Defending the Best Offensive Minds - Texas Tech Head Coach Kliff Kingsbury
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Transcript of Defending the Best Offensive Minds - Texas Tech Head Coach Kliff Kingsbury
Theoretical Football
“Theoretical football is the notion that American football is an exceedingly complex sport that requires a branch of learning. Its goal is to accentuate the cerebral, academic, and quantifiable
aspects of American football.” - Denauld William Brown
Contact Twitter: @theofootball Email: [email protected]
Defending The Best Offensive Minds
Topic: Kliff Klingsbury
Head Football Coach Texas Tech University
By Denauld William Brown
This is a continued series on how to read and defend offensive formations pre-snap. We will discuss the pre-snap formations run by
then offensive coordinator of Texas A&M Kliff Kingsbury. We are taking a detailed look some of the formations that lead Kliff
Klingsbury to be one of the most successful football coaches in 2012. This is an assessment of a few formations from the first
series vs. Alabama that solidified the Heisman Campaign by Johnny Manziel. We will also give an in-depth look at some of these
formations intent that defines this master architect.
Next Topic: Todd Dodge
Head Football Coach
Marble Falls HS, TX
X
Many good offensive coordinators
are very similar to each other when
it comes to structuring formations.
Previous coaches like Noel
Mazzone, and Dana Holgorsen,
have used this same exact
formation and motion in this
“Defending in the best offensive
minds” series. So the question that
needs to be asked is what makes
Kliff Kingsbury different than these
other master architects? In order to
answer that question there needs to
be another element added that will
extract the true intent of this play
caller. That element would be
situational football. This formation
as part of a greater call sequence
was used versus Alabama on
national television with a freshman
quarterback. Typically there is no
need to add situational football
into these raw, pre-snap, formation
assessments. This approach keeps
bias out and makes it only about
the formation. However it will help
set Kliff Kingsbury apart from the
other master architects. At this
point in the season Texas A&M
was averaging 44.7 points a game
and had scored on every 1st
possession in there previous
contest. When #2, or in this case,
the “Y” is on the ball you need to
be sensitive to it being a run play.
This gives to a natural
understanding of formations
themselves. The question to ask is
why would #2 on the line of
scrimmage acquiesce to such a
statement? Formations take on a
personality of their own once the
coordinator has arranged them and
put them into play. This process is
called “detached formation
temperament” or (DFT). DFT
conceptually brings to light that
formations independent of the play
caller have a nature and a
disposition to “want” to either run
of pass the ball. When you study
formations proficiently you will
likely come to the same conclusion.
Kliff Kingsbury is an very good
play caller and his background as
a quarterback in a Mike Leach
system is apparent.
Pro
Number of running backs: 2
Number of receivers: 3
Number of Tight ends: 0
Formation Type: Male
Formation demeanor: Run
1
X
How many times has the #1, or in
this case, the “Z” receiver ever been
thrown the ball in a “4 strong”
formation? That is a very important
question to ask going forward. The
reality is that #1 getting the
football is not likely. He is just
simply to far from the quarterback.
Another reason the likelihood of
the “Z” not being thrown the ball is
that the defense will shift or adjust
to this formation to take away deep
threats. Immediate threats to
receive the football on a passing
play should be defined by two
equally but important factors.
Proximity to the quarterback is the
first factor and being “on” or “off”
the line of scrimmage is the other.
The chances of #3, or in this case,
the “Y” getting the ball is very high.
The process of elimination is the
key to coming to this conclusion. It
just makes sense! The further a
receiver is away from the
quarterback the less likely he is to
receive the ball. Lets take a look at
this formation and why it is a good
one to be used on the college hash
marks? A running quarterback like
Johnny Manziel adds that 6th threat
that really stresses a defense. The
width of #1, or the “Z” in this case,
defines a standard relationship
between both #1 and the
quarterback. The wider #1 is the
more likely the quarterback is to
keep the ball on a scramble or for a
run play to be designed for him.
The basic elements of defensive
football is not just understanding
defense and all of its adjustments
but to look at your own defense
from an offensive lens. Bud
Wilkinson said it best. “It is my
feeling that any discussion of
offensive football is meaningless
unless defensive football in all it
basic elements is well understood.”
If you contrast this formation with
the previous as part of a greater
call sequence you will notice that
this formation is the same as the
previous without the motion. Kliff
Kingsbury has a very purposeful
plan to score during this first series.
Pro
Number of running backs: 1
Number of receivers: 4
Number of Tight ends: 0
Formation Type: Female
Formation demeanor: Pass
2
X
Discovering patters with good
offensive play callers is difficult to
do. What makes it even more
challenging as a defensive coach is
that you need to create a game
plan of your own that has to be
executed. The best way to both
save time and prepare for a master
play caller like Kliff Kingsbury is to
know formations like you know
your own defense. Good play
callers will always stress a defense
with patterned based formations
and play calls. This is a 2 x 2
formation with the “R” slightly
lower than the quarterback. If that
is not a “tell tell” sign of something
then let us take a look at the
formation itself. The hash marks
may play a factor later on as they
usually do when you further study
these master architects. This
formation debuts the first time
during this series that you see the
“R” next to a receiver who is off
the ball. Its important to never wait
as a defensive coach beyond the 3rd
play of a contest to start to look
and discover patterns in formations.
This will give you more information
to discovering the run pass ratio
and tendencies rather than down &
distance and personnel groups
only. This formation is simple in
nature and complex in intent. The
“Y” is on the ball and the “F” is off.
The “Z” is off the ball and the “X”
is on the ball. So the question is
why is this so important? Opposite
contrast like these are meant to
distract the defense. When you see
formations like this then its time to
focus on “MO.” “MO” is always #3
or the “M”iddle “O”f the 5
offensive eligible players. He will
likely take you to the core concept
of the play. Studying the first series
of each game by this Texas A&M
offense will both give you Kliff
Kingsbury’s bread and butter plays
and his genius all at the same time.
If it does not reveal these two
things then you need to dig a little
deeper into the mind of this master
architect.
Pro
Number of running backs: 1
Number of receivers: 4
Number of Tight ends: 0
Formation Type: Female
Formation demeanor: Pass
3
X
Motion seems unfair at times when
defending an offense. To this point
you can see slight patters starting
to reveal themselves as you further
look at these very well designed
formations. The “F” and the “R”
have a relationship that is apparent
in Kliff Kingsbury’s formation
sequences. It is this specific
relationship that would need to be
explored further by any opponent
of Texas Tech for this coming 2013
season. For this study it is just
smoke that will lead to an eventual
fire. Defending gaps for a defense
is easier to do when you better
define the relationships between
the 5 offensive eligible players,
rather than which players are
located on the line of scrimmage
pre-snap. The post-snap
distribution of players will lead to
a false expectation that tendencies
are the only way to figure out what
the offense will do rather than
what they might do. In other words
it is entirely possible to know what
your opponent will do
schematically if you know
formations well enough to
eliminate scenarios rather than
only rely on tendencies. In the
Dictionary of American football
terms by John T. Reed you will see
the term “Awsonimity.” “A term
invented by Leo Hand, author
of Attacking Football Defenses With
Radar Blocking to describe “the
period between the end of one
play and the snap for the next.”
“Hand feels this is an extremely
important and difficult time for the
defense if the offense takes
advantage of it and gives the
defense as little time as possible to
see what formation they will be
in.” Kliff Kingsbury does a very
nice job of scoring points. But even
better he does a very nice job of
creating formations pre-snap that
lend for an unique distribution of
the 5 offensive eligible players
across the field post-snap. Johnny
Manziel winning the Heisman was
not a fluke as his success is directly
tied to Kliff Kingsburys formation
sequences.
Pro
Number of running backs: 2
Number of receivers: 3
Number of Tight ends: 0
Formation Type: Female
Formation demeanor: Pass
4