Layering plays is not a new concept in the game of football, but it’s definitely one that coaches often overlook. If offensive coordinators do not have layers to their offense, then it’s easy to run into the following three problems
Why You Should Layer Plays in Your Offense
Disconnection Between Plays
Sometimes as coordinators we get try to do too much by pulling plays from a bunch of different resources. Whether it’s a game you saw on Saturday, Sunday, or maybe your buddy who is an OC showed you a concept that you like, there are a ton of coaches who have a playbook full of plays that can’t really be sequenced together.
Identity Crisis
When an offense is trying to do too much by running too many schemes, throwing too many different pass concepts, operating out of a ton of different personnel groupings, then the identity of the offense can get lost in the shuffle. Layering plays in your offense can help reestablish your identity
In Game Adjustments
The first two problems typically lead to the third problem, which is the issue of being able to make in-game adjustments as an offensive coordinator. It makes sense if you think about it. If you are constantly swapping out personnel groupings, or spraying a ton of plays at the defense without a true identity, then you really can’t predict how the defense is going to react to your offense both pre and post-snap. This is the opposite of what every good OC wants to do to a defense. The best OC’s know how to make the defense vanilla and predictable, which obviously leads to more success on the field because you’ll know exactly how to attack the defense and understand adjustments that will need to be made.
Layer Plays in Your Offense
In my latest video, I break down the 5 layers that every OC should consider when building or developing out their playbook. These 5 layers can help address the three common issues that I see coaches faced with.
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