When people think of Coach Leachâs Air Raid offense, most think of the passing attack, the spread-out formations, and the insane statistics. Which are all true.
But the real secret sauce was the structure: Less is more. Specialize.
Most offenses try to do everything. They want every formation, every play, every answer for every defense. As a result, they become like Applebeeâs: they have everything, but they arenât truly great at anything.
They become: "The jack of all trades and the master of none."
Leach didnât buy into the norm. He had few formations, few core concepts, and dressed them up to be run over and over again. That allowed his coaches and players to become masters at what they ran.
They specialized. They eliminated overthinking. They executed.
And as a result, his offenses were usually near the top of college football and consistently produced at a high level.
So how does this apply to you?
If youâre a coach, build an identity.
Decide on the core concepts you believe in, then start eliminating everything else. There are a lot of great ideas and plays out there, but it ultimately comes down to execution. And you canât practice everything.
If youâre an athlete:
Are you trying to work on everything?
A pitcher trying to develop seven different pitches instead of mastering two or three you can dominate with?
If youâre in business, Air Raid your business.
Are you trying to do it allâoffering too many services, chasing too many directions?
How can you condense your business so you donât confuse your audience, dilute your message, or spread yourself too thin?
What actually moves the needle? Double down on that. Cut the rest.
To close this out, Iâll give you one of my favorite Leach quotes when it comes to the Air Raid:
âYou have to have a great capacity for boredom.â
You donât have to do everything.
You just have to do a few things at a high levelâand execute them over and over again.
Thatâs the Air Raid!
#MindStrength #AirRaid
https://t.co/NNNGhZAl6A
New @thecoachtube is Live.
Included:
đ´ââ ď¸ Full 2008 concept cutups
đ´ All-22 of every game
âŤď¸ Original game scripts
đ Downloadable Excel breakdowns of every play, concept, tendency & situation
A complete look into the mind of theđ´ââ ď¸in 2008
The hefty lefty, Jared Lorenzen was one of Kentucky most exciting players ever. He was a 4 year starter at Kentucky and threw for 10,354 yards and 78 touchdowns.
Popped up in my memories. What a clinic it was a few years ago. Catching up with @HalMumme and watching Coach Leach in Spring Ball. Along with great friends, and football! đ´ââ ď¸ forever.
What it means is that there are lots of elements to playing QB: throwing, presnap read, post snap read, throwing technique, having to make different kinds of throws, anticipation, etcâŚ
So a guy that is asked to âplay quarterbackâ more is a guy that has all of those elements in the offense they are being asked to run & have to do the variety more often!
Does that make sense?
"Offense is trying to create space. That's what an offense tries to do, is create space â If you can create space, you can do lots of good things.
Defense is trying to restrict space... everything you do on offense should be designed to create space."
- Mike Leach
I just finished an offensive line manual I wish I had early in my career.
Not more plays. Not more scheme.
Just a simple system:
â Indy
â Technique
â Combos
â Fixes
â Friday adjustments
No fluff.
Comment âOLâ and Iâll send it.
QB wrist plan sheet
Leachâs game call sheet (8.5 x 11 word document) had a little moreâsituational callsâ
But, this is what the QBs carried: open field, red zone, goal line, and 2-point plays
Simple/Efficient
Very cool that @SawRobertson12 still keeps one on him
Respect đ´ââ ď¸
This is good stuff & I would just add âthere is NO perfect gun footwork that ties into WR stepsâ like under center!
So GUN timing is more MENTAL timing than physical⌠so the mind should lead the feet in gun, instead of feet leading like under center!
Coach John Calipari is absolutely spot on here.
Why would a coach recruit and develop an American high school kid for 4 years when the system now rewards grabbing ready-made pros from overseas, the G League, or the NBA pipeline?
If we donât fix this, weâre killing the entire purpose of college sports.
Been running gap schemes against odd fronts with these rules for years!
Donât solo block a play-side tackle down on a 3T/4i when the guard has to double the nose. Arc the tackle out, and kick/trap the B gap! The angles are exponentially better.
#WideZoneWarriors
MIKE LEACH ON EMBRACING HARD
"Nothing is really fun unless it's hard ...
You're pushing yourself. All of a sudden you're making great plays.
You're doing things that you've never done before...
Never hope that it's easy."
~ via @WSUCougarFB and @DrewMaddox
Another fascinating question to watch OCs answer is, How are you going to handle pressure?
I see some teams approach by leaving more guys in to block⌠I used to hate this bc that meant less guys to put pressure on backend & also just bc you leave a TE in doesnât mean you are more solid on the interior or it can put a good pass rusher on a lesser pass blocker! But of course, I can understand the theoryâŚ
I used to like to get more guys out, force the other team to cover the whole field & possibly get big plays on short throws! Get the Rb out when they expected him to protect & force them to adjust⌠yet I understand the idea many think it exposes OL & QB!
Or do you go right down the middle with a chip or presence by extra body?
Gotta know your QB & OL⌠Gotta know the strengths & weaknesses of both & have a plan for them!
I know I processed well so the 5 out was what I loved, but also felt it gave me an outlet to get rid of ball and not take sacks, even if I was throwing it away! Send 2 guys out & usually down the field and I see a lot more sacks taken bc QB has no where to save himself!
Lots of good âFood for Thoughtâ!
âRespect Everyone, Fear No One.â
That was another âLeachismâ posted all over our football buildingâand itâs critical when it comes to how you prepare and how you perceive the game ahead.
When I was a college coach, we played a âlesserâ opponent. Our QB had just come off an incredible run and had been named National Player of the Week a few weeks prior. This game though? He was⌠fine. Average.
From the outside, he played well. But he and I both knew it wasnât his best.
After the game, he pulled back the curtain: âI overlooked this team. I didnât prepare like I should have.â Heâd let the perception of the opponent dictate his preparation. He didnât respect them.
Fortunately, we still won big that day. But when I was a player in college, I wasnât so lucky. Twice I lost to FCS teams (yes, twice). The root cause? Walking into those games thinking, theyâre just an FCS team⌠not USC, Oregon, or Stanford.
That mindset got us punched in the mouth.
On the flip side, you canât fear your opponent either.
In my first career NFL start, we were facing the defending Super Bowl championsâthe New England Patriots. The night before the game, one of our coaches, whoâd been in the league for over thirty-five years, put up their defensive rankings (which I recommend not doing if you are a coach):
-First in Pass Defense
-First in Turnovers
-First in Rush Defense
-First in Points Allowed
-First in Sacks
-First in EVERYTHINGâŚ
Then he said, âWow! Iâve never seen anything like this before!â
âWowâ was right! Not to mention they also had the greatest quarterback and coach in NFL history. We walked into that game, or at least I did, beaten in our minds before we even
took the field.
So how do you protect yourself from falling into either trap?
Focus on what you can control.
In college, weâd get detailed scouting reports: â6'4", long wingspan, very fast, great hipsâavoid throwing at him.â
I stopped reading them. Iâd just watch film and make my own notes. I focused on my job and responsibility.
The beauty? Coach Leach didnât care about the external either.
His philosophy: Do your job. Execute. Kick their ass.
It freed me from obsessing over certain players, conference awards, or NFL projections.
Most games, I didnât even know the names of the guys I was competing against until Iâd see them drafted months later and think, âOh yeah, that guy was pretty dang good!â There
were a few exceptions, of course, like Vita Vea, Buddha Baker, Harry Gaines, and Harrison Phillips⌠Those guys were damn good.
This type of mentality was at the core of Leachâs Air Raid philosophy and worked the same way. Stick to your identity.
Run your stuff. Prepare the same, whether itâs David or Goliath.
Respect Everyone. Fear No One.
Nobodyâs better than you, and nobodyâs less than you. Treat
every opponent the same.
Keep your preparation the same. And focus only on what
you can control.
#MindStrength
Join my newsletter for free â> https://t.co/g0MfutOHjG