Playbook slimmed down this year

[HuskerfaninOkieland]

Omaha World Herald

 

NU Football: Husker playbook slims down this year

BY DIRK CHATELAIN

WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

 

 

 

Bill Callahan had sort of a reputation for complexity — you may have noticed.

 

His playbook — of variable thickness and weight depending on the source — by all accounts was filled with hundreds of plays and play variations.

 

Callahan was fired last fall after some embarrassing setbacks, and offensive coordinator Shawn Watson has since taken a significant step in distancing himself from the old boss: He apparently has deemed unnecessary hundreds of Callahan's offensive plays.

 

For the college kids, that means smaller playbooks and lighter book bags. That means, guard Matt Slauson said, that the Huskers can devote practice time to plays the coach actually calls during games.

 

Under Callahan, Slauson said, Nebraska routinely drilled hundreds of plays that never saw the light of Saturday.

 

"I don't know why," Slauson said. "They were good plays, they just didn't get used. But that's why he gets paid the big bucks and I don't."

 

A lighter Slauson is one of many Huskers auditioning for Slim-Fast commercials these days. Thin to win. But the most important trim-down of 2008 may be the Husker offense.

 

Less is more, according to coach Bo Pelini.

 

"(Watson) understands very much what I believe in defensively," Pelini said. "The best ideas are things the players can execute. They've had a lot of offense."

 

Pelini, cautious that his statement might be interpreted as critical, restated his point this way: "We still have a lot of offense," he said. "We have a lot of things we can do to attack defenses, but I just think (Watson)'s trying to do things to make sure the players are comfortable, confident . . .

 

"It's not like we're going to be out there and we're going to go into a game with four or five plays."

 

Callahan wanted the ability to call 250 different plays during a game, said quarterback Joe Ganz. The more options, the more likely a coach can find an edge in the strategic chess match.

 

But there's only so much practice time.

 

Watson's philosophy, in contrast, suggests that players are better off running 60 or 70 plays four times each, as opposed to 250 plays once.

 

Slauson called the time in which he learned Callahan's playbook "the worst two weeks mentally in my life."

 

Later he realized that most of what he studied never showed up on a Saturday test.

 

"When Callahan installed plays, you didn't know the importance of the play," Slauson said.

 

"You didn't know if you were going to run it every other play or once the entire year. And we had certain plays we ran once or twice all year. And we worked them all the time, so you expected you'd use them all the time, and we never would.

 

"So Watson just took out those plays. We just work on our core plays. Really we don't have anything we don't need."

 

Callahan's recruiting classes received rave reviews on signing days, but his offensive players often struggled early in their careers to crack the rotation. The mechanics were too elaborate to grasp quickly.

 

Ganz hopes condensing the playbook shortens the learning curve and allows young players to get on the field.

 

Watson may be in his first year calling the plays at NU, but "it's not his first rodeo," Pelini said. He's got his own offensive beliefs, molded over 25 years in the business. More changes will come.

 

"This evolution isn't over," Pelini said.

 

Some interesting tid-bits from Slauson

[Back In Black]

Omaha World Herald

 

NU Football: Husker playbook slims down this year

BY DIRK CHATELAIN

WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

 

 

 

Bill Callahan had sort of a reputation for complexity — you may have noticed.

 

His playbook — of variable thickness and weight depending on the source — by all accounts was filled with hundreds of plays and play variations.

 

Callahan was fired last fall after some embarrassing setbacks, and offensive coordinator Shawn Watson has since taken a significant step in distancing himself from the old boss: He apparently has deemed unnecessary hundreds of Callahan's offensive plays.

 

For the college kids, that means smaller playbooks and lighter book bags. That means, guard Matt Slauson said, that the Huskers can devote practice time to plays the coach actually calls during games.

 

Under Callahan, Slauson said, Nebraska routinely drilled hundreds of plays that never saw the light of Saturday.

 

"I don't know why," Slauson said. "They were good plays, they just didn't get used. But that's why he gets paid the big bucks and I don't."

 

A lighter Slauson is one of many Huskers auditioning for Slim-Fast commercials these days. Thin to win. But the most important trim-down of 2008 may be the Husker offense.

 

Less is more, according to coach Bo Pelini.

 

"(Watson) understands very much what I believe in defensively," Pelini said. "The best ideas are things the players can execute. They've had a lot of offense."

 

Pelini, cautious that his statement might be interpreted as critical, restated his point this way: "We still have a lot of offense," he said. "We have a lot of things we can do to attack defenses, but I just think (Watson)'s trying to do things to make sure the players are comfortable, confident . . .

 

"It's not like we're going to be out there and we're going to go into a game with four or five plays."

 

Callahan wanted the ability to call 250 different plays during a game, said quarterback Joe Ganz. The more options, the more likely a coach can find an edge in the strategic chess match.

 

But there's only so much practice time.

 

Watson's philosophy, in contrast, suggests that players are better off running 60 or 70 plays four times each, as opposed to 250 plays once.

 

Slauson called the time in which he learned Callahan's playbook "the worst two weeks mentally in my life."

 

Later he realized that most of what he studied never showed up on a Saturday test.

 

"When Callahan installed plays, you didn't know the importance of the play," Slauson said.

 

"You didn't know if you were going to run it every other play or once the entire year. And we had certain plays we ran once or twice all year. And we worked them all the time, so you expected you'd use them all the time, and we never would.

 

"So Watson just took out those plays. We just work on our core plays. Really we don't have anything we don't need."

 

Callahan's recruiting classes received rave reviews on signing days, but his offensive players often struggled early in their careers to crack the rotation. The mechanics were too elaborate to grasp quickly.

 

Ganz hopes condensing the playbook shortens the learning curve and allows young players to get on the field.

 

Watson may be in his first year calling the plays at NU, but "it's not his first rodeo," Pelini said. He's got his own offensive beliefs, molded over 25 years in the business. More changes will come.

 

"This evolution isn't over," Pelini said.

 

Some interesting tid-bits from Slauson

what an idiot cally was.....

[OhioHusker15]

I have always thought that Callahan has a great offensive mind, he just didn't know how to coach college football.

 

This is just another prime example.

 

I cannot wait for this season to start!!!

[BOBELIEVER]

i have a buddy that's like 90% booksmart and about 10% common sense ... we used to call him the smartest dumba$$ we know but Callahan took that title last fall

[BIGREDIOWAN]

Callahan is too smart for his own good. I think he's a good NFL offensive coordinator, but when it comes to being a head coach he just plain sucks!

[rkhufu7]

Callahan is too smart for his own good. I think he's a good NFL offensive coordinator, but when it comes to being a head coach he just plain sucks!

A few base plays that work from multiple formations. I formation, toss sweep, iso, power, counter, sprint draw, inside zone, outside zone, FB roll, FB trap, Belly, options off of trap and belly... Spread series, zone, read, QB iso, counter, QB counter... Keep it simple, multiple sets, motion, but plays that work and kids can execute to perfection vs any front! Wait a second, that sound like the OZ-BONE!

[PacificStreetSker]

Callahan is too smart for his own good. I think he's a good NFL offensive coordinator, but when it comes to being a head coach he just plain sucks!

A few base plays that work from multiple formations. I formation, toss sweep, iso, power, counter, sprint draw, inside zone, outside zone, FB roll, FB trap, Belly, options off of trap and belly... Spread series, zone, read, QB iso, counter, QB counter... Keep it simple, multiple sets, motion, but plays that work and kids can execute to perfection vs any front! Wait a second, that sound like the OZ-BONE!

Only problem with Callahans system is college players dont have 15 years of eligibility and have to attend classes...

[Micheal]

ya i think its alot better what watson is tryin to accomplish. practice the plays u run in a game, makes sense to me

[Hunter94]

better to be good at a few plays than confused by many.

[BIGREDIOWAN]

better to be good at a few plays than confused by many.