The 12th Man
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Someone in a post below said that The Spread "is not a complete offense." This is a true statement, but probably not for the reason the poster had in mind.
The reason it was an accurate statement is that the spread is not an offense. If anything, it is a mentality. The idea is to "spread" the defense across the field. Texas Tech and Florida both run offenses that get grouped under the category of "spread." I think anyone watching those two teams, however, would agree that, with the exception of getting defenders out of the box, they try to accomplish very different things.
It is what the offenses try to accomplish that makes them "complete," as the previous poster mentioned. Florida is a run-first team. They had one of the most prolific rushing attacks in the country because of their scheme. The read-option is just their bread and butter play, much as the inside zone was Mason/Browning's bread and butter play and the off-tackle power is Wisconsin's bread and butter play. Florida uses multiple WRs to get defenders out of the box and then has their QB be a run threat that the defense must account for. In a more basic sense, they use the run to set up the pass and use their receivers to keep the defense honest. People think it is a soft or gimmicky offense, but in reality it is the opposite. They force the defense to cover the entire field and pound the rock.
Texas Tech is different. They use the pass to set up the run. Again, they take defenders out of the box and force the defense to cover the entire field. The difference is how they utilize their athletes. Rather than trying to run the ball (do not be mistaken- Florida is a run first offense), they throw all over the field and take advantage of mismatches with their wide receivers. If anything, the running game at Texas Tech (like the passing game at Florida) is what keeps the defense honest.
This is why it is a little frustrating seeing people talk about "The Spread" as though it is a singular offense. The Florida offense is a manifestation of Urban Meyer's thoughts on how to best utilize his athletes and take advantage of the defense's weaknesses. Similarly, the Texas Tech offense is a manifestation of Mike Leach's thoughts on the same topic. The differences, of course, are great.
I happen to think that the Florida offense is absolutely brilliant. It utilizes athletes in a number of ways, is very flexible in its play calling (look at how both Chris Leak and Tim Tebow- VERY different players- were able to win national championships), and forces the defense to defend the entire field while guessing what is coming next. If you like running the football, then this offense is for you. A lot of people are against it because for some reason they are hell-bent on thinking that football should be played with the QB under center. If you can get past that, however, I think you will find that it is a great offense.
The reason it was an accurate statement is that the spread is not an offense. If anything, it is a mentality. The idea is to "spread" the defense across the field. Texas Tech and Florida both run offenses that get grouped under the category of "spread." I think anyone watching those two teams, however, would agree that, with the exception of getting defenders out of the box, they try to accomplish very different things.
It is what the offenses try to accomplish that makes them "complete," as the previous poster mentioned. Florida is a run-first team. They had one of the most prolific rushing attacks in the country because of their scheme. The read-option is just their bread and butter play, much as the inside zone was Mason/Browning's bread and butter play and the off-tackle power is Wisconsin's bread and butter play. Florida uses multiple WRs to get defenders out of the box and then has their QB be a run threat that the defense must account for. In a more basic sense, they use the run to set up the pass and use their receivers to keep the defense honest. People think it is a soft or gimmicky offense, but in reality it is the opposite. They force the defense to cover the entire field and pound the rock.
Texas Tech is different. They use the pass to set up the run. Again, they take defenders out of the box and force the defense to cover the entire field. The difference is how they utilize their athletes. Rather than trying to run the ball (do not be mistaken- Florida is a run first offense), they throw all over the field and take advantage of mismatches with their wide receivers. If anything, the running game at Texas Tech (like the passing game at Florida) is what keeps the defense honest.
This is why it is a little frustrating seeing people talk about "The Spread" as though it is a singular offense. The Florida offense is a manifestation of Urban Meyer's thoughts on how to best utilize his athletes and take advantage of the defense's weaknesses. Similarly, the Texas Tech offense is a manifestation of Mike Leach's thoughts on the same topic. The differences, of course, are great.
I happen to think that the Florida offense is absolutely brilliant. It utilizes athletes in a number of ways, is very flexible in its play calling (look at how both Chris Leak and Tim Tebow- VERY different players- were able to win national championships), and forces the defense to defend the entire field while guessing what is coming next. If you like running the football, then this offense is for you. A lot of people are against it because for some reason they are hell-bent on thinking that football should be played with the QB under center. If you can get past that, however, I think you will find that it is a great offense.