Preview of offense

[zhavenor]

I repeat for clarity
We will get the AB lots of work in games 1/2 so nd can't clog middle. Lots of called plays in these game
it will be too late to give them work in nd game.

During nd we will run the base offense as you said.


Coach has dialed the offense up and will add speed with the Jet. The old you need to be here 4 years to learn the blocking ship has sailed. Do your job or next man up

I do like the idea of the big stanford bb transfer being in on goal line or short yardage play

You cannot get the balls to the Aback like that. The A backs get the balls as dictated by the defense. There is a better chance to force the ball into the Bback's hands by having him as the pitch on some of the speed on counter option plays but a backs in the running game is almost completely based on how the defense plays.

 

[dressedcheeseside]

I think coach will open up more passing in games 1&2. He will actually feature the AB as receivers. Last year we were very conservative early in year and it paid off as we snuck up on the last third of the season
now we need to make a statement against nd.
the AB need lots of work to be ready.

What ab will play? IMO = the fastest

Coach told the players its the guys who can block the best.

 

[dressedcheeseside]

I repeat for clarity
We will get the AB lots of work in games 1/2 so nd can't clog middle. Lots of called plays in these game
it will be too late to give them work in nd game.

During nd we will run the base offense as you said.


Coach has dialed the offense up and will add speed with the Jet. The old you need to be here 4 years to learn the blocking ship has sailed. Do your job or next man up

I do like the idea of the big stanford bb transfer being in on goal line or short yardage play

I don't remember that ship ever being in port.

 

[stinger 1957]

Looks to me like we will be depending on Willis and Lynch a lot, they can block some any way. Seems to me defense will need to carry us first half of season while the offense develops it's blocking, spacing, timing, QB/WR connection. Will the defense be good enough to get us a win at South Bend, have no idea, ND will be playing a new young QB, but he's a mobile QB, so I expect we will mess him up some and he will make some plays also. I'm guessing our offense plays pretty good the last 1/3 season and defense is plying pretty good all year if we don't have injuries.

 

[dressedcheeseside]

Looks to me like we will be depending on Willis and Lynch a lot, they can block some any way. Seems to me defense will need to carry us first half of season while the offense develops it's blocking, spacing, timing, QB/WR connection. Will the defense be good enough to get us a win at South Bend, have no idea, ND will be playing a new young QB, but he's a mobile QB, so I expect we will mess him up some and he will make some plays also. I'm guessing our offense plays pretty good the last 1/3 season and defense is plying pretty good all year if we don't have injuries.

I hope whomever replaces Isaiah Johnson likes to bring the lumber like he did. That's one way to defend a qb that likes to run. D. Watson was getting pummeled by our D every time he ran the ball before he went down with that freak injury.

 

[Legal Jacket]

Coach told the players its the guys who can block the best.

Esp w Snoddy already on the field, I think the focus will be to make sure someone else can open up space for him on the other side of the field.

 

[Jean-Baptiste Rochambeau]

Sometimes defenders make plays. BJ didn't have his best games blocking vs FSU and MissSt, but I think that speaks to him and the defenders and not how long it takes to learn the skill. Blocks will be missed, probably more this year given the number of new guys. However, Embry was able to make solid blocks vs Miami as a true freshman.

As people keep raising this question, I'll keep repeating that we have several guys who've been learning this position and blocks longer than Roddy and Lucas had before 2008. With a better, deeper more experienced line and more experienced QB, we should be fine. Our biggest problems in 2008 arose from a patchwork OL and a less than 100% QB.

I certainly agree with Skeptic that blocking is essential. But we are moving into the realm of uncanny speed on the edge with multiple backs. We no longer have to rely on the DB being on the ground to gain yards. We have "Gale-Sayers-give-me-18-inches-and-I-am-gone" speed. I think we have an answer for whatever positioning, scheming, angle of pursuit variations we're going to face. And--our backs can, and will, learn to block.

 

[UgaBlows]

A guy like shaq Lawson would be our best defensive player.

I don't buy that

 

[Skeptic]

You cannot get the balls to the Aback like that. The A backs get the balls as dictated by the defense. There is a better chance to force the ball into the Bback's hands by having him as the pitch on some of the speed on counter option plays but a backs in the running game is almost completely based on how the defense plays.

Unfortunately there are still things about a "spread option" offense folks just don't get. Mostly the option part.

 

[iceeater1969]

Because we have fast abacks the defense will have to play loose or the coach will let his captians on the field audible out of the straight option = we will fake the option and the AB blocking will slip po at the defender for a long td pass.

the ship of slow ab was in port and it has sailed.

 

[iceeater1969]

We do not run the option every olay.

With greatness and experience at qb we can and will check out of an option play to pass to the very fast ab who slips past the lb or dB getting space for a td pass

With the option we make them defend the whole WIDTH of the field.
With slower ab the defenders can get closer to the line of scrimage without being beat for deep pass. Also if defender is closer the blocks by ab to need to be started quickers and held longer . This gums up the crease for qb.
by getting faster ab we make them stay back or risk getting beat deep.
Now they must defend the width and depth of the field.

Please don't think I am saying average blocking is permitted

 

[Skeptic]

... This gums up the crease for qb.
by getting faster ab we make them stay back or risk getting beat deep.
Now they must defend the width and depth of the field.

I stand to be corrected but I am fairly certain they must defend side to side and end to end now. It's called the spread option, after all. And when they cheat to defend one or the other, they get burned by the other. Seems to me you're trying to create an offense for a problem that doesn't exist. But maybe you can get a federal grant for it?

 

[iceeater1969]

I stand to be corrected but I am fairly certain they must defend side to side and end to end now. It's called the spread option, after all. And when they cheat to defend one or the other, they get burned by the other. Seems to me you're trying to create an offense for a problem that doesn't exist. But maybe you can get a federal grant for it?

Are you that Buzz Zarr guy from sting talk? He added a dig to each of his post like that.

 

[Skeptic]

Are you that Buzz Zarr guy from sting talk? He added a dig to each of his post like that.

Nope. Don't know the gentleman and don't go to sting talk though I've heard of it. Just trying to put all this brand new offense stuff into perspective. Good off season fun, but ultimately a waste of neutrons or whatever. It is off in the cosmos somewhere. Come August, we run the ball.

 

[Legal Jacket]

I don't buy that

As a backup DE, Lawson posted numbers as good as any of our DL in about half the snaps (Lawson played 295 snaps in 13 games). Had Shaq started last year, he probably would have put up close to his career (630 snap) numbers: 79 tackles, 21 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks.

I don't think there is a better player than that on our team on defense right now. Could be wrong, but if we got a recruit like him (top 20 overall DE, probably top WDE of his class), we'd all be drooling.

 

[Legal Jacket]

I certainly agree with Skeptic that blocking is essential. But we are moving into the realm of uncanny speed on the edge with multiple backs. We no longer have to rely on the DB being on the ground to gain yards. We have "Gale-Sayers-give-me-18-inches-and-I-am-gone" speed. I think we have an answer for whatever positioning, scheming, angle of pursuit variations we're going to face. And--our backs can, and will, learn to block.

We don't need two fast guys if neither can block well. Snoddy is the speed we need. The other starter I bet is someone who is most likely to open a hole for him, as opposed to the second fastest AB on the team

 

[Skeptic]

We don't need two fast guys if neither can block well. Snoddy is the speed we need. The other starter I bet is someone who is most likely to open a hole for him, as opposed to the second fastest AB on the team

The thing might come down to the A back most willing, and capable, of leading the midline option into the hole and going right at a linebacker maybe 40 or 50 pounds heavier. We saw a lot of that in the FSU and MSU games. Seems to me that requires every element of the difficulty of the cut block, including the want-to and the plain old nerve of picking the biggest guy in the room and going at him. The guy or guys who can do that will get playing time.

 

[thwgjacket]

As a backup DE, Lawson posted numbers as good as any of our DL in about half the snaps (Lawson played 295 snaps in 13 games). Had Shaq started last year, he probably would have put up close to his career (630 snap) numbers: 79 tackles, 21 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks.

I don't think there is a better player than that on our team on defense right now. Could be wrong, but if we got a recruit like him (top 20 overall DE, probably top WDE of his class), we'd all be drooling.

Last year he had a sack against SC State, 1.5 sacks against Wake (worst offense in ACC), and one against North Carolina. He had a good game against OU but I don't know how much of that was in garbage time.

You have to watch those Clemson guys, they love to inflate their numbers against bad teams.
Take D. Watson for example. Everybody loves to tout his 14 TD's to 2 INT's. They don't realize he threw 9 of those TD's against SC State and UNC, who had the worst D in the ACC by far. They gave up over 38 ppg.

 

[UgaBlows]

As a backup DE, Lawson posted numbers as good as any of our DL in about half the snaps (Lawson played 295 snaps in 13 games). Had Shaq started last year, he probably would have put up close to his career (630 snap) numbers: 79 tackles, 21 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks.

I don't think there is a better player than that on our team on defense right now. Could be wrong, but if we got a recruit like him (top 20 overall DE, probably top WDE of his class), we'd all be drooling.

Well it's all subjective of course but personally i'd rather have DJ White, Gotsis, or PJ over him

 

[Whiskey_Clear]

As a backup DE, Lawson posted numbers as good as any of our DL in about half the snaps (Lawson played 295 snaps in 13 games). Had Shaq started last year, he probably would have put up close to his career (630 snap) numbers: 79 tackles, 21 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks.

I don't think there is a better player than that on our team on defense right now. Could be wrong, but if we got a recruit like him (top 20 overall DE, probably top WDE of his class), we'd all be drooling.

Lawson may end up killing the world, time will tell. He is very good and I don't argue that at all. The guys ahead of him last year were elite. But he did come off the bench. Was able to play fresh most of the time. Comparing him to our guys, who played with very few breathers, stat wise is a bit misleading.