Simple Schemes are Better than Complex Ones
Matt Entz answered the question as honestly as he could.
Prior to their matchup against South Dakota, the North Dakota State head football coach was asked about his thoughts on South Dakota starting a freshman at quarterback in the game.
After giving some compliments to the young quarterback, he continued by explaining the reason why some teams choose to keep their schemes simple by going no-huddle:
"Teams that go no-huddle aren't looking to beat you fundamentally. They're looking for you to beat yourself by getting misaligned, leaving someone uncovered, etc. The panic and stress of getting back to the line of scrimmage, causing you to create errors that lead to successful plays."
Maybe Entz is a genius and wise beyond his years. Or—perhaps—Entz knows something we all know deep down, but don't care to admit:
That keeping things simple works, and it's really sucky to defend.
Among a multitude of worthy options, here are fives reasons why simples schemes are better than complex ones:
1. It gives you speed. The more complex something is, the slower it will be. The simpler it is, the faster it can be executed. Simplicity is the key to quick decisions, bold action, and instant adjustments.
2. It eliminates all excuses. When your scheme is simple, there is no justifiable reason for executing poorly. When it’s complex, there are an unlimited number of excuses available when mistakes occur.
3. It is easier to follow. A simple scheme means there is less to remember, fewer things to focus on, and not as much stuff to worry about. And, even if a player still gets confused, it's easier to re-engage with simple actions than complex ones.
4. It is easier to change. Not only do complex schemes take a long time to understand and execute, they take a long time to change, especially under pressure. When you keep it simple, you also make change simple. That’s a win-win.
5. Most people won’t do it. Most coaches buy into the false belief that, “if it was that simple everyone would do it.” Don’t believe it. No they wouldn’t. But if you do, then you’ll have the edge. A complex scheme is one that is usually slower, wastes time with too much planning and not enough doing, and lacks consistency. But when you operate on a foundation of simplicity, you accelerate forward while others fall behind in the confusion of complexity.
In keeping with the theme of this article, here is the simplest way to remember the aforementioned points:
If you want to win, do ordinary things with extraordinary discipline.
Simple wins.