Gillman was the father of the modern passing game. He taught spacing, setting wide receivers beyond the numbers. He wanted defenses to defend the 53 by 100 yard gridiron.
He believed in precision, a specific time for the ball to be in the air. He preached the advantage of small details, what foot did the defender put his weight on and how that impacted reaction.
His spacing concepts from the late 1950s and early 1960s flavored the seam routes for future Bavaros, Gronkowskis, and Kelces.
"What you're looking for is reaction and overreaction from the defense...I want the big play."
Watch from 00:10 to 00:25. On the second play from scrimmage, the Chargers get that overreaction. In a regular season game versus Boston, they never used running back motion. Here, they put Paul Lowe in motion to the left and the Patriots jump offside with both outside linebackers. San Diego runs a trap to the right and the Patriots have little in the middle of the field. It only got worse from there.
Here's the basketball analogy. Motion to the left informs a gap to the right (via Basketball Immersion).
Sid Gillman dreamed of coaching in the Big 10. But he never got a sniff at a job because Gillman was Jewish. "Sid was very sensitive to any type of discrimination...one of the first pro coaches to actively scout historically black colleges, sign those athletes in significant numbers, and assign them roommates by position, not by race."
Basketball evolved to emphasize threes, layups, and free throws, points per possession. And the cost of defending the perimeter is opening the middle. But we have to force opponents to defend the perimeter by shotmaking. Layups are one 'counter' to perimeter-focused offense.
And basketball uses misdirection to reject screens, for backdoor cuts, and unconventional screening, like Spain pick-and-roll.
Spain pick-and-roll action out of horns high ball screen.
And basketball uses ball and player motion to open gaps for driving and cutting and move defenders against the zone.
Obradovic 1-3-1 set PnR.
"Clock" zone offense with sequential cutters pressuring the middle of the zone.
Our young players need constant reinforcement of the possibilities formed by spacing, cutting, screening, and passing. The Neanderthal "20 dribbles and a shot" mentality has to go.
Lagniappe: Well-run 1-4 press breaking has always given us problems. Via TeachHoops