Should style of play matter? A win is a win and a loss is a loss no matter what style a team uses. Hate to sound so cliche, but it's just that simple in my opinion. With that being said it seems to be a push for more open offenses. I don't understand why there is such a love for difference. "Just work hard and be good at what you do" is what I've always been taught. Regardless of how good a team is I often hear and see confusing comments about style of play. Take X outta Louisville for example. After losing to BG there was an outcry for change, but they ended up finishing very well. Just curious to why the love for open/spread offenses and the hate for old smash mouth football?

Should style of play matter? A win is a win and a loss is a loss no matter what style a team uses. Hate to sound so cliche, but it's just that simple in my opinion. With that being said it seems to be a push for more open offenses. I don't understand why there is such a love for difference. "Just work hard and be good at what you do" is what I've always been taught. Regardless of how good a team is I often hear and see confusing comments about style of play. Take X outta Louisville for example. After losing to BG there was an outcry for change, but they ended up finishing very well. Just curious to why the love for open/spread offenses and the hate for old smash mouth football?

 

As long as a coach uses a sound plan and system with solid fundamentals It really does not matter. It is all in what the head coach and staff can implement to fit the type of kid they are getting off the bus each morning. Why the spread is big now is simple. It's what the colleges are doing. The trickle down effect has always existed. The spread type offenses have been around for 20 years or more now. It's nothing new. If you watch what the colleges are doing it is simple. They are trying to establish balance in their offenses in a variety of ways. Talent at the next level has really increased over the years so balance or the threat of balance is necessary to move the ball. If you take UK from last season as an example you see they were a running team that said they are 'air raid'. To their credit they adjusted with the loss of the starting QB to becoming more of 'wildcat' team. Regardless, if they put 3 wide outs out there defenses are going to use 4 to 5 to defend the bubbles, quick game etc. Just my thoughts. What do you think?

As long as a coach uses a sound plan and system with solid fundamentals It really does not matter. It is all in what the head coach and staff can implement to fit the type of kid they are getting off the bus each morning. Why the spread is big now is simple. It's what the colleges are doing. The trickle down effect has always existed. The spread type offenses have been around for 20 years or more now. It's nothing new. If you watch what the colleges are doing it is simple. They are trying to establish balance in their offenses in a variety of ways. Talent at the next level has really increased over the years so balance or the threat of balance is necessary to move the ball. If you take UK from last season as an example you see they were a running team that said they are 'air raid'. To their credit they adjusted with the loss of the starting QB to becoming more of 'wildcat' team. Regardless, if they put 3 wide outs out there defenses are going to use 4 to 5 to defend the bubbles, quick game etc. Just my thoughts. What do you think?

 

I understand the trickle down effect from college and doing the what's "hot" thing. I just don't buy in to the justification of all the hype that the spread is getting. Take Urban Myer, he took his wife and bought her a new dress. Same wife though, meaning, he took the single wing and dressed it up. To the tune of how many championships? I guess what I'm really asking is, Why do certain offenses get a pass? A coach/team struggles running spread, what do we hear? "Just wait till they get the players to run their system" etc...Struggle while running a less sexier system and it's "out dated" "uncreative" "holding players back" etc... I compare it to being married to the perfect wife who does everything you could ever imagine, then trading her in for the trophy wife that does absolutely nothing but look better! Lol, to each his own, I guess.

Tiger you're cracking me up with the trophy wife stuff.. I've lived through that before "high maintaince". Now back to your topic. Coach Preston nailed it. Fundamentals and a sound plan. Your system has to match your personel and the kids have to believe in it. My favorite offense is the old fashion I with a good quick game and big play with play action pass. If you got a good tailback and a hard nose fullback running down hill is very effective. Almost all NFL teams will at some point line up in a I and try to bang up some yards. Also having a TE who can block and be threat to go downfield then your really talking some good stuff. Finding a true TE is the hardest position to find. I'm not talking about running a drag route but being a deep threat and making the reliable over the middle catch. Now if your running the I your going to see 7/8 in the box and you have to be happy with 3 yard and cloud of dust. Also your going to have to deal with injuries with your linemen by playing smash mouth so you better have some depth and with today's precaution with head injuries I believe this is why smash mouth football is not as popular as it once was.. By spreading folks out you can still be physical just don't have to block 7/8 in the box. Anyways I love seeing teams using 2 TE's and running downhill just hard to get those types of players now a days in high school.

Another reality to take into account in school districts with open enrollment, what offense do kids WANT to play. In those areas kids have to want to play your style because that can choose to go elsewhere.

Another reality to take into account in school districts with open enrollment, what offense do kids WANT to play. In those areas kids have to want to play your style because that can choose to go elsewhere.

Do you think today's kids care more about style or winning?

I think that kids still want to win and it's important to them but if a kid is a great receiver why would he go to a grind it out school? Style matters now.

Just curious to why the love for open/spread offenses and the hate for old smash mouth football?

It is about winning. However, when old smash mouth football gets beat by a spread team (especially those with less talent) that is where the grumbling starts.

 

And I agree with All Tell. Elite athletes have no interest in 3 yds and a cloud of dust especially if they have options.

Here is the problem.

 

If your running a spread offense then you get about 5-6 kids involved as opposed to a running team with about 3 kids involved.

 

Those 3 get the glory as opposed to 5-6.

 

Now the parents are jealous because their son isn't one of the gloried backs and it trickles down to their kid getting mad because he don't get to touch the ball a lot.

 

It just goes into who can get kids to buy into a good system of what they can do.

Here is the problem.

 

If your running a spread offense then you get about 5-6 kids involved as opposed to a running team with about 3 kids involved.

 

Those 3 get the glory as opposed to 5-6.

 

Now the parents are jealous because their son isn't one of the gloried backs and it trickles down to their kid getting mad because he don't get to touch the ball a lot.

 

It just goes into who can get kids to buy into a good system of what they can do.

 

This. I totally agree. The collegiate athlete in me wants to point out that some great players have come from run first offenses i.e Calvin Johnson from Georgia Tech's option attack, Odell Beckham LSU power run, etc... But the father coach in me understands that only 1% of High School players go on to the next level. So I totally get the parent/fan aspect of it. Which I think is the bigger factor because if the parents don't buy in it's near impossible to get the son/players to buy in. But whatever happened to competition and bettering yourself to be one of those three guys...

I think it is about the overall program and how everything ties in together. It is about what your kids believe in and when they buy in to the process you can have success. I am not one to sit here and say one offense is better than the other. I think a coach has to have a plan in all three phases of the game and the players have to buy in. if all your eggs are thrown at the offense with little paid to defense and special teams you are going to struggle.

 

Some schools have the ability to have multiple athletes on their roster at any given time this allows them to utilize the spread and incorporate all of those athletes. On the other hand at other schools they may only have 2-4 athletes and they have to utilize them in a multitude of ways.

 

The bottom line it is about building a program, establishing an identity and kids buying in to the process. When that happens success will follow. One last thought just because a team is a running team doesn't mean they are not an exciting offense. When big plays are made in the running game the fans get just as excited as they do when a long pass is completed.

 

The bottom line is there are many ways to skin a cat and the bottom line is that fans want to support winners.

Another point to consider. For many high school sports (not solely football) have become an avenue to college. Right or wrong kids (and their parents) want them to go to a high school that will give them the best opportunity to showcase their talents.As someone else said, very few colleges anymore are smash-mouth types of teams. Kids will gravitate toward programs where they can show they can do what they'll be expected to do in college.

College coaches love smash mouth teams more!

 

Why?

 

You can't coach a kid to be hard nosed and smash mouth in college, you either are or aren't.

 

Plenty of finesse kids in HS

I like the style of play and the coach to be flexible enough to gauge his scheme around the personnel instead of forcing kids into a scheme that they can't thrive in. It is important to identity your strengths and go with them.

Malzhan took the Wing T and put it in the shotgun. Everyone thinks he runs a read zone. Gus is a gap scheme guys. NOW with Herb Hand as his OL coach, it may change I didn't pay attention to them much last year, but I remember him talking about when Herb Hand and Gus were at Tulsa both learned alot from each other from each others blocking schemes.

 

Asked Chip Kelly at a bar in Nashville Opryland Hotel what's the secret back in 2013 I believe. Anyway he talked to us for about 30 minutes and said learn the wing T and you will understand Oregon's blocking scheme. He took a call and I think it was from his agent telling him the Eagles deal. He came back and got his stuff and said he's catching a plane. Anyway, he dressed up the wing T from the shotgun.

 

There's alot of great Spread guys in this State. There's a lot of great Wing T guys in this state and there's a lot of great football coaches that use the veer (Phillip Haywood), who I think is the best football coach in the state of KY.