Basic Scouting
Questions
Ever wondered what coaches do in order to prepare for a game?
Well they watch dozens and dozens of hours of film late into the night
and figure out ways to get an edge on the opposition. Today
scouting is done mainly by exchange of game film under strict rules
that are governed by the NCAA and the individual conferences. In
the old days it was done more in person. To give you a flavor of
some of the most basic and funamental
topics they examine I have compiled a short list.
- Basic Tendency Charting -
Compilation of the following items into a database week by week
- Quarter / Time
- Drive
- Down & Distance
- Hash Mark
- Personnel Sets
- Offense Formation
- Defense Formation
- Play Type
- Result
- Special Comments
- Defense Particulars - (What type
of defensive front does the opposition play and on what downs or
formations do they switch and why?)
- Front Seven
- 4-3 Under
- 4-3 Over
- 4-3 Even
- 3-4
- 46 Bear
- Eagle/Double Eagle Flex, etc.
- Other
- Secondary Coverage (What type
of secondary coverage does the opposition play and on what downs or
formations do they switch and why?)
- Cover 0
- Cover 1
- Cover 2
- Cover 3
- Cover 4
- Quarter, Quarter, Half
- Man Under Variations
- Other
- Attack Schemes (What type of
blitzs and stunts does they use and when are they most likely?)
- Blitzes
- Type
- Situation & Frequency
- Personnel
- Stunts
- Type
- Situation & Frequency
- Personnel
- Offense
- Personnel Evaluation (Who are
their top players and where are they the most dangerours?)
- Lineman
- Linebackers
- Defensive Backs
- Running Backs
- TE’s & WR’s
- Quarterback
- Protections Schemes
(What protection schemes do they use and how is it vulnerable?)
- Formations (What
personnel sets do they use and what plays do they run out of them?)
- Personnel Sets (21, etc.)
- Pro Formation (TB, FB, TE,
SE, FL)
- I Formation
- Ace Sets (2 TE, 3 WR, 4 WR)
- Empty Back (4 WR, 5 WR)
- Motion (What type of
motion is used and what does it indicate?)
- WR Motion
- TE Motion
- RB Motion
- Plays (What type of base
runs to they use and out of what formation and personnel sets?)
- Base Runs
- Zone Runs
- Draws
- Traps & Pulls
- Off Tackle
- Blast / Dive
- Option Plays
- Toss Plays Sweeps
- Base Passes (What type
of base pass plays do they use and out of what formation and personnel
sets?)
- Slant
- Fade
- Curl
- Hitch
- Dig / Drag
- Out
- Post
- Corner
- Fly / Go
- Situational Analysis &
Play Calling (What type of plays do they call in the following
situations?)
- First down plays
- 2nd & Long
- 2nd & Medium
- 2nd & Short
- 3rd & Long
- 3rd & Medium
- 3rd & Short
- 4th Down
- Red Zone
- Rip Zone
- Backed up
- Basic Data Analysis (How
good are they in the following categories and what does that imply for
the game plan?)
- Offense
- Scoring conversion
- How teams score
- Average drive distance
- Scoring drive distance
- First down efficiency (+4
yards gained %)
- 3rd down & 4th
down conversion
- Runs by type, formation,
gap, yards gained, distribution
- Passes by type, formation,
direction, yards gained, YAC, YPA, YPC
- Defense
- Defensive scoring
- Turnovers
- Sacks & TFL’s & QB
hurries
- 3rd down & 4th
down conversion allowed
- Rush defense (total yards,
yards per play, by direction)
- Pass defense (total yards,
ypa, ypc, by direction)
- Special Teams
- FG percentage
- Punt yards & net
- Return yards gained / allowed
- Turnovers & blocked kicks
This is just the starters list. There is more at the detailed
level the coaches look at in order to find tiny areas to
exploint. You can probably see why the coaching profession has
such long hours in college and at the NFL level. Game planning
and play calling on both offense and defense are based upon hours and
hours of study and analysis. Even then coaches often spend the
first two quarters of a game charting up in the booth what the
opposition is actually doing and if this matches up with what was
anticipated. When it doesn't that is when you hear about the
small "adjustments" that all teams make almost every game.
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