How to Scout Football

Often considered the first-ever book about the art of scouting in football, George Allen's 1953 How to Scout Football explores the importance of careful observation and analysis of rival teams in order to reach victory on the field.

In a time before film reviews were commonplace, football teams relied on expert scouts to travel the country and watch games in-person. The scout would then report back with their insight about plays, characteristics of offensive and defensive players, and the team's strengths and weaknesses. Scouting — or “pigskin espionage,” as Allen calls it — is useful for all levels of the sport, from high school to college to professional. Allen himself got his shot with the Chicago Bears as a scout, so he was well versed in both its application and importance.

George Allen's (b. 1922 — d. 1990) coaching career began at the college level as head coach of both Morningside College in Iowa and Whittier College in California. He then spent a year on the staff of the Los Angeles Rams, followed by a longer stint with the Chicago Bears. With the Bears, Allen was initially asked to scout the Rams for a single season. His reporting was so thorough that his contract position became permanent. Eventually, he would become the defensive coordinator for the Bears.

In 1966, Allen returned to the Rams as head coach where he brought the team back from a long losing streak. After five winning seasons with the Rams, he joined the Washington Redskins as head coach where he remained from 1971 to 1977. During his NFL tenure, Allen led his teams to the NFL playoffs seven times. Notably, Allen's Redskins reached Super Bowl VII in the 1972 season before losing to the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins' win gave the team the only perfect season in NFL history — a record they still hold.

George Allen is generally considered one of the hardest working coaches in the sport. He was known for preferring veteran players over younger players, focusing on the success of the current team and controversially trading away young draft picks for older, more experienced players. “The future is now,” he famously said.

Throughout his successful career, Allen wrote several books about the sport, including 1953's How to Scout Football. While scouting methods have changed since the 1950s, the book offers an interesting look back at the techniques of the mid-century.

The work goes into minute detail, from the appropriate number of scouts for each game, to where they should sit in the stands for the best view, to what steps a scout should take before, during, and after each game.

In the chapter titled “Techniques of Scouting,” Allen provides his own preferred methods that he employed during his time at Whittier College. This includes using a rubber hand stamp to create a quick template to fill in after each play. No notes were to be taken during play; all writing was reserved for the moments during time outs and between plays. Plenty of sample charts, graphs, and diagrams are included to demonstrate the techniques.

Today's scouting takes place behind closed doors. Coaches and coordinators have the opportunity to stop and replay a game as many times as necessary to reach a full understanding of the opposing team's strategy. Allen's scouting recommendations show us how difficult it was to watch all 11 members of the team at once before the days of home video.

“Winning is the science of being prepared,” Allen once said. The attention to detail that he displayed as a coach and in his books is what led him to become one of the most successful football coaches of his day. To highlight his lifetime of achievements, George Allen was inducted into the Football Hall of Fame in 2002.