Too much offense

[RiDLer80]

I don't care that offenses get all the advantages. What sucks is the fact that only three schools per year really have a chance to win the championship.

The other 120+ schools have no shot.

 

[[]_[] swag]

This is why I keep saying Offense was actually a bigger problem than Defense this year.

We didn’t compete with Clemson because we couldn’t move the football, not because we let up 42 points (one td being garbage time 20 yard field).

OL and WR are the two biggest issues on our team, and if we take all our transfers on the defensive side of the ball, we will be who we’ve been the last 4 years, a team with a solid above average defense, that can’t run the ball or score any points against a bama or Clemson level team

 

[scrantoncane]

I used to LOVE the body blow nature of a good running attack.

Forget the Shanahan zone blocking attack that used to just shred you from minute one (and can easily replace a high powered passing game).

I'm talking about those running attacks that start off by gaining 3/4 yards. Then in the 4Q you see defenders making business decisions as RBs break long runs - they don't want any more of that.

I miss the attritional nature of the sport.

Right. Jermoe Bettis in 22 degree temperature in a January 4th quarter. That's grown man football. This is AAU bull****.

Don't get me wrong, I still love it.

 

[HighSeas]

I don't see how the rules have broken the game. It sure didn't look like it when good defenses stacked 8 in the box on Miami and dared King/Lashlee to test their corners 1on1 on the perimeter.

Analytics have warped football. Coaches know that passing is more efficient, especially play action and quick defined throws that are an extension of the run game. Sark and Joe Brady understood the value of designing offense to get the ball to your playmakers in space, especially RBs that are criminally underused in the passing game in a lot of offenses.

Good coaching staffs have all the answers to the test. When Alabama went 2-high safety OSU ran smash concept and sent the TE up the seam on a TD drive. When Alabama saw 2-deep safety looks they ran the ball or threw RPOs and perimeter screens. When they got single-high they attacked downfield to Devonta Smith. Both teams utilize slot fades or wheels w/ rub routes and Bama found ways to get their best athletes matched on slow LBs.

I'm not gonna complain that offensive coaches are smarter and design better plays now. It makes football great and it's only frustrating when your favorite team's coaches don't keep up. You won't see these "all-time offenses" caught with their pants down when Clemson puts 8 in the box and dares you to throw outside. Miami needs to do better developing WRs+OL and scheming offense. If the rules for pass coverage physicality are loosened that will only make it worse for Miami with the ****** WR play and spot drop zone giving WRs clean releases into giant voids.

 

[scrantoncane]

This is why I keep saying Offense was actually a bigger problem than Defense this year.

We didn’t compete with Clemson because we couldn’t move the football, not because we let up 42 points (one td being garbage time 20 yard field).

OL and WR are the two biggest issues on our team, and if we take all our transfers on the defensive side of the ball, we will be who we’ve been the last 4 years, a team with a solid above average defense, that can’t run the ball or score any points against a bama or Clemson level team

Don't mean to threadjack - and this probably deserves its own offseason thread, when we don't have anything better to talk about - but how much did Clemson's sign-stealing contribute to the beatdown we got?

We couldn't do ****. It is now being reported that the reason OSU huddled up so much, but then went tempo, was bc it is widely known now that Clemson steals signs. Huddling stopped them from stealing the call, and going tempo kept them on their heels. I heard some people predict a regression for Clemson next year because so many coaches are on to it now.

We were outclassed and outcoached. I realize that. But we were humming coming into that game, then we just hit a brick wall. Idk, call me a homer, but I think the sign-stealing played a part.

 

[hurricaneman]

This isn't new. The average points per game of this years top 25 was 39 points. The average points per game from 2010 was 38 points. YPG was 498 in 2020 and 475 in 2010. Everything is judged off Alabama because they've been winning so much and haven't had a great offense until lately (along with the rest of the SEC sans Florida), but they were late to the party and had a historically horrible offense. The rest of the league had high powered offenses, it just wasn't as obvious because they weren't winning championships.

I think defensive philosophy needs to catch up as well, which it will.

 

[swampcougar1]

Cane's had a mediocre OL and pi ss poor wide receivers. Still ave about 34 points a game. Twenty years ago probably would not have scored 20 a game with this team. Rules are heavily biased towards offense. I know some fans love the scoring but the teams should have to earn it instead of rules giving it to them

 

[DTP]

I prefer the added offense. Pro football is a snooze fest with the 21-17 games but there is a limit to what should be allowed on offense. Allowing linemen downfield on passing plays skews the game too much. A correctly executed RPO is pretty much unstoppable.

 

[DMoney]

Analytics have warped football.

This is correct, but analytics function within the context of the rules. The good coaches use analytics to take advantage of the rules.

The 3-yard downfield rule is making college football look like Arena league. It is unstoppable if you have the right personnel.

If anything, the 1-yard NFL rule will force coaches to be more creative because they are facing more resistance on defense.

 

[scrantoncane]

I don't see how the rules have broken the game. It sure didn't look like it when good defenses stacked 8 in the box on Miami and dared King/Lashlee to test their corners 1on1 on the perimeter.

Analytics have warped football. Coaches know that passing is more efficient, especially play action and quick defined throws that are an extension of the run game. Sark and Joe Brady understood the value of designing offense to get the ball to your playmakers in space, especially RBs that are criminally underused in the passing game in a lot of offenses.

Good coaching staffs have all the answers to the test. When Alabama went 2-high safety OSU ran smash concept and sent the TE up the seam on a TD drive. When Alabama saw 2-deep safety looks they ran the ball or threw RPOs and perimeter screens. When they got single-high they attacked downfield to Devonta Smith. Both teams utilize slot fades or wheels w/ rub routes and Bama found ways to get their best athletes matched on slow LBs.

I'm not gonna complain that offensive coaches are smarter and design better plays now. It makes football great and it's only frustrating when your favorite team's coaches don't keep up. You won't see these "all-time offenses" caught with their pants down when Clemson puts 8 in the box and dares you to throw outside. Miami needs to do better developing WRs+OL and scheming offense. If the rules for pass coverage physicality are loosened that will only make it worse for Miami with the ****** WR play and spot drop zone giving WRs clean releases into giant voids.

I get your overall point, but last night was an outlier. If our DC called a game like that, this board would be in meltdown. Tuff Borland on Devonta is the equivalent of our Ryan Ragone (on whoever).

I was shocked that Smith didn't get bracketed all night. Sure, Bama has plenty of other weapons to beat you. But take the Heisman winner out of the game and at least TRY to make them play left-handed.

Point being, certainly some guys are better than others at scheming guys open. Sark looked great last night. ****, Lashlee flashed at times. But I'm sure if Lashlee had the Bama OL, he would look exponentially better.

That Bama team and last year's LSU team were perfect combinations of superior talent and good coaching. Put Sark at Indiana and they are still a fringe top 15/20 team. OSU lit up Clemson last week, and Brent V is supposed to be one of the best in the business.

I don't know if it is as much better offensive coaches and your post implies... at least not to the extent you stated. There is definitely a rules component to it. ****, a player gets thrown out every week for targeting. You simply don't see alligator arms anymore. Come across the middle against Ronny Lott, and you might be out for the next 6 weeks with broken ribs. That aspect of the game is gone.

 

[Lance Roffers]

Stopping the clock on a 1st down is awful. Makes most games four hours and makes most offensive records moot because that is a huge difference in opportunity.

RPO's are a cheat code for teams with receivers who get yards-after-catch.

Analytics have changed football forever. You see teams understanding the expected value (EV) of various play types and going for it on 4th downs.

Targeting has made receivers fearless.

Pass interference penalties are completely one-sided. Receivers hand-fight on every single play and defenders are called for grabbing and clutching every time.

Holding has pretty much been eliminated from the games. OL now grab across the neck/chest most plays and it gets called once or twice a game.

Offense sells. Tough, physical football does not.

It's never going back but I cannot stand watching a 66-59 game, personally.

PS- Replay has to be addressed as well. Simply cannot stand the number of stoppages. Let them play. Give them two stoppages each, or whatever number works, but the way that it is now does not work.

 

[Lance Roffers]

This is correct, but analytics function within the context of the rules. The good coaches use analytics to take advantage of the rules.

The 3-yard downfield rule is making college football look like Arena league. It is unstoppable if you have the right personnel.

If anything, the 1-yard NFL rule will force coaches to be more creative because they are facing more resistance on defense.

How many times have I written the phrase, "College football allows you to block downfield...use the rules!"

Yet, it is rarely part of our gameplan.

 

[Coach Macho]

This says it all:

It says teams are throwing the ball more.

 

[Miami[]_[]Smoke]

Correct. But the intent is the bigger issue. How many times have we seen players (almost always named Amari Carter) deliberately try to avoid targeting only to be called for it due to circumstances no human being could control?

If it’s almost always the same players, it shows that most other players have adapted and figured out how to play within the new rules

 

[Canesfan1899]

I’m not going to complain about lack of parity. College football has always been like that, and it’s the reason many of us are Canes fans.

But the game is suffering because the rules are too favorable to the offense. We’ve seen the “best offense of all time” three years in a row. Illegal man downfield doesn’t get called and DBs have no legal options against WRs.

Anybody else dissatisfied with the direction of the game?

I look at 2 of the PI calls against Couch in the bowl game as part of the issue, you can't lay a finger on receivers anymore, and then you have offenses taking advantage of this over and over.

 

[Go Canes!!]

It says teams are throwing the ball more.

Strong analysis.

 

[Ericsoncane]

I completely stopped watching professional football and basketball for that reason. It’s not fun watching a seven on seven tournament disguised as tackle football. Very real and it’s ruining the game. It’s the instant gratification culture finding it’s way into athletics.

I haven't watched either in years

 

[Coach Macho]

Listen....
We can blame the rule book all we want. And as a defensive coach, I'd love if that was the sole reason we're getting out a$$es kicked, but it's not.

Offensive coaches have always been more innovative than defensive coaches. They set the tone and trends. Defensive coaches REACT.
Offensive guys invent new concepts, sometimes using loopholes, and it's up to defensive coaches to figure them out. This often take a couple years or sometimes longer.

What we saw last night had absolutely NOTHING with a favorable rule book.
We saw an OC (Sark) put his pipe balls deep into Ohio State's defense.
And we saw an Ohio State DC do himself no favors by having a LB carry the best WR in college football up the field. (Smith's long TD catch)

Also add in the fact that offensive skill today is light years better than it's ever been. More and more elite athletes are stepping towards the offensive side of the ball. Often times defensive coaches, starting at the youth level, are left with the "leftovers". The kids who didn't have enough ball skills to play offense. Some of the throws and catches these guys are making today are simply ridiculous. There is no coverage scheme to defend some of this ****.

Are RPO's a cheat code? Yes. But RPO's aren't what's killing today's defenses. I don't think one single big play last night came on an RPO.
OC's don't even go to the RPO well that often anyway. If they run 70 plays in a game, maybe 10 are RPO's.

These are just the highlights...but nothing on here was a result of the favorable rule book.

 

[PredaCane]

I’m not going to complain about lack of parity. College football has always been like that, and it’s the reason many of us are Canes fans.

But the game is suffering because the rules are too favorable to the offense. We’ve seen the “best offense of all time” three years in a row. Illegal man downfield doesn’t get called and DBs have no legal options against WRs.

Anybody else dissatisfied with the direction of the game?

I am. Its pathetic how many rules they've instituted to handcuff defenses.

 

[Coach Macho]

I am. Its pathetic how many rules they've instituted to handcuff defenses.

What rule handcuffed Ohio State last night?