11 personnel formation on offense

Buddy Guy?

 

When we use bunch sets on offense... it only makes it easier for the defense to stack the box and stop any kind of run advantage we thought we would be gaining. We need to spread the defense out every single freaking play, except for in short yardage situations.

I didn't get to see the entire game, but thanks for pointing out the plays that did work. This reminds me of the defense that we used very sparingly last year in the 3rd quarter of the UGA game... where we were aggressive and blitzed them to the tune of 3 forced turnovers. I understand why we didn't use it all game long, becasue last year we had a depth problem... we ran out of talented "dudes" to make it work all game long. That's not the case this year...

We have the play makers to run an aggressive blitzing D-line on the front end, and the DBs and Safeties on the back end to run the man-press all game long. AA needs to figure that out ASAP.

 

Kirk Herbstreight mentioned several times they were operating Mertz in the pistol formation. And he said he was pleasantly surprised with the approach. He Thought they would come out and ease him Into the offense slowly with low passing numbers. Mertz showed he was up to the task.

A stat no one has mentioned that I've seen is Mertz connected with 11 different receivers in that game. Now that's distributing the ball

 

More my taste honestly

 

You have to be able to run against a plus box, and 12 (and 13!) is one way to do that. Without a mobile QB, you basically put it on Mertz to win a game with his arm (even though our pass pro was not good last week—though I am optimistic it improves). And I just don’t see us scaring most good defenses through the air until those frosh receivers get going.

Completely agree, however, that our TEs right now aren’t elite blockers, nor are they pass catching threats. If we are gonna be effective, we need some little waggles to TEs/backs, maybe some wheels or screens out of that 12 look. Anything to get the safeties occupied and out of the box, or at least on their heels.

 

We will have to make them pay throwing because I really doubt we can be successful against good teams running if they load the box.Utah was daring us to throw and they had the throws contained pretty well. You have to go over the top to get them to back off but Mertz didn’t have time. I haven’t watched film of it but hearing tgat the routes were slow developing routes which hurt also. I expect to see some quicker routes in space one on one. That’s where we can win some battles. This week anything will work but we better be using this walkthrough tonight as a gameplan for next week. Find out how to beat a loaded box without great pass protection. Tenn will load it and bring it until we prove we can beat it.

 

Surely a really good OC would scheme ways to beat a stacked box.

 

You can’t scheme talent. If our guys can’t block, it becomes very limited. Spread em out and throw it quick maybe. That is all you have it you can’t block.

 

Burke has to be the most enigmatic receiver we have. He has plenty of talent. He makes a couple great catches in a big game, and then he is 3rd string again on the depth chart. I wish he could pull it together to be a complete receiver for us.

 

Napier only gets 15 practice sessions in the spring and fall and 20 hours per week during the fall to coach the entire team. This team does not have the talent or experience to get an overhauled offense in a week, so we should look at minor tweaks that can be made to this offense in 11 or 12 personnel. I would argue that if the OC and some assistants signaled their plays in from the sideline and had guys on the sidelines being more active in shuffling packages of players in and out that they could manage the play clock better. This would not stop Napier from asking Mertz to wait until the last second to snap the ball but at the very least it would minimize penalties. On GNFP, James mentioned that the QB could also get the ball out more quickly with a 0 or 1 step drop, or by having a handful of hot reads ready to go.

Any other fixes would be hard to do with Napier's limited offense. I like Napier as a CEO head coach, but I do not see any signs that he can be both a good CEO head coach and offensive coordinator. I have seen plenty of suggestions that Russ Callaway could call plays from his position as tight ends coach and former offensive coordinator at Samford. Heck, Billy Gonzales has been a co-OC at Mississippi State, so there is an option there. I assume Napier would be too stubborn (as most coaches are) to allow Callaway or Gonzales to modify his offense if he let them take over the play calls, but there are minor tweaks that could be done within the constraints of this offense to make it good enough to win 6 games in 2023 and set the stage for a full-time OC in 2024.

 

On a side note I’ve never understood goal line offenses with 2+ in the backfield. It’s throwing 22 guys in just 30% of the width of the field. Even if you block well there is simply no room

 

The offensive bunch formation is the easiest way to make the opposing defense look good... Spurrier was allergic to that... unless on goal-lines.

 

This is what lots of the OBC’s guys keep saying, but I still think you can work the wide side of the field underneath with some of those plays I mentioned. Lots of ways to skin a cat. I also think you can’t give up on running in those situations. If you block successfully and break just one tackle, it’s a huge run. Famous example for us was C-4 agains LSU back in 2003.

But personnel is a huge issue for us right now. Absolutely need to get Wilson, Jean, Mizell, Livingston, Boardingham more run as the season goes on. Outside of Pearsall and maybe Douglass, they are the only guys who can make something out of those plays.

 

Always better to run behind a bunch to the short side

 

That is really the entire basis for the rise of the spread offense. Teams that are physically outmatched in the trenches said screw it, I'm not going to try to beat you going against your strengths, we will take our chances against your dime corner.

Also, it may sound counter intuitive but the OL blocking might be better when spread. Especially a unit with not a lot of time together they could very well excel when it is just 4 DL vs our 5, rather than simulated pressures and LB's and S wandering in and out of the box.

 

sorry if I missed it but did anyone ever break down how many times we ran each grouping game 1?

 

I have not heard anyone do that, and I have yet to see the whole game. If I get bored one day... nah... I think we have some people here that can manage to do that.

I am interested in the personnel scheme breakdown.

 

like that more than running in to a stacked box!

 

They have to come up with some but hopefully a longterm goals with a system over just getting a quick fix that is limited in the end.