In this week’s Inside Look, Just Play features Joey McGuire, Head Coach, and John Tomlinson, Quarterback’s coach, of the Texas 6A powerhouse Cedar Hill Longhorns. Cedar Hill is currently ranked #3 in Texas 6A according to the Associated Press, and is #15 on MaxPrep’s “Xcellent 25″ Rankings. Cedar Hill (6-0) began using the Just Play program this summer when they quickly realized its potential to develop players.

In particular the quarterback play of junior Avery Davis has seen a tremendous improvement with the help of the Just Play Program.

“Just Play has without a doubt improved our quarterback play week in and week out,” McGuire says. “Not to mention, [it has] improved things for Coach Tomlinson. The program makes it easy for him to get with the guys to study, and take their tests to make sure they’re ready.”

After winning back-to-back state titles in the previous two seasons, Tomlinson says that innovation is the key to success. 

“Innovation to me is the most important thing when you’re dealing with kids who are visual learners. It is important to keep their attention and keep their minds active, and Just Play does that because it is so hands on.”

Just Play’s video quizzing capability is a revolutionary feature that Tomlinson has been utilizing extensively to prepare his quarterbacks each week. 

“I take everything from our opponents, upload it into Just Play, and I’ll pick maybe the top 10-15 formations and behaviors that the defense tends to show, and that’s what I give him (Davis) on the test. It is all about how you study the opponent and how you prepare for them. It’s not just lining up and turning the light switch on. The kid has to be prepared to a point where he can come out and execute, and so this is why I think Just Play is so important in our preparation.”

An important aspect Just Play’s quizzing features is the test analytics. This allows Tomlinson to view exactly how his players are responding to questions, so he can correct issues before game time.

“I usually call it the big 72 hours,” Tomlinson said. “For us, it is Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. I’ll give them the test on Wednesday, see what they answered incorrectly, and we can work on that by Friday. Just Play has helped him (Davis) become a student of the game. I see that he is getting prepared during the week, and that’s when he becomes a coach on the field – and that is the key.”

More Knowledge. Fewer Mistakes. More Wins