This I Believe

Dan Hawkins – University of Colorado Buffaloes

• Success is the ability to control the quality & balance of your life
• “Deserve Success” – You can not ensure success but you can deserve
success
• Process vs. Product – “The Zen Master seeks not the target, rather to
become the bow”
• You have to “Be” before you can do and do before you can have
• Make your guys quit being afraid to fail
• Play to win – don’t play not to lose
• “we’re going to swing our sword, sing our song & dance our dance” –
Hawk tells this to his players before every game

Chemistry of a Successful Program

• Solid people, low ego, high output

• Continuity & consistency
• Positive atmosphere
• Win on the field, lose off – Quit trying to win and be a winner
• Get better evaluations, compete against self
• No excuses – get it done
○ Do or not, there is no try
• Win with achievers, lose with potential
• Big team, little me roles
• Be here now – when you’re in Bio class, be in Bio class and when you
are in football, be in football
• Once is a mistake, twice is a behaviour

“Excellence is to do a common thing in an uncommon way” – Booker T.

Washington

Staff
1. Be positive
2. Be a good teacher
 3. Coach to win
4. Enjoy yourself
Equation for a Successful Team

Talent + Attitude + Preparation = Performance =Confidence = Success

Philosophy of Football

Championship programs win with:

• Great Defense
• Sound Special Teams
• Good Offense

Football Objectives

• Play Hard – weight training, conditioning, technique

• Play Smart – Preparation
○ Active learning
○ Neuromuscular patterning
○ Performance anxiety curve
• Have Fun
• Coaches Responsibility
○ Mental, physical & effort mistakes

Three Most Critical Statistical Areas

1. Rushing Defense
2. Rushing Offense
3. Turnover Margin
Fundamental Values of Colorado Football

• Leadership
• Hard work
• Toughness
• Attention to details
• Integrity
• Discipline
• Passion
• Trust
• Excellence
• Selflessness

“All great teams overcome their coaches” – Dan Hawkins

“Go out to make a difference” – Dan Hawkins

Contact Info:
357 UCB
University of Colorado
Boulder, CO 80309-0357
(303) 735 3939
(303) 492-5330
hc.hawkins@colorado.edu
 Play-Action Game at Ohio State

Jim Tressel – Ohio State University Buckeyes

General Info before Passing Game

• Only 2 signs in the football staff meeting room:
1. “Concern for man and his fare must be the chief interest of all
technical endeavours…Never forget this in the midst of your
diagrams and equations.” – Albert Einstein
2. “They don’t care how much you know until they know how much
you care.” – Dr. Lee Tressel (Jim’s father)
• Evaluate the performance, not the performer
• OSU has a goal of a team GPA of 3.0 (presently at 2.99)
Football is a Game of Pressure – Apply It
• Tempo
• Personnel groupings
• Formations/Motions
• Run/Pass Balance
• “I play fastest when…” (I know exactly what I’m doing)

What to Ask of a QB & How to Get it Done

Decision Making
• Total understanding: O & D
• Situation Learning
• Repetitions under fire
• Film & mental gymnastics
• Experience

Big Plays
• Recruiting
• Confidence
• Completely knowledgeable of O & D
• Experience

Elimination of Turnovers
 • Belief
• Throw the ball to the numbers or lower if WR between DB & QB
○ Don’t throw to the receivers, throw away from the defenders
• Don’t forget it when you have a TO
• Pressure in practice
• Experience

Why Play Action?

1. Down & Distance Tendencies
a. Opponent
b. Self scout
2. Heavy run support by safeties
3. Over committed under coverage
4. Protection
5. Misdirection

Play Action Musts

1. Low hats by OL
2. Great fake
a. QB
b. TB
3. Route must complement the action
4. Receivers must understand the timing that is needed

Contact Info:
Woody Hayes Athletic Center
Les Wexner Football Complex, 535 Irving Schottenstein Drive
Columbus, OH 43210
Phone: (614) 292-7620
E-mail: tressel.3@osu.edu

Clemson Passing Offense

Tommy Bowden – Clemson University Tigers

• Uses number of steps in routes rather than yardage

• Drops need to be shorter the closer that you get to the goalline

High Percentage Plays

1. Iso Slant (3-step)

a. Isolating a WR
b. WR takes 3 steps, then slants

2. Speed Outs
a. WR takes 4 steps
b. In shotgun, make sure QB catches & throws – no hitch step
 3. 2X2 Slants
a. Inside receivers used to clear the zones for the wide outs

4. Sprint Outs
a. Ball should be thrown on QB’s 5th Step

5. Bubble Screen
a. Use Wide Out to block down and seal

Spacing Concept

• Read inside out

• Use multiple formations
• Use motion

Contact Info:
P.O. Box 31
Clemson, SC 29633
(864) 656-2796
tbowden@clemson.edu

Linebacker Drills & Skills

Brian Vossen – Lakeville North High School Panthers

Important Keys

1. Must Play downhill and read on the run.

2. One step with the guard and are eyes are in the backfield.
3. Pursue to the football under their color and over ours. Spill everything.
4. Get immediate separation from any block and shed the block as
quickly as possible. (Allow the person behind you to make a quick
decision.
5. Relentless pursuit and be ball hungry.

Drill Sequence

1. Downhill read steps (3 lines)

2. LB - G - RB (work on our one step)
3. Ball drills breaking downhill
4. Tackling - one hit each head on and from an angle.
Run Drills

Drill Sequence

1. Shed drill - start locked up in either defensive or offensive advantage.

Great way to compete.
2. Machine Gun Drill - Guard to RB
3. Half Bull - Hit and shed
4. Two hits on each pad on sled.
5. Half speed head on tackling.
6. Bag drill - choose a gap.
7. Open field - must make a move.

Pass Drills

Drill Sequence

1. Run first. Play action get caught just blitz.

2. Get to your zone - your feet stop when QB feet stop - we beat the
receiver to the zone. We don’t chase him there.
3. Shuffle with shoulders.
4. Hand comes off break downhill.
5. Practice with blitzes, so they learn to adjust their zones.
6. Can be done with cones to help with destination.
7. Boot leg - hook to curl to flat gets QB (usually Sam or Will).
8. Man - hug technique (only on RB’s)

Bag Drills

Drill Sequence

1. Every foot.
2. 2 in each.
3. Shuffle with eye contact and catch the ball.
4. Side to side through the bags. (scoop up a fumble)
5. Pass/Run front and back through the bags.
6. Downhill through the bags.

Every Ball’s a Live Ball

In every drill or station we work at, every ball is live until you hear a whistle.
A dropped ball becomes a fumble and we scoop and score. In pass skelly we
return all incomplete passes to the offense and if they catch it we go after it.
We carry this philosophy to every drill whether it be pursuit drill, inside, team,
scout, special teams, etc. It has made a huge difference in our turnover
count. We forced 20 fumbles and came up with 11 of them. We had 10
picks.

Circuits
 1. Tackle Circuit - DL group/LB group/DB group
1. DL coach - Angle tackle out of bounds.
2. LB coach - 1/2 speed head on tackle. Focus on clubs, head up,
and most importantly driving your feet.
3. DB coach - open field tackle. Quick whistle to stay on feet,
practice working a move, head must get across to win.
4. Tackle the dummy through the blaster
5. Tackling Bertha

2. Turnover Circuit - DL group/LB group/DB group

1. DL coach - Fumble drill.
2. LB coach - Strip drill. Scoop and sprint the ball back to start for
the next two guys. They get gassed in this drill.
3. DB coach - Tip drill. Dropped ball becomes a fumble.

Contact Info:
Lakeville North High School
19600 Ipava Avenue
Lakeville, MN
612-875-8677
bjvossen@isd194.k12.mn.us