Leadership via American Football Strategy –
an Application for the Engineer at sea
published online in 2016 from 2015 manuscript with rights reserved by the Author. This draft uses text from rule books and is not claimed.
INTRODUCTION TO THIS BOOK
I said to a friend in casual conversation that everything in life comes back to football. Perhaps at the time not a well considered statement, but I began to think it over and come up with some more supported ideas
I am a keen follower of Sport, especially football. I trust that each reader now sees in these pages a different code of the game and that nicely proves another point for me. In all the football codes, there is only one outcome that is to score more goals than the opponent. We do not bother ourselves much after the final siren with trivial personal goals or discussions of how the team feels they went, it is a simple case of the score card tells the deal. Other sports are perhaps a little personal, maybe a personal best performance is great and then getting the highest score across a day may also give you some silverware.
So I will accept here that we agree on the why is to win the game, the how is to score more goals than the opponent and the what is the running and tackling of the day. This holds well for soccer and to some degree AFL.
This level of high guidance implies that players are all very multi-skilled, they all must have some ability to score, some ability to defend and a lot of stamina. It makes for a great playing group but becomes expensive to have every member of the team skilled up so much. It also does not provide accountability as if a goal is scored, every member of the team has failed in defence and when the team gains a point, we applaud the striker, but it was often a very long process behind it.
I compare here the AFL code, only that the centre ruckman do a whole bunch of very physical work to clear the ball out and into play, it is often unrewarded effort. I can also make a side note to Netball, as there are some key high level concepts only that the nature of the game locks players to certain zones of the court. This makes players very much a certain role, even though they are not locked in so tight across the squad.
Over the last few years, AFL has introduced this style of play called zoning. It moves away from the traditional mode of a rather homogenous playing group all with similar roles on the field and moves more to a soccer model and covers zone of the field. It then implies that players will become defined not just as forward, centre or back for the field, but be given a zone to control. If that zone is crowded with opposition, then they will move to find space, or call other into the zone to support them.
I have not excluded Rugby League and Rugby Union, I am just trying to keep this essay moving. I will say that as best as I can see, Union is the oldest code of football. The line out is still alive and when in the NFL model. The rolling maul is linked to AFL and the run and tackle is the basis of the NRL code. I would say that rugby union is the code played in heaven, but only when the NFL is not on the screen.
AMERICAN FOOTBALL
American Football or NFL, is certainly and acquired taste. It can be described as chess with grown men, or to the spectator a very stop and start game with no flow. It is, in stark contrast to the other codes mentioned to here a team of specialists not a team of generalists. [[I am not saying that a generalist is better or worse than the specialist, I am saying they are both peak athletes, one is employed to do a specialist role, the other to have a wide range of tasks]]. Even though there are only 11 players on the field at a time, the starting line-up for an NFL team at the elite level can have over 30 players. One set for offensive plays, one set for defensive and another group for special plays such as kicks off and goal attempts. These players are specialists, they may only have one role such as tackle, blocking, running and catching. This makes a simple check back to our fight move float, in that we can just call on the offensive line to fight, the defensive line to float and the special teams can handle the move phase.
The Coach (and coaching staff) work with the captain of the team and quarterback to develop a series of set plays. Sure each one is designed to score points, but all by rather different methods.
We go back to the why and how to revise it to why is to win the game, the how is to execute more effective plays than the opponent and the what is the actual role within the play that is called.
So now the goal is not just a high level run and score, it has been drilled down to very minute details. In a particular play, a member may only have to fake a run and then stop. On others he will need to run and catch a ball and keep running until he scores or is tackled.
It is not that these tasks are simple, it is that they are very deliberate parts of a much larger picture. The player executing the role knows what he has to do, he knows, but does not concern himself with the how as that decision has been made by the quarterback and coach. He is aware of the why, but will only care in the locker room later, all he must do is his role assigned in that play. Comparing back to our AFL and soccer models, when the player has the ball, he is defending, creating space and looking for an effective offload all at once.
So we have our 11 players lined up very deliberately for the snap to commence the next play. The Quarterback (and also usually the captain and star of the team) has called his play, he knows where each of his players will go and what players on the other team will be targeted by his blockers and tackles. The play may or may not be a success, this story doesn’t need that result. But usually, even after a successful play, another play is required.
Why I wrote it
This book is designed to show, through the concept of NFL how to manage a team. In this book we will discuss the players and what they do. We will discuss the field and how this equates to the field of play in management decisions. We will also have a look at the relative risks and rewards of plays made at various ends of the field.
BASIC FOOTBALL RULES FOR THE STRUCTURE OF THE GAME
This section describes the playing field of NFL but it encourages you to understand the playing field of your management and leadership space.
Football is played on a rectangular field one hundred yards long x 160 yards wide, with a ten foot long area at each end called the end zone. There are two opposing teams of eleven players each, with each team having opposite halves of the football field as their ‘territory.’ The teams take turns at either being the Offense (having the ball in their possession and trying to score points) or the Defence (trying to stop the offense from scoring points). Time of play is 60 minutes, divided into four fifteen-minute segments (called quarters). Yes, we know: you’ve never heard of a football game that lasted only an hour. That’s because these guys take more time-outs than your average pre-schooler.
FOOTBALL RULES FOR SCORING POINTS
This section describes the scoring in NFL but it encourages you to understand the score keeping and key metrics of your management and leadership space.
Touchdown – scores six points if the ball is thrown or carried into the opponent’s end zone.
Point after Touchdown/Extra point – as the names imply, after a touchdown is scored, the scoring team has an opportunity to score additional points by either kicking the ball between the goal posts in the end zone (one point) or throwing or carrying the ball into the end zone from two yards away (i.e., the two-yard line) for two additional points.
Field Goal – even if a team has failed to get into the end zone for a touchdown during their possession, they may feel they are close enough to exercise the option of kicking the ball between the goal posts for three points.
FOOTBALL RULES FOR PLAYING A GAME:
When a team has possession of the ball (i.e., they are ‘on offense’), the object is to move the ball forward into the end zone, or, barring that, to move the ball a minimum of ten yards in four attempts (called downs, the first of each series being ‘first down,’ and so on). To make it easy to keep track of their success or failure ,the playing field has lines drawn across it at five-yard intervals, with the yard numbers noted every ten yards (as you can see in the above diagram of a football field).
If the offense fails to move the football forward the required ten yards, they must turn the ball over to their opponent.
If the offense takes all four downs and fails to move the ball the required ten yards, the ball is turned over to the other team at that point on the field. That is, the defence now becomes the offense at the exact place where the offense has been stopped.
The offense also has the option, on fourth down, of kicking the ball to the opponent when they have failed to make the required ten yards and have too far to go to take a chance of making it on the remaining down. As you can see, if they have to turn over the ball to the opposition after failing to make ten yards in four downs, where they are on the playing field when this happens is key. If they are still closer to their own end zone than to that of their opponent, if they give the ball to their opponent at that place on the field, they have placed their opponent closer to being able to enter their end zone and score against them. In that case, they can (and usually do) use the option of kicking the ball to their opponent such that the ball winds up as far away from their end zone as possible.
LENGTH OF FIELD AND WHAT TO DO IN YOUR OWN END ZONE,
When you have the ball, close to your own end zone, it is clear that you have a long way to go. This could be as long as 80 yards or up to 30 plays to transition down the field. Long plays, as will be discussed, have some risk. Short plays generally remove this risk, but will be quite exhausting to the team. There is also the risk of loosing the ball close to your own goal and certainly handing points away.
When you have the ball, close to your scoring line, it is easy to see the points you can make. However, this must be balanced with the feeling of what could be lost (the yards made) if the next play goes wrong. Long plays, are generally not required. Short plays will most likely succeed, but the team may be exhausted. There is also the option for the field goal. The field goal though is not the aim, it is a lesser outcome, but does not represent success or failure.
THE ROLE OF THE PEOPLE AROUND THE TEAM
TEAM OWNERS
Who is this in your team? What do they provide? What resources to they consume?
The team owner is the key stakeholder. They have both a financial interest in the group and they demand wins. They are responsible to the team for creating a work environment that is fit for purpose. They are responsible to the fans for delivering a product. Whilst the team owner is usually present for the game, they play no part in it.
COACHES AND CO-ORDINATORS
Who is this in your team? What do they provide? What resources to they consume?
This group is in charge of training the team. They have a series of drills and activities that prepare the group for the game. The coach is the overall strategic manager of these activities, but will use his Co-ordinators for a variety of sub tasks and skill set development within the squad.
THE FAN BASE
Who is this in your team? What do they provide? What resources to they consume?
This is the customer of the team. They provide the income and they also expect a result for this payment. Poor results will disappoint the fans and they will withhold payments. Good results will generally assure continued support.
THE OFFICIALS
Who is this in your team? What do they provide? What resources to they consume?
There are a variety of umpires and judges in the game. They work for neither team and are provided as auditors and regulators of the game. In the management activity that the reader is engaged in, this is corporate regulator that allows for business to continue. Whilst in varied shapes across the wide corporate landscape, no industry is without these officials, else anarchy would prevail.
FAN, OFFICIAL or TEAM MEMBER ?
Who is this in your team? What do they provide? What resources to they consume?
Just a short but important note that no one in the scenario can belong to more than one group. This would arise a conflict of interest. The officials must remain un biased and not align to a team. The fans must continue to support the team, but they are not given the training and information that is afforded to the team. The team surely wants to win, but they must remain focussed on the task at hand and not get sidetracked in the bleachers with the cheer squad and BBQ ribs
THE ROLE OF THE PEOPLE IN THE TEAM
Who is this in your team? What do they provide? What resources to they consume?
There are a variety of on field roles. This book will generally discuss the Offensive team. These are the players who are tasked with making progress in the game. Within the squad there is also the Defensive line that are there to slow the progress of the opposition. They will be discussed a little later
THE ROLE OF THE BACKS
Who is this in your team? What do they provide? What resources to they consume?
QUARTER BACK The Quarter Back (“QB”) lines up directly behind the centre, where he takes the ball (in an action called the snap) and puts it into play. This player is the leader on the field. In conjunction with the coach, he calls the plays and is empowered to alter that play at anytime with the information he has at the time. As this book continues, it will focus on the role of the quarter back and the view of the game from that perspective. The quarterback’s primary duty is either passing (throwing) the ball or handing the ball to a running back (“RB”) who carries the ball downfield. In some cases the quarterback is called upon to run the ball downfield himself, either because the play is designed that way or the quarterback has no other options available.
FULL BACK The Full Back (“FB”) lines up behind the quarterback and is involved in running, blocking, and (in some cases) catching passes. This player both protects and supports the quarterback in his mission. The Full Back can be seen as an assistant leader.
HALF BACK/ RUNNING BACK The Half Back (“HB”), also referred to as a “tail Back” (“TB”) or more generically as a Running Back. This player supports the Quarter Back in his mission. They are used to take a short pass and run the ball up the field to make some gain in yardage. They need to be able to push through the other teams line and to withstand multiple obstacles. They are often required to repeat this task for very little gains each play. The Full Back can be seen as an assistant to the leaders.
WR LT / LG / C / LG / RT / TE
WR
QB
HB FB
Staff Process/Rules/Staff/Rules/Process/Staff
Staff
Leader
Ass. Leader Ass. Leader
THE ROLE OF THE LINEMEN
Who is this in your team? What do they provide? What resources to they consume?
Whereas the Backs are so named because they line up behind (in back of) the line of scrimmage at the start of the play; The Linemen are so named because they line up on the line of scrimmage at the start of the play. They are primarily concerned with the protection of the Backs from the other team.
THE ROLE OF THE CENTRE The Centre (“C”) is the player who snaps the ball to the quarterback. The Centre is the front of house staff in the team, they are a task focused player in the team with a very specific role. Like the other four linemen, his job consists of both run blocking (pushing the defenders away from the ball carrier on a running play) and pass blocking. The centre is also usually responsible for calling the blocking schemes on the line, telling the other linemen which defenders to block.
THE ROLE OF THE GUARD Guards (“G”) line up on both sides of the centre and are primarily concerned with the protection of the Quarter Back from being touched by the other team. In this book, these people can be seen as the internal rules to the management team. By adhering to the rules and principles, the other players are afforded protections and thus able to just do the job. Perhaps think here about rules within finance, document storage and safety within a workplace.
THE ROLE OF THE TAKLE Tackles (“T”) are the “bookends” of the offensive line and are exclusively concerned with stopping the other team from reaching the Quarter Back and other backs. In this book, these people can be seen as the accepted processes in the workplace. These are methods and workflows that facilitate progress in the team. Such as, application forms, documentation templates and quality assurance
THE ROLE OF THE RECEIVERS
Who is this in your team? What do they provide? What resources to they consume?
Receivers are so named because they line up away from the line of scrimmage at the start of the play and are eligible to run up the field and receive the ball in play. They are primarily concerned with making the required yardage on each play and being able to receive the ball and either make more yards or at least restart the next play from that point. Well-rounded receivers are also effective blockers and, in some cases, can act as running backs on trick plays.
THE ROLE OF WIDE RECEIVER Depending on the formation, an offense may have anywhere from zero to five wide receivers (“WR”). These are junior staff in the team and are expected to run to a point in space at a given time and catch the ball. They are not expected to design the play or change the play during the game. It is essential for success that they do the assigned task without variation.
THE ROLE OF THE TIGHT END The Tight End (“TE”) was traditionally a blocking position but is now considered a combination wide receiver/lineman. These are junior staff in the team and are expected to run to a point in space at a given time and catch the ball. They are not expected to design the play or change the play during the game. It is essential for success that they do the assigned task and only make slight variations within the scenario. They are among the most well-rounded athletes on the field as they must be strong enough to run block and pass block as well as agile enough to run pass routes and catch the football.
OFFENSIVE STRATEGY
The goal of the offense is to score points. In order to accomplish this goal, coaches and players plan and execute plays – based on a variety of factors: The players involved, the opponent’s defensive strategy, the amount of time remaining before the end of the game, and the number of points needed to score to win the game. Strategically, the offense can prolong their possession of the ball to prevent the opponent from scoring.
American football strategy concerns the deployment of offensive, defensive, and special teams players and the execution of plays in NFL. In American football, there are a huge number of positions, formations, strategies, plays and types of play-calling systems that are utilized.
OFFENSIVE FORMATIONS
Before the ball is snapped the offensive team lines up in a formation. The type of formation used is determined by the game situation. Teams often have “special formations” that they only use in obvious passing situations, short yardage, goal line situations, or formations they have developed for that particular game just to confuse the defence. There are a nearly unlimited number of possible formations – a few of the more common ones are listed below:
DON’T EXHAUST YOUR PLAYERS – It was stated earlier that the Running Back supports the Quarter Back and is used to take a short pass and run the ball up the field to make some gain in yardage. They need to be able to push through the other teams line and to withstand multiple obstacles. They are often required to repeat this task for very little gains each play.
It was also stated that the there are eligible receivers who are to run up the field and receive the ball in play. They are primarily concerned with making the required yardage on each play. There is a lot of running for these players.
Generally on a passing play, up to 4 eligible receivers will be sent up the field, but only one of them will be used. There is a mutual respect that if the player is sent to the correct area and in clear space he will be sent the ball. If the player continues to get to this position, but is never used, they will slowly become less inclined to make it to that point. Conversely, if the player never gets in the right space, or is sent to the wrong point repeatedly, then they will be continually ignored by the Quarter Back. Both of these situations are a poor use of resources for the team and will limit the ability to reach the goal.
Further more, the Running Back is a reliable method to make short gains, however, this is a very exhausting role. The player can not be used repeatedly without relief.
This is a chance to design some plays, there are some sample ones in the annex to this book. Look at how your team line up and what results you can expect. Some plays may be safer with less risk but potentially less reward. Some of the high reward plays may have a lot more risk of not achieving. There are very few plays that are low risk and high reward. If you have these, and they work, have a close look at the cost to your team as it may have a hidden risk that is not sustainable. That is making your players run a long way all game MAY win the game but potentially have a high injury and fatigue cost.
Draft half a dozen basic play that can be known and understood by the team and perhaps another 4-6 plays of a special nature that will require some huddle time before being used.
RUNNING PLAYS
A running play occurs when the quarterback hands the ball to another player, who then attempts to carry the ball past the line of scrimmage and gain yards, or the quarterback keeps the ball himself and runs beyond the line of scrimmage. In both cases, the offensive line’s main job is to run block, preventing the defensive players from tackling the ball carrier.
Sweep A sweep is a running play in American football where the running back takes a pitch or handoff from the quarterback and starts running parallel to the line o scrimmage, allowing for the offensive linemen and fullback to get in front of him to block defenders before he turns upfield
Reverse A reverse (sometimes referred to as an end reverse) is a relatively common trick play in American football that involves one or more abrupt changes in the lateral flow of a rushing play
Draw A draw-play, or simply draw for short, is a type of play that is run in American football. The draw is a running play disguised as a passing play. It is the opposite of a play action pass, which is a passing play disguised as a running play.
Quarterback sneak A quarterback sneak is a play in Canadian football and American football in which the quarterback, upon taking the centre snap, dives ahead while the offensive line surges forward. It is usually only used in very short yardage situations.
QB sweep A running play where the quarterback takes the snap from centre, typically in a shotgun formation, and then runs to the outside. This play can best be run by a fast, athletic quarterback. Sweeps often involve pulling of offensive linemen, usually one or both guards, to provide extra blockers at the point of attack. Teams such as Arkansas have had success running this play by lining up the halfback as the quarterback.
Bootleg In American football, a bootleg play is a play in which the quarterback runs with the ball in the direction of either sideline behind the line of scrimmage. This can be accompanied by a play action, or fake hand off of the ball to a running back running the opposite direction.
Counter a counter run is a running play in which the running back will take a step in the opposite direction of the play, only to get the handoff in the other direction. Weak side linemen will sometimes pull and lead the back downfield (sometimes called a counter trap), but not necessarily. The play is designed to get the defence to flow away from the action for a few steps, allowing better blocking angles for the offensive line, and more room for the running back.
Zone The zone run in American football is a running play based on zone blocking.
PASSING PLAYS
When a passing play occurs, the backs and receivers run specific patterns, or routes, and the quarterback throws the ball to one of the players. On these plays, the offensive line’s main job is to prevent defensive players from tackling the quarterback before he throws the ball (a “sack”) or disrupting the quarterback in any other way during the play.
When successful, passing plays tend to cover more ground than running plays, so they are often used when the offensive teams needs to gain a large amount of yards.
Different kinds of pass plays include:
Fly route A fly route, also called a seam route, streak route or go route, is a pattern run by a receiver in American football, where the receiver runs straight upfield towards the endzone.
Slant route A slant route is a pattern run by a receiver in American football, where the receiver runs up the field at approximately a 45-degree angle, heading to the gap between the linebackers and the linemen.
Out route An out route (or jet route) is a pattern run by a receiver in American football. On an out route, the receiver will start running a fly pattern.
Screen pass A screen pass is a play in gridiron football consisting of a short pass to a receiver who is protected by a screen of blockers.
Hail Mary A Hail Mary pass or Hail Mary route is a very long forward pass in American football, made in desperation with only a small chance of success, especially at or near the end of a half. The expression goes back at least to the 1930s, originally meaning any sort of desperation play, a “Hail Mary” gradually came to denote a long, low-probability pass attempted at the end of a half when a team is too far from the end zone to execute a more conventional play. For more than forty years use of the term was largely confined to Notre Dame and other Catholic universities.
SPECIAL TEAMS STRATEGY
A special team is the group of players who take the field during kickoffs, free kicks, punts, and field goal attempts. Most football teams’ special teams include one or more kickers, a long snapper (who specializes in accurate snaps over long distances), kick returners who catch and carry the ball after it is kicked by the opposing team, and blockers who defend during kicks and returns.
Most special teams are made up of players who act as backups or substitutes on the team’s offensive and defensive units. Because of the risk of injury, it is uncommon for a starting offensive or defensive player to also play on a special teams unit.
THE OTHER TEAM
The goal of defensive team is to prevent the opposing offense from gaining yards and scoring points, either by preventing the offense from advancing the ball beyond the line of scrimmage or by the defence taking the ball away from the offense (referred to as a turnover) and scoring points themselves.
DEFENSIVE PLAYERS
On defence, there are three types of players: linemen, linebackers, and defensive backs (also called secondary players). These players’ specific positions on the field and duties during the game vary depending on the type of defence being used as well as the kind of offense the defence is facing.
DEFENSIVE LINE
The defensive linemen line up in front of the offensive line. The defensive lineman’s responsibility is to prevent the offensive line from opening up running lanes for the running back or to sack the quarterback, depending on whether the play is a passing or running play. Most of the time, defensive linemen attack the offensive line but in some plays they drop back in pass coverage to confuse the opposite team.
LINEBACKERS
Linebackers stand behind the defensive linemen or set themselves up on the line of scrimmage. Depending on the type of defensive strategy being used, a linebacker’s responsibilities can include helping to stop the run, rushing the quarterback, or dropping back in pass protection.
DEFENSIVE BACKS
Defensive backs stand behind the linebackers. Their primary responsibility is pass coverage, although they can also be involved in stopping the run or rushing the quarterback.
DEFENSIVE FORMATIONS
The most common way to describe a basic defensive formation is by stating the number of linemen involved followed by the number of linebackers. The number of defensive backs is usually not mentioned, though if it is, (such as in the “3-3-5”), the number typically appears after the number of linebackers, thus the formula would go (# of linemen)-(# of linebackers)-(# of defensive backs [if stated]) in these situations. This naming rule does not always apply when the personnel for a certain formation are lined up in a way that changes the function of the players in the defence. A good example to help explain this would be the “3-5-3,” which actually uses the 3-3-5 personnel, but has the five defensive backs arranged with “3 deep”, thus grouping the other two defensive backs with the linebacker group.
By far the most common alignments are four down linemen and three linebackers (a “4-3” defence), or three down linemen and four linebackers (“3-4”), but other formations such as five linemen and two linebackers (“5-2”), or three linemen, three linebackers, and five defensive backs (“3-3-5”) are also used by a number of teams.
DEFENSIVE PLAYS
The defence must wait until the ball is snapped by the opposing centre before they can move across the line of scrimmage or otherwise engage any of the offensive players. Once an opposing offense has broken their huddle and lined up in their formation, defensive players often call out instructions to each other to make last-second adjustments to the defence.
PLAY CALLING SYSTEMS
Distinct from the offensive strategies or philosophies, which govern how a team moves the ball down the field, whether a team relies on downfield passes, short passes, inside runs, etc. are the ways in which plays are called. These play calling systems often developed alongside certain offensive strategies, though the systems themselves can work with any strategy. The differences between the systems focus on the specific language used to communicate plays to players.
It is obvious that they can’t keep calling the same play every time, so teams develop a suite of plays, the playbook. It is a balance between having enough variety and having a team a that can remember all the routes and roles for each play, in effect about 50 plays for a team will progress you through the championship. There are also ways within the play to take options and vary the play for a very different outcome.
How do you call your plays to your team? is the message understood?
CONCLUSION and NEXT STEPS
So how this gets back to Management and leadership. When started this book it, perhaps my love of NFL did impact on the model, perhaps not. But I think that the we can all develop our management style from this concept, and further to have more plays in the book. Now it is a balance as more plays will impact on the ease of use of the system and will erode the ability to identify the impact of a failed.
The next couple of pages show a variety of formations and sample play concepts that are useful in the real game. It is perhaps good to read through these and get the understanding of the plays.
Once you have a basic understanding of this it is up to you to develop your playbook. I suggest that about a dozen plays are needed. Perhaps three or four good running plays for short yardage at either end of the field, another four for passing plays to get high gains, and a final four for special situations.
The key though is that your team know what is required. It is up to you if you promulgate the play to the team in this format, or if you change the language to something more familiar to the team.