I've had multiple coaches win #UILState tell me their best coaching job wasn't done when they won state...it was taking a team with 2-8 talent and making them 7-4 #txhsfb
Texas HC Steve Sarkisian - Play Calling Flow & Empty Thought Process
Play Calling Flow
- "I think there is a real gut/real instinct to calling plays. You have to trust your gut."
- "There is a gut instinct involved that then ultimately gives you a flow to what you're doing. Because you're feeling the game rather than being a robot just reading off the call sheet."
Empty Thought Process
- Help the QB ID coverage/pressure
- RB/TE location creates DEF indicator
- Empty Menu vs premium looks
Mike Leach shares a must-listen postgame message on resilience, adversity, and failure.
"Nothing is really, really, really fun unless it's hard. Nothing is really fun unless it's hard."
"We've got to embrace that things are gonna be hard. We've got to embrace to be excited when things are hard."
Successful people don't fear obstacles - they embrace them.
"You gotta embrace to be excited about it being hard and playing extremely hard."
"Even if you get way up on somebody, you want to be as hard as you possibly can because you're pushing yourself. And all of a sudden you're making great plays, you're doing things that you've never done before."
Growth requires discomfort. You have to be willing to look bad before you get better.
Then he ended with one line:
"Embrace the fact that it's hard. Never hope that it's easy."
If you only chase what's easy, you'll never become great.
Embrace the hard because that is where growth, success, and character are built.
(🎥 Washington State)
Most OCs think play calling is about what to call next.
It's not.
It's about creating a decision tree that holds up against anything a defense throws at you.
Here's the framework I use:
1. Start with your best play vs their anticipated look.
2. Find out how they are going to play you.
3. Attack their adjustments
The defense gets a vote. But you control the conversation.
Stop chasing answers. Build a system that creates them.
"Nothing is really fun unless it's hard.
Embrace the fact that it's hard.
Never hope that it's easy."
Stop looking for shortcuts.
Lean into the hard part and build the habits that don’t bend or break when it gets tough.