hypothetically speaking....

[OU_Sooners75]

We all love to speak of how we would handle something differently that we do not control.

That said, hypothetically speaking, what would you do if you were the head coach of OU football this week to fix the issues on the team? That's if you think there is anything wrong in the first place.

Me? I would:

On Offense:

Let's start where the problems seem to be the strongest, the offense.

I would demand change from my assistants. Apparently the offense we are running does not fit the strengths of the personnel we are starting. So you could bench player. And I would if we couldn't fix the system. But we can, so fix it.

Jones is a heck of a QB when he doesn't feel pressured. We all know that. So do we put him in the pressure situations? Hell opposing teams know he isn't good with pressure.

Let's look at some of the personnel besides Jones. We have arguably the best FB in the big 12. Why not utilize him more? We have a very good set of WRs. We have some very good RBs. We have a decent tun blocking OL.

That all said, simplify things on offensed. Get Millard in the game for every snap. Use him as a lead. Use him for FB dives. His him to help max protect on passes. Hell use him on flares and delay routes.

Get rid of the no huddle. Use ball control instead. Get under center and run from a I or Power I. Hand off on misdirections and counters. Use trap plays. Do away with zone blocking on all runs and play power football.

Use the successes you have running to your advantage. Run play action passes. Utilize the TE in mismatches. Get your WRs more down field. Use you slot for the middle. Keep the play calling simple, yet unpredictable.

That's what I would do. And if any player couldn't succeed then, or made too many mistakes, they are on the bench. And if my coordinator couldn't adjust to it. Then I would find one that can and will. And if the players didn't buy into. It. They wouldn't have a scholarship come next fall.

On defense I would play what we have been, but I would take Wort out of the middle and put him as the weakside backer. I would get a big back like Bird to fill the middle. Hell maybe even !aron Ripkowski.

I wouldn't be afraid to dial up run or pass blitzes, especially if the front four is getting no pressure or penetration.

Basically I would play the most physcial, fundamentally sound football possible.

[PLaw]

^^^^^ THIS ^^^^^

Amen, halelujah! Preaching to the choir, brother. Eggzactly the same message I've been thinking and saying to anybody who will listen.

I still think experimenting with Millard at Mike would be interesting. Wort at Will, Millard, and Nelson at Sam - that would bring some heat.

Boomer

[SoonerorLater]

If I could make changes it would be very similar to what your saying. I set with play action. I'm just not sure our O line would hold up well with the transition but we may be surprised. It seems like a a good calculated risk. I don't think doing what we are doing now will yield much different in the way of results. Landry is never going to stop being jittery in the pocket unless he has an All-American type line in front of him. That isn't going to happen this year with our line.

[landrun]

I wouldn't get rid of the no huddle and I'd leave LJ in shot gun a lot still.
But I agree on the rest. I'd make them mix it up more and add a lot of run with LJ under center and then run some play action off of it.

Then, I'd assign a coach to special teams and let them know we better not see another blocked kick all year and better not see one taken to the house against us either.

[ratherthanlater]

On offense I would do something like this...

1st down: 3 wr, I formation with Bell at QB, Millard and Williams. I'd run it 85% of the time on first down.
2nd down: If < 4 yards to first run it again with above group. Otherwise sub in Finch for Williams and run 65% of the time.
3rd down: No huddle hurry up Finch in slot Millard at TE. Pass 60% Bell Run 40%.
4th down: Never punt.

On D...
Get better players.

[SOONER44EVER]

I'd continue the no huddle but I'd run it like we used to. Snap the ball right when we hit the LOS. This crap of walking up to the line and waiting until the playclock hits 3 seconds to snap the ball kills us. Landry and the O did so much better when they actually ran a hurry up offense. At times it was unstoppable.

[prrriiide]

Make sure that your game plan doesn't REQUIRE the QB to win the game for you. Just that he doesn't LOSE the game for you. Although it looks like LJ might not even be able to handle that much.

[OUTrumpet]

Apparently the offense we are running does not fit the strengths of the personnel we are starting.

And if any player couldn't succeed then, or made too many mistakes, they are on the bench.

So if a players strengths do not fit the big running game that you would like, it seems like you're arguing for one thing and then countering it later by saying if they don't fit the system I want...get em on the bench. Who do you take off the bench to replace them? Typically the reason they are out there is they are the best we have.


Jones is a heck of a QB when he doesn't feel pressured.

I rewatched the game Sunday. Noticed a big difference in Jones for two ways. Think about when Jones looked good Saturday and when he looked like he fell out of a kid's diaper. The difference when rewatching the game was a pretty straightforward.

If the playcall came in late, he's at the LOS yelling audibles to the oline while trying to hurry to get the play off to avoid a delay of game, he looks like garbage. If he's staring at the sideline till 5 left on the playclock, then starts running at the oline, we're going to have a bad time.

When the call comes in on time, he looks good.

[cleller]

Obviously Mike knows what he's doing, and I hate to second guess him, but the Wort idea caught my attention.

I've always liked Bird, and Ripkowski, so the getting them on the field sounds great to me. I have to conclude that Mike is putting the best talent where he feels it should be.
Still, it might be fun to mix the chemicals and see if something might explode.

[XingTheRubicon]

I'd work on the end zone fumbling.

[jk the sooner fan]

too many words in the OP ;)

i think i'd go away from the up tempo no huddle offense

i'd be a run first offense. i'd make LJ learn how to take a snap under center and do that whole deal

on defense i'd teach the players how to tackle properly and not try to blow up the runner for a sportscenter highlight

[BoulderSooner79]

...
I rewatched the game Sunday. Noticed a big difference in Jones for two ways. Think about when Jones looked good Saturday and when he looked like he fell out of a kid's diaper. The difference when rewatching the game was a pretty straightforward.

If the playcall came in late, he's at the LOS yelling audibles to the oline while trying to hurry to get the play off to avoid a delay of game, he looks like garbage. If he's staring at the sideline till 5 left on the playclock, then starts running at the oline, we're going to have a bad time.

When the call comes in on time, he looks good.

I think there is a lot to this and not just this past game and not just LJ. When the O goes really fast, we can look pretty bad too. On one drive, we were in up-tempo and tried to quick snap the D on 3rd and 1 and Whaley got stuffed for NG and we had to punt. That was in the 3rd qtr and we snuffed our own drive trying to be cute instead of winning with execution.

I think Josh puts too much emphasis on trying to call the best play in response to how the D is lined up. That causes the play to come in late and I wonder how many guys didn't really get the call by the time the ball is snapped. All 11 guys need to be on the same page to get crisp execution. The O should be able to run almost any play in the playbook and have success if the execution is good and that would have better results than choosing an optimal play and running it poorly. I can't see making the kind of changes the OP suggests during the season unless things are terrible and the coaches are throwing in the towel to adjust for next season. That could happen if we drop out of contention for the conference, but I hope it doesn't come to that. So my simple suggestion would be for Josh to grade himself on getting the play called with at least 12-15 seconds left on the play clock. Maybe even consider huddling for a series or 2. Keeping the other guys D from substituting doesn't seem to be giving us much advantage.

Like other posters, I believe we should be more patient with the run as we are running pretty well with Whaley and Williams. Even Clay has been effective. But I see no way we can win going to a run-first offense this season. The horns and ND would hold us to 10-13 points if we did that - LJ has to perform. Many posters complain about bubble screens but we have been doing very little of that and very little use of dump offs to the backs. Even the pros use a healthy does of those plays to keep defenses honest. They also tend to give a QB some confidence as they can make positive plays under pressure. On many plays Saturday, we had a back swing out and was wide open for an easy 5 yard gain and LJ never looked at him. If he is just a decoy and not a real option, then we are playing with 10 against 11 because the RB was not occupying a defender. "Take what the defense gives you."

On defense we have to have some packages designed to create pressure. We can just play straight up every down and rely on all players getting their assignment right. Offenses are just too good these days and you have to force them out of their comfort zone occasionally in order to get a TO. I'm not advocating we blitz willy-nilly and take all sorts of risks, but we have to take some risks to get the rewards.

[Soonerjeepman]

We have arguably the best FB in the big 12. Why not utilize him more?.

I thought Stoops SAID this summer/spring/fall he was going to do that?.. ;-)

[GameWarden]

I heard James Hale on the Sports animal say that the coaches had promised Landry that he would be under center more this season? But they certainly haven't done it.
My question is this: Doesn't that compound the problems that Landry is already having?? If he's under center he has to make quicker decisions, move in the pocket more and fit the ball in tight places more often. Without the mismatches caused by the no huddle there would seldom be a receiver running wide open and LJ has to make more accurate throws. Not that he can't be accurate, he's just not consistent at it.

[SoonerLB]

We all love to speak of how we would handle something differently that we do not control.

That said, hypothetically speaking, what would you do if you were the head coach of OU football this week to fix the issues on the team? That's if you think there is anything wrong in the first place.

Me? I would:

On Offense:

Let's start where the problems seem to be the strongest, the offense.

I would demand change from my assistants. Apparently the offense we are running does not fit the strengths of the personnel we are starting. So you could bench player. And I would if we couldn't fix the system. But we can, so fix it.

Jones is a heck of a QB when he doesn't feel pressured. We all know that. So do we put him in the pressure situations? Hell opposing teams know he isn't good with pressure.

Let's look at some of the personnel besides Jones. We have arguably the best FB in the big 12. Why not utilize him more? We have a very good set of WRs. We have some very good RBs. We have a decent tun blocking OL.

That all said, simplify things on offensed. Get Millard in the game for every snap. Use him as a lead. Use him for FB dives. His him to help max protect on passes. Hell use him on flares and delay routes.

Get rid of the no huddle. Use ball control instead. Get under center and run from a I or Power I. Hand off on misdirections and counters. Use trap plays. Do away with zone blocking on all runs and play power football.

Use the successes you have running to your advantage. Run play action passes. Utilize the TE in mismatches. Get your WRs more down field. Use you slot for the middle. Keep the play calling simple, yet unpredictable.

That's what I would do. And if any player couldn't succeed then, or made too many mistakes, they are on the bench. And if my coordinator couldn't adjust to it. Then I would find one that can and will. And if the players didn't buy into. It. They wouldn't have a scholarship come next fall.

On defense I would play what we have been, but I would take Wort out of the middle and put him as the weakside backer. I would get a big back like Bird to fill the middle. Hell maybe even !aron Ripkowski.

I wouldn't be afraid to dial up run or pass blitzes, especially if the front four is getting no pressure or penetration.

Basically I would play the most physcial, fundamentally sound football possible.

You pretty much nailed it. I would probably put Bell at QB and concentrate the offense a lot more on going north/south with a lot less of the east/west nonsense. Let the recievers expend their energy running routes instead of running back and forth behind the line of scrimmage changing sets. Line up and knock opponents on their asses on the way to the endzone! The defense would tackle, by which I mean wrap up and tackle instead of throwing shoulders! And the plays would be called pronto, no more of the Meerkat staring at the sideline crap!!!

[C&CDean]

There's a whole lotta dumb in this thread.

Me? I'd ****ing quit. Why bother?

[Tear Down This Wall]

Roy Finch.

[soonervegas]

There's a whole lotta dumb in this thread.

Me? I'd ****ing quit. Why bother?

There are 34.5 million reasons why over the next 7 years....

[goingoneight]

We'll go a long way if we get better up front and don't turn the ball over. That said, I don't like the Nevada Pistols Firing offense. Not with the weapons we have in Millard, Whaley, Finch, DDW and even Clay. LJ would be a lot better if he was used the way AJ McCarron is. Our current offense puts the game solely on the QB. None of our guys are going to have much success that way.
Also, the WRs still need to clean up their routes, better understand where they need to be and play a bit more fearlessly. Stills giving up on that crossing route is something you or I would do in the stands. They can't be afraid to go get the ball.

[KantoSooner]

I seem to recall Stills and Metoyer taking some decent shots this year and continuing to play. Brown is Mr. Second Effort. I don't think our receivers need bigger cojones. Maybe better route running, I'll leave that to the experts. It might also help if the passes were thrown to them and not 1-2 yards behind them...and perhaps 3-4 yards over their heads.

[Soonerjeepman]

There are 34.5 million reasons why over the next 7 years....

dang, I don't think I will make much more than 1 million in 30 yrs of work...ugh~

[OU_Sooners75]

On offense I would do something like this...

1st down: 3 wr, I formation with Bell at QB, Millard and Williams. I'd run it 85% of the time on first down.
2nd down: If < 4 yards to first run it again with above group. Otherwise sub in Finch for Williams and run 65% of the time.
3rd down: No huddle hurry up Finch in slot Millard at TE. Pass 60% Bell Run 40%.
4th down: Never punt.

On D...
Get better players.

Sounds good. But if you are running it 85% of the time on first down with 3 wideouts, then you are begging for the opposing team to bank on you running it, and make you play out numbered inside the box. They could bring 8 in the box and you are out numbered. Heck they could go man coverage, or deep 3rds just keep the WRs in front and beat you most of the time with good run blitzes.

If your tendancy is to run from the I on first down 85% of the time, you should have at max 2 wideouts, and either a TE or H-back to even up the numbers.

Offense is about numbers. If you can outnumber where you want to run, then chances are, your making at least 4 yards/rush.

[OU_Sooners75]

So if a players strengths do not fit the big running game that you would like, it seems like you're arguing for one thing and then countering it later by saying if they don't fit the system I want...get em on the bench. Who do you take off the bench to replace them? Typically the reason they are out there is they are the best we have.

That's exactly right. But look at this:

The current state of the OL is decent, not great pass blockers. They are also good run blockers. Ever actually watch the OL block for a run in our regular offense? Ever watch them block when the belldozer is in?
I'm going to assume you have. I'm also going to assume that you see the difference in blocking scheme and assisgnments.but just in case you don't...

The OL when in our regular offense, blocks in a zone scheme/assignment. That means they are blocking the general flow of the run. It gives away our running direction because we don't run misdirections at all. Heck not even reverses. So whatdoes a defense key on? The movement of the line. The LBs and DL flow with the zone blocking direction.

Now there isn't anything wrong with zone blocking. Its rather simple for the OL. They are only responsible for whoever crosses their face when it comes to assignment blocking.

Now look at the belldozer run scheme/blocking assignments. The line actually fires off to make first contact. They are assigned a defender as opposed to a zone. This creates an advantage for your blocker, in particular your line because they are driving off the ball. They know the hole the ball is going and can create that hole by locking on and driving the defender away from that hole or at least get between the defender and the hole/ball carrier.

This blocking scheme can lead to a missed block, but so can others like zone blocking. However, it also makes it where the defense has to worry about gap assignment. And when you balance out the line and use assignment blocking, you can do more like pulls, traps, counters, and dives. Not to mention QB sneaks.

Trust me when I say, 95%+ of the offensive linemen at OU and in the nation feel a lot more comfortable in a blocking assignment schemes than zone blocking or pass blocking. They feel better making initial contact over anything else. They feel more comfortable driving with pure strength and power than waiting for the defender to come to them.

That all said, I would be very confident that the current OL players at OU can succeed in a power offense over this finesse offense they currently serve in.

As far as the rest of the players. Millard would shine being on the field more. Hell he already does when he gets the chance to play. Being more physical would amp I'm up. Williams, Clay, and even Finch would be a lot more successful downhill running instead of the finesse rushing attack. Finch, just think of Q. Clay is a heck of a downhill runner. His problems stem from trying to be a finesse runner, which he isn't. Williams, he is just a bull. And open him some holes, he is gone!

The WRs, yeah, it doesn't matter what type of offense. They will shine anyway.


The no huddle. Its the cause of the confusion on offense. The OC and offense in general tries to get to fancy and cute. They try too hard to out witt and out think the defense. Huddle up. Call in a play by subbing wrs or rbs. Allow your qb to count the numbers in the box. Give him a set of audibles he can check off to. Run the play.

Its not rocket science.


All that said, I wouldn't abandon the shotgun. I would make it a part of the offense. But I wouldn't go exclusively to it. And I damn sure would make sure I have more blockers or at least even amount when it comes to pass plays.

[OU_Sooners75]

I heard James Hale on the Sports animal say that the coaches had promised Landry that he would be under center more this season? But they certainly haven't done it.
My question is this: Doesn't that compound the problems that Landry is already having?? If he's under center he has to make quicker decisions, move in the pocket more and fit the ball in tight places more often. Without the mismatches caused by the no huddle there would seldom be a receiver running wide open and LJ has to make more accurate throws. Not that he can't be accurate, he's just not consistent at it.

To your first question.

It would all depend. It seemed last year and anytime LJ has thrown coming out from under center, he has stepped into the pocket instead of flushing out of it.

As far as the other questions. Passing from under center doesn't compound any problems. It would actually help. Especially if you run the ball successfully.

If you are running successfully, then you open another set of plays. Play acion. Not only that, but you can also move the pocket or protection for landry. And in doing so you creat less progression options for the QBso it would help when a QB is having a tough time going through his progressions. And it would help by limiting his exposure to rushers that seem like they are getting pressure on him when they aren't.

[BlownGP]

Roy Finch.

x2