American Football Strategy and Tactics Resources

September 13, 2013 8:56 AM

Are there any books/websites that offer commentary on (American) football strategy and tactics in a concise way?

I picked up Pro Strategy Football 2013, and I realized I have no idea what I'm doing.

The game itself gives brief overviews of formations and plays, but I found myself wondering if there was some outside resource for things like what plays get called in what circumstances and why, what formations are good for what objectives and how they may be profitably modified, etc. I poked around but didn't see anything particularly promising. Surely there is something?

posted by Steely-eyed Missile Man to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (5 answers total)

Best answer: Take Your Eye Off The Ball may fit the bill.
posted by schoolgirl report at 9:35 AM on September 13, 2013 [2 favorites]

Best answer: It might not be exactly what you're looking for, but Smart Football is worth following, especially for insights into the newfangled offenses like Dana Holgorsen's and Chip Kelley's. Start with the "Popular Posts" section on the right. Chris, the guy who runs that site, has a book, also.
posted by arco at 9:35 AM on September 13, 2013 [1 favorite]

Bill Barnwell does some pretty great things along those lines for Grantland mixed in with his other coverage as does Chris Brown (who also does Smart Football, mentioned above).
posted by Ghostride The Whip at 10:54 AM on September 13, 2013

The Hidden Game of Football is a great book, but it's long and doesn't cover the changes in the last 25 years.
posted by drezdn at 6:12 PM on September 13, 2013

If you watch the games regularly, check out Football Outsiders on Monday for the Audibles section. The writers break down things that happened in the week's games from a strategy/technique perspective.
posted by drezdn at 6:19 PM on September 13, 2013