Putting the Defense in Conflict

with Josh Gattis,
University of Miami Offensive Coordinator;
2021 Broyles Award recipient (top assistant coach in college football);
University of Michigan Offensive Coordinator from 2019 to 2021;
Scout.com 2015 Big Ten Recruiter of the Year;
has coached 14 All-Conference and 5 All-American wide receivers;
former Co-Offensive Coordinator and Wide Receiver Coach at the University of Alabama;
also coached wide receivers at Penn State, Vanderbilt and Western Michigan;
2x All-ACC as a player (safety) at Wake Forest University;
drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2007 and played for the Chicago Bears

With there being so many ways that teams are innovating on offense in football these days, one concept has stood the test of time: forcing the opposition into making a tough decision. That's what University of Michigan offensive coordinator (2019 to 2021) Josh Gattis aims to do with his system, and in this video, he passes along many of his preferred methods of putting the defense in conflict that you can take and implement with your own program.

Keeping Defenses Off-Balance

Coach Gattis begins by explaining his philosophy regarding offensive football, especially in terms of how to attack a defense, and how to best prepare your offense to do so. Next, he describes the main ways they aim to keep the defense off-balance at the University of Michigan. Examples of multiple formations, motions and shifts, RPOs, and RROs are shown on video and explained. Gattis also spends considerable time explaining how to gain a numbers and leverage advantage by using motions, shifts, and unbalanced formations. In all, you'll learn:

• How to use formations that put the defense at a disadvantage.
• When motion from a particular formation will be effective against specific defensive looks.
• Some of the ways Gattis gains an extra offensive player at the point of attack by using unbalanced formations.

RPO and RRO Concepts

Coach Gattis shows many examples of the several RPO and RRO concepts that are used at Michigan. Also, he gives a detailed explanation as to why he utilizes RPOs and how these tie into their run game. You'll get a detailed overview of some of the "Run Run Option" RRO concepts that Gattis uses in his offense. Several key components, including how to stay out of bad plays, are discussed, along with:

• How the RPO neutralizes a numbers disadvantage for the offense.
• Route running mechanics and QB reads.
• How to account for mesh charge, blocked reads, and other potential problem areas for the offensive running game.

This is a great presentation with lots of information that you can take to immediately make your own football program better. Coach Gattis' concepts will keep your offense one step ahead of the competition!

77 minutes. 2021.