Faster tempo offense question. Causing confusion?

TIDE-HSV

Senior Administrator
Staff member
Oct 13, 1999
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I agree this team has done a great job this year and we can still win the SEC, but some repairs need to be made with both the offense and defense. Murray is not Johnny Manziel, IMO he is a lot better QB than Mettenberger. UGA's defense has improved and they will certainly play their best game of the year in Atlanta.
I've never seen Murray play better than Mettenberger did last Saturday...
 

davefrat

Hall of Fame
Jun 4, 2002
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there were times yesterday that we could barely get our players in position before the snap much less actually know where the ball was going. that's the purpose of the no huddle hurry up approach. add to it that our scheme is heavily reliant on having certain personnel packages at certain times, and we get stuck with the wrong players on the field. last night we got torched in the passing game and pretty well blown up through the air against lsu. there's no question that our defense is at its weakest against highly mobile quarterbacks and our tackling has steadily eroded over the last two games. be it exhaustion, lack of focus, or whatever, our defense is kind of a mess. and still, we were in position to win the game last night and although not deserving, probably should have with a 1st and goal on the 6. i'm actually very confused by our team right now. but we can still have a great season. before the season started i said i wanted to win the SEC title and that the NC would be gravy. we just need to focus on clobbering auburn and beating georgia.
 

CapstoneTider

Suspended
Dec 6, 2000
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I'll bite, but you and just about everyone on here will not like my opinion, that's okay.

The kind of offense we saw yesterday is the future of college football. It is being taught and run at high schools across the country and that's what kids want to be a part of.
It is designed to create confusion, personnel mismatches, and getting playmakers in space. It requires speed over bulk.
To defense it you have to have similar type players more speed less bulk.
I have seen over the past several years the lack of overall team speed in our defense.

Now for Alabama. We have had the benefit of a weak schedule, the only 2 teams we have played with any semblance of an offense has been LSU and TAMU. We should win out because WCU and au are terrible, but right now I don't think we beat UGA. My reason for picking UGA is that Alabama now knows they can be beaten and when doubt sets in anything can happen. I hope I am wrong and we win the SECC, but his team is not nearly as good as the 2011 team. Now to don my flak jacket.
I agree with you, but believe it can be stopped with a hybrid of the current crop of superior athletes and one or two specialized. Our first warning signs that we could get beat with quicker players was the WKU game. We had fits against the speed. Fluker had some issues with a guy that looked more like a HS lineman. He would just run around the end like a sprinter coming off the blocks at the sound of a gun. We posted an additional blocker, like the H-back on double team this particular scheme later in the year.

Again, smaller faster players can be neutralized without a radical change in our personnel imo, just a speed vs tweak at a couple of positions. If not, the defensive front would get flattened.

We have done o.k against no huddle, but the added personnel last minute changes is hurting us from what I've seen. aTm had a good game plan. We have been confused for 2 games now.

Good thing is that we control our destiny towards a SEC Championship and our coaches usually get things straighten out. I know they are concerned and are putting in extra time I bet. The SEC Championship is a big deal.
 
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wishbonesooner

1st Team
Jun 26, 2001
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Shawnee, OK USA
I really hate watching teams that no huddle and look like a Chinese fire drill. If I wanted to watch a track meet I'd watch a different sport.
My feelings as well. The Big 12 is criticized in here for not playing defense. I hated the spread and hurry up when it first came out. But it does put a defense under pressure. Much of the argument has been how well an SEC defense has performed against a Big 12 offense in BCSCG's. With a month to prepare, a good DC can scheme against it. However, if you face it game after game, it's not as easy.
 

trenda

Hall of Fame
May 17, 2000
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I don't agree that LSU and aTm are the only two good offenses we've faced this season. Ole Miss and TN both have good offenses and horrible defenses. Michigan and MSU have decent offenses as well.

I personally think LSU caught lightening in a bottle and there wasn't a whole lot we could do. aTm, on the other hand, is a different story. Our defenses throughout the Saban era have struggled against up-tempo, spread offenses that employ really good dual-threat QBs. Yesterday, our defense (for whatever reason) was clearly not ready at the start of the game. Injuries, LSU hangover, impromper preparation, whatever, their offense took a page right out of the Utah 2009 Sugar Bowl playbook and kept our defense on their heels for the entire first quarter. By the time the coaches got them settled down and made adjustments, the damage was done.

I've been amazed the last two weeks at the amount of arm-tackling by our defense (and not wrapping up and finishing plays), which usually is a sign of fatigue or just a basic lack of speed and quickness. I agree with the thought that this type of offense is here to stay and our staff has got to figure out how scheme against it better. I'm also concerned that - for all of the hype over our recruiting classes, we don't have the players on defense who can hang against this type of offense. That, or their just not in good enough shape to play at that speed.
 

braggtd

Suspended
Sep 25, 2011
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Part of the problem is the offense. Granted our D is not as good as last years group the offense has to get a faster start. Bama's MO is playing from ahead. When the D plays from ahead they have much more swagger and can start throwing out some exotic packages. When the offense can't score at a single point until they are down 20 - 0 that is a problem. Not sure why this team came out so heavy and flat. Reminded me 100% of the Utah game of 09. Just wasn't ready to bring it at kick off. These slow starts are a real killer. I think the D is fine. Just need the offense to start scoring some points early and stop turning the ball over.
 

cooleddie

1st Team
Jul 27, 2003
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1
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pensacola,fl
I noticed that the A&M offense seemed to run a "pattern" of plays during their offensive series. I haven't watched the replay to confirm, but it's just what I noticed while watching. After nearly every first down made they would immediately get to the line and run the quick hand off to the RB lined up next to the QB. This almost always got them 2-3 yards and put them in a 2nd and 7 or 8 because the defense was usually trying to get set after the move of the chains. The 2nd down play always seemed to be the quick pass to a slot receiver either on a quick slant or a quick hitch. Those passes are really hard to defend when an accurate throw is made. Most of the time we were able to make the tackle and it would put them in a very manageable 3rd and short. Ideal situation when you have a very fast, mobile QB. The 3rd down play was a pass that would give Johnny Football the option to run and pick up the 1st down. They just methodically worked this over & over right down the field.
 

Matt0424

All-American
Jan 16, 2010
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The problem yesterday was all based on coaching decisions. WE have the perosnnel to match up with any offense, if we scheme correctly. WE tried substituting way too much yesterday. It's hard on defense to get into a rhythm when you play every other play because of subsitutions. At times it's best if you just leave a base set in and ride it out instead of trying to substitute every other play. The second thing is we failed to cover the slot or swope on most plays. When I can see it from the stands, and call the exact play they are going to run, someone getting paid the money to see it should. When we made adjustments in the second half (Vinnie was glued to the slot) suddenly A&M wasn't as near as efficient. Finally, the coaching staff left John Fulton on an island with no help all game...poor decisions. Fulton is a good player, but was being exploited and picked on by JM all game. IMO we were mismanaged once the game got under way...by the time the game plan was scrapped, and we pinned our ears back and attacked, it was a bit too late...
 

REBELZED

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Dec 6, 2006
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Long sustained drives by a methodical offense keeps the opposing offense on the sideline.
I think everybody is missing this point. These last two games can be blamed on our sputtering offense (see: multiple 3 and outs) as much if not more than our defense.

Sure, we have had some trouble getting off the field on D, but the D did enough to give our offense multiple chances to win the game last night and the offense did not come through. The bottom line is you can't go 3 and out over and over against a team with an offense as good as A&M and expect to win.
 

JeffAtlanta

All-American
Aug 21, 2007
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To be fair, the defense did only allow 29 points - that's not really a lot when you consider that Alabama's offense had 3 turnovers and couldn't keep the defense off the field.

After the 1st qtr, TAMU only scored 9 points. The defense did give up a lot of yards, but it did tighten up a good bit after then 1st qtr onslaught.

This wasn't like the 2008 UGA blackout game either. Alabama was within 6 at halftime so TAMU definitely didn't ease up.
 

AlexanderFan

Hall of Fame
Jul 23, 2004
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They hurry to the line, simulate several snaps to see the coverage, look to the sidelines for adjustments, then snap the ball. There's no confusion with a defensive coverage because the offense has all the advantages.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
 

RTR91

Super Moderator
Nov 23, 2007
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They hurry to the line, simulate several snaps to see the coverage, look to the sidelines for adjustments, then snap the ball. There's no confusion with a defensive coverage because the offense has all the advantages.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
I call them the "gopher offenses." The QB gets to the line and looks at the defense. He then looks at the sideline at the coach who gets the coverage from an assistant in the booth. The OL, WR, RB, and QB look to get the play after the coaches in the booth read the defense.
 

JeffAtlanta

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Aug 21, 2007
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I call them the "gopher offenses." The QB gets to the line and looks at the defense. He then looks at the sideline at the coach who gets the coverage from an assistant in the booth. The OL, WR, RB, and QB look to get the play after the coaches in the booth read the defense.
Yeah I really don't think that fits with the culture of the game. I don't know how to fix it, but I'd like to see some order restored to the game.
 

CapstoneTider

Suspended
Dec 6, 2000
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The problem yesterday was all based on coaching decisions. WE have the perosnnel to match up with any offense, if we scheme correctly. WE tried substituting way too much yesterday. It's hard on defense to get into a rhythm when you play every other play because of subsitutions. At times it's best if you just leave a base set in and ride it out instead of trying to substitute every other play.
That's a thought. aTm might have noticed that changing from this to that takes our defense the longest to adjust to and run a quick play on top of it.
 

AlexanderFan

Hall of Fame
Jul 23, 2004
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Yeah I really don't think that fits with the culture of the game. I don't know how to fix it, but I'd like to see some order restored to the game.
Take the coaches out of the skyboxes. When you approach the LOS and the center touches the ball, that should mean no more moving for every offensive lineman, that way all this nonsense can stop.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
 

BamaMoon

Hall of Fame
Apr 1, 2004
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I really hate watching teams that no huddle and look like a Chinese fire drill. If I wanted to watch a track meet I'd watch a different sport.
It is what it is. We can't play football games "on our terms." Let's face it...the game has changed.

The good news is the great coaches change with it and CNS will figure this out.

Part of the problem is the offense. Granted our D is not as good as last years group the offense has to get a faster start. Bama's MO is playing from ahead. When the D plays from ahead they have much more swagger and can start throwing out some exotic packages. When the offense can't score at a single point until they are down 20 - 0 that is a problem. Not sure why this team came out so heavy and flat. Reminded me 100% of the Utah game of 09. Just wasn't ready to bring it at kick off. These slow starts are a real killer. I think the D is fine. Just need the offense to start scoring some points early and stop turning the ball over.
I believe you nail it! This is more of an offensive issue that defensive issue. Granted the defense has struggled the last couple of games, but if our offense is scoring 40 a game as they did through the first 8 games we aren't having this discussion (at least a discussion about why we lost).

Yeah I really don't think that fits with the culture of the game. I don't know how to fix it, but I'd like to see some order restored to the game.
As I said above, we can't change the game to fit our scheme. That's what makes football so interesting. New schemes and subsequent adjustments.

Unless CNS wants to go to the lake and do nothing, he will figure out a way to adjust to the HUNH.
 

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