Marty Ball (American Football Strategy)

Marty ball is a philosophy of football associated with and named after former NFL and UFL head coach Marty Schottenheimer. In simple terms, it means a focus on the running game, with passing used only to further the running game.

Schottenheimer emphasizes offensive attacks that work as follows:

First down: a rushing play
Second down: another rushing play
Third down: a pass attempt
Fourth down: punt (or field goal, if within range)

Fans (and critics) refer to this scheme as "run, run, pass, punt". Schottenheimer is considered to be a conservatively-minded coach with the majority of his focus on defense. The term "Marty ball" is generally considered a pejorative because, at times, Schottenheimer would steadfastly continue to emphasize this form of offensive attack while attempting to hold onto a small lead or when playing from behind - often without success.

In terms of regular season play in the NFL, Schottenheimer often ran Marty ball successfully. During his coaching career with the Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, Washington Redskins and San Diego Chargers, Schottenheimer compiled a 200-126-1 record. His teams won eight division titles, made 13 trips to the NFL playoffs, and reached the AFC Championship Game three times. He failed to successfully execute Marty ball in the postseason, where he has a 5-13 record and never reached the Super Bowl. Fellow NFL coach Herman Edwards said that it "probably detracts [from his legacy] in the minds of some people, but I know it doesn’t in the minds of people who have coached against him."

SPORTS

American Football

Game play in American football consists of a series of downs, individual plays of short duration, outside of which the ball is dead or not in play. These can be plays from scrimmage – passes, runs, punts, or field goal attempts (from either a place kick or a drop kick) – or free kicks such as kickoffs and fair catch kicks. Substitutions can be made between downs, which allows for a great deal of specialization as coaches choose the players best suited for each particular situation. During a play, each team should have no more than 11 players on the field, and each of them has specific tasks assigned for that specific play.