As a coach, I feel it is necessary to take some risks defensively and call a few different defensive looks that may create enough confusion and lead to a quick turnover by the offense. If you have been playing man the entire game, try a little zone. If you have been forcing one way the entire time, try some middle or straight up. At that point, you must try something different to get the other team out of their comfort zone because clearly, they are comfortable right now in the driver’s seat.
As a player, I say it is all about games to 3. Forget about the big score and know that you have to start dominating games to 3. If you win the next game 3-0, the score is now 11-10. If you go 3-1, the score is now 12-10—totally winable. If you think that you have to win a game to 5 or four, that suddenly becomes a much higher mountain to climb.
Calling lines will depend on what defenses you decide to run. Although it would be ideal to put a lot of defense out on the field every defensive point, it may be more intelligent to go with smart defenders with some offensive talent as your D line must score or it is game over. Therefore, there is going to have to be a healthy mix of D line players and O line players who can play smart D and help you score efficiently once you get the D.
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