Comments on: It’s The Spread

By: Shanahan

Shanahan — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 04:33:47 +0000

I wouldn’t say invented; I discovered the process of learning things from Bill Walsh. It’s true.

By: ChrisApplewhite

ChrisApplewhite — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 03:08:07 +0000

“texas does not run the spread. texas runs a zone-based running game with a West Coast passing attack; that does not equal spread.”

They run it out of spread sets. That’s all the spread is. It’s about formations and philosophy, not any pre-defined plays.

“What made Meyer a genius and TCU so successful is the fact that they spread out their single wing offense to attack defenses.”

Meyer’s offenses at Bowling Green and Utah had much, much more in common with Air Force and the double wing motion offenses, with a very West Coast offense passing game. He uses what he uses now because Tim Tebow is the only good running back on the whole team. He’s been good about fitting his offense around the talent at QB.

“New England is conclusively proving this season that you can run the spread offense in the NFL.”

. . . if you have Tom Brady. Most teams don’t. Plus, if it doesn’t work, they can just pound the ball on the ground. Most any pass-first team doesn’t have that failsafe.

“Shanahan invented the Shallow Cross series.”

Unless he invented the process of learning things from Bill Walsh, this is not true.

By: Beergut

Beergut — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 10:17:16 +0000

Tech is running a series-based spread with split-T line splits. In philosophy, the Patriots are probably closest to Purdue in what they do.
One of the main series that Tech uses is the Shallow Cross series, a series they got from Mike Shanahan and the Denver Broncos. Shanahan invented the Shallow Cross series.

By: TaylorTRoom

TaylorTRoom — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 06:10:10 +0000

Some good points. TCU and SMU were spread teams in the context of the ’30s and ’40s, but their splits would be nothing special today.

Similarly, OU was running a pass-based spread in ‘99 and ‘00. I give Stoops credit for running the offense he didn’t want to face as a defensive specialist- the spread. I think this offense, and its evolved version at TT are the closest in philosophy to what the Pats are running. I doubt the NFL ever runs the spread option or anythink like it, but I would like to see somebody pick up Pat White to play wingback.

By: Beergut

Beergut — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 21:01:37 +0000

With the exception of TCU and SMU’s time under Matty Bell, single wing teams of that era were just about exclusively tight splits, grind-it-out, football in a phonebooth-type offenses.
What made Meyer a genius and TCU so successful is the fact that they spread out their single wing offense to attack defenses.

texas does not run the spread. texas runs a zone-based running game with a West Coast passing attack; that does not equal spread.

Florida runs a spread single wing attack, with their running game a take off on the old buck lateral single wing offenses.
LSU ran a lot of wing-on in the MNC game, running a whole power series that looked straight out of Florida’s playbook. You could classify them as a spread single wing team, too.

What OU ran in 2000 is nothing like what Florida or LSU ran this past season. What Florida and LSU ran is closer to Meyer’s spread single wing than anything OU has done this decade.

I would classify West Virginia as the definition of a spread option offense, with Illinois and Oregon trying to imitate them. However, WVU does use a TE like a wingback, and they pull their linemen like a single wing team on some series.

I disagree with your contention that Illinois doesn’t have better players than Ohio State, b/c I think superior speed at QB (Williams), RB (Mendenhall), and WR (Benn) are the reason Illinois beat tOSU.
Illinois didn’t win b/c they ran the spread option, they won b/c they simply out-ran tOSU.

New England is conclusively proving this season that you can run the spread offense in the NFL.

By: TaylorTRoom

TaylorTRoom — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 12:48:13 +0000

Anybody watch the NFL playoffs? One of the offenses is not like the others…Sure, the Patriots occasionally line up a lot of blockers to overpower the LOS, but for most downs they spread it out, and occasionally on short yardage, too. The Patriots and the Colts have the most running plays out of the shotgun as well.

The NFL is a copycat league, I’m told. It’s funny to see teams like UCLA, Arkansas and TAMU go after NFL Offensive Coordinators, because they want the NFL offense. I suspect in 2 years the typical NFL offense will resemble what TT runs more than what Dallas or SD ran this year.

By: ChrisApplewhite

ChrisApplewhite — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 01:14:10 +0000

There is only so much speed in the country.

By: echeese

echeese — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 22:44:51 +0000

they won’t let me write for this site

By: SlickStreet

SlickStreet — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 16:39:32 +0000

Chris, besides the possibility of holding being more enforced (doubtful, since most seem to love endless amounts of offense), I think we will start seeing more quick, fast talent brought to the defensive side. More coaches will start putting at least a modest amount of their best athletes on defense; kind of the anti-Mackovic approach. Initially, just a few will, but others will see how comparatively successful at slowing (not stopping) the spread that they’ll emulate.

Then, with smaller, quicker defenders littering the field, the O’s start pounding the hell out of those units with big ol’ burly fullbacks and such.

I could be the “sucker” in the end regarding this though, ha.

By: Ojnab Bob

Ojnab Bob — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 06:29:38 +0000

Exactly, BiggUggly - enforce the 1980 or 1985 holding rules, and Texas Tech’s offense becomes incredibly less successful (there were, after all, good reasons why no one ran those super-wide OL splits back in the day).

I’m sure Mike Leach would be the first to admit this! I’d love to hear his opinion on the whole trend, actually…