In my opinion, I feel that PN-G needs two things to make them a successful consistent winning program with the potential to do something big every 2 or 3 years. Number one is having the right offensive scheme in place and number two is having the right coach that will DEMAND execution and discipline on every single play….a hard-nosed play to the whistle mentality. My picks for scheme and coach are listed at the end.
Offensive Schemes:
What will NOT work……
The I formation: This only works if you have a team with equal or greater talent than your opponent. Unless you can lineup and blow people off the ball to setup play action then you are usually in for a long night unless you have greater talent. If this O has become predictable for the casual fan then you know that D coordinators eat it up. Now anyone who has watched the Katy Tigers blow people off the line and win state titles for years might say differently but Katy usually has the maulers up front to pull this off.
The Spread: When first introduced, this O was good for teams with lesser talent as it helped them compete if they properly executed this new scheme. This is no longer the case as D Coordinators have caught up on how to defend the spread. You also have to have the right QB to process information quickly & make the right decisions and we all know how hard it is to find that person year-in and year-out. You could have all the pieces of the puzzle in place and still not perform well due to a down year for QB’s.
A disclaimer to this is that every once in awhile you have a talented group of kids who come up that would probably win in most schemes. What you need is a scheme/system in place that will allow you to be successful in years when the talent pool is not so deep. This coupled with the right “motivator” is the foundation for a solid program.
Coaching Candidates:
Coaches who have been successful in regions where his program had the superior athletes most of the time. There are some Regions in the state where the overall football is not as strong as others. Some schools in these Regions serve as a magnet for the better athletes and they pretty much pound everyone else. That will not work at PNG as you have to compete with the Beaumont and Houston schools. Football is king in the Golden Triangle and it’s a dog eat dog world in the area. Do not give me someone who has won in a “weak” region as that will not fly around the Triangle.
Beware of the “the comfortable coach/hire”: This is the coach that everyone knows who may have had some success in the area or maybe even coached at PNG in some capacity when the team was successful. I can promise you that if that person comes in and runs the I, spread, or a variation there-of then they will probably only produce when the talent level is strong. You can probably even look back at those successful teams and there would be a roll call of highly competitive athletes that would have won in most situations. Do not get sucked in by the allure of glory days. The “comfortable coach” usually has the most momentum due to it being a know product. The comfortable coach will also most likely make fewer changes within the program so naturally will garner the support of the structure in place.
Ok, I’m rambling a little so I will get down to what I think the program needs from a scheme and coach perspective.
The right Offensive Scheme: Run the Slot-T offense.
This is nothing new but what was old has become new again in that some teams are winning big with it. Some of the benefits are:
• You can win when you do not have the athletes your opponents do. I have seen more physical and athletic teams get beat by teams running this scheme with the right execution. It’s a beautiful thing to watch and almost unstoppable if run correctly.
• Extremely deceptive. I have seen the Slot-T many times and I have a really hard time picking up where the ball is going and that’s with a good vantage point.
• I believe that this concept would be kind of new to the Triangle area thus making it a nightmare for D coordinators to prepare for. This kills D’s that are not disciplined in their responsibilities.
• It is not QB dependent. Gone are the days of bellyaching about not having the right QB.
The right Coach to run this is……Jerry Vance of Liberty Hill.
His variation of the Slot-T offensive has been, by far, the most successful in the state. He demands the right execution and discipline throughout the program.
State Championships in 2006, 2007 and State Final in 2008. Again, this was often accomplished when his teams were outmanned from and talent perspective & the odds were against him. That is what you are looking for. Do not settle for someone who wins when everything is perfectly aligned.
His teams play with high-energy aggressiveness until the whistle blows. His boys are not always the better athletes but they fight hard on every single play & just start wearing on their opponents. It is a hardnosed play to the whistle mentality that takes a toll on their opponents. Do not be sucked in by a coach who can talk the talk. You need someone who has proven it on the field and that is Vance.
For more information you can Google Liberty Hill Panthers or check out some videos off of youtube.com under Liberty Hill Panthers. You can find info. on the Slot-T on the internet as well. There is plenty of information out there available.
These are just my humble opinions and I’m not going to be pulled in to an argument by a hyper-sensitive individual. We will just have to respectively agree to disagree.
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Offensive Schemes:
What will NOT work……
The I formation: This only works if you have a team with equal or greater talent than your opponent. Unless you can lineup and blow people off the ball to setup play action then you are usually in for a long night unless you have greater talent. If this O has become predictable for the casual fan then you know that D coordinators eat it up. Now anyone who has watched the Katy Tigers blow people off the line and win state titles for years might say differently but Katy usually has the maulers up front to pull this off.
The Spread: When first introduced, this O was good for teams with lesser talent as it helped them compete if they properly executed this new scheme. This is no longer the case as D Coordinators have caught up on how to defend the spread. You also have to have the right QB to process information quickly & make the right decisions and we all know how hard it is to find that person year-in and year-out. You could have all the pieces of the puzzle in place and still not perform well due to a down year for QB’s.
A disclaimer to this is that every once in awhile you have a talented group of kids who come up that would probably win in most schemes. What you need is a scheme/system in place that will allow you to be successful in years when the talent pool is not so deep. This coupled with the right “motivator” is the foundation for a solid program.
Coaching Candidates:
Coaches who have been successful in regions where his program had the superior athletes most of the time. There are some Regions in the state where the overall football is not as strong as others. Some schools in these Regions serve as a magnet for the better athletes and they pretty much pound everyone else. That will not work at PNG as you have to compete with the Beaumont and Houston schools. Football is king in the Golden Triangle and it’s a dog eat dog world in the area. Do not give me someone who has won in a “weak” region as that will not fly around the Triangle.
Beware of the “the comfortable coach/hire”: This is the coach that everyone knows who may have had some success in the area or maybe even coached at PNG in some capacity when the team was successful. I can promise you that if that person comes in and runs the I, spread, or a variation there-of then they will probably only produce when the talent level is strong. You can probably even look back at those successful teams and there would be a roll call of highly competitive athletes that would have won in most situations. Do not get sucked in by the allure of glory days. The “comfortable coach” usually has the most momentum due to it being a know product. The comfortable coach will also most likely make fewer changes within the program so naturally will garner the support of the structure in place.
Ok, I’m rambling a little so I will get down to what I think the program needs from a scheme and coach perspective.
The right Offensive Scheme: Run the Slot-T offense.
This is nothing new but what was old has become new again in that some teams are winning big with it. Some of the benefits are:
• You can win when you do not have the athletes your opponents do. I have seen more physical and athletic teams get beat by teams running this scheme with the right execution. It’s a beautiful thing to watch and almost unstoppable if run correctly.
• Extremely deceptive. I have seen the Slot-T many times and I have a really hard time picking up where the ball is going and that’s with a good vantage point.
• I believe that this concept would be kind of new to the Triangle area thus making it a nightmare for D coordinators to prepare for. This kills D’s that are not disciplined in their responsibilities.
• It is not QB dependent. Gone are the days of bellyaching about not having the right QB.
The right Coach to run this is……Jerry Vance of Liberty Hill.
His variation of the Slot-T offensive has been, by far, the most successful in the state. He demands the right execution and discipline throughout the program.
State Championships in 2006, 2007 and State Final in 2008. Again, this was often accomplished when his teams were outmanned from and talent perspective & the odds were against him. That is what you are looking for. Do not settle for someone who wins when everything is perfectly aligned.
His teams play with high-energy aggressiveness until the whistle blows. His boys are not always the better athletes but they fight hard on every single play & just start wearing on their opponents. It is a hardnosed play to the whistle mentality that takes a toll on their opponents. Do not be sucked in by a coach who can talk the talk. You need someone who has proven it on the field and that is Vance.
For more information you can Google Liberty Hill Panthers or check out some videos off of youtube.com under Liberty Hill Panthers. You can find info. on the Slot-T on the internet as well. There is plenty of information out there available.
These are just my humble opinions and I’m not going to be pulled in to an argument by a hyper-sensitive individual. We will just have to respectively agree to disagree.
<Pinning topic to top... IF>
