Handling Assistant Coaches With Too Many Outside Ideas When You’re Just Trying to Run the Flexbone
February 27, 2026
Running the Flexbone requires clarity, unity, and absolute commitment to a small set of rules that get rep’d thousands of times. Nothing derails that faster than well‑meaning assistant coaches who bring in outside ideas, new schemes, or “cool stuff they saw on YouTube.” The issue isn’t that they’re bad coaches. The issue is that the Flexbone is a system, not a menu — and systems die when everyone adds their own ingredients.
This post gives you a clean, authoritative way to keep your staff aligned, protect your identity, and still honor the value your assistants bring.
🧭 The Core Problem: Idea Overload Kills Repetition
The Flexbone thrives on repetition, clarity, and constraint.
Assistant coaches often thrive on creativity, novelty, and contribution.
Those two worlds collide when:
- Every meeting becomes a brainstorming session
- Every opponent triggers a new “wrinkle”
- Every coach wants “their” play in the plan
- Install meetings drift away from your core identity
The result is predictable:
Players get confused. Timing breaks. Assignments bust. The offense slows down.
Your job as head coach is to protect the system.
🛡️ Establish the Non‑Negotiables
Before you can manage ideas, you must define the boundaries.
Create a short, written list of Flexbone Non‑Negotiables, such as:
- We major in Inside Veer, Midline, and Rocket.
- Every play must fit our rules-based teaching system.
- No new play can be installed if it reduces reps on our core three.
- Formations are tools, not toys.
- We do not chase opponent tendencies at the expense of identity.
When assistants know the guardrails, they self-filter 80% of their ideas.
🎯 Give Assistants a Clear Lane to Contribute
Assistant coaches bring value — but only when their creativity is channeled.
Assign each coach a domain where they can innovate within the system:
- OL coach: blocking angles, footwork, drills
- QB coach: mesh timing, read clarity, ball security
- WR coach: perimeter blocking, crack rules, stalk technique
- B-back coach: mesh entry, track discipline
- A-back coach: pitch phase, arc rules, motion timing
This gives them ownership without giving them the steering wheel.
🧱 Use the “3-Day Rule” for New Ideas
This rule protects your install and your sanity:
If a new idea can’t be taught, repped, and mastered in 3 days, it doesn’t belong.
This eliminates:
- Gadget plays
- One-off formations
- Opponent-specific wrinkles
- Anything that requires new rules
It forces assistants to think like system builders, not play collectors.
🗂️ Create a “Parking Lot” for Ideas
You don’t want to shut coaches down. You want to redirect them.
Keep a shared document called The Parking Lot where all ideas go.
Then review it only:
- In the offseason
- During bye weeks
- After the season
This honors their creativity without letting it hijack your identity.
🧠 Teach Your Staff the Flexbone Philosophy
Most idea overload comes from misunderstanding what makes the Flexbone powerful.
Hold a short clinic for your staff on:
- Why simplicity beats variety
- Why reps beat creativity
- Why rules beat plays
- Why identity beats opponent-specific game plans
When coaches understand the “why,” they stop trying to reinvent the wheel.
🗣️ Use Direct, Respectful Language When You Need to Rein It In
You don’t need to be harsh. You need to be clear.
Phrases that work:
- “That’s a good idea, but it doesn’t fit our rules.”
- “We can’t rep that enough to be good at it.”
- “Let’s put that in the Parking Lot for offseason review.”
- “Our players need clarity more than variety.”
- “We’re not adding anything that steals reps from Inside Veer.”
This keeps the conversation professional and aligned.
🧩 The Real Goal: One Voice, One System, One Identity
The Flexbone works when:
- Coaches speak the same language
- Players hear the same message
- The system stays small
- Reps stay high
- Assignments stay clear
Your assistants don’t need fewer ideas — they need better boundaries.
When you give them structure, they become your greatest asset instead of your biggest distraction.
