I realize it was just the spring game, but ...

[Norm Peterson]

What I could see of the new staff's offense I liked. 

 

Seemed to me the old offense was zone-read heavy.  And Armstrong wasn't always the most adept at picking up the proper read on whether to give or keep.  Just like he wasn't always the most adept at checking down his receivers.

 

With this new offense, you see what look like a lot of the same formations as we used in the Tim Beck Zone Read but now they're used as a platform for different stuff.  On Saturday, the QB wasn't relied upon as a second running back.  His job was to pitch it, pass it, or hand it off and only occasionally to run with it. 

 

I think the Zone Read is actually much more effective when the QB only rarely keeps it and runs the ball.  That might sound counter-intuitive, but let me 'splain.  In the Tim Beck Zone Read, TA receives the snap in the shotgun and either keeps it to run or hands it off to Ameer.  TA is trying to read the DE but the DE is also reading TA.  And the DE knows to wipe out the QB if he keeps it. 

 

In the Mike Riley Zone Read set-up, it was more like TA gets the shotgun snap and hands it off.  Or TA gets the shotgun snap and play-action fakes to the RB, 3-5-step drop, rifle a pass.  So, in the Mike Riley version, you're not expecting the QB to run it.  If he's not handing it off, it's a play-action pass.

 

So, when Zack Darlington tucks it and runs, the defender is keying on the RB and not the QB and the read is much easier for the QB to make because, if it looks like a hand-off, the DE thinks it's going to the RB.  ZD burned our own defense, who should know what our offensive plays look like by now, on just such a zone read.

 

Remember the Nat'l Chap'ship game against Miami and we score twice on fullback traps?  The beauty of that play was that all game long, whenever we ran option, we'd fake a hand-off to the FB and never give it to him.  Gets to a point where the defense is lulled into ignoring the FB.  He's not going to get the ball.  Except when he scores.  If we'd been running fullback traps all game long on what looked like an option to the near sideline, Miami wouldn't have forgotten about Corey Schlesinger on those two crucial 4th quarter runs.

 

Same thing with this zone read.  It's a lot more effective when the defense doesn't expect the QB to keep the ball and run.  Because, again, the QB is supposed to read the DE.  But the DE can also read the QB.  And when the DE knows it's gonna be a run with either the QB keeping or handing it off, you make the DE's job easier.  But when that formation has either resulted in play-action passing or a hand-off to the RB all game long, the DE isn't going to be as in-tune to reading the QB and the QB might be able to break off a long run.  Which is exactly what ZD did just before he scrambled and hit #10 for a long TD reception.

 

I'm not expert on such things, but I think we're going to wind up with some improved completion numbers this year.  This offense seems to be better -- granted we've just seen a scrimmage is all -- at getting the skill guys in positions to make plays.  I'm really hopeful of what this coming football season will bring.  Maybe more than 9 wins? 

[Bugeaters1]

Don't be surprised if they win less than nine.

[atskooc]

Don't be surprised if they win less than nine.

Could be, but I'm excited for the season for the first time in a couple years.

I like what I'm seeing from this staff so far.

[Norm Peterson]

Don't be surprised if they win less than nine.

Fewer, not less.

 

 

Now, step out of the car.  And keep your hands where I can see them.

[atskooc]

 

Don't be surprised if they win less than nine.

Fewer, not less.

 

 

Now, step out of the car.  And keep your hands where I can see them.

 

I almost went there, Norm!

 

Thank you!

 

There's only so much grammar-copping I can do, and I've been doing it a lot on Facebook lately.