It is physically and mentally exhausting. It is intense and competitive. It is a clash of wills and a battle of endurance.
After 10 days of touring Northeastern Pennsylvania and visiting preseason camps, I had several key takeaways, beyond simply observing and showcasing the athletes in their uniforms.
Above all, after watching each practice, I concluded that football is hard.
Coming from a much simpler form of the sport and an era of simplicity, with the belief that the best athletes win, it is sometimes humbling to go through the nuances of each play and the time spent teaching and learning by the coaches and players.
At Delaware Valley, after a break, the players split into individual group sessions. A coach yelled out, “Inside run.”
That is right up my alley, I thought. Some 30-plus years ago, despite my increased skeletal girth and being about 30 pounds lighter, I used to tote the rock in between the tackles. Most might think my preference was to sprint outside to avoid contact because of my track background, but I didn’t mind churning out some tough yards in my heyday. Having the best offensive linemen in the Big 11 didn’t hurt my confidence, either.
I digress.
The offensive lineman and tight ends took their positions in the trenches. A defense made up of four underclassmen stood across from them.
Behind the offensive line are the quarterback, the fullback, and the tailback. The second level of defense for this drill consists of four linebackers at various depths from 3 to 4 yards.
It’s football in a phone booth.
A play is called. To maintain some level of secrecy, let’s call it an off-tackle run to the tailback.
Delaware Valley’s accomplished and outstanding line coach, Al McElroy, as fierce a player as this area has produced, starts the teaching. He had gone over the rules for each lineman during an earlier individual session with his players, but it never hurts to review.
With the point of attack being between the right tackle and right guard, he asks which defender each player must block. To their credit, based on where the defensive chess pieces were, they correctly pointed to their assignment.
Everyone clapped their hands.
It was a short-lived applause. Coach McElroy then moved one defender ever so slightly to his right. It seemed meaningless, but it changed everything. He then asked which defender each player must block. It was like a mini-SAT exam. Again, to their credit, the Delaware Valley linemen both knew their assignment.
During this time, assistant coach Nick Quaglia was showing the backs where the linemen were going at the snap of the ball. Their jobs were to read the scheme. The fullback’s assignment was to collide at full speed with a linebacker going equally as fast to the seam in the front line. After impact, he is to shift his shoulders and attempt to pin the linebacker one way or the other. The tailback, at full speed, mind you, must read that block and cut to the narrow opening created.
Walking through the play, it is an intricate design. The main issue is that defenders are not stationary objects to just be pushed around. They resist. They slant. They blitz. Sometimes, they do not execute their assignments properly and are not where they are expected to be lined up.
Delaware Valley called the play in a huddle, changed the snap counts, and ran that one seemingly schoolyard-easy play four times to the right and four times to the left with the first group, which is made up of the most veteran and talented players. Each repetition had its issues that were addressed by the staff. It took five minutes, but those were minutes well spent.
That was one of a series of several formations, motions, and audibles. It was a masterclass in creating organized chaos.
I paid particularly close attention because during this session, the receivers were going through their passing route trees and catching balls. It seemed like they were having a blast. Again, being a former college wide receiver, a 7-on-7 drill is anything but fun. Head coach Keith Olsommer called a play, and the athletes jogged to their spots, which are generally split away from the line. While they are heading to their places, he instructs them to read the defensive back and identify the coverage.
Seems simple. But defenses rarely give things away easily. They disguise what they are trying to do to slow a passing game. They can play a receiver in zones or man-to-man, and they can change on the run. Most passing plays require the receiver to know how to adjust their routes based on what the defense presents.
At the same time, the quarterback will read the defense and the coverage. In addition, before the snap, he has to be aware of a blitz, what the protection from his linemen will be, and know where the primary and secondary options for the pass will be based on what he sees.
One misread by the quarterback or the receiver could cause a breakdown and result in a turnover that will likely send the coaches in the stands into a frenzy.
Soon, the horn sounded, and the two groups came together.
Now, like a baker pulling together his ingredients for a cake, the complete offense will go against the complete defense. The first play called was that “off-tackle” running play. On the snap, sure enough, the defense presented a challenge based on alignment. The Delaware Valley linemen communicated with each other, the backs shared a quick word, and on the snap, it was a success for a modest gain, but a success nonetheless.
Later, when the pass play was called, the quarterback and receiver were on the same page, and after a confident throw and catch, success.
After each one, the coaches still addressed things that could derail or alter the execution of those plays, but they had the options.
Fans, those were only two plays in a massive playbook.
These are high school student-athletes. Football is hard. Those who play video games often struggle to appreciate the intricacies of game design and what it takes to execute it.
I left each practice with my head spinning at times. The highlighted and color-coded call sheets for offense and defense are mind-numbing and complex, even for Louis Paris, last season’s Times-Tribune Offensive Player of the Year, whom I chatted with when he attended Scranton Prep’s practice before leaving for Franklin & Marshall camp.
As a former player and coach, I have gained a deeper appreciation for the sport and the challenges it presents in teaching and learning.
Weight training is important
It is a comment I heard many times during interviews with players at practices.
“We worked hard in the weight room.”
Having played in an era when weight training was starting to take off as a way to improve athleticism at the high school level, it is eye-opening to see just how true that cliché is. There is a reason why talented players like Riverside’s Tavian Branch, who is also a powerlifter and track and field athlete, are overpowering at the high school level.
By attending the camps, I saw how strong the players had become.
That leads me to this observation: fans, parents and guardians, and young players who may have been star players at the junior football or freshman levels understand that there is a glaring difference when a 14- or 15-year-old competes against a 17- or 18-year-old athlete. There are always exceptions, but for the most part, the physical maturity of upperclassmen is something that stood out during my visits.
Don’t be discouraged, either. There is a value in learning schemes, systems, and techniques that will benefit player development and, more importantly, confidence. Becoming a starter takes time, take it from me, I didn’t until I was a senior.
In addition to working out, while the national trend for athletes is to specialize, I saw and talked with many multi-sport kids on the practice fields. Abington Heights quarterback Nick Bradley is the most high-profile two-sport player in the LFC. He was last spring’s Times-Tribune Baseball Player of the Year and is committed to Auburn for that sport. He is also a strong-armed quarterback who has left a lasting impression on the Comets’ football program.
Commitment to safety
Suffering a concussion from repetitive impact in the sport during practice is a risk.
Many of the LFC programs are having players wear the Guardian Soft-Shell helmet caps at practice.
Coaches also did a good job of providing breaks for the athletes to hydrate. The summer heat intensified through the second week of two-a-days.
Trainers were on site during practices.
Full-contact drills, which are necessary to help prepare the body for games, were monitored closely by coaches and health professional staff members.
