Where can I go to understand the Xs and Os of football more? Any educational sites out there I can go to?

[Victory Formation]

I hope the title is descriptive enough. First off, I'm not a moron when it comes to football but there is a lot about the game that I do not understand. Are there any websites I can go to that break down the game a little bit more for amateurs such as myself? Different coverages, schemes and assignments. I crave a deeper understanding of the game. Please help.

[Jauronimo]

Cover1 has had good content on coverages and scheme.

[Rc2catch]

This may sound stupid.. But playing John Madden football is actually a decent way to learn about formations for both sides of the ball. You can only learn so much but honestly that’s how I taught my wife defensive differences like 4-3 and 3-4 and dime and nickel coverage etc etc..

Seeing the formations is a good way to learn what the sets look like. 

If you’re looking to get more in depth for say gap coverages and stuff I can’t help there 

[Bing Bong]

This guy is making hot takes great again

https://www.barstoolsports.com/chicago/is-there-a-collusion-case-against-nathan-peterman

[thebandit27]

Cover 1 is great.

 

Also give Matt Bowen (former Bills' safety) a follow on twitter--he does a lot of work explaining coverages, route concepts, etc.

 

Lastly, there's just no substitute for All-22 film study. And I mean STUDY. Terminology and concepts are great starting points, but seeing for yourself how assignments play out in live action is the best way to learn.

[26CornerBlitz]

12 minutes ago, NewDayBills said:

I hope the title is descriptive enough. First off, I'm not a moron when it comes to football but there is a lot about the game that I do not understand. Are there any websites I can go to that break down the game a little bit more for amateurs such as myself? Different coverages, schemes and assignments. I crave a deeper understanding of the game. Please help.

 

YouTube is a great source with countless videos for X and O explanation on any subject you might be interested in. 

[boater]

Books from the American Football Coaches Association.

 

https://www.amazon.com/American-Football-Coaches-Association/e/B000APOUJ2

[MiltonWaddams]

3 minutes ago, boater said:

Books from the American Football Coaches Association.

 

https://www.amazon.com/American-Football-Coaches-Association/e/B000APOUJ2

This is exactly what I was going to recommend. As a player, I understood basic concepts and knew where I had to be and why. Transferring that to coaching was a challenge. Understanding the whole concept of the D, O and special teams was a tough assignment and reading coaching books was a game changer. Also, consider coaching youth football. It is rewarding and informative and will have you watching games a different way.

[whatdrought]

Just spend a ton of time on TBD. You’ll find a lot of realistic and helpful football insights from the compilation of great minds here. 

 

 

 

[msw2112]

I highly recommend the book "Take Your Eye Off the Ball" by Pat Kirwan.  It was recommended to me, I bought it and read it and really liked it.  I played HS Football and know a lot about college and NFL football, but I still learned some new things from this book.  It is dead-on in line with what you state you are looking for in your original post.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Take-Your-Eye-Off-Ball/dp/1600783910

Edited December 27, 2018 by msw2112

[row_33]

Not really, a fan couldn’t last one minute discussing a basic play over a drink with a college coach

 

all the announcers do is react after the play and tell you what you already saw

 

just enjoy the game as light entertainment until you have to go back to school or work on Monday.....

 

[Alphadawg7]

24 minutes ago, Rc2catch said:

This may sound stupid.. But playing John Madden football is actually a decent way to learn about formations for both sides of the ball. You can only learn so much but honestly that’s how I taught my wife defensive differences like 4-3 and 3-4 and dime and nickel coverage etc etc..

Seeing the formations is a good way to learn what the sets look like. 

If you’re looking to get more in depth for say gap coverages and stuff I can’t help there 

 

Yeah, if you have a modern version of Madden like this years or last years, there are some good tools to learn the schemes.  Do the practice sessions because the tutorials will actually teach you the different coverages on defenses, how to attack them, how to recognize them, etc.  same on offense as it goes through different blocking assignments, route trees, running lanes, where the play should go, how to attack different coverages with routes, etc. 

 

Sounds silly, but it’s actually quite a lot of quality info and in depth coverage.  Then getting to practice and see all the player movement helps hammer it home.  

[LSHMEAB]

It's really tough if you never actually played.

 

I played every major sport other than hockey but really only excelled at kickball. I was 2x All State as Pitcher in High School and rolled 7 consecutive no kickers in 1999.

 

The Madden suggestion is probably a good one.

[NoHuddleKelly12]

For some reason this thread reminded me of SI's article on Hoodie's inherited football library that he then donated to the Naval Academy in Annapolis in 2006--a collectible vault of sorts for football knowledge:

 https://www.si.com/2015/01/28/bill-belichick-library-steve-belichick-naval-academy

 

Hoodie is like the Borg from Star Trek--constantly assimilating and absorbing all in his path 

[teef]

for the guys mentioning madden, i don't remember who it was, but a player mentioned that he truly didn't grasp the x's and o's until he began playing madden.  this is a player...so there has to be some learning benefit to it.

[Gugny]

58 minutes ago, NewDayBills said:

I hope the title is descriptive enough. First off, I'm not a moron when it comes to football but there is a lot about the game that I do not understand. Are there any websites I can go to that break down the game a little bit more for amateurs such as myself? Different coverages, schemes and assignments. I crave a deeper understanding of the game. Please help.

 

Someone upstream said it in a tongue-in-cheek manner, but I will say that there are a lot of knowledgeable users on this site (I'm not going down the road of naming names).

 

In the past, when I've had questions, I've started threads and gotten high quality answers.  Generally speaking, many here are more than happy to share knowledge.

[NoHuddleKelly12]

5 minutes ago, teef said:

for the guys mentioning madden, i don't remember who it was, but a player mentioned that he truly didn't grasp the x's and o's until he began playing madden.  this is a player...so there has to be some learning benefit to it.

In other news, Kelvin Benjamin's new position coach in Kansas City locked him in the conference room "by accident" with an XBox last week... 

[Freddie's Dead]

Mark Kelso is excellent for explaining coverages in the defense and pre-snap motions.

[26CornerBlitz]

1 minute ago, Freddie's Dead said:

Mark Kelso is excellent for explaining coverages in the defense and pre-snap motions.

 

Did he explain that running your punt team on with the offense still in on 4th down isn't cheating? 

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

6 minutes ago, NoHuddleKelly12 said:

In other news, Kelvin Benjamin's new position coach in Kansas City locked him in the conference room "by accident" with an XBox last week... 

 

Is that going to teach him to block... run routes... line up properly... catch... or generally exhibit any effort whatsoever?

3 minutes ago, Freddie's Dead said:

Mark Kelso is excellent for explaining coverages in the defense and pre-snap motions.

 

Romo is usually pretty good to watch too.  I try to watch his broadcasts every week because he really does talk through the QBs head.  Audibiles, what he's reading on coverage based on alignment, etc. 

[wppete]

Cover1 - The best I’ve seen out there and the great thing it’s all Bills related.

 

https://www.cover1.net/

 

 

 

Edited December 27, 2018 by wppete

[Freddie's Dead]

12 minutes ago, 26CornerBlitz said:

 

Did he explain that running your punt team on with the offense still in on 4th down isn't cheating? 

 

No, but the Bills were actually prepared for that play, the only thing McD had them ready for all day.

 

12 minutes ago, dneveu said:

Romo is usually pretty good to watch too.  I try to watch his broadcasts every week because he really does talk through the QBs head.  Audibiles, what he's reading on coverage based on alignment, etc. 

 

Romo is the best, the only analyst I've ever seen who will tell you what's GOING TO happen.  Everyone else just tells you what happened.

Edited December 27, 2018 by Freddie's Dead

[Buffalo716]

Except don’t question cover 1 because he will throw a tantrum and block you ?

 

 

[freddyjj]

On 12/27/2018 at 11:53 AM, NewDayBills said:

I hope the title is descriptive enough. First off, I'm not a moron when it comes to football but there is a lot about the game that I do not understand. Are there any websites I can go to that break down the game a little bit more for amateurs such as myself? Different coverages, schemes and assignments. I crave a deeper understanding of the game. Please help.

So here's an easy read with play diagrams, formations and makes it easy to see play calls as they happen.  I have given it as a gift to some football fans.  Pat Kirwan is co-host of Moving the Chains on Sirius NFL 3-7 weekdays.  Former Jet Asst GM, Director pro personnel

https://www.amazon.com/Take-Your-Eye-Off-Ball-ebook/dp/B015M9SQC2

Edited December 28, 2018 by freddyjj
spelling

[row_33]

If you have the ability, with a PVR, slow plays down to half speed when the QB gets behind center.

 

See what the D is doing, the shifts made on both sides, how it unfolds

 

the trouble is the camera focuses on the ball so you lose the work between the secondary and receivers about .5 seconds after the ball is snapped

 

 

[dollars 2 donuts]

1 hour ago, msw2112 said:

I highly recommend the book "Take Your Eye Off the Ball" by Pat Kirwan.  It was recommended to me, I bought it and read it and really liked it.  I played HS Football and know a lot about college and NFL football, but I still learned some new things from this book.  It is dead-on in line with what you state you are looking for in your original post.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Take-Your-Eye-Off-Ball/dp/1600783910

 

I have a friend who read this book who couldn't agree more.

 

Debated on getting it in the last year.

[CLTbills]

2 hours ago, BarkleyForGOATBackupPT5P said:

This guy is making hot takes great again

https://www.barstoolsports.com/chicago/is-there-a-collusion-case-against-nathan-peterman

The hell did I just read?

 

"The biggest peace of evidence"

" the Bills, Jets, Jags, Raiders, Redskins basicaly, Cardinals, and 49ers"

"So while many are crying fowl about Colin Kapernick and his absence from the league, but the teams that are allready good are good while the teams that are allready bad dont want to win"

 

I feel dumber having read that.

[Bing Bong]

15 minutes ago, CLTbills said:

The hell did I just read?

 

"The biggest peace of evidence"

" the Bills, Jets, Jags, Raiders, Redskins basicaly, Cardinals, and 49ers"

"So while many are crying fowl about Colin Kapernick and his absence from the league, but the teams that are allready good are good while the teams that are allready bad dont want to win"

 

I feel dumber having read that.

hahaha you read satire!

 

His writing style is characterized by "didactic misspelling, erratic punctuation, barely veiled racism, not-quite-latent homophobia, conspiratorial anxiety, and arrogant disdain for critical thought" and the character is "dumb on purpose",^[7] earning a comparison to the Stephen Colbert character on The Colbert Report^[4] with his ability to "undermine the league’s resident apologists and party-liners." In response to criticisms of his poor spelling, [PFTCommenter] wrote, "Im on record that I dont care about spelling, I care about TELLING."

 

He doesnt care about spelling, he cares about TELLING.

 

And yeah, editors for SB Nation and barstool sports spent considerable time editing his misspellings for comedic effect.

 

Pardon my take is the podcast they started running, not a bad source of knowledgeable league wide NFL news combined with sports humor (the writer and his co-host aren't in character as the article you just read). Not to mention if covers every team after a week of play every episode.. however briefly, so the Bills always get a shout out. They typically say "no one circles the wagon like the Bills" in their Chris Berman fastest 3 minutes spoof.

 

Solid twitter account as well @PFTCommenter

Edited December 27, 2018 by BarkleyForGOATBackupPT5P

[The Cincinnati Kid]

I think it depends on what you want to learn.  I am a High School Offensive Coordinator and and have spent countless hours learning the game in order to move up the ladder.  Football Tool Chest is a hell of a place to find things to learn from.  I am a big fan of trying to find a playbook that I am interested in and then the team's All-22 film to go with it.  An easy one is the Gus Malzahn offense.  There is some Chad Morris film from his time at Clemson that is great to watch when skimming through the playbook.

 

MatchQuarters.com is great to learn about modern defenses and how teams defend against spread offenses.  

 

I am mostly self-taught through time and energy.  6 years ago I was an 8th grade volunteer assistant, and now I am going into year 2 as a Varsity Offensive Coordinator at a Class A School here in NY.  Have an idea of what you want to learn about then go an find it on the tool chest or Matchquarters.

 

Good Luck!

Edited January 3, 2019 by The Cincinnati Kid

[buffalostu2]

Take your Eye off the ball by Pat Kirwan

[BillyWhiteShows]

4 hours ago, NewDayBills said:

I hope the title is descriptive enough. First off, I'm not a moron when it comes to football but there is a lot about the game that I do not understand. Are there any websites I can go to that break down the game a little bit more for amateurs such as myself? Different coverages, schemes and assignments. I crave a deeper understanding of the game. Please help.

 IMO the majority of people breaking down film are not really qualified to do so.  Many like Cover 1 are basically fans that played in high school.  That’s the extent of their background.  You’d be better off seeking for a professional that really knows what they are talking about

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

4 hours ago, BarkleyForGOATBackupPT5P said:

This guy is making hot takes great again

https://www.barstoolsports.com/chicago/is-there-a-collusion-case-against-nathan-peterman

There ought to be a collusion case against the school district that awarded that guy a diploma.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

7 hours ago, thebandit27 said:

Cover 1 is great.

 

Also give Matt Bowen (former Bills' safety) a follow on twitter--he does a lot of work explaining coverages, route concepts, etc.

 

Lastly, there's just no substitute for All-22 film study. And I mean STUDY. Terminology and concepts are great starting points, but seeing for yourself how assignments play out in live action is the best way to learn.

 

Cover1 does great breakdowns, but he also uses a lot of jargon.  He'll call 2-read coverage 'Palms' etc.  Not intended as a criticism - but if someone is trying to learn more about coverage concepts, need the basics to understand him.   You can pick a term he uses (like 'Palms" say), Google, and read about it. 

 

On the internet, icoachtowin and X&O labs are two sites I've looked at.  The former is a subscription service but if you google something you're trying to learn about, they'll come up.

I second the recommendation for All-22 film study.  You simply can NOT watch commercial TV film and see what you can see on Coach's film, especially if you slow it down.  The Condensed games are also good.  Read about route trees, then watch pass plays and try to figure out what routes are being run.  Read about run plays, then try to figure out what the blocking scheme was supposed to do.  Hint: start with successful teams in games they play well on offense or defense.  It's way easier to see what's happening when it works.

 

 

 

 

[BillsfaninChicago]

Thank you for making this thread. I am in the same boat. I have been watching this game for 30 years and I still have a novices understanding of the X and O elements. I always thought it was kind of funny that I don’t know more about the game than I do.

Edited December 28, 2018 by Leonhart2017

[The Now Moment]

8 hours ago, NoHuddleKelly12 said:

In other news, Kelvin Benjamin's new position coach in Kansas City locked him in the conference room "by accident" with an XBox last week... 

I heard that was a weight loss technique that backfired when he found Andy Reid's absurdly large stash of cookies and milk.

[row_33]

2 hours ago, Leonhart2017 said:

Thank you for making this thread. I am in the same boat. I have been watching this game for 30 years and I still have a novices understanding of the X and O elements. I always thought it was kind of funny that I don’t know more about the game than I do.

 

what else do you really want to know?  Do you do this for other sports?

 

Ive watched thousands of hockey games and don’t have a clue how the D plays, zone or take a man, and nobody can answer, I guess they just freelance. Makes sense when a man in a blood red Detroit jersey can stand in the slot for 15 seconds with nobody seeing him till he scores

 

[BillsfaninChicago]

Just now, row_33 said:

 

what else do you really want to know?  Do you do this for other sports?

 

Ive watched thousands of hockey games and don’t have a clue how the D plays, zone or take a man, and nobody can answer, I guess they just freelance. Makes sense when a man in a blood red Detroit jersey can stand in the slot for 15 seconds with nobody seeing him till he scores

 

Honestly just to make watching the game a little more enjoyable if I know more of what I am looking at. The same actually goes for hockey I know the sport but I think I could enjoy it more if I understood the strategy behind it.

[row_33]

Just now, Leonhart2017 said:

Honestly just to make watching the game a little more enjoyable if I know more of what I am looking at. The same actually goes for hockey I know the sport but I think I could enjoy it more if I understood the strategy behind it.

 

Again slow it to half speed before the snap and see how they are lining up and the immediate movement of the o-line on the snap is a good thing to pick up on

 

going to games and sitting in the corners or end zone increased my awareness of the battle to complete a reception 

[LSHMEAB]

If you want to evaluate QB's irrespective of OL protection, it's cool to ignore the ball and watch the receivers. You'll notice that the top QB's almost always end up getting it to the best possible option.

[row_33]

5 minutes ago, LSHMEAB said:

If you want to evaluate QB's irrespective of OL protection, it's cool to ignore the ball and watch the receivers. You'll notice that the top QB's almost always end up getting it to the best possible option.

 

The receivers are off the screen half a second after the snap, unless you at the game