What happens when Riley gets his guy at QB.

[Hooked on Huskers]

What happens when Callahan gets his guy at QB .......

[ADS]

What happens when Callahan gets his guy at QB .......

Your defense gives up 40 points a game and 70 to Kansas?

[Red_Payne]

For the LOVE of all that is HOLY!!! He has stated over and over and over, he wants a balanced attack. He wants to be as close to 50/50 as possible. That doesn't mean every game is 50/50, he is saying overall. Some games we will be pass heavy based on the defenses we are seeing and some we will be run heavy. Also, depending on whether our Blackshirts can stop anyone will dictate our offensive attack.

 

If you really think about it, being 50/50 is really the best offensive game plan. It makes the defense play straight up, they cant lean to one side or the other on their attack. I would bet if you looked at most NFL team statistics you would find the best ones are close to the 50/50 mark.

 

Now can we stop with the "what kind of offense do you think" threads.

To be fair, every coach say that they want to be balanced; I've never heard a coach say "I'd like to run a 1-dimensional offense" Saying something is a lot different than going out and implementing it. Also, some coaches may genuinely believe that a 60/40 play-calling ratio is balanced in their eyes.

 

I agree, however, 50-50 is, in my eyes, the best plan if you can build for it successfully. Hopefully Riley can/will.

[ColoradoHusk]

I disagree that the 50:50 ratio is the best you can do. Except for Baylor in recent years, the best offenses have a specialty in terms of being a running team or a passing team. The offense should have a strength that can be relied on.

[Mavric]

I am curious as to some names of QBs that are considered "Riley's guy' by way of examples? To me, I think Riley will take a Tommy Armstrong that is an excellent passer. I don't think he would oppose recruiting a strong running QB provided he has a great throwing capability. The NFL prefers QBs that can avoid the rush and pick up a couple first downs on scrambles. Going back decades, the NFL has had quite a few who were pretty capable with their feet. Johnny Unitas was NOT one but certainly Fran Tarkenton was known as 'the scrambler'. POB is supposed to have some decent run skills and I would hope can avoid the sacks reasonably well. It won't do us any good to complete 62% of a bunch of passes if we have 5 or 6 ugly sacks for a loss of 75 yards and several more punts.

 

Not trying to be a jerk but a Tommy Armstrong that is an excellent passer would be a Heisman Trophy winner and the first pick in the draft. Anyone would take him. But they don't come around very often.

[NUinID]

I think MR would like to be fairly balanced. As Marvic said I also think DL is a little more pass oriented than MR is.

 

At OSU he always wanted to run the ball if he had the tools to do it. The problem is that at OSU he didn't have the RB or more Importantly the Olinemen to do it all that often. It is easier to teach pass pro than run blocking and to get linemen that are good at both requires some pretty good linemen. He can have good linemen at NU.

 

I think he really wants to use the screen game a lot, which is pretty much like a running type play. When he gets his QB you will see a lot more WR and traditional type screens. Screen passes are some of TA worst to throw, I do expect him to be better this year because screen game is a rep thing.

 

 

This is what I expect going forward. Defense is the key to winning games. Offense is nice but defense wins.

[Red_Payne]

I disagree that the 50:50 ratio is the best you can do. Except for Baylor in recent years, the best offenses have a specialty in terms of being a running team or a passing team. The offense should have a strength that can be relied on.

Good point. I guess it depends on what you can find; So that brings up another big question. Can Riley recruit the guys he needs to run his system, Or does he recruit the best players he can possible find and structure his system around the talent he has.

Let's be honest; there are only a handful of teams that can honestly say that they can recruit the top talent that fit into their system; I think most programs have to structure their system around the players they have.

Can Riley be a guy that finds guys to fit his system, or just get the top talent you can find and build around them?

Just my opinion on that; what do you guys think?

[GBRFAN]

Top talent doesn't come unless they are sold on what they will be doing for that offense. This is a me world and i want to know how im going to shine in this lineup.

[cm husker]

What happens when we get a true pro-style QB with lots of weapons at his disposal?

 

Trophies and rings.

 

Said countless other programs, none of whom have a ring...

 

Why? because if you can't win with a QB like Armstrong, regardless of your system, then it won't matter whether you find the once in a lifetime pro-style QB (which mostly doesn't exist anyway).

[cm husker]

Top talent doesn't come unless they are sold on what they will be doing for that offense. This is a me world and i want to know how im going to shine in this lineup.

 

 

I consider several guys we have in our current program or who left recently to be top talent. Ameer is one prime example.

 

So, I disagree 100% with that line of thinking.

[Guy Chamberlin]

I disagree that the 50:50 ratio is the best you can do. Except for Baylor in recent years, the best offenses have a specialty in terms of being a running team or a passing team. The offense should have a strength that can be relied on.

 

I don't think 50:50 is the ideal ratio either, but the best offenses in recent years have had roughly 60:40 run/pass splits in playcalling, and pretty much equal yardage running and passing. A 60 or 65% rushing team might still throw the ball 30 times a game -- sometimes 40 if needed -- so a competent passing quarterback is still required. I don't recall last year's final four: Oklahoma, Alabama, Michigan State & Clemson feeling obliged to declare themselves a "specialty" team in terms of running or passing. I think balance was the strength they relied on.

 

Watson and Beck generally ran 60:40 run/pass splits and were generally accused of too much balance.

[Husker Psycho]

Top talent doesn't come unless they are sold on what they will be doing for that offense. This is a me world and i want to know how im going to shine in this lineup.

 

Nonsense

 

Great players want to go to schools that have great coaches that can teach their players to play fundamentally sound football... and that are successful.

[huKSer]

He had his QB here already.

 

I can't remember who it was but there was a QB on the roster that Riley recruited. He actually met Riley at the airport.

[Sargon]

Just want to mention that game context has a lot to do with 'intelligent' play calling including run/pass mix.

Losing by 9 in the 4th, better be passing a lot. Winning...run the clock to :01 and run the ball and stay inbounds.

Mike Leach will run a lot when winning late in the 4th. Tom Osborn got pass happy when losing late in the fourth...fleakicker...touchdown, touchdown!!

 

It would probably be a better metric to look at run/pass ratio in buckets...1st half, 2nd half with a lead, and 2nd half while behind.

And then, ignore the second half data.

The first half data will tell you what the coaches are trying to be.

The second half data should tell you if they were usually ahead or behind. JMO.

[Bowfin]

In Canada, Riley gets rings and trophies.

 

In Oregon, he goes .500.

 

In Nebraska...????

 

(San Diego doesn't count because Mike Riley's "guy" was going to be someone named Tom Brady, but he could not convince the Chargers front office to use a draft pick on him.)