O Line Skills

Lots of travel this week as I had forecast in last week’s blog… The Atlantic City Glazier Clinic was well worth the 7-hour drive.  I particularly enjoyed listening to Kyle Schmitt, Head Coach Archbishop Spaulding HS in Maryland.  Great sessions on Read Triple, RPOs (Run Pass Options), and Tempo out of the Spread.  It was also great to catch up with former players and long-time coaching friends.

The 13-hour drive to Clemson did not disappoint either.  Magnificent facilities, great branding all over campus and tremendous school spirit.  There was a tiger paw everywhere you looked on campus and in town and everyone wore Clemson Tiger apparel.  The football stadium and facility were a highlight.  Championship rings and trophy displays were amazing. I was struck by scope, scale, and complexity of the football operations and culture, but then realized the same teambuilding process we employ in northern Vermont (albeit at a much smaller scale) happens there in Clemson, South Carolina.

Needing to be back in the northeast for the Meeting of the Minds at Western Connecticut, I flew back from Clemson.  I thank Joe Loth for the invitation to attend and opportunity to speak about our Screen Pass Options, the most popular topic I have shared in more than two decades speaking at clinics.  The day was packed with information to help me and our staff stay current with trends in football.  The discussion topics included:  Operations, Play Action Pass, RB Screens, Plays vs 4i fronts, RedZone Packages, and Run Pass Options.  The last couple of hours were spent in breakout sessions where I joined the OLine coaches.  We had an in-depth discussion about the nuances of Midzone, Inside Zone and Duo.

Now, I am headed to the New England Nike Coach of the Year Clinic where I will be presenting on the following topics:

• Thu 7:15pm:  Compartmentalizing your Passing Game.
• Thu 8:45pm:  Compartmentalizing your Screen Game
• Fri 8:30am:   4th & Go No Punt Team

Our 4th and Go philosophy has also been extremely popular on the clinic circuit.  In an 11 game 2019 season, we only punted 12 times with 0 return yards.  We converted 63% of our 4th down.

I hope to see you at Nike this weekend, NYC Glazier in 2 weeks or one of my OLine Clinics.   Click here for your 2020 “Alercio OLine Clinic Brochure.”

• Malvern Prep (PA)                  March 15
• St Johnsbury Academy (VT)  March 29
• The Hun School April 5 (NJ)   April 5

Coach Rich Alercio is available to discuss coaching philosophy, X’s & O’s, or teach his O-Line “techniques in the trenches.” Contact Coach at richalercio@gmail.com and share http://www.olineskills.com with your colleagues and friends. Thanks for supporting this blog and joining our conversations, and as always, thanks for your time!

On Thursday, Feb 20, I will drive down to Bally’s in Atlantic City, NJ to attend the Glazier Clinic.  I look forward to seeing old friends, meeting new ones and sharing ideas.  After the clinic, I will join my wife and youngest son for the drive to our college visit at Clemson University.  While my son had a great senior season on the gridiron for the Hilltoppers, he knows he is not the next Trevor Lawrence and would only be going to Clemson as a student.  Nonetheless, the staff of last year’s national championship finalist was kind enough to invite us to tour the football facility during our visit.

After the Clemson tour, my family will drop me off at Greenville airport so that I can fly back for The Meeting of the Minds at Western Connecticut State University on Tuesday, Feb 25.  The Meeting of the Minds is an annual, invitation-only clinic.  Each year, one staff from every college conference on the east coast is invited to participate.  I’m humbled to have been invited and will be sharing our Screen Pass Options (SPOs) with my fellow coaches.

From there, I will join back up with my family for our college visit to Rutgers University where I hope to stop in and visit some old coaching friends.  The last stop on my journey home will be Windsor, CT for the New England Nike Coach of the Year Clinic Feb 27-29 where I will be presenting the following sessions on Thursday and Friday:

Session 1:  Compartmentalize your Passing Game into three different QB Reads: Triangle, Levels, Curl-Flat Middle Reads

Session 2: Compartmentalize your Screen Game into 2-count SPOs, Jail Breaks, and Run Screens

Session 3:  4^th & Go No Punt Team:  Keep your offense on the field and the ball in your QB’s hands.

Though still some chilly winter days ahead in Northern Vermont, Clinic Season always reminds me Spring will shortly be upon us and it’s time to intellectually “turn over the dirt,” and “prepare the soil,” in our minds for cultivating plays, players and our staff. Spring meetings and practices soon follow… Though more than six months away from the 2020 season’s opening kickoff, I am reminded, “Games are not won on weekends in the fall!”

Coach Rich Alercio is available to discuss coaching philosophy, X’s & O’s, or teach his O-Line “techniques in the trenches.” Contact Coach at richalercio@gmail.com and share http://www.olineskills.com with your colleagues and friends. Thanks for supporting this blog and joining our conversations, and as always, thanks for your time!

Click here for your 2020 “Alercio OLine Clinic Brochure.”

After graduating from college and starting my journey in the coaching profession, I coached at five different schools in three states.  I was told that if you want to “make it” as a football coach you had to move.

At the fifth school, I got off the coaching carousel.  My focus turned to being great at the job I had; investing in players, building teams, and studying the game. I looked for opportunities to contribute, to help others succeed rather than pursuing the “next great job.”

Asking myself the same thing my coaches asked of me when I played, I challenged myself to put the good of the team, my players, and fellow coaches ahead of my own interests. In doing so, I found more opportunities for success than I ever could have dreamed of. Both professionally and personally mentors, friends, and family invested in me and in turn created opportunities for me to invest in others.

If you have a good job, work every day to be great at it, to contribute to the team and to the betterment of others. Give of yourself freely and realize the lesson contained in the maxim, “the hand that gives, gathers…”

Coach Rich Alercio is available to discuss coaching philosophy, X’s & O’s, or teach his O-Line “techniques in the trenches.” Contact Coach at richalercio@gmail.com and share http://www.olineskills.com with your colleagues and friends. Thanks for supporting this blog and joining our conversations, and as always, thanks for your time!

Click here for your 2020 “Alercio OLine Clinic Brochure.”

The game of football teaches players and coaches to make decisions and perform spontaneously without preparation to achieve the desired outcome.  As much as we prepare, things do not always go as planned. Games are all about time competitive decision making, and a coach or player’s ability to adjust and improvise to rapidly evolving circumstances is essential to success.

I learned the term Adjust & Improvise from Gary Fallon when we worked QBR Camps at The College of New Jersey.  Gary learned how to adjust and improvise during his time as a United States Marine then incorporated it while he served as the head football coach at Washington & Lee University.

The Alercio OLine Clinic recently had to “Adjust & Improvise.”  Last week, I was informed that the Hun School, site of our largest OLine Clinic, had to change our clinic date due to an unforeseen scheduling conflict.  Time to adjust & improvise.  We have secured a new date, Sunday, April 5, recycled previously printed brochures, emailed thousands of coaches, contacted returning eligible players and created a new brochure.

Whether you are a Marine on a mission, a football player or coach in a game or just a person navigating life, things will not go as planned.  Those who can adjust and improvise have the greatest opportunities for success.

Coach Rich Alercio is available to discuss coaching philosophy, X’s & O’s, or teach his O-Line “techniques in the trenches.” Contact Coach at richalercio@gmail.com and share http://www.olineskills.com with your colleagues and friends. Thanks for supporting this blog and joining our conversations, and as always, thanks for your time!

Alercio OLine Clinics celebrate our 20th year teaching techniques for the trenches with three venues in 2020.  (Click here: Alercio OLine Clinic Brochure)

• March 15^th Malvern Prep (PA) with a 12:45pm start
• March 22^nd The Hun School of Princeton (NJ) 8:45am start
• March 29^th St Johnsbury Academy (VT) 8:45 Start

Most football coaches refer to their ball handlers as the “skill players.”  We believe that running, throwing, catching and tackling are innate traits.  Most healthy kids are born with the ability to do those things.  Run blocking and pass blocking are learned skills that must be taught and trained.

Alercio OLine Clinics provide players with the instruction needed to master the skills of individual run and pass blocking techniques as well as group zone, gap and man blocking schemes while reinforcing the important role offensive linemen play in the success of their teams.

As always, coaches attend for free, and have the opportunity to learn alongside players, collaborate amongst colleagues, and evaluate their players side by side with potential competition. For student-athletes and coaches both, we provide a healthy dose of team building, character, and sportsmanship; life skills that pay dividends for decades to come.

Coach Rich Alercio is available to discuss coaching philosophy, X’s & O’s, or teach his O-Line “techniques for the trenches.” Contact Coach at richalercio@gmail.com and share http://www.olineskills.com with your colleagues and friends. Thanks for supporting this blog and joining our conversations, and as always, thanks for your time!

I am honored to be included in what Coach Fred Stengel from Bergen Catholic calls, “our strongest clinic ever.”

Championship Football’s 21^st Annual Offensive Line Clinic at the Knights of Columbus Hall on Pascack Rd in Bergen County NJ will kick off at 8:15am on Monday, January 20 with my presentation on Screen Pass Options.  I will be followed by an all-star lineup of offensive line coaches including Pat Flaherty, formerly of the New York Giants and Jacksonville Jaguars, Kyle Flood, University of Alabama, Andrew Aurick, Rutgers University, Sean Devine, Villanova University and Chris Bache, Stony Brook University.

I am excited for the opportunity to share a concept that has been so successful for us at both the high school and college level.  After my presentation, I look forward to learning from the other great speakers as they share their decades of experience on offensive line schemes and techniques.  It never ceases to amaze me how willing coaches are to share their knowledge with others in the coaching fraternity. Though we may compete tooth and nail during the season, This time of year brings refreshing collaboration, contemplation, and the opportunity to both share and learn.

Lastly, the thing that makes the 5.5 hour trip so worthwhile is the opportunity to reconnect with my long-time coaching friends from my home state.

Coach Rich Alercio is available to discuss coaching philosophy, X’s & O’s, or teach his O-Line “techniques in the trenches.” Contact Coach at richalercio@gmail.com and share http://www.olineskills.com with your colleagues and friends. Thanks for supporting this blog and joining our conversations, and as always, thanks for your time!

I am honored to share that I have been named the head coach of the Vermont team in the 67^th Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl Game.  The annual Vermont vs New Hampshire All-Star Football Game will be played on August 1, 2020. I’m humbled by the selection and will work diligently to be worthy of the committee’s trust and confidence.

Our goal, as a staff, will be to provide a fun experience allowing coaches and players to create memories and forge relationships lasting far longer than our short time together.  The week will also allow us to raise awareness for Shriners Hospitals for Children, and the care they give to children with orthopedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate, regardless of the family’s ability to pay.

The Vermont team will be selected this weekend by a selection committee comprised of myself and coaches representing each of our state’s three divisions.  The 38-man roster will consist of twenty Division 1, twelve Division 2 and six Division 3 players.  The evaluation process has allowed me to lean on the more than 20 years of experience analyzing player video as a college coach during the recruiting season.  While size, speed, strength and skill set are important, we will also look for players who compete with great energy, effort, and enthusiasm.  Whittling the 78 players nominated down to 38 will not be an easy process, but I look forward to meeting with my colleagues and working collaboratively to build Vermont’s 2020 Shrine Football Team.

More to follow this summer as we bring these “all-stars” together and forge a team on a compressed schedule while preparing to compete and win against what have been traditionally talented opponents from New Hampshire.

Coach Rich Alercio is available to discuss coaching philosophy, X’s & O’s, or teach his O-Line “techniques in the trenches.” Contact Coach at richalercio@gmail.com and share http://www.olineskills.com with your colleagues and friends. Thanks for supporting this blog and joining our conversations, and as always, thanks for your time!

As you look back on 2019, and evaluate your year in order to set your resolution for 2020, consider a desired outcome you would like to achieve then turn your focus on the process to get you there.  In other words, be process-oriented in your goal setting for the new year rather than result-oriented.  The most common New Year’s resolution is to lose weight/get fit.  That is a desired outcome, not a goal.  Make your resolution a process-oriented goal.  For example, get up 1 hour earlier every morning to start each day with exercise.

The philosophy of our football program at St Johnsbury Academy is “games are not won on weekends in the fall”.  Winning football games is a desired outcome.  The 10 wins we recorded this season are all the result of the work we did from January through August in athletic performance training as well as the work we do Monday through Friday during the entire season.

Everyone wants to be successful with their New Year’s resolution just like every coach wants to be successful on game day.  Focus on the path rather than the destination to achieve your goal for 2020.

Good luck and Happy New Year!

Coach Rich Alercio is available to discuss coaching philosophy, X’s & O’s, or teach his O-Line “techniques in the trenches.” Contact Coach at richalercio@gmail.com and share http://www.olineskills.com with your colleagues and friends. Thanks for supporting this blog and joining our conversations, and as always, thanks for your time!

 “You can get everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want.”  That was the message shared by motivational speaker Zig Ziglar when I had the good fortune of hearing him speak during a football coaches convention.  He also shared the proverb, “the hand that gives gathers.”

In Galatians, we read “you reap what you sow.”  In Ecclesiastes, “send your grain across the seas and in time profits will flow back to you.”  This time of year, parents often tell their children, “it is better to give than receive.”  This is the season of giving, but to truly be successful, embrace a life of investing in others long after the Holidays have passed.  Be a servant leader.

Servant leaders make sure those in their care have everything they need to flourish. They give of themselves, investing in others and paying forward the investments made by coaches, teachers, and mentors who cared enough to recognize potential and fan a spark into a flame.

As we reflect on 2019 and look ahead to the New Year, take stock of things done well, and things we could do better…

Be the leader you would hope for, and those you lead will achieve more than you can imagine.

Coach Rich Alercio is available to discuss coaching philosophy, X’s & O’s, or teach his O-Line “techniques in the trenches.” Contact Coach at richalercio@gmail.com and share http://www.olineskills.com with your colleagues and friends. Thanks for supporting this blog and joining our conversations, and as always, thanks for your time!