The Gulf Coast Offense Vs

The Gulf Coast Offense Versus Coverages

Billy Joe Head Coach Florida A&M University Tallahassee, Fla.

I

t gives me great pleasure to have the opportunity to share our concept of the Gulf Coast Offense (GCO) with the AFCA membership. Let me take just a moment to introduce the FAMU staff to you. They make the GCO effective by toiling long arduous hours in the office, and working very diligently with our football players on the field. They are as follows: Jimmy Joe, assistant head coach (wide receivers); Greg Black, offensive line; Allan Bogan, runningbacks. Our defensive coaches make the GCO better by challenging it with fundamentally sound schemes two times a week with our tuffthud drills. Thus, I would be remiss if I did not mention their names. They are Clifton Moore, defensive coordinator (linebackers); Terry Jones, defensive tackles; Derek Hill, defensive backs; and Eric Hayes, defensive ends. The first criterion for developing any football concept is to recruit quality studentathletes. Our priority is to recruit characteroriented young men. We communicate indepth with their respective head coaches, counselors, parents, friends and relatives to actualize our goal of getting good players into the football program who will not beat us with unnecessary infractions on and off the field. We want players who have set goals for themselves. They must have long-range goals, for example, to be the President of the United States or to become a professional football player. They should set those long-range goals and not forget them. They are worthy goals, but are highly dependent upon good fortune, luck, and being in the right place at the right time. If they come into true fruition, it’s icing on the cake for your career. But athletes should put more emphasis on the short-range goals. Those goals, such as becoming a doctor, lawyer, teacher, preacher, mechanic, carpenter, etc. These goals are not entirely based on luck or being in the right place at the right time. They are based on hard work and perseverance. In other words, they should set short-range goals that are believable, achievable, feasible and conceivable. We all know that long-range goals don’t build a strong power base or a feeling of “I Can.” Because one must have the opportunity to experience success during that interim time on their trek to success. Longrange goals don’t provide that, short-range goals do. If our players don’t have this goal-oriented attitude once we introduce

them to our program, we certainly try to instill it into them quickly. We firmly believe that recruiting goal-oriented student-athletes is a good start in sustaining and keeping the success of your program on the high echelon level of outstanding teams year after year. It’s very unlikely they will be the negative forces on your team. After all is said and done, our main focus also should be impacting our player’s opportunity to secure a quality education. We must help them develop, grow and mature as citizens. This will allow them to maximize their chances to graduate from college and provide the impetus to become a productive person in our society. Money should be our main concern as it relates to helping our players. Money doesn’t motivate me to coach better. What motivates and fuels my personal engine? It’s when a former player returns and says thanks coach for what you did or said because I am well equipped for whatever endeavor I may encounter in the work force. That usually makes me well up with tears. We have the opportunity to mold our player’s lives. Let’s not blow it! The evolution of the GCO is a composite of various offensive concepts that I have used during my 26-year tenure as a head football coach. It is simply a derivative of the many spread formations coupled with a few innovative schemes that our staff has developed through trial and error. I named it the Gulf Coast Offense because our University is located in Tallahassee, Florida near the Gulf of Mexico. I decided emphat ically to be committed to the spread look when my staff and I accepted the job at FAMU in January 1994. There are a plethora of skilled players in Florida. The four Division I-A programs in the state cannot sign all of the great ones. So, FAMU is able to recruit quality skill players, such as wide receivers and quarterbacks, which is what the GCO is predicated upon. The talented pool of players is readily available for our type offense. The GCO features a no-huddle while using the two-minute speed (fast break) drill for the entire game. Of course, that is not so revolutionary, but, what we think makes our offense special is that the quarterback calls his own plays and the head coach sits in the press box during the game. Permitting the quarterback to call his own plays, provides for plays to be called in

• Proceedings • 77th AFCA Convention • 2000 •

rapid succession, which makes it difficult for defenses to change schemes and personnel. It also wreaks havoc on the conditioning of the defensive unit. The head coach in the press box was derived from Darrell Mudra while he was coaching at Eastern Illinois University. In 1981, I took a lowly, out-manned Division II Central State University team to play EIU. We knew our team was not competitive our first year a the helm, but the $10,000 guarantee at the time was enticing enough for us to play them. Coach Mudra and I exchanged pleasantries at midfield before the game. We wished each other good luck before the game. Then he said, by the way, I will not be able to shake your hand after the game because I coach from the press box and it takes me awhile to get back to the field. I thought coaching from the press box was strange and the most dastardly thing a coach could do to his team. However, at halftime the score was EIU-51, CSU-0. I said to myself, “I don’t care if it takes him an hour to get down from the box. I’m going to wait and ask him what’s the purpose of coaching from the press box.” Darrell said if you are a head coach who is thoroughly involved in the logistics of the game and have not delegated all of the responsibility to your coordinators, it behooves you to be up top because you get a better perception and perspective on the continuity of the game. I was convinced it was something I should do, but I didn’t have the courage to do it until 1990 (nine years later). It opened up a brand new world. We won the NAIA national championship in 1990 and 1992 and were runners-up in 1991. I have not returned to the field since. I have no plans of returning to the field as a head coach unless I become traditional by relinquishing my dual role as offensive coordinator. We utilize primarily four offensive sets. Dual (Diagram 1), Trips (Diagram 2, Spread (Diagram 3), Cinco (Diagram 4). Our GCO philosophy with these forma-

Diagram 2: Trips

pattern that is emblematic of our GCO is the 726 arrow/wide (Diagram 6). It is great versus most coverages and at least good versus the remaining coverages. I will present this pass pattern to you versus most of the coverages that we experience during a season.

Diagram 7: 726 AW vs. COV 1 Diagram 3: Spread

Diagram 4: Cinco

726AW vs Cover 1: (Diagram 7) The primary receiver is always the X (split end) unless coverage makes the quarterback’s progression the second, third, fourth, fifth receiver. In this case, vs. man free coverage, the quarterback is instructed to look immediately for Y(slot) crossing the formation.

Diagram 8: 726 AW vs. COV 2

Diagram 5

726AW vs Cover 2: (Diagram 8) The split-end should come open. This pattern is ideal for Cover W. If the weak safety (JK) is cheating weak side, the quarterback’s progression is Y-to-Z. This pattern forces this defense to play honest.

Diagram 6: 726 arrow/wide

Diagram 9: 726 AW vs. COV 3

tions is to seek horizontal and vertical stretch, while deploying personnel almost the width of the field. This scenario creates seams, holes and gaps in the defensive secondary. In most cases we deploy our short side wideout on the bottom lip of the numbers and our wide side receiver lines up on the top lip of the numbers (Diagram 5). Our most prevalent and efficient pass

726AW vs Cover 3: (Diagram 9) You will get one-on-one to the weak side. That is about as good as it gets. The split-end and Z will have to beat their defender on this match-up. 726AW vs Cover 4: (Diagram 10) As you can see rotation is to the weak-side. Your quarterback must work strong side from Z to F. Z must find a seam to settle

Diagram 1: Dual

• Proceedings • 77th AFCA Convention • 2000 •

Diagram 10: 726 AW vs. COV 4

Diagram 13: 726 AW vs. COV 7

Diagram 16 1. Passing Offense - 400.6 ypg 2. Total Offense - 535.73 ypg 3. Scoring Offense - 49.6 ppg 4. Individual Total Offense QB - Patrick Bonner - 324.36 ypg

down in if you need big yardage to get the first down. The fullback’s wide pattern can always be used to drop the ball off if Cover 4 is in a prevent alignment.

Diagram 14: 726 AW vs. COV 8

6. Receptions per season WR - Jacquay Nunnally - 93

Diagram 11: 726 AW vs. COV 5

726AW vs. Cover 5 (Diagram 11) This coverage should present many opportunities to the weak side. The quarterback must rule out throwing to Z since he is being double-covered. Ask your quarterback to immediately focus his attention on X and progress to Y if X cannot break this defender. 726AW is a weak side pattern. It must work if the coverage is strong side.

wideouts when you see double deep manunder coverage. Your slots (inside receivers) and backs are usually single-up on this coverage. We use our pre-snap look to determine which one of the three (H-Y-F) receivers we should throw to versus Cover 8. Of course, under certain coverage conditions, we will still work the ball down field to X and Z even though there is a strong propensity for teams to double-up on your two wideouts.

Diagram 15: 726 AW vs. COV 9

Diagram 12: 726 AW vs. COV 6

726AW vs. Cover 6: (Diagram 12) Three deep zone with strong safety in the flat is the most frequent coverage we encounter during a season. The H-back usually comes open versus Cover 6. However, you can still work deep to X and Z if the zone is playing too soft. 726AW vs. Cover 7: (Diagram 13) The movement of the safeties tells us to work either side. Since this coverage can be some form of bracket, inside-outside or short-long coverage. Our quarterback works to any receiver that is single-up. Thus, H-Y are our primary targets. 726AW vs. Cover 8 (Diagram 14) It is always difficult to throw the ball to your

5. Receptions per game WR - Jacquay Nunnally - 8.45 rpg

726AW vs. Cover 9 (Diagram 15) Dogs usually accompany Cover 9. It is a pressure scheme with many players on or near the line of scrimmage. Tough bump-andrun coverage is played the most on all of our receivers who are near the line of scrimmage. This is when sight-adjustments, check-offs, and hot maneuvers come in to play. A lot of big plays can take place if the proper reads and protection is executed properly. This pattern (726AW) has been a big contributor to the success of the Gulf Coast Offense. I hope this information interest you enough to install it in your offense. As you know, this pass pattern is just one piece of the puzzle and must be incorporated with your total offensive package.

FAMU has been ranked very high in final passing and scoring statistics in I-AA for the last five years. In 1998, FAMU led the nation in six offensive NCAA Division I-AA final statistics (Diagram 16). Finally, let me commend and congratulate Grant Teaff, his staff and the Board of Trustees for doing an outstanding job of presenting the membership with a wellorganized, first class convention. Again, thank you for your presence and attention to my presentation of the Gulf Coast Offense vs. Coverages. Good luck to you in this new millennium.

The AFCA Promotes Positive Recruiting Practices All Coaches: Be positive. Talk about your institution and not other institutions. Head Coaches: If you have a recruiting problem with another institution or have rumors flying that should be stopped: Call the head coach of the institution involved and talk straight. It will eliminate a lot of problems and hard feelings towards one another.

• Proceedings • 77th AFCA Convention • 2000 •