IrishAZ

I just hope the Huskers don't get Willingham'ed like the Irish did. I've always supported the idea that balance for balance's sake is a bad idea - why pass when you're running all over a team or run when you're lighting up their secondary? Last year, NU had about 4.7 yrds/carry - a pretty respectable average, but only 6.4 yrds/pass and a completion pct under 48%. If the QB can't throw, dont' throw. If the QB can run, then run him. Here's an interesting quote from a notable Offensive genius with 3 Superbowl rings who also happens to coach a team I'm rather fond of : "Q. Could you talk about the offense you plan to run here at Notre Dame? ...First of all, you find out what your players can do and that's what you have them do. We have a very broad, wide expansive offensive package, but you have to be able to utilize the personnel that you have available. If you have a team that has multiple tight ends that can play, use multiple tight ends. If you have a team that has multiple wide receivers that can play, use multiple wide receivers. .. ...One week we might play against a team with no defensive backs, and we might throw a higher percentage than we run it. Or if we are playing against a team that's not very good against stopping the run, we might run a lot more than we throw it. It's really not rocket science when you think about it now. You exploit their weaknesses. We are into team and attacking weaknesses of the team both schematically and personnel-wise." Hopefully Callahan heard the words of the Master here, takes them to heart, and doesn't make the same mistakes next year. The personnel changes he's suggesting are a good sign of this, in my opinion. : IRISH!

I like the fact that BC is moving people around based on their abilities and seeing what they can do - that's smart football. There's nothing worse than seeing a special teamer who happens to be a reserve wide receiver make fantastic pursuits and tackles and then wonder why he's sitting the bench as a WR when you have a weakness at safety or corner. Stuff like that makes me think the talent's being wasted. IRISH!

You completely missed the point. The reasons those offenses were successful with the option is because the passing game was so efficient. Just because you attain rushing yards and you run the option some does not mean that you attained all those yards with the option. If Jammal Lord was a 65% passer, the offense would have been a lot more successful and wide open when he was quarterback. There's no need to get too cerebral when a straight-forward point is made. Point taken, DJR - I was simply responding to Blackshirt34's assertion that the option is no longer viable. Does that mean the option as run by UNL between 1999 and 2004? Well, perhaps, perhaps not. It might be just semantics and I'll grant that (and you should know by now that I'll get all cerebral with this stuff...that's what I enjoy ). There is one thing to consider, however: perhaps the passing of those teams was successful because the *running* game was efficient. These teams averaged 5.2 yrd/carry in total, and, oddly enough, there is a direct correlation between yards per carry rushing and passing percentage (you'll note the passing pct of the respective teams goes up as yards per carry goes up and vice versa). Louisville: Passing Pct 71.,7 Yrd/Carry: 5.7 Utah: Passing Pct: 67.4 Yrd/Carry: 5.5 Boise St. Passing Pct: 62.6 Yrd/Carry: 4.7 Granted, the inverse is true as well (yrd/carry goes up with completion pct)- but given the preponderance of rushing attempts over passing attempts, I would tend to think of it as being rush to support the pass in these cases. How much of that rushing was option and how much straight ahead running? I can't say for sure as I didn't see every game these teams played. What I can say is that not every rushing yard under Osbourn or Solich was option either. It's water under the bridge now, of course, as far as the Huskers are concerned. However, as I've stated in the past: the option is not dead and in fact is the dominant offensive scheme in college football. It's just not the Osbourn/Solich version of option. IRISH!

I can understand your disagreement, but I'm afraid you're quite wrong gentlemen. Those teams weren't Power-I option teams, but they were option teams for sure - passing percentage has nothing to do with that. In fact, those teams *ran* about 60% of the time and all 3 were in the top 15 rushing. Utah Passing - Att: 344 Comp: 232 Pct: 67.4 Yrds: 3164 Rushing - Att:520 Yrds: 2844 Louisville: Passing - Att:357 Comp: 256 Pct: 71.7 Yrds: 3463 Rushing - Att:529 Yrds:v3010 Boise St - Passing - Att: 353 Comp:221 Pct: 62.6 Yards: 3154 Rushing - Att: 592 Yards: 2769 Unless you're defining Option purely as "fast QB that can't pass Option" or "we pass on 3rd down only and even then only 7 times a game Option". Those things are team-controlled and have nothing to do with the system, so that's a bit of an inaccurate assessment. However, since the objection to the Option is due to defenses being able to shut it down easily, that implies that having the QB carry the ball and have the ability to pitch to a trailing back is no longer viable - and that's clearly not the case. Just as the Power-I was an evolution of the Option from the old Wishbone, so is the Spread Option an evolution of the Power I. IRISH!

I have to disagree there a bit Blackshirt. The 3 top Offenses in Div 1A last year - Louisville, Boise St. and Utah, all used option systems from the spread formation. It doesn't matter how fast a defense is, if they aren't where the ball is it doesn't matter (remember, Space, Time, Position... ). IRISH!

Ahh...ok. I guess the link is up to the Board Ops to figure out how or if it has to be dealt with. Thanks for the heads up. IRISH!

This is a ND player, but I thought it rather moving to see what all he had to go through just to get on the field, then to have it all end. It's of particular significance to me since I was somewhat critical of the kid at times when he didn't perform all that well or wasn't playing - the details of his injuries weren't common knowledge. I now feel rather bad about that. It just goes to show, fans don't always know the whole story with these players and what they have to endure. IRISH! borrowed from Mike Regan's post NDNation: Injury ends Ryan's career Notre Dame doctors won't clear Marian grad to play football By EMMETT MCCALL The December hiring of Charlie Weis as head coach has generated quite a bit of excitement around the Notre Dame football program. Weis, the former New England Patriots' offensive coordinator, brought a no nonsense attitude and a Super Bowl pedigree with him to South Bend. No one was more enthused about the hiring of Weis than Fighting Irish junior offensive lineman Jamie Ryan. "The more I learned about Coach Weis and his staff, the more excited I was about having the opportunity to play for him," said Ryan, a former All-State performer while at Marian High School. "I really felt that Coach Weis was more my type of coach. I couldn't wait for him to arrive on campus and start preparations for next season." Unfortunately for Ryan, that joy soon turned to heartbreak. Last month, Ryan discovered that a back injury he had to deal with throughout the course of last season was far more serious than anyone suspected. X-rays and visits to specialist confirmed what team doctors had feared, Ryan's football career was over. "It's been an extremely rough few weeks," said Ryan during a phone interview. "I'm trying to come to grips with the finality of it. I just didn't expect my college career to end like this. I'm sure it's going to be even worse when the season starts, but I'm trying to be as positive about it as I can." Ryan said he was aware that he had a degenerate disc disorder in his back. But it wasn't until he hurt the back during a midseason practice that the disorder became a problem. "I tried to play through it, but the pain got worse and worse until I just couldn't do it anymore," said Ryan. X-rays revealed that Ryan had three torn discs in his back. Specialists at South Bend Orthopedics gave him the bad news. "They said my only hope [to play again] was surgery where they would insert rods and screws into the back and even if things went well, there was only a 5 percent chance that I could possibly play again," said Ryan. "They then told me the procedure would more than likely lead to upper back problems down the road." Despite the slim chances for success, Ryan said he initially considered the surgery. But before he could decide, the Notre Dame team doctors made the decision for him. "They told me that even if the surgery was a success, it was extremely doubtful they would ever clear me to play," Ryan said. It was the latest and by far the most devastating in a series of bad breaks that Ryan has encountered since coming to South Bend. First, he missed his entire freshman season recovering from a serious blood clot that cut short his senior year at Marian. He then suffered a pair of knee injuries during his sophomore season. The first was a cartilage problem in his right knee that he played with throughout most of the year before having surgery in the offseason. The second was an MCL tear in his left knee during the 2003 season-ending game against Syracuse. "Because of the two knee injuries, I missed winter conditioning, spring ball and summer camp," said Ryan. "That put me so far behind heading into this season that it was tough to make up ground." Despite all the health problems, Ryan showed his potential numerous times over the past two seasons. During that span, he played in over a dozen games for the Fighting Irish, starting three times. "I still have two seasons of eligibility left and I was looking forward to a fresh start with a new coaching staff and no injuries to hold me back," said Ryan. "Unfortunately, that isn't going to happen for me now." Ryan said the disappointment he felt after finding out the news wasn't just for himself. "I've had such great support from everyone back home," he said. "My family has been extremely supportive and [Marian] Coach [stan] Dakosty has been such a big influence throughout my first three years here, especially in helping me put things in perspective since I found out my football career was over. "I also feel bad about letting down all the people in the area who followed me throughout my high school and college career." Ryan is already trying to turn his attention to the future, however. Despite the injury, he will still keep his scholarship and is on schedule to graduate from Notre Dame in May 2006. "I want to still be part of the football program," he said. "I have a meeting with Coach Weis next week to discus what I can do to help the team. "I also want to become a coach someday. My goal now is to get a graduate assistant job and work on my masters degree after I'm finished here. I definitely see football being a part of my future." Ryan also said he knows that although he didn't get the chance to accomplish everything he wanted to while at Notre Dame, he still got the chance to experience something most people can only dream about. "Coming to Notre Dame was always one of my goals," he said. "Not only did I accomplish that, but I also got to start several games and earn a varsity letter my sophomore year. "That's something I always dreamed about and something that no one can ever take away from me."

Ummm...Buffs? One of those threads can't be read without signing in (and I'm not joining a CU board just to read it ). I don't see what the problem is with the other thread either - with the exception of an abnormal amount of vulgarity (well, what would be considered abnormal on a Husker or Irish board, anyway). I don't get why you posted this, actually. It's not like we know the guy, and even if we did, we couldn't stop him from posting whatever he wanted anyway. IRISH!

One thing to consider as well, and perhaps the historians here can help me out with more details or corrections. Prior to TO implementing the Option, the Huskers were a heavy passing team - I believe they led the Big 8 consistently in passing attempts and yards up until 1972 or so and were ranked fairly high in all of Div 1A in passing during those years as well. UNL has a lot of history and as much as we love the guy "Husker Football" didn't start with Tom Osbourn. IRISH!

Turk, This question has been pounded over and over again here and the short answer is: we don't really know for sure. Some feel as you do - the option worked before, why change? Others feel it is outdated and too difficult to run against the hyper-fast modren defenses. Some think the WCO is the wave of the future and will bring the Huskers back to prominence. Others think if overly complicated and ineffective without properly groomed players and other still just don't think it will work at the college level at all. And there's a faction who think that Callahan can run the WCO, or the Option, or the Spread, or the Veer or the freakin' Watutsi and still fail. My personal opinion - the WCO is just a name. College teams can't run it as used in the pros by virtue of immature QBs and lack of practice time. Some teams may incorporate elements of it, but a "pure" version like Callahan purports to run won't work. That being said, the next two years make up the pivotal time - even next year is crucial. There has to be some improvement, IMHO - if not in wins and losses then at least in performance. The few games I saw last yeat the guys looked flat and unmotivated - and that's probably closer to the root of the problem more than the offensive scheme. IRISH!

I think you're commentary on society in general is quite accurate - I keep hoping for some bastion of idealism out there that's untouched by the money machine but I think that's nearly impossible. That's not to say all of collegiate athletics are driven by greed and not higher principles at some level, of course. I just never really considered the importance of conferences being a financial hedge like you suggested. You know, I've never read a comparison about collegiate athletics before and after the formation of the NCAA. That seems an interesting topic to look into. What did Billy Joel say? "The good old days weren't always good"? IRISH!

Wow...very informative. Thank you AR I was hoping for some non monetary reason like rivalries or regional identity so I can go to bed this evening not feeling cynical about the NCAA. No such luck though, huh? It just seemd strange that often times the pros and cons of one conference over another are debated with more heat by fans than a mere business consotrium would suggest. I know money is important, crucial even, to a school but I still find that sort of saddening. Div 1A football is moving to the "mini Leagues" and that increase in commercialization seems to me to be an undermining factor to the sport's amatuerism. I mean, Clarrett's arguments for paid collegiate players start making a little sense when you consider the schools are making serious $$$ off of the players' efforts. And when "Slow" Mo Clarrett starts making sense, you know there's a problem. IRISH!

Keep in mind. prior to 1997, ND was not in any national TV deal, and they've never been in a conference - yet they managed to go for 100+ years without conference play and survive financially (granted, they have a huge fan base, but even a ton of t-shirt sales can't amount to all that much money). Perhaps you can help me, then - in what way does a conference help with the money? Is it purely revenue sharing from bowls and TV appearances? And, money aside, is there a non-financial reason for maintaining conference membership? IRISH!

The thing I like the most is the enthusiasm Jackson's got about his classwork - not only does it suggest he's one of the good kids, but it's also important that he learn to be a student. With a complicated offense to learn, that's a valuable skill to have. IRISH!

I've always wondered about this. As a lifelong Irish fan, I've never had to deal with either the good or bad of them - ND played whomever whenver, and have had a nice mix of opponents over the years while still retaining some of the long-standing rival games (UMich, USC, etc.). I can see conferences being good in the way back days when travel was a chore, so that teams could find comparable competition that was only a bus or short train ride away. But I'm not sure they add much to the game anymore, especially after reading about the decay of the NU/OU rivalry in the Football forum. Anyway, I'm curious as to what you all think about this. Do you like conference play? Do you think conferences in general (or the Big 12 specifically) still serve a purpose. or are they all just self-fulfilling organizations built around money and BCS births? IRISH!

This is a cool site - I've just started this riddle and haven't gotten very far so I can't offer too much help yet. **WARNING** - Don't start unless you have an hour to kill at least (for starters)...you won't be able to put it down. The BEST Internet Riddle IRISH!

This is a must read...even if it is from a Sooner board...I hurt myself laughing... "Slow" Mo Clarrett IRISH!

I think a mixed play book would have worked well *last* year as a transition, but now that it's gone this far it's probably better to go through with implementing the WCO as best as possible. That being said, I still hold to the idea that the WCO in college is an awful idea. It's effectiveness is partially due to its permutative complexity - stacking formations, routes and motion into a very large potential number of plays. Defenses have to be able to defend a multitude of potentials from the same formations and personnel sets, and that's a key part of the offense. Given the limited practice time (both on and off field) that level of complexity can't be reached effectively, thus limiting the offense as a whole. IRISH!

That's it. I'm never watching the Oscars again. It's another Leonardo DeCaprio does a period piece and the film takes everything Academy Awards. I love the cinema, and this is a travesty already happening.. Not that the Aviator isn't a very good movie, but it's popularity is bleeding over into categories it has no business winning (e.g. winning the Cinematography award over Passion of the Christ???). Okay...who wants the sopabox next? IRISH!

That's awesome...I've never heard that one. Another Rockne favorite: "When the 1929 Fighting Irish arrived to play Indiana University, they were held up at the gate. 'Can’t get in without a pass,' said a student manager, officiously blocking the doorway. 'But we’re Notre Dame!' blurted Rockne, 'We're here to play!' 'I ain’t supposed to let anybody in. That’s order’s.' 'Boys,' Rockne shouted to his team. 'This is going to be easier than we thought. They aren’t expecting us.' " IRISH!

Now thats just funny. But not bad considering that "coach" was probably Lou himself, right Irish? hehe...I wish! I probably should have specified that that was Coach Fischer from my high school. The was the same guy that came up with the classics: "Blame the booster club. We can't afford to keep you on the team because if you was any fatter you'd need two jerseys. We ain't got that much money for uniforms" - when dressing down an o-line guy first day of practice. And my next favorite personal slam: Coach: "Chris...repeat after me...'on'...'off'...'on'...'off'..." Me: "Why's that coach?" Coach: "That way, you'll be prepared for when your career as a carosel operator at Mr Gatti's starts...'cause you ain't ever gonna be a football player. Least your grades are good" Wasn't my fault I was 6'3" 160 lbs as a Junior and couldn't bench more than 100lbs until I was 20 or so....I got my real growth spurt late. He was sarcastic as hell, but funny - and he never cut anyone (mostly because we didn't have enough guys who wanted to play to fill out the team at my school anyway) and everyone got to play at least a bit their Senior year in a home game. IRISH!

My favorite Rockne quote: "I play my best 11, not my 11 best" IRISH!

LOL! Absolutely...and the stutter too, don't forget the little stutter. "N..Navy is one tough team. We can't play with 'dose guys" IRISH!

That's a perfect example of good SPTA - run to shorten the field vertically (gaining space behind the linebackers), exploit the shortened field and difference in size (position and ability) by putting a large TE into the secondary, then use use Deception (a topic I've not completed) to exploit the vulnerable Position. The use of the Defense to force 3 and outs and the consistent running game is gaining advantages in Time. The only way that type of strategy can be stopped is by not giving up Space - meaning, the option runs don't net enough yards to claim the defensive backfield Space and so all the other advantages fall away (Position and Time). So, your theory...my theory...it's all *our* theory! : More to come...I haven't forgotten this topic...I've just had a bit of a block working from my original outline. IRISH!

Some Lou Holtz quotes (gotta love him!) "A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song." "A lifetime contract for a coach means if you're ahead in the third quarter and moving the ball, they can't fire you." "Coaching is nothing more than eliminating mistakes before you get fired." "If you burn your neighbors house down, it doesn't make your house look any better." "If you're bored with life - you don't get up every morning with a burning desire to do things - you don't have enough goals." "It is a fine thing to have ability, but the ability to discover ability in others is the true test." "It's not the load that breaks you down, it's the way you carry it." "Life is ten percent what happens to you and ninety percent how you respond to it." "No one has ever drowned in sweat." "On this team, we're all united in a common goal: to keep my job." "Show me someone who has done something worthwhile, and I'll show you someone who has overcome adversity." "The man who complains about the way the ball bounces is likely the one who dropped it." "When all is said and done, more is said than done." And, my all time favorite sports quote of all time (since I was the one who was the target of it). Me: "Coach, why am I stuck at 3rd string again this year?" Coach: "Because we don't have a 4th string, Chris" IRISH!