OT: Examples of innovative coaching

I hear Butch Jones and Mike DeBord are doing some pretty innovative things down in Tennessee... Maybe check out their film sometime!

I know it's not the whole play, but they really sell the ball fakes and leave Spike completely dumbfounded.....

Seattle Seahawks a couple years ago, putting 2 punt returners back, and one as a decoy who pretended to go after a high punt.

https://youtu.be/W0u26Ygv1aU

Pretty gutsy call to put the ball on the ground in such a big game. Keith Jackson calling the game made it so much better.

I truly think the best example(s) of "innovative" coaching that negate a team's deficiencies are the various forms of triple option. Even RPOs, in my opinion, aren't as effective as the triple options run by Navy, Georgia Tech, Air Force, etc. The athletes at the service academies have no business hanging with FBS talent, but Air Force is usually decent and scares a lot of good teams, GT has had good years, and Navy pulls off upsets like Houston. It's not "innovative" in that it's new or never-before-seen, but it is in the sense of playing to your strengths/against other teams' weaknesses.

on 4th and 19 from their own 5. Innovative strategy doesn't have to be sound. I'd like to understand the thought process behind that one. 

I think the most far-reaching example of strategizing by an innovative coach is Fritz Crisler who understood that a slight change in the wording of the NCAA substitution rules allowed him to organize his team into an entirely defensive-minded platoon and an entirely offensive platoon.  Fritz thought it was the best chance for his team of mostly underclassmen to stay in a game against the overpowering Army squad.

I'm always fascinated by the success of these systems. As old and "antiquated" as they are they still work.

Same with H.S. teams. With probably 80% of HS teams running some variation of "spread" football its fun to see a team running a "T" or option style offense often come in and just BLAST a spread team into oblivion because players & coaches don't know how to deal with it. IMHO they have forgotten how to defend these "antiquated" offenses and by the time the start to figure it out, its too late. They're down by 20+ points and the opposition is now in "grind it out" mode just eating clock.

I always wonder, at the highest level(NFL) if a team ran(part time) a system like one of these, just for a critical drive or in a big game, would there be enough knowledge/instincts on an NFL roster(coaches & players) that know or remember the disciplines to best defend it? Would there be enough O-lineman that have the knowledge of how to block it?

The quick hitting nature of these systems(no holding) combined with the downhill style of blocking and patience(4 yds is a win) just makes for a real difficult adjustment for defenses that are so used to "basketball on grass". One of the local HS teams has won 4 state titles running a Dead T offense and it just fascinates me how difficult it is to stop. In an era of spread & shred they are consistently the top offense in the state in yds gained, pts scored, least penalized etc. and I just LOVE to watch them and the difficulty they present in preparation for teams.

In the 87 Fiesta Bowl PSU stopped a crazy good Miami team with "Disguised Zone Coverage." * They had no business being in that game.

Testaverde, who was intercepted just nine times all season, turned the high-powered Miami offense into a far more efficient unit this year. But Penn State challenged the Hurricane offense with a strategy that was as effective as it was expected. Disguised Zone Coverage 

The Lions tried to unnerve the Heisman Trophy winner with different types of blitzes. Rather than expose its defensive backs with one-on-one coverage when the blitzes were on, Penn State usually employed zone coverages, keeping three defenders deep to defend against the long pass. Underneath, the Lions often inserted an extra linebacker. In the line, the Lions shuttled in fresh players.

*It sickens me that one of the best defensive feats ever was orchestrated by Jerry Sandusky.  (edit: sorry about the weird font.  Can't fix.)

Wasn't really play calling but the quick substitutions he did at Purdue after a play.  Eventually a rule was implemented that allowed the defense time to subsitute if the offense had done so.

Bert:  another example of not so much play calling but working the rules to one teams advantage.  When they implemented the rule that said offsides on a kick off by the kicking team meant that the kicking team had to re-kick, Bert worked the rule to Wisky's advantage against PSU.  There must have been something like 10-15 seconds left in the first half after Wisky scored.  So on the kickoffs he had one player blatantly run offides before the kick.  They did it like 2 or 3 times until the clock ran out and it was halftime.

Spurrier at Florida.  The year Florida won the NC.  In their regular season game against FSU, FSU was continually getting to the Gator QB.  The Gator QB (Wuerfel - ??) took most of the snaps under center in the regular season game.  Prior to the Sugar Bowl, Spurrier re did the plays so they were almost all out of the shotgun giving the Gator QB a little extra time to see the field and throw the ball.

What's hilarious is that no one on Miami thinks that the dude may be dead or seriously hurt.  

That one Kansas play where the dude laid down in the blue endzone while wearing a blue jersey and blue pants. Except it's Kansas so they still didn't get past midfield.