Football’s Evolution
I saw a contrast this weekend, two different ways that football is played here in the UK. I won’t use any real names – we’ll call them the Neanderthals and the Homo Sapiens. And what I saw was football’s evolution on these islands.
The Neanderthals were well established. They had the tools (lots of water bottles and tank: they took a while to load them into the back of the estate car) and they had a distinct social structure (three coaches and at least two vocal veterans). However, as with their Stone Age cousins they had dwindling numbers and were completely and utterly unable to change and evolve with the game. I-formation football plays, a man-blocking scheme so inadequate to playing a 3-4 defence it neither blocked nor found the men. Even when they adventurously diversified into the shotgun formation it was to run straight up pass plays. They were stuck in their ways and unable to adapt. Oh, they were physically able, perhaps even larger. But they were clinging to their football existence with no direction or purpose, still running the same plays that have been run since the mid-eighties.
Now lets contrast this with the Homo Sapiens. They certainly were not the best football team I have seen play this year. Utilised was a better-developed tool kit showing examples of self scouting and a well defined depth chart. They communicated, educated and improved. They were superior through organization.
So why the Stone Age comparison? It is believed that we beat out the Neanderthals not because we were smarter but because we evolved and dealt with change. Our gridiron Homo Sapiens ran a pistol offense with zone blocking scheme. The point of attack inevitably saw a double team. Linemen peeled off to find second and even third level defenders. The big guys loved hitting smaller linebackers.
Plays were called in series. As the Neanderthals struggled to stop one play then a counter was set up from it. The deathblow came when instead of hanging on to their defensive system our footballing early humans saw what may as well have been the invention of fire – the option. They ran panicking before the new “magic”.
It is time that we let our Neanderthals die out, peacefully but forever. Never before have we had access in this country through the internet to resources that improve player and coach so significantly. I can hear about an offensive system on Sunday and have a playbook, a conversation by email with a coach who runs it and a coach that plays against it by Wednesday (with film). If I choose to I can evolve in football.
The caveman example is laboured but the point remains. Today I not only witnessed evolution but saw the future of two types of teams clearly laid out in front of me. All without digging in the dirt of time.
Content courtesy of 7Saint9