1. Bench Tyrone Swoopes and start Jerrod Heard
Obviously, this is the first step toward making any sort of progress on offense. After 13 games, Swoopes is 5-8 as a starter and has had more than enough time at such a major program to prove himself as being the guy who takes us back to the top, a capable starter, or at least a stop gap while wait for our savior. He isn't any of those things. As of now, he is a below average player with no confidence in himself or his play. That was evident during our stomping at the hands of a Jaylon Smith led Notre Dame defense where Swoopes didn't commit any turnovers, his attitude remained the same. After 3-and-outs, he would just look depressed. Coach Strong and Watson were telling us all offseason how much he had changed, and those lies unraveled rather quickly last Saturday. To be honest, I'm not sure how the hell the coaches were fooled by Swoopes. Maybe he's just one of those guys that can look like Tom F'ing Brady in a controlled setting, but in reality he is just Ryan Leaf. I fear that if he came out as the starter against Rice and he doesn't produce, the crowd would quickly boo him and that could lead to a lot of fans turning even faster on Coach Strong.
On the other hand however, Heard might be one of those guys who looks average in practice, but when he steps on the field, the gamer in him takes over and his play elevates. At least that's what all of us are hoping for. There isn't any tape on Heard available to truly have a grasp of his current abilities, but what we do know is that the guy was a 2-time state champion and had back-to-back season where he passed and ran for over 2,000 yards. There aren't many players who can say they have done that. Yea, I know, it's high school ball. He hasn't done anything since, besides make splash plays in practice due to his scrambling talent according to reports. However, he has been able to generate an enormous hype train over the past 3 years. Some of it was deserved, as he earned praise for his performance at the Elite 11 camp from former NFL QB and Super Bowl Champion Trent Dilfer, who even went as far to say that Heard could be a Heisman Trophy contender one day. The rest of it can be attributed to the fact that we haven't had consistently good QB play since 2009. From watching Garret Gilbert crumble at DKR against BYU in 2011, to watching Swoopes play like a deer in the headlights in his last 3 games, Horns fans are desperate for a quarterback who can take the program out of the pit it has fallen into and back to glory days of the early 2000s. Maybe Heard can be that guy, or maybe he won't. We would never have found out if Strong hadn't decided to take away Coach Watson's playcalling duties in hopes of bringing about a quick turnaround so early in the season. I can guarantee you that Jerrod Heard won't blow you away as a passer. His arm strength isn't elite, or even good by any means, but it is at least worthy of being a starting D1 quarterback. His accuracy is shaky, and his throwing motion isn't as compact as you would like, but he has the talent to be an elite running QB provided the offensive system he plays in is built around his skill set.
2. Simplify The Passing Game
Shawn Watson was in love with those 5 and 7-step dropback passes. Thankfully, he isn't calling the shots anymore. Coach Norvell should look to scrap most if not all of those play calls, especially if it involves Heard starting under center and performing a play action. I don't want my young and inexperienced QB turning his head against defenses and having to turn his body and break down the opposing defense in a really fast manner. I want him to be able to play and make his reads as fast as possible, that way if nothing is there, he can tuck it and run. Norvell should look to bring back that quick passing game that made Swoopes look like he can be decent from the UCLA and BYU games last year. Quick passes usually require precise throws, and I am pretty sure coach is well aware that Heard isn't a good thrower of the football, but he isn't going to have much time behind this offensive line. I would also look to have several sprint-outs to provide easy high-middle-low and high-low reads. Get him moving him already, so that way the offensive line can deal with pass rushers easier and if nothing is available downfield, Heard can run it and pick up some yards if they are available.
3. Decide Whether We Are a Zone or Gap Scheme
Our current offensive line consists of two young and talented freshman, two underperforming seniors, and a potentially elite guard playing tackle. Clearly, this is not the offensive line of your dreams. Personally, I dream of a Estelle-Perkins-Raulerson-James-Harrison lineup, but, alas, I can only dream. These guys aren't suited for the intricacies of a West Coast running game that features multiple Counter, Power, and Trap schemes out of a large variety of formations to go along with the inside and outside zone schemes Joe Wickline is a master of. Instead, they just need to be able to count how many guys are in the box, who they block and how they block them, and perform as many practice reps as possible on a few running schemes out of a few formations. I didn't like what I saw from our guards in terms of pulling around for blocks last Saturday. Flowers has no idea where he's going as a senior and Vahe still needs to add some strength and mass before he becomes the mauler we all know he can be. With Wickline being to zone schemes what Yoda was to the Jedi Council, I expect our run game to be focused around zone schemes from here on out. It suits our offensive line the best, as it doesn't require the pure strength and bullying attitude that only 1 player on our offensive line possesses. Our guys would just need to get their hands on their man and focus on getting them to move laterally, thus creating some displacement on the interior and edges of the opposing defense.
4. Run Our Runningbacks
Besides Perkins who is a monster when he is at guard, Jonathan Gray might be our best offensive player. Hell, he might actually our best, but he either hasn't been consistent or had his season ruined by injuries. As a sophomore, Gray was finally beginning to live up to his 5-star status until he blew out his Achilles. He spent most of the 2014 season looking a step slow and sluggish until he demolished West Virginia and combined with Malcolm Brown to be a nice 1-2 punch against the Red Raiders. Last Saturday, on the few occasion he got the ball, he averaged 5 yards a carry, totaling 40 yards on 8 carries. Why he didn't receive 20 or more carries that night is beyond me, but with Norvell at the helm, I expect that to change. Behind Gray are 2 or maybe even 3 guys that I am very high on. D'Onta Foreman flashed a lot of ability last year, looking very explosive and possessing good long speed for someone who was projected to end up at linebacker or even fullback when he was coming out of high school. Apparently, he's up to 240 pounds but still timed in a 4.44 second 40 yard dash. I would bet that the number is probably a little off, but then again he timed that same speed at a Rivals football camp, timing even faster than his speed demon of a brother, Armanti. Chris Warren comes in at 3rd on the depth chart, checking in a 6'2 and 240 pounds. His father was a good NFL back for the Seattle Seahawks and definitely installed some skills and pedigree into him. He's built like a truck and is the kind of RB that can just pound a defense into submission. He also possesses quality long speed for a big runningback. He saw time last week against the Irish running the ball twice directly up Connor Williams back. I expect him to improve as the season goes on. Last, but not least, is Kirk Johnson, the son of former Longhorn Legend and NFL DB Johnnie Johnson. He flew under-the -radar during his senior season since he committed to the Longhorns early in the process and shut down his recruitment, but he's definitely a 4 star talent and has some versatility as a receiving back, slot wide receiver, and possibly even safety, which is the position his dad feels is his most natural. There is a lot of unknown at this position, as none of these guys have a large amount of production at this level, but you definitely can't question the talent. I really think Gray could rush for over 1,000 yards this year in a zone-based scheme due to his ability cut and change direction. His vision has never been a weak point in my opinion, so I definitely expect him to be able to plant and go as soon as he sees the hole appear.
5. More RPOs, QB Run Game, and Tempo
Run-Pass-Options have taken over the collegiate offenses and are certainly making their mark in the NFL (check out the Pittsburgh Steelers this past Thursday). RPOs could be have been placed with simplifying the passing game, but I decided to make it separate since it can provide up to 4 plays in one. You can run the ball off the zone read with Heard and Gray, attack the seam or boundary, and get a bubble screen going all at the same time. The linebacker will be in a difficult position as he would have to decide whether or not he wants to attack the run or stay in coverage. Either Gray or Heard will run the ball for a good gain on the ground, or the ball will be thrown right over his head to a TE or slot receiver attacking the seam. If we outnumber the defense along the edge, you would have a quick screen option to Daje Johnson or Armanti Foreman to get some quick yards or possibly make someone miss and take it to the house. These plays are best used with the tempo we showed in the Spring game as it forces the defense to process what is happening and react really fast, thus generating confusion on their side of the ball as they begin to mix up coverage responsibilities.
Heard is very athletic and mobile, so I also expect to see the offense to start to work in some speed option, QB power, and counters. There is no way our offensive staff studied the Ohio State and Auburn offenses and came away with no ideas as to how they can feature a mobile quarterback as the center of the offense.
Finally, the tempo. Jay Norvell was a part of Oklahoma offenses that set national records and really began to bring the spread offense to where it is today. We flashed the ability during the spring to really be committed to the no huddle, averaging about 14 seconds per play. I expect tempo will be a huge part of our offensive game planning from now on as we aren't skilled enough or talented enough to go slow and plod our way downfield.
I would have liked to include some photos and screen caps to provide a better visual on the plays, but I honestly have no idea how. I hope you guys enjoyed. Thanks for reading and Hook'Em Horns!
