What is Our Offensive Identity?

[bshirt]

I like the SEC style - because it's defensive driven. Their offense is based on speed. Whether they run out of the spread or a pro style attack they are geared to utilize their spead in different ways. I don't like teams like Oregon or Oklahoma State that have a very very specific identity/tendencies.

 

The main thing w/ the identity that I'd like to see is consistent reqruiting at the QB position. There for a while we were recruiting a pro style guy (Harrison Beck), followed by a dual threat (Josh Freeman), and then a pro-style (Blaine Gabbert, Lee, Witt) the next, followed by a dual threat (Spano) and then another dual threat (Green), a pro-style (Gabbert2), settling for a dual-threat (Carnes)....you get the point.

 

The offense is built around this possition. We need to be consistent in the approach we take to filling it IMO. There are miles of difference between Gabbert2 and Martinez. Where we planning on making that same HUGE transition as a whole with our offense to fit their styles as well?

 

Yep, there's a Grand Canyon sized difference.

 

I don't know what they were thinking then but it sure looks like the days of recruiting lead-footed pocket passers (P. Witt, Z. Taylor, Z. Lee, etc) for us are long, long gone. Bubba, Carnes, Tmart and so on all have wheels. Some quicker than others but they can all move. I bet we'll be far more consistent in recruiting those type of qbs now.

 

At least a guy would think so!

 

GBR!!

[Guy Chamberlin]

 

Then there are people just like you who believe the game has "evolved" SO MUCH that you MUST throw the ball in order to have a chance to win.

 

Did you know that this current Nebraska offense is throwing the ball almost exactly as much as Tom Osborne's 1995 National Championship team?

 

Didn't think so.

 

Tom Osborne understood the value of taking what a defense does - and doesn't give you.

 

In theory it sounds just great to just wave the magic wand and *poof*....you're an efficient spread offense....wave it again next week and *poof*.....you're an efficient power I smashmouth offense......wave it again next week and *poof*......you're an efficient fun & gun offense...... ect, etc.

 

Take another look at this sentence....probably the best out of his post.

 

If I or anyone else was arguing the benefits of this "magic wand" approach, that post might make sense.

 

But no one did, so it doesn't.

 

 

 

Two years ago, the Huskers lost Quentin Castille before the season started, then lost both Helu and Burkhead to injuries mid-season. Last year our freshman phenom quarterback was hobbled mid-season. Some of the "magic wand" waving you're thinking of was an admittedly desperate attempt to find something that would work on an offense suddenly bereft of the right personnel.

 

This season we're healthy, we're running with authority and the offensive line has gelled impressively.

 

I'm still not clear what you're so crabby about.

 

Those forward passes?

 

Really?

[True2tRA]

Why is this important to some of you?

 

Do other teams have an offensive identity? Or do they just have a good offense?

 

Stanford has a Heisman caliber pro-set quarterback. They are Andrew Luck's team. But he is passing less because they are running better. Is this messing with their offensive identity?

 

Wisconsin has an offense that can run and pass. So do most good teams. Should they make up their mind and choose, so they can have an "identity"?

 

If they called it a "hybrid" instead of a "muttt" would you feel better? And which part of rushing for 300 yards and passing for 150 yards feels bad?

 

Or is it possible that every coach in football likes having an offense that can do a lot of things, in order to exploit the different defensive weakness you encounter week to week. Maybe even surprise a defensive coordinator who thinks he has your "offensive identity" figured out.

 

Most of the people saying they wish we had an offensive identity seem to be wishing we'd declare our intent to run Burkhead between the tackles the whole game, and avoid those scary forward passes the fancy schools dabble in.

 

You know what we have right now? A fun, but imperfect offense of young players getting better as the season goes along.

 

Enjoy it.

 

I am assuming that since you started this topic and have commented 10 times on the subject that your first sentence was absolute horsecrap. I mean, it's clear this subject is very important to you yourself. Thus you should fully understand why it is so important to some others?

[bshirt]

Guy Chamberlain did indeed ask "Why is this important to some of you?" in his first sentence. He then proceeds to ridicule answers to the that same question that he requested.

 

 

He's a real sharp poster 99% of the time though. Heck, we all need the occasional mulligan so no biggie.

 

I think the summary of this thread is that with enough talent an identity is not needed. I won't argue with that. But Nebraska is not Texas and almost never gets top 10 recruiting classes. Certainly not consistently. We need another way to play with the big boys and an offensive identity is one proven way to get there.

 

GBR!

 

 

[Guy Chamberlin]

Yes, I was mocking my own question, along with several other previous threads. That was basically the point.

 

Mostly, I just wanted to whip up a little appreciation for the offense we have. As run by a healthy and un-spooked Taylor Martinez the past two seasons, it's been among the most exciting in recent memory. And I have a very long memory.

 

I also think you're right, bshirt. A lot of it is talent and personnel. A couple great athletes have a way of becoming the team identity all by themselves.

 

But that's a pretty dour and unnecessary assesment of the Husker's recruiting ability. We didn't drop off the face of major college football. They keep ranking us in the Top 10 until we lose. We might have to be a little more clever and take a couple more chances, but there remains a huge pull for a high school kid to play for a high profile program like the University of Nebraska. Especially now that we a Defensive Identity under the Pelni's. Which is where I think we should be spending most of our scrutinty. This is a vulnerable team because the entire defense isn't clicking, not because the offense passes too much.

 

You know who was a considered a great recruiter? Bill Callahan.

 

Hey, if it's a crime to like the Nebraska offense, I plead guilty.

 

GBR.

[kchusker_chris]

^ I don't think too many of us have an extreme distaste for the current offense either. And as bshirt mentioned - our recruiting is certainly going in the direction of forming an identity under center. Ask this questioins again 2 seasons from now and I bet everyone will agree with you - "who cares about having an identity" - because at that point we'll have one and it won't matter.

[Jason Sitoke]

Bread and butter. Identity

 

That is all.

[Hammerhead]

Run-heavy.

 

Pass-heavy.

 

Balanced.

 

Choose one. That is our identity.

[billdozer15]

I think the last few games we've finally seen what we are moving towards.....old school NU football. Our goal is to run, setup play action and by pure attrition WIN. I like where things are going. The offense took about the first half of the season to figure itself out but it seems they have realized what they are and that is pure power mixed with speed. This offense is young and could wreak havoc on the B1G for years to come.

 

No mistakes, wear you down, get bored, frustrated and do something stupid and we've gottcha. MSU did all of these things today. We wore them down, they got frustrated possibly bored and it was over. I cant count how many MSU guys were on their knees sucking gas late in the game. What a thing of beauty.

[bshirt]

I think the last few games we've finally seen what we are moving towards.....old school NU football. Our goal is to run, setup play action and by pure attrition WIN. I like where things are going. The offense took about the first half of the season to figure itself out but it seems they have realized what they are and that is pure power mixed with speed. This offense is young and could wreak havoc on the B1G for years to come.

 

No mistakes, wear you down, get bored, frustrated and do something stupid and we've gottcha. MSU did all of these things today. We wore them down, they got frustrated possibly bored and it was over. I cant count how many MSU guys were on their knees sucking gas late in the game. What a thing of beauty.

 

 

[Treand3]

I think the last few games we've finally seen what we are moving towards.....old school NU football. Our goal is to run, setup play action and by pure attrition WIN. I like where things are going. The offense took about the first half of the season to figure itself out but it seems they have realized what they are and that is pure power mixed with speed. This offense is young and could wreak havoc on the B1G for years to come.

 

No mistakes, wear you down, get bored, frustrated and do something stupid and we've gottcha. MSU did all of these things today. We wore them down, they got frustrated possibly bored and it was over. I cant count how many MSU guys were on their knees sucking gas late in the game. What a thing of beauty.

 

MSU D was definitely gassed like I was questioning earlier this week.

[flatwaterfan]

I think I heard the best characterization of this offense today by Urban Meyer. He said we have a package offense. That makes sense to me. I like it as I think it's accurate. I will go with that.

[Bo-Nose]

What do the Cornhusker Offense and Televangelists have in common?

 

They can both make thousands of people stand up and scream "Jesus Christ".