I’m stuck inside because of the hurricane, and I was just watching Trey Wilson highlights from last year… And it got me to thinking about this offense. I really drunk the Kool-Aid in the off-season, I think the moves Billy made from strength and conditioning to coaching to transfers are going to pay huge dividends this year. But the one question I have and I think all of us have is what is this gonna look like? I think it’s reductionist to say “the problem wasn’t the offense it was the defense “. Our issues are mostly defense, Mertz played well and a lot of our issues have been blocking and talent. (Here comes the but..) But… I have to put the hopium down for a second and remember how frustrating the play calling is at times. The lack of tempo, urgency, so many receivers running routes in the same 5 yards of one another, not knowing when to use parts of the field, commitment to 12 personell despite not having the players to do it, the unwillingness to do things outside of “the plan” in order to get creative on offense and win. So what do we need to see on offense to have a good season? More tempo? More successful downfield shots? More intermediate routes? More 4-5 wide? Better use of TE? What does it need to look like? LSU, Georgia, mizz, bama, Tennessee, ole miss were among the most successful in the SEC last year and they all averaged 33-45pts a game and 425-450 yards a game. We sat at 28pts and 400 yards. Not bad. But if we want to win against this schedule, we’re gonna need to be more aggressive
Great blocking of course. Clean execution with everyone doing their jobs. A running back and another receiver or 2 opposite Trey breaking out. Boardingham taking a leap. Maybe: Callaway in the booth with great vision, sending plays to Mertz' helmet and Mertz on another level with knowledge and skill, checking when needed.
Our yards per game wasn't bad but you need more than 28 pts out of it. That means that we did really well between the 20's and then bogged down. More creative play calling in the red zone would do wonders. After that, no turnovers and create more third down conversions.
His track record says otherwise but I'd like to see tempo changes. With our defense the last several years up tempo offense could have made our issues even worse. I think the slower tempo is just inherent in his philosophy however and not some strategy to hedge against the defense. Under Mullen with Trask a holding penalty wasn't a drive killer. Obviously you'd like to see no penalties at all but when they occur can we overcome them? Statistics may say otherwise, I'm not sure but we seemed to be awful once we got into 2nd or 3rd and long. Can we be better?
Harder to cover for offensive line deficiencies once the field tightens up. I'd like to think that changes this year.
Not sure. Top 20 RZ offense but less impressive scoring offense. Maybe means we failed to get to the RZ on many of our possessions but were good when we were? https://www.ncaa.com/stats/football/fbs/current/team/703 https://www.ncaa.com/stats/football/fbs/current/team/27/p2
Do you mean that when tempo is needed, it's there, the offense knows how to run up tempo? There will be times when we need to MOVE regardless of a need to help the Defense.
Yeah. You have to be able to keep defenses off balance and one way to do that is to change tempo of your offense at times. Also, our struggles with a 2 minute offense have been well documented. It doesn't have to be one way or the other either as teams that only play uptempo offense struggle at times as well like tennesee, Oregon, ucf etc.
And I agree that it should be practiced and ready. It will be nice if we do not need that extra gear but probably will.
We need to see our best players take the next step, and I think they will. We need to see some new faces step up. And we need the coaches to execute a great gameplan, with more aggression and efficiency. If guys can stay healthy, I really think the passing game will be a huge positive this season. All the ingredients are there for Mertz to take that next step, so attacking downfield will be much more prevalent, IMO. As long as the OL can protect him, which is a big IF, but there's no reason they shouldn't be a much improved unit. Pearsall is a big loss, but our receiver group as a whole looks great on paper, with a ton of depth. I think Mertz has really worked at his vertical game, and he has the necessary arm and the chemistry with his receivers to start hitting those more frequently and consistently. Not the least bit worried about our RBs, especially with the threat of the pass opening up the run game. TE still concerns me until someone really steps up. We have another year with pretty much the same core group, and I think the offseason additions greatly outweigh the subtractions. Another year in the weight room, another year of development, another year of continuity for Mertz and the passing game to get comfortable. Again, if we can stay relatively healthy (which is obviously a concern for everyone else too, not just Florida) we'll be in good shape. And I think we finally have the depth we need, which gives us options.
Im hoping Billy shelves the west coast offense, but I believe the spring game had the first team offense go 13 plays for a FG on the first drive. As far as Tempo, I just don't think we need motion on every play. At the very least, have a hurry up without it when we are up against the clock. I don't think Montrell will be ready for Miami, interested to see how Billy adjusts.
What I love to see is a methodical offense, with an even mixture of run and pass. The opposition knows what is coming but can do nothing to stop it. Solid 5-6 minute drives culminating in a TD while allowing the defense to rest and slowly choke their offense out. Is it exciting? No. But it produces more dynasties than any other system. And we have the skill tools to do this. It all boils down to the trenches, as always.
