Will You Will Get Your First Punt Off?
I will answer this question for you if you are a new head football coach and also for 75% of the rest of you who are returning as a head coach. Maybe you will get your first punt off unscathed. I will add also only if they don’t try to block it. Here’s what I absolutely know. You will have your heart right up in your throat the first time your punt team long snapper lines up over the ball.
If you think you will be nervous, put yourself in your snapper’s shoes. Some kid he does not even know on the other team is lined up inches from his sweaty face mask talking smack. It’s too late to turn back now so he closes his eyes and let’s the snap fly!
As the ball is in the air to your sophomore punter, you continue to hold your breath. After all, you recruited him from the soccer team. He is focused on punting the ball. You really hope he just catches it first. Consider that he has grown up his whole life NOT touching the ball. He just likes to kick it.
Every Head Football Coach And Special Teams Coach Has Their Heart In Their Throat When They Punt For The First Time In Game One.
The rest of your punt team? Half of them are on the offensive side of the ball dreading getting their butt chewed after this play. After all, they are pretty sure they busted their assignment on third down. That’s why you are punting in the first place.
The other half of your punt team are defensive players frothing at the mouth to go make a tackle. They are thinking “What a bonus! I get to hit someone before I even line up for our first defensive snap! Protection? What’s protection? We will probably be okay. We got the punt off in practice against the scout team every time didn’t we?
If by some miraculous chance your first punt of the season finds air instead of the punt return team’s blocking hands you can now sigh a big sigh of relief. Your punter got the ball off. As you watch the ball travel 30 yards with very low trajectory to the best player on their team…your worries have just begun.
Okay, am I being a smart ass? Probably. Am I far from the truth? Not that far. I heard an experienced NFL special teams coach once say that they would never let a high school opponent get a punt off if they coached at that level. Bravado? Having looked at it over the years, I think he is correct.
Thankfully for you, you will not have a professional coach on the other side of the ball trying to ruin your first punt of the season. (and the rest if they could). You do have a punt team that needs coaching. You also have a punt team who needs to see a good special teams scout practice look.
FirstDown PlayBook Also Provides 6 Special Teams Clinic Videos For Each Phase
If you think a defensive or offensive scout team is hard to coach, think about special teams. If you don’t want all of the things I just described to happen, you better figure out how to give your kids a look. Your special teams units will need detailed scout team cards that communicate clearly what your opponent does.
Special teams plays are big field plays too. This means that your look squad coaches are likely spread all over the place. One coach is with the scout team returner and back end players while another is with the front line of the scout team kickoff return unit. Consistent, well drawn scout cards give you a fighting chance.
So as you turn your attention to staff assignments for your new coaching staff, consider this. Don’t just assign some poor young coach the punt team. Give him some help with FirstDown PlayBook as you do it. About the time you line up for your first punt of the year, you will be glad you did.
