Offensive Theory

[jonnyhuska]

There are obvious problems with our offense that we have all discussed however I have a small theory to consider. Is our defense so good that it is in turn hurting our offense? I have seen this through my years of sports and even in college and professional sports today. I believe our defense is so good that our offense does not bare the weight of this team. They depend entirely on our defense to put them inside the 50 yard line in order for them to score. This may sound funny, but do you think if our defense was only average would that improve the play of our offense? Grant it we would have more losses then we would, but would the added pressure of not relying on our defense every drive push our offense to take chances and make plays? I see it most often in baseball, pitchers with extremely low era's have the lowest run support in the rotation. I think our offense goes out there game in and game out knowing that our defense will be there to correct their mistakes takes off the pressure for them to score every drive. I know there are a hand full of problems that explain our struggling offense, but I really think this is a small issue.

 

[AngryHusker88]

I could see that perhaps our defense is so good that they beat the crap out of our offense in practice so much that our offense is demoralized & does not perform in games. However, I dont think Bo lets the defense beat the offense up too much in practice b/c he knows we're struggling as it is & the offense needs to be as healthy as possible for gameday.

In general I disagree with your theory, though it is interesting. If our defense was half as bad as our offense, we might see a little more production out of our offense but I dont think it would matter that much. If our defense was half as bad as our offense, I think right now we're a 5-6 team at best.

That said, as long as Bo Pelini is our head coach, we'll field a solid defense every year. We might not be as dominant defensivly every year as we are this year (who knows, maybe we will) but so long as Bo is coach I expect the defense to be solid every year.

IMO after the season Bo needs to reevaluate the entire offensive staff & the entire offense in general. I would love it if we would just completely do away with the West Coast offense & go to sort of a hybrid power spread offense. What I mean by that is emphasize power football (kinda like we've been doing lately), emphasize solid fundamental blocking, do away with Shawn Watson's finesse bullcrap & also have a passing game too.

I'd still like to see Shawn Watson go. He did a good job playcalling against Kansas IMO, did a mediocre at best job of playcalling against Kansas State. Good playcalling is one of the most important aspects of being an offensive coordinator, & in that department Shawn Watson is inconsistent at best. There was very piss poor playcalling against Missouri & Texas Tech, & I think even the hardest Watson defenders would have a difficult time arguing that playcalling for those games wasnt piss poor.

Barney Cotton has to go IMO. He is at best an average offensive line coach & I think Bo could find someone better to do his job. Nebraska's bringing in some top offensive line recruits - Tyler Moore, Andrew Rodriguez, Brent Qvale (already on campus), Ryne Reeves, & Mike Moudy (Moudy is underrated IMO). If all these recruits are developed to their full potential, we'll have a dominant o-line, which will give us a dominant offense. That combined with a Bo Pelini defense could make us legit national title contenders in the future. IMO I dont think Barney Cotton is the guy to develope all of our young O-line recruits to their full potential.

Ted Gilmore, this guy has to go IMO.

 

[Cornhuskers]

This may sound funny, but do you think if our defense was only average would that improve the play of our offense?

NO - If if our defense was average that would not make Zac Lee a quality passing QB. He would still overthrow/underthrow receivers, etc. This would not make a difference at all.

 

[huKSer]

This may sound funny, but do you think if our defense was only average would that improve the play of our offense?

NO - If if our defense was average that would not make Zac Lee a quality passing QB. He would still overthrow/underthrow receivers, etc. This would not make a difference at all.

YES - If our defense was average that would change the game plan to something like we had last year - ball control OR needing to take chances to try to out score the opponent's offense like in 2007. I feel that Watson for now has to adjust the offensive game plan to the ability/experience of the defense. Previous coaching staff acted like the offense and defense were totally oblivious to each other.

 

[b-rad]

There are obvious problems with our offense that we have all discussed however I have a small theory to consider. Is our defense so good that it is in turn hurting our offense? I have seen this through my years of sports and even in college and professional sports today. I believe our defense is so good that our offense does not bare the weight of this team. They depend entirely on our defense to put them inside the 50 yard line in order for them to score. This may sound funny, but do you think if our defense was only average would that improve the play of our offense? Grant it we would have more losses then we would, but would the added pressure of not relying on our defense every drive push our offense to take chances and make plays? I see it most often in baseball, pitchers with extremely low era's have the lowest run support in the rotation. I think our offense goes out there game in and game out knowing that our defense will be there to correct their mistakes takes off the pressure for them to score every drive. I know there are a hand full of problems that explain our struggling offense, but I really think this is a small issue.

Well, I think this would be at best a hypothesis and nothing close to a theory... just kiddin', that's the scientist in me talking. This is a good point, I mean, my observations of human nature would support your theory. However, my opinion is that they are trying their hardest and a combination of inexperience, injury, and less than perfect play-calling (although I am a Watson supporter) has lead to a less than desirable offensive output this year.

 

[Crymsonsteel]

I could see that perhaps our defense is so good that they beat the crap out of our offense in practice so much that our offense is demoralized & does not perform in games. However, I dont think Bo lets the defense beat the offense up too much in practice b/c he knows we're struggling as it is & the offense needs to be as healthy as possible for gameday.

In general I disagree with your theory, though it is interesting. If our defense was half as bad as our offense, we might see a little more production out of our offense but I dont think it would matter that much. If our defense was half as bad as our offense, I think right now we're a 5-6 team at best.

That said, as long as Bo Pelini is our head coach, we'll field a solid defense every year. We might not be as dominant defensivly every year as we are this year (who knows, maybe we will) but so long as Bo is coach I expect the defense to be solid every year.

IMO after the season Bo needs to reevaluate the entire offensive staff & the entire offense in general. I would love it if we would just completely do away with the West Coast offense & go to sort of a hybrid power spread offense. What I mean by that is emphasize power football (kinda like we've been doing lately), emphasize solid fundamental blocking, do away with Shawn Watson's finesse bullcrap & also have a passing game too.

I'd still like to see Shawn Watson go. He did a good job playcalling against Kansas IMO, did a mediocre at best job of playcalling against Kansas State. Good playcalling is one of the most important aspects of being an offensive coordinator, & in that department Shawn Watson is inconsistent at best. There was very piss poor playcalling against Missouri & Texas Tech, & I think even the hardest Watson defenders would have a difficult time arguing that playcalling for those games wasnt piss poor.

Barney Cotton has to go IMO. He is at best an average offensive line coach & I think Bo could find someone better to do his job. Nebraska's bringing in some top offensive line recruits - Tyler Moore, Andrew Rodriguez, Brent Qvale (already on campus), Ryne Reeves, & Mike Moudy (Moudy is underrated IMO). If all these recruits are developed to their full potential, we'll have a dominant o-line, which will give us a dominant offense. That combined with a Bo Pelini defense could make us legit national title contenders in the future. IMO I dont think Barney Cotton is the guy to develope all of our young O-line recruits to their full potential.

Ted Gilmore, this guy has to go IMO.

Wish all you want, noone is going anywhere against their will. So deal with it and take your crying elsewhere. The players we have are what we have to work with. Watson even said we were going to have problems before the season. Oh I guess you missed that like most of everything this season. I bet you weren't saying anything about Watson and the Offense last year were ya. I'm tired of hearing people b**** and whine and call for the heads of coaches after one season when the Offense is sputtering because of inexperience. It's up to the players to execute the plays, not the coaches, you can call the right plays that would would work with experienced players successfully and run the same play with inexperienced players that don't execute and have mental lapses and have that same play blown up all day long. So sir although you have the right to your own opinion you aren't living in reality in this matter. Here's a little bit of reality for ya, there isn't one damn thing you can do or say to change the coaching situation so deal with it and enjoy the ride as frustating as it is we are finding ways to win. This team as well as these same coaches through the rough time have developed alot of character and heart, by perseverence through the rough times which will benefit us next year and years to come as there is now a solid foundation.

 

[Crymsonsteel]

I could see that perhaps our defense is so good that they beat the crap out of our offense in practice so much that our offense is demoralized & does not perform in games. However, I dont think Bo lets the defense beat the offense up too much in practice b/c he knows we're struggling as it is & the offense needs to be as healthy as possible for gameday.

In general I disagree with your theory, though it is interesting. If our defense was half as bad as our offense, we might see a little more production out of our offense but I dont think it would matter that much. If our defense was half as bad as our offense, I think right now we're a 5-6 team at best.

That said, as long as Bo Pelini is our head coach, we'll field a solid defense every year. We might not be as dominant defensivly every year as we are this year (who knows, maybe we will) but so long as Bo is coach I expect the defense to be solid every year.

IMO after the season Bo needs to reevaluate the entire offensive staff & the entire offense in general. I would love it if we would just completely do away with the West Coast offense & go to sort of a hybrid power spread offense. What I mean by that is emphasize power football (kinda like we've been doing lately), emphasize solid fundamental blocking, do away with Shawn Watson's finesse bullcrap & also have a passing game too.

I'd still like to see Shawn Watson go. He did a good job playcalling against Kansas IMO, did a mediocre at best job of playcalling against Kansas State. Good playcalling is one of the most important aspects of being an offensive coordinator, & in that department Shawn Watson is inconsistent at best. There was very piss poor playcalling against Missouri & Texas Tech, & I think even the hardest Watson defenders would have a difficult time arguing that playcalling for those games wasnt piss poor.

Barney Cotton has to go IMO. He is at best an average offensive line coach & I think Bo could find someone better to do his job. Nebraska's bringing in some top offensive line recruits - Tyler Moore, Andrew Rodriguez, Brent Qvale (already on campus), Ryne Reeves, & Mike Moudy (Moudy is underrated IMO). If all these recruits are developed to their full potential, we'll have a dominant o-line, which will give us a dominant offense. That combined with a Bo Pelini defense could make us legit national title contenders in the future. IMO I dont think Barney Cotton is the guy to develope all of our young O-line recruits to their full potential.

Ted Gilmore, this guy has to go IMO.

Wish all you want, noone is going anywhere against their will. So deal with it and take your crying elsewhere. The players we have are what we have to work with. Watson even said we were going to have problems before the season. Oh I guess you missed that like most of everything this season. I bet you weren't saying anything about Watson and the Offense last year were ya. I'm tired of hearing people b**** and whine and call for the heads of coaches after one season when the Offense is sputtering because of inexperience. It's up to the players to execute the plays, not the coaches, you can call the right plays that would would work with experienced players successfully and run the same play with inexperienced players that don't execute and have mental lapses and have that same play blown up all day long. So sir although you have the right to your own opinion you aren't living in reality in this matter. Here's a little bit of reality for ya, there isn't one damn thing you can do or say to change the coaching situation so deal with it and enjoy the ride as frustating as it is we are finding ways to win. This team as well as these same coaches through the rough time have developed alot of character and heart, by perseverence through the rough times which will benefit us next year and years to come as there is now a solid foundation.

 

[Enhance]

Bo has said in interviews that if he could run a certain type of offense, it would be similar to the one Florida runs: a power run/spread attack.

IMO, it is too soon to be calling for any coaches head just yet. It seems that a few people on the board have become spoiled by the success we had last year that a lot of people didn't expect us to have. We still must remember that these are not guys Cotton recruited nor is this staff a finished product. We got lucky last year having a 5th year senior and two standout possession receivers that had seen a lot of playing time. We also had 3 running backs that brought their own style to the offense and produced well for us. Now, we don't have any of those things left over except for 1 of those 3 good running backs.

If things continue to be a stand still offensively through next year and maybe even the following year, changes will be made. Right now, things are inconsistent but they are not inconsistent enough to the point of where somebody should be fired.

 

[Count 'Bility]

How's about everyone gets off the coaches's asses already and let them keep workin at developing the talen they have. These are young offensive lineman that had injury problems midseason (4 of the five starters were fightin nagging injuries at the same time midseason) and a receiving corps that is inexpereinced as well prior to this year, they all have time to improve. Bottom line, we're 8-3, could very well be 11-1 or even 12-0 (hmm, maybe 5 plays or so from that?) and North champs, SO SHUTUP THE WINING AND THE COACH BITCHIN. No coach is goin anywhere.

 

[Captain K]

Yes jonnyhuska, I promise our offense would be different if the D wasn't so reliable. We'd certainly score more, because we would have to. Some games scoring more would come at the expense of big mistakes, fumbled screens (TT), pick 6's, etc. For every game our offense won, however, they'd lose 4 or 5 for us. They still aren't very good.

 

[longtimefan]

I know this is a BIG IF, but give us back one turnover in the Iowa St. game and we probably win. Give us back one play against VIrginia Tech and we more than likely win. We were so close to being 10-1 and rated in the top 10. Now I know our offense hasn't performed up to our expectations but if we were 10-1 now, would we be calling for coaches heads? If we win out and are 11-3 and rated in the teens, would you still fire Watson? I don't think a coach having one year where the offense is struggling, deserves to be fired. I think you would have a hard time getting any quality offensive coach to come in here knowing if you struggle for one year, you will be fired.

 

[AngryHusker88]

I could see that perhaps our defense is so good that they beat the crap out of our offense in practice so much that our offense is demoralized & does not perform in games. However, I dont think Bo lets the defense beat the offense up too much in practice b/c he knows we're struggling as it is & the offense needs to be as healthy as possible for gameday.

In general I disagree with your theory, though it is interesting. If our defense was half as bad as our offense, we might see a little more production out of our offense but I dont think it would matter that much. If our defense was half as bad as our offense, I think right now we're a 5-6 team at best.

That said, as long as Bo Pelini is our head coach, we'll field a solid defense every year. We might not be as dominant defensivly every year as we are this year (who knows, maybe we will) but so long as Bo is coach I expect the defense to be solid every year.

IMO after the season Bo needs to reevaluate the entire offensive staff & the entire offense in general. I would love it if we would just completely do away with the West Coast offense & go to sort of a hybrid power spread offense. What I mean by that is emphasize power football (kinda like we've been doing lately), emphasize solid fundamental blocking, do away with Shawn Watson's finesse bullcrap & also have a passing game too.

I'd still like to see Shawn Watson go. He did a good job playcalling against Kansas IMO, did a mediocre at best job of playcalling against Kansas State. Good playcalling is one of the most important aspects of being an offensive coordinator, & in that department Shawn Watson is inconsistent at best. There was very piss poor playcalling against Missouri & Texas Tech, & I think even the hardest Watson defenders would have a difficult time arguing that playcalling for those games wasnt piss poor.

Barney Cotton has to go IMO. He is at best an average offensive line coach & I think Bo could find someone better to do his job. Nebraska's bringing in some top offensive line recruits - Tyler Moore, Andrew Rodriguez, Brent Qvale (already on campus), Ryne Reeves, & Mike Moudy (Moudy is underrated IMO). If all these recruits are developed to their full potential, we'll have a dominant o-line, which will give us a dominant offense. That combined with a Bo Pelini defense could make us legit national title contenders in the future. IMO I dont think Barney Cotton is the guy to develope all of our young O-line recruits to their full potential.

Ted Gilmore, this guy has to go IMO.

Wish all you want, noone is going anywhere against their will. So deal with it and take your crying elsewhere. The players we have are what we have to work with. Watson even said we were going to have problems before the season. Oh I guess you missed that like most of everything this season. I bet you weren't saying anything about Watson and the Offense last year were ya.

Wrong. Even last year, I felt Watson was a bad playcaller.

Wish all you want, noone is going anywhere against their will. So deal with it and take your crying elsewhere. The players we have are what we have to work with. Watson even said we were going to have problems before the season. Oh I guess you missed that like most of everything this season. I bet you weren't saying anything about Watson and the Offense last year were ya. I'm tired of hearing people b**** and whine and call for the heads of coaches after one season when the Offense is sputtering because of inexperience. It's up to the players to execute the plays, not the coaches, you can call the right plays that would would work with experienced players successfully and run the same play with inexperienced players that don't execute and have mental lapses and have that same play blown up all day long. So sir although you have the right to your own opinion you aren't living in reality in this matter. Here's a little bit of reality for ya, there isn't one damn thing you can do or say to change the coaching situation so deal with it and enjoy the ride as frustating as it is we are finding ways to win. This team as well as these same coaches through the rough time have developed alot of character and heart, by perseverence through the rough times which will benefit us next year and years to come as there is now a solid foundation.

Thx for informing me of that, I had no idea. I thought all I had to do was make a post & Watson, Cotton & Gilmore would all magically get fired. Thx for bringing me back to reality

GO HUSKERS, POUND sCUm

 

[AngryHusker88]

I know this is a BIG IF, but give us back one turnover in the Iowa St. game and we probably win. Give us back one play against VIrginia Tech and we more than likely win. We were so close to being 10-1 and rated in the top 10. Now I know our offense hasn't performed up to our expectations but if we were 10-1 now, would we be calling for coaches heads? If we win out and are 11-3 and rated in the teens, would you still fire Watson? I don't think a coach having one year where the offense is struggling, deserves to be fired. I think you would have a hard time getting any quality offensive coach to come in here knowing if you struggle for one year, you will be fired.

Definitely a valid point, I hadnt thought of it like that before.

I still feel Watson is not the right man for the job, but yeah, I see what you are saying. I just want whats best for my favorite team

 

[Billyball]

There are obvious problems with our offense that we have all discussed however I have a small theory to consider. Is our defense so good that it is in turn hurting our offense? I have seen this through my years of sports and even in college and professional sports today. I believe our defense is so good that our offense does not bare the weight of this team. They depend entirely on our defense to put them inside the 50 yard line in order for them to score. This may sound funny, but do you think if our defense was only average would that improve the play of our offense? Grant it we would have more losses then we would, but would the added pressure of not relying on our defense every drive push our offense to take chances and make plays? I see it most often in baseball, pitchers with extremely low era's have the lowest run support in the rotation. I think our offense goes out there game in and game out knowing that our defense will be there to correct their mistakes takes off the pressure for them to score every drive. I know there are a hand full of problems that explain our struggling offense, but I really think this is a small issue.

Usually the simplest explation is best. Our offense is inept because they are simply not very good. Our defense is great because of great players. Next year without Suh et al, we will have a chance to test your theory.

I don't subscribe to a notion that the players are dogging it and getting their a$$ chewed out by coaches and ridiculed by fans and press because we have a good defense.

 

[Guy Chamberlin]

Hard to remember since it was only a few months ago, but a lot of folks around here were excited about the defense and worried that an untested quarterback and inexperienced receiver corps might make for another 9 - 4 season.

And that's what happened.

Happens a lot in college football as teams transition.

Well actually, no. A lot of teams in transition aren't good enough to go 8 - 3, play in their conference championship and go to a bowl game. (Heck, in 2001 we had a Heisman Trophy winner at quarterback, and he didn't even get us to the Big 12 Title Game)

So by all means, let's start firing coaches and make Nebraska famous for its short leash, impatient fans and unrealistic expectations. Could land us the next Bill Callahan.