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By KATHERINE SMITH, The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 14, 2007

Updated: 09/13/2007 11:33 pm

TAMPA - Merely hours after beating the Gaither High football team, 48-21, the Plant Panthers gathered in their locker room.

Sitting in chairs surrounding a large screen, the players settled in to watch a film starring themselves.
Loud cheers erupted when wide receiver Joe Epps returned a blocked punt 35 yards for a touchdown. The score was the direct result of film Epps and his Plant teammates watched earlier in the week. While evaluating a previous Gaither game, Plant coaches noticed something they could take advantage of, and they did.

Looking for any edge, most teams utilize film sessions as a valuable teaching tool. Friday night games are won by the work put in the rest of the days of the week, and that includes the work teams put in with film study.

'The guys play on Friday night,' Plant coach Robert Weiner said. 'We try to get them into positions to play the other days. We just really feel like over the years we've improved from week-to-week and this is a big part of that.

'You can't really feel what you're doing right or wrong unless you're seeing it.'

Consider it Saturday at the movies. Plant is one of the many county teams that gathers for a film session on Saturday mornings.

Thanks to advancements in technology, the time coaches spend editing and breaking down film has decreased dramatically.

Chamberlain coach Billy Turner, the godfather of Hillsborough County football coaches, predates the 16-millimeter film most coaches grew up on. When Turner began coaching 48 years ago, they didn't use film. They used eyes.

'We had a guy up in the stands that was responsible for writing down every single play,' Turner said.

Eventually county teams turned to film and projector systems, but even that had its problems. Long before he helped lead the Plant Panthers to a state championship, Weiner held a special position as a Jesuit assistant coach.

'I was the splicer,' he said. 'If the film ever broke, I would splice it and tape it back up.'

The move to VHS video tapes opened a world of possibilities for coaches, but its nothing compared to the system most teams in the county currently use. A computer system that converts tapes to DVD has shortened the amount of time it used to take making copies, but also allows teams to literally break down percentages of plays teams run on different downs.

'It allows us to do so much more,' Armwood offensive coordinator Chris Taylor said. 'It really pays off at the end of the film session. The players learn so much more in that one hour of film work than they did in hours of film work before. If an opponent has a tendency, we're going to find it out.'

Most coaches agree the quarterback benefits the most from film work, but offensive linemen might be a close second.

'I think it can pay off the most for the offensive line,' Taylor said. 'They're the ones that get a different puzzle every play.'

While most teams watch their games and break down opponents' films, some utilize the advances in technology at practice. Alonso is one of the few teams that tape their practices.

'Now we can show the players what they're doing right or wrong at practice,' Alonso coach Mike Heldt said. 'It gives us an idea and shows the players. It's one thing to tell a player they're doing something wrong, it's another for them to see it.'

And since coaches know they need to see opponents' film, the exchange has become an important part of the process. Weiner said he will meet a coach anywhere, anytime to exchange tapes - and he has.

'Back in the day at Jesuit when we played all over, we used to meet a coach at the Skyway fishing pier,' he said. 'We met a guy from Fort Pierce once at the Lake Wales Hungry Howies. We've got some covert meeting spots.

'Last week, I was in a Burger King parking lot on Dale Mabry and there was no one else there. Here we are with our cars revved up in the parking lot, exchanging film. It's kind of a funny little process.'

Turner recalled having to drive to the late Holland Aplin's house to get Robinson's game film. Aplin would leave it in his mailbox.

Hillsborough coach Earl Garcia once exchanged tape on the interstate, under an overpass. The coaches leaned out their windows and swapped tapes. Taylor took interstate commerce to another level.

'I met a coach at a mile marker on Interstate 75 one time,' Taylor said. 'We pulled over, ran across the road and met each other in the median. We're lucky we didn't get hit.'

Sometimes the quality of the tape had a 'Blair Witch Project' look to it. Some coaches went so far as to edit out certain plays. Garcia got a tape once that was incomplete - sort of.

A team that will remain nameless used to videotape their games from the sideline. After the team scored a touchdown, the person videotaping got so excited, he placed the recorder on the ground to run on the field and celebrate. The recorder stayed there for the remainder of the game filming players' feet and grass.

'All of this work is a necessary evil,' Garcia said. 'You absolutely can not go into practice on Monday without knowing the tendencies of the other team. We practice all week according to what we get off the film. We put in probably 22 hours on Saturday and Sunday watching film. We chart every play. We chart every snap, every field position and so on. It all translates to a tendency chart and that's how we practice.

'And hopefully it makes a difference in the game Friday night.'

Reporter Katherine Smith can be reached at (813) 259-7860 or ksmith@tampatrib.com.

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