[youtube]AzDtSf8mcIU[/youtube]
Editor’s Note: Derek Belch is a graduate assistant coach for the Stanford football team.
Over the last two decades, football has cemented itself as the most popular sport in America. But many fans don’t really know what goes into the product they see on the field week-in and week-out throughout the season.
The Stanford football team has become renown in recent years for committing to a run-first, physical style of play on the offensive side of the ball. Head Coach David Shaw and Offensive Coordinator Mike Bloomgren have implemented an offensive philosophy similar to that of an NFL team, and in doing so have become the envy of hundreds of coaches at all levels of football. Stanford, unlike many teams, has a true offensive “identity” from which they rarely stray.
The video above, produced by Stanford Graduate Assistant Coach Derek Belch, provides a “behind-the-scenes” look at Stanford’s play-calling philosophy through the minds and words of the Stanford coaching staff. Interviews with Bloomgren, Quarterbacks Coach Tavita Pritchard (who himself played quarterback at Stanford from 2004 to 2008) and Special Teams Coordinator Pete Alamar provide a unique perspective on the creation of a play, play-calling philosophy and how they prepare their players for what happens on the field on game day.
