New offensive wrinkles vs. FAU
We know what a Greg Davis offense looks like. We know what a Greg Davis + Mack Brown offense looks like. But what does Major bring, aside from a churlish, shit-eating grin?
The Q package got a lot of attention, so let’s start there.
Triple Option
I’ve been begging for this. It’s an easy adjustment that instantly spreads out the defense. This play went to the RB, and it looked like it was designed that way, but just the appearance of the action gives DCs a headache. It also bucks our trend of designing packages for players and announcing to the world that they will get the ball. Tony Jeffery weeps.
Quick Screen
This is another thing I’d like to see more of, and not just to Chiles. You can tell it’s a designed screen because the WRs don’t even pretend to run a route. Let’s put our athletes vs. their athletes in the open field and see what happens. Of course, we’ll probably start throwing these to Luke Tiemann.
Counter Read
I don’t know what this play is called, honestly, but it represents a huge step forward for our offense. I mentioned it briefly in the review of the spring game, and less briefly in the masturbatory “How I’d Do Things” post above if you’re interested in the play itself.
The problem with our offense has been predictability, but not before the snap. We have so few formations that it’s hard to tell what we’ll be doing. The problem is once the ball is snapped it is glaringly obvious where the ball is, and we don’t counter it well enough to make the defense care. That’s why successful teams have RBs slashing through spread out, confused defenses, and why we keep butting heads with perfectly aligned, grouped defenses.
Now we’ve started adding in false keys, meaning the defense won’t know where to run all the time. The backside help will have to stay backside, the rest of the front can’t crash to one side, and our skill players will find themselves only needing to make one guy miss instead of three.
Quick Screen w/ pull
This is a great example of how easy it is to go from 3 yards gains to 8 yard gains with almost no effort. To the layman, it looks like Cosby shook off a LB and got a few extra yards because of it. But watch the LG. Watch what effect that has on the OLB that ends up missing the diving arm tackle. See how little things can make such a difference? Greg Davis can fool people into thinking he’s competent because, allegedly, he can sit down and talk basic strategy like nobody’s business. But it’s not basic strategy that’s been hurting us. Everybody does the big things, champions do the little things. We saw more little things in the first quarter than we did all last year.
Ace Zone Read
This is another thing I’ve been after since Vince left — two tight ends (also in the links above. I think Major reads this site). Vince gave us the luxury of making the defense add another run defender in the box even if we were in 3-4 WR formations. Colt can’t do that, not against anyone good anyway, so we need to put another blocker in there for him. We can avoid clutter by making that blocker a TE, who is a much more effective receiving threat than a RB or FB.
Colt made some nifty moves on the play, but they don’t work if our OL and TEs aren’t going 7 on 7 and giving him room to operate.
On the last drive of the quarter we put in Chiles and did nothing of note. We did run a little shotgun screen but we started doing that last year. It’s still nice to see, even if it didn’t work. After that drive we shut it down and reverted to the 2006-2007 offense and we got 2006-2007 production.
A couple more things of note that aren’t technically new wrinkles — we passed out of the goalline formation once for a TD, something we need to see a lot more of. The second was Colt’s willingness to not force passes and use his checkdown guys instead of scrambling. We need Colt to stay in place and let the runners run, plus eventually it’ll open up more intermediate routes. If he plays like that all year we are going to be really good.
The first test has been aced. The second will be to see if this stuff sticks against OU and Missouri, etc.
September 2, 2008 at 8:45 am
Wait, we like the bubble screen now? How times have changed.
September 2, 2008 at 8:58 am
If a play where the quarterback can keep the ball or pitch to the RB is called an “option”, shouldn’t a play where the quarterback can hand-off, keep the ball, or pitch to the RB be called a “double option”? Or should the former be a “double option”?
Fuck it, time to masturbate to cheerbabes, haikus, and unfounded political biases.
September 2, 2008 at 9:06 am
It’s like when announcers call an end around a reverse. You just made me hate myself.
September 2, 2008 at 9:06 am
Oh wait, I get it, it was satire. Well done.
September 2, 2008 at 9:21 am
I liked the play we ran on first and goal before we scored to make it 21-3. We ran a swing pass to Ogbonnaya on the right that was stopped after a two yard gain. But on the other side we had run a slip screen to Shipley. If McCoy had thrown to him, he would have scored.
September 2, 2008 at 9:40 am
Good catch on the LG pull run action on the pass.
September 2, 2008 at 11:12 am
Luke Tiemann drives a scooter
September 2, 2008 at 12:35 pm
It doesn’t appear as if Alabama will miss Major Applewhite one bit. It is amazing how good Bama looked with a lot of freshmen and sophomores in the starting lineup. A certain coach has a history of not wanting to play youngsters because of potential mistakes and not knowing the system. Saban doesn’t make excuses he just gets his guys ready to play. I also love Saban’s intensity level.
September 2, 2008 at 2:28 pm
Triple Option example:
The movement of the left WR (Chiles) into the backfield does not actually spread the D. The D’s response was for the right CB to move toward the center of the field, where he was in perfect position to clog up the play.
It would have been better to just send the left WR downfield, dragging the right CB with him and out of the play. Alternatively, maybe he could have continued his motion to the other side of the field.
Quick Screen example:
The thing I like about this screen is that the receiver is:
1) moving when he gets the ball
2) the direction of the movement is mostly downfield
3) the receiver is an explosive athlete who runs a sub 4.4 40.
I would love to see more of this, i.e. just throw a short pass to an explosive athlete on the move who will have to be tackled in space.
One implication of this is that instead of having 3 WRs who are optimized for the intermediate passing game (i.e. good route runners with really good hands who are not necessarily explosive), you might instead replace one of those guys with a TB type who can catch OK, is not that great at running routes but can explode after he catches the short pass (and he can also participate productively in the running game).
The short passing game is a great option when the OL is having a tough time protecting the QB.
Counter Read example:
Cool example. I don’t know what to call the play either (it is obviously not a counter, right?). It is cool that the LG and LT both act as if they are blocking to the right and the DL falls for it completely.
Quick Screen with Pull example:
Another cool example. It illustrates that one nice thing about screens is that, because the receiver is behind the line of scrimmage, it is OK for the OL to block as if it were a run (making deception that much easier).
ACE Zone Read example:
Yes, 2 TEs can balance the D but a FB can do the same thing. The advantage of the 2nd TE over a FB (in this case we are talking about Greg Smith (not Blaine Irby, the 1st TE) vs. Cody Johnson) is not so much that he is a better receiver but that he is a better blocker. The TE probably catches better than a FB but his YAC is probably a lot worse. The FB is probably just going to catch a short dump pass, so he does not need to be a great receiver.
The advantage of the FB (especially in this case) is that he is faster, can be moved around much more flexibly (to pick up a blitzer, for example), is a second running threat, and is much more likely to get good yards after catch. It is much easier to staff for a second tight end (just convert your OL guy with the best hands and, voila, you have your 2nd TE) than FB but if you have a good FB, he can make it easier for your O to present multiple looks with the same personnel.
September 2, 2008 at 5:03 pm
“Churlish” is right for the Major.
I based the Reeve on him.
September 2, 2008 at 5:29 pm
Groundhog day, it must seem like groundhog day to you, but we have discussed this before here that Mack is coming around on the youngsters playing early. Hell, he said in preseason that he hopes no one redshirts.
And if you missed it, 18 freshman and redshirt freshman played in the game on Saturday night.
September 2, 2008 at 6:15 pm
Bragg,
Just pointing out Saban’s strengths. He gets guys ready to play. I must say though that the hiring of Muschamp was the greatest thing Mack has done since signing VY. We actually have someone on staff who can teach and coach the fundamentals of football and harness talent.
Last year was the biggest joke in terms of personnel decisions, player development, and coaching that these eyes have ever seen.
September 2, 2008 at 7:13 pm
“It doesn’t appear as if Alabama will miss Major Applewhite one bit.”
UT would.
September 2, 2008 at 8:03 pm
What does that say about the rest of our current staff and the ability to replace a running backs coach?
September 4, 2008 at 7:15 am
Re: the Triple Option
Davis is now taking plays from A&M?
Re: the screen with pull:
But, but, dedfischer et al. ASSURED me that guards don’t lie, that LBs can always follow guards to where the play is going to be.
I doubt they use any of this against OU.
September 4, 2008 at 7:44 am
Just makes me wonder what the hell have we doing since VY left? Treading water and going nowhere. If next year is the year and I hope it is who’s to say Florida, USC, UGA, OU, tOSU won’t be ready for a run as well? These plays are nice wrinkle (again why have we waited unitll now two years later) but the talent advantage we had with Roy and co is gone. I know, we didn’t win with them either. So why is this going to be any different? I am willing to bet Greg goes into hidding again for OU I have seen it too many times to be fooled.
Or maybe Im still bitter that my date and I couldn’t find a cab after the game and walked all the way to Austin Land & Cattle. And yes driving was completely out of the question, I could not operate heavy machinery after that 6 pm kickoff.