Football Articles
Joe Theismann Not Very Observant
Posted by TaylorTRoom on February 20th, 2009 under Football
As much as I’ve written about the Spread offense(s), I certainly don’t want to pass myself off as some kind of expert. I’m not. I’m just a guy who can notice when a QB gets the ball standing 5 yards behind a center, rather than under center. I can notice when the OL has larger splits. I can notice when a TE is … in tight, and when he’s not. In other words, I can tell the difference between a traditional pro-set, and a spread offense.
Evidently, this makes me smarter than Joe Theismann (Whoo-hoo!). Earlier this week, the FW paper had an article about Theismann’s thoughts about the state of college quarterbacking (bad, due to the spread). Theismann was in FW picking up the Davey O’Brien Legend award, while Sam Bradford was picking up his O’Brien award.
http://www.star-telegram.com/college_sports/story/1207453.html Quoted passages are in italics and my comments are in bold type.
“They won’t run the spread in the NFL. Not at the quarterback position,” Theismann said. “They don’t have enough quarterbacks in this league now to run the spread.”
In 2007, the Patriots set scoring records running a passing spread offense much of the time. In 2008, they admitted switching to spread passing almost exclusively to help Cassell perform. 80% of Cassell’s pass attempts were from the shotgun in 2008.
That’s because there are too many guys like Ray Lewis lurking at linebacker, prepared to knock a mobile quarterback into the middle of next week on a designed run. The spread requires such runs. Oh, really? The NFL frowns on them.
It also frowns on quarterbacks who are uncomfortable taking direct snaps from center, although they’re a vanishing breed.
Especially in the NFL. NFL vet Kurt Warner? 35% of his passes were from snaps under center. Romo, Peyton Manning, Favre, Brees? Half of the passes were thrown after taking snaps under center.
His advice to Tebow?
“Go to a camp where you learn how to work under the center. You’re going to be a professional football player. Learn to be one,” Theismann said.
He said he applauded the Sooners’ use of a more NFL-style offense that will make Bradford more attractive than Tebow if both players are available in the 2010 draft.
I don’t think Theismann watched very much OU football. OU runs spread most of the time, especially in their “no-huddle” sequences. Bradford looks to the sidelines for audible calls as much as Tebow does. The fact is, Bradford, Tebow, and McCoy all have the same amount of experience in handing off in the “I” and running play-action. The difference in their pro prospects is almost solely a function of their relative arms.
Look, I get that the spread doesn’t produce QBs in the manner the NFL would like. I get that the spread option has as much chance of being adopted by the NFL as the wishbone. Still, a functioning moron can tell when a QB is taking 30% and more of his snaps in the shotgun, and often in a spread formation. The fact that Theismann thinks they are still playing the game he played over 20 years ago indicates he isn’t as bright as a moron, or he isn’t even watching.
Let’s go back to Matt Cassell for a minute. Researching this post, I saw a lot of articles explaining that the Patriots went full-bore spread in 2008, because their QB, Matt Cassell, was much more effective in that formation.
http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/articles/2008/11/25/this_spread_is_delicious/
Hmmm. So Belichek, the best coach in the NFL, was willing to adapt his offense to suit the skills of the QB he had, if that QB didn’t have the optimum skillset for the offense they had.
Hmmm
Given that a guy with three Superbowl titles is willing to adapt his schemes to fit his players’ skills, just who the hell is Jeff Fisher to insist that his way is the only way?
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D W commented on the blog post Taylor Jungmann is the best pitcher in baseball 8 minutes ago
17 strikeouts is incredible at any level of baseball. I still think the hitting will come around.
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skymonkeyhorn commented on the blog post Rick Reilly Is A Walking Amber Alert 28 minutes ago
FBR,
Man that article fucking rocks !
With all the basketball wisdom here at BC this article makes all our talking heads look like drunken sailors in the middle of the Sahara Desert. Why sailors in the Sahara because its where Barnes has landed with his scheme(?) on basketball.
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Gaylon Krizak commented on the blog post Taylor Jungmann is the best pitcher in baseball 1 hour, 3 minutes ago
And why have we gone 9-1?
Because of a 1-0 loss. Pitching clearly let us down in that one.
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D W commented on the blog post Taylor Jungmann is the best pitcher in baseball 1 hour, 8 minutes ago
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College baseball.
He’s a witch. Last night he struck out 17 Iowa batters in only 7 1/3 innings of work. And got a no decision. More on that later. He’s filled out his frame and is no longer all arms and legs like he was last year. His fastball has gotten, uh, faster, and last night
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i can access BC on my Iphone.
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It’s funny because it’s true!
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whiskey commented on the blog post The week in news- Bowl Bust, Anti Piracy and Barnstorming FedEx 13 hours, 53 minutes ago
Hey thanks. The Texas recruiting piece will be interesting for ND. Weis had actually already started pushing pretty hard to re-establish recruiting in Texas and Kelly is running with the same plan. Weis landed a couple here and there to include two of my favorite players on the team OG Chris Stewart
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Scipio Tex commented on the blog post Rick Reilly Is A Walking Amber Alert 14 hours, 59 minutes ago
Interesting context, srr50.
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Scipio Tex commented on the blog post The week in news- Bowl Bust, Anti Piracy and Barnstorming FedEx 15 hours, 3 minutes ago
Good rundown.
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Longhorn in Canada said:
February 20th, 2009 at 9:19 pm
How dare you disagree with Joe Theismann? He’s an expert. I used to listen to him all the time on Monday Night Football, and Sundays before that, anxiously waiting for the next pearl of wisdom to drop from his lips. Oh, wait a minute. Now I remember. I used to watch any game he broadcast with the TV muted, and some classical music on the stereo. It was easier on my heart than yelling at the TV.
Functioning Morons said:
February 20th, 2009 at 9:20 pm
We resent being compared to Theisman.
Jeff Fisher said:
February 20th, 2009 at 10:31 pm
Gosh dang it, can’t you just hammer Theismann for being the Palinesque imbecile that he is without swinging this dang thing around to me?
I’m trying to get my ’stache trimmed over here, for crying out loud.
Professah Funkensteen said:
February 20th, 2009 at 11:26 pm
I just gotta say I’m really confused by the “mate1 intimate dating” ad on the right there, followed by Peyton Manning’s dumbass-lookin mug. Kinda creeps me out, cuz “oulala04_31_F” is kinda cute, but Peyton, eeesh.
Professah Funkensteen said:
February 20th, 2009 at 11:27 pm
Wait, “oulala”… reminds me of “wallah”.
Never mind.
Roget said:
February 21st, 2009 at 1:03 am
In Theisman’s defense, TTR, historically hasn’t disagreeing on the definition of spread accounted for a great deal of marital friction (or lack thereof)?
Hookah Horns said:
February 21st, 2009 at 2:29 am
Matt Cassell has proven he can complete a majority of his passes in the NFL. Unfortunately, Vince Young hasn’t.
TaylorTRoom said:
February 21st, 2009 at 5:26 am
Thanks for the comments. Yeah, in the NFL, a lot of teams that throw from the shotgun half the time really aren’t running a spread. I’m just responding to Theismann’s comments about how the NFL is a “QB under center” league. In all honesty, it’s really changing quickly, and it isn’t hesitating to borrow ideas where it can.
I know the college game isn’t giving the NFL the QBs it wants anymore. The NFL wants to screen them by height and arm strength, while the college game is looking for athletes that make quick decisions.
Levander Williams said:
February 21st, 2009 at 8:22 am
Whether by design or through necessary response, the NFL is adopting spread concepts to greater or lesser degrees. I think the best coaching staffs are effectively blending them with the more traditional aspects of the prevaling offensive concepts and staying ahead of the pack. I think it’s a good thing – 32 teams running the same offense is boring.
Point of Order: If I wanted smarmy political commentary, I can get more than my fill at Hornfans. Can we agree to exercise the necessary restraint and leave that crap out of here?
Bartoncreek said:
February 21st, 2009 at 8:40 am
Amen, brother. I have been saying the same thing since last year when the “greatest team in NFL history” first started running a spread offense a majority of the time.
Not one NFL commentator/observer has ever pointed out the fact that the Pats are turning more and more to the spread on offense. It is a huge reason why Wes Welker is doing so much better there than in Miami. And why I wouldn’t be surprised to see them draft Quan this year.
Thanks for the post. The Titans are idiots and that is being proven again this offseason as they let their best player, by a good margin, walk. Drafting Vince and not blending some spread offense into their game plan is crazy stupid.
Austintacious 'Horn said:
February 21st, 2009 at 8:43 am
Ahem….Vince was 1-0 & undefeated as a starter in 2008,and none of us know how many completions VH would have had..CAUSE, he has gotta be on the %^%$%^^$#%&$@#! field playing 1st! Fisher’s offense is foolish and Collins did nothing that VY already has done for the Titans. Tennessee does not deserve VY AND IT SHOWS! 2008 losses VY-0 CC-all of them
Chris Simms said:
February 21st, 2009 at 10:56 am
This whole spread thing is a fad and will pass with time.
Austintacious 'Horn said:
February 21st, 2009 at 2:52 pm
Mmmmmm,not really..IMO, Football offenses are cyclical in their time frames and in their collective nature. The original spread offensive formation was an advent from the 1930’s. Each subsequent formation came from coaches attempting to gain advantage thru numerous shifts,motions,angles,to create numbers ADVANTAGES@POA,and alignments to gain ball leverage vs. defensive alignments. Since the 1950’s, we have witnessed all of the following: T-formation, Split-T, Wing-T, Pro-sets, I-formations, Veer, Wishbone, Double-Wing, Run&Shoot ,West-Coast, No-Huddle and many,many mutilple-formation offenses combined from the aformetioned. Gosh, even the old Single-Wing offense has been renewed,retried, and modified as something new and fresh(Wildcat)yet, its just coaches adding to and stealing from the originators of past successful applicatons for moving the football and scoring against the defense. Rules changes have impacted the game more than we can even realize over 4 decades past.
Changes in the rules on run blocking alone(can now use hands more and more and with pass blocking(this excessive use of hands resembles constant muggings from every OL along LOS), has predicated how offenses evolve, then retro, to what seems to be new innovations.
Coaches are constantly seeking to gain the advantage over the defenses facing them. Adding in the changes in rules on: substitutions,playclocks,narrowing of the hash-marks,rules protection for the QB, taking the face mask as a weapon out of the tackle, the prohibition on Stickum(thankyou LESTER HAYES)& the elimination of my personal favorite attack-the hands slappin to the head, has changed the game over decades in a continuous manner. These constant rules changes seemingly now favor of the offensive side of the ball more than ever.
Add in instant replay(controversial) and the 40 second clock(lost 8-10 plays each game) and this game is really a shell of what it was 50 years ago. ANYWAY, thats this mans opinion.
If I were still coaching in college today, I would advocate a no-huddle,multiple-formation, sequential offense with the goal of 60%/40% run/pass distribution and to run 90+ PLAYS per game and to score on every possession. Rushing for 220+ yards a game and passing for 230+ per game would be perfect balance to wear out todays defenses.
On defense, use a very multiple 4-3 defensive package,using blitz packages(example:#7 UT Beasley) may lack great cover skills and tackling in the secondary, so USE him on corner blitzes PRESSURE VS. Qb/run game …on third downs would use a LOT OF 3-5-3/man alignments. Very effective vs. spread(ou)and run. All comments welcome. OU SUX! ALL THE TIME!!!
HOOK’EM ALL TO HELL! HAVE A BLESSED DAY.
P.S. My special thanks/appreciation to Coach Mac Brown and his staff on the Dominance in recruitng in Texas.
Vince's Mom said:
February 23rd, 2009 at 10:30 am
I tole you.
Mojo said:
February 23rd, 2009 at 2:22 pm
VY should have known good and well from his buddy Steve McNair that Fischer was not going to modify his offense to suit the style of the QB.
When the Oilers drafted McNair his first few years of frustration on the bench while being programmed into an “NFL QB” are similar to Vince’s current struggles. Absent the off the field drama, of course.