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The Fraternity of Football: Part Three

Patrick Taylor has detailed his passion for the air raid offense and shared how he’s been able to implement it at North Surry.

However, the air raid has drawn more than its fair share of critics in the decades since Hal Mumme and Mike Leach coined the system. Detractors have particularly accused the air raid of being a college-only scheme, making accusations that the offense is too simple for the NFL and too dependent on superstar players in high school.

Despite criticism of the scheme, the NFL has welcomed more and more air raid veterans thanks to the growing network of former assistant coaches and players that learned under Mumme and Leach. The reigning Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes played under Kliff Kingsbury at Texas Tech, where Kingsbury himself played under Leach more than a decade prior.

Kingsbury is also the first NFL coach to fully institute the air raid (at least the first to call it that), doing so with the Arizona Cardinals in 2019.

Including Mahomes, nine former air raid QBs started during week three of the 2019 NFL season: Jared Goff, Kyler Murray, Gardner Minshew, Baker Mayfield, Kyle Allen, Mason Rudolph, Luke Falk and Case Keenum.

Taylor argues that the air raid’s influence goes back even further, citing Wes Welker’s time on the New England Patriots from 2007-2012. Welker played on Leach’s Texas Tech squad from 2000-2003, where he racked up 3,069 yards receiving. This included two seasons of 1,000+ yards receiving.

Welker went undrafted in 2004, eventually landing with the Miami Dolphins in a special teams role. He was moved to receiver in 2005, recording just over 1,000 yards receiving in two seasons while also shining on special teams as a kickoff and punt returner.

It was his move to the Patriots in 2007 that defined his career.

“Tom Brady is the best air raid QB that has never played in the air raid offense,” Taylor said. Bill Belichick’s ideas are very similar to the air raid mantra, but he would never call it that.”

In his first season with New England, the 5-foot-8-inch receiver broke the Patriots franchise record with 112 catches, which also tied for the most in the league. He helped the Patriots to an 18-1 record that concluded with a loss in Super Bowl XLII.

He went on to record at least 111 receptions and 1,165 yards receiving in all but one of the next five seasons. Originally undrafted, Welker went on to be selected for five Pro Bowls, was named First-team All-Pro twice, Second-team All-Pro twice and lead the NFL in receptions in three different seasons.

“This little school in Toast”

Just as the air raid has crept its way into the ranks of professional football, it’s slowly made its way into high school football. Taylor has shown that it doesn’t take a giant school with rosters of 60+ players to implement the system. He’s doing so in what he referred to as, “the definition of small town USA.”

“Nobody had thrown for a living down the mountain before North Surry,” he said. “One of the most successful high schools in the state, Shelby, was a Wing T team forever, now runs as many air raid concepts as we do. This can be done in the foothills and the mountains. [We] proved to a lot of people around here you can do this and we’ve had a lot of success with it.”

Taylor also mentioned Ashe County High School as smaller school that ran the air raid. Brian Hampton, the coach that hired Taylor at North Surry in 2010, started using the air raid in 2014 as the head coach at Ashe. North and Ashe Co. played in the season opener. The two high-caliber offenses went wild, with Ashe emerging victorious by a final score of 50-42. Ashe Co. went on to finish 11-2 that year, only losing to Starmount, who finished as the runner-up in the 1AA division, and Monroe in the second round of the 2AA playoffs.

North Surry’s ability to successfully run an offense like the air raid in small town USA is one of the reasons Holy Cross coach Michael Giampetruzzi wanted to meet with Taylor. As referenced in part one of this series, Giampetruzzi had the following to say about Taylor:

“Here’s a guy that’s been a couple places and was able to implement this in different environments. To me it was a no-brainer to talk with him.”

The simplicity of the offense shocked Giampetruzzi. He thinks the air raid, or at least the use of various air raid concepts, will continue to spread in high school football because it better utilizes the athletes available and provides some consistency.

“When you look at football across the country, numbers are down,” Giampetruzzi said. “With [the air raid] you might have to adjust some from year-to-year, but for the most part you have kids adjust to the concept. You can do that with either 80 or 30 kids.”

Taylor was more than happy to share the air raid with Giampetruzzi and anyone that asked.

“This little school in Toast, North Carolina, is making an impact all because we buy into a very small thing and try to do it the best we can.”

Pay it forward

Patrick Taylor couldn’t help but sit back and smile as he watched Tanner Hiatt and Robbie Spurlin breaking down plays to the visiting Holy Cross coaches.

“The main thing is to see my coaches grow in it,” Taylor said. “Coach Spurlin and Coach Hiatt were there and they are North Surry guys through and through. I sit back and watch and see how they’re impacting football not just statewide, but nationwide.”

Hiatt, a graduate of North Surry that set the school record for career passing yards back in 2010, started coaching with North Surry in 2013 according to Taylor. Hiatt’s mark of 4,965 career yards stayed atop the school rankings for nine years. It was finally broken by Chase Swartz last season, who did so by throwing for 7,059 career yards.

Hiatt was named offensive coordinator before the 2019 season in which the Greyhounds would throw for more than 3,500 yards. This included being handed play calling duties for the first time, a decision Taylor said he was very comfortable with beforehand and certainly wasn’t disappointed with the results.

In addition to seeing his own coaching tree grow, Taylor loves spreading the air raid to other coaches on the phone, at clinics and via his website: coachpatricktaylor.com. Social media is what helped connect Holy Cross and North Surry and has been pivotal to the spread of the air raid brotherhood.

“Football coaches in general are pretty open to sharing information,” Giampetruzzi said. “It’s kind of that fraternity of coaches that if people are willing to reach out, coaches are willing to help.”

Giampetruzzi expressed gratitude to Taylor and his coaching staff for hosting and said he’s happy the two programs connected. He also threw out the possibility of bringing Holy Cross players to North Surry or vice versa.

When asked about his motivation for spending so much time helping other coaches, Taylor’s answer was rooted in personal experience.

“When I started my website I really wanted to give back, not because I had all the answers or I’m some whizbang of the offense,” Taylor said. “As a young coach, I had two young girls in diapers and a wife. I couldn’t afford to go to all these clinics. I knew what it was like to be a 1-10 coach and to have people snub you.”

“Guys are more willing to share information because football is more available than ever. This fraternity does expand border-to-border.”

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North Surry and Holy Cross High School coaches discuss the air raid offense in North Surry’s coaches office. Left to right: North Surry offensive coordinator and QB coach Tanner Hiatt, North Surry head coach Patrick Taylor, Holy Cross offensive line coach and defensive coordinator Eric Barbarito and Holy Cross head coach Michael Giampetruzzi.
https://www.mtairynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/web1_DSC_1083-2-.jpgNorth Surry and Holy Cross High School coaches discuss the air raid offense in North Surry’s coaches office. Left to right: North Surry offensive coordinator and QB coach Tanner Hiatt, North Surry head coach Patrick Taylor, Holy Cross offensive line coach and defensive coordinator Eric Barbarito and Holy Cross head coach Michael Giampetruzzi. Cory Smith | The News

A former North Surry football star in his own right, Tanner Hiatt took over as offensive coordinator as well as quarterback coach for the Greyhounds prior to the 2019 season.
https://www.mtairynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/web1_DSC_1087-2-.jpgA former North Surry football star in his own right, Tanner Hiatt took over as offensive coordinator as well as quarterback coach for the Greyhounds prior to the 2019 season. Cory Smith | The News
Patrick Taylor talks the spread of the air raid to the NFL, high school

By Cory Smith

csmith@mtairynews.com

Reach Cory on Twitter @MrCoryLeeSmith

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Source: https://www.mtairynews.com

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