year, Ive learned a ton about the game -- more than I ever learned as a player. Heres how my transition into coaching has impact

This summer, I started my second season as the defensive backs coach at IC Catholic Prep in Elmhurst, Illinois. Through a run to the IHSA state semifinals last season and into fall camp this year, Ive learned a ton about the game -- more than I ever learned as a player. Heres how my transition into coaching has impacted my view of game prep, scheme, technique, player development and more.The spread offense is legit: Yeah, I was one of those guys who used to look down on the college and high school spread systems. I didnt see it much during my time in the Big Ten at Iowa or throughout my seven-year career in the NFL. It was pro-style or nothing. And I wouldnt budge.But my view has completely changed at IC Catholic due to our offense -- an up-tempo, no-huddle spread system. We play fast, now. Super-fast. Its a two-minute drill for four quarters. And this is the same playbook you will see at UCLA or Oregon.RPOs (run-pass options) are the future of football, but there are plenty of pro-style route concepts in our playbook. Think of Snag, Flood, Hi-Lo, Smash-7 (corner), etc. This is really the same stuff Tom Brady and the Patriots run on Sundays. Sure, there is more window dressing based on alignment, formation and pre-snap movement in the spread, but in my opinion, the quarterback reads and progressions arent that different when compared to NFL offenses. And the same goes for the run game: zone, power, counter, zone-read. With the quarterback in the gun or the Pistol, there are a ton of ways to create advantageous angles in the run game. This stuff works -- and youll only see more of it filter into the NFL in the coming seasons.Conditioning at the start of practice is the key: My old coordinator, Gregg Williams, used to make us do 40 up-downs or gassers or something else horrible at the start of practice. And then we would go chase deep balls during individual period. That was vomit city during camp. And I hated it.But we do the same thing with our team. Why? Because as coaches, we want to see which players can line up, execute and produce when they are tired. I know its hot and nasty -- and I used to complain about it too -- but players need to get over it. I now understand why Gregg ran us