How important is X's and O's in football...

[B]

How important is X\'s and O\'s in football...

To what extent can schemes/plays/calls overcome a mismatch in athletes? I asked this question in an earlier thread and got no takers.

Some like our conservative approach due to us being outgunned.Others argue that you have to have the "horses" in order to win playing vanilla offenses and defenses. I myself don't think we have the horses to play ball-control offense, even though I am ok with that as a base philosophy when you have the linemen/backs to execute.In fact, when it is successful, it can be demoralizing to an opponent. Our last team that I thought was capable of power ball was in '90. The ability to average 4-5 yards per rush made Shawn Jones that much more effective as a passer.

Your opinions please.It would be a change of pace to have a football-oriented discussion

 

[nathogt]

Re: How important is X\'s and O\'s in football...

A good scheme can definately help you. There is a limit to what it can do for you though. I would point to Wake Forest, Air Force, Purdue and Kentuck (under Mumme) as examples of both points. Those teams won games where they were the less talented team on account of the scheme. But, when they had to play a "superteam" like FSU, Florida or Notre Dame they get manhandled.

I think you can pick up an extra 2 or 3 wins by using an exotic scheme (assuming you have the coaching for it).

I myself favor using a misdirection scheme or a quick slant passing attack if you don't have the guys to grind ahead on the ground.

 

[romegajacket]

Re: How important is X\'s and O\'s in football...

Good Question and a good reply from N.
Sometimes I think we have a tendency to make the game plan more complex than it needs to be. From a coach's standpoint, he needs to be able to judge from the material he has to build a gameplan that will work for them. Too often many coaches try to be a Vince Lombardi or a Bobby Dodd and follow the plans of these heros to a tee when he doesn't even start to have the right players to go with. We were able to see some really "razzle dazzle" ball with Joe H. under the Fridge. But if you noticed, we at times did not have the material to play solid basic football. Too many times we depended on the play of one or two men.
Also on defense you have noticed in the last few years, we have blown what should have been good plays simply because of missed tackles. Not locking up or dropping the head and having a move put on us.
What I am saying is, schemes are used sometimes simply because you can't do the basics well enough. Not always, but sometimes that is the case. Sometimes it is used just to keep the opponent out of sync. Kind of like playing poker in a way. May not matter what you have but just what you opponent thinks you have.
I really believe Chan Gailey is trying to build a solid team from the ground up and go from there. This will take time though and we need to be patient. Good things will come.

 

[ahsoisee]

Re: How important is X\'s and O\'s in football...

There is not the slightest doubt in my mind, that there will be huge arguments over this issue.

I have followed football and coaches for over 56 years and have been convinced for years, the coach is the most important element of a team.

The excellent coach will be able to assess the abilities of each player, place them in the right positions, minimize their liabilities, and maximize their abilities.

He will mold his offense and defense around the abilities of his players rather than vice versa. He will be a teacher and his players and team will develop sequentially.

If you have an excellent coach, "YOU WILL" have a good team. An excellent coach will win with average players. A team is the mirror image of its coaching.

Any time you have an excellent coach, he will win. As he wins, it is noted by other recruits who want to play for him, so he gets better recruits each year. As the better recruits are attracted to the coach, he wins bigger and attracts even better players.

Soon, he is at the top of his profession.

Most of the time an excellent coach has good results immediately. Sometimes, an excellent coach may get in an impossible situation due to problems within an organization. Given enough time, the coach will either correct the conditions or move on.

Father Time

 

[Jack_it]

Re: How important is X\'s and O\'s in football...

Originally posted by nathogt:
A good scheme can definately help you. There is a limit to what it can do for you though. I would point to Wake Forest, Air Force, Purdue and Kentuck (under Mumme) as examples of both points. Those teams won games where they were the less talented team on account of the scheme. But, when they had to play a "superteam" like FSU, Florida or Notre Dame they get manhandled.

I think you can pick up an extra 2 or 3 wins by using an exotic scheme (assuming you have the coaching for it).

I myself favor using a misdirection scheme or a quick slant passing attack if you don't have the guys to grind ahead on the ground.

<font size="2" face="Arial, Verdana, Sans-Serif">Great post. It stinks to admit it, but due to Moore-gate, that's the kind of team we have this year. As I have posted earlier, we are going to have to use a variety of play-calling to get some quality wins this year. Quick slants, options, and end-arounds are a great start.

 

[nathogt]

Re: How important is X\'s and O\'s in football...

Another point on schemes, a good coach implements a scheme that fits his personel. If you take over a passing team and decide to run the option, you are in for a couple of tough years. A great coach puts into place a scheme that allows him to win with his talent. A lesser coach puts into place a scheme that he is able to coach and brings in players who can succeed in it. Only a great coach can instantly make a winner of a loser. You can be a good coach yet take several years to implement your system.

Unfotunately, there are so few great coaches out there. It takes time to see if you have a good (but not great) coach who can put his system into place over a couple of years. The bad part is that it takes a couple of years to figure out if you have a good coach or a bad coach. A bad coach will , of course, leave you farther back than you started.

I think that the most important thing an AD can do is hire a coach who plays a similar style of ball as the prior coach (unless there is absolutely no talent, in which csae you are free to totally start over again). If you bring in a coach who can maintain the style of play, you can build on what is there rather than start over from scratch.

 

[BeerNutts]

Re: How important is X\'s and O\'s in football...

While schemes can play a large part, I think execution plays a slightly larger part. You can have a wonderful array of plays with very complex schemes (ala Wake's counter rushing attack), but, if you don't execute well, it won't mean squat. The opposite, however, is also true. You can have very few plays, but if you have great execution, then you'll succeed. Many teams have done this, and I suspect most people remember Vince Dooley, who, on 3rd and 2, was going to run off-tackle, and everyone knew it, but the other team just couldn't stop it.

 

[techfowl]

Re: How important is X\'s and O\'s in football...

Either one will win you 7 or 8 games - you have to have both to win 10 or 11, and both plus the breaks to win a NC (unless you are Miami two years ago - a once in a decade team).

Spurrier won the ACC at Duke when Clemson was still in it's hayday. His system is not revolutionary anymore so he has to have great players to go with his, now, only better than most, system.

But look at Joe Paterno last year vs. the year before. No horses two years ago and ESPN was asking each week when he would win. Insert Heisman candidate (Larry?) Johnson with a mature line in the same system and he's a hero.

You need both, in my opinion, to play where we do. Friedgen against FSU (here and MD) will tell you a lot.

At Tech, we need X's and O's more. We can get great players, but not as many as what FSU and UGA pulls. We have to outcoach them.

Of course, I wouldn't have thought MD, UVA, and MD, could pull some of the talent they have lately. Maybe we are only a few Reshaun Grants and Kenny Scotts away from being where we want to be.