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AFM Magazine


AFM Subscribers Ask... with Tommy Bowden

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The first thing that comes to mind when you look at Tommy Bowden’s record is consistency. In ten seasons as a head coach, all ten of his teams have been bowl eligible at the conclusion of the regular season. Each of his last seven teams have finished with a winning record. In his ten seasons as a head coach (two with Tulane and eight at Clemson) Bowden has an overall 78-41 record, a 65.5% winning percentage.

A walk-on wide receiver at West Virginia, Bowden’s first coaching job was as a graduate assistant at WVU. He later coached at Florida State, East Carolina and Alabama and also served as offensive coordinator at Duke, Kentucky and Auburn. While at Auburn, he coached his last four years there under his brother, Terry. He answers your questions….

Q. As it relates to coaching for the NFL, colleges and big-time high schools, you either have to be a former player in college or pro or be old enough with 20-25 years of experience. Does experience always mean success or should more teams look at actual knowledge and skills when hiring a new coach? William Harrell, assistant coach, Portal High School, Statesboro, GA. AFM subscriber since 2007.

There is no doubt that experience helps when coaching in college football. I believe it is a lot easier to get a college job if you have played in college. NFL experience seems to be less of a requirement than the college playing experience. Experience does not always mean success but it surely helps. The actual knowledge and, at the I-A level, the recruiting skills are really important. When I hire a staff, I try to keep a combination of some older coaches with a lot of experience and younger coaches that have a lot of knowledge and skill but do not necessarily have the experience. However, the younger coach may have a little more enthusiasm and relate better to the younger players of 2007.

Q. I am sold on the option offense, but I also believe in multiple formations. Is it feasible to run the triple option out of a no-back, pre-snap formation? That is, if you motioned the fullback across and on the snap he ran his same veer trap and the tailback shuffled back and in to get in position to receive the pitch. Randy Surrett, assistant coach, Bartow Academy, GA. AFM subscriber since 1997.

A lot of schools these days are running both option out of the shotgun look and the quarterback under center involving motion from a no-back formation. I believe this is relatively easy to do but in order to be successful, I think you have to commit yourself to it. The timing of the motion and the various defense alignments which varies your reads can get difficult. However, the type of multi-formation option offense you are talking about has been prevalent throughout colleges over the last few years with a great amount of success.

Q. How much do you use a tight end in your offense, other than goal line or short yardage situations? What are the advantages of not using a tight end? David Lovette, assistant coach, Gray’s Creek High School, Hope Mills, NC. AFM subscriber since 2005.

We use the tight ends in our offense a lot now. Not only do we use one tight end but we also utilize two, three and four tight ends in our normal offense. Our multiple tight end formations are not ‘just’ for goal line and short yardage situations. The advantage of not using a tight end is the fact that you can use a faster player as a potential receiver that might be a better match-up for you versus their defensive personnel. It definitely gives you a speed advantage when you take a tight end off the field and replace him with a wide receiver or running back.

Q. Could you talk about your practice sessions during the season? That is, could you detail the types of drills that are used regularly as you prepare for your next opponent? Do you emphasize any one element of offense defense, or special teams as you get ready for the next game? Taylor Jones, assistant coach, Springfield High School, OR. Subscriber since 2002.

We are pretty constant on how we practice during the season. We will have a small amount of individual time and then we will have group work and then teamwork. In a group setting we will work our first team offense versus our first team defense. Finally, we will have teamwork versus the scout team. This is the normal procedure that we go through practically every week during the season. When we do go against each other, it is usually the first team defense versus the first team offense because we feel like we need to get best versus best to get a full speed look. Even though the schemes might not be similar to the team we are playing when we go against each other, we feel like we benefit by getting the fastest speed possible that imitates what we are going to see on game day. We don’t necessarily emphasize any one element more so than the other unless it was extremely poor the week before. For example, we are always going to spend a specific amount of time on goal line offense every week. If we have done poorly the last game or two, then we might allocate more time to goal line offense. The same can be said for goal line defense or special teams.

Q. What do you look for in your quarterback? Besides his size and arm strength, what are the intangibles you look at that indicate that he can play at the level needed? George Carter, assistant coach, Calvary Baptist School, WI. AFM subscriber since 2005.

Once you eliminate the physical characteristics of the size and arm strength, I believe listed below are some of the characteristics you would want to have in your quarterback:

A. Leadership skills – what is his on-the-field presence with the other team members in a critical situation and how does he respond?

B. He needs to have the intelligence to handle the extra burden that the quarterback usually has as far as run checks, pass protection checks and things of that nature. Comprehension from the meeting room to on-the-field performance is important. In other words, can he take it from the classroom to the field from a mental standpoint?

C. His running skills are also important so when protection does break down, he needs to be able to create a positive play.

D. He needs to be humble in how he deals with the press in order to keep the respect of the team.

I believe these are several things we look for in a quarterback.

Coming in July: Legendary Louisiana high school coach J.T. Curtis answers your questions. Last fall Curtis’ John Curtis Christian HS won their third consecutive Louisiana 2A State Championship. Head Coach since 1969, Curtis and his team’s Veer Option offense have won 17 consecutive district championships and 21 state championships. In August, Penn State linebackers coach Ron Vanderlinden continues to answer your questions on defensive play. Go to www.AmericanFootballMonthly.com/askacoach or send your question to AFM’s Managing Editor Rex Lardner: rlardner@lcclark.com.





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