The Spread

#1
LocoVol

LocoVol

Shiny Red Trucker
Joined
Oct 25, 2007
Messages
3,564
Likes
1,067
#1
I have seen this talked about a few times and some are worried about it. I posted this in another thread and thought after it might help ease some minds so here is a repost
----------------------------------------------------
I laugh at people who say "the spread" like its doomed to fail. It works, has worked and will work. Does not mean its pass happy or soft in its nature. It all will come down to recruiting just like any other offense. Maybe this will help explain it more.

Average Per Rush 2012 6.1 oregon, 2012 5.2 cinci, 5.3 2007 gators, 5.6 2009 gators

"What people don't know is that many high school and collegiate teams use the spread to run the ball. Why? Spreading people out with 4 receivers makes defenses "show their cards" so to speak. A defense can line up only so many ways to defend the spread. They will either maximize their coverage, which will allow less players to stop the run or maximize the box, which will minimize their pass coverage."

One about Chip Kelly
“We spread the defense so they will declare their defensive look for the offensive linemen,” Kelly explained at that same clinic. “The more offensive personnel we put in the box, the more defenders the defense will put in there, and it becomes a cluttered mess.” Twenty years ago, Kelly’s high school coach ran the unbalanced, two–tight end power-I, so he could execute old-school, fundamental football and run the ball down his opponent’s throat. Today, Kelly spreads the defense and operates out of an up-tempo no-huddle so he can do the exact same thing.

Time will undoubtedly tell whether Kelly’s offense can work in the NFL, but my vote is that it will. It would require Kelly finding the right players, but a Chip Kelly–coached NFL team would win for the same reasons that the Chip Kelly–coached college team wins. Behind the speed, the spread, the Daft Punk helmets, and the flashy uniforms, Oregon ultimately wins with old-fashioned, fundamental, run-it-up-the-gut football. I think everyone, even fans of the spread offense, can appreciate that.
 
#2
#2
Kelly's offense struggles against d lines that are physical and tackle well in space like Stanford. That describes every defense in the NFL.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person
#3
#3
Funny the Saints won a super bowl with it! Alabamas pro-styleand every other pro-style team fails also then since they lost a game/games.
 
#4
#4
tri_vol said:
Kelly's offense struggles against d lines that are physical and tackle well in space like Stanford. That describes every defense in the NFL.
Click to expand...

Like most prolific offenses, it is the defense that is holding chip back more than the offense. Great defenses will slow down most any offense. Soon these quirky offenses will filter up and get paired with a great defense. It will be unreal when it happens.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 3 people
#6
#6
LocoVol said:
Funny the Saints won a super bowl with it! Alabamas pro-styleand every other pro-style team fails also then since they lost a game/games.
Click to expand...

The Saints don't run an Oregon style spread and its not about losing one game. Oregon historically has trouble with teams that have a strong d line and tackle well in space. Lost 2 years in a row to a less talented Stanford team and destroyed by LSU before that. There is a common thread.
 
#7
#7
StoVol said:
Like most prolific offenses, it is the defense that is holding chip back more than the offense. Great defenses will slow down most any offense. Soon these quirky offenses will filter up and get paired with a great defense. It will be unreal when it happens.
Click to expand...

This might be true. That's why Peyton gave Greg Williams $250k of his own money to shore up the D and win a superbowl.
 
#9
#9
The spread might be perfect for us. What does the spread do? It allows teams with somewhat less talent compete. If we can't go back to the 90s when Bama, UGA and LSU were terrible and we get all their talent. Going to a system that hides some of the talent discrepancy might be the way to go.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person
#10
#10
You have to have speed for it to work... You also have to get the ball into the hands of your playmakers quickly... Lane is not that type of back!
 
#11
#11
MSCE09 said:
The spread might be perfect for us. What does the spread do? It allows teams with somewhat less talent compete. If we can't go back to the 90s when Bama, UGA and LSU were terrible and we get all their talent. Going to a system that hides some of the talent discrepancy might be the way to go.
Click to expand...

Exactly. Admit were less talented rather than going out and recruiting with the big boys.
 
#12
#12
I think it is telling when LSU, yea Chavis, runs nickle almost as his base D anymore! In other words, even teams that dont run spread are using 3 or 4 WRs and spreading the field. Not only does it thin the D, but it also gets mismatches on safetys and lb's to open the passing game.
 
#13
#13
Nashvol2 said:
Exactly. Admit were less talented rather than going out and recruiting with the big boys.
Click to expand...

I'd argue you need superior offensive talent for the spread to work. Oregon has it relative to the rest of the PAC-12. UF had it with Tebow, Harvin and Hernandez...not so much with Brantley and Emmanuel Moody.

Missouri learned this lesson playing in the SEC this past season.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person
#15
#15
Lynx27 said:
You have to have speed for it to work... You also have to get the ball into the hands of your playmakers quickly... Lane is not that type of back!
Click to expand...

The year Florida won the NC with Leak the WR, had more rushing yds than the backs. Later they had Demps and Rainey, but there are ways of running the ball easier when the D has to defend everyone...
 
#17
#17
StoVol said:
Like most prolific offenses, it is the defense that is holding chip back more than the offense. Great defenses will slow down most any offense. Soon these quirky offenses will filter up and get paired with a great defense. It will be unreal when it happens.
Click to expand...
I would take Oregons record the last 3 years over the Vols. The spread must be doing something right. Every team loses a game here and there. The naysayers have nothing to back their opinions with. BJs record speaks for itself. Four championships.
 
#18
#18
The issue with a "spread" is that you have 5 to block 7. The good part is that there are 4 to cover 4. It is a numbers game. If you get the right match-up, you can move the ball. If you don't, you go backwards.
 
#19
#19
#20
#20
darkgable said:
I would take Oregons record the last 3 years over the Vols. The spread must be doing something right. Every team loses a game here and there. The naysayers have nothing to back their opinions with. BJs record speaks for itself. Four championships.
Click to expand...

Oregon has a decided speed advantage compared to every other PAC-12 team not named USC, yet they historically struggle with Stanford, the closest thing to an SEC-style team in the trenches.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person
#21
#21
darkgable said:
I would take Oregons record the last 3 years over the Vols. The spread must be doing something right. Every team loses a game here and there. The naysayers have nothing to back their opinions with. BJs record speaks for itself. Four championships.
Click to expand...

The spread works in college
 
#24
#24
darkgable said:
What's their record. They win games.
Click to expand...

Sure they do...but they've been exposed by the SEC recently.

If you're suggesting UT would be successful running the spread simply because it works for Oregon, you're ignoring some glaring differences in the level of competition.
 
#25
#25
You win championships by having a physical running game on offense and a physical defense that is able to stop the run. If you can run the ball it opens up the play action pass. UT will never win a championship with a finesse gimmick offense.
 
New posts
You must log in or register to reply here.

VN Store



Back
Top