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Run The Ball!

ZOD

ZOD

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Some of my friends here know that I coach youth football. I don't deserve a medal for it or anything. I just want to set the tone for my line of thinking in this post. I study this game all year. I find that most all of the "latest and greatest" tactics in college or the NFL have no place in youth football. Most of it is useless to me other than to understand what I am watching on Saturday and Sunday. This is why I received great joy in hearing about the Carolina Panthers essentially ran a "Single Wing" versus the Falcons this weekend. Because if it works, it works. All of it is football and all football is good..

"Too smart for your own good."
This is a weird reference used in society. How could one be "too smart for your own good". I think I saw it at Dolphins Stadium Monday night. In this game versus the Jets, I know for a fact that this coaching staff was "too smart for their own good". They brought on personell groupings based on down and distance when they did not have to. They used trick plays when they did not have to. They threw the ball when they did not have to. They lost the game on offense when they did not have to..............

I don't like to be critical of the coaching staff. I don't know the game plan. I don't know who they thought was the weakness to exploit on the Jets defense. I have not studied the film. I don't know what plays should have been there. I don't know who had the best opportunity to make plays. I don't know the Jets defensive tendancies. I don't know what the Jets like to do versus "this" offensive formation or "that" personell grouping.

What I do know:

Even in the most primitive form of football (youth) there comes a time when you admit who you are. You do this to WIN the game. Just this year I told one of my assistants that our team was "one good back and an offensive line". It was one week prior to a game versus the one team we had already lost against earlier in the year. Realizing that our team was "one good back and an offensive line" - What did I do? We had 30 offensive plays in the rematch. I chose to run the same play 24 times. We won the game. Did it take some kind of foresight to run the same play 24 times? Yes it did. It took me (the leader) to admit that we just didn't have the players to spread the ball around.

This weekend John Fox did the same thing I did. He risked looking like a fool by admitting who the makeup of the team. Chris Weinke is not a starting QB that can take advantage of NFL defenses in the passing game. (From what I heard about this game) On various third downs the Panthers have no QB on the field. This is absolutely nuts when you think about it. Have you ever seen it other than in a black and white film? The Falcons didn't know what to do. They lost the game giving up third down yardage to an offense without a QB. "Crazy like a Fox" seems to fit here.......

Getting back to our debacle (Dolphins offense). We have played a couple of game versus two of the worst rushing defenses in the NFL (Bills, Jets). In both of these games I have been perplexed as to why we just did not line up and run the ball. I was in attendance for the Jets game. As soon as the "national anthem" was completed I was yelling "Run the Ball" and "They got no defense!" It is simple fact that the Jets cannot stop the run. My suspicion is backed up by a single statistic. This statistic was not acquired by trick plays or running on a passing down. This statistic was acquired on running downs (1st and 10, 2nd and 5).

Ronnie Brown - 18 carries for 110 yards

This is Five yards per carry folks!
In just one series I saw the Dolphins opening to "gash" their defense. It was in the second quarter. I was thankful to see Barnes in on first down. This has always meant that we are running the ball. No mystery there. Bang! Ronnie Brown for a four yard gain. Then I thought "My prayers have been answered" because I looked out to the field and saw no personell switch. Barnes was in the game. "Mularkey has called another run", I thought.

At this point I am fondly remembering the game that Ricky Williams dominated the Bills in the second half three years ago. Norv Turner looked like a genius. The Bills couldn't stop the run. We knew it. They knew it. The whole world could see it. Heck, we even turned that game into a four down running series in the second half......

Back to reality - With the I formation in place, Mularkey calls a screen for a yard or two gain. Then just like clockwork, out goes Barnes for third down. In comes the passing package. The Jets drop into quarters coverage. Pass Incomplete.......

We have another game upcoming versus the worst rush defense in the league (Colts). No NFL team can keep up with this teams scoring offense. It's futile to get into a passing duel. Will the Dolphins just line up and run the ball? I doubt it.

We have a multiple offense in place. :rolleyes:
We can work the personell groupings. :rolleyes:
We can work the down and distance. :rolleyes:
We can pick on "A" defender. :rolleyes:
We can pick on "B" defender. :rolleyes:
Cleo Lemon will manage the game and lead us to victory. :rolleyes:

Some of the time one can be "too smart for your own good". It has BEEN time to admit who we are. It's falling on deaf ears (if any) in South Florida. The Dolphins suck in the passing game! They too may just be "One good back and an offensive line". We may never know......

If someone is down there in South Florida is reading this and knows where Nick Saban lives - please go purchase a megaphone. Drive by his residence five times at midnight every night this week and continually yell through the megaphone -

RUN
THE
BALL


I will gladly contribute to your bail. :D
 
Nice write-up. Sometimes it just seems too simple ... if we're running the ball and they're not stopping it, then why do we stop it for them by passing the ball?
 
ZOD said:
Some of my friends here know that I coach youth football. I don't deserve a medal for it or anything. I just want to set the tone for my line of thinking in this post. I study this game all year. I find that most all of the "latest and greatest" tactics in college or the NFL have no place in youth football. Most of it is useless to me other than to understand what I am watching on Saturday and Sunday. This is why I received great joy in hearing about the Carolina Panthers essentially ran a "Single Wing" versus the Falcons this weekend. Because if it works, it works. All of it is football and all football is good..

"Too smart for your own good."
This is a weird reference used in society. How could one be "too smart for your own good". I think I saw it at Dolphins Stadium Monday night. In this game versus the Jets, I know for a fact that this coaching staff was "too smart for their own good". They brought on personell groupings based on down and distance when they did not have to. They used trick plays when they did not have to. They threw the ball when they did not have to. They lost the game on offense when they did not have to..............

I don't like to be critical of the coaching staff. I don't know the game plan. I don't know who they thought was the weakness to exploit on the Jets defense. I have not studied the film. I don't know what plays should have been there. I don't know who had the best opportunity to make plays. I don't know the Jets defensive tendancies. I don't know what the Jets like to do versus "this" offensive formation or "that" personell grouping.

What I do know:

Even in the most primitive form of football (youth) there comes a time when you admit who you are. You do this to WIN the game. Just this year I told one of my assistants that our team was "one good back and an offensive line". It was one week prior to a game versus the one team we had already lost against earlier in the year. Realizing that our team was "one good back and an offensive line" - What did I do? We had 30 offensive plays in the rematch. I chose to run the same play 24 times. We won the game. Did it take some kind of foresight to run the same play 24 times? Yes it did. It took me (the leader) to admit that we just didn't have the players to spread the ball around.

This weekend John Fox did the same thing I did. He risked looking like a fool by admitting who the makeup of the team. Chris Weinke is not a starting QB that can take advantage of NFL defenses in the passing game. (From what I heard about this game) On various third downs the Panthers have no QB on the field. This is absolutely nuts when you think about it. Have you ever seen it other than in a black and white film? The Falcons didn't know what to do. They lost the game giving up third down yardage to an offense without a QB. "Crazy like a Fox" seems to fit here.......

Getting back to our debacle (Dolphins offense). We have played a couple of game versus two of the worst rushing defenses in the NFL (Bills, Jets). In both of these games I have been perplexed as to why we just did not line up and run the ball. I was in attendance for the Jets game. As soon as the "national anthem" was completed I was yelling "Run the Ball" and "They got no defense!" It is simple fact that the Jets cannot stop the run. My suspicion is backed up by a single statistic. This statistic was not acquired by trick plays or running on a passing down. This statistic was acquired on running downs (1st and 10, 2nd and 5).

Ronnie Brown - 18 carries for 110 yards

This is Five yards per carry folks!
In just one series I saw the Dolphins opening to "gash" their defense. It was in the second quarter. I was thankful to see Barnes in on first down. This has always meant that we are running the ball. No mystery there. Bang! Ronnie Brown for a four yard gain. Then I thought "My prayers have been answered" because I looked out to the field and saw no personell switch. Barnes was in the game. "Mularkey has called another run", I thought.

At this point I am fondly remembering the game that Ricky Williams dominated the Bills in the second half three years ago. Norv Turner looked like a genius. The Bills couldn't stop the run. We knew it. They knew it. The whole world could see it. Heck, we even turned that game into a four down running series in the second half......

Back to reality - With the I formation in place, Mularkey calls a screen for a yard or two gain. Then just like clockwork, out goes Barnes for third down. In comes the passing package. The Jets drop into quarters coverage. Pass Incomplete.......

We have another game upcoming versus the worst rush defense in the league (Colts). No NFL team can keep up with this teams scoring offense. It's futile to get into a passing duel. Will the Dolphins just line up and run the ball? I doubt it.

We have a multiple offense in place. :rolleyes:
We can work the personell groupings. :rolleyes:
We can work the down and distance. :rolleyes:
We can pick on "A" defender. :rolleyes:
We can pick on "B" defender. :rolleyes:
Cleo Lemon will manage the game and lead us to victory. :rolleyes:

Some of the time one can be "too smart for your own good". It has BEEN time to admit who we are. It's falling on deaf ears (if any) in South Florida. The Dolphins suck in the passing game! They too may just be "One good back and an offensive line". We may never know......

If someone is down there in South Florida is reading this and knows where Nick Saban lives - please go purchase a megaphone. Drive by his residence five times at midnight every night this week and continually yell through the megaphone -

RUN
THE
BALL


I will gladly contribute to your bail. :D
Click to expand...

Man, that was a great post. One of the best of the year. Thanks for the great read. You are dead on accurate.

GO PHINS~!
 
What an excellent post! Mularkey is terrible! How many times have we seen him screw up the flow with his wacky playcalling? How many times have we gotten the running game going only to see Mulark shut it down? I remember McGahee complaining about run opportunites when Mulark was there and i didn't understand. This was the guy that had the Steelers pounding it wasn't he? Look what Norv Turner has accomplished. he can't "head coach" worth a damn but he knows how to generate a running game (i.e. Stephen Davis, Emmit Smith, Ricky Williams, and now Frank Gore) Coaching makes a difference and you would also think that Mulark would've recognized Lemon's ability prior to the last game? Mulark is clueless! :fire:
 
We dont run the ball because everytime we get stuffed for a 1 yard gain or less on first down Mularky loses confidence in his run game for the next 2 plays and calls stupid plays. I AGREE totally with your post, good stuff.
On another note: If Sammy Morris has done a servicable job in Ronnies absence why not use both of the them on the field at the same time ala. Ricky Ronnie??? To me in my mind the coaches dont have confidence in the players. I think Saban is too worried about benching a marquee player like Chambers when he drops too many balls in the game in favor of a bench player because hes afraid hes gonna break his marquee players heart. BENCH THE GUY IF HE CANT CATCH THE BALL. I just wanted to throw that out there...
 
Great post. And I did some research yesterday and found that the strongest predictor of number of wins on the season is total number of rushing attempts. Pittsburgh had the most last year.
 
The announcers on monday night said sometimes the coaches out smart themselves.. I'm tired of Mularkeys trick plays.

Like Zod said run the BALL, stopping the run has been the colts weakness all year. Run the ball, eat up the clock and keep Peyton on the sideline.
 
Mularky is to offense what Olivadotti is to defense.
 
Did anyone notice how the biggest gains by Ronnie came when he ignored where the hole was supposed to be and broke it to the outside? So much for Mularkey's run play calling. All he ever seems to do is try to run it between the tackles. How about some creativity?
 
Yes!

Run the Ball. I've been screaming this at my TV since about week 4. You have to stay dedicated to the run across all 4 quarters if the game is within 2 scores. The run success is not linear from quarters 1-4. Most times the gains become greater in the 2nd half when the big dudes on D get winded.
 
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