When you think of traditional Navy teams, really good defense and option football immediately come to mind for ball-knowers.
While option football has remained a core tenet of the Midshipmen's offensive strategy under the direction of Drew Chronic, he has also led one of the most unique offensive evolutions in recent college football memory since his arrival on campus in Annapolis.
Normally a place that was a lock for decades to be among the national leaders for rushing yards on an annual basis, the approach Cronic has brought in as Navy's offensvie play caller has helped the Midshipmen rank among the top five in college football in about six different categories over the last three seasons in areas that include yards per reception, third down, and ever-important explosive plays.
Following head coaching stints at Reinhardt (NAIA - GA), Lenoir-Rhye (D-II - NC) and Mercer (FCS - GA), where his teams were known for offensive innovation and production, Cronic is set to enter his third season calling the offensive on Brian Newberry's staff.
On the Left Hash Call podcast with Seth Howard and Dan Casey, Chronic was asked about advice he has for other play callers, regardless of the offensive scheme they employ.
Cronic begins his answer by sharing that you have to true to who you are, it's not about being good at everything. He also admits that at times he feels like he's guilty of trying to do too much, but fortunately for him, they've got smart and disciplined kids at Navy so he can get away with that perhaps more than most.
"I do think that everybody in their system can be creative formationally and, and with movement. Whether it's the motions, or shifting people around doing things to make...I really believe, you're trying to make the defense think one more time. Think one or two more times by you just showing them something to where when the ball is snapped, and you're making them play a step slower somehow or, get their eyes in the wrong place, you know? So I think most people can find ways to do that."
Cronic goes on to share he's a big fan of watching other teams and play callers, mentioning Buster Faulkner's gap schemes while at Georgia Tech, Steve Sarkisian and his screens at Texas, and Lincoln Riley and how he's built a lot off their GT Counter. He finds a way to explore all those different types of concepts and see if it fits in their systems.
"You got to make sure it's not about plays. It's not about drawing up plays. It's about being systematic and what fits your system, your players, and sequencing and and making it fit. So that when you go in a game, you can call plays in a certain order."
"Just because a team was good at a certain play doesn't mean it's going to be good for you. You got to make it fit within your, within your system and be able to sequence what you're doing.
"There's times where I see something and go 'That is really awesome. But then you start looking, it's like, that doesn't fit us. But this over here, even though they may be 10 personnel spread all the time, but there's a scheme they have that would fit within this formation for us, and it would actually protect this play, right? So trying to make things fit within what you're doing and be very systematic with it."
Hear Faulkner's full answer in the clip.