Bill Walsh & Game Planning

Editorial Note:

In January 28th issue of the Sunday Morning Coach I incorrectly named the author that created the 18 Tips to Make Practices Better. The coach who wrote this article is named Chris Parker, not Rick Parker as stated in the post. My apologies to Coach Chris Parker.

I encourage you to check out Coach Parker’s Head Coach Academy, as well as visit his website, Parker Resources for more information on what he has to help you as a high school football coach.

The January 28th issue has been corrected.

It’s Super Bowl Sunday!

In today’s issue I will share my thoughts on NFL Hall of Fame Coach Bill Walsh. I will also share some book ideas, a couple of quotes, and close off with a game planning lesson.

Bill Walsh Books

For me, when I think of Super Bowls I think of Coach Bill Walsh. This NFL Hall of Fame coach left a strong impression on me as I started my coaching career. Not only did I watch him coach, I’ve studied his style of leadership and have read his books The Winning Edge as well as The Score Will Take Care of Itself.

The Winning Edge is now a collector’s item and worth over $699 according to Amazon and I bought it for $20 at the Texas High School Coaches Association Convention when Bill Walsh was a guest speaker. I refer to it as a football coach’s bible. This book only had 30,000 printed and is a detailed organizational guide on how to operate a football organization from top to bottom.

On the other hand, The Score Will Take Care of Itself shares many leadership lessons using the game of football to get the story across. Yes, there is some football in this book, but not in detail as the previous book mentions. This book was written for business leaders and coaches in general. You will not find the organizational layouts for a football team but you will get a multitude of leadership ideas and lessons. Excellent read.

Quotes

Coach Walsh was a critical thinker, not afraid to think outside the box. He would evaluate, ponder, and think about every situation that could come up in a game. He had a saying that I remember fondly and would share with my staff on Sunday after our game plan was complete: we are prepared for everything, it may not go as we planned, but we did put in the work and every situation has been addressed.

Although the books that Coach Walsh is associated with were about football, if you read a little deeper they were more about organizational leadership. Coach Walsh believed in a strong work ethic, attention to details, and culture.

No one really talked about culture when Walsh was coaching, they were more excited about the West Coast Offense. Everyone thought the offense was the reason for the success. Coach Walsh himself states the offense was simply how his team played because of the players he had, but the West Coast Offense was not an offense as it was a way or preparation.

If you want to get the nuts and bolts on theory and thought process of the West Coast Offense be sure to check WestCoastOffense.com.

The quote above is why “coordinators” are paid to coordinator and make the final decision. Coordinators do not have to know everything there is to know about the game or scheme. A coordinator’s job is to collaborate, digest, and organize the thoughts of the staff then make sure it is practiced so the team is prepared for the game. When the game takes place, it is the coordinator who has to make the final call. Thus, he is the leader!

Developing a Game Plan

Are you interested in seeing what Kenny Simpson (author of Find A Way) and Cody Alexander (Match Quarters) do to prepare for a high school football game?

Coach Simpson and Coach Alexander teamed up to create Developing a Game Plan. This instructional video will go into detail how these coaches prepare their staffs and team for a Friday night game. You will get close to 1.5 hours of video covering 21 lessons.

If you are getting entertainment, educated, or enjoyment from reading Sunday Morning Coach, I ask that you forward this to your staff, friends, or social group. Maybe they too will like to read this weekly newsletter for high school coaches.