Bring Back the option

[ruralgopher]

GT is averaging 32 ppg, 6yds/rush, 17yds/catch.

Air Force is averaging 33 ppg, 5.8 yds/rush, 17.6 yds/catch

Back when Georgia Southern ran it, 6 yd/rush, 20 yds/catch

 

[RodentRampage]

We had a few plays out of a Single Wing in high school. We only used is as a passing formation, we called it the "Oklee Special", because Oklee High School used to run that formation. I used to devour all the books that the library had on football, so I recognized the formation as the Single Wing, although no one else there seemed to know what it was really called. There was so much more you could use with it, but that was all the coaches were familiar with. There are still high schools that run the single wing and do well. Most of the time it was out of the I or the "pro-set" (from a long time ago).

 

[KoolAid]

Question for the board.

Are any of you old enough to remember the old "Wing T" offense? Power Football with numerous options. I am old enough, and we went undefeated for 4 straight years in High School. Between my brother and me at QB, we did it from my Freshman year in HS through my Senior Year in HS.

Was that really a question or did you just want to tell everyone how awesome you were?

 

[MaxyJR1]

Question for the board.

Are any of you old enough to remember the old "Wing T" offense? Power Football with numerous options. I am old enough, and we went undefeated for 4 straight years in High School. Between my brother and me at QB, we did it from my Freshman year in HS through my Senior Year in HS.

This is one of the popular forms of offense in MN HS right now. Shakopee and Owatonna run it. It takes away a lot of the one on one blocking and can hide lesser linemen.

 

[Dr.Don]

Was that really a question or did you just want to tell everyone how awesome you were?

Koolaid...it was both. It was a question, and due to the fact that I am older, did it, and I was awesome. So stick it.

 

[MaxyJR1]

GT is averaging 32 ppg, 6yds/rush, 17yds/catch.

Air Force is averaging 33 ppg, 5.8 yds/rush, 17.6 yds/catch

Back when Georgia Southern ran it, 6 yd/rush, 20 yds/catch

On the other hand Wisconsin is 36 ppg, 5.4 yds/rush, 12.7 yds/catch. Remember their 70 points against Austin Peay

 

[monk10]

This is one of the popular forms of offense in MN HS right now. Shakopee and Owatonna run it. It takes away a lot of the one on one blocking and can hide lesser linemen.

I believe Woodbury was running it until they struggled to win games, and scratched it.

 

[RodentRampage]

On the other hand Wisconsin is 36 ppg, 5.4 yds/rush, 12.7 yds/catch. Remember their 70 points against Austin Peay

What other hand? No one is saying that the triple option is the only offense that works.

 

[lakesgopher]

Watch Georgia Tech.

you dont come in and in one year look good with the option. its a tough offense to run and you need guys that have ran it for a while in order to have success. with all the turnover etc if gray was struggling to get the previous playbooks down i want no part in him with the triple option. gray should be a shotgun qb that runs the option from time to time to keep the defense honest that is it.

simple is best and leach and the spread would be an easy transition for our offense!

 

[MaxyJR1]

What other hand? No one is saying that the triple option is the only offense that works.

People are saying it is boring. So I pointed out Wisconsin's stats. Hell Boise State averages less per run and catch. I would argue that winning is what makes a team exciting.

 

[RodentRampage]

People are saying it is boring. So I pointed out Wisconsin's stats. Hell Boise State averages less per run and catch. I would argue that winning is what makes a team exciting.

I understand now, I thought you were using Wisconsin's stats against the triple option.

 

[MaxyJR1]

you dont come in and in one year look good with the option. its a tough offense to run and you need guys that have ran it for a while in order to have success. with all the turnover etc if gray was struggling to get the previous playbooks down i want no part in him with the triple option. gray should be a shotgun qb that runs the option from time to time to keep the defense honest that is it.

simple is best and leach and the spread would be an easy transition for our offense!

Paul Johnson was 9-4 his first year and went to a BCS Bowl his second year at GT. He was 2-10 at Navy year 1 and 8-5 his second season. It can be done.

My greatest concern for the Gophers is stopping the other team!!!

 

[RodentRampage]

you dont come in and in one year look good with the option. its a tough offense to run and you need guys that have ran it for a while in order to have success. with all the turnover etc if gray was struggling to get the previous playbooks down i want no part in him with the triple option. gray should be a shotgun qb that runs the option from time to time to keep the defense honest that is it.

simple is best and leach and the spread would be an easy transition for our offense!

That is EXACTLY what Georgia Tech did. Then went from a shotgun to the option, and won 9 games in the first year, and a conference title in the second. How is the shotgun "simple". The triple option is a simple offense, it doesn't work on having to remember a thousand things, just on getting a few things right.

 

[lakesgopher]

Paul Johnson was 9-4 his first year and went to a BCS Bowl his second year at GT. He was 2-10 at Navy year 1 and 8-5 his second season. It can be done.

My greatest concern for the Gophers is stopping the other team!!!

and it could be a huge epic failure! the option has more failed outcomes then the spread. i dont want to waste another year of gray's gopher career on an experiment. and with alipate the transition would be very smooth. nearly any style of qb can work in the spread, the option your limited. i hate the idea of gray being a full time spread qb! i think he would get killed! and then we have alipate who isnt enough of an athlete to make the option work.

its time to look long term, is it going to be easier to find eric crouch or graham harrell? i think that question answers itself!

 

[RodentRampage]

Of course it might not work. Every offense in existence might wind up being a failure! With that kind of criteria, the only option is to never, ever watch another game of football, because there are no guarantees. The option is most certainly not an "experiment". It's an offense with a long history, and it has been shown that it can work. It's going to be easier to recruit players that are good fits for the option than it would be to recruit good players for offenses that everyone else is doing.

 

[MaxyJR1]

Gray will not be able to run this offense as he has never run in. It could be phased in with talent. Option offense can be run in many ways based on the QB you have. Gray may run pistol form and someone else the veer form.

 

[lakesgopher]

Of course it might not work. Every offense in existence might wind up being a failure! With that kind of criteria, the only option is to never, ever watch another game of football, because there are no guarantees. The option is most certainly not an "experiment". It's an offense with a long history, and it has been shown that it can work. It's going to be easier to recruit players that are good fits for the option than it would be to recruit good players for offenses that everyone else is doing.

i thought the big ten was a running conference so we wouldnt be going after the same kids anyways. we would be doing something different.

 

[KoolAid]

Gray will not be able to run this offense as he has never run in.

Unfair assumption. Give him a couple thousand reps in spring ball and let's assess after that.

 

[RamblinWreck]

Hi guys, I did my undergrad and grad work at Georgia Tech from 92 - 98. I have lived in Minneapolis for 9 years now, and have always loved watching Gopher hoops at "The Barn", especially since Tubby came (despite his U[sic]GA roots). After seeing "The Bank", I am trying to love Gopher football. I stay loyal to the Ramlin' Wreck and fly to about 3-4 games per year. I got very excited when I learned of Brewster's firing specifically hoping that The Gophers might hire an option coach (my first choice is Navy's Ken Niumataolo).

There are a number of myths about the "Triple Option" Tech fans never hear the end of.

Myth 1: It's boring. When Paul Johnson was announced the coach of GT, I was among these skeptics. It lasted about one quarter. Instead of "three yards and a cloud of dust" I saw a team that was something like 3rd or 4th in all CFB in plays exceeding 20-yards - in PJ's first year. I learned to think of the option as a fine symphony with every player having an assignment and loved the subtle nuances of the system. Every play has me on my edge knowing it could explode. I saw a team with two 1000 yard rushers in the same season, another who rushed for nearly 800, and a 1000-yard receiver (averaging 22 yards *per catch* - good enough to be the first WR taken in the NFL draft). Scoring in droves, racking up huge yardage, and watching an offense sometimes control the ball for 11 minutes on a single drive is anything but boring. Oh, neither is going to two excellent bowl games.

Myth 2: It will never work. Virtually any offense can work so long as it is executed. I was surprised at the success how fast PJ installed the option with great success from day one. People always say after a loss that it is "figured out", only to respond the next game with a win (PJ has not lost consecutive games at GT) - often times convincing. The one common characteristic I have seen where the option has collapsed is against huge defensive lines (like Iowa's). An option OL must be much faster and lighter than your typical one, and some DLs are completely overmatched. I do think this could be a worry with a Big Ten team considering the beasts that a number of BT teams seem to churn every NFL Draft. Then again, Clemson has as good of a DL as any, and PJ is 3-0 against it (in fact, the biggest DLs GT has faced include Clemson, Iowa, LSU, Virginia Tech, and Georgia in which GT is 6-4 against; so you can be undersized and still win). And having a unique system does provide a lot of advantages, although I think this might be a bit overstated.

Myth 3: You can't recruit PJ had a pretty anemic first recruiting class, but has an exceptional class after his second year. They are deep at every position, and PJ has significantly closed the talent gap with Georgia. Sure, recruiting top-notch WRs might be more of a challenge, but PJ won two star-studded WRs (who chose GT over Georgia, FSU, Auburn, and Tenn). Probably not enough data to say this myth is completely dispelled, but so far, so good.

So I really hope the U of MN at least looks at an option coach. If you get someone better, great. But if you go the option route, you just might see the most exciting, dynamic, fun-to-watch, high-scoring, big-play-producing offense you have ever seen. And Gray can run the option from day 1.

Best of luck finding a winner... I am looking forward to seeing some wins at The Bank! (Please just don't hire Mark Richt)

 

[lakesgopher]

Hi guys, I did my undergrad and grad work at Georgia Tech from 92 - 98. I have lived in Minneapolis for 9 years now, and have always loved watching Gopher hoops at "The Barn", especially since Tubby came (despite his U[sic]GA roots). After seeing "The Bank", I am trying to love Gopher football. I stay loyal to the Ramlin' Wreck and fly to about 3-4 games per year. I got very excited when I learned of Brewster's firing specifically hoping that The Gophers might hire an option coach (my first choice is Navy's Ken Niumataolo).

There are a number of myths about the "Triple Option" Tech fans never hear the end of.

Myth 1: It's boring. When Paul Johnson was announced the coach of GT, I was among these skeptics. It lasted about one quarter. Instead of "three yards and a cloud of dust" I saw a team that was something like 3rd or 4th in all CFB in plays exceeding 20-yards - in PJ's first year. I learned to think of the option as a fine symphony with every player having an assignment and loved the subtle nuances of the system. Every play has me on my edge knowing it could explode. I saw a team with two 1000 yard rushers in the same season, another who rushed for nearly 800, and a 1000-yard receiver (averaging 22 yards *per catch* - good enough to be the first WR taken in the NFL draft). Scoring in droves, racking up huge yardage, and watching an offense sometimes control the ball for 11 minutes on a single drive is anything but boring. Oh, neither is going to two excellent bowl games.

Myth 2: It will never work. Virtually any offense can work so long as it is executed. I was surprised at the success how fast PJ installed the option with great success from day one. People always say after a loss that it is "figured out", only to respond the next game with a win (PJ has not lost consecutive games at GT) - often times convincing. The one common characteristic I have seen where the option has collapsed is against huge defensive lines (like Iowa's). An option OL must be much faster and lighter than your typical one, and some DLs are completely overmatched. I do think this could be a worry with a Big Ten team considering the beasts that a number of BT teams seem to churn every NFL Draft. Then again, Clemson has as good of a DL as any, and PJ is 3-0 against it (in fact, the biggest DLs GT has faced include Clemson, Iowa, LSU, Virginia Tech, and Georgia in which GT is 6-4 against; so you can be undersized and still win). And having a unique system does provide a lot of advantages, although I think this might be a bit overstated.

Myth 3: You can't recruit PJ had a pretty anemic first recruiting class, but has an exceptional class after his second year. They are deep at every position, and PJ has significantly closed the talent gap with Georgia. Sure, recruiting top-notch WRs might be more of a challenge, but PJ won two star-studded WRs (who chose GT over Georgia, FSU, Auburn, and Tenn). Probably not enough data to say this myth is completely dispelled, but so far, so good.

So I really hope the U of MN at least looks at an option coach. If you get someone better, great. But if you go the option route, you just might see the most exciting, dynamic, fun-to-watch, high-scoring, big-play-producing offense you have ever seen. And Gray can run the option from day 1.

Best of luck finding a winner... I am looking forward to seeing some wins at The Bank! (Please just don't hire Mark Richt)

i dont doubt anything about gt's option game. they are like 2nd in the country in rushing so its working. i would only argue finding athletes year in and year out to run the option in the south is going to be much easier than finding those same athletes in the midwest. it will be much easier to find decent to very good qb's that can pass compared to the option qb. if that was not the case more teams would run the option and less teams would run the spread.

 

[RamblinWreck]

i dont doubt anything about gt's option game. they are like 2nd in the country in rushing so its working. i would only argue finding athletes year in and year out to run the option in the south is going to be much easier than finding those same athletes in the midwest. it will be much easier to find decent to very good qb's that can pass compared to the option qb. if that was not the case more teams would run the option and less teams would run the spread.

Fair point. Like I said, the jury is still very much out on whether or not recruiting for the option can persist. I think the best way to summarize it from what I've seen (and I don't follow recruiting that closely) is that *finding* the option QB and the right OL might be more difficult, but *recruiting* them ought to be much easier. WRs would likely be more difficult to recruit.

Winning also helps a great deal; better recruits will be found at both sides of the ball if they can build some momentum.

 

[RodentRampage]

I disagree, I think it will be easier to recruit QBs who can run the option than to find QBs for a more conventional offense. For the more conventional offenses, every coach in the country will be after those same recruits. But a QB that would do well in an option offense, there are going to be less competition for their services.

 

[ruralgopher]

I disagree, I think it will be easier to recruit QBs who can run the option than to find QBs for a more conventional offense. For the more conventional offenses, every coach in the country will be after those same recruits. But a QB that would do well in an option offense, there are going to be less competition for their services.

Exactly. You aren't going after the Jake Locker pro style qb's of the world OR for that matter the 'dual threat' QBs neccessarily. You need someone who is athletic and really smart.

 

[lakesgopher]

Fair point. Like I said, the jury is still very much out on whether or not recruiting for the option can persist. I think the best way to summarize it from what I've seen (and I don't follow recruiting that closely) is that *finding* the option QB and the right OL might be more difficult, but *recruiting* them ought to be much easier. WRs would likely be more difficult to recruit.

Winning also helps a great deal; better recruits will be found at both sides of the ball if they can build some momentum.

im a believer that wr's in a spread are easier to find then any other position. with the option you need to have a very good athlete that can run which i think is harder to find then the average qb with a good arm.

my only other concern is we would have a year to find another running qb like gray. cause alipate isnt a guy who can run the option. so we would be going off of the hope factor that we can find another stud athlete to run the option.