Does Mullen get more creative this year on Offense?

[Coach34]

If I'm the OC- and I look at this team this season- here is what I see:

DeRunnya Wilson- a stud WR that needs touches- plays physical so rarely will CB's walk up on him
Fred Ross- another very good WR that needs touches from the slot
Fred Brown- Speed to stretch defenses vertically
Donald Gray- speedy WR
Dear/Mixon- one plays- one will RS most likely. Can make some plays in the slot
Morrow/Myles- solid players that will play alot

Shump, Lee, Williams- all the RB's have really good hands

Dakota Prescott- one of the nation's top 3 QB's

OT's- Rufus Warren and Justin Senior- probably the most athletic OT Combo we have had under Mullen

Sooooooo- what, as the OC, can I add to the offense to make this machine run as well as it can? I'm going to add alot of screens. Here's why:

Screens slow down pass rushers- by making them more tentative, this helps your new OL guys as they gain experience of being every down players
Screens are shorter throws to get the ball to your playmakers- Wilson and Ross
Quickscreens make CB's and Safeties have to play up more- this plays into making it easier to get the ball to Wilson and Brown over the top
Quickscreens get the ball out of Prescott's hands quicker- lessening the chance of him getting hit.

Bubble screen with Ross, Myles, Dear/Mixon to get behind Wilson who is a physical, blocking machine
Jailbreak screen with Wilson
Middle screens and throwback screens to the RB's and Walley
Screen fakes to throw deep with Brown and also freeze LB's- which allow throwing lanes underneath the Safeties

Playmakers at QB and WR + Athletic OT's= run some damn screens

[BulldogBear]

More rollouts. Get DP moving so the defenses HAVE to be afraid he will run on more plays even if he actually runs less. I feel this is something we've never fully exploited.

[Coach34]

More rollouts. Get DP moving so the defenses HAVE to be afraid he will run on more plays even if he actually runs less. I feel this is something we've never fully exploited.

I'm with Mullen- why Rollout? It cuts down how much field you have to work with. It also makes coverage easier for the Secondary- they roll to the rollout side and jump routes. Modern football is about spreading and using the entire field. Rollouts were more effective when defenses aligned in a straight 5-2 or 4-3 with the SS standing the box with them. Dont see that anymore

[CadaverDawg]

I'm with Mullen- why Rollout? It cuts down how much field you have to work with. It also makes coverage easier for the Secondary- they roll to the rollout side and jump routes. Modern football is about spreading and using the entire field. Rollouts were more effective when defenses aligned in a straight 5-2 or 4-3 with the SS standing the box with them. Dont see that anymore

I agree, less rollouts=more options. I also love the screens idea, Coach. I also will state the obvious, and say that I want to see more downhill running on the read option due to our RB personnel. Get good push from our line, and get Shump and Dak running downhill together, we will be hard to stop. In other words, don't get too greedy if we can pick up 3-4 yds per run right up the gut. It may not be flashy, but once teams get more in the box, it's open season for our stud QB and WR's to make hay. Plus it wears defenses down.

[Leroy Jenkins]

I agree, less rollouts=more options. I also love the screens idea, Coach. I also will state the obvious, and say that I want to see more downhill running on the read option due to our RB personnel. Get good push from our line, and get Shump and Dak running downhill together, we will be hard to stop. In other words, don't get too greedy if we can pick up 3-4 yds per run right up the gut. It may not be flashy, but once teams get more in the box, it's open season for our stud QB and WR's to make hay. Plus it wears defenses down.

I dont know if our OL has been a "push" type group under Mullen (except Gabe Jackson). Its more about making creases with angles and leverage. Our OL play is more about occupying a defender until the ball carrier gets by than it is about pushing the LOS back. I also think this style lets us get by with "lesser" talent on the OL. Just my thoughts.

[RiverCityDawg]

I'm with Mullen- why Rollout? It cuts down how much field you have to work with. It also makes coverage easier for the Secondary- they roll to the rollout side and jump routes. Modern football is about spreading and using the entire field. Rollouts were more effective when defenses aligned in a straight 5-2 or 4-3 with the SS standing the box with them. Dont see that anymore

I agree. Plus, I've heard the coaches say (and my eyes confirm) that Dak is more accurate in the pocket when he can set his feet. Now If the pocket/play breaks down, by all means, roll out keep eyes downfield and find a receiver, run if there's space or throw it away of not. But as a matter of strategy I don't like the roll out in our offense outside of the occasional play action stuff at the goal line.

[CadaverDawg]

I dont know if our OL has been a "push" type group under Mullen (except Gabe Jackson). Its more about making creases with angles and leverage. Our OL play is more about occupying a defender until the ball carrier gets by than it is about pushing the LOS back. I also think this style lets us get by with "lesser" talent on the OL. Just my thoughts.

I agree to an extent, but with this group of RB's, and a power running QB, SOME push is crucial. Plus, we ran with great downhill push when Relf was QB. That's more of what I was meaning. But you're right.

[gravedigger]

I completely agree with your reasoning. But every time I hear mullen talk its about the qb's maturity depending on going through progressions and it makes me believe he wants dak to stay in the pocket.

I hope im wrong and that really isnt a priority. If we were to focus on getting the ball to the outside more efficiently as a priority, dak would have a better success standing in the pocket when necessary.

[Coach34]

I dont know if our OL has been a "push" type group under Mullen (except Gabe Jackson). Its more about making creases with angles and leverage. Our OL play is more about occupying a defender until the ball carrier gets by than it is about pushing the LOS back. I also think this style lets us get by with "lesser" talent on the OL. Just my thoughts.

Its because we are a "zone blocking" team. We dont have a "power" philosophy. Its also why we have problems with Bama and Ole Missus last year. Bama's 3 DL guys are space-eaters- they arent worried that much about cut off as they are holding their position. Ole Missus has a quick, slanting front that makes cutting them off tougher. Ole Missus struggles with power blocking teams like LSU, UPig, Bama, etc.

[Dawgface]

More rollouts. Get DP moving so the defenses HAVE to be afraid he will run on more plays even if he actually runs less. I feel this is something we've never fully exploited.

I agree. I like the pass/run option it gives you with Prescott. I'm not talking about 8-10 a game, but 2-3. Wouldn't roll outs also take some heat off a young OL?

[Coach34]

I agree to an extent, but with this group of RB's, and a power running QB, SOME push is crucial. Plus, we ran with great downhill push when Relf was QB. That's more of what I was meaning. But you're right.

We ran less Zone stretch with Ralph. Ran a ton of it with Russell.

[5 Star]

Worked for Ole Miss (Cpt. Bubble Screen and all).

I disagree on roll-outs, but with one caveat - I think they should be at Dak's discretion, and not called by Mullen. So, I guess I agree with you that we shouldn't call them, but I disagree that they shouldn't be used. Dak has had a problem seeing some wide open receivers from the pocket in the past, but from the roll-out, it seems he always finds them. But Mullen's offense is weird, it's all seams and angles, so roll-outs don't really play in. Dak does it all above-average, but he isn't elite in any category.

Dak is a tweener QB in that regard. Omarr Conner should have been rolling out every play, Dak needs to be about 50/50 or 30/70 roll-out/pocket.

[SallyStansbury]

Good post, Mullen needs to study your above post about opening up to beat the Bama an Olemiss D's. Once his initial strategy doesn't work, he becomes more conservative and you see more Dak up the middle, etc....I miss Gabe Jackson and his ability to plow people. Have your boy HEV pick up 2-3 like that. Seems we are developing what we have well enough, but more talent couldn't hurt on the Oline.

[Coach34]

..I miss Gabe Jackson and his ability to plow people. Have your boy HEV pick up 2-3 like that. Seems we are developing what we have well enough, but more talent couldn't hurt on the Oline.

We already have in Jenkins and Calhoun

[MetEdDawg]

Only time I want to see us rollout is on those quick curls/outs we like to do. We do that a lot when we want a quick 4-7 yards and have been pretty successful at it. But we have tons of weapons at WR. Why cut off half the field? Let guys run intermediate and deep routes, make DBs work in space on both sides of the field, and let our talent beat their talent.

To me I think what we need to see is more up tempo play calling mid drive. We did it a few times last year and it always seemed to work well. We are good at eating clock, but it's damn tough to stop us when we get rolling down hill at a fast tempo. Convert a couple 1st downs, then wear that ass out with up tempo no huddle. We will do a good mix of both, but I love it when we shock the hell out of someone by going up temp after some methodical play calling.

I also want to see us execute with our speed guys better. Our biggest weakness on offense is utilizing our speed in space. We've got solid RBs, Mixon, Dear, Holloway and WRs that can make plays with their speed. We've got to do a better job of setting up screens, speed sweeps, and flairs with our speed guys. We try and out speed teams but it always seemed like something went wrong. Timing, OL not executing, and not getting an edge block. We saw what our offense can be when we hit big plays. We need more of those from our speed guys. That will help add a little bit of a shock dimension to our offense.

[Sacrifice]

I would love to see us hit more vertical shots down field. I thought we had some chances last season, we just missed them. Also when opposing defenses key on stopping Dak between the tackles like Bama and OM did. I'd like to see Mullen make adjustments before the end of the 3rd quarter.

[MSUDawg4Life]

I don't know if I would consider screens to be "more creative". Actually, I don't think we need more creativity at all.

Last year, we had the best offense in the conference - at Mississippi State. Think about that. This is a conference that includes Steve Spurrier and Kevin Sumlin who many knowledgeable people consider to be offensive geniuses.

We don't need more "creativity". What we need to do is to execute the offense we have at a higher level. I think speeding up the offense is a good idea on Mullen's part. All we really need to do from that point is to execute on a high level. Crisp blocking. Great route running. Sure catches. Hard and explosive runs. Accurate passes. Minimize mistakes. Those are the things we need.

Instead of trying to get fancy, if we could just perfect the fundamentals of the offense we have we will again be the best offense in this conference and among the best in the country.

[PSYCHO(thesis)DEFENSE]

I'm expecting Clayborn to get more movement against the likes of UA & UM than Day gave us. At least not get put on skates. IDK if Desper has as much power as Beckwith but he is definitely more athletic.

[starkvegasdawg]

I like the roll outs mainly in short yardage scenarios like a 3rd and 5. Roll him out to the wide side of the field in a run/pass option and take what the defense gives you. Might also set up a trick play where you quickly break a speed guy back the opposite direction on a reverse.

[ShotgunDawg]

Good post, Mullen needs to study your above post about opening up to beat the Bama an Olemiss D's.

Really?

I agree that Coach knows what he's talking about, but, if Mullen has to read a message board for this knowledge, then he should fire every assistant coach we have. Pretty sure Mullen understands this and is doing all he can to correct it.

[Dawg61]

If you call a bunch of screens it becomes less creative not more.

[Coach34]

If you call a bunch of screens it becomes less creative not more.

So calling 3-4-5 screens per game to add to your offense is less creative? Wow- who knew?

[Ifyouonlyknew]

I change very little. We had the 3rd best offense in SEC history. Don't change much just become more proficient in what we do. Of course add a few wrinkles that's what good coaches do but we shouldn't be trying to reinvent the wheel.

[Dawg61]

So calling 3-4-5 screens per game to add to your offense is less creative? Wow- who knew?

We already call 3-4-5 screens per game and you never said that few until now

[MSUDawg4Life]

I change very little. We had the 3rd best offense in SEC history. Don't change much just become more proficient in what we do. Of course add a few wrinkles that's what good coaches do but we shouldn't be trying to reinvent the wheel.

Thank you, Dan.

My sentiments exactly.

[Coach34]

We already call 3-4-5 screens per game and you never said that few until now

no we did not. We called 1 every couple of games. And I apologize, I just assumed everyone understood I wasnt asking for 12 screens per game

[Coach34]

I change very little. We had the 3rd best offense in SEC history. Don't change much just become more proficient in what we do. Of course add a few wrinkles that's what good coaches do but we shouldn't be trying to reinvent the wheel.

Our offense struggled quite a bit in the two biggest games of the season. We're not quite there yet

[IMissJack]

no we did not. We called 1 every couple of games. And I apologize, I just assumed everyone understood I wasnt asking for 12 screens per game

The screens were very effective with Perkins, then we seemed to not use them as much his last year, and haven't as much since.

[Ifyouonlyknew]

Our offense struggled quite a bit in the two biggest games of the season. We're not quite there yet

We still had over 400yds in both those games. We didn't take advantage of opportunities in those games. We werent as efficient those games But we had chances esp against Bama.

[DancingRabbit]

I change very little. We had the 3rd best offense in SEC history. Don't change much just become more proficient in what we do. Of course add a few wrinkles that's what good coaches do but we shouldn't be trying to reinvent the wheel.

Can't really argue with this. One of my votes for wrinkles would be more and different run/pass option plays. Of course try to mix things up enough to keep defense off balance. Last year it seemed like we were a bit more predictable after the Auburn game. Part of that was probably better scouting by our opponents. Even in the Auburn game they were ready for the back shoulder pass.

Pushing the tempo should help too and it sounds like that is the plan. Bear was talking about it and calling it the NASCAR offense. BTW, he said he was now at 235 but would be down to 230 by the end of camp. Hopefully he hasn't lost a step, but it should help him be even more physical going for the ball and blocking.

[MSUDawg4Life]

We still had over 400yds in both those games. We didn't take advantage of opportunities in those games. We werent as efficient those games But we had chances esp against Bama.

Right again. The thing that would have made a difference in those games was better execution not more screens.

[Coach34]

Right again. The thing that would have made a difference in those games was better execution not more screens.

Or maybe if we had used some quick screens to get ourselves 5-6-7-8 yards on 1st down- we wouldnt have been in long situations all day and throwing interceptions???

[FlabLoser]

Bama game - it took a quarter and a half or so for the team to settle down.

Egg Bowl - our D gave up too many big plays. They hit Ingram deep every time they wanted and the 90 yard TD run was ridiculous. D laid an egg. At times, Dak was rattled and felt pressure before it was there. But I mostly blame the D.

If I could choose just one side of the ball to improve over last year, it would be defense.

[MSUDawg4Life]

Nama game - it took a quarter and a half or so for the team to settle down.

Egg Bowl - our D gave up too many big plays. They hit Ingram deep every time they wanted and the 90 yard TD run was ridiculous. D laid an egg. At times, Dak was rattled and felt pressure before it was there. But I mostly blame the D.

If I could choose just one side of the ball to improve over last year, it would be defense.

Now, there's an idea!

[Coach34]

Defense cost us vs OM- but so did our offense's sluggish beginning:



1st and 10 at MSST 9
Dak Prescott (http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/512030/dak-prescott) run for 3 yds to the MisSt 12
0
0


2nd and 7 at MSST 12
Josh Robinson (http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/512032/josh-robinson) run for a loss of 1 yard to the MisSt 11




3rd and 8 at MSST 11
Dak Prescott (http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/512030/dak-prescott) pass complete to De'Runnya Wilson (http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/546621/de'runnya-wilson) for 14 yds to the MisSt 25 for a 1ST down




1st and 10 at MSST 25
Josh Robinson (http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/512032/josh-robinson) run for 3 yds to the MisSt 28




2nd and 7 at MSST 28
Dak Prescott (http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/512030/dak-prescott) pass complete to Josh Robinson (http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/512032/josh-robinson) for 4 yds to the MisSt 32




3rd and 3 at MSST 32
Dak Prescott (http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/512030/dak-prescott) run for no gain to the MisSt 32




4th and 3 at MSST 32
Devon Bell (http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/531334/devon-bell) punt for 41 yds, fair catch by Markell Pack at the Miss 27

[Coach34]

1st and 10 at MSST 20
Dak Prescott (http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/512030/dak-prescott) pass incomplete
0
0


2nd and 10 at MSST 20
Ashton Shumpert (http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/546611/ashton-shumpert) run for a loss of 1 yard to the MisSt 19




3rd and 11 at MSST 19
Dak Prescott (http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/512030/dak-prescott) sacked by Marquis Haynes (http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/559639/marquis-haynes) for a loss of 6 yards to the MisSt 13




4th and 17 at MSST 13
Devon Bell (http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/531334/devon-bell) punt for 54 yds , Markell Pack (http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/3128741/markell-pack) returns for 20 yds to the MisSt 47 Markell Pack (http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/3128741/markell-pack) fumbled, forced by A.J. Jefferson, recovered by Miss Markell Pack (http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/3128741/markell-pack)

[Coach34]

1st and 10 at MSST 20
Holloway, Brandon rush for no gain to the MISSSTATE20, PENALTY OLEMISS personal foul (Lewis, Keith) 15 yards to the MISSSTATE35, NO PLAY, 1ST DOWN MISSSTATE. for a 1ST down
3
7


1st and 10 at MSST 35
Dak Prescott (http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/512030/dak-prescott) run for 6 yds to the MisSt 41




2nd and 4 at MSST 41
Brandon Holloway (http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/531356/brandon-holloway) run for 3 yds to the MisSt 44




3rd and 1 at MSST 44
Dak Prescott (http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/512030/dak-prescott) run for 8 yds to the Miss 48 for a 1ST down




1st and 10 at MISS 48
Dak Prescott (http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/512030/dak-prescott) run for 2 yds to the Miss 46




2nd and 8 at MISS 46
Dak Prescott (http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/512030/dak-prescott) run for a loss of 1 yard to the Miss 47




3rd and 9 at MISS 47
Dak Prescott (http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/512030/dak-prescott) run for 1 yd to the Miss 46




4th and 8 at MISS 46
Devon Bell (http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/531334/devon-bell) punt for 30 yds, fair catch by Markell Pack at the Miss 16

[Coach34]

1st and 10 at MSST 38
Dak Prescott (http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/512030/dak-prescott) pass incomplete
3
7


2nd and 10 at MSST 38
Dak Prescott (http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/512030/dak-prescott) pass incomplete to Fred Brown (http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/531357/fred-brown)




3rd and 10 at MSST 38
Dak Prescott (http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/512030/dak-prescott) pass complete to De'Runnya Wilson (http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/546621/de'runnya-wilson) for 20 yds to the Miss 42 for a 1ST down




1st and 10 at MISS 42
Ashton Shumpert (http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/546611/ashton-shumpert) run for 1 yd to the Miss 41




2nd and 9 at MISS 41
Dak Prescott (http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/512030/dak-prescott) run for 3 yds to the Miss 38




3rd and 6 at MISS 38
Dak Prescott (http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/512030/dak-prescott) pass complete to De'Runnya Wilson (http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/546621/de'runnya-wilson) for 3 yds to the Miss 35





Timeout OLE MISS, clock 05:01




4th and 3 at MISS 35
Dak Prescott (http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/512030/dak-prescott) run for no gain to the Miss 35

[Coach34]

1st and 10 at MSST 12
Josh Robinson (http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/512032/josh-robinson) run for no gain to the MisSt 12
3
7


2nd and 10 at MSST 12
Josh Robinson (http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/512032/josh-robinson) run for 6 yds to the MisSt 18




3rd and 4 at MSST 18
Dak Prescott (http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/512030/dak-prescott) run for 2 yds to the MisSt 20




4th and 2 at MSST 20
Devon Bell (http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/531334/devon-bell) punt for 42 yds, fair catch by Markell Pack at the Miss 38

[Coach34]

We got a FG on our 3rd drive- those were our other 5 drives of the 1st half. Dont ****ing tell me we didnt need to do a little something different

[FlabLoser]

Im going to give OM's defense some credit for that. They also tackled real well. They hit low and wrapped up low.

[Billy Ray Valentine]

Really?

I agree that Coach knows what he's talking about, but, if Mullen has to read a message board for this knowledge, then he should fire every assistant coach we have. Pretty sure Mullen understands this and is doing all he can to correct it.
What? You mean Mullen doesn't pull up Elitedawgs and put in on the screen for gameplanning pregame. Damn!

[Dawg61]

We got a FG on our 3rd drive- those were our other 5 drives of the 1st half. Dont ****ing tell me we didnt need to do a little something different

This is just another example of Mullen shitting the bed in must win games.

[MSUDawg4Life]

This is just another example of Mullen shitting the bed in must win games.

Nah, this is what happens when you play teams with strong defenses and armchair coaches need something to do.

[Dawg61]

Nah, this is what happens when you play teams with strong defenses and armchair coaches need something to do.

You can call it whatever you like but Mullen's record vs ranked opponents is still something like 5-30. Maybe worse.

[Dawgcentral]

"shitting the bed" isn't exactly how I'd describe Mullen's actions during big games. Offensively he showed last year that we have the potential to be the best team in the nation at times. Finishing the job, in our particular circumstances in the SEC West, can take a little longer than 5 years.

It's a damn tough hill to climb. And we're showing progress.

[Coach34]

Mullen had a terrible gameplan vs Bama and Ole Missus to begin both games. Way too damn much sideways running.

He made really good adjustments in both games- but after wasting 2 Q's- left a huge mountain to climb in both.

[Coach34]

Nah, this is what happens when you play teams with strong defenses and armchair coaches need something to do.

1) Some of us have designed offenses and called plays- so we know wtf we are talking about.
2) Malzahn put 44 on Bama and 35 Ole Missus...Ohio State put 42 on Bama...TCU put 42 on Ole Missus

[MSUDawg4Life]

1) Some of us have designed offenses and called plays- so we know wtf we are talking about.
2) Malzahn put 44 on Bama and 35 Ole Missus...Ohio State put 42 on Bama...TCU put 42 on Ole Missus

1) Mullen's currently getting paid $4 million to design an offense. You're not.
2) The offense Mullen runs won two national championships at Florida, one at Ohio State and helped freakin' UTAH win a game against Bama in a bowl game. I'm quite certain Dan Mullen knows MUCH MORE about designing offenses than you do.

Grab your most comfortable chair and sit all the way down.

[Ifyouonlyknew]

Mullen had a terrible gameplan vs Bama and Ole Missus to begin both games. Way too damn much sideways running.

He made really good adjustments in both games- but after wasting 2 Q's- left a huge mountain to climb in both.

The Egg Bowl was 7-3 at half & we lead 10-7 with 9min left in the 3rd.

[I seen it dawg]

Shit. The. Bed. To start both games.

[Coach34]

The Egg Bowl was 7-3 at half .

Exactly- 3 points in 6 drives

[Ifyouonlyknew]

Exactly- 3 points in 6 drives

Just saying we didn't have a huge mountain to climb & had a lead mid way thru the 3rd.

[Coach34]

1) Mullen's currently getting paid $4 million to design an offense. You're not.
2) The offense Mullen runs won two national championships at Florida, one at Ohio State and helped freakin' UTAH win a game against Bama in a bowl game. I'm quite certain Dan Mullen knows MUCH MORE about designing offenses than you do.

1. I gave you a 2 week time-out. Hopefully upon your return, you will have realized a message board is for talking sports and discussing everything about them. This is not Jean's Page where the Coach is always right and has never done wrong.

2. Yes- Mullen makes $4 million to design our offense. And he didnt earn it in the 1st halves of either game. Very poor showings.

3. Yes, Mullen does know football than me- how much? We dont know. But I have had college coaches ask me about MY offense- so they apparently saw something I did that was pretty damn good.

4. If you gave me Tebow, The Pouncey brothers, Rainey, Demps, Harvin, Louis Murphy, Aaron Hernandez, Riley Cooper, and Deonte Thompson- my offense would have been in the top 10 in the country also.

5. Remind me how well Mullen has done against the top defenses at State? I sure remember alot of 14 and unders against them the 5 years before Dakota

[War Machine Dawg]

I dont know if our OL has been a "push" type group under Mullen (except Gabe Jackson). Its more about making creases with angles and leverage. Our OL play is more about occupying a defender until the ball carrier gets by than it is about pushing the LOS back. I also think this style lets us get by with "lesser" talent on the OL. Just my thoughts.

This man knows what the hell he's talking about. We're a zone blocking OL. We aren't trying to blow guys off the LOS and drive them back into the LBs.

[Todd4State]

As far as the rollout passes, I don't think we should use that a lot but I also think it has its place. I think a rollout pass is a pretty good call in the red zone when the field shrinks and it just naturally gets packed in. Now, I wouldn't call a lot of rollout passes either- like maybe two a game. And that's just to give the defense another look.

I do agree about throwing more screens. I think that's where not having Jameon may have hurt us some last year. Not having our slot WR healthy for most of the year actually probably limited us somewhat- which is kind of scary when you think about the numbers we put up anyway.

I think our offensive line will be more athletic this year with Desper instead of Beckwith and Warren at LT. What that translates into as far as the running game, I don't know- but when Desper started against Texas A&M it looked to me like we pulled him a lot in both the passing and running game. So, maybe we see more counters? We have totally different running backs too- you have the three real physical guys in Shumpert, Lee, and Williams whereas last year we had Robinson who was more an outside get to the corner guy, Shumpert as the physical guy, and Griffin as the grinder who was limited by past injuries. So, I like the skill set that we have this year coming in better personally. Especially if you add in Dear. Dak was basically our inside power runner for the most part except when Shumpert was in- and I think that caused him to get beat up a little bit. But with the guys that we have now, he almost becomes more of the outside runner- which may mean more option.

We'll have to see how it all plays out. I do think we will throw the ball more because of the WR's we have.

[Mutt the Hoople]

How can he get creative with a bunch of athletes who needed tutors, untimed tests, and prayer chains to get an 18 on their ACT?

My oldest daughter got a 29. One of my other kids only got a 22...but she was in 7th grade. And neither one of these young ladies is intellectually brilliant.

The whole point is (besides me bragging on my kids) is that it's hard to be creative and innovative with players who aren't all that bright.

[Todd4State]

How can he get creative with a bunch of athletes who needed tutors, untimed tests, and prayer chains to get an 18 on their ACT?

My oldest daughter got a 29. One of my other kids only got a 22...but she was in 7th grade. And neither one of these young ladies is intellectually brilliant.

The whole point is (besides me bragging on my kids) is that it's hard to be creative and innovative with players who aren't all that bright.



It's OK to be proud of your daughter- and you should be. But no need to run down our football players in the process.

They haven't had any trouble picking up what Dan has asked them to do so far.

[Dawg61]

1. I gave you a 2 week time-out. Hopefully upon your return, you will have realized a message board is for talking sports and discussing everything about them. This is not Jean's Page where the Coach is always right and has never done wrong.


Haha guy disagrees once C34 kills him

[Coach34]

Haha guy disagrees once C34 kills him

No- he wanted to be a smartass and be personal instead of bolstering his arguments with stats and facts. This ain't Jean's page where the Coach is always right. Facts are that Mullen's offenses have been kicked in the teeth by good defenses. We need a little "something else" to get over the hump. Malzahn made a DB a QB and scored 44 on Bama and 35 on Ole Missus. He didn't just say "shit, they are good on defense"

[War Machine Dawg]

It's OK to be proud of your daughter- and you should be. But no need to run down our football players in the process.

They haven't had any trouble picking up what Dan has asked them to do so far.

Someone missed Mutt's usual satire schtick.

[SallyStansbury]

I think C34 is correct.

IfYouOnlyKnew deserves all the credit and support for what he has done for MSU, but he is not beyond question.

To choke down the offense so blatantly vs Olemiss and Bama is alarming. But those coaches deserve credit for gameplanning for IfYouOnlyKnew's tendencies and stubbornness. Ask Bucky what it is like to be shut down effectively almost 100% by TCU or Ohio State to get destroyed by a well coached but athletically inferior Viginia Tech team. Shit happens. The subject of this thread is legit. Another fear of mine is that IfYouOnlyKnew has his hands all over our defense. I have no way to know this and I hope Diaz gets full control, but history suggests this will not be the case. If we see two ass kicking corners (ours) playing 10 yards off the LSU receivers and Jones and James "eat space" and not get after the QB we will know that Diaz had to kneel down and kiss the ring, and we will see more of the same.

I like C34's suggestion of being less predictable and he even gave examples of what we should sprinkle in....that is what message boards are for.

[gravedigger]

Facts are that Mullen's offenses have been kicked in the teeth by good defenses. We need a little "something else" to get over the hump.

Good gawd i thought i was the only one who thought the focus on defense was bullshit just because it was the party line.

[Ifyouonlyknew]

I think C34 is correct.

IfYouOnlyKnew deserves all the credit and support for what he has done for MSU, but he is not beyond question.

To choke down the offense so blatantly vs Olemiss and Bama is alarming. But those coaches deserve credit for gameplanning for IfYouOnlyKnew's tendencies and stubbornness. Ask Bucky what it is like to be shut down effectively almost 100% by TCU or Ohio State to get destroyed by a well coached but athletically inferior Viginia Tech team. Shit happens. The subject of this thread is legit. Another fear of mine is that IfYouOnlyKnew has his hands all over our defense. I have no way to know this and I hope Diaz gets full control, but history suggests this will not be the case. If we see two ass kicking corners (ours) playing 10 yards off the LSU receivers and Jones and James "eat space" and not get after the QB we will know that Diaz had to kneel down and kiss the ring, and we will see more of the same.

I like C34's suggestion of being less predictable and he even gave examples of what we should sprinkle in....that is what message boards are for.

Mullen doesn't tell the DC what to do. That's a terrible msg board rumor that has somehow become passed off as fact.

[I seen it dawg]

Mullen doesn't tell the DC what to do. That's a terrible msg board rumor that has somehow become passed off as fact.

Well last year maybe he should have. And it makes me sick to say it.. End of the year our staff were ****ing moronic idiots. And that's being easy on them. It was a ****ing 4th grade circus.

[Coach34]

Good gawd i thought i was the only one who thought the focus on defense was bullshit just because it was the party line.

No- the defense gave up 500 yards and was shitty...but dont tell me the offense is fine when we scored 3 points in the 1st half on 6 drives. Thats not "fine"- thats crap. How about scoring 17 in the 1st half and be up 17-7 entering the 2nd half???? Our offense needs a little something else- not a major change- but just a tweak. I think with the weapons we have- a commitment to the screen game could be that. A couple bubble screens, a jailbreak screen each week to Wilson, a misdirection screen to confuse the D- things to slow down defenses and make them tentative against us.

[Todd4State]

Well last year maybe he should have. And it makes me sick to say it.. End of the year our staff were ****ing moronic idiots. And that's being easy on them. It was a ****ing 4th grade circus.

I definitely would have liked it if Dan told Geoff to stop with the 1A/1B crap for Alabama and Ole Miss. How many TD's in those two games did the 1B's give up combined? Probably enough to make difference.

[Coach34]

I definitely would have liked it if Dan told Geoff to stop with the 1A/1B crap for Alabama and Ole Miss. How many TD's in those two games did the 1B's give up combined? Probably enough to make difference.

Bama took advantage of the 1B once I remember for the long pass to their top WR when they moved him into the slot. They also moved him into the slot for him to take advantage of Jay Hughes. Thats the kind of stuff I want Mullen to do with Wilson this year. Be creative with what you got and use those weapons

[TaleofTwoDogs]

Agree with Coach that we need to change things up a little. Texas Tech has run the jailbreak screen with a lot of success over the years. Our WR screens never produce more than 3 -4 yards so I think the jailbreak or even the rocket screen would be plays that will catch most SEC defenses off guard. CDM are you reading this thread?

[BulldogBear]

No- the defense gave up 500 yards and was shitty...but dont tell me the offense is fine when we scored 3 points in the 1st half on 6 drives. Thats not "fine"- thats crap. How about scoring 17 in the 1st half and be up 17-7 entering the 2nd half???? Our offense needs a little something else- not a major change- but just a tweak. I think with the weapons we have- a commitment to the screen game could be that. A couple bubble screens, a jailbreak screen each week to Wilson, a misdirection screen to confuse the D- things to slow down defenses and make them tentative against us.

Right. I'm with you on the screens. I love 'em. Broke my heart to see a few good ones to Perk light up the enemy only to barely ever run one again.

As to the rollouts.... I still think we should do that a little more, especially in the redzone. I also like the speed option. What I was really getting at is that part of DP's full potential is making the oppotent respect his running ability. I'm not sure an emphasis on staying in the pocket until the last possible moment creates that. Nothing irks me like a QB throwing an incomplete pass when he could've run for the first down. Or when a guy is kind of running but not tucking and throwing the coal in the engine a second or two earlier because he's trying to find someone and ends up running for 5 when could've gotten 15-20 if he'd committed to the run a couple of seconds earlier and not given the D time to contain. I'm just saying I don't really want to see us become more of a hand off or pass team even if it still more or less qualifies as the spread option. That ramps up predictability IMHO when we are not going to be blowing people off the ball with our blocking scheme.

[FlabLoser]

I put the Egg Bowl offensive woes on Dak. He was rattled. Scrambled too soon. Didn't check down. I think that defense & typical Egg Bowl road atmosphere intimidated him.

Maybe some play calling can help him with that, I dunno

[OurState]

We got a FG on our 3rd drive- those were our other 5 drives of the 1st half. Dont ****ing tell me we didnt need to do a little something different

I don't pretend to be a great football mind so will defer to others on this, but my read was a little more basic: there are defenses you beat by running around and defenses you beat by running at. You beat the Bears by running right at them. For some reason we tried to run around them.

Every player on that front 7 (or front 6) except the Mike was fast as hell. Only one of them was strong as hell. They had a DE and an NT that would be big SS's on some teams but are tiny DL. Trying to beat those guys to the sideline was some combination of stupid / crazy / arrogant. They are great at taking angles and running 5-10 yards, they aren't so great at holding their ground for 2 seconds.

As bad as the defense was it seemed more like piss poor execution (missed tackles, leaving the TE open, biting on a HB pass) than a bad game plan. I felt like we came out on offense and tried to do crazy things.

[GreenheadDawg]

I don't pretend to be a great football mind so will defer to others on this, but my read was a little more basic: there are defenses you beat by running around and defenses you beat by running at. You beat the Bears by running right at them. For some reason we tried to run around them.

Every player on that front 7 (or front 6) except the Mike was fast as hell. Only one of them was strong as hell. They had a DE and an NT that would be big SS's on some teams but are tiny DL. Trying to beat those guys to the sideline was some combination of stupid / crazy / arrogant. They are great at taking angles and running 5-10 yards, they aren't so great at holding their ground for 2 seconds.

As bad as the defense was it seemed more like piss poor execution (missed tackles, leaving the TE open, biting on a HB pass) than a bad game plan. I felt like we came out on offense and tried to do crazy things.

I think you're dead on. We tried to get the perimeter and get around them and it's not gonna happen, they are too fast. Their defense is small you have to run right at them. But Dan kept trying to run the edges and we paid for it. And Flab I agree with you also, Dak was visibly rattled. He called his own number way too many times and OM knew it was coming. I would love to see more play action and screens this season

[MabenMaroon]

I just want to see our O-line ( or any O position for that matter ) not flinch and not draw a motion penalty or fail to execute an assignment when we are in the red zone or on drives during the late second/early third quarters. That was my biggest disappointment last year. We took spells during those junctures of the game where we were NOT relentless or lost focus.
Field position hurt us as much as anything in the Bama and UNM games and too often it was a silly procedural penalty ( or a busted play ) that caused us to go into either 2nd/3rd and long situations. If we just execute cleanly we win Bama going away and wouldn't have been in "Dak up the middle" situations against UNM. Keep the execution clean this year and we will eat clock, score with regularity and put the opposition's offense in situations where they have to press the play calling in order to keep up and that will play into Manny's defensive style.

[ShotgunDawg]

I'm usually slower to want to change things on the basis of a few games, due to sample size. It's completely plausible that you were doing things correctly & just played poorly or had bad luck. However, it has become a trend for us to struggle to score points against Bama & show up playing like we are scared & below them.

That's the one thing about Auburn, they don't fear Bama, but we do.

IMO, to beat them this year, Mullen & the team will have to not fear losing, not fear Bama, & go for it. I thought we would do that last year, but, just like in past years, we showed up at Bryant Denny Stadium & played like their servant. I think that attitude starts from top down & that there is too much respect & respect in the football building for Bama. In order to beat them, you must not give a 17 & go out there guns a blazing & take the fight to them. Instead of doing that, we usually wait for them to punch us in the mouth & then try to hit them back.

We play Bama like a PGA golfer at the US Open that constantly leaves putts short. We simply can't win with that attitude. The same goes for playing on the road at Ole Miss. THIS MUST CHANGE!!

Last year at LSU, the team played free, easy, & was having fun...

If fixing this problem involves incorporating more screens, then I'm all for it. Most of all, we need an attitude change on what it takes to win on the road in hostile environments

[dotcomdawg]

MSU's 2014 offense ranks 4th all-time in the SEC in total offense- over 513 yards per game.

Dak Prescott trails only one player- Johnny Manziel- in total yards for a season in the SEC playing the 17th toughest schedule in the country.

DeRunya Wilson (11 games) vs Treadwell (9 games) side by side in 2014

Treadwell 48 receptions, 632 yards, 5 TDs, 13.2 yds per catch
Wilson 47 receptions, 680 yards, 9 TDs, 14.5 yds per catch

Wilson had less receptions for more yards and almost double in the only stat that truly matters- points scored.

MSU was the fastest-paced offense in the SEC in 2014 based on adjusted tempo. MSU runs a play every 21.3 seconds.

http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2015/5/15/8586169/hurry-up-offense-fastest-slowest

On the money plays and critical downs DP was second among all rushers and first among quarterbacks on third down with seven touchdowns in 2014.





I don't know if I would consider screens to be "more creative". Actually, I don't think we need more creativity at all.

Last year, we had the best offense in the conference - at Mississippi State. Think about that. This is a conference that includes Steve Spurrier and Kevin Sumlin who many knowledgeable people consider to be offensive geniuses.

We don't need more "creativity". What we need to do is to execute the offense we have at a higher level. I think speeding up the offense is a good idea on Mullen's part. All we really need to do from that point is to execute on a high level. Crisp blocking. Great route running. Sure catches. Hard and explosive runs. Accurate passes. Minimize mistakes. Those are the things we need.

Instead of trying to get fancy, if we could just perfect the fundamentals of the offense we have we will again be the best offense in this conference and among the best in the country.

[Pollodawg]

I don't know that I would change the offense drastically, but I would def. throw in some wrinkles to soften the D up. We started the Bama and OM's games with our butts so tight (from the coaches down) that you couldn't have shoved a stick of double mint up there. It was ridiculous, and some of that falls on Dan, and some of it doesn't. I am almost positive that Dan didn't call Jrob over before that drive and tell him to dance around in the endzone for three seconds until he costs us 2.

That said, I think we should throw in some screens, maybe a wheel route with Holloway. Let him peel out of the back field and get down field. Then its up to Dak to try and hit him. Maybe throw in a flea flicker with Gabe, since he used to be a former QB, and should be able to make the throw with some practice. Let Malik or Lee take a direct snap here and there to throw the D off some. There's a myriad of things you can do.

[cbrunt29]

That said, I think we should throw in some screens, maybe a wheel route with Holloway. Let him peel out of the back field and get down field. Then its up to Dak to try and hit him. Maybe throw in a flea flicker with Gabe, since he used to be a former QB, and should be able to make the throw with some practice. Let Malik or Lee take a direct snap here and there to throw the D off some. There's a myriad of things you can do.

I would like to see us use Gabe like we did Jameon in 2013. Throw a screen to Gabe and have him throw it back to Dak, and he usually just walks in. That play worked pretty well, especially in the red zone.

[thf24]

I would like to see us use Gabe like we did Jameon in 2013. Throw a screen to Gabe and have him throw it back to Dak, and he usually just walks in. That play worked pretty well, especially in the red zone.

Ran it with Gabe against A&M, good for 10-11 and a first down but their defense still had it sniffed out. It might be good for one use this year, but I don't think it'll ever be good for a homerun again like it was in 2013 and early 2014 since there's several pieces of film out there on it now.

[Dawgtini]

I don't know if I would consider screens to be "more creative". Actually, I don't think we need more creativity at all.

Last year, we had the best offense in the conference - at Mississippi State. Think about that. This is a conference that includes Steve Spurrier and Kevin Sumlin who many knowledgeable people consider to be offensive geniuses.

We don't need more "creativity". What we need to do is to execute the offense we have at a higher level. I think speeding up the offense is a good idea on Mullen's part. All we really need to do from that point is to execute on a high level. Crisp blocking. Great route running. Sure catches. Hard and explosive runs. Accurate passes. Minimize mistakes. Those are the things we need.

Instead of trying to get fancy, if we could just perfect the fundamentals of the offense we have we will again be the best offense in this conference and among the best in the country.
+1

[Dawg61]

Since we are talking new wrinkles I would like to see DeRunnya lined up all over the field a couple times a game. Put him at TE and bring in an extra slot WR since we are so deep there and possibly include a 2 HB look with this. Bear can block better than most linemen I am sure he can handle a couple plays at TE. He is nasty!