High School Football has become a year round sport in Texas. August to November (and sometimes a bit longer if you've got a great team) marks the regular season. Next comes the off season where there is really nothing off about it. During the athletics period the kids hit the weight room and the track and a few times a week they work on basic fundamentals for their positions. Then you get about 3 weeks during the spring for intra-squad, full-pads practices. Almost as soon as spring ball is over, the 7 on 7 tournaments start. 7 on 7 is a pass only version of football. It totally eliminates the running game and allows teams to keep their skill players sharp in the passing game. The whole team doesn't participate only Running Backs, Receivers, Tight Ends, and Wide Receivers. These tournaments last for a good portion of the summer and then before you know it, its August and thus time for two a days and the regular season to kicking off.

Something that I think is worth noting is that with the emergence and proliferation of 7 on 7 tournaments all across Texas, we've also seen the proliferation and perfection of the Spread offense in College Football. Look at Texas Tech under Mike Leach or Texas with Colt McCoy at the helm. Even the traditional ground oriented teams like Texas A&M have installed 4 and 5 receiver packages and use them frequently! Where good play calling balance used to be 60% run and 40% pass, we now see the opposite. Teams used to run to set up the pass, now they pass to set up the run. 7 on 7 has had a huge impact on how football is played in this state and across the nation. What I find even more extraordinary is that all this change has really taken place in the last 7 or 8 years. When I graduated high school in 2003 there were a few 7 on 7 tournaments and schools may or may not have participated in them. Now, virtually every school that has the space hosts a tournament and participation is seen as virtually mandatory in order to keep up with the Jones's. As a result, we are seeing Quarterbacks, Wide Receivers, and other skill players come out of high school and be able to step into sophisticated collegiate offensive systems seamlessly. Its Amazing to me that more than 100 years after the invention of this game, we are still seeing the it evolve in such drastic ways. But I digress.