Favorable matchups

I just don’t see David Stern letting a team from Joad present the Lakers with any real problems but I will watch KD.

Clearly Scipio has been slacking on the MMA front. He knows how much I like BJ Penn.

Nickel -
 
Good stuff.
 
Also, I’m going to need someone to show me the difference between the inside zone and the zone-read other than the quarterback read part, it’s zone blocking for the running back either way. The backside threat makes all the difference, I don’t think the blocking assignments change.
 
You’re right. The difference is mainly the numbers game and how the backside threat impacts the decisiveness of all of the defenders.
 
When you leave the backside DE completely unblocked in a zone read, you gain an extra blocker. You also have a backside LB who can’t commit right away to pursuit. Backside pursuit dries up. Killing backside pursuit is what makes all zone schemes go.
 
Your OL is also firing out with intent because the line rules become impossibly simple. They’ve got even numbers playside – now it’s just body on body. If they can get on the defenders inside shoulder and control them by using their momentum against them, the RB will cut upfield. If the defenders are cautious and play it straight, you can get a reach block and it ends up looking sweep-ish. Either way you’re firing out with aggression and you’re not half as worried about passing defenders from one guy to another with blended techniques.
 
The timing also has a built-in delay that allows your OL to acquire a defender – the QB/RB mesh point delay as he reads the DE helps keep pace.
 
The key to the inside zone is making it look like an outside zone, but you’re still trying to pass defenders from one guy to another moving laterally, and now you’re a man down. The nice thing about the inside zone is that against many fronts, it can basically just become a power play. However, your uncovered OL are working to get involved in the play since the defenders all have an angle on them. They need the man next to them to pass them off. The defenders don’t have to accept your OLs reach block. It’s worth noting that Denver also cut any defender who sprinted to playside in the back of the knee. That will make a guy hesitate and give you a shot at reaching.
 
There is absolutely nothing wrong with zone blocking. What is wrong is how little time we spent on it. It’s a massive time commitment to commit to the zone running game because the OL, RBs, and QB have to work in perfect concert. It’s a Bollywood dance sequence. You also have to install counters to exploit the defense’s overreaction.
 
The zone read, on the other hand, can be installed in two days and tweaked easily – the defensive front is rendered irrelevant, and blocking rules are always the same. Even numbers means easy execution. Simple + confident = aggressive.

Great explanation Scipio, thanks I’m sure everyone on the site will benefit from that fleshing out of Texas shotgun running history.

Texas the last few years has still left the defensive end unblocked for the inside zone but he just crashed everytime and murdered the cutback lane while the playside defensive tackle/mike blew up the “designed” direction. Either the tackle was passed off late and the linebacker had momentum to crash into the playside guard or the tackle was pass off poorly and penetrated into the backfield.

I can’t understand why Davis didn’t at least expand the use of the pin and pull stretch or add a draw or heavier use of the counter when it became clear the inside zone was a toothless base play. I know he has explained that draws or screens take practice time away from something else but they were clearly the missing piece of the puzzle in some of the offenses’ worst performances. If not for Muschamp there wouldn’t be this 26-2 record to cover up such an obvious oversight.

I hope this fight is as entertaining as Silva’s last one. We were laughing almost from the start at how he was just fucking with Griffin. I’m not sure it’s possible to embarrass another fighter more than he did. Dropped his hands because Griffin wasn’t quick enough to hit him and then knocked him out while taking a step backwards.

I saw an interview with Coach K late in the recent tournament. He acknowledged this year’s Duke team wasn’t as talented or athletic as some of his previous teams. He went on to say HE had to adapt schemes to maximize this team’s strengths and minimize its weaknesses. Amazing … a coach … coaching.

The question in my mind is whether Barnes could ever be that flexible. I used to think so … not so much now. I’ve also changed my mind on the real value of “one (or two) and done” players and whether they can win a championship. Don’t think so.

Most one back zone teams don’t block the backside end unless the numbers or alignment make it easy (two back zone runs use the FB to seal the backside). Under center teams rely on a bootleg to control that guy. We never did that so the backside end could crash without penalty. When we did boot off of it Colt usually got a lot of room to work.

Part of Bob Stoops’ defensive philosophy is something he got from Bill Snyder and something I strongly agree with. He wants to stop the base plays. The thinking is that while the change up may fool you, nobody will run it enough to beat you. Just run it down and keep playing defense.

Davis changes as little as possible. He’s stated this publicly at a coaching conference in 2007. He said, as part of his dogma, that he tries to “change as little as possible.” (he also told a story about one of his assistants here (didn’t say who) that told him that he “takes all the fun out of playcalling.”)

 So we run the same stuff over and over, and even when we do pull a rabbit out of the hat it’s good for a first down, maybe, but not a sustained drive. It’s not that we don’t have counters, it’s that we use them poorly.

This coming season I see being a little bit better because our change up is now a home run threat. Our base will be a varied run attack (although I still see formation tendencies being an issue) with a passing attack that can hit more parts of the field than last year. Our playaction should be deadly and good for points instead of a new set of downs.

I’d have to watch the spring game again but I don’t remember seeing any new schemes. We’re still a zone team. We showed a BOSS play where the FB helps strong side instead of sealing backside but it was still zone rules far as I could tell.

The real questions will be 1. are we sound and 2. are we varied? It’s sad that we have to ask that of a 30 year vet who makes a million bucks a year but there you have it.

There’s a reason why just about every team has zone blocking somewhere in their offense…it’s the perfect play. In theory, it can handle whatever the defense throws at you. Stunts, angles, twists, LB shooting gaps can all be handled by zone principles. DLine movement can bust the rules of other blocking schemes.

Inside Zone has been apart of our offense since Day 1 of the Mack Brown era. Originally, it came in the form of a pro set and we probably averaged running it 2-4 times a game early on. When just about everyone in the country went Shot-Gun, 1 back run game options became limited, so the Zone Read evolved as the featured run option.

We just happened along the way to find the perfect personnel in the backfield. Vince Young needs no further explanation. Jamal Charles was the ideal back because of his speed. It is correct that Inside and Outside Zone must compliment each other. From the offset back position, he could threaten the outside of the field. Without a RB with world-class speed, the defense knows they don’t have to over-pursue.

Finally, more often than not, Inside Zone turns into a cutback play. This means how you handle the backside is critical. There are some differences in the timing and angles of shotgun inside zone and under the center inside zone. Inside zone from under the center is a cleaner play, because the RB can press the the playside quicker, the OL can be more aggressive in double teaming down linemen, and backside cut blocks are more effective. Also, when the QB is under center (2 back), the defense has to be conscious of the QB bootleg run/pass option. This threat helps keep the backside LB(s) honest and potentially blocked or distracted.

Great Football and Basketball stuff Nickel and Scipio and CA.

VirginiaLonghorn makes a great point about Coach K adapting to fit his personnel. Here’s basically what he did on both offense and defense. It will go down as one of the greatest coaching jobs in the history of the tournament.

http://marchtomarch.fantake.com/2010/02/15/bedeviling-without-a-point-guard/

http://marchtomarch.fantake.com/2010/02/08/duke-basketball-the-devil-you-know/

UFC 112 is going to be a good PPV but for reasons that aren’t listed. The matchups are meh. Silva will destroy everything in his path until he cuts down to Welterweight size and face GSP. Gracie cannot and will not have a chance against Hughes and no one is taking Penn down at 155.

I agree on point with everything you state, but the reason this PPV is going to be huge is that the fight is in Abu Dhabi, UAE. State of the art arena. I’m pissed to have to miss the bouts tonight.

Kriess -
 
Bouts already happened, man.
 
Penn lost to Frankie Edgar.
 
Silva won in disinterested fashion.
 
Huges took apart Renzo.

Yeah I just found that out.
Apparently, Abu Dhabi is like….in another country, man. Weird. I’m just going to go back to work…nothing to see here folks.

Lackluster fights tonight. Outdoor fights in the desert are probably a bad idea. The last two fights might as well have been on dancing with the stars. Thoughts on potential GSP vs. Silva fight? It will be fun watching GSP try to get him on the ground.

After watching it 9 hours after the fight happened….

My Lord! Awful display from Silva. He should have destroyed Maia, but actually let it go 5 rounds while taunting and completely disrespecting the BJJ fighter. Dana is pissed and embarrassed by it, and I wouldn’t be surprised to not see GSP vs Spider any time soon. Joe Silva needs to find someone who will Riverdance on Anderson’s face after that poor display. Give him the loser of Shogun vs Machida, or even a heavyweight like Cain Velasquez. Teach him a lesson. I have lost ALOT of respect for the so called best p4p fighter in MMA.

As for the Edgar-Penn fight. Another judged decision that dropped the ball. Its conceivable that Edgar won the bout, but from what I scored it wasnt a blow-out like the judges had put down. 50-45? 49-46? What fight did they see? Penn easily won 3/5 rounds, 1 being a draw, the other going to Edgar…yet they score the bout 50-45 for Edgar? Wow. I’ll acknowledge I’m not a licensed judge but what were these guys smoking? I’ll give them this…BJ Penn didn’t bring his “A” game, and he didn’t fight well enough to win, but neither did Edgar.

Hughes-Gracie: Meh. Two has-beens throwing it down. At least this didnt go to decision. Hughes won by TKO 4:40 of the 3rd round.

This was a very very bad 1st impression for UFC in Abu Dhabi for the 1st time. Fans were booing Anderson Silva from the get-go of the 2nd round. Twas sad to watch. To hit on the possibility of GSP and Silva bout. Who REALLY wants to see that fight? Who cares about who is the best p4p fighter in the UFC? My take on the best p4p guy is either Machida or Fedor. Dana White is going to put GSP-Silva bout on the backburner because that fight would be very disappointing to fans who want to see fighters finish fights. Both will dance around the cage, GSP will shoot for takedowns, Silva will counter the takedown…nothing else will happen.

A better matchup would be Jon Jones vs GSP bout at 185, and a Shogun vs Silva bout at 195. Thats what I’m looking to see Dana do, if Machida beats Shogun again (not even close to being a guarantee). GSP and Silva own their respective classes. Get them out of their comfort zone, and make them fight again.

Sherdog scored the fight http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/UFC-112-Results-amp-Live-Play-by-Play-23744 live for Penn.
 
Jordan Breen(49-47 Penn)
Greg Savage(48-47 Penn)
Mike Fridley(49-46 Penn)

I think Frankie Edgar controlled the fight even if he couldn’t and didn’t do any real damage to Penn. BJ didn’t look like he knew how to attack Edgar when his boxing couldn’t land the kill shot he had obviously planned on winning through.
Anderson Silva had no good strategy for KO/submitting Maia either, save for trying to lure him into an attack that exposed him to a finishing punch or leg kick.
Silva is one of the fastest fighters in the world and a fantastic knockout guy but I’m not sure how he handles GSP. St. Pierre will certainly break down his strikes and take him down.

Machida I’m fairly sure would handle him at the next weight class up as he is another counter-puncher who has a lot more power and varied game.

OrangeTree: good thoughts on the inside zone run from under center vs. in the shotgun. You could see with Texas the last few years how quickly they would engage into the 2nd level forgetting the typical maxim of the zone that “linebackers make tackles for no gain, linemen make tackles for loss” and failing to really combo-block the tackles effectively.

i’m not an expert on the blocking schemes, but i believe what C.AW said about g.davis not wanting to change. i think with Colt playing four years, we were going to keep the system he originally played with. now other offenses are moving to the spread and the zone, or whatever it was we ran, it’s time to change. that’s where Mack is a smart coach. we’ll be ahead of the curve before the curve. power running will never go away. and as i’ve stated before, McWhorter will be lauded again as the fantastic coach he is, and we’ll be in the top 5 or 10 in scoring just like we are every year. g.davis actually throws numbers on the board and wins games. a lot of both. that cannot be argued.

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