Gridiron and the Silver Screen: Alex Karras
By any account, Alex Karras was a character: raconteur, salesman, entrepreneur, author, broadcaster, and actor. Karras, who passed away just a few months ago, was also one of the NFL’s... Read more »
View ArticleHow Mike Mamula Crashed the Combine
Fairly or unfairly, Mike Mamula is remembered as the guy who exploded our perception of the NFL Scouting Combine. His performance (which today might be considered routine) was so phenomenal... Read...
View ArticleThe Isolation Play
The Isolation run, or “Iso,” is about as direct as football gets. A classic I-formation play, it has everybody on the line manhandle the nearest defender, while the receivers shoot inside to... Read...
View ArticleThe NFL’s Ban on Crown-of-Helmet Hits
The NFL’s new rule prohibiting some hits with the crown of the helmet is being called ‘controversial’ in almost every news piece it appears in, to the point where it’s... Read more »
View ArticleWhat is a “Gap-Sound” Defense? Pt. 1
Pretty early in football’s evolution, coaches realized that even the simplest, most repetitive run game could be devastating if a defense wasn’t “gap-sound.” Gaps—the spaces between offensive...
View ArticlePat Summerall (1930 – 2013)
“For somebody who has been as close to the game as I have, it is staggering that people heavily involved in the game today wouldn’t know who Jim Brown is,... Read more »
View ArticleWhat is a “Gap-Sound” Defense? Pt. 2
As we saw in Part 1, assigning every needed defender to a single gap can stress a defense. One way to rectify the problem is to change the math by... Read more »
View ArticleWhat is a “Gap-Sound” Defense? Pt. 3
For the first two parts of this series, we looked only at static gap defenses that alternated between various amounts of single- and two-gap assignments. The final variation is a... Read more »
View ArticleDeacon Jones (1938 – 2013)
“Going in, going into The Pit, I like to slap the guys’ helmets. It shakes them up. When I get to the man with the ball, I hit him as... Read more »
View ArticleThe Curious Case of Gordon Gee
Gordon Gee was—and still is—a bona fide celebrity at Ohio State. From his his bow ties and round glasses, to his off-the-cuff manner and comfort with crowds, Gee is an... Read more »
View ArticleFeeding the Hogs
It’s a common refrain among college coaches (particularly line coaches) that their players need to eat more. A lot more. A big-framed, yet gangly kid coming out of high school... Read more »
View ArticleGaro’s Gaffe
To honor the 40th anniversary of the ’72 Miami Dolphins’ famous undefeated season, let’s talk about that team’s most famous (or infamous) moment: Garo’s Gaffe. Garabed “Garo” Yepremian was the... Read...
View ArticleThe Tao of Frank Beamer’s Special Teams
“I think the kicking game is one of the most important parts of football. I personally believe the kicking game is just as important as offense and defense. I... Read more »
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