15 on 6: Make Yourself Bullet Proof

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Saturday, Oct. 23, 2010
6:38 PM

By Jim Miller
CSNChicago.com

Communication

The games I loved the most were the ones when I came off the field mentally spent. A nice day where you hit 20 of 24 pass attempts, 235 yards, and two td's. Even better would be if you did not have one grass stain on your uniform. You hang out with the guys talking about a great victory over a bottle of suds, then go home with your significant other and .....wait.... crash! You left it on the field and were absolutely mentally exhausted. You still replay the four passes you should of hit in your head, but walked away with knowledge if the same situations ever arose again. It is time for Jay to experience one of those games in a Bears uniform.

You work every facet of the game. You talk to the guys in the huddle, giving them tips on what blitz or defensive look to expect. You communicate down and distance and what you need to get a first down. You tell a receiver to go a little deeper on his route to ensure a first down or to shorten it up because you're coming to him quick. You approach a receiver on the sideline and tell him you see the corner playing inside technique and to be aware if you shoot him a signal for a different route. You let the offense know you may audible to a different play if you get a certain defensive look again. Most important of all, you talk to your offensive coordinator, going over plays, situations, timeouts, and looks to attack. Former offensive coordinators Gary Crowten and John Shoop would ask what plays I liked during a game. I would always say the same thing "just call plays" because I was determined to make them all work. If it wasn't good call, you get your offense into something better that will. Bottom line is, you make it work. We have already covered this in earlier blogs, because after it's all said and done, you are the Chief Executive Officer on the field. You run the show.

Make Yourself Bullet Proof

Jay must be ready to:

1. Have a play ready to not waste timeouts. Know your personnel on the field and go! It happens all the time in the NFL. Headsets go down, OC's late getting calls in, etc.... if it happens, you must know the game plan and rattle off a play that fits the situation, ie, 1st and 10 plays, 2nd and medium, etc. Save your timeouts for the critical situations in a game. That's good football.

2. Think the game. Why is this play being called? Is it being called for matchup reasons, beat a blitz, set up something later, or say for a certain coverage to be exploited? Go through your checklist in your head as soon as you receive the play to prepare for the worst case scenario. Then communicate hints to the players who may be involved. It could be to throw hot, dump the ball off for a better 3rd down situation, throw it away, change protection, whatever...if the boss is prepared, you can prepare your fellow coworkers for advantageous situations instead of digging a deeper hole by panicking and compounding the issues.

3. Play confident....When you are prepared, you play confident.

Jay must buildup this arsenal so he is bullet proof by game time.

Jim Miller, an 11-year former NFL quarterback, is a Comcast SportsNet Bears analyst who can be seen each week on U.S. Cellular Bears Postgame Live. Miller, who spent five seasons with the Bears, analyzes current Chicago QB Jay Cutler in his "15 on 6" blog on CSNChicago.com and can be followed on Twitter @15miller.

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