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Legend [19665]
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Installation of a new offense
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Jan 13, 2023, 7:14 AM
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While we have a few air raid concepts, the offensive players are in for an intense spring and summer. Not sure what blocking schemes TCU used, but they'll be different. Route trees will definitely change some. Signals and terminology will change. Did TCU run the zone read at all? Going to be a busy time and process. Learning curve for everyone including Dabo and the staff. Everyone starting at ground zero. Could mean some freshmen have a better chance at PT due to this if they grasp things.
In reading an article on Riley as he took over TCU's offense this past year he said they like to perfect the things they do. Air raid, in spite of it's reputation, isn't that complex. The joke was Leach had about 10 plays. They just out executed the opposition. Only times it really runs into trouble is when the opposition just had far better athletes, as we saw Monday. That shouldn't be the case here. TCU took the air raid concepts farther than anyone regarding success on a national level. I also liked how he says things change every year as you adjust to your personnel each year. Of all things that triggered this decision, I think that may have been the reality that Dabo acknowledged. After 2 years of trying to wedge DJ into our system, he realized that just wasn't going to work. Also liked how Riley, in his variation of air raid, emphasizes the run. TCU ran it 55% of the time last year. He looks for the big play, the missing link for us since Trevor left, and right up Cade's alley. TCU led the nation in chunk plays last year and I believe TD's over 50 yards.
Alot of work to do these next several months, but this is going to be fun to watch grow! It will be a process, but a good one.
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110%er [5096]
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Re: Installation of a new offense
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Jan 13, 2023, 7:22 AM
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Well said. Really excited about the big play part of it. The offense scored only a handful of plays outside the 20 yard line.
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Legend [19665]
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That alone has been the biggest, glaring deficiency these
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Jan 13, 2023, 7:24 AM
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last few years. It's where we excelled the previous 6, even under Boyd for that matter
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Associate AD [806]
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Re: That alone has been the biggest, glaring deficiency these
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Jan 13, 2023, 7:59 AM
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I do not believe TCU was all that efficient scoring in the red zone, air raid offense plays do not work as well on a shortened field
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Orange Blooded [2248]
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Re: That alone has been the biggest, glaring deficiency these
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Jan 13, 2023, 8:06 AM
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Up until the Orange Bowl, that was one of Clemson's strong points. If Riley likes to adapt to personel, as Striperfan says, then maybe he can adapt the offense situationally and we get the best of both worlds.
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Legend [19665]
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That's one of the reasons air raid has evolved over time
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Jan 13, 2023, 8:33 AM
[ in reply to Re: That alone has been the biggest, glaring deficiency these ] |
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to accentuate the run more. Like when the run and shoot was all the rage, and the more balanced spread came into vogue. Riley really stresses running the football when he talks about his offense. But big plays are essential. They make things easy, where you don't have to grind out every score
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Hall of Famer [22658]
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Re: That alone has been the biggest, glaring deficiency these
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Jan 13, 2023, 8:55 AM
[ in reply to Re: That alone has been the biggest, glaring deficiency these ] |
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When you score on big plays you don’t have as many red zone possessions. I’ll take chunk plays for TDs over stalling in the red zone and settling for FG attempts any day. We were very good in the red zone the first half of this past season, but not so good later in the season.
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Scout Team [190]
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All-TigerNet [10360]
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”FUN” to watch is a big deal….
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Jan 13, 2023, 7:24 AM
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He brings fan excitement back after a very unwatchable product offensively the last 2 years. More importantly, it’ll be FUN to play in. HOPEFULLY this will help solve some other issues that are plaguing the team and we’ll get an influx of WR talent/infusion/speed/etc…
While our WR room still needs a makeover, Riley does have more of an ability to make “chicken salad out of chicken crap” than streeter did.
This was a grand slam fire/hire. Kudos to Dabo for acting on it rather than waiting another year to do the inevitable.
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Legend [19665]
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You think after watching us trying to ram a square peg
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Jan 13, 2023, 7:27 AM
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into a round hole in DJ for two years played as big of a factor in this for Dabo as I do?
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All-TigerNet [10360]
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I think it may have played a role BUT….
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Jan 13, 2023, 7:34 AM
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I still don’t believe DJ was the biggest problem plaguing the offense like most on here did or do.
DJ was an issue but he also wasn’t playing in an offense that had an identity or philosophy at all. I said all year that Tom Brady couldn’t be successful in Streeters offense.
WR talent/development/speed AND offensive playcalling/scheme were bigger issues IMO than DJ. Dabo solved one of them and we do have a better QB than DJ now. Fix the WRs and we’ll be on the road back to “elite” which is where we all want to be again.
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Legend [19665]
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I think DJ was a bad fit for our offense from the beginning
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Jan 13, 2023, 8:20 AM
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TL wasn't a classic fit, but he was a freak. Much better athlete as well, so it worked. He could read the zone read, DJ never mastered that. So if your basic offensive philosophy doesn't fit the QB, how do you adjust? Answer was we couldn't.
I think Dabo realized Streeter was not the one to transform the offense as needed. There are also some rumblings of locker room discontent out there. Don't know if they're true or not, but Shipley's comments after the USuC game seem to at least indicate alot of frustration. Everyone needed to be on the same page, and there is evidence that was not the case. Whether it was going to be Streeter, or someone else, Dabo realized things needed to change. Maybe he was stubborn in the pace that happened, that offense got us where we were. But evolution was needed and he made his move, a grand one at that!
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Hall of Famer [22658]
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Re: I think DJ was a bad fit for our offense from the beginning
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Jan 13, 2023, 9:14 AM
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Hit the nail on the head, Striper. Our offense was built more for Tajh Boyd and DW4 than for DJ or even TL. Trevor was talented enough to adapt to it but DJ was not. Biggest concern I have with the offense TCU ran was that the QB was a big part of the running game when a few yards were needed, kind of reminding me of how Tajh and DW4 kept the ball on 3rd and short and almost always got enough. Now with TCU that might have been more because the QB was as strong a runner as the RB, but my concern is whether Cade is big and strong enough to ground out those 3rd and short runs as many times as Tajh and DW4 did. Don’t want to see him injured like DW4 was his freshman year. Maybe the increased emphasis on the run game that Riley uses makes that a moot point or maybe another year in the weight room can get Cade ready for that. I would like to see us be able to line up, get under center, hand the ball to the RB and get the short yardage without the QB taking the beating.
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Legend [19665]
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Riley is adamant about adapting to his personnel
Jan 13, 2023, 9:17 AM
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Cade is a good runner and will be utilized, but I don't think he had a Ship or Mafah at TCU. I think we're going to see a ton of them in very creative ways
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110%er [5014]
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Re: Installation of a new offense
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Jan 13, 2023, 7:30 AM
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You're right - the offense is in for shock and awe during installation..... particularly the OL. Those guys are going to need to be quick and will need to handle blocks one-on-one without so many of the double-teams with C and OG as we've been using with our inside runs. RB blocking will also be important.
I do think this will be a better suited offensive scheme for our player pool, but adjusting to it will be a challenge. It has been a long time since we went full monty on HUNH, so conditioning will be brutal.... but that should help with OL vs DL quickness as well as endurance.
It should be an interesting and welcome change.
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Orange Blooded [2248]
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Re: Installation of a new offense
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Jan 13, 2023, 8:15 AM
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I think that it might be easier from a mental aspect for the offensive line. With the d spread out it will be harder to disguise blitzes. It seemed to me like a lot of our problems stemmed from confusion on blitz pick ups.
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Legend [19665]
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I have no idea the blocking scheme in air raid
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Jan 13, 2023, 8:43 AM
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was it zone or more man on man at TCU? We've been zone blocking for years. Man on man is simpler, but your guys have to beat their man. If you go by ratings, we have talent on the OL. More man on man could play to our advantage. Big adjustment though if that's the case. Austin would have a big learning curve
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Orange Blooded [2112]
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Re: Installation of a new offense
Jan 13, 2023, 9:11 AM
[ in reply to Re: Installation of a new offense ] |
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Yes, yes, yes. This much maligned OLine was actually pretty good at blocking when they were actually hitting someone. Most of the pressure came from extra blitzers and we struggled to adjust the scheme to account for them.
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110%er [9686]
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Great post. Thanks for sharing.***
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Jan 13, 2023, 7:32 AM
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Orange Blooded [4660]
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Re: Installation of a new offense
Jan 13, 2023, 7:40 AM
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Hopefully, Riley will stop the production of Waffle House Menus or at least keep them away from Dabo. Might have to hire a "Get Back" coach to stop Dabo from looking at the menu and becoming involved because we know what that leads to.
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Hall of Famer [22281]
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The TCU offense.
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Jan 13, 2023, 7:41 AM
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It's fun to call it "The Air Raid Offense."
It has some of the same concepts, but it is not the same offense that Mike Leach and Hal Mumme developed at Valdosta State (my alma mater, btw) and took to Kentucky and introduced it to the world with Tim Couch. It is not the same offense that Mike Leach ran at Texas Tech and then at Washington State with Minchew at QB.
It does have many of the same principles, but it has evolved.
Sonny Dykes learned the air raid while coaching at Kentucky under Hal Mumme. He took it to Texas Tech with him. (Riley was on his staff.) But, it is a much more balanced offense (between run and pass) than what Leach runs.
Mike Leach definition of "balanced offense was this: If 6 guys touch the ball 10 times each, that's balanced. 5 may be WRs and 1 a RB but 6 guys touched the ball an equal number of times. If one guy touches it 25 times and 5 WRs touch it 5 times, that ain't balanced.
However, the principles they have in common are:
1. Make the defense cover the whole field. Challenge them horizontally and vertically.
2. Up tempo. Not as fast at TN, maybe, but line up, look at the defense and attack.
3. Have quality RB that can hit the hole and go. Make the defense respect the run.
4. Have a bunch of big uglies in front of the QB who can protect him and keep him on his feet.
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1st Rounder [645]
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Re: The TCU offense.
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Jan 13, 2023, 8:05 AM
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Look for Ship and Mafah to have big year next year. With the D spread out to cover the pass, once they hit the hole, they’ll be gone
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Legend [19665]
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And it's not a complicated offense
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Jan 13, 2023, 8:28 AM
[ in reply to The TCU offense. ] |
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it's about precision and execution, whether running or passing. As you said, use the whole field and stress the defense
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All-In [48263]
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Re: The TCU offense.
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Jan 13, 2023, 9:38 AM
[ in reply to The TCU offense. ] |
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Our receivers are in for a shock. Riley is a stickler for getting the bubbles and screens blocked correctly. This is gonna be fun. Imo, tcu offense is not dissimilar to our offense and that's probably one reason Dabo hired him. Dabo doesn't really want to redo our offense, he just wants someone that can develop our guys to run it effectively and efficiently.
Streeter had earned the right to get a shot. Patiently stayed with Dabo. Dabo honored that as he should have. Sadly (and I think Streeter was more involved in 21) he didn't get it done. I say that because I believe Dabo knew 21 was it for Tony. TE was ready.
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CU Medallion [64575]
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They tried to fit DJ into Clemson's RPO offense...
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Jan 13, 2023, 8:10 AM
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and DJ was more of a pro-style QB. They knew that when they recruited him but still tried to "wedge" him into Clemson's system as you say. Looking back, there are some things the staff would likely do differently. Of course, hindsight is always 20/20.
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Legend [19665]
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I don't think there's any doubt about that
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Jan 13, 2023, 8:25 AM
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I also thought the offense had run it's course. I can definitely see why we stuck with it, look where it took us! But as with everything, things evolve. Saban went through similar transitions at Bama, especially after playing against Deshaun. We're making a transition now.
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All-TigerNet [12864]
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Re: Installation of a new offense
Jan 13, 2023, 8:15 AM
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How long was Riley at TCU?
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CU Medallion [64575]
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He was named OC at TCU in December 2021.
Jan 13, 2023, 8:22 AM
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Prior to that, he was the OC at SMU for two seasons.
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Legend [19665]
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He had a heck of a first year
Jan 13, 2023, 8:29 AM
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off two very successful years at SMU
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CU Medallion [64575]
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Working under Sonny Dykes...
Jan 13, 2023, 8:39 AM
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who learned the air raid offense from two of its creators (Hal Mumme and Mike Leach) isn't a bad thing.
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Scout Team [155]
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Re: Installation of a new offense
Jan 13, 2023, 8:32 AM
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Excited about Riley coming in. Change was really needed. Looking forward to next year.
Now we have fixed one of the problems, what about the other one on D? We had 2 weeks to get ready for ND and could not stop them even though they did nothing complex but run the ball down our throats. We couldn't stop a second string QB who was without their top 2 wide receivers and we had weeks to prepare. Given the talent we had on D we under performed more IMHO than we did on offense. Change is needed now.
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Legend [19665]
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We stopped Tennessee except for a few big plays
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Jan 13, 2023, 8:38 AM
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a beat up secondary was an issue most of the year, and it was in that game as well. Starting CB out and Mukuba playing with one arm. ND just beat us. Offense didn't help, as in many games. While the defense didn't live up to expectations, it wasn't horrible. Big plays must be greatly lessened however. BV had years like that as well, we forget that. 2015 was like that, we just had an electric offense.
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Scout Team [155]
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Re: We stopped Tennessee except for a few big plays
Jan 13, 2023, 8:49 AM
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You are correct but i still think D under performed given their talent more than O. Look at O, it was much better in the stats than previous year when TE ran it, but agree 100% change was needed. Good news if TE did not leave for VA, he would still be here as he was not held to the standard that he should have been, e.g., not using the running game effectively as in the LSU game, and again his last 2 years were just TERRIBLE!
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Legend [18790]
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Lack of explosive plays
Jan 13, 2023, 8:41 AM
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and a 100-yard WR (until Turner) was head-scratching, so we certainly needed an upgrade there. I agree with your whole post, especially the running part. I also think that Shipley might benefit from this offense.
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Legend [19665]
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Air raid really utilizes the backs in the passing game
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Jan 13, 2023, 8:53 AM
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and not just swing passes. It should benefit us, but also Ship and Mafah in the long run. Like ETN evolved as a receiver into a home run threat
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Orange Blooded [3730]
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How much will we see in the SPRING GAME?
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Jan 13, 2023, 8:42 AM
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So, the Spring Game will be played on or about April 1st, giving two (2) months to “install” the offense.
I suspect we will only see a glimpse of what is to come in the fall.
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Legend [19665]
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I suspect we'll see alot of the base concepts
Jan 13, 2023, 8:56 AM
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the offense isn't a secret. But as with most spring games, plenty of backups running it. With good weather, I also think we have a huge spring game crowd. People are genuinely excited about this
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Orange Blooded [2847]
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Legend [18790]
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All-Pro [699]
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Our WR’s will have the most to learn
Jan 13, 2023, 10:59 AM
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Riley runs an air raid with a few spread concepts put in for good measure. One of these concepts is the RPO, but instead of the pass being a screen it’s can be a slant to a TE or slot receiver. It will be a change for the O-line but the biggest change will be with the receivers. The routes will be much more complicated than the simpler ones we’ve been running really since Chad Morris was here.
It will be exciting to see as the year pans out.
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Legend [19665]
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I'd think the WR group would be ecstatic about that***
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Jan 13, 2023, 11:03 AM
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