Development of the spread

[TigerHat]

I suspect that the next development in the spread will come when coaches realize that they are not running a traditional T offense. The T quarterback evolved as a player who would distribute the ball to the playmakers.

I think William Cole ought to serve as a wakeup call to coaches that maybe the best way to run a spread is to have your best playmaker handle the ball on every play.

The real advantage of the spread is two fold. First It keeps the defense from concentrating around the ball. The main difference between the spread and the ancient single wing is just that point. By having 4 wideouts the defense can't be clustered in the middle of the field. The fewer defenders a playmaker has to face the likelier he is to break something against them.

The second advantage of the spread is that it allows you to have your 6 best playmakers on the field at the same time. Compare this to a conventional pro set where you likely only have 3 playmakers on the field on offense. A pro style quarterback (even at the high school level is likely not a playmaker in the William Cole breakaway sense), and pro style fullbacks and tight ends are rarely big playmakers ( I understand the importance to the pro style offense of having a great blocker at those positions.)

I think the Cedar Hill coaching staff is really onto something by having their best playmaker handle the ball on every play. The ancient single wing coaches understood this point - the best playmaker on the team was always the tailback who took the snap on every play.

Having the best player as the "quarterback" in a spread is a natural in several respects - everybody on the team knows who the best player is, and they will naturally follow the best players - leadership is not the issue that it is for a pro style offense quarterback who has to lead while not being the best player.

As I pointed out on another post how would you have liked to try defending the "Luv you blue" Oilers with Billy White Shoes Johnson as "quarterback" out of the spread doing Zone reads to Earl Campbell behind the Oiler's offensive line. I think the Steelers defense would have had little answer to that. Billy and Earl would have broken so many big runs it would have forced people to leave receivers wide open when trying to stop them - Even I can hit wide open receivers.

[TEXREB]

I suspect that the next development in the spread will come when coaches realize that they are not running a traditional T offense. The T quarterback evolved as a player who would distribute the ball to the playmakers.

I think William Cole ought to serve as a wakeup call to coaches that maybe the best way to run a spread is to have your best playmaker handle the ball on every play.

The real advantage of the spread is two fold. First It keeps the defense from concentrating around the ball. The main difference between the spread and the ancient single wing is just that point. By having 4 wideouts the defense can't be clustered in the middle of the field. The fewer defenders a playmaker has to face the likelier he is to break something against them.

The second advantage of the spread is that it allows you to have your 6 best playmakers on the field at the same time. Compare this to a conventional pro set where you likely only have 3 playmakers on the field on offense. A pro style quarterback (even at the high school level is likely not a playmaker in the William Cole breakaway sense), and pro style fullbacks and tight ends are rarely big playmakers ( I understand the importance to the pro style offense of having a great blocker at those positions.)

I think the Cedar Hill coaching staff is really onto something by having their best playmaker handle the ball on every play. The ancient single wing coaches understood this point - the best playmaker on the team was always the tailback who took the snap on every play.

Having the best player as the "quarterback" in a spread is a natural in several respects - everybody on the team knows who the best player is, and they will naturally follow the best players - leadership is not the issue that it is for a pro style offense quarterback who has to lead while not being the best player.

As I pointed out on another post how would you have liked to try defending the "Luv you blue" Oilers with Billy White Shoes Johnson as "quarterback" out of the spread doing Zone reads to Earl Campbell behind the Oiler's offensive line. I think the Steelers defense would have had little answer to that. Billy and Earl would have broken so many big runs it would have forced people to leave receivers wide open when trying to stop them - Even I can hit wide open receivers.

Interesting take on the spread, Tiger. I agree in HS football today that you need a good athlete playing qb in the spread or at least it definetly helps. You don't have to be the greatest passer to be successful (i.e. Cole), but he was a good enough passer to distribute the ball and keep defenses honest. I believe he had over 1600yds passing and somewhere around 20td passes.

[Humblefied]

Interesting take on the spread, Tiger. I agree in HS football today that you need a good athlete playing qb in the spread or at least it definetly helps. You don't have to be the greatest passer to be successful (i.e. Cole), but he was a good enough passer to distribute the ball and keep defenses honest. I believe he had over 1600yds passing and somewhere around 20td passes.

He has to be decently good though. Humble ran the spread and proved unable to pass the ball. Partally from the appearance of a weak qb. If the qb can hurl a rock then you'll be good. Our qb was quick but just couldnt get it there sometimes. the qb has to be alright at least.

[TEXREB]

He has to be decently good though. Humble ran the spread and proved unable to pass the ball. Partally from the appearance of a weak qb. If the qb can hurl a rock then you'll be good. Our qb was quick but just couldnt get it there sometimes. the qb has to be alright at least.

Yes it helps if your qb can throw the ball well. Ideally, you'd like your qb to be good at both. Dodge is a good example.

[dragonsdaddy]

I suspect that the next development in the spread will come when coaches realize that they are not running a traditional T offense. The T quarterback evolved as a player who would distribute the ball to the playmakers.

I think William Cole ought to serve as a wakeup call to coaches that maybe the best way to run a spread is to have your best playmaker handle the ball on every play.

The real advantage of the spread is two fold. First It keeps the defense from concentrating around the ball. The main difference between the spread and the ancient single wing is just that point. By having 4 wideouts the defense can't be clustered in the middle of the field. The fewer defenders a playmaker has to face the likelier he is to break something against them.

The second advantage of the spread is that it allows you to have your 6 best playmakers on the field at the same time. Compare this to a conventional pro set where you likely only have 3 playmakers on the field on offense. A pro style quarterback (even at the high school level is likely not a playmaker in the William Cole breakaway sense), and pro style fullbacks and tight ends are rarely big playmakers ( I understand the importance to the pro style offense of having a great blocker at those positions.)

I think the Cedar Hill coaching staff is really onto something by having their best playmaker handle the ball on every play. The ancient single wing coaches understood this point - the best playmaker on the team was always the tailback who took the snap on every play.

Having the best player as the "quarterback" in a spread is a natural in several respects - everybody on the team knows who the best player is, and they will naturally follow the best players - leadership is not the issue that it is for a pro style offense quarterback who has to lead while not being the best player.

As I pointed out on another post how would you have liked to try defending the "Luv you blue" Oilers with Billy White Shoes Johnson as "quarterback" out of the spread doing Zone reads to Earl Campbell behind the Oiler's offensive line. I think the Steelers defense would have had little answer to that. Billy and Earl would have broken so many big runs it would have forced people to leave receivers wide open when trying to stop them - Even I can hit wide open receivers.
the best player on every team earl was on was earl, and i doubt very seriously whether he'd have experienced as much success at qb.

[Drake]

I'm not sure William Cole is a good example for the theory... 1) Very few teams have players that are as explosive as Cole to turn to. 2) He may not have D1 size or passing ability, but he was a plenty good passer for high school. 3) He "ran" the offense by reading the defense before and after the play began.

I don't think you can just insert the best athlete in that slot and be guaranteed of moving the ball. I do not believe the Oilers would have been as successful with Billy White Shoes Johnson running the spread, but you never know. LOL

I do however believe the game is changing and both offenses and defenses are emphasizing speed more than size and strength. Both state champs beat bigger, stronger opponents with schemes that exploited their opponents inability to control the field from sideline to sideline... Same thing happened to Ohio State and Oklahoma.

[scooter!]

Spread works for us :D

[jtk1519]

I think the next evolution of the spread is the incorporation of a "power" element whether that come from the TE, FB or H-back positions. Several spread offense schools in college football have already adapted accordingly.

The spread offense as we know it today has evolved from the run-n-shoot offense of Glenn Ellison in the 50s and later Mouse Davis who ran his version of the RnS at every level of football and now works with June Jones running that very offense at Hawaii. The spread and the RnS are both primarily 4 WR set offenses. The only real difference is that the a lot of spread offenses have taken the option out of the WR routes.

The common "problem" with the spread (or RnS) is that is lacks a certain element of power. That's not to say that you can't run out of the offense, it just means that you have to do it in more creative ways so as to compensate for the lack of a lead blocker or TE. The evolution that we are seeing now at schools like Texas, West Virginia, Florida, Houston, etc., is the incorporation of a FB and/or TE or a hybrid H-back. Texas' base offense is a 3 wide spread with a TE. West Virginia uses a FB and a wide number of their formations. Florida actually uses both a TE and a FB and will from time to time put both on the field at the same time and Houston does much the same. Generally, the FB/TE in these offenses still have the capability of being the 4th receiver, but they have the physical ability to bring some power to the offense, be it through blocking, rushing or by providing a physical receiving presence in the middle of the field.

I think another evolution of the spread offense with be the continued blurring of the line between WR and RB. Again, the RnS is based on the RB being essentially the 5th WR. That is still seen in offenses like Hawaii and Texas Tech. What you are also starting to see now in spread offenses is the removing of the RB from the backfield. This is seen in West Virginia's offense a great deal where it is not uncommon for the RB to start out in the backfield before splitting out wide to become a true 5th WR. If you look at some of the truly great spread offense RBs... Taurean Henderson, Nate Ilaoa, Steve Slayton, etc... they will often times being among their team's leading receivers.

The other side of that is the WR position becoming a running threat. The frontrunners of this evolution are Urban Meyer and Rich Rodriguez' spread option offenses. In both offenses, the WRs are vital parts of the running game. The best example of that this year has been Florida WR Percy Harvin who caught 34 passes for 427 yards and carried the ball 41 for 428 yards. Because Harvin starts out as a slot receiver, the defense doesn't know what he's going to do. He can stay at that position, motion back to the backfield where he can line up as a RB, motion back to the backfield with the RB to create a triple option look or he can still catch the ball from any of those spots. Because he can do so much, the defense is always guessing and it's hard to guess right all the time.

I see the spread evolving in two very different ways in the near future. One branch will go the option route that utilizes a mobile QB and "tweener" athletes all over the field who can run or catch with equal effectiveness. The other branch will start developing more of a power element and could eventually become a spread/pro set offense hybrid that adopts more of the offensive philosophies of the West Coast Offense as opposed to the Run-n-Shoot. I think you see some true offensive mavericks out there like Art Briles at Houston who is actually playing with a slight combination of those two styles. It's not uncommon for Briles to run a spread option look one minute, a RnS look the next and a pro set look after that. A lot of people call that a "multiple" offense, but IMO, it still resides under the umbrella term "spread offense".

[rams55]

a better example of a good spread qb would be CVILLE'S own Christian Ponder

or

riley dodge

[HUM398]

Spread works for us :D

It wont next year because you lack that Play maker at the QB position...like i have said before.. D. Lewis was the reason why it worked...like a Cole type QB, expect Lewis didn't run beyond the line of scrimmage...he was more like a Troy smith.

[t-long20]

I'm not sure William Cole is a good example for the theory... 1) Very few teams have players that are as explosive as Cole to turn to. 2) He may not have D1 size or passing ability, but he was a plenty good passer for high school. 3) He "ran" the offense by reading the defense before and after the play began.

i agree william cole had superb talent and a great supporting cast..you cant just stick the best athlete at the qb position its not gonna work all the time... but as far as spread goes it is a great offense and alot of teams are changing to it simply because it works

[HUM398]

i agree william cole had superb talent and a great supporting cast..you cant just stick the best athlete at the qb position its not gonna work all the time... but as far as spread goes it is a great offense and alot of teams are changing to it simply because it works

Im growing tired of the spread to be honest. I don't know why, but i really like the Power I.

[t-long20]

Im growing tired of the spread to be honest. I don't know why, but i really like the Power I.

thats a good offense as well

[FeeltheHaka]

I think the next evolution of the spread is the incorporation of a "power" element whether that come from the TE, FB or H-back positions. Several spread offense schools in college football have already adapted accordingly.

The spread offense as we know it today has evolved from the run-n-shoot offense of Glenn Ellison in the 50s and later Mouse Davis who ran his version of the RnS at every level of football and now works with June Jones running that very offense at Hawaii. The spread and the RnS are both primarily 4 WR set offenses. The only real difference is that the a lot of spread offenses have taken the option out of the WR routes.

The common "problem" with the spread (or RnS) is that is lacks a certain element of power. That's not to say that you can't run out of the offense, it just means that you have to do it in more creative ways so as to compensate for the lack of a lead blocker or TE. The evolution that we are seeing now at schools like Texas, West Virginia, Florida, Houston, etc., is the incorporation of a FB and/or TE or a hybrid H-back. Texas' base offense is a 3 wide spread with a TE. West Virginia uses a FB and a wide number of their formations. Florida actually uses both a TE and a FB and will from time to time put both on the field at the same time and Houston does much the same. Generally, the FB/TE in these offenses still have the capability of being the 4th receiver, but they have the physical ability to bring some power to the offense, be it through blocking, rushing or by providing a physical receiving presence in the middle of the field.

I think another evolution of the spread offense with be the continued blurring of the line between WR and RB. Again, the RnS is based on the RB being essentially the 5th WR. That is still seen in offenses like Hawaii and Texas Tech. What you are also starting to see now in spread offenses is the removing of the RB from the backfield. This is seen in West Virginia's offense a great deal where it is not uncommon for the RB to start out in the backfield before splitting out wide to become a true 5th WR. If you look at some of the truly great spread offense RBs... Taurean Henderson, Nate Ilaoa, Steve Slayton, etc... they will often times being among their team's leading receivers.

The other side of that is the WR position becoming a running threat. The frontrunners of this evolution are Urban Meyer and Rich Rodriguez' spread option offenses. In both offenses, the WRs are vital parts of the running game. The best example of that this year has been Florida WR Percy Harvin who caught 34 passes for 427 yards and carried the ball 41 for 428 yards. Because Harvin starts out as a slot receiver, the defense doesn't know what he's going to do. He can stay at that position, motion back to the backfield where he can line up as a RB, motion back to the backfield with the RB to create a triple option look or he can still catch the ball from any of those spots. Because he can do so much, the defense is always guessing and it's hard to guess right all the time.

I see the spread evolving in two very different ways in the near future. One branch will go the option route that utilizes a mobile QB and "tweener" athletes all over the field who can run or catch with equal effectiveness. The other branch will start developing more of a power element and could eventually become a spread/pro set offense hybrid that adopts more of the offensive philosophies of the West Coast Offense as opposed to the Run-n-Shoot. I think you see some true offensive mavericks out there like Art Briles at Houston who is actually playing with a slight combination of those two styles. It's not uncommon for Briles to run a spread option look one minute, a RnS look the next and a pro set look after that. A lot of people call that a "multiple" offense, but IMO, it still resides under the umbrella term "spread offense".

I totally agree with your post! Although, I'm not familiar with how other states such as Florida and Virginia do things.
I disagree somewhat with the original post of this thread, in that you must have depth. If your best athlete is hurt; then your season may end sooner than later. I feel that Cedar Hill had pure luck that William Cole did not get injured throughout the season. And, by giving him the ball, and having him run down the field more often; you increase his injury risk. At Euless Trinity, we are a large hard hitting team. Teams that we play that have a small, quick athlete that run down the field end up having that athlete injured against us. I know I'm sounding like a homer, but the teams that played us who had a good athlete that hangs on to the ball alot, had a noticeable dropoff in their season after playing us. In the last 2 seasons, this happened virtually every game. In my opinion, I say don't even attempt to run the spread offense unless you are going to do it like Southlake. You can't do it half arse. Southlake excels at every position. They train all of their players. Their receivers block better than any receivers in high school football. Every player works with speed and strength coaches in the off season. Unless you are going to go at it all the way like this, then don't even try it. This is my opinion. I wish I had more time to expand on this point, but basically: If there is a weakness on a spread offense, then a defense can put a good play reader/tackler on that weakness to get away and make the play, or the offense will have to double team this defender taking away an extra player. To reiterate, I just feel you need to work with every player on the offense to run a good spread offense.
I am biased in that I just love a good power running game with a pro style offense. But on the flip side, to run a good power running pro set, you need a good relatively large athlete to play tight end, that can handle a lineman, stay on his assignment, and provide a viable passing threat to keep a defense guessing. To me, one of the most beautiful things is a great pro set offensive backfield that just confuses the heck out of defenses with play action fakes. In my opinion, I think the next rise of a team that will beat a spread offensive team using the pro set, will be the team that using stunning play action fakes.

[Matthew 2000 Eagle]

I'd like to let it be known that Will Cole ended up being the starting QB on accident. The actual starter was Cortney Roberson. Roberson was injured during spring-drills last year and had to undergo surgery.

[GoOwls]

Oh......my bad.......I read this thread title and thought it was about the steady growth of Rosie O'Donnell's be-hind and head.....:eek: :D

[KT2000]

I see the spread evolving in two very different ways in the near future. One branch will go the option route that utilizes a mobile QB and "tweener" athletes all over the field who can run or catch with equal effectiveness.

Great overall post, first of all.

Ironically, what you mentioned in the paragraph above is also happening in basketball. You can see this all over high school and college basketball especially with the increasing popularity of four guard lineups. Speed. That's what it's all about. Throw more weapons at the defense than they can handle at once, and beat the opposing offense to the ball with speed on the other side.

[TTURedRaider]

I think Harvey N. "Rusty" Russell should get mentioned when people mention the history of the spread offense.

TigerFan,
I understand using the most athletic player at QB because it makes for something very hard to defend. However I think it makes an offense to dependent on on one player. What happens if he gets hurt? Then you end up like Oregon without Dennis Dixon or West Virigina without Pat White. They're different teams on offense without those guys. Because the offense has been tailored to those players strengths and rarely is the backup prepared to run it as efficiently.

jtk1519,
I do agree we might see an evolution towards more of a power game out of the spread. I'm surprised you didn't mention Missouri and their use of TEs with a run and shoot style of offense. Also when you mentioned the WR as a running thread with Percy Harvin you could include Jeremy Maclin in that same type of Slotback role.

I wouldn't mind seeing more Jason Witten type TEs mixed into the spread. I also would like to see more athletic power backs in the spread. I mean imagine if you could get a wrecking ball of a RB in a TTU style offense and give him say 20-25 carries a game.

[dragonsdaddy]

I think Harvey N. "Rusty" Russell should get mentioned when people mention the history of the spread offense.

TigerFan,
I understand using the most athletic player at QB because it makes for something very hard to defend. However I think it makes an offense to dependent on on one player. What happens if he gets hurt? Then you end up like Oregon without Dennis Dixon or West Virigina without Pat White. They're different teams on offense without those guys. Because the offense has been tailored to those players strengths and rarely is the backup prepared to run it as efficiently.

jtk1519,
I do agree we might see an evolution towards more of a power game out of the spread. I'm surprised you didn't mention Missouri and their use of TEs with a run and shoot style of offense. Also when you mentioned the WR as a running thread with Percy Harvin you could include Jeremy Maclin in that same type of Slotback role.

I wouldn't mind seeing more Jason Witten type TEs mixed into the spread. I also would like to see more athletic power backs in the spread. I mean imagine if you could get a wrecking ball of a RB in a TTU style offense and give him say 20-25 carries a game.
in a college setting, where there are enough total athletes to stock a 2-deep roster mon both sides of the ball, i agree. most hs are stretched pretty thin to have te's, de's, and lbs. the fact is, by having a te-less offense, you can send the 2-3 kids that might make good te's to the defense, and help them without jeopardizing the offense. seems there are a lot more wr types dunning around.

[Fleeman93]

I think the bottom line is that you have to have the athletes that fit into the style offense you are trying to run. Just like it is very hard to stop the spread it is also very hard to stop the Pro I (see Katy 2007) when you have the right athletes in place. With that said, just like the scenario where Cole goes down and it hurts CH, the same can be said for the spread and Dodge this year or the Pro I and Katy had Dean or Mitchell gone down.

[The King]

I think the bottom line is that you have to have the athletes that fit into the style offense you are trying to run. Just like it is very hard to stop the spread it is also very hard to stop the Pro I (see Katy 2007) when you have the right athletes in place. With that said, just like the scenario where Cole goes down and it hurts CH, the same can be said for the spread and Dodge this year or the Pro I and Katy had Dean or Mitchell gone down.

Katy was winning ballgames with the Pro I when Dean and Mitchell were a twinkle in their dadies eye. Over the years a Katy they have had several people step up and play that they didn't have very high expectations for. I'm not knocking on Dean and Mitchel, but Dean was down a couple of games, and Katy Kept winning. The 2007 depth chart was a sight to behold.

I think it says a lot about a coaching staff when they instill a level of confidence in their players that when a backup goes in he thinks he will perform as well as the starter (even if it is Dean or Mitchell).

Your system should fit your players, but you shouldn't change systems every year in order to match players. Katy appears to have a fairly balanced system that they can tweak to match their players.

[SLC93]

Katy was winning ballgames with the Pro I when Dean and Mitchell were a twinkle in their dadies eye. Over the years a Katy they have had several people step up and play that they didn't have very high expectations for. I'm not knocking on Dean and Mitchel, but Dean was down a couple of games, and Katy Kept winning. The 2007 depth chart was a sight to behold.

I think it says a lot about a coaching staff when they instill a level of confidence in their players that when a backup goes in he thinks he will perform as well as the starter (even if it is Dean or Mitchell).

Your system should fit your players, but you shouldn't change systems every year in order to match players. Katy appears to have a fairly balanced system that they can tweak to match their players.

Not many of them, though. I think the birth year of this year's seniors at Katy is really close to when y'all started making noise down there.;)

[Fleeman93]

Katy was winning ballgames with the Pro I when Dean and Mitchell were a twinkle in their dadies eye. Over the years a Katy they have had several people step up and play that they didn't have very high expectations for. I'm not knocking on Dean and Mitchel, but Dean was down a couple of games, and Katy Kept winning. The 2007 depth chart was a sight to behold.

I think it says a lot about a coaching staff when they instill a level of confidence in their players that when a backup goes in he thinks he will perform as well as the starter (even if it is Dean or Mitchell).

Your system should fit your players, but you shouldn't change systems every year in order to match players. Katy appears to have a fairly balanced system that they can tweak to match their players.


I understand what you are saying but neither Dean or Mitchell were down against tough opponents. Katy's deal is that the coaches preach execution and if all 11 guys do their job then it ends up as a positive for them. I don't care what athletes you have or don't have execution is the key. Katy's ability to be balanced is very very important to their offensive system.

[The King]

Not many of them, though. I think the birth year of this year's seniors at Katy is really close to when y'all started making noise down there.;)

Winning at Katy started in 1986. this years seniors born around 1990, Katy went 5-5 that year, and it was the closest thing Katy has had to a losing season since 1985, it was really close though, and I hope their graduation doesn't mean the end of the winning ways.

[KT2000]

It's interesting to read the initial post given what happened later in 2007.

D1 Regional Champs

Euless Trinity (power running)
Plano (balanced)
North Shore (Pro I, option)
Converse Judson (power running)

D2 Regional Champs

Abilene (multiple)
Pflugerville (Wing T, power running)
Katy (Pro I, playaction)
Madison (shotgun, running)

5 of the 8 region reps specialized in running from traditional sets. I didn't include Plano because they've introduced more of a passing element with Meger, but they can still line up and plow forward with Burkhead as well.

Already this off-season, we've heard Lufkin is going back to a more traditional approach on offense after running a fast break spread the last few years.

[pack0808]

It's interesting to read the initial post given what happened later in 2007.

D1 Regional Champs

Euless Trinity (power running)
Plano (balanced)
North Shore (Pro I, option)
Converse Judson (power running)

D2 Regional Champs

Abilene (multiple)
Pflugerville (Wing T, power running)
Katy (Pro I, playaction)
Madison (shotgun, running)

5 of the 8 region reps specialized in running from traditional sets. I didn't include Plano because they've introduced more of a passing element with Meger, but they can still line up and plow forward with Burkhead as well.

Already this off-season, we've heard Lufkin is going back to a more traditional approach on offense after running a fast break spread the last few years.

Great points but Lufkin is actually still going to run the spread they are just going to utilize a te again like they did before 03. The pro set under center talk turned out to be false unfortunately. Believe me this is from a very reliable source/LP coaches. I was ready for a change personally. LP's spread is very predictable and if you do not have the big time playmakers on offense (especially at qb) like LP did not have last year then you are in trouble. Lufkin has run a very basic spread offense in the last several years and it simply required our players to out athlete and out run the other team. It is not complex at all.

[KT2000]

Most spread offenses aren't that complicated. Generally, the alignments won't change much in the no huddle variety and plays are largely determined based on what the defense is giving you. The spread alignment naturally isolates defenders, and you simply go after whatever you deem the weak spot to be.

Steve Spurrier, in his days at Florida, was famous for giving freshmen QBs the entire playbook as soon as they arrived on campus.

And who doesn't love Mike Leach and his 3x5 notecard on the sideline. :D

[pack0808]

Most spread offenses aren't that complicated. Generally, the alignments won't change much in the no huddle variety and plays are largely determined based on what the defense is giving you. The spread alignment naturally isolates defenders, and you simply go after whatever you deem the weak spot to be.

Steve Spurrier, in his days at Florida, was famous for giving freshmen QBs the entire playbook as soon as they arrived on campus.

And who doesn't love Mike Leach and his 3x5 notecard on the sideline. :D

True but some are very very basic compared to others.

[2smooth07]

execution and the type of kids you have are the key to your offense no matter if it is Wing T or Spread...Me personally i like use multiple sets...run same play out of different looks...I also like the Spread Option...anybody gonna run the VEER this year???

[ftballin11]

I understand what you are saying but neither Dean or Mitchell were down against tough opponents. Katy's deal is that the coaches preach execution and if all 11 guys do their job then it ends up as a positive for them. I don't care what athletes you have or don't have execution is the key. Katy's ability to be balanced is very very important to their offensive system.

I disagree, Katy hasnt always been this balanced, only 00' 05' and 07', where they a prolific passng teams. I thnk in 05' not learning how to line up and mash when they needed to really hurt them. I think Katy's inability to run was their undoing. Our defense did more than enough to win the game.

Some of our best offenses where run heavy, but they all had the capability of putting it in the air when they needed too. 03', 04', 97',where very good offenses, and where all run heavy, with play action. 01', and 02' teams talent was below average at best, but the offensive lines execution allowed them to pound away and remain a threat.

I actually prefered watching Katy's 04' and 03's 18 play drives. To much can go wrong when the passing game is a key factor. Interceptions sacks No gains.

[AHSeagles]

The biggest deal with the popularity of the spread is that it lets teams that generally have smaller players have success on offense. In Abilene we don't have O-lines that average 290 lbs. or big 220 lb. fullbacks to lead block. We probably average closer to 250 up front and take advantage of that speed by doing lots of zone blocking and spreading the defense out with 3 and 4 WRs. Also we use a LOT of WR screens that act as more outside type runs.

[73THSQB]

I'm not sure which spread you're looking at when you say they aren't complicated. I've looked over the CHHS spread game plan under Mike Fuller and it's very complicated with as many as 5 progressive reads on each play by the QB. There's probably over 100 different route combinations to run and as many as 10 different formations.

I don't envy the QB in this system!

As far as the running game goes in the spread, several schools are going to the "jumbo" formation with multiple running backs and two tight ends. Mostly short yardage and goal line situations. You can't stack the box though as the TE's can block and catch. Motion out of this formation creates challenges on the edges.

[The King]

I'm not sure which spread you're looking at when you say they aren't complicated. I've looked over the CHHS spread game plan under Mike Fuller and it's very complicated with as many as 5 progressive reads on each play by the QB. There's probably over 100 different route combinations to run and as many as 10 different formations.

I don't envy the QB in this system!

As far as the running game goes in the spread, several schools are going to the "jumbo" formation with multiple running backs and two tight ends. Mostly short yardage and goal line situations. You can't stack the box though as the TE's can block and catch. Motion out of this formation creates challenges on the edges.


Wouldn't that make it simular to the single wing?

[chhspantherfan]

I'm not sure which spread you're looking at when you say they aren't complicated. I've looked over the CHHS spread game plan under Mike Fuller and it's very complicated with as many as 5 progressive reads on each play by the QB. There's probably over 100 different route combinations to run and as many as 10 different formations.

I don't envy the QB in this system!

As far as the running game goes in the spread, several schools are going to the "jumbo" formation with multiple running backs and two tight ends. Mostly short yardage and goal line situations. You can't stack the box though as the TE's can block and catch. Motion out of this formation creates challenges on the edges.

that is one of the reasons i think we will have a big year. It hasn't even been a full year yet since Fuller arrived. can't wait til spring ball starts next week.

[Red Cowboys]

that is one of the reasons i think we will have a big year. It hasn't even been a full year yet since Fuller arrived. can't wait til spring ball starts next week.

Agreed CHHS Pantherfan.The offense will score more points with the other half of the offense in place, Fuller is just getting started!!

[rkhufu7]

I suspect that the next development in the spread will come when coaches realize that they are not running a traditional T offense. The T quarterback evolved as a player who would distribute the ball to the playmakers.

I think William Cole ought to serve as a wakeup call to coaches that maybe the best way to run a spread is to have your best playmaker handle the ball on every play.

The real advantage of the spread is two fold. First It keeps the defense from concentrating around the ball. The main difference between the spread and the ancient single wing is just that point. By having 4 wideouts the defense can't be clustered in the middle of the field. The fewer defenders a playmaker has to face the likelier he is to break something against them.

The second advantage of the spread is that it allows you to have your 6 best playmakers on the field at the same time. Compare this to a conventional pro set where you likely only have 3 playmakers on the field on offense. A pro style quarterback (even at the high school level is likely not a playmaker in the William Cole breakaway sense), and pro style fullbacks and tight ends are rarely big playmakers ( I understand the importance to the pro style offense of having a great blocker at those positions.)

I think the Cedar Hill coaching staff is really onto something by having their best playmaker handle the ball on every play. The ancient single wing coaches understood this point - the best playmaker on the team was always the tailback who took the snap on every play.

Having the best player as the "quarterback" in a spread is a natural in several respects - everybody on the team knows who the best player is, and they will naturally follow the best players - leadership is not the issue that it is for a pro style offense quarterback who has to lead while not being the best player.

As I pointed out on another post how would you have liked to try defending the "Luv you blue" Oilers with Billy White Shoes Johnson as "quarterback" out of the spread doing Zone reads to Earl Campbell behind the Oiler's offensive line. I think the Steelers defense would have had little answer to that. Billy and Earl would have broken so many big runs it would have forced people to leave receivers wide open when trying to stop them - Even I can hit wide open receivers.

He was only playing because of an injury to the starter! They didn't figure anything out, save for how to finally win a playoff game!

[chhspantherfan]

I will say this, if this is the year to sneak up on anyone, then bring it. I believe this year will be a crazy year with many teams going far with multiple losses. Reason is, IMO, there are way too many great teams. look forward to the grind.

[Maroondog]

the best player on every team earl was on was earl, and i doubt very seriously whether he'd have experienced as much success at qb.

You got that right. Also, if you never saw Earl at the high school level, it was simply a man playing with boys.