Sign-In
Cart
How to Scout Football
Hardcover
ISBN13: 9781953450289
Publisher: Mockingbird Pr
Published: Mar 17 2021
Pages: 112
Weight: 0.74
Height: 0.44 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
Often considered the first-ever book about the art of scouting in football, George Allen's 1953 How to Scout Football explores the importance of careful observation and analysis of rival teams in order to reach victory on the field.
In a time before film reviews were commonplace, football teams relied on expert scouts to travel the country and watch games in-person. The scout would then report back with their insight about plays, characteristics of offensive and defensive players, and the team's strengths and weaknesses. Scouting - or pigskin espionage, as Allen calls it - is useful for all levels of the sport, from high school to college to professional. Allen himself got his shot with the Chicago Bears as a scout, so he was well versed in both its application and importance.
George Allen's (b. 1922 - d. 1990) coaching career began at the college level as head coach of both Morningside College in Iowa and Whittier College in California. He then spent a year on the staff of the Los Angeles Rams, followed by a longer stint with the Chicago Bears. With the Bears, Allen was initially asked to scout the Rams for a single season. His reporting was so thorough that his contract position became permanent. Eventually, he would become the defensive coordinator for the Bears.
In 1966, Allen returned to the Rams as head coach where he brought the team back from a long losing streak. After five winning seasons with the Rams, he joined the Washington Redskins as head coach where he remained from 1971 to 1977. During his NFL tenure, Allen led his teams to the NFL playoffs seven times. Notably, Allen's Redskins reached Super Bowl VII in the 1972 season before losing to the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins' win gave the team the only perfect season in NFL history - a record they still hold.
George Allen is generally considered one of the hardest working coaches in the sport. He was known for preferring veteran players over younger players, focusing on the success of the current team and controversially trading away young draft picks for older, more experienced players. The future is now, he famously said.
Throughout his successful career, Allen wrote several books about the sport, including 1953's How to Scout Football. While scouting methods have changed since the 1950s, the book offers an interesting look back at the techniques of the mid-century.
The work goes into minute detail, from the appropriate number of scouts for each game, to where they should sit in the stands for the best view, to what steps a scout should take before, during, and after each game.
In the chapter titled Techniques of Scouting, Allen provides his own preferred methods that he employed during his time at Whittier College. This includes using a rubber hand stamp to create a quick template to fill in after each play. No notes were to be taken during play; all writing was reserved for the moments during time outs and between plays. Plenty of sample charts, graphs, and diagrams are included to demonstrate the techniques.
Today's scouting takes place behind closed doors. Coaches and coordinators have the opportunity to stop and replay a game as many times as necessary to reach a full understanding of the opposing team's strategy. Allen's scouting recommendations show us how difficult it was to watch all 11 members of the team at once before the days of home video.
Winning is the science of being prepared, Allen once said. The attention to detail that he displayed as a coach and in his books is what led him to become one of the most successful football coaches of his day. To highlight his lifetime of achievements, George Allen was inducted into the Football Hall of Fame in 2002.
2 different editions
Also available
Also in
Football
Why Can't This Team Just Find a Quarterback?: And Other Thoughts on Life in Browns Town
Pluto, Terry
Paperback
The Playbook: The Hidden Forces Shaping Winners and Losers in the Modern NFL
Robinson, Joshua
Clegg, Jonathan
Hardcover
We Did Not Care: How the Seattle Seahawks Silenced All Doubts and Became Champions
Nemhauser, Brian
Paperback
Friday Night Lights (25th Anniversary Edition): A Town, a Team, and a Dream
Bissinger, H. G.
Paperback
It's a Numbers Game! Football: The Math Behind the Perfect Punt, the Game-Changing Interception, and So Much More!
National Geographic Kids
Zweig, Eric
Hardcover
Carlisle vs. Army: Jim Thorpe, Dwight Eisenhower, Pop Warner, and the Forgotten Story of Football'sGreatest Battle
Anderson, Lars
Paperback
Lambeau: The Epic Life of Earl Louis "Curly" Lambeau, the Man Who Invented the Green Bay Packers
Gould, Herb
Paperback
The Spurrier Effect: How One Coach Transformed Gamecock Football
Miller, Kevin
Silvia, Brent
Hardcover
Da Bears!: How the 1985 Monsters of the Midway Became the Greatest Team in NFL History
Delsohn, Steve
Paperback
Buckeye Brotherhood: How Ohio State Navigated a New World to Win a National Championship
Rabinowitz, Bill
Paperback
Vintage Browns: A Warm Look Back at the Cleveland Browns of the 1970s, '80s, '90s and More
Pluto, Terry
Paperback
Weird Moments in Cleveland Sports: Bottlegate, Bedbugs, and Burying the Pennant
Guerrieri, Vince
Paperback
From the Outhouse to the Penthouse: The Football Journey of Hall of Famer Larry Little
Zagorski, Joe
Paperback
Remember This Titan: The Bill Yoast Story: Lessons Learned from a Celebrated Coach's Journey As Told to Steve Sullivan
Sullivan, Steve
Paperback
Smarter about Sports: My Life Navigating Athletes, Agents, Media, and the Business of the NFL
Brandt, Andrew
Hardcover
Take Your Eye Off the Ball 2.0: How to Watch Football by Knowing Where to Look
Seigerman, David
Kirwan, Pat
Paperback
A Big Mess in Texas: The Miraculous, Disastrous 1952 Dallas Texans and the Craziest Untold Story in NFL History
Fleming, David
Hardcover
Lambeau Ladies: The Boundary-Breaking Women Behind Lombardi's Packers
Kostelnik Biskupic, Laura
Biskupic, Katherine
Paperback
Bart's Heart: A Journey of Family, Friendship, Football and Faith
Lee, David T.
Burrell, Bart
Paperback
Dixieland Delight: A Football Season on the Road in the Southeastern Conference
Travis, Clay
Paperback
Men of Troy: The Epic Afternoons, Wild Nights, and Enduring Legacy of Pete Carroll's Usc Trojans
Burke, Monte
Hardcover
Unbreakable: How I Turned My Depression and Anxiety Into Motivation and You Can Too
Glazer, Jay
Paperback
The Best of Philly Sports: Amazing Moments and Stories in Philadelphia Sports History
Decamara, Joe
Hardcover
Hail to the Redskins: Gibbs, the Diesel, the Hogs, and the Glory Days of D.C.'s Football Dynasty
Lazarus, Adam
Paperback
Crazy '08: How a Cast of Cranks, Rogues, Boneheads, and Magnates Created the Greatest Year in Baseball History
Murphy, Cait N.
Paperback
Strike Season: The True Story of a Team That Played on When the Coaches Walked Out
Eck, Michael
Hardcover
The Everyone's a Coach: Five Business Secrets for High-Performance Coaching
Blanchard, Ken
Shula, Don
Paperback
Brain Games - To Go - Facts & Fun: Football: Info, Stats, Puzzles, Quizzes & More
Publications International Ltd
Brain Games
Paperback
Just Give Me a Chance to Fail: The Life of NFL Hall of Fame Linebacker Sam Mills
Domowitch, Paul
Hardcover
That First Season: How Vince Lombardi Took the Worst Team in the NFL and Set It on the Path to Glory
Eisenberg, John
Paperback
From Bulldog to Bengal: The Joe Burrow Story Through the Eyes of His Hometown
Burson, Scott
Smathers, Sam
Paperback
Notre Dame Fighting Irish Football Firsts: The Players, Moments, and Records That Were First in Team History
Heisler, John
Bourret, Timothy
Paperback
Still Growing, Still Learning, Still Me: A Journey of Protest, Healing, and Personal Transformation
Stills, Kenny
Hardcover
A Home on the Field: How One Championship Team Inspires Hope for the Revival of Small Town America
Cuadros, Paul
Paperback
Iron in the Blood: How the Alabama vs. Auburn Rivalry Shaped the Soul of the South
Busbee, Jay
Hardcover
So You Think You Know Football?: The Armchair Ref's Guide to the Official Rules
Austro, Ben
Paperback
Brain Games - Football Goats (Greatest of All Time) Word Search: Players, Coaches, Games, Mascots, & More!
Publications International Ltd
Brain Games
Paperback
A Football Symphony: Four Championship Seasons of Curtis Viking Football
Lucey, Bob
Lichty, Don T.
Paperback
The Lions Finally Roar: The Detroit Lions and the Road to Redemption in the NFL
Morris, Bill
Paperback
Runs in the Family: An Incredible True Story of Football, Fatherhood, and Belonging
McCullough, Deland
Spain, Sarah
Hardcover
Battles at Annapolis: Two Remarkable Football Games in the Army-Navy Rivalry
Gendell, David
Paperback
Jurgen Klopp - 102 Passing, Counter-pressing Possession Games, Speed & Warm-ups Direct from Klopp's Training Sessions
Soccertutor Com
Paperback
Bo's Lasting Lessons: The Legendary Coach Teaches the Timeless Fundamentals of Leadership
Schembechler, Bo
Paperback
Friday Night Lights (25th Anniversary Edition): A Town, a Team, and a Dream (Anniversary)
Bissinger, H. G.
Hardcover
Pep Guardiola Attacking Tactics - Tactical Analysis and Sessions from Manchester City's 4-3-3
Terzis, Athanasios
Paperback
Win Forever: Live, Work, and Play Like a Champion
Roth, Yogi
Garin, Kristoffer A.
Carroll, Pete
Paperback
The Great Game: A Tale of Two Footballs and America's Quest to Conquer Global Sport
Martinez, Andrés
Hardcover
If These Walls Could Talk: Pittsburgh Steelers: Stories from the Sideline, Locker Room, and Press Box
Wexell, Jim
Wolfley, Craig
Paperback
From the Outhouse to the Penthouse: The Football Journey of Hall of Famer Larry Little
Zagorski, Joe
Hardcover
Ara: The Life and Legacy of a Notre Dame Legend--The Authorized Biography of Coach Ara Parseghian
Hubbard, Mark O.
Hardcover
The Eagles of Heart Mountain: A True Story of Football, Incarceration, and Resistance in World War II America
Pearson, Bradford
Paperback
Coaching Positional Play - ''Expansive Football'' Attacking Tactics & Practices
Basile, Pasquale Casà
Paperback
The Complete Book of Football Trivia: Test Your Knowledge with 750 Questions
Holloway, Jerrett
Paperback
Brazil to Broad St: Philadelphia Eagles: Super Bowl LIX Champions
Philadelphia Eagles, Philadelphia
Hardcover
Jail Blazers: How the Portland Trail Blazers Became the Bad Boys of Basketball
Eggers, Kerry
Paperback
Twelve Mighty Orphans: The Inspiring True Story of the Mighty Mites Who Ruled Texas Football
Dent, Jim
Paperback
Pep Guardiola - Coaching High Pressing Tactics & Sessions Against Different Formations
Terzis, Athanasios
Paperback
Unthinkable to Unstoppable: How Curt Cignetti and the Indiana Hoosiers Stunned College Football
Niziolek, Mike
Osterman, Zach
Hardcover
A Love Letter to the American Fullback: The Rise, Reign, and Eternal Legacy of Football's Guardian Warrior
Hughes, Matthew Patrick
Paperback
Do You Love Football?!: Winning with Heart, Passion, and Not Much Sleep
Carucci, Vic
Gruden, Jon
Paperback