Will we pass more in 2015?

[cheewgumm]

Just thinking about it,,, our weapons at WR might outweigh our RB/ QB running combo, plus I think Bama and Ole Miss kind of showed the way on how to defend is.

What do you think? More passing % next year?

[GoToHellOleMiss]

We stood a much better chance of beating Ole Miss and Bama this year had we thrown the ball more.

[thf24]

I think so. We still need to run more than we pass, but we'll be sick at WR next year, and if Dak makes half the offseason improvement that he made the past two, he'll be an NFL-level QB. We could possibly be limiting ourselves by passing less than 40-45%.

[defiantdog]

Not really..... I see us running a lot of sweeps and screens next year using Gray and Dear a lot. Not to mention our RB group will be comparable to Bama's depth...... Can't waste that talent by not giving them the ball.

[jimbo352]

Mullen is going to run the ball, period.... You should be used to it by now guys.

[Dawgface]

Mullen is going to run the ball, period.... You should be used to it by now guys.

Agree. Mullen ain't changing.

[quickstrike2]

Agree. Mullen ain't changing.

I am a Mullen fan, but I'm still not over this one. I agree that Mullen will not change. If there is any proof it was Saturday. Damn it, we will lose this mfer before I stop pounded Dak on seemingly every big 3rd and 4th down was his obvious philosophy.

[Jacksondevildog]

Mullen is going to run the ball, period.... You should be used to it by now guys.

Agreed. I would just like to see him be more creative in running Prescott.

[jimbo352]

Agreed. I would just like to see him be more creative in running Prescott.

Let me say that I don't think what we're doing is bad... It worked really well 90% of the time this year. We absolutely killed teams offensively. Every once in a while you're going to get beat. You just tip your cap and move on. Dak will continue to improve as a passer, and our offense will get continue better and better as a result. That's really the key to our offense getting better. I like how we're built on both sides of the ball for this league though. The one thing I worry about are the hits Dak takes every Saturday in the SEC.

[WeWonItAll(Most)]

Let me say that I don't think what we're doing is bad... It worked really well 90% of the time this year. We absolutely killed teams offensively. Every once in a while you're going to get beat. You just tip your cap and move on. Dak will continue to improve as a passer, and our offense will get continue better and better as a result. That's really the key to our offense getting better. I like how we're built on both sides of the ball for this league though. The one thing I worry about are the hits Dak takes every Saturday in the SEC.

We ran Dak on 3rd/4th and less than 5 every single time we were in those situations the entire season. Bama and OM caught on and would stuff it nearly every time.

[jimbo352]

We ran Dak on 3rd/4th and less than 5 every single time we were in those situations the entire season. Bama and OM caught on and would stuff it nearly every time.

That's simply a minor play calling issue that can be fixed pretty easily.

In their defense, it worked all freaking year. It's hard to move away from something just because Bama stopped it. As many have stated, OM wasn't strong defending the North South run game all year. They had their moments, but their strength is sideline to sideline. Dak up the gut isn't the worst call. That being said, I would not have minded seeing them mix it up a little bit more. It was pretty predictable at times last Saturday.

[Jacksondevildog]

Let me say that I don't think what we're doing is bad... It worked really well 90% of the time this year. We absolutely killed teams offensively. Every once in a while you're going to get beat. You just tip your cap and move on. Dak will continue to improve as a passer, and our offense will get continue better and better as a result. That's really the key to our offense getting better. I like how we're built on both sides of the ball for this league though. The one thing I worry about are the hits Dak takes every Saturday in the SEC.

Our offense has to be more creative against elite defenses that are winning the line of scrimmage. You don't just line up and run a lead up the middle into a wall of defenders and hope for the best. There was no diamond formation that we wanted. We only ran a few options. No jet sweeps. No 2 back sets to show multiple looks. We didn't get our tight end involved. We decided that Precott was Bo Jackson and he could get six yards up the middle when everyone in the northern hemisphere knew what was coming. The fact that we did this and thought we could do that is very concerning as a fan.

[maroonmania]

We stood a much better chance of beating Ole Miss and Bama this year had we thrown the ball more.

No doubt that just ramming Dak up the middle over and over is not the best play against stout physical run defenses. OM had been somewhat vulnerable to the inside run most of the year but they were NOT going to let that beat them this past Saturday. They actually played to give up more around the edges knowing our tendency to want to run between the tackles. And YES, no matter what anyone says we still need to upgrade the quality of our OL. A lot of our no name OL have great stories but you need more raw talent and ability that what we have to produce good offensive numbers when meeting up against the top defenses in college football.

[cheewgumm]

We definitely seemed predictable to ole miss u.

[HancockCountyDog]

Anyone that has watched us closely all year, saw the same thing Saturday that we have done all year. The only difference is that the bears have a solid defense. We ran the ball all year on 3rd and 5, the only difference is that we got it with ease most of the time.

WHen we can't run the ball consistently, there is a problem for us offensively.

[Coach34]

Best offense in school history that just finished 9th in the country in Total O and 17th in Scoring O- but people want to change?

That's a joke right?

[DudyDawg]

Best offense in school history that just finished 9th in the country in Total O and 17th in Scoring O- but people want to change?

That's a joke right?

17 and 20 in our losses. Predictable calls in those games. Too conservative. No one wants to revamp it. Just make some small changes. Don't know what you're freaking out about. The offense wasn't good enough in those two games

[Jacksondevildog]

I don't think anyone wants change with the coaches. I think people want a change in play calling creativity in big games. As productive as we were on offense this year, I feel that we were tougher to guard during Mullen's first two years as our coach. We ran the quarterback effectively, regardless of down and distance, and we had a midget on offense the first year with Ralph backing up. We held nothing back. We were limited in the skill position, but you felt that we could go get that tough 3 yards against Bama because of scheme. Now, if it's short yardage and it's a good defense, we almost have to pass the ball to move the chains because Prescott just runs up and falls against the back of our offensive linemen going backwards. I understand that Prescott ran for nearly 1000 yards, but a lot of those yards were against poor defensive teams. The two biggest games in our history had our play calling suck ass and we couldn't run our quarterback.

[cheewgumm]

I don't want a change in philosophy, but playcalling should be questioned in our 2 losses. Seems like Ole Mis sU was waiting on "Dak up the middle".

[cheewgumm]

and I agree...hard to argue with the results. I'm not saying "Lets change the offense". I'm saying we got a lot of good WRs next year.

[dawgs]

We ran Dak on 3rd/4th and less than 5 every single time we were in those situations the entire season. Bama and OM caught on and would stuff it nearly every time.

This. We have the least creative 3rd/4th and less than 4-5 to go of any good team in the country. Even the best teams can be shut down when the play calling becomes that predictable.

[Sacrifice]

I think we'll be more efficient passing next season. Dak started improving on his ball placement on his deep throws towards the end of the season. The deep pass to F Ross and the long TD pass to Bear during the Egg Bowl was some of the best deep passes he's thrown all season.

[dawgs]

Nothing wrong with using the pass to open up the run when you are facing a front 7 capable of stuffing the run when they know it's coming.

[ShotgunDawg]

I think this is a two part answer:

1. Mullen absolutely :odoesn't need to change to offense because there are only about 5 teams in the entire country that can stop it. This offense gives us an excellent chance of winning at least 8 games per year.

2. Mullen absolutely needs to develop a scheme, counter, and alternative plan for when we encounter those 5 teams, and they succeed at stopping what we do best. This gameplan/ strategy needs to be non conservative and ultra aggressive, so that it puts those 5 teamson their heels. This gameplan needs to be practiced every week, but never shown in a game until we play one of those 5 teams. Mullen can't be stubborn here. Must adapt

[Coach34]

I don't want a change in philosophy, but playcalling should be questioned in our 2 losses. Seems like Ole Mis sU was waiting on "Dak up the middle".

The playcalling was awful in the 1st half. Our playcaller isnt going to change. Nothing wrong with the offense- just how it was being called. We ran the ball alot better in the 2nd half because we stopped running the zone play and started going North-South. It's not that we ran- its how we were running

[HancockCountyDog]

The playcalling was awful in the 1st half. Our playcaller isnt going to change. Nothing wrong with the offense- just how it was being called. We ran the ball alot better in the 2nd half because we stopped running the zone play and started going North-South. It's not that we ran- its how we were running

I also thought our run game was better when we started passing on first down. If Im not mistaken, Bear's TD reception was on first down. Ross' big catch was on first down. They were loading the box and daring us to pass on first down. We finally went after them in the 2nd half.

[GTHOM]

Our offense has to be more creative against elite defenses that are winning the line of scrimmage. You don't just line up and run a lead up the middle into a wall of defenders and hope for the best. There was no diamond formation that we wanted. We only ran a few options. No jet sweeps. No 2 back sets to show multiple looks. We didn't get our tight end involved. We decided that Precott was Bo Jackson and he could get six yards up the middle when everyone in the northern hemisphere knew what was coming. The fact that we did this and thought we could do that is very concerning as a fan.

Yep. Ive said for years we need to go back to the boobie dixon offense, in 09. But nope. The ''innovator of the spread'' doesnt like it

[GTHOM]

I dont have any confidence that mullen will change anything. I hope he does. With the way TSUN played us on saturday the way to beat them was by throwing it deep, we did it twice. It worked both times. He did not adjust and never has. But all that said, people talk about balance in this offense and Mullen acts like balance is calling 50 percent run and 50 percent pass, to me having balance is being able to throw it when they take away the run, or vice versa. Mullen struggles with this. Dak has shown he has a cannon for an arm and is a much better passer than he is being given credit for. I would be perfectly fine with more passing especially with our WR group. We should be a spread option offense, not a run dak up the middle offense. More of the Boobie Dixon 09 running game and stretching the defense. Its not hard

[CadaverDawg]

Our offense has to be more creative against elite defenses that are winning the line of scrimmage. You don't just line up and run a lead up the middle into a wall of defenders and hope for the best. There was no diamond formation that we wanted. We only ran a few options. No jet sweeps. No 2 back sets to show multiple looks. We didn't get our tight end involved. We decided that Precott was Bo Jackson and he could get six yards up the middle when everyone in the northern hemisphere knew what was coming. The fact that we did this and thought we could do that is very concerning as a fan.

^Gets it^

[CadaverDawg]

You can't just say "well we had great stats, so we don't need to change anything". That is a loser mentality. Unless we won every game of the season, that strategy is incorrect unless you never dream of us getting to the promised land. As Shitgun said, yes we were able to run Dak up the gut against most teams on our schedule....but we have to find a way to move the ball against good defenses too. Mullen blew it on Saturday. He had tons of opportunities to call plays to try and WIN the game, but instead he chose the conservative route and played not to lose.

I said it before the game, and I'll say it again, you have to play to win and let it all hang out if you're going to win the SEC West. We didn't do it. Instead, we shrunk up like a turtle in it's shell and got conservative hoping to stay close and have a chance at the end. That's weak shit. You have to take it if you want it. Could Dak have thrown 5 picks and us lost by 30? Maybe. But you have to let your Heisman candidate lead you to victory, and it wasn't going to happen by plunging him up the middle for 1 yard on 3rd and 5 a hundred times. Mullen choked with his play calling. He was scared that Dak would turn it over, so he got scared and avoided the risks. He choked.

We had a ton on the line, and Dan tightened up. It's hard to play a team on the road that has nothing to lose and can risk it all because they aren't expected to win...I get it. But the only way to counter that is to match that level of intensity, and capitalize on their risks. Instead we played conservative on both sides of the ball and it cost us both offensively AND defensively. We had no aggression on either side.

[Dawg61]

Mullen coached vs Bama and Ole Miss like he had Relf still at QB. He played ultra conservative AGAIN in a big game. I never want to see this game plan again. Ever.

[Dawg61]

You can't just say "well we had great stats, so we don't need to change anything". That is a loser mentality. Unless we won every game of the season, that strategy is incorrect unless you never dream of us getting to the promised land. As Shitgun said, yes we were able to run Dak up the gut against most teams on our schedule....but we have to find a way to move the ball against good defenses too. Mullen blew it on Saturday. He had tons of opportunities to call plays to try and WIN the game, but instead he chose the conservative route and played not to lose.

I said it before the game, and I'll say it again, you have to play to win and let it all hang out if you're going to win the SEC West. We didn't do it. Instead, we shrunk up like a turtle in it's shell and got conservative hoping to stay close and have a chance at the end. That's weak shit. You have to take it if you want it. Could Dak have thrown 5 picks and us lost by 30? Maybe. But you have to let your Heisman candidate lead you to victory, and it wasn't going to happen by plunging him up the middle for 1 yard on 3rd and 5 a hundred times. Mullen choked with his play calling. He was scared that Dak would turn it over, so he got scared and avoided the risks.

Fvcking ridiculous that after year SIX we are still screaming for Mullen to stop doing this shit. Same thing he did last year vs Auburn in the 2nd half and we LOST. Only vs Bama and Ole Miss he does it the entire game. At what point ever has this been successful for us? Vs Florida one time and they had to miss a FG at the end.

[CadaverDawg]

Mullen coached vs Bama and Ole Miss like he had Relf still at QB. He played ultra conservative AGAIN in a big game. I never want to see this game plan again. Ever.

I agree somewhat, however we had so much more North/South to our run game when Relf was here. It seems like all of our run plays take FOREVER to develop and that plays right into OM and Bama's speed on defense. Even on Dak's QB runs, he slowly eased up to the line of scrimmage and had no forward momentum, and then he runs straight up to add to it, so it's hard to get 1 or 2 yards, much less FIVE on 3rd down. I just feel like our whole team and our whole coaching staff got tight and turned soft in the last few weeks when the pressure was on. We melted under pressure, and Mullen and Collins were the ring leaders.

[GTHOM]

I agree somewhat, however we had so much more North/South to our run game when Relf was here. It seems like all of our run plays take FOREVER to develop and that plays right into OM and Bama's speed on defense. Even on Dak's QB runs, he slowly eased up to the line of scrimmage and had no forward momentum, and then he runs straight up to add to it, so it's hard to get 1 or 2 yards, much less FIVE on 3rd down. I just feel like our whole team and our whole coaching staff got tight and turned soft in the last few weeks when the pressure was on. We melted under pressure, and Mullen and Collins were the ring leaders.

its hard for me to believe a guy who preaches juice and getting tackles in the backfield calls cover 2 all 2nd half and doesnt blitz....i think mullen tells him what to do....and on Relf. Yes i miss the power plays and blast plays, read option with a lead blocker. bring it back. we didnt use it this year. no diamond, no split backs. read option and half the time telling dak to give it no matter what because we were scared to get him hurt. idiotic.

[ShotgunDawg]

You can't just say "well we had great stats, so we don't need to change anything". That is a loser mentality. Unless we won every game of the season, that strategy is incorrect unless you never dream of us getting to the promised land. As Shitgun said, yes we were able to run Dak up the gut against most teams on our schedule....but we have to find a way to move the ball against good defenses too. Mullen blew it on Saturday. He had tons of opportunities to call plays to try and WIN the game, but instead he chose the conservative route and played not to lose.

I love my new name

[CadaverDawg]

I love my new name

Haha, I didn't mean to do that.....but it's funny so it may have to stick.