VT's TechSideline re: GT Offense

[CuseJacket]

The OP asks for age and opinion on the offense to gauge if there's a generational difference. Whether you agree or disagree with the responses, at least through the first 10 posts it isn't just another "all they do is chop block" or "screw them" thread.

http://bit.ly/11DAXXY

Disclaimer: As always with TechSideline you have to look past the archaic website design.

 

[WreckinGT]

Other teams fans seem to cry about our offense a lot more when we are successful. Id be lying if I said I wasn't enjoying it.

 

[GTech63]

With a QB that can pass it is much more exciting to me than the Pro set. and about the same as the spread option with the QB taking a snap. I played in the single platoon era as to my age.

 

[Madison Grant]

Okay, I'll get this started-
Things That Are Prettier To Look At Than Virginia Tech On Offense:

 

[jeffgt14]

That disclaimer was a good heads up but it doesn’t work. They completely ripped that design from ESPN in 1999.

 

[Yoda]

I'm 37 and find it fun as hell to watch when we have a qb that can run it. There's nothing like watching a death march late in a game or playing keep away. This offense is my favorite offense of all time, yes even more fun to watch than when LilJoe was at the helm. However, I can see where outsiders and casual observers would find it boring in the games we play keep away, win the TOP battle by a large margin, and win 28-17. I like the fact that PJ can dial it up however he sees fit when he figures out how the game is going to be played. Actually fell in love with this O when PJ was at Southern in the late 90's.

 

[jeffgt14]

I like whatever offense puts points on the board for us. I think it’s hard to say I like it better than the Fridge’s offense because Lil’ Joe going deep to Dez White is what made me love this team to begin with. I’m just glad we have an offense that no matter who we have on the field, gives us a competitive advantage against whoever we’re playing. You can’t say that about half the spread offenses around the country. I’m 25 so I don’t really think age has much to do with liking the offense or not.

 

[Yoda]

We just need a Dez White at WR to run 9's all day.

 

[Oldgoldandwhite]

It is amazing, with the stats we have, all of the talking heads act like we do not exist.

 

[GPD]

Seemed pretty reasonable... I think a lot of folks are struggling right now with how to react to us and our offense. Most don't understand it so they just parrot what they hear other people say... (boring, out of style, can't recruit for it, can't beat athletic defenses, on and on)

Now that the worn out cliches have been mostly been proven false, they are waiting for someone to set the new trend of what to say about us...
Just casual observation shows a lot of folks shifting towards "I'm starting to like it" "Can't argue with results" "It's exciting with a QB like they have" etc

As soon as somebody on ESPN says "It's cool" then watch what happens... the whole dialogue will shift and we will be the trendy new toy and other fans will start saying "Why couldn't we try that, with OUR athletes we would be unstoppable" hahaha

That's my official prediction

 

[elwoodgt]

I actually thought a poster on TigerNet captured it well last week, in their weeping following their beatdown on the Flats.

"The problem," he wrote, "is that their offense doesn't depend on a superstar at any one position."

And that's why the talking heads and casual fans say it's boring. Because it depends on timing and execution, and not individual athletic performance, it's hard to anticipate who the "star" is going to be. For Tech fans, of course, this is not a bug, but a feature...

 

[ATL1]

"The problem," he wrote, "is that their offense doesn't depend on a superstar at any one position."
Personally I think this is Overstating, well just not true. This offense needs players just like any other.

To my friends of other teams (even some GT fans/alum) they find the offense plodding especially Death March mode. I'd like to see more passing and gun plays but more importantly win.

 

[jeffgt14]

"The problem," he wrote, "is that their offense doesn't depend on a superstar at any one position."
Personally I think this is Overstating, well just not true. This offense needs players just like any other.

To my friends of other teams (even some GT fans/alum) they find the offense plodding especially Death March mode. I'd like to see more passing and gun plays but more importantly win.

The thing about the death marches is you really have to understand our offense to enjoy them. I thought the Miami game was the best offensive performance all year and I’m sure it was boring for any casual observer to watch but I loved it. I went to the UVA game this year with a Tennessee fan and an LSU fan and when they were helping me remember what happened in the 2nd half they told me I kept getting so excited every time we gained 5 yards. Nobody else gets excited about a simple 5 yard gain but we do because that’s the backbone of our offense to just wear the other team down.

 

[thwgjacket]

Aren't TD's what everybody gets excited about? Don't we have more of those than anyone in the conference? Big plays? Pretty sure we've led the country in big plays the last few years.
Offenses like UNC's and Clemson's bore me. What do their fans say? "Sweet bro, another screen."
The only reason VT's offense is fun to watch is because once the ball is snapped crazy nonsense ensues.

 

[Animal02]

The thing about the death marches is you really have to understand our offense to enjoy them. I thought the Miami game was the best offensive performance all year and I’m sure it was boring for any casual observer to watch but I loved it. I went to the UVA game this year with a Tennessee fan and an LSU fan and when they were helping me remember what happened in the 2nd half they told me I kept getting so excited every time we gained 5 yards. Nobody else gets excited about a simple 5 yard gain but we do because that’s the backbone of our offense to just wear the other team down.

I love it when the play by play guys will say....."he got stopped for only a three yard gain (on first down) while I am thinking.....great play.....do it two more times..
People think the O is boring because to the uneducated.....we only run a handful of plays and the passes are only wheel routes and broken patterns. They don't see the nuances of the blocking schemes, the counters, and attacking individual defensive players tendencies. Like the Perkins TD against Pitt, where they caught the LB moving with the flow. I love the way CPJ has it all in his head and makes the adjustments in rel time.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

I do really enjoy and love this offense. I don't care what the Tech coach decides to run in principle however, as I am a fan of the program first and foremost and just want to see success.

However, for me the appeal of this offense in comparison to any other is very basic and simple. I cannot stand watching a running back run 8 yards or more to gain 3. I love the dive, snapped from under center, with OL staying low and just smashing out to shift the line of scrimmage 3 yards every play. When a play looks to get blown up and the bodies clear and there is our BB 3 or 4 yards down field (and on a "really" bad play 2 yards further downfield) then it makes me very very happy. In this offense a "bad" play is just so much more often actually a net positive gain in yardage or simply no yardage rather than losing 3-5 yards.

In a similar fashion it pains me to no end to watch 95% of teams in college or NFL get to 1st and goal at the 3 yard line and then everyone on the field just stacks up in the middle and you watch a running back get handed the ball at the 8 yard line and then run straight into a mound of bodies and try and push forward to the goal line. And then the teams repeat that same b.s. on 2nd and 3rd down . . . and sometimes on 4th down even and get stopped each time!!! The really "creative" teams throw to the corner of the endzone once and run up the middle twice and then kick a FG . . . or a seriously pass heavy team may throw twice. But all that just pains me to watch. I find it really troubling to not be able to have an arsenal of plays at your disposal to run a ball in for a touchdown, basically with ease, in short yardage goal line situations.

To my way of thinking the game of football at its core is akin to trench warfare, it is about imposing your will at the point of attack and shifting the line of scrimmage and this particular offensive system takes that idea very seriously and in fact is better at establishing that as its foundation than all of the so-called "pro" style offenses that like to claim to be premised on "smash mouth football" and an "imposing running game." They all say they want to "run it right at you" but then they line up way in the backfield and hand the ball off to a guy who wants to dance and tiptoe around from 8 yards back. No wonder Herschel took all those ballet classes.

 

[B Lifsey]

To me, it's like watching NASCAR. You have to understand the strategies of pit stops, restarts, drafting, etc. otherwise it's just cars going round and round making left hand turns.

 

[takethepoints]

I have just one more thing to add.

I watched Ugag play Awbun a couple of weeks ago. I was surprised how much time it took even a simple dive to develop for both teams, but especially for Auburn. Their "hurry-up" O usually took as much time to get a play run as ours does with Coach sending in the plays. And the plays themselves looked painfully slow compared to what we do these days.

That's the difference that JT brings to our O. We are running the thing as fast as Navy did when when Kaipo was there. It's downright scary to watch how quickly the reads are being made and how fast the plays are run. It warms the cockles of my heart to watch it.

 

[Animal02]

I have just one more thing to add.

I watched Ugag play Awbun a couple of weeks ago. I was surprised how much time it took even a simple dive to develop for both teams, but especially for Auburn. Their "hurry-up" O usually took as much time to get a play run as ours does with Coach sending in the plays. And the plays themselves looked painfully slow compared to what we do these days.

That's the difference that JT brings to our O. We are running the thing as fast as Navy did when when Kaipo was there. It's downright scary to watch how quickly the reads are being made and how fast the plays are run. It warms the cockles of my heart to watch it.

Watching JT run this offense is a thing of beauty. He understands it, trusts it, and is smart. And on top of that we have a back up QB that can step in and run it seamlessly.

 

[Oldgoldandwhite]

I have just one more thing to add.

I watched Ugag play Awbun a couple of weeks ago. I was surprised how much time it took even a simple dive to develop for both teams, but especially for Auburn. Their "hurry-up" O usually took as much time to get a play run as ours does with Coach sending in the plays. And the plays themselves looked painfully slow compared to what we do these days..

I think Ugag had their signals. Remember Pruitt had 6 or 7 weeks to prepare for Auburn last year when he was at FSU. I agree though, Auburn is not fun to watch if the running game is stopped.