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So I wanted to touch on the subject of teams breaking down film and figuring out an oppenents tendencies. I am all for breaking down film and figuring out what is going to happen and even get to the point predicting what will happen in the football game, but where do you draw the line as a coach and begin to just prepare for the game. There are so many factors that dictate a win or loss such as injuries, suspensions, weather, overall health of the team, etc. that how much time spent on studying your opponent should be somewhere in the middle or to the bottom of the priority list. Breaking down film and figuring out what your are going against in the coming week(s) is very important, but i have been on staffs where that’s what they eat breath and sleep. Instead they should be focusing on the development of their team and preparing them in on the football field to understand the overall game rather the  situations. I have had players that I have coached on the minor league level that had no clue about football formations or alignments rather then the one they ran in college or high school. Others that took the time and had a coach that was willing to teach them an overview of formations and football knowledge were the ones that I could depend on when a team presented something new that was not seen in the films. That adapatability was key to overcoming new formations and trick plays. Some say that comes form years of experience, but rather that is from seeing many formations and understanding the game. A young or old player could have the same results if coached right.

So instead of preparing your team all week for that opponent on game day why not teach them the game and give them an over view of the opponent. Allow your coaches to teach the game and allow your players to be athletes. Coaches have the tendency to get caught up in X’s and O’s of the game rather then the players that play it. If you develop the players more then your game plan your program will be better prepared for adversity and whatever the season holds.