So my kids coach is Herm Edwards...

[MahiMike]

My son plays center for the MAA Tigers Mighty Mites A team. Every practice his coach tries to get their O-line to block better. (One thing you notice right away is that offensive line is much harder than D-line. All the kids want to play there because they know this.)

Anyways, every single game we try to run on every stinkin down. Even though our team is smallish and are usually outweighed by 20 lbs/kid, we still keep trying to pound it in. Even little kids figure this out and their defenses stack all 11 near the line.

The result - 1 and 3 so far. The one game we won, our Defense scored.

Guess my point is this; no matter what level you play, if you're predictable and one-sided, you lose. Maybe I should have Herm come watch?

[DaKCMan AP]

Originally Posted by Sully

I've been watching my nephew play Pop Warner for a few years, and it never ceases to amaze me how much these coaches don't realize they are coaching little league... not the NFL. My nephew came home from a preseason practice with a playsheet containing a good 50-60 plays. Of course, week 2, they played Neil Smith's team (he coaches, apparently, and his son plays) and they ran a total of 2 plays the whole game, over and over... and won by a lot. If you can teach the kids to play a little football, complete with blocking and tackling and being an instigator of contact, it will go a lot longer toward winning than dreaming that you are the next coming of Paul Brown.

Yep, when I was a kid we had about 10 plays that we ran and were pretty good. 8 of the 10 were runs (off-tackle left, off-tackle right, sweep left, sweep right, QB sneak, reverse, and up the middle) and one of the passes was a WR screen. No need to throw the ball all over the place at that level. Good blocking and speed kills.

[pikesome]

Originally Posted by DaKCMan AP

Yep, when I was a kid we had about 10 plays that we ran and were pretty good. 8 of the 10 were runs (off-tackle left, off-tackle right, sweep left, sweep right, QB sneak, reverse, and up the middle) and one of the passes was a WR screen. No need to throw the ball all over the place at that level. Good blocking and speed kills.

Execution is key I think. At this level most of the kids seem to be thinking about what they have to do instead it being somewhat "instinctive" like good HS or college play. That's my son's biggest problem, he's trying not to get called out for lining up wrong, getting in his stance properly, not false starting, telling the substitution girl that he's going in, a variety of things not directly related to blocking. Some of the kids have played long enough to be over the worry but my son is in his first year, it's a lot to do at once when you're thinking about all of it.

[Sully]

I remember this particular game my nephew played last year. He was a RB, and the team had a devestating lineman ( I think they only played 3 linemen).
ANyhow, they'd snap the ball, this lineman would drive his guy 10 yards, and the RB would pick up 8-10 yards every time... Yet they only ran that play once every 10-12 plays. At some oint, and I think it is more true at that level than any... make them stop you. Don't change jsut for change's sake.

[ChiefsCountry]

If I was coaching little kids football I probally would make it a wishbone based team.