Should JD more back to running the offense?

[blueandgold]

I know JD's focus this year was to correct the special teams problems from last year by taking over special teams coaching duties. It looks like we are getting better in that area, especially in the punting game as witnessed in the OSU game. Extra points and field goals still need some work, but it looks better than last year so far.All this said, our offense has really gone downhill fast. I know we have a lot of inexperience on the OL and at QB and we have lost starters and depth at WR, but we are loaded at RB I believe. This is ridiculous. I think it is time for JD to get his focus back on the offense. He is an offensive minded coach and we need him to turn this around now. What does everyone else think?

[skip-zip]

Personally, I'm going to wait and see how this offense gels. With the young OL, I think it's going to take some time. JD has the offense in the capable hands of his coordinator, and I will trust that for now. I really don't think it's a problem with the play calling at this point. I honestly just think we're a little thin on overall offensive talent, especially up front, and at the WR spot.

[Dr Z]

I really don't think it's a problem with the play calling at this point.

I'm not picking on you skip, but I can't believe that a Zip fan watched that game Saturday and did not have a problem with the play calling. I hope to see some kind of change this week. I'm not going to get too down yet because I agree with you, we should give this offense a little time to gel. Here's to hoping that our staff is watching some film and coming up with a better game plan for this week.

[zen]

Theoretically speaking, I like the concept of JD "head coaching" and managing the team, while letting specialists take responsibility for the details in coaching the specific aspects of the game. But "coaching" offense can have a lot of aspects in itself. There is a LOT of things going on that I am completely clueless about, from how they are coaching fundamentals all the way up to specific gameplan preparation for the next opponent. But there is ONE thing that is visible to me when I watch the game, as a fan, and that is the actual selection of plays that are run.Now, granted, I am seeing the play-calling live, and I see how it works real time, rather than sitting in a strategy session trying to predict how the defense will respond, so I really should just put my trust and faith in the fact that there are people a hell of a lot smarter and better informed than me making these decisions..... unfortunately, it's really hard to take that perspective when I am watching the game. When you have a very conservative philosophy on offense, it is because you know that the more risks you take, the more likely you are to turn the ball over, which is obviously much more costly than not getting a first down, particularly when you can put faith in your special teams and defense.But to me, every time you move the chains, it's like scoring. No points go on the board, but you have won yourself a new set of downs, along with the obvious fact that you have indeed moved closer to the endzone. The goal of the offense is NOT to win the game... that is a TEAM effort. The goal of the offense is NOT to score. That is the cumulative effect of the entire offensive unit, everyone performing and executing over many plays.The goal of the offense IS to get a first down. When you continue to do that without turning the ball over, everything else takes care of itself. The scores, the wins, the individual stats, and the team stats....they all fall into place. Just get the first down!This may sound very elementary, but it seems to get forgotten all the time on the field.It's more than just averaging 3.333 yards per play. It's about constantly exploiting the defense. Not exploiting their "weaknesses" per se, but by designing and running plays that cannot be defended because of the basic fact that all defenses DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO DO NEXT, and because of that, they cannot predict where their 'assignment' is going, where the ball is going, and most importantly, they cannot decide, from among their multiple responsibilities on the field, WHERE TO GO.So many play callers simply pre-plan a series of plays that they hope will put the defense on it's heals. Invariably, it makes a lot of assumptions. First, it assumes that most of the plays will be successful. When they are, according to theory, the defender becomes more apprehensive about getting beat again, and relaxes on his other reponsibilities, which you exploit. The obvious problem with this is the fact that you have created a chain of events which must fall into place much like dominos.Now, I am aware that most offensive play callers are not simpletons, and they are doing much more than mixing up the types of plays as well as the locations (stretching the field). They work on general trends as well, much like how a pitcher will pound the inside and go for the final blow getting the batter to chase a pitch high and outside.But keep that pitching metaphor in your mind, because what is missing here in so many play calling strategies in football these days is on-the-field intuition and real time responsiveness. I am convinced that if you took an old-school quarterback from 40 years ago who called his own plays in the huddle, and he would rip apart modern defenses with their soft zone and spread coverage schemes. He saw how linebackers were playing off tightends if they slipped out behind the wide receivers who took the defensive backs with them into coverage. He saw who was blowing the biggest holes open on the line, or who was having trouble on pass protection. The difference is, the pitcher and the catcher are calling pitches right there on the field, real time, based on what's happening at the time. It's a fluid and somewhat intuitive process. And while they know that a certain guy likes to chase outside fastballs if you work him inside first, they didn't enter the situation with 8 pitches preplanned on paper.I really think that sometimes these guys lay in bed at night dreaming series of plays that all geniusly unfold as a strategic chain of events like Bobby Fischer dreams up entire chess matches. I don't think there is anything wrong with strategy, as long as you don't get lost in it and tied up by it. This is what I think happens when I see screen plays continuously called even though they continue to fail. Someone must be sitting there thinking "We have to get one of these to work or we can't pass over the middle" or something overly convoluted like that. The goal is to get chunks of yardage. When you spend too much time making virtual sacrifices "setting things up", you have taken your eyes off the prize.Thats my rant. I hope I fooled you for a few moments into thinking I actually know what I am talking about. LOL

[skip-zip]

Dr. Z....I hear you. If you read the rest of my statement, you'll see that I am not praising the play calling. I'm only saying that I will reserve my opinion for right now, and give it a chance. I believe that the bigger problem is just that the talent on the offensive side of the ball is somewhat thin this year.

[Captain Kangaroo]

Dr. Z....I hear you.  If you read the rest of my statement, you'll see that I am not praising the play calling.  I'm only saying that I will reserve my opinion for right now, and give it a chance. I believe that the bigger problem is just that the talent on the offensive side of the ball is somewhat thin this year.

I'll give it some time too. But it concerns me that this issue isn't new. We couldn't move the ball last season when JD called the shots. Our offense was terrible at year's end. Prior to that, our offense was sporadic at best. Toledo, Central Michigan, North Texas and Cincinnati were games where we moved the ball with ease for a short period of time...then the defense caught on...then we were totally shut down.Like Zen mentioned...you gotta move the chains. If you disregard the OSU game, it still has been a while since we've done so.

[3rd&twenty]

It's been a long time since we've seen a defense that can really shut our opponents down. We seem to have that now for the most part. Now we can't seem to put points on the board. That's something we're not too used to seeing. Taking into account the latter part of last season, and so far this season, the offense has not produced much at all. Granted, we have youth almost everywhere on the offense, and it will take several games for them to really mesh, but we are playing it very, very conservative. We tried one "trick" play on Sat. which didn't work. Then it was screen passes and off guard runs. I'm all for trying a few more trick plays: end arounds, reverses, etc. Heck, even the statue of liberty, which Oregon used very effectively against Michigan. Those type of plays open things up a bit, even if they don't work every time. The defense has to be a little more on their toes. Maybe we don't have those kind of weapons, though.I'd also like to see our QBs throw the ball more than 5-7 yards occasionally.

[zip37]

I think it would yield better results than Jabari on the edge.With ball ammunition locak and load, and, of course