Example of Passing Game in Empty

Even though we are a team that doesn't necessarily do empty all the time I have found that I like going empty and wanted to talk more about some plays you can run from the empty set.  In my previous post I talked a little about the run game from empty.  Today I would like to talk about using the passing game from empty.  A great advantage of this type of offensive set is that it puts the defense in a real bind by spreading them out allowing more one on one situations.  Because of the quick passing game one thing that you can find is that it starts to tire the defensive front out.  They start to rush the QB, ball is gone and they then have to turn and chase the ball carrier.  If a team blitzes it is the same situation as they will have to turn and run once the ball is gone.  Teams will have to be rotating multiple players and this again can put help your offense as you will be wear a defense down.

One disadvantage obviously is that there is no back in the backfield to help block and so you need to have a good short passing game to help prevent teams from blitzing.  One of the most common passing plays that teams will run is where all five receivers will run hitches.

Empty Right 50 All Hitches

By the spacing you set up, it will help allow your receiver to find the open spot in the defense.  The inside curls can help punish a team that brings it backers that can also be checked into go routes if the middle backers blitz and the defense is in cover 0  This is a great universal play against zone and man to man coverage.  Usually against zone you will find on the three receiver side that #2 receiver will come open quite a bit.

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Need to Take More Chances

This is something that I need to get better at in my own life.  Taking risks can be so scary and I tend to be cautious.  Ironic huh?  Here I am having coached football for the last 5 years and I am afraid to take chances in my life.  Another irony to all this is that I got the opportunity to coach at Timpview due to taking a shot in the dark.

So why I haven't I taken more chances with regards to my coaching career?  It isn't because I'm not extremely confident in my ability to coach.  In fact I dare say I could probably go to a program and be able to make a difference to that staff immedately.  Sounds pretty arrogant I know but that is actually the confidence I have received from coaching at Timpview.  Part of the reason I don't take chances is that I tend to get pretty complacent and let's be honest it is nice to coach at a school where your first three years you win a state title.  Still I need to take a chance and put myself out there to continue to progress as a coach.

Let me give you an example of how I didn't take a chance.  Recently I wrote a blog post about how I would rebuild a high school football program.  This became a popular post still receiving traffic till this day.  Guess what I did after writing that post?  I didn't even ever contact the school I wrote about.  I didn't contact any schools that were looking for coaches.  I did nothing just played it safe. 

Compare my actions to one of my fellow coaches Zach Nyborg.  After two years of coaching he took chances, he even applied to take over his old high school.  Though he didn't get the position Zach kept taking chances (unlike me) and was able to get a student assistant position at Utah State University.  Now does this mean he is on the fast track to a college coaching career?  No it doesn't guarantee anything, but I am jealous of him because he has a real opportunity in front of him.

You might ask why I am writing this post?  Well one of the points of this blog is to help other coaches, even young coaches starting out to learn from my mistakes and avoid them.  If you want to coach you need to set out specific goals.  Where do you want to be in 5 years as a coach?  What level do you want to be coaching?  As for me writing this blog post is a way to now keep reminding myself that I need to take more chances not only as a coach but also in my daily life.

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