Thoughts on scripted plays to start games and if we run them.

Bamabuzzard

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I've re-watched the game and one thing I'd like to discuss is scripted plays, and if we run them at the beginning of games or not. In the second half we began running plays (rushing plays) that were gaining huge chunks at a time. Even when we ran the same play back to back to back. In the first half when we rushed the ball we seemed to call plays designed to run between the tackles. We didn't use any pre-snap jet sweep motion and we didn't attack the edges of the defense.

My dad and I (we watched the game together) couldn't understand why we didn't "probe" Miss St's defense in the first half and earlier in the second half with these type plays to see how MSU handled them. I know our time of possession was limited but in the limited time we had the ball it seemed we didn't run a variety of plays early to see what may work or not going forward. I know in the NFL (and I completely understand "this ain't the NFL") teams start games out with "X" amount of scripted plays. From my understanding this is to probe the defense and see how they handle certain plays and gives the offensive staff an indicator on how to attack.

Thoughts?
 

TIDE-HSV

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I believe all teams, college and pro, run a scripted number of plays, the number depending on the OC. Kiffin ran far more than most, but his offense was predicated more than most on setting up the defense for a kill. What puzzled me most was not probing their edges in the first half at all. Then in the second half, when it showed that it was their weakness, partially because of personnel and partially because they were so committed to the middle, we would gash them on the edges and then go right back to between tackles, where they were waiting. Sometimes, it's just puzzling to me...
 

B1GTide

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I have no idea if you are scripting plays or not. Some OCs like to do this, and some do not. Kiffin scripted plays because he had a plan to set up big plays later in the game, so it wasn't about probing the defense as much as setting other things up. Maybe someone who is a Pats fan can comment on Daboll's scripting tendencies in the NFL.

But from yesterday's game , in the first series you did what you have done many times in games - handed it off to DH twice on inside run plays. When the 2nd down play was stuffed, a designed pass play was called on 3rd and 4, but an injured #71 wasn't able to do his job and Jalen was sacked.

The next series started the same way, with Bo in. The difference between the first series and the next two (which produced TDs) was simple - Jalen found the time to complete the passes that would have been called in the first possession.

Note - 2 possessions were extended on plays in which Jalen scrambled to his right and made passes. 2 possessions ended when Jalen scrambled to his left and made poor passes. Jalen simply cannot throw the ball when scrambling left. He needs to work on that.
 

TiderMan

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I believe all teams, college and pro, run a scripted number of plays, the number depending on the OC. Kiffin ran far more than most, but his offense was predicated more than most on setting up the defense for a kill. What puzzled me most was not probing their edges in the first half at all. Then in the second half, when it showed that it was their weakness, partially because of personnel and partially because they were so committed to the middle, we would gash them on the edges and then go right back to between tackles, where they were waiting. Sometimes, it's just puzzling to me...
Puzzling to me too. Bo and Jacobs are very effective when getting to the outside. MSU could not handle them out there.
Also Damien continues to be our best running back and I still don't like that he only gets around 10 carries per game. He seems to be the only one that can run effectively from tackle to tackle on the inside.
 

JustNeedMe81

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Daboll did call plays to get the ball into the hands of his playmakers. I've noticed that Daboll's scripted schemes and plays were well thought out and if a game plan worked from the start the offense hummed, but he doesn't always do good job adjusting his play calling to counter what the defense did to slow our Offense down as the game wore on. There is a pattern associated to that from his OC days in NFL. Early in the season, We had opposing player coming at Hurts unblocked all game long and Daboll never adjusted to that.

I really believe that Daboll's scripted plays will determine the offense's rhythm from the start. If they struggle from the start, It'll take Daboll maybe 2 quarters to make adjustments. If they start off well, He will add new stuff to the offense to keep them balance.

Kiffin drove us crazy with all those scripted plays early in the game. We would end up 3rd and 15 so many time only in 3rd quarter, Same play would work and go for TD.
 

JustNeedMe81

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Oh, There is a possibility we need to consider regarding the MSU game.

Alabama defense and their inability to get off the field on 3rd down affected the script playcalling and Daboll had to change it up to strike fast. I think we got out of script play earlier than expected. I really believe that they were trying everything within the vanilla scope and someone noticed MSU weakness and waited until half time to address that.

I've been told that it's hard to make adjustments between series and best time to do that is at halftime.
 

tusks_n_raider

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I'm all for it!!!

We could run variations of these 5 pass plays over and over and absolutely DESTROY anybody stacking the box to stop the run and/or blitzing. You have 2-3 short quick options, 1-2 deep routes and 1 checkdown on every play.

The deep routes don't have to be outside fades.....substitute Go/Fly's or Slot Seam's etc but they help keep the middle vacant and ripe for exploit with Slants/Skinny Posts/Shallow Crosses that hit quick and let the gaggle of 5 Star WR's we have do the heavy lifting with their sub 4.4 speed and open field juke moves. I'd like to see them script this in ANY order they choose...

Here you go Daboll.....





 
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B1GTide

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I like those plays, but do not see Alabama running the RB out like those plays are drawn up against Auburn. At least in the beginning they will keep the RB in on passing downs to help in protection.
 

CrimsonForce

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Daboll did call plays to get the ball into the hands of his playmakers. I've noticed that Daboll's scripted schemes and plays were well thought out and if a game plan worked from the start the offense hummed, but he doesn't always do good job adjusting his play calling to counter what the defense did to slow our Offense down as the game wore on. There is a pattern associated to that from his OC days in NFL. Early in the season, We had opposing player coming at Hurts unblocked all game long and Daboll never adjusted to that.

I really believe that Daboll's scripted plays will determine the offense's rhythm from the start. If they struggle from the start, It'll take Daboll maybe 2 quarters to make adjustments. If they start off well, He will add new stuff to the offense to keep them balance.

Kiffin drove us crazy with all those scripted plays early in the game. We would end up 3rd and 15 so many time only in 3rd quarter, Same play would work and go for TD.
I know this isn't the same thing as play calling but did anyone watch the Cowboys vs Falcons game yesterday? The Cowboys all pro left tackle (Tyron Smith?) was out with injury so they put the backup in. The backup was terrible and Dallas never adjusted. Because of that the defensive end from the Falcons (Clayborn) got 6 sacks - yes 6 sacks in one game - and singlehandedly shut down the Cowboys offense. Not once did the Cowboys give the backup left tackle some tight end help or even a chip from the running back. How can coaches at the highest level make such egregious errors? Similar to what some people are referring to in this thread with Daboll and not trying to exploit the edges after it's obvious there's a weakness there..
 

runtheoption22

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I'm all for it!!!

We could run variations of these 5 pass plays over and over and absolutely DESTROY anybody stacking the box to stop the run and/or blitzing. You have 2-3 short quick options, 1-2 deep routes and 1 checkdown on every play.

The deep routes don't have to be outside fades.....substitute Go/Fly's or Slot Seam's etc but they help keep the middle vacant and ripe for exploit with Slants/Skinny Posts/Shallow Crosses that hit quick and let the gaggle of 5 Star WR's we have do the heavy lifting with their sub 4.4 speed and open field juke moves. I'd like to see them script this in ANY order they choose...
I like those plays, but do not see Alabama running the RB out like those plays are drawn up against Auburn. At least in the beginning they will keep the RB in on passing downs to help in protection.
We actually did run some variations of those plays on the final drive. We will have to operate out of a 2x2 set or 3WR 1 TE set a lot from here on out because the game plan will be to blitz against us. The 2x2 will limit the safety blitzes. The 3rd down call to Ridley was a genius call, too.

If you watch the final drive, the first completion to Ridley in particular, Harris was wide open in the left flat with one guy to beat about 10 yards downfield. I'll take those odds, too.
 

Bamabuzzard

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I believe all teams, college and pro, run a scripted number of plays, the number depending on the OC. Kiffin ran far more than most, but his offense was predicated more than most on setting up the defense for a kill. What puzzled me most was not probing their edges in the first half at all. Then in the second half, when it showed that it was their weakness, partially because of personnel and partially because they were so committed to the middle, we would gash them on the edges and then go right back to between tackles, where they were waiting. Sometimes, it's just puzzling to me...

With all of the "self scouting" the staff supposedly does from week to week. There's no way this doesn't come up. Because it isn't the first time this has happened.
 

tusks_n_raider

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I like those plays, but do not see Alabama running the RB out like those plays are drawn up against Auburn. At least in the beginning they will keep the RB in on passing downs to help in protection.
Those can be delayed in case a free defender comes through A and/or B gaps that disrupt Jalen's Line of sight.....which HAS been a problem. There's some flexibility here. You notice a lot of the middle routes are flexible vs man or zone......The RB Shoots and Flares are free release only if protection can be trusted for 2-3 seconds.

Your cause for concern there is warranted. But ideally if he can make the decisions fast enough and get the ball out it should nullify the rush if we can just get a warm body to delay them 1-1.5 secs more....
 

tusks_n_raider

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We actually did run some variations of those plays on the final drive. We will have to operate out of a 2x2 set or 3WR 1 TE set a lot from here on out because the game plan will be to blitz against us. The 2x2 will limit the safety blitzes. The 3rd down call to Ridley was a genius call, too.

If you watch the final drive, the first completion to Ridley in particular, Harris was wide open in the left flat with one guy to beat about 10 yards downfield. I'll take those odds, too.
This is what's driving me nuts too.....you are EXACTLY right....that final drive was exactly what we should be doing ALL the time as far as passing.

The 2nd pass to Ridley was a quick slant that Ridley added lots of YAC to......Then the Pass to Smith was a Bang-8 Skinny Post we used a few weeks ago for a TD as well......Both passes....Jalen threw STRIKES that led the WR's so they could catch and run.

Why do we fiddle-fart around with Pro Style routes and Pro-Style pocket passing when our OL can't hold up long enough most of the time for longer routes? We need to go fast (on passes) and spread it out and straight up go Air Raid out of the shotgun or delayed from the RPO. Get it out in less than 3 seconds.....

Pretty much every time we've done it we've been successful as long as the WR's catch the balls.....Jalen's been throwing absolute DIMES for weeks now.

It's just maddening for me to watch us struggle every week when you know what we could do to work around our barely above average Pass Protection.
 

Skeeterpop

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Many OC will game plan around both halfs. They want to shake things up a little from one half to the next and have something a little different.

That could be all inside runs one half and more outside runs the next. Or all screens one half and more intermediate or stop and go routes the second.

May have a lot of motion one half and very limited another. There are many combinations to choose from but most will plan for some fairly substantial differences between halfs.

All this can change when the gameplan is not working but it is also why you see so many offenses look completely different from one half to the next. Another reason is the defense show them something they were not expecting early in the game or they are winning in an area. An OC has to adjust between halfs to stop the bleeding or find something that works.

With all that said. I absolutely believe Bama has scripted plays to start the game. Likely 12-15 from what I have seen.
 

Bamabuzzard

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Many OC will game plan around both halfs. They want to shake things up a little from one half to the next and have something a little different.

That could be all inside runs one half and more outside runs the next. Or all screens one half and more intermediate or stop and go routes the second.

May have a lot of motion one half and very limited another. There are many combinations to choose from but most will plan for some fairly substantial differences between halfs.

All this can change when the gameplan is not working but it is also why you see so many offenses look completely different from one half to the next. Another reason is the defense show them something they were not expecting early in the game or they are winning in an area. An OC has to adjust between halfs to stop the bleeding or find something that works.

With all that said. I absolutely believe Bama has scripted plays to start the game. Likely 12-15 from what I have seen.
If they do have this many scripted plays, they are too similar, IMO. Part of the scripted plays should have been plays that "tested" or as my dad likes to call it "probe" different parts of the defense. That's what scripted plays are far, or part of the reason, is to test different areas of the defense to find a weakness. I just don't see that happening in the first half of games, and like Earle said, it's quite puzzling.
 
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RTR91

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If they do have this many scripted plays, they are too similar, IMO. Part of the scripted plays should have been plays that "tested" or as my dad likes to call it "probe" different parts of the defense. That's what scripted plays are far, or part of the reason, is to test different areas of the defense to find a weakness. I just don't see that happening and like Earle said, it's quite puzzling.
I guess each OC has his own reason for scripted plays. Some might use them to find weaknesses like you suggest. Others use them to pinpoint the weaknesses found on film. Others use them to setup plays for later in the game.
 

trenda

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This is what's driving me nuts too.....you are EXACTLY right....that final drive was exactly what we should be doing ALL the time as far as passing.

The 2nd pass to Ridley was a quick slant that Ridley added lots of YAC to......Then the Pass to Smith was a Bang-8 Skinny Post we used a few weeks ago for a TD as well......Both passes....Jalen threw STRIKES that led the WR's so they could catch and run.

Why do we fiddle-fart around with Pro Style routes and Pro-Style pocket passing when our OL can't hold up long enough most of the time for longer routes? We need to go fast (on passes) and spread it out and straight up go Air Raid out of the shotgun or delayed from the RPO. Get it out in less than 3 seconds.....

Pretty much every time we've done it we've been successful as long as the WR's catch the balls.....Jalen's been throwing absolute DIMES for weeks now.

It's just maddening for me to watch us struggle every week when you know what we could do to work around our barely above average Pass Protection.
On the third down pass to Ridley - if I remember correctly - I think I saw an interview with Hurts where he said he checked into that route after seeing the defense. Said Ridley initially shook his head no and Hurts still called it anyhow -- and it worked beautifully. Makes me wonder how much liberty Hurts has to change calls at the line of scrimmage. He's basically been the starter for two full years now. The maturity level is there along with the experience and the team seems to follow his lead.

I get the thought process on scripting plays to open a game; but, hopefully they're giving him the autonomy to make those checks as he sees fit. Worked great in the clutch on Saturday night.
 

runtheoption22

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This is what's driving me nuts too.....you are EXACTLY right....that final drive was exactly what we should be doing ALL the time as far as passing.

The 2nd pass to Ridley was a quick slant that Ridley added lots of YAC to......Then the Pass to Smith was a Bang-8 Skinny Post we used a few weeks ago for a TD as well......Both passes....Jalen threw STRIKES that led the WR's so they could catch and run.

Why do we fiddle-fart around with Pro Style routes and Pro-Style pocket passing when our OL can't hold up long enough most of the time for longer routes? We need to go fast (on passes) and spread it out and straight up go Air Raid out of the shotgun or delayed from the RPO. Get it out in less than 3 seconds.....

Pretty much every time we've done it we've been successful as long as the WR's catch the balls.....Jalen's been throwing absolute DIMES for weeks now.

It's just maddening for me to watch us struggle every week when you know what we could do to work around our barely above average Pass Protection.
we don't really have to worry about pass pro on the the two plays mentioned above. the ball is out so quick on those plays. the middle of the field should be open.
 

Skeeterpop

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If they do have this many scripted plays, they are too similar, IMO. Part of the scripted plays should have been plays that "tested" or as my dad likes to call it "probe" different parts of the defense. That's what scripted plays are far, or part of the reason, is to test different areas of the defense to find a weakness. I just don't see that happening in the first half of games, and like Earle said, it's quite puzzling.
What can happen is a team will see some weaknesses or areas they feel they can exploit and they will select some plays to run at that. Many times they will run similar plays to make sure they give the offense a good opportunity to execute and be successful. Defenses also make changes from week to week with their in game philosophy. So this can mean several ineffective plays early in the game until the offense decides to get off script or continue doing more of the same.

A good OC thinks his gameplan is the best for success. Many times he feels the offense did not execute properly if they play fails so he calls again and again to prove it will work. Some are more hard headed than others and take too long to accept for whatever reason its not working and they may be wrong and need to try something different.

I have been both a Defensive Coordinator and an Asst Offensive Coordinator at the HS level and seen OC be very hard headed. I would guess at the college level that mindset would be very similar.
 

tusks_n_raider

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we don't really have to worry about pass pro on the the two plays mentioned above. the ball is out so quick on those plays. the middle of the field should be open.
Yes I agree..... and well.... that's my main point ultimately.

That and for some reason we try to 'test' just about everything that could possibly make sledding tougher instead of easier.

For example......I can't for the life of me understand why Damien continues to be sidelined for LONG stretches of time. The run blocking hasn't been the best either but he's the ONE guy who continually thrives despite that.

Going into the game he was 5th in the NCAA in YPC.....He's now 4th....

He had 8......EIGHT carries in the game.....Nobody really had a 'Bad' game this week but here's the YPC just for the Miss St game:

Runner #1 - 2.11 YPC
Runner #2 - 11.63 YPC
Runner #3 - 6.00 YPC
Runner #4 - 6.60 YPC

Which Runner would you guess was Damien??

I'm no genius but...

1) When we RUN... I'd feed the guy who consistently runs for almost TWICE the YPC of the other RB's.

2) When we PASS....I'd run plays that get the ball out fast to nullify the OL breakdowns.

We EVENTUALLY get around to both of those.....but it takes a lot of 3 and outs and stalled drives to do it. Really.... REALLY frustrating to watch.
 

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