By Gus Ornstein

In the NFL there are 32 teams and that means there are 32 different offenses. As you move from team to team through a career, as I did, you start to realize that a lot of teams are running the same plays but calling them by different names. It is very much like a foreign language in the sense that the English word for a four legged house pet that barks is “dog” but if we were in France they would call it a “chien”. These words may sound completely different but they mean the exact same thing and that is how it is in the NFL with team playbooks.

I recently had the opportunity to chat with TE Daniel Wilcox who was a teammate of mine with the NY Jets about this exact subject. Daniel is now with the Baltimore Ravens and since they have hired new head coach John Harbough, he is in the process of learning another new playbook. In this interview, Daniel discusses how he goes about understanding yet another “foreign” language!!

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By Gus Ornstein

We recently had the opportunity to visit with San Francisco TE Vernon Davis. One of the topics we discussed with Vernon is the addition of new offensive coordinator Mike Martz and the impact that would have on his season. Mike Martz has been known as an offensive guru and as a mad scientist, but whatever you want to call him the bottom line is the guy flat out knows offensive football; give him a weapon with the size, speed, strength and athletic ability of a Vernon Davis and there is no telling what the 49ers offense will look like in 2008! Vernon is excited to have Martz at the controls because that means Davis will be used in a million different roles which will result in more production for the third year TE out of Maryland. Martz’s system is very complex and intricate and can be difficult to grasp, but Vernon assured us that it is actually easy to learn and that he already feels very comfortable with his new offensive coordinator.

I was shocked that Vernon said the offense is actually easy, because I have seen that system first hand. I had the opportunity to play for Mike Martz in 1999 when he was the offensive coordinator for the St. Louis Rams and I was a rookie quarterback. I came to St. Louis as an undrafted free agent and joined other quarterbacks Joe Germaine, a 4^th round draft choice out of Ohio State, and veterans Trent Green and the unknown Kurt Warner (which of course would soon change!) From day one of mini camp I was completely lost with Martz because in our offensive meetings he would start to draw up a play on the board to explain and then would erase it before I even had the chance to get the cap off my pen. The challenge for Joe and me was that we were  rookies in a room with two veteran QB’s who had a strong grasp of the system and Martz did not feel the need to go into great detail for us first year guys. Trent Green had played in this type of system for basically his entire career first in San Diego and then in Washington with the Redskins, and Kurt had already been with Martz for the entire off season, so he had a huge jump on us. Not only did Martz refuse to explain the offense to Joe and me but I think he got some sort of pleasure out of torturing us rookies with the fact that we were completely lost. Joe and I decided to approach John Ramsdell our QB coach to see if he would meet with us first thing in the morning before the Mike Martz meetings so that we could go over the system with him. Fortunately for us, Ramsdell agreed to meet us at 6AM each morning and we finally began to gain an understanding into the complex mind of the great Mike Martz.

For those out there that have never had the pleasure of playing for Mike Martz I want to include some actual play calls from the 1999 Super Bowl Champion St. Louis Rams. Now take a look at these plays and then try saying them in a huddle with 10 other guys looking at you and counting on you to lead them. When Martz would give us the play in practice before we stepped into the huddle he would say it so fast that often I had to ask him to repeat it. Instead of repeating it he would tell me that I had no clue what I was doing and would insert another QB!!

MIKE MARTZ PLAY CALLS:

TWINS RIGHT MOTION SCAT RIGHT 525 F POST SWING

FLANK RIGHT MOTION SCAT RIGHT 095 F POST SWING

QUEEN RIGHT FAKE PRESS RIGHT NAKED LEFT 924 F FLAT

FLANK RIGHT SCAT RIGHT 370 F SHOOT/ PUMP/ SWING

FLEX RIGHT BRONCO LEFT 686 PUMP BACKS CROSS

JACK RIGHT SLOT JAM FAKE TOSS LEFT NAKED RIGHT 124

I know that Vernon is working hard to get all this down and we wish him the best of luck in 2008!

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You have most likely noticed a letter grade listed all the way to the right of the players name on the scouting reports that I have been posting. I would imagine that everyone is wondering what that letter stands for, and I am about to clear it all up. The letter represents a grade that scouts give to players to help their teams decipher who it is that they are going to take in the draft.

The grading system breaks down as follows:

A— This type of player comes along every 20 years or so. Ex: John Elway or think 5 tool player if people out there are familiar with baseball scouting reports. This type of player has it all, the skill, intelligence, size, physical ability, leadership etc…

B—Same as an A player, but not as productive on the field due to circumstances outside of their control. Ex: Irving Fryar, the great WR, only had 9 catches in his senior year at Nebraska due to the offense they were running.

C—Overall same qualities of an A player but this player is small. Ex: Barry Sanders

D— This is going to be a Pro Bowl player and is also the highest grade that an offensive lineman can recieve due to the fact that they don’t significantly change the game (they don’t score TD’s)

E—”Coach Killer” this is the classic underachiever, he might have the skill of an A,B, or C guy but doesn’t do it every play. this is the type of player that will take plays off and drive coaches crazy.

F—Overachiever. Ex: Mike Hart from Michigan, he is small and ran a 4.83 at the combine yet he rushed for over 1500 yards at Michigan this past season. Too many of these guys on a team will cause you to lose games.

G—Small player– maybe a good player but lacks the size. This is your 5’9″ corner.

H—Projection guy, this is the player that may be a QB in college but will be playing a different position in the NFL.

Ex: Matt Jones, QB at Arkansas and now a WR with the Jacksonville Jaguars

I—Teams are looking for I’s, they have all the equipment to be a great player. They have the size, and the speed to go with it. This is your 6’0 190LB CB/S that runs a 4.4, or your 6’2 215LB WR

J—Undersized player at this point but has the frame to be able to put the necessary weight on. Ex: Jason Taylor– If the player can put the weight on they can become an I player and if not they will become a G player

K— Has one or two critical faults, but has something that separates him from the normal population of civilians.

M— No football instinct, no feel for the game

Marcus Pollard, Antonio Gates

N—Non Football athlete. This player may have not played football in college but there is something about him that makes you think he could be a good football player. Ex: Marcus Pollard, Antonio Gates