and threw what appeared to be a costly interception near the end zone. Defense held strong and we forced them into a field goal. I thought that we could block a field goal and were able to on this play. After the block our corner picked the ball up and proceeded to score tying up the game. After trading blows we drove for a game winning fg which we missed at the end of the game so overtime started. We got defense first (which you want) and held for the 1st two downs. Our DC calls a play and he starts calling the safety over to man up on the receiver. The safety mis interprets and thinks he is to blitz. He proceeds to run as the team runs a speed option. The qb is hit by our safety and fumbles the ball, our outside backer scoops the ball up and runs for a td to end the game 33-27. I was really proud how the team responded in the game.

On a short week we then had to play Lehi and the game was again a good test. We came out and played well and won 43-14. One crazy thing was that our kickers kept missing PAT's.so Coach Bateman let the linemen kick the last 2 for the game so yes we missed 6 pat's in the game. We also rushed for 386 yards in the game and 6 rushing td's. Not bad for a spread team to do. Undefeated in region this brought up the next big game which was Provo our rival.

Yesterday was our Provo game and we didn't know much about the Provo sophomores. We came out and actually scored quickly and jumped out to a 20-0 lead heading into the half. I tried getting all my players in sooner since it is the last game of the year. We lead 27-7 and the players proceeded to give an ice bath to Coach Bateman and then I got one as well. I walked around giving congrats to the players and hugging them as we would finish undefeated region champs. Provo did score in the final seconds to make it 27-14 so give them credit for battling. After shaking hands we proceeded to take pictures with the players and the parents gave them cupcakes. What a difference a year makes, this is the same freshman team that only won 1 game last year. This platooning from a young age though really does help, as this team was the furthest along as sophomores we have ever had. I expect big things from this group.

Report on Timpview vs Timpanogas and Lehi

2010-10-22T11:59:00.000-06:00

My apologies on not reporting sooner but here goes about the last two varsity games. First off the Timpanogos game where we seemed to come out in a slumber. Even though we scored first we kept making too many mistakes and actually headed into the half down 24-14.

Coach Wong was very upset and made the bold decision to not let any of the coaches go in at half and talk with the team, that they needed to figure things out. So for the whole half until 3 minutes left not a coach went into the locker room, we just stood outside and headed out onto the field. The players came out and the team responded holding Timpanogos scoreless for the second half and won 41-24.

The Lehi game was a different story. Maybe the Timpanogos game was what we needed, that if you play flat you can lose as we came out on fire scoring quickly. We blocked two punts and by the end of the first half it was 49-0. Our backups got game time and though Lehi scored twice to make it 49-15 it was still a successful game and we escaped without any major injuries.

We have at least clinched a share of the region crown and probably the 1 seed in the playoffs but we can be outright region champs if we beat Provo tonight. It's a big game since it is rivalry week.