Three dumb questions

[dressedcheeseside]

I would put a spy on our QB. Sell out to stop the run. Make us throw the ball. Similiar to how the NFL adjusted to Michael Vick.

They already “spy” the qb. They call it “assignment football.” The problem with that is we assign someone to block him and that guy changes frequently.

In addition to that, VT had all 11 within 10 yards of the LOS and still couldn’t stop it.

 

[gtstinger776]

An additional thought: the QB sweep play TO ran so successfully is not too different than an inside zone run in pro style zone-running schemes. It’s a different form of decision-making: reading the blocks & defense to take the best cut and running lane. The traditional option plays assign running lanes to backs, and it’s the QB’s job to distribute the ball based on read keys that are supposed to be indicative of the open running lane(s). This running play pre-assigns the ball carrier, and it’s this person’s job to identify the open running lane.

 

[Dottie1145]

I would put a spy on our QB. Sell out to stop the run. Make us throw the ball. Similiar to how the NFL adjusted to Michael Vick.

If we ran a basic zone blocking scheme, this might work, but what happens when the spy gets his feet cut out from under him by the playside A Back? Back to square 1.

 

[Dottie1145]

They already “spy” the qb. They call it “assignment football.” The problem with that is we assign someone to block him and that guy changes frequently.

In addition to that, VT had all 11 within 10 yards of the LOS and still couldn’t stop it.

Sorry, posted before I read this response.

 

[Oldgoldandwhite]

They already “spy” the qb. They call it “assignment football.” The problem with that is we assign someone to block him and that guy changes frequently.

In addition to that, VT had all 11 within 10 yards of the LOS and still couldn’t stop it.

Nope. They assign the DE to take the QB. I’m talking about another LB ligned up with the other two with one job. Go where the QB goes regardless of who gets the ball. Watch the old NFL films on the way they adjusted to Vick and Kaperduche.

 

[RedPete]

Last year A-back touches hit an all-time low, and most attributed this to TqM's quarterback skills... Now after watching TO play however, we can reasonably conclude it's been more of a gameplan thing. Generally, many teams have denied the pitch outside and forced Marshall to beat them...Whereas after the Miami game Mark Richt specifically said they tried to force Tech to go east-west rather than north-south.
Looking ahead to the Miami game, what did they do differently on defense to force plays outside more so than VT or Louisville? Are these defensive tactics the same as Richt's teams have always used successfully to beat us 10 times? Or has Richt's success been more about having better athletes, or the other side of the ball, or game flow?

 

[dressedcheeseside]

Nope. They assign the DE to take the QB. I’m talking about another LB ligned up with the other two with one job. Go where the QB goes regardless of who gets the ball. Watch the old NFL films on the way they adjusted to Vick and Kaperduche.

I’m pretty sure there’s somebody in the back seven assigned to the playside alley to account for the QB keeper.

 

[Skeptic]

For the record, I see merit in playing either QB, so I don’t want my take on your trade-off to sound biased.

I would argue decisiveness is more important in this offense. Everything happens in fractions of a second, and essentially it comes down to feel. I compare it to chipping & pitching in golf. Yes - you can gather data points on the green speeds, breaks, and other factors...but it ultimately comes down to feel in the moment. It’s a strange thing to describe because many of us come from very analytical backgrounds where we seek perfect information and rationale decision-making, but honestly it’s just too hard to consciously make decisions in fractions of a second.

That’s why blitzing can be so detrimental to this offense - it hastens the decision making. It’s my belief that regardless of front 7 alignment, the teams most successful against option attacks successfully hasten QB decision making and force OLmen to constantly consider blitzing LBs (rather than firing off the ball full steam). In the past, Bud Foster did a better job at creating disruption by generating blitz and stunt packages with DEs and OLBs (and using the MLB to track the alley, and Safeties to track the pitchman).

Teams that are athletically superior to us -- Clemson being the best example -- and teams with outstanding middle LBs -- ND and formerly VT come to mind -- defend this offense well. Don't try to explain Duke to me. But keep in mind this right now is no longer Johnson's spread option. It is his QB keeper, a bit of midline, and a load option occasionally. The TO is missing as Johnson uses the QB skills he has and not the ones he wants.

 

[g0lftime]

Teams that are athletically superior to us -- Clemson being the best example -- and teams with outstanding middle LBs -- ND and formerly VT come to mind -- defend this offense well. Don't try to explain Duke to me. But keep in mind this right now is no longer Johnson's spread option. It is his QB keeper, a bit of midline, and a load option occasionally. The TO is missing as Johnson uses the QB skills he has and not the ones he wants.

By forcing the QB to keep it tends to stop the big plays from the AB. There should be help coming from the LB with the cutback. We have gotten good yardage at VT due to TO being able to beat tacklers in space. We really didnt have any real big plays at VT but sure did get big chunks consistently. They very rarely got us in 2nd and long.

 

[Dottie1145]

TO= Triple Option
TO= Tobias Oliver

We need to do something different.

 

[Jim Prather]

Triple Option = TO = Tobias Oliver... Has a nice symmetry to it

 

[Dottie1145]

Triple Option = TO = Tobias Oliver... Has a nice symmetry to it

But not when both are used in the same post as TO.

 

[Jim Prather]

They are just making certain you are paying attention.

 

[AlabamaBuzz]

1.) The play that G-Tech runs over and over that Virginia Tech and South Florida can't seem to stop, that only Oliver seems to run. Snaps the ball, no intent of pitching, finds a crease and gets anywhere from 3-4 to 20+ yards on... Is that a QB sweep? Or is that the Triple Option and Oliver just decides he is never going to pitch it?
Mostly QB sweep.

2.) Why couldn't USF and V-Tech stop it? My opinion is that you need excellent LB's and safeties to stop this quick hitting O, including the midline work Oliver did. I don't believe those teams had top line LB's or safeties.

3.) Why does that seem like the official play of Tobias Oliver?

- He has a strong body, and I think CPJ sees his success in practice with this basic part of the offense. Also, I don't think he wants Taquan running the ball this much, as his fragile body would not hold up. Totally guesses, as I have no inside information.....

 

[B Lifsey]

But not when both are used in the same post as TO.

TO called a TO before running the TO because of the defensive alignment...this TO CPJ!

 

[Dottie1145]

TO called a TO before running the TO because of the defensive alignment...this TO CPJ!

I’m pretty sure I now know what an aneurism feels like.

 

[GTRambler]

Interesting thread and “analyses” from everyone in this discussion.

However, I wonder if quite a number of folks discount the fact that Bud Foster has a bunch of inexperienced freshmen and sophomores making up his two-deep defensive team roster this year.

If I’m not mistaken, 19 of the 22 on his defensive two-deep roster were freshmen and sophomores. They got blocked well enough by our offensive linemen, backs, and WRs to consistently keep giving up chunks of yardage on play after play.

In short, they simply lost the battle in the trenches and got their “tails whipped,” as Coach Foster admitted in his post-game comments.

That’s all I need to know, guys.

 

[whitegoldsphinx]

Nope. They assign the DE to take the QB. I’m talking about another LB ligned up with the other two with one job. Go where the QB goes regardless of who gets the ball. Watch the old NFL films on the way they adjusted to Vick and Kaperduche.

You're thinking of using a spy for a QB that likes to run after dropping back to pass. There really can't be a spy on a running play against our offense because it hits so quickly and the spy would be fighting off blocks every play. Also would potentially be a guy to be optioned out of the play.

 

[BonafideJacket]

- He has a strong body, and I think CPJ sees his success in practice with this basic part of the offense. Also, I don't think he wants Taquan running the ball this much, as his fragile body would not hold up. Totally guesses, as I have no inside information.....

This reminds of CPJ's one-line response to a post-game question regarding Tobias' workload - "Ball's not heavy."

 

[steebu]

Why do you think Bud Foster didn’t play like this?
I don’t believe that he isn’t capable of seeing what was happening or making the adjustment.
I think its because it would make the defense too exposed to the dive and midline.
/

This is just game planning by CPJ. Watch GT-VT 2017 and 2016. Bud's experienced D was cheating the tail motion, meaning, when an A-Back starts moving the two safeties start shifting their feet towards the direction of the tail motion. CPJ would run counters and the trap making them pay for cheating the motion. @Longestday has a video where we run the trap, and everyone cheats so hard it creates a gap wide enough for anyone on this board to run for a 10-yard gain. Marcus Marshall's game-sealing TD in 2016 was on a trap play where the safety cheated the tail motion so hard there was no left to tackle Marcus. And last year we trapped and countered them to death as well.

Bud probably thought, "Well, shoot, I got a bunch of kiddies in diapers and I sure as heck ain't gonna get burned by that tail motion counter crap, so I'm gonna have my safeties stay put." Watch their safeties when we are in a balanced formation (Spread or Double Flex): they don't budge an inch.

So Bud's thinking, "I ain't gettin' burned by counters or the trap so we ain't cheating' the tail motion."
CPJ's thinking, "I know you don't wanna get burned by that so Imma run QB sweep down your throat because your safeties not rotating pre-snap gives me a numbers advantage."

And guess what? I think we ran the trap once and the counter maybe 3 or 4 times. It's almost like CPJ was saying, "Hey, I might run this at you some more, so don't you dare cheat the tail motion and get burned!" And it worked to perfection.