I had a random thought last night for a blog post exercise for you guys: you’re named as the head coach of a typical D-1 football program. What kind of offensive and defensive schemes would you run? And why?
Lay it out in the comments.
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“We remember the Sugar Bowl, I think it my junior year of high school, we let Alabama beat us twice,” Brinson said of a team that also lost to the Crimson Tide in the SEC Championship game. “We’re not letting Alabama beat us twice. In the Sugar Bowl in 2018, they… thought they should have been in the playoffs and lost to Texas.” -- AB-H, 12/27/23
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Get The Picture · Bloviation for the Dawgnation
Get The Picture 
1) uptempo spread with a mobile QB
2) super-aggressive 3-3-5 emphasizing doped over size
3) no punting on 4th and short, ever
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This, and I’d add going for two after most TD’s until you get a comfortable lead, and an onside kick at least once most games (in which the opposing ST must play the onside kick threat for every kickoff).
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The nice thing for the fans there would be plenty of fodder when you lost by 1 point because you were for 2 every time. Or lost because you gave the other team the ball on the 50 or so every time you scored.
Have 3 1 point losses during the year attributed to this and well you would be an ex-coach.
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This is precisely the reason why coaches take the conservative approach, due to said backlash that would occur under scenarios that you just threw out there. Apparently Harvard statisticians have proven that your best chance to win is to go for it on many 4th downs, to go for two often, onside kicks, and the like. But the emotional human element then factors in, in which ultimately coaches choose to play it closer to the vest.
At some point, however, I believe that fan bases will slowly wise up to the fact that being more aggressive or (so-called) risky is the way to go, and will view missed 4th downs or two point conversions as simply part of the game. Like an incomplete pass on 3rd down currently, for example.
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Maybe. But the same LSU fans that love Les Miles’s “riverboat gambler” coaching decisions when he wins 10-12 games often become disenchanted with it when he wins 7-8 games.
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Exactly, I do not disagree that giving the ball back to the opponent is a bad idea. But my god, we would be screaming to the rafters if Bobo and Richt went for it every 4th down.
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How about onside kick for the opening kickoff ? That would be crazy….
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Uh, that should be “emphasizing speed over size.” I wouldn’t emphasize dope.
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Then you, my friend, have absolutely no chance ever being named HC at Oregon, AU, Ole Miss (with hardly any drug policy at all), or Colorado.
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Does Colorado still field a football team?
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My bad…I meant Colorado State. Bobo has his hands full out there.
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I know my comment is going to be uninspiring but honestly, I like what we do. I’ve always liked (what used to be called) the Pro-set Offense with play action. I like a pocket passing QB and a fullback (at times). In passing, I like a good mix of vertical passing mixed with some smart dumps to the backs. I like using the TE’s in the passing game as well. I love to watch an offense where the run game and passing game play off each other. Play action and screens, mixed with draws, delays and misdirection. I’m not much of a true option guy…I see enough of that in high-school games.
I’ve gone back and forth on the defense but I really like the LB’s in a 3-4 scheme. And I’m learning to like the D with a versatile ‘star’ position. I like my D to stay on the attack. I hate to watch a ‘prevent’ D. I like bump&run on the corners with a healthy dose of QB pressure from both interior and outside linemen/LB’s. With an occasional S/CB rush.
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I am with you Pete, to me there is nothing better then watching those ILBs attack the line on a hard play action, only to have the TE headed down the seam and the inside WR crossing right behind that spot they vacated.
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+1, pete. Couldn’t have said it better myself.
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I’m kind of with Pete on this one. I like a Pro set, too, with a healthy dose of Power I formation and some 2 tight end sets.
I like what Kirby Smart has done with a 3-4, but if we’re playing this game, I want all his athletes, too.
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Super Techmo Bowl playbook: gives me double the number of plays (8!), but with pass plays from the original Techmo Bowl (we used to call the special plays where you could get the pass off when the play was called “Mr Mystics”).
A^ – Niners pass #1
Av – Niners Pass #2
A> – Niners Pass #3
A< – Between the tackles run
B^ – Run Off Tackle, left
B> – Toss sweep, left
Bv – Off Guard, right
B< – Dolphins Pass #3
We would be unstoppable with 8 plays.
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I’ll sort-of parrot what’s been said above, and go with a pro-style offense, but with more focus on the mismatches that the personnel hand me. One of the things that ground my gears in the Bobo years was his seeming reluctance to use the Tight Ends we’ve had as downfield targets more. I’m a HUGE fan of the TE Seam route, largely because it forces the LB and/or Safety(s) to hang back and not come ruin the run game. So long as your QB is reasonably mobile, you can mix in some spread stuff to keep folks off balance, as well. Also, always be power-running. I watched Patrick Pass be unable to turn the corner for enough years to know that I’d rather send the kid up the middle of the defense, than try to bet on him being fast enough to get outside.
Defensively, give me a variation of the Tampa-2. It’s almost prohibitively difficult to find the front-three personnel for a 3-4 (Right, Grantham?), and there seem to be more of the Athlete-type kids that can flex into either a Linebacker or Safety or Corner depending on the actual coverage you’re in. Also, it’s SUPER-EFFECTIVE against the GOD DAMNED WHEEL ROUTE.
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It is not the Coordinators job to get the TE involved, it comes down to reading the Defense and passing the ball from the QB.
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Seam routes are great but highly dependent on the quality of your QB’s arm. That is probably the quintessential NFL passing route–really separates the men from the boys at the QB position.
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Senator – I need a little more info on this hypothetical program. Is it a King, Baron, Knight, or Peasant?
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Baron & Up – pro style offense, 4-3 base d
Knight – I’d suit the O & D to current personnel; then look to move to air-raid O plus blitz happy D to put butts in the seats.
Peasant – What Paul Johnson is doing
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Offense – Pro-style attack with spread elements or, in other words, exactly what we do now. We can run downhill with power and throw the ball downfield off play action
Defense – I don’t think scheme matters as much as sound fundamentals. Defenses that play their assignments do what is most important – limit scoring opportunities. The one thing I will say about scheme is that I don’t want to see ILBs trying to run with slot receivers anymore after last year.
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I agree, watch Seattle, they play a very base defense. But they are sound tacklers.
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Late 80’s/Early 90’s Raiders offense where you throw deep every play and Joe Lee Dunn defense with at least 8 guys blitzing every down.
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HA! The Minnow Bucket Defense. I had almost completely forgotten about ole Joe Lee and the Miss St defenses he had there.
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I don’t think Bobo forget Joe Lee. Wasn’t it a Joe Lee blitz that hurt his knee/leg?
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Too many variables. Am I the head coach at Alabama or Vanderbilt or somewhere in between? I would tailor my approach to the players I could reasonably expect to attract. What my qb and my DL look like compared to the teams I’ll play every year would be the main variables I would look at. If I had my pick of players, I’d try to be a lot like Alabama on both sides of the ball. If you are likely to be bigger and stronger than the opposition then take advantage of it.
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May be more complex than that. Would the “players you can attract” be determined by where you are (e.g., Vandy) or, might the “players you can attract” be determined by the offense you run (e.g., Tech)? Or maybe some combination of the two? Think you’re right. Enough variables to make your head explode.
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Derek makes a great point here. Am I Georgia or Bama or one of the other SEC powers that can get pretty much anyone they want or am I HC at Louisiana Lafayette? The smaller schools that can’t attract the biggest fastest strongest players are better off running a variation of the spread, up tempo attack with a mobile QB. This allows your best players to be one on one in space and your OL doesn’t have to hold their blocks as long. If I am a big time program HC I run almost the exact offense that UGA runs now. Power running game with play action throws and the occasional deep ball. On defense I recruit a bunch of hybrid players and switch the scheme depending on who we are playing. For example an uptempo spread team might warrant a 2-4-5 defense where the two OLB’s are big enough to put their hand in the dirt and play the run, yet agile enough to get to the corners and set the edge on sweeps. Playing a power team go to a 3-5-5 or 4-2-5 scheme where the Star is big enough to play in the box and provide run support but fast enough to cover a back or TE.
Great question!
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That 3-5-5 sounds like something SOD might have tried at UT. 😉
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LOL!!!!!! 😀
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HA! Yeah that was supposed to be a 3-3-5 but a 3-5-5 would certainly provide more coverage and clog up the running lanes.
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I’d install myself as AD, hire Nick Saban, keep enough money to make my boat payment for myself and go fishing. (Or watch golf, which is at least as exciting as fishing.)
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Don’t forget that after paying it off you would have to make enough to keep going by the boat each day and throwing money into it
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Defense and Offense would be whatever I thought that I could do successfully and that was repeatable.
Probably more gus bus spread stuff than I would want to admit.
I would run my recruiting more Bama than UGA, numbers wise.
And I would be all over metrics and new tech to prevent injuries and max out players.
My main changes would be never punt, never pooch kick, always go for 2.
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I think the Toss Sweep Offense will be very effective for my team. We have two basic plays: Toss Sweep Left and Toss Sweep Right.
As for defense, I have grown increasingly fond of the 3-4… especially when I see it work effectively. To reinforce a previous comment from above, fundamentals, execution, and instinct mean more to me on defense.
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Sweep left and Sweep right huh?
You’d have more success uncovering conspiracies involving local, state and federal officials from hundreds of miles away with only 1 autopsy photo, 20 hours of CSI experience and gut feeling to go on.
:^)
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offense: MIx of spread and the power. The offense that UGA runs now mixed with a little, assuming the QB can function in it, more of the Denver Offense, a more open passing offense. The key would be what the O-L can do and second what the QB can do.
Defense: Needs to be a multiple with all the types of Offenses in the NCAA. A base of the 4-3 due to the difficulty of finding 350 lb., quick guys. teams that are run based spread would get a 4-2-5 and air raid based offenses would face 3-3-5 defenses. Ideally a strong D-L and at least one lock down corner. The D would focus on stopping the run and take my chances with getting beat in the air. Main thing I would want is physical D second would be good assignments football.
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Here’s my “coachspeak” answer:
Offense: multiple.
Defense: multiple.
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You win.
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First…what’s my buyout? Second…what’s my shoe and apparel deal? Third…what’s my radio/TV deal? Fourth…which Minion is my AD, Kevin, Stuart or Bob? Fifth…who’s my billionaire backer?
Get those right, won’t matter what O and D I run, I’ll be damn competitive.
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Hijack alert- Senator, This comment on the shoe deal reminded me of something I noticed during the basketball tournaments- uniforms. My wife and I noticed that all the Nike teams have that trite watermark on the back, all the Adidas teams have a wide color band across the waist, and another brand has that fake collar around the neck. We were surprised at how each team looked like the other teams within the brand- just different colors. I wonder if any writers/ bloggers have looked at the equipment vendors to see who is doing a better job outfitting teams. How much control? etc.
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I don’t know much about offense, but I would want a prostyle offense that can control tempo, not being effective only at one speed. I would do this largely due to recruiting reasons.
As for defense, I would go 4-3 with an emphasis on blitzing. I think a 4-3 allows for an overall more athletic defense where players can be more easily moved around. Also, pressure and punishment is the foundation to my defensive philosophy.
The mentality of my team would be built upon the idea of excellence. I would try my best to drill it in their heads. I don’t want my players to play hard for goals. I want them to play hard to be excellent every play, whether any worthwhile goals await at the end of a victory or not. Unchanging excellence will be our goal.
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Wishbone and a 4-3. Because those are the schemes I played and know.
And who doesn’t love the wishbone?
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I would put a 2 QBs, 2 RBs, and 7 WRs on the field on offense. We would run a 7 on 7 type offense, except the defense would never know who is eligible or who is going to receive the ball at snap. And even if they do, I could lateral it to anyone I want where I see numbers.
On defense I would just hit people immediately after the snap. Man defense – you hit that guy, you hit this guy, you hit the other guy, etc.. If they tried to hurry up, I would tell them to put two guys on the center and blast him. Take the 5 yards offsides every time. The other team is going to score anyway. This slows them down and allows my guys to sub after taking the penalty. Hopefully they run out of centers in the second half.
Innovation, for the win.
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I love this defensive strategy. Way back in the day, when I actually played the game, the wishbone was popular. Our coaches made sure that we knocked hell out of the quarterback on every single play no matter what. We gave up some big plays early on. But after a while we knew the quarterback was going to pitch the ball every time. And we still kept hitting him anyway. I do not understand why more college teams don’t employ this technique today. Once the quarterback begins to run he is fair game. Make him pay. Every time.
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I would run the VEER on offense, who does that? How could you possibly stop it?
And this would be my D philosophy.
From the American Football Coaches Association’s Defensive Football Strategies, the chapter penned by Erk defines the Junkyard Dawgs, “By our own definition, a Junkyard Dog is a dog completely dedicated to his task, that of defending his goal line. Further, he is very often a reject (from the offense) or the runt of the litter. Nobody wants him, and he is hungry. We had three walk-ons, four QBs, and three running backs in our original Junkyard Dog starting cast, which averaged 208 pounds across the front. In short, a Junkyard Dog is one who must stretch and strain all of his potential just to survive. Then he can think about being good.”
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Unless I could land a top ten recruiting class every year, I’d run a fast paced offense with a lot of package plays. I’d want a big back that could pound and a couple receivers that could fly – even if they weren’t particularly good route runners. At QB, I’d want a smart tough, kid with a decent arm – I wouldn’t worry about getting an NFL prototype.
On D, I’d take a lot of chances with blitzes and different coverages. My focus would be to just get 4 or 5 stops a game and maybe a big play. I’d almost rather the D break than bend as I wouldn’t want them on the field all the time. I would not want to be vulnerable to a team just running it down our throat late because we were tired.
If I could recruit top ten talent, I’d look a lot like UGA and Bama.
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Hi, Bobo. Nice of you to join the blog. I’m sure you were referring to Mason at QB and it’s nice to see your love for Pruitt. Keep in touch.
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I would go with an offensive and defensive system based entirely on what I’ve heard from fans sitting around me in Sanford over the years. In recognition of their collective ingenuity and imagination, I’ll call it the Sanford Crowd system.
On offense, you pretty much run the damn ball. The only time you don’t run the damn ball is when it would obviously be stopped because we can’t block or the whole world knew we were going to run the damn ball. Still, even in those situations you need to run the damn ball some of the time. But in those situations you should usually throw a pass, but only a completed pass. An incomplete pass or, God forbid, an interception is just a piss poor play to call – everyone knows that, except Bobo and Richt apparently. But I digress, in those rare situations when you throw a completion instead of running the damn ball, it should always be far enough down field to gain a first down. About one out of every 3 completed passes should be a bomb for a touchdown. But, again, the most important thing is that you run the damn ball, a lot. It’s a given that your top running back should have at least 100 yards every game – maybe 150 yards if he is a good running back. And your quarterback should always throw for at least 300 yards – that’s just the standard. Now while some say “how you going to throw for 300 when you always run the damn ball,” that’s just nonsense. It will work out if you throw completions and bombs on those few occasions when you don’t run the damn ball.
On Defense, we’d go with a lot of sacks and interceptions. Some fumbles too, but those seem harder to control. But definitely a lot of sacks and interceptions. And we’d always be tough up the middle and on the perimeter so the other team can’t run good on us. That’s an important part of my defensive strategy, not letting the other team get many yards running the ball. That and getting lots of sacks and interceptions. Oh, and no stupid penalties. That goes for offense and defense and special teams. The folks around me can never understand why we have so many stupid penalties. Seems obvious enough, but I would definitely make no-stupid-penalties part of my offensive and defensive and special teams coaching. Back to defense, I would also have my cornerbacks and safeties not blow their coverage, ever. I mean, what the hell, right?
So there you have it, the Sanford Crowd system. It ain’t like it’s rocket science, ya know?
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+1, brother, +1.
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