ADVERTISEMENT

Spread Offense

RU31trap

All Conference
Sep 30, 2010
3,142
951
113
I hear many on this board calling for a spread offense and honestly I can't understand why? I just got done watching Clemson vs. Oklahoma and I was very very disappointed. It basically reduces the QB position to nothing more than a scrambler. No real QB skill just someone who can run and on a rare occasion throw the ball. The offensive schemes look disorganized in the traditional sense and resemble a street football game only with pads. Give me a pro set, QB under center in an I formation any day.
 
I hear many on this board calling for a spread offense and honestly I can't understand why? I just got done watching Clemson vs. Oklahoma and I was very very disappointed. It basically reduces the QB position to nothing more than a scrambler. No real QB skill just someone who can run and on a rare occasion throw the ball. The offensive schemes look disorganized in the traditional sense and resemble a street football game only with pads. Give me a pro set, QB under center in an I formation any day.


You forgot leather helmets!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Section124
I am looking forward to multiple 3 & 4 wide out sets and to sing the full width of the field to spread out the defense. I was tired of tight formations and running up the middle. I think our play calling could be more creative
Sometimes having a defense covering multiple receivers can help open some holes for the running game. I think we can re ruit more guys with skill than the big uglies on the line to impose the pro set running game in the B1G. I think it matches our roster better and we may finally know how to defend against it.
 
A football field is 6,400 square yards in area. It makes sense to run an offense which forces the opposition to defend every inch.

Totally agree. Flood's offense was tough to watch. The tight sets and runs up the gut made it seem like he didn't realize you didn't have to play football in a shoe box. Watching this new school of football must have been so confusing to him.
 
OP- if that is what you saw, you truly don't understand the game of football or the spread offense. You have confirmed my suspicions as to the credibility of your posts.
Why because I don't agree with the spread offense? I'm a purist and I honestly don't like the spread. The Alabama-Michigan State game is much more palatable.
 
Why because I don't agree with the spread offense? I'm a purist and I honestly don't like the spread. The Alabama-Michigan State game is much more palatable.
No, you are certainly entitled to your preference. Some people still drive Honda Accords. What is clear is that you don't understand the spread.
 
It isn't just the spread formations, though those lend themselves to playing faster. It is the tempo that kills these defenses, while at the same time, it isn't exactly great for your own defense. Whatever. Throw the D stats out. To quote our new coach, it is all about winning the game.

If our O is half as proficient as Houston's, look out.
 
No, you are certainly entitled to your preference. Some people still drive Honda Accords. What is clear is that you don't understand the spread.
Perhaps I don't understand the spread as well as others on this site but let me give it a shot.
It isn't just the spread formations, though those lend themselves to playing faster. It is the tempo that kills these defenses, while at the same time, it isn't exactly great for your own defense. Whatever. Throw the D stats out. To quote our new coach, it is all about winning the game.

If our O is half as proficient as Houston's, look out.
It's a brand of offense that in my honest opinion dilutes talent. You don't need top shelf talent, you basically play 3 or 4 WR put in a QB that could roll out run and run more. Yes on occasion they throw a pass but almost never in the pocket. This basically renders a 1 tech NT useless because defenses are forced to play fast DT's who could adjust to the spread but wouldn't qualify as LB's on some pro teams. As I said Street Ball with pads. If my memory serves me right Georgia Tech lived and died by the spread. Right?

However I will concede that for those who prefer seeing high scoring games the spread is much more entertaining.
 
Last edited:
Why because I don't agree with the spread offense? I'm a purist and I honestly don't like the spread. The Alabama-Michigan State game is much more palatable.
Rutgers could run a pro offense all day long if they had Alabama's studs. And BTW, Alabama runs the pistol with an AA RB and an offensive line that would make pro teams blush.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Scarlet Craig
Oh, and Georgia Tech went to 3 BCS/NY6 games running that spread offense.
 
Why because I don't agree with the spread offense? I'm a purist and I honestly don't like the spread. The Alabama-Michigan State game is much more palatable.
How does your purist heart feel about MSU getting shut out? I get The old school idea of smash mouth but spreads score points. Not saying Clemson wins but a good spread eliminates Bama front 4.
 
Don't care what we run as long as it maximizes the talent of the roster. Right now, that lends us to the spread. If suddenly a bunch of 5-star linemen sign on the dotted line, by all means -- line 'em up and run behind 'em.
 
  • Like
Reactions: tico brown
Plenty of things to like about the spread. The ball gets out of the QB's hands quick. It goes to playmakers in space. The D can't put 8 in the box. The D has to declare early otherwise assignments get busted.
What I am waiting to see is how it performs in bad weather and when you have a 4th qtr lead and are trying to run the clock out. Although having a 4th qtr lead sounds nice.
 
There are several different versions of the spread. The op does not like the spread, I get it. He probably would have complained about the forward pass being instituted back in the day. Ohio State did ok while running a spread last year.
 
Our new coach Ash is a defensive expert and he knows what's difficult for him to defend. That's the spread offense. Another defensive expert, Schiano knows it's hard to defend against the spread.
 
Spread is the best avenue to overachieving your perceived status on the college landscape. I've given all the examples and all the rankings many times in the past. It doesn't mean it will work for you but it is the best opportunity for it to happen. I've said even if it failed here with whomever we selected as HC (now we know Ash/Mehringer) I'd still go back and try again with someone who hopefully could execute it it better.

The lowest you can go down the totem pole with a pro style is a MSU/Stanford/Wisconsin while with the spread you can see many teams lower down the totem pole and plenty of teams coming out of nowhere to make more noise than most thought they ever could as programs whether that be fleeting success or longer term success.
 
Spread is the best avenue to overachieving your perceived status on the college landscape. I've given all the examples and all the rankings many times in the past. It doesn't mean it will work for you but it is the best opportunity for it to happen. I've said even if it failed here with whomever we selected as HC (now we know Ash/Mehringer) I'd still go back and try again with someone who hopefully could execute it it better.

The lowest you can go down the totem pole with a pro style is a MSU/Stanford/Wisconsin while with the spread you can see many teams lower down the totem pole and plenty of teams coming out of nowhere to make more noise than most thought they ever could as programs whether that be fleeting success or longer term success.
Yesterday validated RU's switch even more. You had an extremely well coached MSU team with an experienced senior QB that couldn't get anything done against a team with significantly better athletes. Meanwhile, Houston carved up a team that has recruited on a completely different level from them.
 
I personally prefer a more traditional, stone-age, run-based offense as well. I too find the spread weird and "not real football." But we would need better linemen to compete in BIG with the traditional offense. I think we have better chance of picking up skill players who can work the spread (watching the last two years, I actually think our skill players have been closer in talent to the BIG power teams than our linemen, on both sides of the ball). In any event, the dye is cast, and Ash is going with the spread. Just hope he succeeds.
 
Yesterday validated RU's switch even more. You had an extremely well coached MSU team with an experienced senior QB that couldn't get anything done against a team with significantly better athletes. Meanwhile, Houston carved up a team that has recruited on a completely different level from them.
Yup, I've been wanting to switch for quite some time now and am glad we finally did. Like I said who knows if it will work with this group of coaches. Maybe it will, maybe it won't but this is the path we should be on and trying to get right. I've mentioned this also many times and just in another thread, look at all Alabama's recent losses. They're to spread teams. While pro style teams like UGA, MSU get chewed up by them much more often than not. It doesn't mean you'll win if you have a spread but it just improves your chances to overachieve you perceived status. It's not a about guarantees, it's just about increasing probabilities and to me the spread is that.
 
Remember that one year we tried to run a spread with Ciarrocca? That didn't go so well but I am optimistic this time will be different.
 
I'm never said the spread doesn't work. All I said is that it's not real football, it's street ball with pads. A style of football that's going to render the DT obsolete. just line up 3 LB's, 3 SS and 5 CB's.

Listen, it may work and teams may win championships, but at the end of the day those with talent and skill will get drafted into the NFL where the spread is not used. Chip Kelly tried some facets of the spread at Philadelphia and he is currently unemployed.
 
I always liked Mike Leach and his explanation of offense. He was asked about his air raid offense and the difference between what he does and the spread offense.
His comment was that it didn't matter what offensive setup you ran, the only thing that mattered was how much space you created between your guy and the defensive player. That's it. Make the defensive player cover more space than they can handle against the player that you want with the ball. Pretty much sums it up.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: jreinsdorf
There are different types of spread offenses. The Air Raid variation that Mike Leach runs is pass based. Chip Kelly's offense is run-based. Oregon was consistently one of the best rushing teams in the nation. The spread formations are a means of creating gaps in the running game. Most pass-based spread offenses are based on the innovations of Sid GIllman, who devised the concept of stretching defenses vertically and horizontally. He's the philosophical touchstone for modern passing offenses in college football, and he was an NFL guy.
 
Penn State, Maryland and Rutgers are switching to the spread offense next year. Even Cuse going spread.
 
Penn State, Maryland and Rutgers are switching to the spread offense next year. Even Cuse going spread.

I wonder if defenses will eventually catch up to the spread. People still kill Schiano for having his worst games against spread teams, but spread offenses were still rather new then. Years later, the spread offense is practically becoming the new pro offense imo.

NAVY has had great teams over the years but one of the reasons they've been successful and could compete against much better teams was because so few teams play like they do that it catches teams off guard and is difficult to prepare for. If everyone in a conference used a spread offense, do you think it would still be as effective?

I'm NOT saying RU should stay in the pro set. I think we need to do whatever we can to compete and if the spread gives us a better chance, I'm all for it. I do agree that it makes football more like a street game. I wonder if that will change over the next few years as DCs start figuring out ways to beat it or, at least, limit its effectiveness.
 
spread offense is a better offense for us to run in the long run to better compete in our division PERIOD.
 
I'm never said the spread doesn't work. All I said is that it's not real football, it's street ball with pads. A style of football that's going to render the DT obsolete. just line up 3 LB's, 3 SS and 5 CB's.

Listen, it may work and teams may win championships, but at the end of the day those with talent and skill will get drafted into the NFL where the spread is not used. Chip Kelly tried some facets of the spread at Philadelphia and he is currently unemployed.
I hope Rutgers is successful enough that our recruiting improves to where we can beat teams the better teams in out division playing them straight up. Until then, knowing our schedule each year, sticking with the pro style is just banging our heads against the wall.
 
There are pro set offenses and then there are things that are called pro set.
Our offense this past season was reminiscent of my days in HS football in the early 60's and we were running out of the T! Highly predictable for any D to play against.
Just give me an offense that can move the chains and keep opposing defenses honest and I will be a happy man.
 
Wasn't the Big 12 just a running conference when Nebraska, Texas and Oklahoma dominated with the Wishbone offense in the 1970's? Time a changing.
 
If Rutgers becomes a top program running the spread , I'm for it.
The pro set wasn't getting that done and it might be best to change to an offense that makes
becoming a constant top 25 program a reality rather than just a hope.
As far as looking at the way you're school's QB plays the position, if the school is winning because he can play as a spread QB better than in the pro set, bet that school's fans like the way he plays.
Different strokes for different folks when it comes to QB play, but if the QB and the way he plays makes your school a championship contender, it won't matter which type of offense that QB excels at as long as his QBing helps bring home wins.

Expect to see pro teams moving away from the pro set and going more to spread offenses ,
because more spread QBs are being produced at the FBS college level than quality pro set ones.
The game has been changing little by little each generation and the role of the QB has been changing with it.
 
If Rutgers becomes a top program running the spread , I'm for it.
The pro set wasn't getting that done and it might be best to change to an offense that makes
becoming a constant top 25 program a reality rather than just a hope.
As far as looking at the way you're school's QB plays the position, if the school is winning because he can play as a spread QB better than in the pro set, bet that school's fans like the way he plays.
Different strokes for different folks when it comes to QB play, but if the QB and the way he plays makes your school a championship contender, it won't matter which type of offense that QB excels at as long as his QBing helps bring home wins.

Expect to see pro teams moving away from the pro set and going more to spread offenses ,
because more spread QBs are being produced at the FBS college level than quality pro set ones.
The game has been changing little by little each generation and the role of the QB has been changing with it.
Sure, they'll go to the spread in the pros. Why not, it makes sense since the NFL PUSSIFIED the sport to a point where a WR runs across the middle with very little to fear. A safety gets a hold of a QB who rolls out and gently wraps him up and brings him down. If he decides to run he can always slide forward to avoid contact. Yeah of course they could play the spread in the NFL. Try playing the spread in the NFL during the 80's or early 90 and you would need a trama unit built into each stadium.

A word of caution to college football and pro football. Some of us remember a thing called boxing in this country. It was a brutal sport and tough to watch at times but one thing led to another and they reduced the rounds from 15 to 12. They started to stop fights once a fighter was staggered. Boxing got boring and viewers looked elsewhere. Today, the UFC has for all intensive purposes, replaced boxing. In time the NFL will suffer the same fate.
 
Last edited:
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT