The Air Raid

Today we are going to talk about the core of this site…the Air Raid Offense. More specifically, we are going to answer a few common questions.

1) Where did it come from?
2) What exactly is it?
3) Why should I adopt it as the core of my offensive philosophy

Now, if you are reading this post, you probably already believe in the Air Raid. But, maybe you need a reminder. Or, maybe you need to convince your head coach or your parents or your players that this offense will radically transform the way you play.

Ok, let’s start with the first question. Where did this offense come from? I am by no means original. Our playbook is my own iteration of the Air Raid, but it is not my invention. It is an adaptation of everything I have learned from Air Raid coaches across the country. All I did was simplify it and put in language that high school kids can understand. But, the offense itself goes back more than 30 years to those many offseasons when Hal Mumme and Mike Leach began visiting LaVell Edwards at BYU. It was in these years that they codified the offense, adopted a shotgun approach, made the Y and X stationary and on the right and left, added the tunnel screen, etc.

If you want more on this evolution, check out this article by Chris Brown at Smart Football. It is a great resource that you can literally spend hours dissecting. He includes videos, analysis, and an in depth discussion of concepts as well as the Air Raid coaching tree. But, if you just want a quick example of what the Air Raid looked like 20 years ago, check out this highlight real of Tim Couch vs Alabama in 1997. It should look pretty familiar. You’ll see Mesh, Curl, Stick, Tunnel Screen, Hitch, H Option. It’s the same stuff we are still doing 20 years later.

Some might say that Mumme and Leach were way ahead of their time. But, as Chris points out in his article, the concepts of this offense are not all that revolutionary. This brings us to our second question. What exactly is the Air Raid?

If the plays themselves are not the revolutionary and we can readily admit that all Air Raid coaches simply steal from each other and adapt to their personnel, what exactly makes this offense special?

I have said this before and there is maybe no more important point in today’s post. The Air Raid is not a special set of plays. It is not a playbook. It is mindset and a commitment. You must beleive that the passing game is the most effective way to move the ball and score points. And you must commit to the reps necessary to be great in the passing game. If there is something that makes the Air Raid revolutionary it is this commitment. Throw the ball in practice as many times as you can. Throw and catch. Throw and catch. And, then, throw and catch some more. I can’t say this enough. If you want to be great in the passing game you need reps, reps, and more reps. Between, Individual drills, routes on air, 7 on 7, 1 on 1’s, and team, Your QB should be throwing 200 routes a day and your WR’s should be catching 100 balls a day. This is why we go no huddle. This is why in our practice plans, you don’t see very many run plays. This is the core of the Air Raid offense – the commitment to reps, reps, and more reps.

Finally, let’s address the question of why you should run this offense. I’ve written extensively on this in the past, so if you want a little more on this topic, go back and check out my three part series.Why I Love The Spread Offense

But, here is a quick summary. First and foremost, it’s the most fun way to play football. Kids love it, coaches love it, and fans love it. When you can throw the ball around, you will be able to recruit your hallways because practice will actually be fun. When you spread the ball around and everyone is involved, it creates team chemistry. Everyone is bought in. Everyone enjoys everyday. In a sport that is starting to lose to soccer and basketball and lacrosse and travel baseball, don’t underestimate the power of fun.

Second, it works. Mike Leach is still running this same set of plays and this same system and he is winning 9 and 10 games a year at Washington State. Think about that. He doesn’t have the talent of USC or Oregon or UCLA, and he still competes in the Pac 12. Just read some of the testimonials on this site and you will see that this offense works. QB’s are regularly throwing for 3000 yards and 35 TD’s in high schools all over the country. Plain and simple, the Air Raid works.

Finally, it is adaptable. This is so important for us at this time of year as we start to gear up for summer and 7 on 7. If you build your offense around your passing game and then discover that your offensive line is dominant and you can run the ball for 200 yards a game, you always have the ability to adapt and change. But, you can’t do it the other way. There are too many moving parts in the passing game. It is too nuanced. It takes too many reps to get good. The passing game is not something you can add halfway through fall camp. Start now!