COACHING the COMPLETE TRIPLE GUN OFFENSE O COACHING by Tony Demeo the COMPLETE
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D e M e COACHING THE COMPLETE TRIPLE GUN OFFENSE o COACHING by Tony DeMeo THE COMPLETE A “coach’s coach,” Tony DeMeo has a well- deserved reputation for being one of the most TRIPLE GUN innovative coaches in the game. His new book shows why Tony is regarded as an expert at bringing the gun and triple option together. OFFENSE — Dan Robinson C Head Football Coach O Northwest High School (IN) A C H I N An excellent resource for gridiron coaches at all G competitive levels who want to install and T execute the triple gun offense. H E — Sonny Detmer C Detmer Football Camps Tony DeMeo O San Antonio, Texas M P L A succinct, easy-to-follow book, Coaching the E T An exceptional teaching tool for coaches on both Complete Triple Gun Offense provides a detailed E sides of the ball who want to better understand overview of Tony DeMeo’s gun triple approach T this innovative offensive system. to attacking defenses—whatever scheme a R I — John Levra team uses. P L Former NFL Coach — Dave Christensen E Buffalo Bills Offensive Coordinator G University of Missouri U N A first of its kind, this DVD/book package O F explains and demonstrates the basic principles, A must-read book that belongs in the F E fundamentals, and techniques required to employ professional library of every coach who wants to N the triple gun offense. I recommend it highly. stay on top of the game. S E — John Rice — Stan Zweifel Head Football Coach Offensive Coordinator Canyon Springs High School (CA) University of Wisconsin-River Falls C ISBN 978-1-58518-925-0 o a c h Special e s book/DVD C package Tony DeMeo h o i US $39.95 c e COACHING THE COMPLETE TRIPLE GUN OFFENSE Tony DeMeo ©2007 Coaches Choice. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of Coaches Choice. Throughout this book, the masculine shall be deemed to include the feminine and vice versa. ISBN-13: 978-1-58518-925-0 ISBN-10: 1-58518-925-1 Library of Congress Control Number: 2004117823 Diagrams: Studio J Art & Design Book layout: Deborah Oldenburg Cover design: Studio J Art & Design Front and back cover photos: Randy Olney Coaches Choice P.O. Box 1828 Monterey, CA 93942 www.coacheschoice.com 2 Dedication To all those who serve 3 Acknowledgments I would like to express my thanks to all the coaches with whom I have worked over the years and to all those who have helped me in any way. I would also like to acknowledge all the fine young men whom I have had the privilege to coach. In addition, I would like to acknowledge all of the coaches who have shared information and have passed on their insights and ideas to me. Each of you has my gratitude. Aristotle said the purpose of education is to pass on values. As a coach you are an educator––first and foremost. Though teaching technique and strategy are important, your primary mission as an educator is to use the opportunity afforded you as a coach to build an atmosphere of respect and acceptance by those young people with whom you work for those basic principles and tenets you hold dear to your heart. The values that have made this country great are under continuous attack. As such, it is important for you to stand strong and teach these values that form the foundation of this great country. God bless you; always pitch from your heart. Your friend and colleague, Tony DeMeo 4 Contents Dedication . 3 Acknowledgments . 4 Introduction . 7 Chapter 1: Philosophy and Organization . 9 Chapter 2: Coaching the Triple Gun Triple Options . 18 Chapter 3: Coaching the Double Options in the Triple Gun Offense . 29 Chapter 4: The Triple Gun Power Attack . 41 Chapter 5: The Triple Gun Draws and Counter Plays . 50 Chapter 6: Installing the Passing Game. 62 Chapter 7: Triple Gun Screens and Bubbles . 67 Chapter 8: The Triple Gun Quick-Passing Game . 76 Chapter 9: The Triple Gun Dropback-Passing Game . 98 Chapter 10: Triple Gun Play-Action Passing . 133 Chapter 11: Triple Gun Boot Passes . 146 Chapter 12: The Triple Gun Sprint Passes. 152 Chapter 13: Postscript. 163 Appendix A: Coaching Lessons from Military Leaders. 165 About the Author. 168 5 6 Introduction A few years ago, I had the opportunity to write the book Coaching the Shotgun Triple Option. One of the responses to this well-received book was that a number of coaches inquired about other aspects of our triple gun offense. Coaching the Complete Triple Gun Offense is my effort to tell “the rest of the story.” In reality, offensive football is a continuous state of evolution. The advent of the 8- and 9-man front defenses, along with the prevalence of zone blitzes and teams who employ an “overloading-the-box” approach to defense, has created a scenario where teams still need to be able to run the ball, but need to be able to do it in a way that can exploit the overloaded box. The triple gun offers such a means. While the shotgun has some obvious advantages when it comes to the passing game, teams legitimately realize that they need to be able to run the ball as well. As such, the triple gun offense provides the foundation for a balanced attack—an attack that gives the “have-nots” a chance to succeed in the same way the wishbone offense did at the height of its popularity. To that extent, an argument can be advanced that the triple gun is the “wishbone” of the new millennium. Coaching the Complete Triple Gun Offense also features a DVD, The Triple Gun Offense: Understanding the Basics that presents an overview of the principles, fundamentals, and techniques involved in this innovative offensive system. Collectively, the book and DVD offer coaches at all competitive levels on both sides of the ball the perfect tool to better understand the key aspects of the triple gun offense. To the extent that Coaching the Complete Triple Gun Offense helps coaches grasp and appreciate the nuances of this offense, then the effort to write it will have been well worth the time and energy. Enjoy! 7 8 1 Philosophy and Organization s my earlier book, Coaching the Shotgun Triple Option, touched on, balance has always been a strong part of my coaching philosophy. Such a philosophical focus A is particularly relevant, given the fact that in recent years, defenses have almost made one-dimensional offenses extinct. As such, the days of a pure ball-control option team are almost gone, not only because of the defenses that currently exist, but also because of the offenses that many teams employ. In fact, modern offenses can score so quickly that no lead is completely safe. You may want to control the ball, but regardless of how effective your defense, you better have weaponry to win a scoring battle. Because no-huddle, spread attacks can quickly erupt for touchdowns, you must have the capability to match them. Offensive Philosophy The two words that best define the triple gun offense are balance and flexibility. In that regard, a primary objective of the offense is to be able to attack the defense with variety. Over the last four seasons, teams that I’ve coached have averaged over 200 yards per game passing and over 200 yards per game rushing. In order to have the balance and flexibility that are essential for success, it is important that a team is able to run in obvious run downs and pass in obvious pass downs. Within the framework of the triple gun offense, the run game consists of the triple option as the hub. The option attack is also complemented with a counter game, a power game, and a package of double options. 9 The basic foundation of the pass game is the dropback attack—utilizing both the 3- and the 5-step drops. The 3-step passes also incorporate a possible boot. Sprint-out and play-action passes are incorporated into the attack to marry the run game and the pass game. As such, whenever appropriate, an attempt is made to have passes that look like runs and runs that look like passes. A variety of formations are used to spread the defense, create mismatches, and get a numbers advantage. The core run is the triple option, along with counter triple option, draws, and powers. The pass game involves 5-step and 3-step, sprint, and play-action passes, along with a screen game. Being multiple and flexible enables the offense to control the clock and have big- play potential. All factors considered, the triple gun offense is unique and represents quite a challenge for defenses who only have a week’s preparation time. Furthermore, the flexibility of the triple gun offense lends itself to great game-day adjustments. A team can go from being a predominantly run team to being a predominantly pass team in the course of a single game—however the circumstances dictate. Another major advantage of this offense is that it provides teams that would otherwise be considered as one of the “have-nots” with a chance to be competitive. Universal Truths of Offensive Football Before examining the triple gun offense in greater detail, it is beneficial to review the following fundamental truths that apply to offensive football.