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USAFL Schemes TURN 50!!! 

This is part 3 of a 4 part series on how the USAFL reinvented itself 50 seasons ago. Today…

STRATEGY REDEFINED
Think back if you can to the turn of the century, when GMs selected from nearly 30 NFL-styled offensive and defensive schemes before each season, doing so with little basis or data on which schemes performed best for certain coaching styles, and more critically doing so with little recognition of what particular scheme made the most sense for a team's personnel strengths and weaknesses! It is entirely possible that new GMs cannot fully appreciate the freedoms that the 18 GMs who were running a USAFL franchise enjoyed as the new schemes were introduced. At last, personnel decisions and coaching style selections could be realistically considered together, systematically, based on what philosophy a team wanted to take on the field and/or what that team's strengths or weaknesses were. 

Scenario: Concerned you are giving up too many yards through the air? More comfortable with your depth at LB that at DL? 
Solution: hire a defensive coach who runs the 3-4, a defense adept at defending the pass! 

Scenario: Just drafted a running back who shows so much promise that he will be a dominant back in the league for years to come? 
Solution: beef up your OL, grab a solid blocking TE or two and bring in an offensive coach who loves to pound the ball down the opponent's throat using the HEAVY scheme! 

Scenario: Tired of dedicating millions of dollars to suit up a formidable front 4 on the defensive line?
Solution: Switch to a 3-4 and limit your reliance on DLs to compete! 

Scenario: Concerned that your team keeps laying down each time they play your division rival, the one obstacle to your team reaching the promised land, because they always seemed to be able to squeeze the life out of your running game? 
Solution: Grab a few relatively inexpensive WRs, bring in a coach that installs the K-GUN offense and tell your QB he better warm-up his arm! 

GMs can now exercise the creativity, flexibility and strategic thinking that they are paid the big bucks for, and with it a new era in league management had officially arrived! 


NEXT INSTALLMENT
Part 4 in a 4 part series on how the USAFL reinvented itself 50 seasons ago:
"A NEW ERA" …How Offenses and Defenses Have Changed Over the Last 50 Seasons

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