COACHES ARE NOTORIOUS for spending countless hours watching film, especially during the season. No matter how long we spend watching film, we never seem to have all the information we need to prepare our players adequately.

What if we were to more actively include our players in the film study process? Not only would we simplify our workload, we’d ensure that our players were prepared for what they would see the upcoming week.
I’m suggesting that we prepare our players for film study the way a classroom teacher prepares her students to watch a video in class. Students are usually given written questions that they must answer, or a writing assignment to help them better focus on the video.

We can do the same things for our players, based upon what we feel they need to know. I’ve outlined by position sample questions that players can answer in their film study. These can be changed from week to week depending upon the opposition. Coaches may also add other areas that they feel should be focused on.

Offense Quarterbacks
    What are the primary secondary coverages?
    What are the alignments of the defensive linemen?
    What audibles will we need to run in both the running game and the passing game?
    How do the linebackers and secondary players adjust to motion?
    How often and when do they like to blitz?
    Who are their best and weakest cover players?
    Where do they usually blitz from?
    What field areas will be open in the passing game?
    What passing plays and running plays will work best against them? 

Running Backs
    Where do the linebackers blitz from?
    How often do the linebackers blitz and on what downs?
    Will there be cutback lanes due to overpursuit?
    Does the secondary come up to support the run?
    Can I get out to the flats in the passing game?
    What running plays will be open due to alignments?
    Are they an aggressive tackling team?  

Offensive Linemen
    What are their primary fronts?
    Do they slant, twist or stem? If so, on what downs and why?
    What types of blitzes do they use?
    Do they blitz often and on what downs?
     Do they flip-flop linemen?
    Will I have to adjust my splits?
    What running plays work against them and why?

Wide Receivers, Tight Ends
    What are their primary secondary coverages?
    Do they employ robber coverages? How about press or bump-and-run coverages?
    What routes will be open and on what downs will these be open?
     How often do they blitz and where do they blitz from? (For tight ends, this can impact “hot routes.”)
     How will I need to adjust my alignment and technique to run specific routes?
    Who are their best and weakest pass defenders?
    How well do they support the run in the secondary and who are their best run defenders?
    How can I best get into position to stalk block on the perimeter?

Defense
Defensive Linemen
    What size splits do the offensive linemen use?
    What type of pass rush will I need to use to get to the quarterback?
    Do they have linemen that they tend to run behind?
    Do they use power or unbalanced line sets in short yardage?
    What twists and stunts work best against them?
    Do they flip-flop linemen such as on counter or toss plays to gain an advantage?
    Do they cut block?
    Can we beat them off the ball by slanting or shooting into the gaps?

Linebackers
    What are their primary formations?
    On what downs do they typically run and on what downs do they typically pass?
    Through what gaps can we blitz to get to the QB?
    What blitzes and stunts will work best against them and why?
    Who is their best running back and what plays do they like to run with him?
    Do the offensive linemen provide any tips for when they will run or pass?
    Do they attack the underneath and flat areas in the passing game or does the QB prefer to go deep?

Defensive Backs
    What are their primary offensive formations?
    What are their primary passing formations?
    Who is their biggest receiving threat?
    Does the QB tend to spread the ball around or does he look for one primary receiver?
    What are their favorite routes?
    Do they utilize a lot of motion?
    Will they look to attack us vertically or underneath in the passing game?

These lists could contain more information. However, I decided to keep these short as they are geared more to high school players. Coaches can have players work individually or by position groups to answer these. Coaches can also supply their players with rewards for perfect scores. 

Kevin Weigand can be reached at ktcw@comcast.net.