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- Jan 30, 2012
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than at any time in history, coaching and scheming are at a premium. Which leads me to the glaring weakness of this program right now: offensive X’s and O’s. Everyone today has talent, but it’s more spread thin because of NIL. So the issues we have can’t be fixed by simply out-recruiting the competition. The days of loading your roster up and out-manning teams are over — just like thinking you can line up and out-physical opponents all game, winning 20–17.
Teams like Indiana out-scheme their talent by consistently creating open receivers and easy touchdowns through smart play design and mismatches.
Somebody needs to get ahold of the head caveman and explain how offensive football works in 2025. There are times in a game that call for physicality and simply beating the man in front of you — but there are also plenty of plays that require creativity and outthinking the coach on the other sideline.
Which brings me to my final point: Mario is a CEO-type coach who brings value mainly through recruiting and teaching offensive line play. That makes his hires enormously important. The first rule of leadership is to hire people smarter than yourself — and then let them work. On the offensive side, it really feels like people who lack the intelligence or understanding needed to run a modern offense have far too much input in the game plan.
Even Nick Saban realized he had to evolve a decade ago when offenses kept advancing and becoming harder to defend. On top of that, the game today is slanted toward the offense — yet we continue to run 1980s smash-mouth football, the exact style any defensive coordinator in America would prefer to face.
Like Al Golden, one side of the ball could be Mario’s undoing — ironically, the same side the head coach has the most input on. I really hope Mario can recognize this and get it through his thick cranium. The greatest coaches are always adapting and evolving. Fired coaches die on the hill of their identity.
Teams like Indiana out-scheme their talent by consistently creating open receivers and easy touchdowns through smart play design and mismatches.
Somebody needs to get ahold of the head caveman and explain how offensive football works in 2025. There are times in a game that call for physicality and simply beating the man in front of you — but there are also plenty of plays that require creativity and outthinking the coach on the other sideline.
Which brings me to my final point: Mario is a CEO-type coach who brings value mainly through recruiting and teaching offensive line play. That makes his hires enormously important. The first rule of leadership is to hire people smarter than yourself — and then let them work. On the offensive side, it really feels like people who lack the intelligence or understanding needed to run a modern offense have far too much input in the game plan.
Even Nick Saban realized he had to evolve a decade ago when offenses kept advancing and becoming harder to defend. On top of that, the game today is slanted toward the offense — yet we continue to run 1980s smash-mouth football, the exact style any defensive coordinator in America would prefer to face.
Like Al Golden, one side of the ball could be Mario’s undoing — ironically, the same side the head coach has the most input on. I really hope Mario can recognize this and get it through his thick cranium. The greatest coaches are always adapting and evolving. Fired coaches die on the hill of their identity.
