Month: February 2010

Chalk Talk with Coach O’Toole-The Y Stick

The Passing game is becoming more and more prevalent in the modern football game.This was highlighted by the NFL Superbowl in Miami this year. Drew Brees and Peyton Manning executed a masterclass in the passing game. Receivers are becoming more akin to basketball players than their counterparts of even 10 years ago.

The core philosophy of todays offense?

Spread out the defense.Make them choose.Find a hole in coverage.Exploit.

The Spread offense and it’s relatives have really taken off in the USA, and at the high school level schemes like the wild bunch, the air raid and the run and shoot have really worked on this concept. Anyone watching The New Orleans Saints sees WR after WR find open holes.But at IAFL level one scheme is tailormade.

The Y-Stick.An OLB’s worst nightmare.

The concept is pretty basic.Line up 3 WR’s or WR’s/TE’s to one side, or 2 of either with a RB to this side.

Y Stick with a RB in formation
Y Stick with a RB in formation

In the diagram above, we are lined up with a WR, TE and RB to the right. F runs a passing route into the flat zone. The QB’s first read should be the SAM LB. If the SAM steps out  to cover the flat and the S is in zone, a quick completion is possible to the Y should be there.

If the OLB sits in a zone and the CB takes the short sideline zone,the Z will dart upfield,forcing the Safety to cover deep. The Y should get behind the LB’s and proceed to read the Safety.If the Safety has gone deep the Y should cut  on a post if the weakside safety is wide in coverage.If the weakside safety is free the Y should cut on an out route.

Y Stick from single wing formation
Y Stick from single wing formation

Different formation above,same concept. Attack the OLB and make him choose.The QB should always read inside out on Y Stick. Against man coverage or cover 3 the QB should anticipate the Z will lure the CB and the SAM LB will move to cover the flat where the WB is moving to the flat as the safety valve.The Y will again get behind the LB,and can read an out route or if the S is over agressive try a sit route inside to lure him further down.If  this is the case the play will take a little longer to develop but the weak TE should be open deep.The Y is the key to what is open in these concepts,even if it is not him.

Y Stick Cut Up

Air Raid Y Stick

The Y Stick really utilises your TE and makes reading the D a little easier.Time to really get those yards!

Coach Darrin O'Toole
Coach Darrin O'Toole

-Darrin O’Toole is the Technical Director of the IAFCA.He is also Head Coach of Trinity College Football and has served on various incarnations of the Team Ireland Coaching staff.He previously served as Defensive Coordinator at DCU and was a multi time Shamrock Bowl winner as a player with the Dublin Rebels.He lives in Dublin with his wife Laura.Coach O’Toole can be reached via email darrin@americanfootball.ie

IAFL Head Coaches Meeting

This is a mandatory course for the IAFL head coaches this year.

Provisional Programme:
12pm Head Coaches Role – Game/team management.
1pm IAFL By Laws and interpretations.
2pm Officials Session – rule changes, interpretations and points of emphasis.
3pm Coaching Etiquette.

ISC increases grant to American Football.

logo-irishsportscouncil This week the Irish Sports Council published the annual grants to National Governing Bodies of sport in Ireland. The Irish American Football Association received an increase in its NGB Core Grant from €18,750 to €22,000 (+c.17%) and an additional €2,000 for its embryonic Women in Sport programme. The IAFA was the only sports organisation in the country to receive an increase in its funding for 2010 – there was an average cut of 5% across all sports.

A spokesman for the IAFA Board said that the IAFA “would like to thank the Irish Sports Council for their continued support of American football in Ireland. In the current Government budgetary situation, being singled out as the only organisation to have its funding increased is a massive vote of confidence in our development programmes and the work of the many volunteers involved in the sport across Ireland”.

The Irish Sports Council is an agency of the Government of Ireland which performs a range of tasks including distributing Government grants to NGBs, anti-doping programmes, child protection policy, high performance and support programmes.

Grant monies given to American football fund development programmes such as coaches certification courses, officials training courses, development grants and the flag football schools programme.

2010 EFAF Atlantic Cup Draw

The draw for the 2010 EFAF Atlantic Cup has been made by EFAF. Irish Champions, UL Vikings will play Luxembourgs best team, Dudelange Dragons in one semi-final. Belgian Champions, Brussels Bulls will play Lelystad Commanders from the Netherlands.

The EFAF Altantic Cup is the Western European Championship for amateur clubs. The tournament is taking place in Dublin over the weekend of June 26/27. The tournament was scheduled for Dublin to coincide with Dublin City being the European Capital of Sport in 2010.

The semi-finals will take place on 26th June with the final and third place play-off on 27th June. Last years tournament, which took place in Brussels, was won by the West Flanders Tride, who narrowly defeated Irelands Dublin Rebels in the final.

The University of Limerick Vikings qualified for the tournament by winning the 2009 Shamrock Bowl .

Dublin Rebels play West Flanders Tribe in 2009 EFAF Atlantic Cup Final
Dublin Rebels play West Flanders Tribe in 2009 EFAF Atlantic Cup in Brussels.