MarioPalmer
10-02-2008, 11:33 PM
I found this as I was looking through Footballoustiders.com, I visit there pretty frequently and they have really good info that ESPN and other big netoworks don't deal with because of actual indepth analysis. So hopefully you guys enjoy. Here's the link, and here's the actual story I was interested in. It's a good site for indepth info that you won't find on many other sites. So....enjoy. I know it's long, but hey, what else you got to do?....lol
http://fo3.footballoutsiders.com/walkthrough/walkthrough-spread-dead
The Spread is Dead; Long Live the Spread
Tim Tebow stood in shotgun on fourth-and-1 in the waning seconds of the fourth quarter against Ole Miss. Two blocking backs stood directly behind the line of scrimmage to Tebow's right. Not surprisingly, Tebow plunged into the line behind those blockers, where he met most of the Rebel defense. No gain. Mississippi wins. National analysts criticized the play call, with good reason: With no other backs in position to take a handoff, there was no hope of play-faking, misdirection, or subterfuge.
How quickly times change. A decade ago, a shotgun sneak with two single wing-style blocking backs aligned one yard behind the guard and tackle would have been an exotic play selection. Now, it's so predictable that we criticize Urban Meyer for calling it. In college football, like the pros, last year's innovation is this year's cliché.
Spread and spread option offenses have taken over college football, and principals from both schemes have infiltrated the NFL over the past decade. In the past, teams rarely lined up in shotgun, empty-backfield sets on first down in the second quarter. A handoff from the shotgun was once a third-and-forever desperation tactic; it's now a large part of the Colts passing game, and the Patriots are likely to use the handoff as a play fake before a slip screen to Wes Welker. These principles are lifted from the wide-open offenses that have become so common in college football that I'm sometimes shocked to see an I-formation on a Saturday afternoon.
At Football Outsiders, we have been writing about the rise of shotgun and spread tactics in the NFL for years; I outlined the rise of shotgun sets in Pro Football Prospectus 2007, and Doug Farrar wrote at length about the spread in PFP 2008. Because we are FO, we try to be precise when delineating meanings, parsing out the differences between the pure spread (five wide receivers, extra wide gaps between the linemen), the spread option (Florida's offense, lots of quarterback keepers and misdirection), and the run 'n' shoot (the old Mouse Davis-June Jones system, usually with four wide receivers and lots of crossing patterns and draw plays). We always make it clear that no NFL team runs a true spread offense, and that Meyer's/Rich Rodriguez' tactics wouldn't form the basis of a successful pro offense. Still, teams like the Patriots, Packers, and Broncos run very spread-like systems, and we're often asked if the spread is the "next big thing."
I used to answer that spread principles are on the rise. I now think they have peaked and will soon be on the wane.
Just as the mainstream media is taking note of the spread, defensive coordinators are starting to defeat it. Last week's Tebow stuff is just one example of how defensive coordinators are bringing back balance. Roll the college highlight reels from recent weeks, and you will see more quarterback keepers getting stymied, more slip screens broken up or returned for pick-sixes, and a general sense that fewer defenders are fooled by the sprint-option right/toss back to the left tactics of coaches like Meyer. College coaches used to see one or two spread option teams per year. Now they see ten. They had to adapt or change careers.
At the pro level, the recent fascination with spread principles may also be subsiding. The Patriots set passing records last year, but they are learning that what works for Tom Brady may not work for Matt Cassel. The Packers are in a similar situation: Aaron Rodgers ran their multiple offense successfully early in the year, but his injury may force rookie Matt Flynn into a system that asks an awful lot of a young quarterback. The Broncos currently run the most spread-like offense in the NFL, and they have had a lot of success. But last week, shotgun handoffs to Selvyn Young were getting stuffed at the line, quick screens to the receivers had little success, and a too-cute pitch play to Brandon Marshall resulted in a turnover. All three teams are getting diminishing returns from their wide-open tactics as opponents learn to better defend them.
How are defenses adapting to all of the receiver screens, draws, and shotgun sets? I've seen some small but significant changes.
Cornerbacks and other edge defenders are protecting their legs better. In the past, receivers could lunge at defenders on those slip/tunnel screens and trip them up. Now, cornerbacks are staying on their feet and making more tackles. Coaches are probably emphasizing leg protection and shedding blocks on the edge.
More cornerbacks are lining up five yards deep and going for the pick when the quarterback throws the receiver screen. This must be a designated assignment: One cornerback crashes, the others stay back in zone coverage in case of a completion or pump fake.
Defensive ends are aligning extra wide and leaping to disrupt outside screens.
Linebackers are keying the run more aggressively in shotgun sets. You are much more likely to see a linebacker cheat toward the line and maintain gap responsibility on a shotgun play than you did a few years ago. This was very evident during Chiefs-Broncos, where Derrick Johnson was clearly keying Selvin Young on several running plays.
Figure 1: Defending A Tunnel Screen
http://i508.photobucket.com/albums/s327/gsus8091/wlkFigure1.jpg
Figure 1 shows all four principles at work against a tunnel screen. Most defensive calls wouldn't include both an end and a cornerback attacking the backfield, but you get the idea. All of the small changes add up to greater equilibrium between offense and defense. Tunnel screens are still effective, but they have lost the elements of surprise and novelty. Similarly, empty backfields on early downs are now part of the NFL offensive canon, but they've lost their "wow" factor. Coaches will soon rediscover the simple joy of the I-formation run off tackle.
Let's review some of this week's games through the prism of the spread offense. All of the games below feature one team with a pass- and shotgun-happy scheme. Will recent adversity force them to scale back?
Team: Patriots
Spread Options: Matt Cassel told The Patriots Ledger that he spent the bye week working on his mechanics, watching film, and learning "how defenses are approaching us as an offense." That sounds like a guy who will still be slinging it from the shotgun this week, especially against a Niners secondary that got immolated by the Saints. The likely return of Laurence Maroney (who was practicing in pads last week) will improve the Patriots' draw-and-stretch game, making them less predictable when Cassel is in the gun.
Pick: The disgruntled Randy Moss takes a week off. The happy, streaking-through-the-endzone Moss clocks in. Patriots.
Team: Packers
Spread Options: The Packers offense is diverse. Mike McCarthy can load the formation with five wide receivers, get primitive and switch to the full house backfield (great for snowy playoff games against the Seahawks), or channel Urban Meyer and use a tight end as a blocking back in front of a shotgun quarterback. If Matt Flynn steps in for the injured Aaron Rodgers, expect lots of power running and max protect principles. That doesn't mean the Packers will run 45 times; McCarthy loves to call slants and fade patterns from run-heavy formations, and a few screens and quick slants will help Flynn get his rhythm while allowing the Packers receivers to work in space.
Pick: Injuries to Rodgers and Al Harris have exposed major depth issues at key positions in Green Bay, but Greg Jennings and company should feast on a porous Falcons secondary. Packers win, with or without Rodgers.
Team: Broncos
Spread Options: The Broncos have strayed far from their zone blocking roots in the last two years, embracing an offense as full of tunnel screens and spreadish trickery as any in the NFL. The change has brought a mix of big plays and big mistakes. Last week's loss to the Chiefs will force them to take a step back from the chasm's edge. There's no need to use Brandon Marshall as a tailback, and it's sometimes better to keep it simple against weak opponents. Mike Shanahan may cut down on the cuteness against a disciplined Bucs defense that loves to bait quarterbacks into mistakes.
Pick: This is the toughest game of the week to decide. The Bucs don't have the offensive speed to capitalize on Broncos defensive errors, and I expect the Broncos to protect the ball after Sunday's ice water wake-up. On the flip side, the Bucs defense is playing well, Joey Galloway could be back, and for all their talent and big-play potential, the Broncos could easily be 1-3 right now. Take the Broncos, but that's not the world's safest investment right now. Which is saying something.
Team: Colts
Spread Options:The Colts offense bears only surface similarities to a college-style spread, but they are constantly in three-receiver sets and operate out of the shotgun frequently. They are lumped here for convenience. The first-team offense practiced regularly against the first-team defense during the bye week, as Peyton Manning and company tried to perfect their timing. Center Jeff Saturday and tight end Dallas Clark are back, so injuries are no longer a legitimate excuse for the team's offensive woes. Don't expect many changes as the Colts head for Houston this week. "It's just trying to fix those little things," Joseph Addai said of his bye-week preparation.
Pick: The Texans are the best 0-3 team in football, and they're happy to have a home, if not a roof over their heads. With Steve Slaton adding a big-play run threat to the offense, they can keep it close. Still, look for the Colts to win; I like the idea of getting them with a three-point line.
http://fo3.footballoutsiders.com/walkthrough/walkthrough-spread-dead
The Spread is Dead; Long Live the Spread
Tim Tebow stood in shotgun on fourth-and-1 in the waning seconds of the fourth quarter against Ole Miss. Two blocking backs stood directly behind the line of scrimmage to Tebow's right. Not surprisingly, Tebow plunged into the line behind those blockers, where he met most of the Rebel defense. No gain. Mississippi wins. National analysts criticized the play call, with good reason: With no other backs in position to take a handoff, there was no hope of play-faking, misdirection, or subterfuge.
How quickly times change. A decade ago, a shotgun sneak with two single wing-style blocking backs aligned one yard behind the guard and tackle would have been an exotic play selection. Now, it's so predictable that we criticize Urban Meyer for calling it. In college football, like the pros, last year's innovation is this year's cliché.
Spread and spread option offenses have taken over college football, and principals from both schemes have infiltrated the NFL over the past decade. In the past, teams rarely lined up in shotgun, empty-backfield sets on first down in the second quarter. A handoff from the shotgun was once a third-and-forever desperation tactic; it's now a large part of the Colts passing game, and the Patriots are likely to use the handoff as a play fake before a slip screen to Wes Welker. These principles are lifted from the wide-open offenses that have become so common in college football that I'm sometimes shocked to see an I-formation on a Saturday afternoon.
At Football Outsiders, we have been writing about the rise of shotgun and spread tactics in the NFL for years; I outlined the rise of shotgun sets in Pro Football Prospectus 2007, and Doug Farrar wrote at length about the spread in PFP 2008. Because we are FO, we try to be precise when delineating meanings, parsing out the differences between the pure spread (five wide receivers, extra wide gaps between the linemen), the spread option (Florida's offense, lots of quarterback keepers and misdirection), and the run 'n' shoot (the old Mouse Davis-June Jones system, usually with four wide receivers and lots of crossing patterns and draw plays). We always make it clear that no NFL team runs a true spread offense, and that Meyer's/Rich Rodriguez' tactics wouldn't form the basis of a successful pro offense. Still, teams like the Patriots, Packers, and Broncos run very spread-like systems, and we're often asked if the spread is the "next big thing."
I used to answer that spread principles are on the rise. I now think they have peaked and will soon be on the wane.
Just as the mainstream media is taking note of the spread, defensive coordinators are starting to defeat it. Last week's Tebow stuff is just one example of how defensive coordinators are bringing back balance. Roll the college highlight reels from recent weeks, and you will see more quarterback keepers getting stymied, more slip screens broken up or returned for pick-sixes, and a general sense that fewer defenders are fooled by the sprint-option right/toss back to the left tactics of coaches like Meyer. College coaches used to see one or two spread option teams per year. Now they see ten. They had to adapt or change careers.
At the pro level, the recent fascination with spread principles may also be subsiding. The Patriots set passing records last year, but they are learning that what works for Tom Brady may not work for Matt Cassel. The Packers are in a similar situation: Aaron Rodgers ran their multiple offense successfully early in the year, but his injury may force rookie Matt Flynn into a system that asks an awful lot of a young quarterback. The Broncos currently run the most spread-like offense in the NFL, and they have had a lot of success. But last week, shotgun handoffs to Selvyn Young were getting stuffed at the line, quick screens to the receivers had little success, and a too-cute pitch play to Brandon Marshall resulted in a turnover. All three teams are getting diminishing returns from their wide-open tactics as opponents learn to better defend them.
How are defenses adapting to all of the receiver screens, draws, and shotgun sets? I've seen some small but significant changes.
Cornerbacks and other edge defenders are protecting their legs better. In the past, receivers could lunge at defenders on those slip/tunnel screens and trip them up. Now, cornerbacks are staying on their feet and making more tackles. Coaches are probably emphasizing leg protection and shedding blocks on the edge.
More cornerbacks are lining up five yards deep and going for the pick when the quarterback throws the receiver screen. This must be a designated assignment: One cornerback crashes, the others stay back in zone coverage in case of a completion or pump fake.
Defensive ends are aligning extra wide and leaping to disrupt outside screens.
Linebackers are keying the run more aggressively in shotgun sets. You are much more likely to see a linebacker cheat toward the line and maintain gap responsibility on a shotgun play than you did a few years ago. This was very evident during Chiefs-Broncos, where Derrick Johnson was clearly keying Selvin Young on several running plays.
Figure 1: Defending A Tunnel Screen
http://i508.photobucket.com/albums/s327/gsus8091/wlkFigure1.jpg
Figure 1 shows all four principles at work against a tunnel screen. Most defensive calls wouldn't include both an end and a cornerback attacking the backfield, but you get the idea. All of the small changes add up to greater equilibrium between offense and defense. Tunnel screens are still effective, but they have lost the elements of surprise and novelty. Similarly, empty backfields on early downs are now part of the NFL offensive canon, but they've lost their "wow" factor. Coaches will soon rediscover the simple joy of the I-formation run off tackle.
Let's review some of this week's games through the prism of the spread offense. All of the games below feature one team with a pass- and shotgun-happy scheme. Will recent adversity force them to scale back?
Team: Patriots
Spread Options: Matt Cassel told The Patriots Ledger that he spent the bye week working on his mechanics, watching film, and learning "how defenses are approaching us as an offense." That sounds like a guy who will still be slinging it from the shotgun this week, especially against a Niners secondary that got immolated by the Saints. The likely return of Laurence Maroney (who was practicing in pads last week) will improve the Patriots' draw-and-stretch game, making them less predictable when Cassel is in the gun.
Pick: The disgruntled Randy Moss takes a week off. The happy, streaking-through-the-endzone Moss clocks in. Patriots.
Team: Packers
Spread Options: The Packers offense is diverse. Mike McCarthy can load the formation with five wide receivers, get primitive and switch to the full house backfield (great for snowy playoff games against the Seahawks), or channel Urban Meyer and use a tight end as a blocking back in front of a shotgun quarterback. If Matt Flynn steps in for the injured Aaron Rodgers, expect lots of power running and max protect principles. That doesn't mean the Packers will run 45 times; McCarthy loves to call slants and fade patterns from run-heavy formations, and a few screens and quick slants will help Flynn get his rhythm while allowing the Packers receivers to work in space.
Pick: Injuries to Rodgers and Al Harris have exposed major depth issues at key positions in Green Bay, but Greg Jennings and company should feast on a porous Falcons secondary. Packers win, with or without Rodgers.
Team: Broncos
Spread Options: The Broncos have strayed far from their zone blocking roots in the last two years, embracing an offense as full of tunnel screens and spreadish trickery as any in the NFL. The change has brought a mix of big plays and big mistakes. Last week's loss to the Chiefs will force them to take a step back from the chasm's edge. There's no need to use Brandon Marshall as a tailback, and it's sometimes better to keep it simple against weak opponents. Mike Shanahan may cut down on the cuteness against a disciplined Bucs defense that loves to bait quarterbacks into mistakes.
Pick: This is the toughest game of the week to decide. The Bucs don't have the offensive speed to capitalize on Broncos defensive errors, and I expect the Broncos to protect the ball after Sunday's ice water wake-up. On the flip side, the Bucs defense is playing well, Joey Galloway could be back, and for all their talent and big-play potential, the Broncos could easily be 1-3 right now. Take the Broncos, but that's not the world's safest investment right now. Which is saying something.
Team: Colts
Spread Options:The Colts offense bears only surface similarities to a college-style spread, but they are constantly in three-receiver sets and operate out of the shotgun frequently. They are lumped here for convenience. The first-team offense practiced regularly against the first-team defense during the bye week, as Peyton Manning and company tried to perfect their timing. Center Jeff Saturday and tight end Dallas Clark are back, so injuries are no longer a legitimate excuse for the team's offensive woes. Don't expect many changes as the Colts head for Houston this week. "It's just trying to fix those little things," Joseph Addai said of his bye-week preparation.
Pick: The Texans are the best 0-3 team in football, and they're happy to have a home, if not a roof over their heads. With Steve Slaton adding a big-play run threat to the offense, they can keep it close. Still, look for the Colts to win; I like the idea of getting them with a three-point line.