Could Osborne’s option-heavy playbook still work?

[Eric the Red]

A Q & A with former OU coach Barry Switzer

 

BY STEVEN M. SIPPLE / Lincoln Journal Star

Saturday, Feb 25, 2006 - 11:49:38 pm CST

 

For 16 seasons, Barry Switzer commanded a college football powerhouse at Oklahoma. During his tenure, the Sooners captured 12 Big Eight championships and three national titles. Last week, the 68-year-old Switzer — one of two head coaches to win both a college national championship and a Super Bowl — came to Lincoln to help raise money for old friend Tom Osborne’s bid for the Republican gubernatorial nomination. Still as charismatic and gregarious as ever, Switzer touched on several subjects, ranging from politics to recruiting to whether the Huskers’ old option attack would still work in today’s college game.

 

Ever consider delving into politics yourself?

 

“I’ve been asked to run for office several times. I’ve often thought about that. I’ve always thought I was kind of too selfish. I was not wired to be a public servant. I think it takes a special person to be a public servant, to be in political office. I want to do things on my pace, on my time, when I want to do them. You can’t do that when you represent constituents. ... You know what, years and years ago, an old politician said to me, ‘Coach, you ought to be running for politics.’ I said, ‘I’m not qualified to be a politician.’ He said, ‘Hell, it only takes 51 percent of the vote to become qualified for politics!’ ”

 

So, what keeps you occupied these days?

 

“I’m involved in a lot of different things. Real estate. Health care. Various business ventures that require my time. Right now, I’m leaving for Mexico. There’s a really neat little place we go called San Miguel.”

 

Aren’t you also involved in the restaurant business?

 

“Yeah, you interested in buying one?” (chuckles)

 

Enough small talk. Let’s get down to it: Could Osborne’s option-heavy playbook still work well in the college game?

 

“Hell yes. If you don’t think Tom’s players and his coaching staff and his system could succeed today, you don’t know the game of football. How do I know? Well, I coached for a lot of years. I know what works and what doesn’t. You look at the service academies (Army, Air Force, Navy, et al). Their offenses give them an opportunity to have success with inferior talent. If they didn’t run it, they wouldn’t gain a yard. Not a yard. So, if you have superior talent like Nebraska did — Tommie Frazier, Lawrence Phillips, all of those great linemen — then you can win big doing what Tom did. You’re damned right his playbook could win today.”

 

Your personalities are almost opposite . . . What led to your bond with Osborne?

 

“It all goes back to the 1960s when we were coaching. He was an assistant at Nebraska when I was (an assistant) at Oklahoma. We went to clinics, Big Eight meetings, national conventions. We knew who we were for 40-something years. We became head coaches the same year. We inherited great programs, schools with great tradition, and we took advantage of it. We were able to build on it and keep it rolling. Something just grew through a period of time. ... I’ll tell you, though, I drank more beer with Bob Devaney than I did with Tom. You can quote me on that. If Bob were here, he’d say the same thing.”

 

How often do you correspond with Osborne?

 

“I never write anybody. I never had a secretary. I can’t type. I’m old-school. (But) I’m glad they have cell phones now, because I wear them out. I wish they had those things when we were recruiting. Boy, I would’ve been something with those things.” As for his contact with Osborne, “We talk on the phone. Every few months we visit about certain things and touch base. Basically, it’s been about athletics, sometimes about politics.”

 

Wow, recruiting without cell phones. What a concept, huh?

 

“I used to pull over about every 10 miles and use pay phones by the side of the road. It was kind of dangerous in some places, like going into a ghetto in Houston. Recruiting in general — it was like the Wild West back then. There weren’t nearly as many restrictions.”

 

You came to Lincoln for a day last week. Went to a press conference, a fund-raising reception, attended a basketball game with Osborne. ... Did you enjoy your stay?

 

“People in Nebraska always have treated me well, always have made me feel welcome. I like spending time with Tom. He’s a great man. There’s nothing pretentious about him. He has no ego. I came here because I believe in what he’s doing. I’d like to say that I was a part of it.”

[Florida BlackShirt]

That was a pretty good read. I have no doubt myself that the option game could work today just as well as it did with Osborne and Devaney, and even alot of football fans I know that don't even like Nebraska are sorry we got away from it, because they say they loved watching us impose our will on other teams.

 

Pretty cool eh?

[pigsonthewing]

any system will work as long as you have elite caliber athletes running it. that was frank's problem.

[Hunter94]

nope, disagree.......old Barry is living in the past, just like Frank was......the option is dead, no one deminsional running attack can be successful with like talent these days, as the D's just stack the line.....you would have to have a legitimate dual threat with a decent throwing qb and some receivers to keep the D honest.......

 

 

hunter

[chad1971]

That was a pretty good read. I have no doubt myself that the option game could work today just as well as it did with Osborne and Devaney, and even alot of football fans I know that don't even like Nebraska are sorry we got away from it, because they say they loved watching us impose our will on other teams.

 

Pretty cool eh?

Devany's teams never ran the option, they ran the power I and led the Big 8 in passing. Osborne didn't install the option until around 1979 or 1980. And the option would work as long as you have a QB that can complete a pass more than 55 - 60 % of the time, that was the problem with crouch, lord, dailey, and frost's 1'st year they dared NEBRASKA to pass and we couldn't.

[polo_check]

I think it would still work today. Look at West Virginia, they won the Sugar Bowl with a freshman backfield. Coach Rodriguez, in my opinion is one of the elite coached in college football. The only thing that isn't elite is his recruiting class, it's just average by ranking but he excels in building talent from them.

[skersfan]

I think it would work against lower level teams. Talent is the question. Getting that talent to come to Nebraska is the question. Top talent wants to play in the NFL. No sense in spending 5 years learning a system that ends at the college level. The pros do not run the option for a reason. It just will not work at that level. When you line up against less than BCS talent possibly, but it will never be seen at the top of college football again. Talent is to even at the top 10 schools. If you want to win lower level games and possibly low level bowls the option might work.

 

Unfortunately college football has become a game of sales. You have to sell the customer what he wants. No top 100 recruit wants to play in the option. Sad to see it go, but the scholarship regs brought it about and Sportscenter's show me the money attitude.

 

So the answer it will not work no matter who is coaching it. Tom saw the writing on the wall in my opinion. Left a winner, and Frank just did not have the balls to change it. Not that any of us would have accepted it if he tried.

[pigsonthewing]

ok. then why does florida run the spread option? Vince Young defeated the best football team of all time(According to ESPiN) with the QB keeper...

 

and pete carroll stacked the line and sent every blitz possible at him..

[pigsonthewing]

So the answer it will not work no matter who is coaching it. Tom saw the writing on the wall in my opinion. Left a winner, and Frank just did not have the balls to change it. Not that any of us would have accepted it if he tried.

yeah ok he only had a heart condition but instead he saw that his option system wouldnt work anymore...

 

you have to wonder why he went into politics...

[husker rob]

Florida stacked the line against NU in the Fiesta bowl and the could not stop the run. There was not that many options ran during the game. there was alot of QB draws, and off tackel pitches. No matter what NU threw at them UF could not stop it.

 

With the right players, in the right system, with the right coach anything can work today. Even the wishbone.

 

Callahan could not be successful with the option because it is a system that he is not comfortable with.

 

Osbornes was always adding things to the offense that he ran. He knew when to play action when it needed to be done and he had some great QB's that called the right plays as audibles when the defense was set to stop the original play. Frank was one diminsional with the me, me, me QB's that he had and the deminishing talent that he was recruiting was his downfal.

 

thes a nickles worth of my 2 cents

[roadrat]

I think teams now have the best and quickest athletes playing defense. Nebraska taught the world to do that. I doubt the option could function very well today on a consistent basis. Just my thoughts.

[skersfan]

Heart condition, wanting to spend more time with your family is not answered by going into politics. Normally a very stressfull job. Most leave politics due to heart/stess related issues.

 

I meant he saw the writing on the wall by how athletes were changing in their outlook to college. All seem to think they are NFL material, where as a lot of his top kids were Nebraska natives who only wanted to play for the Big Red. Very few athletes have that outlook anymore. I would guess well over 95% are only looking for the best and fastest route to the NFL. Tom wanted loyalty and he saw that slipping away in todays athletes character.

 

Just my opinion. No disrespect to Tom.

[CoachKevin]

Miami and Florida State tought the world about Speed on Defense. In 92, Osborne and McBride visited Florida State in the off season to learn about the FSU 4-3 Defense. It was installed for the 93 season. Before that time, McBride ran a 52 Defense. The 52 is still the most popular Defense in High School. Although you are starting to see more H.S. teams switch to the 4-3 and 46 Bear Defenses.

 

Teams were stacking the box against Nebraska back in the 90's. No differant than today. Defenses has speed just like today. In the 80's they were saying the option wouldn't work against speedy defenses like Miami, Florida and FSU. But Osborne made it work in the 90's against those Teams.

But Osbornes Offense was more a Power run offense with Option mixed in.

 

Solich Offense was mostly QB ISO and option mixed in. Most of Crouch and Lords runs were not even option plays although to the casual viewer they looked like option. They were QB ISO and no options are involved in the ISO plays.

[StuckinChicago]

There was alot more misdirection involved in the osborne offense as well. Other than the occasional play action toss to the tight end, Solich never incorporated the throw back screen, or the option reverse, or many of the other wrinkles that were so effective at using a teams speed against them.

[Hunter94]

so true.........

 

hunter