Running vs. passing

[gtloyal]

Let me play some hypotheticals now that we're focusing on enhancing our passing attack. For this example, imagine that the game is tied heading into the 2nd half.

If the running game is working in a game, how much passing would you expect from the offense?

If the running game is stymied in a game, how much passing would you expect from the offense?

My recollection of last year is that we'd expect 10% pass plays for the first scenario, and about 30% pass plays from the second. In either case, we were clearly a running team.

My theory is that even with a more potent passing attack, these percentages won't change that much. I expect that the only time we'll see more passing plays called next year compared to last year is when we are running a 2-minute offense or when we are behind in the very last minutes of a game.

I'm interested to hear from some Ga Southern admirers of CPJ and how he mixed up his offense when it was truly dual threat.

 

[GTLiebs]

Well, I think there are two things here. One, we know CPJ will ( even if eventually) do whatever is necessary to win as many games as we can. If that comes to mean passing 40% of the time every game, he will get around to doing. The question is will he change things around now before it because a reactionary thing. The reason I say now is even if teams don't know who gets the ball, they know its going to be a run. A coach/ D coordinator might keep 10 on the line every play even if we start passing a bit, because CPJ hasn't show if he would abandone the run or not. But like I said earlier, even if we stick to the run and teams somehow keep it contained by devoting most of their defense to do it and we do poorly, we'll get better just because CPJ won't take a losing record.

 

[gnats67]

I think one of our new theme songs should be "You Ain't Seen Nothin Yet" by Bachman Turner Overdrive (BTO). Young talkers won't know what the heck I'm talking about but it is an anthem that applies and is fun.

Let's get this one going!!!!

 

[yjack]

Let me play some hypotheticals now that we're focusing on enhancing our passing attack. For this example, imagine that the game is tied heading into the 2nd half.

Is it tied at, say 0-0 or 3-3, or is it 28-28? In other words, is the offense not producing or is the defense not stopping the other team?

If the offense has been scoring, I'd expect more of the same, whatever the same is -- with some variations to counter the other team's halftime adjustments. (Maybe with a few unexpected long bombs just for grins. :biggthumpup After all, CPJ has said that all he asks of his defense is to get at least 3 stops against the other team. Evidently, the stops just need to all come in the second half.

If the offense has been stagnant then CPJ will have to figure out why. Blocking schemes? Under-performing? Out executed? At least the defense has held us in it while the offense finds a way to get on track. Would we see more passing? Maybe. Different blocking assignments in the running game? Definitely. Abandon the run? Not on your life. ;)

 

[GTLiebs]

If the offense has been stagnant then CPJ will have to figure out why. Blocking schemes? Under-performing? Out executed? At least the defense has held us in it while the offense finds a way to get on track. Would we see more passing? Maybe. Different blocking assignments in the running game? Definitely. Abandon the run? Not on your life. ;)

I think we have to consider the possibility of other teams being able to stop the run, not just us screwing up. Execution would be a factor, but also if another teams is plain and simple stopping the run it isn't because our blocking schemes are wrong. Basically, I think we have to know if we could win a game with passing. Not saying we should abandon the run in a game, but rather if we could win without it we would be a very potent team indeed.

 

[ncjacket]

I think we have to consider the possibility of other teams being able to stop the run, not just us screwing up. Execution would be a factor, but also if another teams is plain and simple stopping the run it isn't because our blocking schemes are wrong. Basically, I think we have to know if we could win a game with passing. Not saying we should abandon the run in a game, but rather if we could win without it we would be a very potent team indeed.

Miss the Duke game last season? First, if we're executing no one will completely stop the run. But yes, if they are jamming the LOS and selling out to stop the option, we need to be able to beat them throwing the ball. PJ has already shown he's more than willing to do that, we just have to be able to do it.

 

[AugustaSwarm]

I think we'll see plenty more passing this year. Honestly, we can't pass any less really. This past year, we couldn't give our QB's any time at all to set their feet and throw and my guess is that we lost confidence in our ability to pass. Assuming our OL fares better, I believe we'll pass more, but nothing mind blowing. I'd say instead of 10%/30% you may see something like 25-30%/50-60%.

 

[GTLiebs]

Miss the Duke game last season? First, if we're executing no one will completely stop the run. But yes, if they are jamming the LOS and selling out to stop the option, we need to be able to beat them throwing the ball. PJ has already shown he's more than willing to do that, we just have to be able to do it.

On our schedule only 1 or 2 teams are worse than Duke. And whether we'd be able to beat teams with the pass or not was the point I was trying to make, not whether we would try. So overall I agree.

 

[JWE37]

CPJ was asked this question on his call-in show at the beginning of the year. This is not verbatim. Its just how I vaguely remember him answering:

"There's no percentage or certain amount of times we're going to throw the ball. We're a running team and that's what we're good at. However, if a team stacks up on us to stop the run, then we'll throw it. And sometimes we'll throw it when they're not expecting us to throw it. But if we have to throw it 50 times to win the game then thats what we'll do.
I'll tell ya this though....If we're in situation where we have to throw it, then we're probably not very good at running it." (Crowd laughs....guess you had to be there)

 

[Jerry the Jacket]

As my brother Larry so famously says, "just run the damn ball"!

Go Jackets!