You may remember Pulaski Academy head coach Kevin Kelley as the guy who never calls punts and who always attempts onside kicks after scoring. Well, the maddest football genius in the land has a new idea for the upcoming season, and it sounds like something straight out of NFL Blitz.
As reported by Adam Kilgore in The Washington Post, Kelley’s off-season research led to the discovery that big gains — gains for 20 yards or more — were more likely to happen on plays during which at least three players touched the ball, such as trick plays involving laterals. That discovery, combined with randomly coming across a rugby game on TV, has inspired Kelley to design an offense where the receivers are encouraged to lateral the ball after downfield catches.
Here’s Kilgore:
"When [Kelley] calls out “Rugby!” before an offensive series, his wide receivers change their assignment. Rather than blocking downfield, they rush toward the receiver who catches the ball. If they’re open, they yell the receiver’s name and which side they’re on. He tells his players only to pitch the ball when they’re sure it’s safe."
Kelley believes this new strategy will place extra stress on defenders, who will have to be wary of potential laterals while still having to pursue the player with the ball.
Whether Kelley’s latest bit of football wizardry succeeds is immaterial: I’m just excited that someone in the real world is adopting the NFL Blitz strategy I used as a kid. Best of luck to you, coach!