Is the pendulum swinging back?

[SWC75]

Sports, especially football tend to be cyclical. teams figure out how to attack existing defensive concepts. Everybody switches over to the new style of offense. Defenses adjust to try to stop that style. Then somebody "reinvents" something they used to do that attacks the weaknesses of the adjusted defenses. The option, (a rugby play) disappears and comes bck. The middle guard/nose tackle disappears and then reappears. The 4-3 becomes the 3-4 and them becomes the 4-3 again. The 53 defense, the 46 defense, the cover 2, then something else.

For several years, the emphasis has been on making the defense cover the whole field with the spread offense. Hit 'em where they ain't. Why can't we have an offense like that in Syracuse? Defenses have responded with an emphasis on speed, disguising coverages, etc. Southern teams have dominated because that's where the speed is.

Then Ohio State bludgeons their way to a national championship with a 250 pound quarterback and a 225 pound running back. Alabama. they were the first northern team to win the title in a dozen years. Alabama had had a reputation for winning championships, the old fashioned way: dominating up front. North Dakota State has had similar success in FCS for the same reason. Whitewater State has done the same in Division III. Now I look at the NFL playoffs and see Marshawn Lynch, Eddie Lacey and LeGarrett Blount pounding away.

I think Ben Schwartzwalder and Woody Hayes would enjoy watching this. Maybe there's hope for old-fashioned football after all. (Until the defenses adjust to it, of course.)

 

[Millhouse]

Sports, especially football tend to be cyclical. teams figure out how to attack existing defensive concepts. Everybody switches over to the new style of offense. Defenses adjust to try to stop that style. Then somebody "reinvents" something they used to do that attacks the weaknesses of the adjusted defenses. The option, (a rugby play) disappears and comes bck. The middle guard/nose tackle disappears and then reappears. The 4-3 becomes the 3-4 and them becomes the 4-3 again. The 53 defense, the 46 defense, the cover 2, then something else.

For several years, the emphasis has been on making the defense cover the whole field with the spread offense. Hit 'em where they ain't. Why can't we have an offense like that in Syracuse? Defenses have responded with an emphasis on speed, disguising coverages, etc. Southern teams have dominated because that's where the speed is.

Then Ohio State bludgeons their way to a national championship with a 250 pound quarterback and a 225 pound running back. Alabama. they were the first northern team to win the title in a dozen years. Alabama had had a reputation for winning championships, the old fashioned way: dominating up front. North Dakota State has had similar success in FCS for the same reason. Whitewater State has done the same in Division III. Now I look at the NFL playoffs and see Marshawn Lynch, Eddie Lacey and LeGarrett Blount pounding away.

I think Ben Schwartzwalder and Woody Hayes would enjoy watching this. Maybe there's hope for old-fashioned football after all. (Until the defenses adjust to it, of course.)

You're acting like spreading a defense out and running inside with big ball carriers is mutually exclusive. it's not, never has been.

 

[Macky44]

here here.

 

[cmr27]

[QUOTE="SWC75, post: 1266379, member: 289 The option, (a rugby play) disappears and comes back[./QUOTE]

Correct me if I'm wrong but the NFC game yesterday was the first time in NFL history that a monumental comeback relied heavily on the option. The option is excellent in the 2-minute hurry-up offense because the defense wants to be aggressive, but being aggressive runs serious risks.

(aside: one thing that doesn't change is this: As evidenced by the Lynch TD run and several Ohio State runs, defensive backs simply won't even try to tackle a top-tier running back with a full head of steam. They'll just stick an arm out and make a pretend effort, even with a Super Bowl berth hanging in the balance.)

 

[bevosu]

I can only imagine what Jim Brown would do in today's college football if he had a good offensive line. He'd get through the hole and absolutely crush those fast and light D backs. He'd run over them or drag them for 20 yds. Hurt a few linebackers while he's at it.

 

[RoysRunts]

Nothing new under the sun, Just recycled stuff with new names oh and 2 tackles scored T.D.'S yesterday..

 

[Chip]

Ohio State uses a spread offense with really fast people. Just because they happen to be bigger while faster, well that's a perk that some schools just get to enjoy.

No one on Alabama could keep up with Ezekiel Elliot in the open field. And it's not for a lack of speed on the Alabama defense.

 

[Millhouse]

Ohio State uses a spread offense with really fast people. Just because they happen to be bigger while faster, well that's a perk that some schools just get to enjoy.

No one on Alabama could keep up with Ezekiel Elliot in the open field. And it's not for a lack of speed on the Alabama defense.

where were these posts when florida was in the spread under meyer and 240 lb Tebow was running inside for 3000 yards

2000 - can't run in the spread
2015 - can run, must not be the spread

 

[cmr27]

Nothing new under the sun, Just recycled stuff with new names oh and 2 tackles scored T.D.'S yesterday..

I think seeing an NFL team rely on the option in crunch time is historic. The Seahawks ran six or seven option plays inside the last four minutes with Wilson eyeing the unblocked outside defender. If the defender crashed on the ball carrier, Wilson kept and looped outside. If the defender contained, Wilson gave to Lynch who went away from the defender's side. None of this is new for college football fans but it's unique in the pros.

Also, the Packers had no deep defender on the game-winning touchdown, which typically is something that happens when you clamp down on the option. For the two-point conversion, Williams had good coverage on Kearse but he had no help. I think the option is the reason he had no help.

NE is going to have their hands full but if one guy can stop it, it's BB.

 

[dinosaurbbq]

While I appreciate your effort to forecast and be out in front of something before it actually happens and fall into that myself from time to time, a handful of games don't make for a pendulum like iconic shift. More than that, its humorous to me that you see a pendulum shift toward old school bruising back and defense dominated football when we just saw Oregon (leader in the spread offense movement) in the FBS NC game and FSU in the semis and when the NFL just featured the Packers, Patriots and Colts, all of whom are pass dominated teams. I think what we are seeing is that the coaching cream rises to the top and the top of the coaching heap actually looks at what opponents can and cannot do well on defense and adjust the offense accordingly. So Urban Meyer has OSU run the ball through Zeke Elliott down the throats of Oregon's smaller defensive players and they can't stop it. Belichick has New England change the focal point of its offense weekly to take advantage of the other team's weaknesses, so in one week a RB pounds the ball for 200 yards and in the next, there simply is no back and Brady throws it 45 times. Seattle beat the Packers not by running the ball down their throats with Lynch, but by spreading them out and running the option very well in the last 4 minutes.

 

[upperdeck]

I think seeing an NFL team rely on the option in crunch time is historic. The Seahawks ran six or seven option plays inside the last four minutes with Wilson eyeing the unblocked outside defender. If the defender crashed on the ball carrier, Wilson kept and looped outside. If the defender contained, Wilson gave to Lynch who went away from the defender's side. None of this is new for college football fans but it's unique in the pros.

Also, the Packers had no deep defender on the game-winning touchdown, which typically is something that happens when you clamp down on the option. For the two-point conversion, Williams had good coverage on Kearse but he had no help. I think the option is the reason he had no help.

NE is going to have their hands full but if one guy can stop it, it's BB.

and if the one GB DE had just done his job and stayed home the whole comeback would have been dead. too bad Rodgers was hurt as well or GB would have won that game in the first half.

 

[SWC75]

You're acting like spreading a defense out and running inside with big ball carriers is mutually exclusive. it's not, never has been.

"Spread" or not, that was smash-mouth football, not hitting the gaps created by the passing game. "You know what we're going to do but you can't stop it". Very demoralizing for the losing team and their fans.

Now whether Syracuse is equipped to play that is another quesiton.

 

[kcsu]

It all comes down to the lines always will. Ohio State dominated line play. For all of us that played some level of football i believe it is safe to say that playing against a tough run the ball down your throat type of team was always the toughest. I think balance is Key the good OC George new this and was a master at it for many years. Strong line play and balance is what i want to see regardless of what we call it.

 

[dinosaurbbq]

It all comes down to the lines always will. Ohio State dominated line play. For all of us that played some level of football i believe it is safe to say that playing against a tough run the ball down your throat type of team was always the toughest. I think balance is Key the good OC George new this and was a master at it for many years. Strong line play and balance is what i want to see regardless of what we call it.

Even more distressing to see what happened to our Oline this year. Perles was a fantastic line coach and I hope Adam can be, as well.