DEATH OR GLORY PLAYBOOK, FALL 1994
Well, not really a playbook, it's more of a summary of things
we should be comfortable with by the end of the season.
This is now old news, and Mooney has published a lot of the philosophy in his Conceptual Ultimate series, but the general principles still apply today, even though some of the things are obsolete and others are just plain wrong, but it will be left as an exercise for the reader to determine which is which.
The following is a basic strategy for the team. Here is the full playbook. Enjoy.
MAN TO MAN
Basic strategy is to take advantage of positioning, using lots
of fronting (also called face-guarding) and limited
INTELLIGENT switching. Of course, some players are so good
and so dangerous that the men covering them must focus all
their energy on trying to shut them down and can't really
afford to look to poach or switch. In these cases, the other
players have to look to help them out, especially if the
receiver cuts long. The "Last Man Back" should always be
aware of deep cutters.
SIDELINE RESPONSIBILITIES
In a man to man, the sideline should keep the field informed
of who is last back. They should also be watching for deep
cutters so they can tell the last back to switch deep,
although that is also last back's responsibility. In a zone,
they talk to side middles and the deep deep primarily,
although again the on-the-field players have the
responsibility to look around. Sidelines should concentrate
on offensive players who are out of the field of vision of the
particular defender ("Joe, he's coming in now"). In general,
positive encouragement and commenting on good play are what
we're looking for. For many people, screaming at them is an
effective motivator, but for others, it's a spirit crusher.
We should all have thicker skins, but that's not the way some
people work. Just be a little thoughtful when you're calling
one of your teammates an asshole.
OFFENSE
BASIC STRATEGY
Take easy passes, especially at high stall counts, until we
can get a big strike. In past years, we would either try to
force it in 20-30 yard passes or else force the long play.
Now, our first look is usually long if it's open, but only if
it's open. Often times a long pass is an easy one. In
general, we don't want to throw to matchups, we want to throw
to open receivers, especially on long throws. A good long
throw is one where even if the receiver and defender were
reversed, you'd still make the throw and it would never matter
because he's that wide open. Less forcing, less heroic stuff.
To sum it up, it's so easy.
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