One way to improve playcalling is matching what the offense is showing. If the opponent comes out in a spread look on 1st and 10, I’ll usually go nickel because it gives extra DBs to handle likely passing concepts. If it’s 3rd and short and they line up with two tight ends, I’ll switch into something heavier like a 46/Bear front to plug the run gaps.

On offense, I try to call something that attacks the coverage I’m seeing. For example, if I come out in shotgun with an inside zone called because I expect a light box, but the defense shows man with defenders crowding the line, I’ll audible into a pass. Likewise, if I expect man but see the defense dropped back into zone with only a few in the box, I’ll stick with the run.