AFM RSS Feed Follow Us on Twitter       
AMERICAN FOOTBALL MONTHLY THE #1 RESOURCE FOR FOOTBALL COACHES
ABOUT |  CONTACT |  ADVERTISE |  HELP  



   User Name    Password 
      Password Help





Article Categories


AFM Magazine

AFM Magazine


AFM Subscribers Ask...with J.T. Curtis

© More from this issue

Click for Printer Friendly Version          

John Curtis Christian school was founded in 1962 by John Curtis, the father of J.T. Curtis. Having been head coach since 1969, J.T. Curtis has accumulated an overall record of 443-46-6 in 38 years. Already a Louisiana legend, his teams have won 21 state championships since switching to the Veer Option offense in 1975. The private school is located about ten miles from downtown New Orleans in the town of River Ridge. This summer a book on the team will be published. The book, written by Neal Thompson, is entitled ‘Hurricane Season: A Coach, His Team and Their Triumph in the Time of Katrina’ (below). It chronicles how the devastating effect of Hurricane Katrina changed the daily lives of John Curtis Christian, its coaches, players and families. Beginning July 31, it will be available in book stores nationwide. He answers your questions on the Veer Option...

Q. What were the initial reasons you decided to run the Veer Option offense (as opposed to the Wing-T, Shotgun or Power I)? Was it related to the athletes you had or was it based on overall strategy? Bob Summers, John F. Kennedy High School (WA). AFM subscriber since 2005.

It really was both. We were a Power I team but without a tailback that had great speed and vision. We wanted an offense that was difficult to defend but also had some explosiveness to it. We looked at all the different options and at that time the Wishbone was popular. We looked at the Houston Split Veer under Bill Yeoman where the offense could be spread out in various formations. We then found we could throw the ball from this formation as well as run the option. The strategy behind it was that we wanted to run the ball effectively inside without having to have a great tailback. This offense is based on the running back being able to run a very disciplined track, especially the first six yards. We liked this offense and we also liked the idea of putting pressure on the corner with the pitch. Over the years we've expanded this offense and have used the play action pass as a major part of it. We feel we can run both inside and outside with this offense.

Q. We’re a Veer Option team and run a 50 defense. How would you defend your option offense using the 50 defense? What would be the responsibilities of each defender when they get an option read? Bob Nimblett, Head Coach, Alvirne High School, Hudson, NH. AFM Subscriber since 2005.

I think the base 50 defense is a great defense to play the option; that is, because you can play the option from the outside-in as opposed to an even man front or an eight man front having to play it from the inside-out. It gives you an advantage because you can play assignment football where the first person outside the tackle takes dive responsibility or the first person outside the tight end is responsible for the dive if running the outside veer. You’re also able to scrape the linebackers and change up the secondary run responsibilities. This makes it difficult for the offense to attack you. I also like the idea of having four people in the secondary with this defense. It gives you a better chance of defending the pass. If it’s an inside veer, the first man outside the tackle would be responsible for the dive. The end on the inside would be responsible for the quarterback and the strong safety is responsible for the pitch knowing that they can change those assignments.

Q. What defensive scheme in high school requires the least amount of talent and at the same time is still effective? Would a player's understanding of X’s and O’s be a critical element? William Harrell, Assistant Coach, Portal High School (GA). AFM subscriber since 2007.

I’m a base 50 coach and I believe that is the best defense to line up in. One of the reasons I like it is that you can play a lot of different offenses from the outside-in. It also is effective in the passing game. If the offense is going to four outside receivers, you are also able to incorporate your outside linebackers as pass defenders and have what the pro's call a 3-4 defense. You can also bring the fourth rusher from either side. If you're short on defensive linemen you may want to look at something like the 4-3 but I still would want to play in the odd-man front. I think knowledge of the X's and O's is critical, regardless of the defense. The more the kids know about the concept of why they do what they're asked to do, the better and more effective defense you are going to play.

Q.When preparing to run your offense against a 5-2 defense, what aspect of that defense would you attack and why? Matt Topie, Head Coach, Waterford Kettering High School (MI). AFM subscriber since 2005.

I think the first thing you have to do is control the inside linebackers. This applies to a 4-3 defense, or a 5-3 defense or a split 4 defense. You need to control the linebackers and limit their ability to run without hesitation. We attack it with our cut back play, both with the inside and outside veer. This enables our offensive line to better execute their blocks because, to some degree, we are controlling the defense and causing the linebackers to hesitate.

Q. In the Veer Option offense, what is the quarterback’s read against an even 4-4 defense that plays the tackles up on the guards? Is there another play you can run that takes advantage of this defense? Eric Reis, Head Coach, Manteca High School (CA). AFM subscriber since 2006.

I think if they play the tackles head up on the guards, they give you a little bit of an advantage. The 4-4 defense has to defend the option from the inside out. Their guard and inside linebacker are assigned to the dive. The 7 tech is the designated defender on the quarterback and the strong safety is designated as the pitch player. If they play heads-up, it gives you a legitimate chance to combo the defensive tackle up to the linebacker. If you add that in with the cutback play off the inside veer with the hesitation of the linebacker, it gives you a legitimate chance of blocking the inside defenders that are responsible for tackling the diveback. It puts pressure on the perimeter because they come up a man short. What they have to do is run the free safety to the pitch and, if they do that, they take the safety out of the middle of the field and make themselves vulnerable for the passing game.

Coming in August: Penn State linebackers coach Ron Vanderlinden continues to answer your questions. Having coached two linebackers that both won back-to-back Chuck Bednarik awards, Vanderlinden enters his seventh season in Happy Valley. In September, Steve Rampy of Blue Valley High School in Stilwell, KS responds to your questions about the success of his Pistol Offense. Go to www.AmericanFootballMonthly.com/askacoach or send your question to AFM’s Managing Editor Rex Lardner at rlardner@lcclark.com.





NEW BOOK!

AFM Videos Streaming Memberships Now Available Digital Download - 304 Pages of Football Forms for the Winning Coach



















HOME
MAGAZINE
SUBSCRIBE ONLINE COLUMNISTS COACHING VIDEOS


Copyright 2024, AmericanFootballMonthly.com
All Rights Reserved