Hurry-Up, No Huddle

Ten years ago, very few teams – at any level – used the no-huddle offense throughout a game. It seemed the ‘two-minute’ offense (without a huddle) was used only when a team needed a score at the end of the half or late in the fourth quarter. Often, when the ‘two-minute drill’ was used, the results were offensive confusion, delay of game and assorted other penalties that stopped many drives.

Fast forward. Over the last five seasons, the increase in the number of teams using the no-huddle as their base offense throughout a game has been staggering. At the high school, college, and even professional level, many teams run the no-huddle offense throughout the course of a 48-minute or 60-minute game. The reasons are obvious – the offense is more in control, the defense has less time to prepare pre-snap, and more total plays  – and more chances to score – are added to the offensive repertoire.

In this issue of GS, Marc Kolb, the offensive coordinator at Tusculum University, discusses his team’s change over the last few seasons to the no-huddle offense. Last fall, Tusculum led all of college football in passing yards per game (424.6) and Coach Kolb attributed a great deal of Tusculum’s success to the switch to the no-huddle. In addition, since Tusculum started playing the no-huddle, they have added an average of 18 offensive plays to each game. While running this offense can exhaust an offense as well as present communication issues, the reward may certainly outweigh the risks.

This issue of GS also includes – 

•  The problem of tackling. In the first of a two-part series, Dr. Michael Yessis, the President of Sports Training, Inc., details the physical issues involved in tackling.

•  Coach Mike McDaniels explains specific ways of stopping the trips offense (the second of a three-part series) by using combinations of both stunts and blitzes.

•  Steve Rogers, the Special Teams Coach at Wabash College, discusses ‘Applying Pressure to Punt Protection’ by the use of the ‘Block Point’ drill.

As always, we welcome your feedback
and hope you enjoy this issue of GS.

Respectfully,

Rex Lardner
Managing Editor