Riley Wants Running Game Identity

[Making Chimichangas]

 

 

Now he wants a running identity???? Way to appease the fan base. Oh well.

 

From 2015: "What we eventually want to do next year is be in the top three in the league in running the football, and when you can do that, then life goes better everywhere," Riley said. "We didn't necessarily have to wait until next year to start with that idea."

http://collegefootball.ap.org/article/bowl-makes-mike-riley-believer-power-run-nebraska

 

 

That doesn't change anything. The pro-style offensive minded coach who comes to Nebraska who now suddenly wants to be known for his running offense. Hmm....

 

For the record, running a pro-style offense can absolutely be based around the power running game--they are not mutually exclusive.

 

Dallas, Green Bay, Baltimore, Seattle, San Francisco, and almost all the other teams that have won the Super Bowl have(had) incredibly physical running games.

 

It comes down to commitment, focus, and want.

[84HuskerLaw]

Milt Tenopir many times commented that the "stretch plays" really don't work and theoretically won't work. I don't like them as they are slow developing and really to work you need a blazing fast RB (Ahman Green or somebody) which we certainly don't have presently. I would venture to guess our RB corpse averages about 4.65 secs in the 40 and you need 4.45. We are a step or two slow to turn the corner on the wide plays so you got to run at 'em if you can't run around 'em. If you don't have speed you have to have more power. If you lack both, you lose. But brute power (think Wisconsin as a good example) gets you the 9 wins kind of Wisconsin and most Nebraska seasons since 2000.

 

Speed and speed and more speed and build power in the weight room. That is the secret to success. Offensive lines need to be 6'4" and 295 pounds of lean, mean muscle. Too many of our lines going all the way back to Callahan days were 'stay puff marshmellow man' shaped. Excess weight makes you slow and immobile leading to coaches putting aside your line pulls, stunts, etc and just straight ahead and simple back peddle movements. Big slow 'Lyrch' types don't work. Add in a tall wobbly slow QB standing behind the center about 4 yards catching shotgun snaps and flicking screens and 'dink and dunk' jail break screens, etc won't create more room for the run game either. If the plan of attack is to attack the defense with plays that are focused behind or near the line of scrimmage, then the defense will simply play near the line of scrimmage. Trickery and deception have their place in football but you can't make a living on deception alone. You need a 'bread and butter' and 'main course' to your offense as appetizers and desserts won't create a healthy diet.

[lo country]

Milt Tenopir many times commented that the "stretch plays" really don't work and theoretically won't work. I don't like them as they are slow developing and really to work you need a blazing fast RB (Ahman Green or somebody) which we certainly don't have presently. I would venture to guess our RB corpse averages about 4.65 secs in the 40 and you need 4.45. We are a step or two slow to turn the corner on the wide plays so you got to run at 'em if you can't run around 'em. If you don't have speed you have to have more power. If you lack both, you lose. But brute power (think Wisconsin as a good example) gets you the 9 wins kind of Wisconsin and most Nebraska seasons since 2000.

 

Speed and speed and more speed and build power in the weight room. That is the secret to success. Offensive lines need to be 6'4" and 295 pounds of lean, mean muscle. Too many of our lines going all the way back to Callahan days were 'stay puff marshmellow man' shaped. Excess weight makes you slow and immobile leading to coaches putting aside your line pulls, stunts, etc and just straight ahead and simple back peddle movements. Big slow 'Lyrch' types don't work. Add in a tall wobbly slow QB standing behind the center about 4 yards catching shotgun snaps and flicking screens and 'dink and dunk' jail break screens, etc won't create more room for the run game either. If the plan of attack is to attack the defense with plays that are focused behind or near the line of scrimmage, then the defense will simply play near the line of scrimmage. Trickery and deception have their place in football but you can't make a living on deception alone. You need a 'bread and butter' and 'main course' to your offense as appetizers and desserts won't create a healthy diet.

I never want to see a stretch play, jet sweep, toss sweep again. We might have been the worst team I have seen in trying to do those. As you mentioned, we have (had?) the inability to get the edge caused by poor player selection (wrong guys in), lack of athleticism, poor player development, injuries etc, but we just stunk at this plays......

 

I begged for some trick play for the past two years. Even a simple staple deceptive play like a miss direction......

[suh_fan93]

 

 

 

Now he wants a running identity???? Way to appease the fan base. Oh well.

 

From 2015: "What we eventually want to do next year is be in the top three in the league in running the football, and when you can do that, then life goes better everywhere," Riley said. "We didn't necessarily have to wait until next year to start with that idea."

http://collegefootball.ap.org/article/bowl-makes-mike-riley-believer-power-run-nebraska

 

 

That doesn't change anything. The pro-style offensive minded coach who comes to Nebraska who now suddenly wants to be known for his running offense. Hmm....

 

For the record, running a pro-style offense can absolutely be based around the power running game--they are not mutually exclusive.

 

Dallas, Green Bay, Baltimore, Seattle, San Francisco, and almost all the other teams that have won the Super Bowl have(had) incredibly physical running games.

 

It comes down to commitment, focus, and want.

 

 

 

You can emphasize the run in any offense but Mike Riley's offenses have never known to emphasize the run. Ever. His OSU teams passing yards dwarfed their running numbers his entire career there. At least the rhetoric is being put out there though now right?

[stargazer]

 

 

I would venture to guess our RB corpse averages about 4.65 secs in the 40 and you need 4.45.

 

Under the circumstances, I guess that's pretty impressive.

[Making Chimichangas]

Milt Tenopir many times commented that the "stretch plays" really don't work and theoretically won't work. I don't like them as they are slow developing and really to work you need a blazing fast RB (Ahman Green or somebody) which we certainly don't have presently. I would venture to guess our RB corpse averages about 4.65 secs in the 40 and you need 4.45. We are a step or two slow to turn the corner on the wide plays so you got to run at 'em if you can't run around 'em. If you don't have speed you have to have more power. If you lack both, you lose. But brute power (think Wisconsin as a good example) gets you the 9 wins kind of Wisconsin and most Nebraska seasons since 2000.

 

Speed and speed and more speed and build power in the weight room. That is the secret to success. Offensive lines need to be 6'4" and 295 pounds of lean, mean muscle. Too many of our lines going all the way back to Callahan days were 'stay puff marshmellow man' shaped. Excess weight makes you slow and immobile leading to coaches putting aside your line pulls, stunts, etc and just straight ahead and simple back peddle movements. Big slow 'Lyrch' types don't work. Add in a tall wobbly slow QB standing behind the center about 4 yards catching shotgun snaps and flicking screens and 'dink and dunk' jail break screens, etc won't create more room for the run game either. If the plan of attack is to attack the defense with plays that are focused behind or near the line of scrimmage, then the defense will simply play near the line of scrimmage. Trickery and deception have their place in football but you can't make a living on deception alone. You need a 'bread and butter' and 'main course' to your offense as appetizers and desserts won't create a healthy diet.

Stretch plays absolutely do work.

 

The key is, you have to be able to relentlessly punish the defense inside between the tackles. Get them to commit more defenders between the tackles, then spring the outside zone.

 

That's why Tom Osborne's option game was so brutally effective.

 

We'd pound the ball inside play after play after play and we'd be getting 5, 6, 7+ yards per carry.

 

Teams would begin to commit defenders between the tackles, and bam, he'd spring an option, a toss (or student body), or some other outside play and it would go for a huge play.

 

But it all starts inside.

[MyBloodIsRed16]

Milt Tenopir many times commented that the "stretch plays" really don't work and theoretically won't work. I don't like them as they are slow developing and really to work you need a blazing fast RB (Ahman Green or somebody) which we certainly don't have presently. I would venture to guess our RB corpse averages about 4.65 secs in the 40 and you need 4.45. We are a step or two slow to turn the corner on the wide plays so you got to run at 'em if you can't run around 'em. If you don't have speed you have to have more power. If you lack both, you lose. But brute power (think Wisconsin as a good example) gets you the 9 wins kind of Wisconsin and most Nebraska seasons since 2000.

 

Speed and speed and more speed and build power in the weight room. That is the secret to success. Offensive lines need to be 6'4" and 295 pounds of lean, mean muscle. Too many of our lines going all the way back to Callahan days were 'stay puff marshmellow man' shaped. Excess weight makes you slow and immobile leading to coaches putting aside your line pulls, stunts, etc and just straight ahead and simple back peddle movements. Big slow 'Lyrch' types don't work. Add in a tall wobbly slow QB standing behind the center about 4 yards catching shotgun snaps and flicking screens and 'dink and dunk' jail break screens, etc won't create more room for the run game either. If the plan of attack is to attack the defense with plays that are focused behind or near the line of scrimmage, then the defense will simply play near the line of scrimmage. Trickery and deception have their place in football but you can't make a living on deception alone. You need a 'bread and butter' and 'main course' to your offense as appetizers and desserts won't create a healthy diet.

Ummmm. Milt coached for teams that ran mostly option football. Option in and of itself is trickery and deception. Makes defenses play slower.

[84HuskerLaw]

I agree to an extent that option football uses trickery and deception but it is more based on attacking the heart of the defense and then moving outside when the defense overplays the middle. To have a successful option play, the fake to the fullback must be respected by the defense. Typically that means the defense must defend the fullback first. Osborne and Company often said the same about stopping the Sooner wishbone. If you didn't overplay the fullback, he would gut the defense. So often Nebraska fans would dread seeing that Lott or Holliway or Watts or your favorite QB make that last second pitch to the tailback coming around the corner just a breath away from the defense making the critical tackle only to see wide open green down the sidelines as the big play goes just when we thought we had them stopped. But it was only because we had to devote so much to stopping the runs inside the tackels first. Those OU tailbacks could flat out fly and their fullbacks were strong and tough and played like Jano.

 

Yes, there is trickery and deception (they called the QBs 'wishbone magicians' because of Sooner Magic and they carried out fakes and it was hard to keep an eye on the ball. You just had to tackle all four ball carriers every play essentially. Not easy with big strong powerful and well conditioned O lines.

 

But, in Riley's case, he likes to run the 'fly sweep' (essentially the old fashioned reverse or end around in my view - a clear 'trick play' useful perhaps once a game maybe but no bread and butter running game maker). Screens are essentially trick plays that rely on the offensive line being able to sell the defensive line on the notion that they just missed their pass blocks and the D linemen have a chance to get to the QB. Of course, the idea is to get the D line to overrun and attack and take themselves out of the play and free up O linemen to take on LBs and safeties and create blocking mismatches. Again, this is a play which really requires the offensive line to be 'normally' good in pass blocking and then have a lapse now and then. We have had so much trouble pass protecting that Tommy A had to constantly dance and scramble and run for his life. This fall our QBs will not likely have that extra ability. The line will HAVE to block much better. The QB has only the option to throw the ball quick (dink and dunk, screens, slants, sideline outs, and other short pass routes, or throw the ball away to avoid sacks). Again this allows the defense to defend mostly near the line of scrimmage.

.

If you are going to pull the defense off the line of scrimmage, you have to make them defend more area - stay back to avoid the 15 or 20 yard completions that get Riley's 'big chunk' yardage. Or atleast they must fear that. With Tommy, he was not accurate or consistant enough in the short throws (timing, throwing fast balls instead of 'touch' passes and not leading the receiver to open areas and allowing them to run after the catch. Short passes are good for short yards UNLESS your receiver catches the ball in stride and with a chance to make YAC. Hopefully our QBs can throw these routes at a 70% or better rate. We should have receivers that can make people miss and have good hands. We may lack big strong WRs who are hard to arm tackle but we have some that can make good tacklers miss. Our TEs should be good for three or four good catches PER game for 60 yards and a couple TDs.

 

But we still need to get 3 TDs a game and 275 yards a game at 5.5 yards per carry out of our RBs. If not, we will struggle to move the ball. Once again, our punter will be out there FAR too often. If we punt more than 3 times a game, it will be a long challenging 'nail biting' season.

 

In the end, we need to be able feel confident we can run the ball on third and three and get the first down. We also need to feel confident we can run the ball three straight plays and get the first down from anywhere on the field. Get a defense to play us honest because we are capable of successfully throwing anywhere on the field with reasonable success (screens, slants, outs, posts, fades, curls, etc) and of course pop a couple delay draws, middle screens, etc.). keep the defense playing us straight up and our chances are much better against about 10 opponents. The top teams will play us honest and beat us with superior skills, strength and speed and depth. We won't wear Ohio State down.

The fake to the fullback and the give to the fullback both have one thing in common (the fullback is ON the field). Riley has not played the fullback much and with only one or two backs, there is almost NO deception and no power blocking involved in the run game. Riley instead relies on the extra WRs running all over to somehow decoy and occupy without much blocking a number of defenders. Theory is that the CBs and safeties and even a LB won't be able to stop the run if they must cover a receiver. But only works IF your QB can actually make the throws and the O line can actually keep the QB on his feet long enough to do so. We haven't had that for so many years it's hard to remember a Nebraska team with an excellent passer. Gonna be interesting to watch this fall.

[ColoradoHusk]

 

Milt Tenopir many times commented that the "stretch plays" really don't work and theoretically won't work. I don't like them as they are slow developing and really to work you need a blazing fast RB (Ahman Green or somebody) which we certainly don't have presently. I would venture to guess our RB corpse averages about 4.65 secs in the 40 and you need 4.45. We are a step or two slow to turn the corner on the wide plays so you got to run at 'em if you can't run around 'em. If you don't have speed you have to have more power. If you lack both, you lose. But brute power (think Wisconsin as a good example) gets you the 9 wins kind of Wisconsin and most Nebraska seasons since 2000.

 

Speed and speed and more speed and build power in the weight room. That is the secret to success. Offensive lines need to be 6'4" and 295 pounds of lean, mean muscle. Too many of our lines going all the way back to Callahan days were 'stay puff marshmellow man' shaped. Excess weight makes you slow and immobile leading to coaches putting aside your line pulls, stunts, etc and just straight ahead and simple back peddle movements. Big slow 'Lyrch' types don't work. Add in a tall wobbly slow QB standing behind the center about 4 yards catching shotgun snaps and flicking screens and 'dink and dunk' jail break screens, etc won't create more room for the run game either. If the plan of attack is to attack the defense with plays that are focused behind or near the line of scrimmage, then the defense will simply play near the line of scrimmage. Trickery and deception have their place in football but you can't make a living on deception alone. You need a 'bread and butter' and 'main course' to your offense as appetizers and desserts won't create a healthy diet.

Ummmm. Milt coached for teams that ran mostly option football. Option in and of itself is trickery and deception. Makes defenses play slower.

"Mostly option football" is greatly exaggerated. Yes, NU ran plenty of option, but NU ran a lot of counters, traps, toss sweeps and traditional power football. In fact, Osborne once said that he treated the "option play" like a pass play in hopes to get the big play.

[Mavric]

I would venture to guess our RB corpse averages about 4.65 secs in the 40 and you need 4.45.

Considering only three RBs at this year's NFL Combine ran 4.45 or faster - and none of them will be high draft picks - this seems exaggerated.

[Elf]

I don't disagree but it takes more than just saying you want it and it will require seemingly more emphasis on good O line play. Yes, an effective passing game, screens and draws will help the offensive line achieve but it also just plain takes a commitment to building a good O line and establishing the running game. I wonder if they are really willing to make the necessary commitment. You can't do it if you revert to slinging it around so readily. How much harder will it be for them to commit to the running game if they actually have a QB that can throw the ball. They didn't make the commitment with a guy who was not particularly good at reading and throwing so what now...?

The level of commitment to the running game that you desire is not going to be there. We are going to "sling it around" as long as Riley is our head coach.

[yort2000]

But we still need to get 3 TDs a game and 275 yards a game at 5.5 yards per carry out of our RBs. If not, we will struggle to move the ball. Once again, our punter will be out there FAR too often. If we punt more than 3 times a game, it will be a long challenging 'nail biting' season.

 

How many seasons did Nebraska do this every game? 1995 and 1997?

[Stumpy1]

I agree to an extent that option football uses trickery and deception but it is more based on attacking the heart of the defense and then moving outside when the defense overplays the middle. To have a successful option play, the fake to the fullback must be respected by the defense. Typically that means the defense must defend the fullback first. Osborne and Company often said the same about stopping the Sooner wishbone. If you didn't overplay the fullback, he would gut the defense. So often Nebraska fans would dread seeing that Lott or Holliway or Watts or your favorite QB make that last second pitch to the tailback coming around the corner just a breath away from the defense making the critical tackle only to see wide open green down the sidelines as the big play goes just when we thought we had them stopped. But it was only because we had to devote so much to stopping the runs inside the tackels first. Those OU tailbacks could flat out fly and their fullbacks were strong and tough and played like Jano.

 

Yes, there is trickery and deception (they called the QBs 'wishbone magicians' because of Sooner Magic and they carried out fakes and it was hard to keep an eye on the ball. You just had to tackle all four ball carriers every play essentially. Not easy with big strong powerful and well conditioned O lines.

 

But, in Riley's case, he likes to run the 'fly sweep' (essentially the old fashioned reverse or end around in my view - a clear 'trick play' useful perhaps once a game maybe but no bread and butter running game maker). Screens are essentially trick plays that rely on the offensive line being able to sell the defensive line on the notion that they just missed their pass blocks and the D linemen have a chance to get to the QB. Of course, the idea is to get the D line to overrun and attack and take themselves out of the play and free up O linemen to take on LBs and safeties and create blocking mismatches. Again, this is a play which really requires the offensive line to be 'normally' good in pass blocking and then have a lapse now and then. We have had so much trouble pass protecting that Tommy A had to constantly dance and scramble and run for his life. This fall our QBs will not likely have that extra ability. The line will HAVE to block much better. The QB has only the option to throw the ball quick (dink and dunk, screens, slants, sideline outs, and other short pass routes, or throw the ball away to avoid sacks). Again this allows the defense to defend mostly near the line of scrimmage.

.

If you are going to pull the defense off the line of scrimmage, you have to make them defend more area - stay back to avoid the 15 or 20 yard completions that get Riley's 'big chunk' yardage. Or atleast they must fear that. With Tommy, he was not accurate or consistant enough in the short throws (timing, throwing fast balls instead of 'touch' passes and not leading the receiver to open areas and allowing them to run after the catch. Short passes are good for short yards UNLESS your receiver catches the ball in stride and with a chance to make YAC. Hopefully our QBs can throw these routes at a 70% or better rate. We should have receivers that can make people miss and have good hands. We may lack big strong WRs who are hard to arm tackle but we have some that can make good tacklers miss. Our TEs should be good for three or four good catches PER game for 60 yards and a couple TDs.

 

But we still need to get 3 TDs a game and 275 yards a game at 5.5 yards per carry out of our RBs. If not, we will struggle to move the ball. Once again, our punter will be out there FAR too often. If we punt more than 3 times a game, it will be a long challenging 'nail biting' season.

 

In the end, we need to be able feel confident we can run the ball on third and three and get the first down. We also need to feel confident we can run the ball three straight plays and get the first down from anywhere on the field. Get a defense to play us honest because we are capable of successfully throwing anywhere on the field with reasonable success (screens, slants, outs, posts, fades, curls, etc) and of course pop a couple delay draws, middle screens, etc.). keep the defense playing us straight up and our chances are much better against about 10 opponents. The top teams will play us honest and beat us with superior skills, strength and speed and depth. We won't wear Ohio State down.

The fake to the fullback and the give to the fullback both have one thing in common (the fullback is ON the field). Riley has not played the fullback much and with only one or two backs, there is almost NO deception and no power blocking involved in the run game. Riley instead relies on the extra WRs running all over to somehow decoy and occupy without much blocking a number of defenders. Theory is that the CBs and safeties and even a LB won't be able to stop the run if they must cover a receiver. But only works IF your QB can actually make the throws and the O line can actually keep the QB on his feet long enough to do so. We haven't had that for so many years it's hard to remember a Nebraska team with an excellent passer. Gonna be interesting to watch this fall.

 

Holy Hell

[Moiraine]

 

I would venture to guess our RB corpse averages about 4.65 secs in the 40 and you need 4.45.

Considering only three RBs at this year's NFL Combine ran 4.45 or faster - and none of them will be high draft picks - this seems exaggerated.

If zombie movies are accurate, a corpse running a 40 yard dash in under 30 seconds seems wildly exaggerated. I hope someone gets to the bottom of this. I understand using corpses as a scare tactic but I'm guessing the defenses will develop zombie-resistant uniforms and then we're screwed.

[RedDenver]

 

 

I would venture to guess our RB corpse averages about 4.65 secs in the 40 and you need 4.45.

Considering only three RBs at this year's NFL Combine ran 4.45 or faster - and none of them will be high draft picks - this seems exaggerated.

If zombie movies are accurate, a corpse running a 40 yard dash in under 30 seconds seems wildly exaggerated. I hope someone gets to the bottom of this. I understand using corpses as a scare tactic but I'm guessing the defenses will develop zombie-resistant uniforms and then we're screwed.