I like the Xs and Os of football. This book is filled with that detail. I like the strategy of football. This book has that. I like the adaptive approaches of coaches and this book has that as well. What do you do when you recruit players with size and skill sets that maybe don't match up as well with the size and skill sets of your opponents' players?
Flyover football examines how this has been done for almost 40 years in the schools of the Big 8 and mostly the Big 12. Schools in states with smaller populations, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Iowa, for instance, had to recruit their players and adapt their game plans to attract and employ their players and schemes to compete successfully with states that had larger, sometimes much larger, populations and, consequently, more true Division I players.
Those programs that succeeded did so by spreading the field and forcing their opponents to defend more of the field. Athletic talent was still necessary, but 5'8" players such as Wes Welker could succeed in some of these schemes, which wasn't true with others. Why? The book will explain this. The effect on college football over the last 20+ years has been dramatic. The book will tell you why.
You may have read blog sites that talk about x, y and z receivers. The book has diagrams to show you where these receivers line up on the field. It will discuss some of the different characteristics of the players who occupy these positions - particularly the y position.
There are plenty of diagrams for you to digest. The author provides clear explanations for the coaching approaches, the strengths and weaknesses of the schemes (defenses are slowly trying to counter the innovative offenses), and how a good quarterback can be like a good basketball point guard.
If you are interested in the topic, the book is a quick read. Two matters that I wish he had examined more closely - (1) the effect of 7 on 7 football in Texas and (2) how these innovations affected the Big 10 and Pac 12 in more detail. But this is minor. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and, it you are a college football fan, I recommend it highly.
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Implications of Big 12 Football on NCAA & NFL
Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2020
Learned Big 12 Coach & NFL player linkages. Very poignant with Murray, Mahomes, Mayfield & Burrow in the NFL. As an Irving resident near Big 12 offices, interesting. I recommend Ian’s book to all league fans! It taught me to read Xs & Os.
Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2020
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