How To Play and Win Against Less Competitive Teams

Winning against weaker teams

By now, most teams will know if they will be play off bound but you still have a schedule to work through. Chances are, some of those teams are not very good. This is what I call the most dangerous time of the season.

Why you may ask? Well, many of those teams have nothing to lose and would love to take down a big dawg. Typically, those teams may not be well coached in fundamentals, discipline, etc. Many times, they are resentful and can get chippy. They may also like to take cheap shots or target a player or players. I know this from experience in playing and coaching against these types of teams.

Why is this dangerous? INJURIES! BAD HABITS! BREAKDOWNS IN DISCIPLINE! And more! I have always coached..."Play to our standard and level. Not the opponents!" Don't coach down. Lets explore some ways, assuming you are a team on the rise to the play offs, to improve and prepare even if your remaining schedule is weak.

1: Reinforce fundamentals, discipline and execution.

2: Focus on execution. Doing the little things right. This is an opportunity to practice your key areas around execution, fundamentals, address any weakspots and fix. Use the opportunity to get better.

3: Play to your standard. Period. You are not there to crush the opponent, but don't play down. Execute! Sometimes it can be harder to execute against a weak team versus a stud team. NEVER play down!

4: Watch for halfassery! Do not let your players think because the opponent is weaker, they can take plays off. 100%, 100% of the time. No plays off!

5: Be careful of injuries. I have found most of our team injuries are when we play weak teams. Why? Because the players and coaches underestimate their opponent. Also, see #4. This contributes to injuries. Be very careful when playing weaker teams. Be on alert of potential injuries.

6: Chippy - MAINTAIN discipline and play to your standard. Do not let your players or coaches get lazy. The opponent may get chippy, especially when and if you are winning. Don't engage with that BS. DISCIPLINE!

7: Use the opportunity to rotate some of your 2's, 3's and 4's. Great opportunity to develop your bench. Also, incorporate more field goals. Give your kicker more opportunities to develop. You may need that in a tight game. It could even mean winning or losing the championship!

8: Identify your weaknesses and use these games to improve. Get better every week!

9: Use the opportunity to fix any coaching issues, communication, signals, etc.

10: Encourage your players to use the opportunity to get better. Fix whats broken. Coach up and remember, on any given Friday night or Saturday, any team can win. Don't lose the game because you didn't play to your standard!

Now, good luck and win!

Coach David Frederick