All this talk about running quarterbacks...

[Tear Down This Wall]

...phooey!

Give me the offense Alabama runs. A quarterback who lines up behind the center, crouches down, takes the snap, hands it to a halfback, and watches him run 5-10 yards a pop as the offensive line mauls the opposing defensive line and linebackers.

This creates play action. This is football. Why do we have to stick with these tricked-up offenses? Screw 'em. I want an offense that runs the opponents into the ground then bones them with a long pass when they're worn to high hog sh*t.

Having the NCAA's leading receiver ever and quarterback in the Top 5 of several NCAA passing records didn't get us into one dadgum national title game. In those four years, Bama went three times with their old school offense.

Screw these running quarterbacks and schemes that have us throwing 50-60 times a game. Worthless as jellyfish to a jar of peanut butter.

[badger]

I strongly believe that the same reason why NFL running backs have short careers is the same reason why NFL running quarterbacks have short careers: A lot of running with the ball and getting hit repeatedly by defenses.

It's not a good career decision for a quarterback to be a runner and to ignore what makes a quarterback a quarterback: The forward pass!

[stoops the eternal pimp]

Good luck getting the parts necessary to run what they do.

[Tear Down This Wall]

I don't mind 20 or so passes a game; maybe 30. But, if you ball control the other side to death, you don't have to worry about getting into a "shootout" with them.

Screw shoot outs. Mashed them into the ground, then fly over. Tire that defense out and frustrate the offense standing on the sideline helplessly watching it.

[Tear Down This Wall]

Good luck getting the parts necessary to run what they do.

Why? Does Alabama have the only 15 linemen in the country who know how to run block?

[stoops the eternal pimp]

It''s more than linemen..It's the right RBs, TEs...And then you have to have a superior tough defense to enable you to run this offense..

[stoops the eternal pimp]

Alabama has 11 linemen that are from Alabama, Georgia, or Mississippi..You going to go take the state's best players out from Nick Saban?

[salth2o]

...phooey!

Give me the offense Alabama runs. A quarterback who lines up behind the center, crouches down, takes the snap, hands it to a halfback, and watches him run 5-10 yards a pop as the offensive line mauls the opposing defensive line and linebackers.

This creates play action. This is football. Why do we have to stick with these tricked-up offenses? Screw 'em. I want an offense that runs the opponents into the ground then bones them with a long pass when they're worn to high hog sh*t.

Having the NCAA's leading receiver ever and quarterback in the Top 5 of several NCAA passing records didn't get us into one dadgum national title game. In those four years, Bama went three times with their old school offense.

Screw these running quarterbacks and schemes that have us throwing 50-60 times a game. Worthless as jellyfish to a jar of peanut butter.

I approve this message!

[tator]

I agree! We need Alabama's team, stat!

[Curly Bill]

Alabama has 11 linemen that are from Alabama, Georgia, or Mississippi..You going to go take the state's best players out from Nick Saban?

We can't even get many of the good ones outta Texas away from Mack, and now we have aTm to fight over em!

[En_Fuego]

Gary Gibbs ?

[cleller]

The farmboy linemen of Neb and Iowa need to re-emerge, then come here.

[Tear Down This Wall]

Any of you undercooked flank steak eaters ever hear of Barry Switzer? You know, the guy who diagnosed our defensive line problems earlier in the year? Here's a quote from him in the Tulsa World today:

http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/sportspost.aspx?As_long_as_Sooners_run_this_kind_o f_offense_elite_players_%E2%80%94_and_national_tit les_%E2%80%94_will_go_to_Bama_SEC/54-18464

“The philosophy of running the football is so important,” Barry Switzer told me last fall. “Because you don’t allow the other team to be out there. Alabama does both, but they run first. They play two tight ends, they make you play balanced, they put a flanker out both ways so you’ve got to play four deep. You’ve got to play cover-2 against two flankers with two tight ends. Now they put one back back there, they make your seven-man front — you can’t overshift one way because they’ve got that balanced offensive front — you’ve got to play ‘em straight. So you get man-on-man, they come off and just gash you. They run the football because they’re bigger and better than you are and they mash your ***.”

[Curly Bill]

Any of you undercooked flank steak eaters ever hear of Barry Switzer? You know, the guy who diagnosed our defensive line problems earlier in the year? Here's a quote form him in the Tulsa World today:

http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/sportspost.aspx?As_long_as_Sooners_run_this_kind_o f_offense_elite_players_%E2%80%94_and_national_tit les_%E2%80%94_will_go_to_Bama_SEC/54-18464

“The philosophy of running the football is so important,” Barry Switzer told me last fall. “Because you don’t allow the other team to be out there. Alabama does both, but they run first. They play two tight ends, they make you play balanced, they put a flanker out both ways so you’ve got to play four deep. You’ve got to play cover-2 against two flankers with two tight ends. Now they put one back back there, they make your seven-man front — you can’t overshift one way because they’ve got that balanced offensive front — you’ve got to play ‘em straight. So you get man-on-man, they come off and just gash you. They run the football because they’re bigger and better than you are and they mash your ***.”

What part of we don't have the personnel that Alabama does, especially in the O-line, did you not understand?

...and I'm not disagreeing with you in theory, but pesonnel-wise we're not even close to being able to do what Bama does.

[stoops the eternal pimp]

http://static.oprah.com/images/tows/201011/20101116-favorite-things-2005-oprah-600x411.jpg

YOU GET TO BE ALABAMA! AND YOU GET TO BE ALABAMA! AND YOU GET TO BE ALABAMA!

[stoops the eternal pimp]

So if we were able to get these types of players would you be willing to sit through 2-3 seasons of 6-7 wins while coaching and the roster were overhauled.

The team I'm thinking of outside of the SEC to have success with a power running game is Stanford and even though they beat oregon, they put the same amount of points on ND that we did.

[Curly Bill]

So if we were able to get these types of players would you be willing to sit through 2-3 seasons of 6-7 wins while coaching and the roster were overhauled.

The team I'm thinking of outside of the SEC to have success with a power running game is Stanford and even though they beat oregon, they put the same amount of points on ND that we did.

I for one am not in favor of revamping everything. I would like to see someone who's at least a threat to run at the QB position, and sure I'd like to see us be able to run the ball better, but I'm not in favor of ditching the spread. I'd like to see some read option though out of it.

Where we have to get better, and I mean much better, is in the front 7 on defense. We were mediocre at best there this year.

[Tear Down This Wall]

What part of we don't have the personnel that Alabama does, especially in the O-line, did you not understand?

...and I'm not disagreeing with you in theory, but pesonnel-wise we're not even close to being able to do what Bama does.

I understand it fine. It's up to the coach named Bob Stoops to do it.

[Curly Bill]

I understand it fine. It's up to the coach named Bob Stoops to do it.

Well...ol Bob's not living up to the size of his salary right now, so good luck with that! ;)

[Tear Down This Wall]

Really? Saban took David Shula's crappy roster, had one 7-5 season in 2007, then has gone:

2008: 12-2
2009: 14-0 National Title
2010: 10-3
2011: 12-1 National Title
2012: 13-1 National Title

So, what you're saying is, Bob Stoops isn't a good as Saban, so what took Saban one season to fix would take Stoops two to three?

[Curly Bill]

Really? Saban took David Shula's crappy roster, had one 7-5 season in 2007, then has gone:

2008: 12-2
2009: 14-0 National Title
2010: 10-3
2011: 12-1 National Title
2012: 13-1 National Title

So, what you're saying is, Bob Stoops isn't a good as Saban, so what took Saban one season to fix would take Stoops two to three?

I got no problem saying that. The proof is in the pudding as they say.

[stoops the eternal pimp]

1. Yes I don't think he is as good as Saban.
2. Saban just had to go into his own backyard to get the players he needed..Like I mentioned earlier, most of those big SOBs you saw last night are from the great state of Alabama..Easy to find, easy to get. Bob isn't going to roll into OKC or Tulsa or Lawton or anywhere in OK and find players doing what they are doing in Alabama.

[Tear Down This Wall]

Well...ol Bob's not living up to the size of his salary right now, so good luck with that! ;)

Okay, now...there's something we can agree on!

[XingTheRubicon]

So am I to understand that I have to start feeding my 2 year old son pigs feet...so he can block like Barrett Jones when he's 18...


and grits, don't forget grits

[cvsooner]

So am I to understand that I have to start feeding my 2 year old son pigs feet...so he can block like Barrett Jones when he's 18...


and grits, don't forget grits

You know, it's funny (sorta) that you say that. I've thought for years part of the reason the SEC area states produce such big players is because their diets are just awful from a health perspective, but they do get big. Technically, every one of Bama's o-line players is obese and is looking at a lifetime of health problems. Is winning a national title that important? I guess it may seem that way when you're 19 years old, but man...they know not what they do.

(That Nix kid with Notre Dame is obese as well.)

Between oversigning and overfeeding Bama has created a monster. It troubles me that suddenly it's the envy of the college football world.

[KantoSooner]

Any of y'all around back in the early 1980's? Remember then how the 'game had passed Barry by'? How Ole Switzer was just a dinosaur? How the game was all about passing now? Then he went out and got Troy Aikman, who passed like a damn machine. Stuck right with Vinny Green Testicles until the convicts sent a street thug to intentionally break Troy's leg. (and, our failure to send our entire defense to put Vinnie in quadraplegia for life on the very next series speaks well of Switzer and also marked the end of one era of OU defensive swagger, but I digress).
My point is that these things go in cycles, are very much fashion driven and tend to work for you WHEN YOU HAVE THE BETTER PLAYERS.
We came into this year with a decimated OL. A DL that we knew was a question and a whole slew of other questions. We need to recruit better and it's likely that this will take a year or more to work its way through the snake.
I largely agree with all the criticism Stoops is taking now, but equally, Little Nickie Satan himself, dropped in tomorrow morning could not turn the ship around before next fall. It's going to take time.

[winout]

I suspect ol' Saban is a workaholic and Stoops isn't. You seen the gut Stoops is growing? Unless he's munching on chips in the film room I think he's firing up the BBQ a little too often instead of being in the office.

http://www3.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/Bob+Stoops+Mike+Gundy+Oklahoma+State+v+Oklahoma+ni dOSDg6-0Vl.jpg

I'm kidding, BTW.

[yermom]

if Saban showed up in Norman tomorrow he could sign about 50 guys and disappear all of the non-performers we have on scholarship now

[SoonerorLater]

According to the rules it is legal for a QB to run with the ball though you wouldn't know by looking at our offense. The chance of Landry Jones ever running the ball was so close to zero as to not even be a game planning thought for the opposition. Surprised there weren't birds perching on Landry. You need a QB that can make a some plays with his feet when things break down.

[RUSH LIMBAUGH is my clone!]

So am I to understand that I have to start feeding my 2 year old son pigs feet...so he can block like Barrett Jones when he's 18...


and grits, don't forget grits NM

[jkm, the stolen pifwafwi]

Why? Does Alabama have the only 15 linemen in the country who know how to run block?

It is the fact that we can't get away with 11+ player PER YEAR attrition. Even in a perfect world our graduation rate would fall enough to lose scholarships. Heck, we rarely take jucos anymore because of the effect they have on graduation rates.

[RUSH LIMBAUGH is my clone!]

if Saban showed up in Norman tomorrow he could sign about 50 guys and disappear all of the non-performers we have on scholarship nowBamers and the SEC SEC SEC would make things rilly rough on St Nick, if he did that.

[RUSH LIMBAUGH is my clone!]

According to the rules it is legal for a QB to run with the ball though you wouldn't know by looking at our offense. The chance of Landry Jones ever running the ball was so close to zero as to not even be a game planning thought for the opposition. Surprised there weren't birds perching on Landry. You need a QB that can make a some plays with his feet when things break down.Well DUH!, right?!?!? Wonder why that didn't dawn on Bob nor Landry?

[fadada1]

We seemed to run an offense similar to bama's current when Bradford was at the helm. While it was hurry-up like, we had the o-line to shove it down their throat. You don't need to be fancy when your o-line pushes the d-line 5 yards backwards every snap of the ball.

[jkm, the stolen pifwafwi]

We seemed to run an offense similar to bama's current when Bradford was at the helm. While it was hurry-up like, we had the o-line to shove it down their throat. You don't need to be fancy when your o-line pushes the d-line 5 yards backwards every snap of the ball.

The better example would be 2004.

[fadada1]

The better example would be 2004.

Yeah, that too. :glee:

[cyclonesooner]

You are right Tear Down. Alabama plays REAL FOOTBALL, not this wussy 7 on 7 crap played in most other conferences !

[yermom]

The better example would be 2004.

that or 2002...

in 2008 we had 2 1,000 yard rushers, but i don't remember us knocking good teams off the ball

[SoonerorLater]

Well DUH!, right?!?!? Wonder why that didn't dawn on Bob nor Landry?

Because Bob Stoops thinks "no quarterback of mine is going to be running around with a football".

[jkm, the stolen pifwafwi]

that or 2002...

in 2008 we had 2 1,000 yard rushers, but i don't remember us knocking good teams off the ball

2008 and 2002 were finesse teams that had perfect running backs for the system. IMO, a finesse offense has to have an elusive primary back and a secondary back that has a knack for short yardage (especially in the red zone). This allows you to protect your undersized elusive guy from the punishment of short yardage and it allows you to have a guy on the field that can make people miss (which is just like having another blocker).

2004 is the offense that Tear wants. It was a senior-laden line with a fast bruising back that imposed its will on teams. The problem was that it in the games where our D fell apart, it took a 6th year senior QB to get us the win.

[XingTheRubicon]

j

[Tear Down This Wall]

You are right Tear Down. Alabama plays REAL FOOTBALL, not this wussy 7 on 7 crap played in most other conferences !

Thank you.

And, all of you talking about not being able to get big, beefy linemen...WHERE DO YOU THINK THE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA IS????

It's in Oklahoma, a state with plenty of big farm boys. It's surrounded by farm and ranch states - Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Colorado, Louisiana, and Texas.

You're telling me we can't sign four or five beefy farm boys with all of those states around...and being one of those states?

Come on, man.

Look, we all know Bob is "hands off" for the most part with the offense. But, hells bells, fellas, that's got to change.

[sooneron]

Wes Sims was pretty big and beefy. Of course, so was Skinner...

[cyclonesooner]

The high school I coach at in Texas will not hire a Head Coach unless he employs the spread formation. It is that way in many of the surrounding communities. Totally unbelievable, but true. Personally, I've always hated the formation, and I think in someways is really damaging the game of football. You have 7th grade football teams where the QB is never under center and 50 % of the plays involve the center snapping it over the QB's head or dribbling it back to him. Offensive Lineman don't come off the ball anymore, but instead are taught to drop step and hold the defender, because they know the officials won't go to the trouble of calling holding on the lineman even though he has his hands outside the framework of the defender's body. Coaches do not spend the appropriate amount of time working on defense, instead choosing to spend more time on the spread.

As a result kids do not tackle very well anymore. Very little defensive technique is played by front 7 defenders. What is amazing is that after all of the 7 on 7 that is played in Texas, very few of the defensive backs can cover anybody. Ridiculous. So when these guys come up against a well-balanced, well-coached offense like Alabama they can't play smash-mouth technique and get dominated. Some of the defensive techniques I seen played by OU's front 7 defenders, especially the LBers in the past few years is just totally unacceptable.

[SoonerBBall]

I got no problem saying that. The proof is in the pudding as they say.

Stupid people say that because they misunderstand the saying. What they mean to say is the proof of the pudding is in the eating.

[Curly Bill]

Stupid people say that because they misunderstand the saying. What they mean to say is the proof of the pudding is in the eating.

I made it simple so the simpletons, such as yourself, could get it.

You're welcome!

[stoops the eternal pimp]

The high school I coach at in Texas will not hire a Head Coach unless he employs the spread formation. It is that way in many of the surrounding communities. Totally unbelievable, but true. Personally, I've always hated the formation, and I think in someways is really damaging the game of football. You have 7th grade football teams where the QB is never under center and 50 % of the plays involve the center snapping it over the QB's head or dribbling it back to him. Offensive Lineman don't come off the ball anymore, but instead are taught to drop step and hold the defender, because they know the officials won't go to the trouble of calling holding on the lineman even though he has his hands outside the framework of the defender's body. Coaches do not spend the appropriate amount of time working on defense, instead choosing to spend more time on the spread.

As a result kids do not tackle very well anymore. Very little defensive technique is played by front 7 defenders. What is amazing is that after all of the 7 on 7 that is played in Texas, very few of the defensive backs can cover anybody. Ridiculous. So when these guys come up against a well-balanced, well-coached offense like Alabama they can't play smash-mouth technique and get dominated. Some of the defensive techniques I seen played by OU's front 7 defenders, especially the LBers in the past few years is just totally unacceptable.

This is a great point...High schools in an area reflect whatever their local/state colleges are doing...I remember when i was in high school, everyone ran some variation of whatever OU was doing...wishbone, power I, etc...Now every high school in oklahoma is running some sort of spread..Same is going on in Texas..

I know not every single school is but most are.

[stoops the eternal pimp]

Thank you.

And, all of you talking about not being able to get big, beefy linemen...WHERE DO YOU THINK THE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA IS????

It's in Oklahoma, a state with plenty of big farm boys. It's surrounded by farm and ranch states - Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Colorado, Louisiana, and Texas.

You're telling me we can't sign four or five beefy farm boys with all of those states around...and being one of those states?

Come on, man.

Look, we all know Bob is "hands off" for the most part with the offense. But, hells bells, fellas, that's got to change.

what local high schools are running alabama's offense?

[SoonerBBall]

I made it simple so the simpletons, such as yourself, could get it.

You're welcome!

Touche.

I think plenty of people are oversimplifying how difficult it is to do what Saban has done at Bama. If it was so easy, every high-profile coach/school would already have done it.

[Curly Bill]

Touche.

I think plenty of people are oversimplifying how difficult it is to do what Saban has done at Bama. If it was so easy, every high-profile coach/school would already have done it.

I don't disagree with that.

[RUSH LIMBAUGH is my clone!]

I made it simple so the simpletons, such as yourself, could get it.

You're welcome!He? went to a lot of effort to call you stupid. Good that he was suitably rewarded.

[starclassic tama]

as usual, STEP and jkm hit the nails on the head. the coaches are fine, there just aren't the players in norman right now to do anything more than what we are seeing. i think it was jkm that posted the recruiting results from the past several years. these guys were highly recruited, and so many of them were just flat out misses. either not on the team anymore, or underachievers. sure there are some things the coaches could do better, but it isn't bob or mike stoops' fault guys like R.J. washington and jamarkus mcfarland weren't all-americans like they were projected to be.

alabama's offensive scheme isn't superior, they just have chance warmack and company up front. football is so deeply ingrained in the culture down there and the high school players are so good that when combined with a detail oriented no nonsense coach like saban, you see the results. OU just needs better luck or evaluation with recruiting and they will be right back up there

[ashley]

UT has tried it for the last three years and look where it got them. If we would have just had better run blockers this year we would have been much better. Add a more mobile QB and no telling how good we could have been. Don't get me wrong, I would love to do what Bama does but that is just very hard to do.

[Jacie]

This is a great point...High schools in an area reflect whatever their local/state colleges are doing...I remember when i was in high school, everyone ran some variation of whatever OU was doing...wishbone, power I, etc...Now every high school in oklahoma is running some sort of spread..Same is going on in Texas..

I know not every single school is but most are.

It was almost impossible to recruit a dropback-style quarterback out of Texas in the 1970's because of this.

[agoo758]

Thank you.

And, all of you talking about not being able to get big, beefy linemen...WHERE DO YOU THINK THE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA IS????

It's in Oklahoma, a state with plenty of big farm boys. It's surrounded by farm and ranch states - Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Colorado, Louisiana, and Texas.

You're telling me we can't sign four or five beefy farm boys with all of those states around...and being one of those states?

Come on, man.

Look, we all know Bob is "hands off" for the most part with the offense. But, hells bells, fellas, that's got to change.

It's like when some jackasses posted how they don't want to play Oregon or Florida cause "we would get killed".

We've become a bunch of scared little girls, players and coaching staff included.

[goingoneight]

If we could get Landry results again, the offense will be fine. Add a running dimension to Landry results and that could be a big-time difference-maker for OU's offense. That said, OU's problems are not on the offense. Alabama was up 42-7 the other night and I saw those guys flying to the football on defense and getting angry everytime ND gained an inch on them. When was the last time OU held someone to 7 points? UTEP? Come on... okay, be realistic, right? Alabama is the model for true greatness right now. Expecting what they're doing is a pipe dream. However, it's not too much to ask that OU start bringing in the talent to shut people down again and it's definitely not too much to ask that Bob and his staff start scheming to help his team out instead of game-planning to air-raid everyone to death. Alabama not only got in ND's face and shut them down, they kept the ball away from ND, as well. What do we do? Throw-throw-throw-punt. Yeah... our defense is really going to stop a fired up Heisman Trophy winner and get us the ball back, Josh!

[cyclonesooner]

Totally stupid imo to line up in the spread offense 90 % of the time if you dont' have a mobile QB to run the zone read option. Doesn't make much sense. Better have a HELLUVA offensive line and receiver corps if the QB is never going to run it and I don't trust the coaches to make that drastic of a change in offensive philosophy in that regard for next year.