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Many of you probably watched that incredible Texas Tech-Texas game Saturday evening like I did. The sheer entertainment value of the game alone was worth the time investment, with Michael Crabtree scoring the winning touchdown on a thrilling play with just 1 second left on the clock. Mike Leach is a story unto itself, definitely a man that follows the beat of a different drummer. On the Texas side of the ball, athletes abound and Mack Brown is a true gentleman, a modern statesman of the game.
The Youth Football Lesson in This
As youth football coaches what can we learn from Coach Leach? First let's look for a moment at Coach Leach's background. With the exception of one year of sitting on the bench of his High School football team as a Junior, he never played organized football. He got his Bachelors at BYU and then his Law Degree from Pepperdine. At age 25, married, with his second child on the way he decides he wants to be a College Football coach. Yeah right, After stops at College of the Desert, Cal Poly, Iowa Wesleyan, Valdosta State, Finland and Kentucky he is now the head coach of Texas Tech, Not bad for a self described "Christian with serious obedience issues". He seems to look at things from a slightly different perspective, maybe even a sort of an "outsiders" viewpoint.
He has amassed a 74-37 record at a school that rarely, no let's rephrase that, never gets the top tier or even second tier talent in the state of Texas. Those players are reserved for Texas, Oklahoma and Texas A&M. Those kids go to the big money, big stadium, big tradition schools, not to Texas Tech and it's tiny 57.000 seat stadium with a masked pirate Zorro mascot. Just getting to Lubbock is a major undertaking, like something out of one of those "Dead Zone" commercials, the place none of the Big 12 Media crews relish going.
Leach does it with quarterbacks no one else wants, 6 foot kids with offers to just Tech and maybe a mid major school. He has started a number of quarterbacks for just one season, many being fifth year seniors like BJ Symons, who passed for 52 touchdowns in his only year as a starter. The following season Symons was replaced by another fifth year senior, Sonny Cumbie, who passed for 4.742 yards, the sixth best in NCAA history. This season Cody Hodges a fifth year senior with four years of bench sitting experience is leading Tech's quest for it's first ever Big 12 Title and even a shot at the National Championship.
Now what does this all mean to us youth football coaches?
The Leach Formula
Mike Leach saw when he came to Texas Tech, that there was no way he would ever be able to match up with Texas, Oklahoma, A&M and the big boys by doing more of what they were doing. He was always going to have to settle for the second and third tier players. He focused on bringing in fast, smart kids that were maybe a bit undersized or odd shaped, kids that maybe didn't look like football players. Certainly former bag of bones quarterback Kliff Kingsbury fit that mold. He looked like he would need weights in his shoes to hold him down when the stiff winds of West Texas blew around Lubbock. Listed at 175 pounds, this weight number was about as accurate as the weight listed on a 45 year old woman's drivers license. Tech running back Taurean Henderson looked more like a skinny Munchkin from the Wizard of Oz with really bad hair than a Big 12 Running Back.
How do you win with talent like this? I'm sure that is what Leach asked himself 10 years ago when he started at Tech,
This is What He Did:
He widened the offensive line splits, so his diminutive quarterbacks would have lanes they could see and throw through as well as to make the edges so far outside that his quarterbacks would have more time against the incredible athleticism many Big 12 Defensive Ends have. Over the course of a game those long pass rushes tire out these monstrous defensive ends so by the fourth quarter his quarterbacks have all day to throw. The offensive line splits vary dramatically from 3 to 9 feet. This also gave his smaller offensive linemen nice angles for those big defensive linemen aligned in the gaps.
He committed to passing the ball first, with most seasons averaging over 55 throws per game.
He committed to throwing the ball with just a few concepts, All Curl, 4 Verticals, Y-Stick, Shallow, Bubble Screens and Mesh, The laminated play card for his quarterback had just 26 offensive plays on it for the Texas Game. Coach Leach does NOT have a huge play card filled with hundreds of plays and down and distance material, he has a simple piece of non laminated paper usually folded up into fourths, like some kind of crumpled up crib sheet, with about 30 plays on it. If a play works he writes an O next to it and runs it again, if it fails he writes an X next to it and doesn't . In the Texas game, All Curl must have had an O next to it because he threw it least 5 times.
He committed to running those few concepts out of many formations and looks. So while Leach may be called the "Mad Scientist", his playbook is relatively simple. Those TV pundits have no clue.
Why does it work?
How and why does it work? The precision of his receiver's routes are second to none. Watch them sometimes, you will not see anything like it anywhere. The timing, the execution in uncanny. There is nothing revolutionary about these football plays, it is the execution that is flawless and revolutionary. The pass protection is equally as flawless, the Tech quarterback has been sacked just twice so far this season.
The Youth Football Equivalent
As a youth football coach we have to look at what we have to work with and how that compares to our competition. Can we afford to run what everyone else is in the league is running and expect the kids to have success? Should we run the exact same football plays and formations as our bigger and faster competition and expect to compete? Or do we have to be creative and run something different? Tech decided to run something different.
Do we need 40-50-60 plays in our playbook? Tech did it on Saturday with 26 football plays and Tech gets to practice 6 days a week nearly year round. They are masters of a few concepts run out of multiple formations.
Do We Throw in Our Chips With Leach?
When coaching youth football does this mean you should commit to throwing the ball 60 times a game and widening your splits to 6-9 feet with your football team? No, not at all. In youth football, we don't get to practice 6 days a week nearly year round or cut anyone (most teams), Texas Tech doesn't have to worry about getting every player into the game regardless of game circumstances or have squad sizes of 25 instead of 150. Your kids aren't going to be able to widen splits out to 9 feet, when you are starting an nonathletic future computer nerd at one offensive line spot and the future tuba player of the marching band at another. Those kind of kids can't fill a 2 foot gap let alone a 6-9 foot gap. Most youth football teams aren't going to have 2-3 good well trained backup quarterbacks waiting in the wings for when the starter gets hurt or is sick. Even your best quarterback attending every QB camp known to man isn't going to throw to a streaking wideout and hit him with pinpoint accuracy on the outside tip of his sideline shoulder on a 25 yard sideline streak route like Tech consistently does ( impossible to defend). But what we youth football coaches can learn from Leach is to compete, you don't have the biggest and most athletic team in your league, but you have to be different. You don't have to have 60 football plays in your playbook, but what you do need are complementary plays that you execute to absolute perfection. That's why my teams run the Single Wing offense and why we have a limited number of 100% complementary play series we perfect every season.
Tech still has a tough row to hoe with Oklahoma State up next, but they are always fun to watch. Heck if Tech hadn't converted on a 4th and 6 from their own 35 against Nebraska 2 weeks ago in a narrow win, we may not even be having this conversation. But Mike Leach thinks 4th and 6 is a makeable down even from his own 35. When his "no play" failed, Crabtree delivered with a "broken play" 65 yard TD catch, which was the difference maker in the game. Mike Leach is an enigma.
Dave Cisar-
Dave is a Nike "Coach of the Year" Designate and speaks nationwide at Coaches Clinics. His book "Winning Youth Football a Step by Step Plan" was endorsed by Tom Osborne and Dave Rimington. His personal teams using this system to date have won 94% of their games in 5 Different Leagues.
To Sign up for his free tips and drills newsletter or to view 325 free youth football coaching tips go to: Football Plays
A Video Taste of Dave's teams: Youth Football Plays
Football comes in assorted colors and patterns. Item shipped may not match color of the item pictured.Price: $14.99
Howe: easy par SKY Sports on SKY St. on the market of new Manager after cutting ties with Alan Pardew in late August.
Scunthorpe boss Nigel Adkins lead service for the vacant post, to negotiations shall be conducted as a coach in the iron.
However, the compensation package has proven point and Saint Mary post remains for grabs.
With this transaction and definable Southampton instead you turned their attention to Howe, worked wonders of Bournemouth during his two years at the helm.
He helped the Club's Guide for the promotion of League last season, despite working under embargo transfer.
Your credentials have not been lost on the South Coast cherries rivals, but has chosen to take on fresh Howe challenge with the Saints.
Mitchell told Sky Sports News: "my suits and Southampton politely asked if they could talk to Eddie. Gave Eddy permission to talk to them and went for the interview. this morning (Thursday), he was offered a job, which he has declined.
"We are very happy that He has decided to stay at the Bournemouth. personally, I'm very pleased, and it is a great achievement for the Club to hold to a good Manager."
Mitchell is convinced that question can be set at rest, it is unlikely that Southampton will make the second approach to Howe.
"Eddie is composed mind, he is staying with the Club," he adds.
"We are very pleased about this and whether they come back or not, I think Eddie staying at Bournemouth."
The following Permanent Southampton Manager next permanent Manager: N Adkins 3/1View the original article here
Drogba: Marseille target SKY Sports on SKY There are no more live football on Sky sport than ever, including in the Premier League, Champions League, Clydesdale Bank Premier League away qualifiers for Euro 2012 in England and Primera División.With four live Sky sport channels and Sky Sports News will never miss a moment for sky here .Click for more.
Marseille have revealed they failed for the proposal to align the Chelsea Star Didier Drogba at the Club this summer.Jean-Claude Dassier for President of the Club is also accepted for coach Didier Deschamps and Sports Director José Anigo are in disagreement through several potential signings and have only now patched up their working relationships after difficult summer of Velodrome Stadium.
French champion turned their attentions to the former Chelsea after retired hero back to Seville hit-man sign Luis Fabiano.
However his overtures for Chelsea rebuffed Drogba, who left Marseilles for Stamford Bridge in 2004 in the transaction, but £ 24million Dassier has refused to rule out move for future Côte d'Ivoire ACE.
"We tried to start at Chelsea, but it is not possible," says L ' Equipe of Dassier. "We'll see, never to give up in life. "
Dassier revealed that Deschamps and clearly Anigo are met for talks after summer air.
"This helped dispel some of the misunderstandings," added Dassier.They say what they thought of any other party, it is good.
"Tensions are behind us, Now they work together again in a difficult month."
Dassier has revealed the two men disagreed on departure from Mamadou Niang's goal scorer, who left for Fenerbahce, then asks to be sold due to the arrival of the André-Pierre Gignac and Loic Remy, while the experience of the Club and Alou Diarra refusal to sign from Bordeaux, also led to the disagreement.
"Mamadou Niang transfer for Sure there is a disagreement about Hatem Ben Arfa and is difficult.
"But never stand Anigo way Deschamps when coach made a choice".
Dassier also showed Club plan talks with Stephane Mbia during the new deal at the Stade Velodrome.
"For Mbia. He's a great player with a lot of complex characters," noted Dassier.
"I plan a meeting with him in January. If it is a great first half of the season, we will find good agreement."
West Ham v Chelsea to score bracket: Drogba d 4/1View the original article here
Football signatures can an ultimate treasure on all major football enthusiast. Although this period you can still keeping them by visiting an auction shop online sports or just a walk in a sport curio shop. This article will tell you about how can you signatures of football.
When it comes to autographed memorabilia of the famous star, especially if the star is taken from the glamorous world of American soccer than a lot of people would go to great lengths to get their hands on them.Football signatures so keeping a lot of value for sports enthusiasts the world over, who are willing to any opportunity to even a single signature of their favorite football icon Add to their personal souvenirs collection. even as an autographed football in this context, also add a great value.
In recent times a new branch of sports memorabilia has jumped, which consists of items such as signatures, autographed football jerseys, helmets and other such similar souvenirs that sports fans can collect and cherish for the rest of their lives.Soccer is one of the most beloved and popular sports, football signatures by celebrity football players are certainly treated as treasures by avid football fans. but the question is how you get your hands on one of these football signatures or other autographed memorabilia? Well, there are many ways to do this, and some of these resources are discussed below:
First, look out for a reliable and verified source where you will find a football signature, or all types of football memorabilia for that matter can buy.Then select a certain era in the history of football or your favorite player play back on a very large game like this will be a great help in determining your collection of memorabilia.
The authenticity of the signature carefully examine as many of them may not be original. most of these signatures of soccer or football souvenirs usually come with a certificate with an indication of the authenticity of the signature of a soccer player.So it is better to take note of this particular point while you are going to buy this memorabilia of your collection.
due to the recent boom in the sports memorabilia autographed collectibles industry all of these can be really expensive and you can get ripped off if you do your homework is not good. usually, the more secure and cost effective to go for an authenticated auction site on the Internet where you can post your bids.
Most of the time will depend on the price of the memorabilia of who the player is and how rare the item or the signature is so just do a little research before you buy your souvenirs.
Although the Internet can provide you with a number of ways to make use of the signature or the memoirs of your favourite football player, always keep in mind that your stuff in an authentic online store to prevent the obtaining of counterfeit goods.
No matter what, if you happen to be the autographed football gathering your sports hero in person, standing in front of him, there can be no better alternative than this.
Getting the original signature of the football is the ultimate dream of many avid football fans, or any other sports fans for that matter, but the trick is to get it out an authenticated and reliable source.
Although auctioning shops on the Internet seems to be an ideal place for you to get your football signatures and autographed football memorabilia, it is always better to have an open mind and do a little research to assess of the authenticity of the item before the packaging for your collection.
