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AFM Magazine

AFM Magazine


Lessons Learned - The Most Important 12 Minutes in Team Sports

by: Chris Mattura
Veteran NFL Assistant Coach
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A good friend of mine once said, “The only meetings that count in football are the ones that take place at halftime.”
Halftime in the National Football League is completely foreign to most people outside the profession. The world of halftime starts in the Laboratory in the Sky (press box) with about three minutes to go in the second quarter. The process begins with each coach talking to another coach through the headset (field) or in the press box as to what offensive plays they like and what schemes they like on the defensive side of the ball. They then are transferred to acetates for presentation at halftime. In addition, charts are complied for the purpose of tendencies as well as what to anticipate.


Once in the locker room, this data is usually posted and/or verbalized by one of the coaches. The players go to the bathroom and then get seated on their respective sides of the room. The special teams coordinator usually goes over his stills (pictures) with a few of the special team players. The offensive and defensive coaches meet separately for about two minutes prior to addressing their side of the ball. It then becomes organized chaos for the next three to five minutes. Stills are being dissected, statistics are being thrown around, schemes are being drawn on acetates and team, group and individual adjustments are being made. The referees come into the locker rooms with about three to four minutes left to get you ready to head back onto the field. The head coach makes his final address and then it’s back to the ballgame.


The routine at halftime each week is usually the same for each ball club. The difference is what team makes the first series of the 3rd quarter on defense, special teams and offensive their best series of the game to that point. The opening series in the 3rd quarter at any level of football is pivotal.


On a personal note, during one of our pre-meetings as a defensive staff prior to meeting with the defense, I was adamant about running a particular blitz. The defensive coordinator looked at me in rage and said, “Good call, but you’d better be right.” I really wanted that particular fire zone because I felt they were neutralizing our outside pressure package. The team we were playing hurt us with 3-step and 5-step quick drops. They were releasing the ball quick and we couldn’t get to their quarterback. He was feeling the pressure outside and stepping up aggressively and releasing the football. We fire zoned him right up the middle on the first play of the 2nd half, we missed a great kill shot and they ran the draw play right by our Mike linebacker. The “D” Coordinator wanted to crucify me. The next series, we came with the same fire zone and created a fumble and subsequently scored on a short field. The Defensive Coordinator picked up my dinner tab that night. The NFL really stands for NOT FOR LONG, if you do not win. Be humble and ready for everything at all times. u






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