The Air Raid Matrix

Bridging offensive theory, etymology, and quarterbacking into a powerful, coachable system. In football, we often talk about schemes and systems. But some systems are more than just Xs and Os—they are living frameworks. The Air Raid offense, often misunderstood as a pass-happy gimmick, is one such system. It doesn't just change how we call plays. It changes how we understand space, structure, and decision-making.

To truly coach the Air Raid, we need to think beyond the surface. Let's look at it through an unexpected lens: the word "matrix."

The Original Matrix: Womb, Not Code

     The term "matrix" comes from the Latin mater, meaning mother or womb. In its oldest sense, it refers to the source of creation, a space where life and form emerge. It wasn’t about simulation or computers. It was about generation and emergence.

     The Air Raid, when done right, functions as this kind of matrix. Not a rigid sequence of pre-planned actions, but a generative structure that adapts, evolves, and creates opportunities based on space and recognition.

Spread Formations: Space as Structure

     Most traditional offenses are hierarchical: power-based, tightly aligned, and driven by structure. The Air Raid disrupts that by embracing space as its core principle. Wide receiver splits stretch the field horizontally. Light boxes invite RPOs and quick-game strikes. Tempo stresses communication. It doesn’t overwhelm with brute force—it multiplies the defense's decisions until the structure cracks.

     Think of each player as a node in a system. They’re not just executing a play—they're reacting, reading, adapting. In this sense, the Air Raid formation behaves like a matrix in the original sense: a fluid, living space that produces options, not mandates.

Quarterbacking in the Matrix

     In traditional systems, quarterbacks are often asked to follow a set sequence: 1st read, 2nd read, check down. In the Air Raid, they become something more: readers of reality.

     They decode defensive alignments. They process movement, leverage, and timing. They don’t just run the play; they interpret it. They adjust routes with signals. They feel pressure and improvise. Like a programmer inside a simulation, the quarterback isn't just reacting to a defense—he's rewriting it in real time.

     Great Air Raid QBs like Patrick Mahomes, Gardner Minshew, and Caleb Williams aren’t products of freedom alone. They're products of freedom within a matrix: a structure that empowers creativity, not suppresses it.

Coaching for Emergence: Building the System

     If you want your team to thrive in the matrix, you have to coach for emergence:

• Reps over installs: The goal isn't memorization. It's reaction. Use high-rep drills to build instinct.

• Spacing and tempo drills: Teach players how to exploit the structure. Emphasize width, timing, and pace.

• Defensive simulation: Use scout teams and varied coverages to challenge QBs to read and respond, not memorize.

• Route adaptability: Build in freedom with choice routes, but coach the decisions behind them.

     Structure exists, but it exists to generate, not restrict.

A Narrative for the Locker Room

When your quarterback walks into the huddle for the final drive, frame it like this:

     "The defense will try to disguise the truth. They'll try to show you one thing and do another. But your job isn’t to panic. Your job is to see through the noise. Read the system. Adjust it. Beat it."

Make the game not just about execution, but about understanding.

My Air Raid Journey: From the Military to the Matrix

Year One: Entering the System

     After retiring from the military in 2008, I began coaching high school football. I started as an offensive line coach in the Tony Franklin version of the Air Raid—a great place to begin and the perfect position group to lead. The offensive line is the Protectors, the life force of the offense. I had my work cut out for me.

We weren’t the most talented, and we certainly weren’t bigger, stronger, or faster than our opponents. Year one was about learning a new offensive system I was unfamiliar with. But I quickly absorbed the philosophy. My background in the Run and Shoot helped ease the transition to an Air Raid mindset.

Year Two: Calling the Code

     The next season, I became head coach of the junior varsity team and took on play-calling duties. I attended a Tony Franklin clinic that filled in the missing pieces. That year, we opened the season with a 41–0 home win—something no team at the school had achieved at any level. The matrix had begun to take shape.

Years of Study: Deepening the Matrix

     Since 2010, I’ve continued to study the Air Raid from its key innovators—Coach Hal Mumme (Kentucky), Coach Mike Leach (Texas Tech), and most recently Coach Noel Mazzone (UCLA). Each version added layers of depth to the system I had come to love.

2024: Return of the Pirate Spirit

     In 2024, I had the privilege of meeting AJ Smith. We might have crossed paths as opposing offensive coordinators in California if not for a season I had to step away due to creative differences. That year, I watched Coach Smith fully embrace his opportunity.

     AJ has been an inspiration. His knowledge and passion have fueled my return to coaching, reminding me of why I fell in love with the game and the Air Raid in the first place. This upcoming season, I look forward to lighting up the scoreboard like a Fourth of July fireworks show.

     To Coach Mumme and Coach Smith—thank you for your leadership and for keeping the Pirate spirit alive in each of us.

Coach the mind. Teach the system. Let the matrix emerge.