Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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CHALK TALK BRYAN DRISKELL identify the opponent's tendencies and favorite looks in the red zone. How a team reacts based on ball placement (which hash mark the ball is on), the of- fensive formation, any motions or shifts, and down and distance. Once the offensive staff gets a feel for what the defense likes to do scheme- wise, it will combine that with personnel matchup advantages to formulate a plan of attack. The key is having a balanced approach in which the offense can run the football effectively, attack with the pass and find a way to handle the op- ponent's blitzes. One of the most important — and often overlooked — parts of a success- ful red zone package is having a third- down plan. DEVOTING PRACTICE TIME Having a good game plan and schemes to attack the defense are just part of building a dynamic red zone offense. Even more important is utiliz- ing practice time. Just how much time is devoted — and how much attention a staff pays to those periods — is what separates the good red zone teams from the great ones. The red zone package is often installed later in the week, after the offense has spent time repping out its base offense. A successful red zone package will have some carry over to the base offense, but there will often be some variation in formations, route depths and even some unique plays that are red zone specific. Those variations have to be prac- ticed. Success in that area of the field often requires specific techniques from the wide receivers and adjusted reads by the quarterback. It is not possible for the offense to thrive in the red zone if there is not enough practice time and attention to detail devoted to those unique traits. IN-GAME ADJUSTMENTS As much as a staff prepares for how a defense is going to defend the offense in the red zone, there will almost certainly be unique defensive looks that have not been used previously. If the staff is able to quickly recognize those approaches and adjust accordingly, the opportunity for success in the red zone is greatly enhanced. This requires good communication between the coaches in the booth and those on the field. It also requires being able to communicate the adjustments to the players in a manner that gives them confidence to execute on ensuing trips into the scoring zone. EXECUTION Each of the previous points build on each other. A good plan — combined with quality practice — gives the of- fense an opportunity for success. The ultimate goal of each of these points of emphasis is to create strong execution by the players. The better the plan and the more confidence the players have in it, and their ability to execute it, the greater the chance an offense can excel in the red zone. ✦ Bryan Driskell has been a football analyst for Blue & Gold Illustrated since April 2015. He can be reached at bdriskell@blueandgold.com.