Basketball on grass

“Basketball on grass” is a phrase originated by American football Coach Jack Neumeier in late 1969 to describe his theories that led to the creation of football's modern spread offense in 1970. While watching a basketball game taking place at Granada Hills High School, where he coached, Neumeier was inspired to create a new style of football offense emphasizing forward passes utilizing some ideas borrowed from the run and shoot offense originated by Coach Glenn "Tiger" Ellison.
"Basketball on grass" is a phrase that is frequently utilized without context or attribution (or with incorrect attribution) in books and articles on the topic of American football.
For example, see:
1. S.C. Gwynne, The Perfect Pass: American Genius and the Reinvention of Football (Scribner, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, New York, New York, 2016);
2. Bart Wright, Football Revolution: The Rise of the Spread Offense and How It Transformed College Football (Nebraska University Press, Lincoln, Nebraska, 2013);
3. Tim Layden, Blood, Sweat and Chalk: The Ultimate Football Playbook: How the Great Coaches Built Today’s Game (Time Home Entertainment Inc., 2010, published by Sports Illustrated Books), especially pp. 149-155;
4. Wall Street Journal, October 5-6, 2013, Bob Boyles, “Book Review: ‘Football Revolution’ by Bart Wright: The spread offense suspends football’s fierceness, turning the sport into ‘basketball on grass.’” http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304213904579095360267988896.html?KEYWORDS=bart+wright
5. Sports Illustrated, December 23, 1997, Tim Layden “Flash Point: The prospects for Pasadena are pyrotechnic as Washington State’s high-octane air attack meets the fired-up D of Michigan” http://www.si.com/vault/1997/12/29/236730/flash-point-the-prospects-for-pasadena-are-pyrotechnic-as-washington-states-high-octane-air-attack-meets-the-fired-up-d-of-michigan

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