5 Huge Coaching Mistakes That Killed Our Offense
How I learned to build an offense the hard way.
I got my first OC job young. There’s nothing worse than a mid-20s coach who thinks he knows it all.
I was humbled quickly.
Fortunately, I was surrounded by savvy veteran coaches to learn from and keep me afloat.
It’s embarrassing to admit now, but here are the 5 biggest mistakes I made early in my career as an offensive coordinator—and what I learned from them.
1. Adding Too Much
I thought the more plays we had, the better. With more plays, we would confuse the defense and keep them off balance.
But we had no foundation. Our kids didn’t know the offense well enough to run it right.
It also hurt me as a play-caller. I had too many plays to choose from, and it slowed me down.
Now, it doesn’t take long to figure us out. We don’t trick anyone, but we execute at a high level.
2. Thinking Plays over Players
I designed my offense based on what I liked, without considering what fit my team’s strengths.
In my first year as an OC, I wanted to turn a run-heavy team into a spread passing attack. The problem?
We were big and slow.
We lost 24-0 to a team in Week 2 because I stubbornly tried to force a scheme that didn’t fit our personnel.
After more embarrassing losses and 3 scoreless games, I tweaked the offense to better suit the kids we had.
When we faced that same team in the first round of the playoffs, we beat them 35-28.
The system should serve the players, not the other way around.
3. No System, just a collection of plays
When I started building an offense, I threw in plays without thinking about how they tied together. There was no “if-then” philosophy.
We had plays that attacked each defensive structure and coverage, but they didn’t complement each other. There was no rhythm, no strategy to build off what we did well.
Many like to knock the “old school” offenses like the Wing-T, Single Wing, or Flexbone, but those are complete systems. Each play has a purpose, and they all work together.
If you want to build a successful offense, start with one play and build your entire offense around it.
4. Adding plays midseason
One of the cardinal sins of being an OC is watching the film, seeing something an opponent did to exploit a defense, and trying to copy it.
If your team hasn’t repped that concept before, it won’t work. It takes hundreds of reps to get good at a play, and many more to master it.
Trying to add something midseason will detract from what you’re already good at. Stick with your core plays and focus on execution instead of chasing shiny new concepts.
5. Not working enough situations
Most of an offensive game is situational.
Down and distance, hash, how close you are to the end zone. Every single aspect affects how a game should be called.
I never took that into account. Our team periods were just about running plays.
The problem is that not all concepts work at every spot on the field. Certain plays are better to the boundary or the wide side. Some thrive in the red zone but fail in the open field.
Now, we dedicate time to working on situational football every week. Everything is scripted and all periods have a specific purpose.
When game time comes, not only are our players ready, but I know exactly what to call in each situation because of how we practiced.
Conclusion
Looking back, these mistakes were painful at the time, but they made me a better coach. I learned to simplify, build around my players, commit to a system, and prepare for every situation.
If you’re a young coach, take it from me: don’t fall into these traps. Focus on building a system, preparing your players, and trusting the process.
What mistakes have shaped your coaching journey? I’d love to hear your stories—drop them in the comments!