Smashmouth football or Pass happy offense!

[rr2418]

Do you like to see a tough smashmouth, run up the middle type football game or wide open high scoring pass happy footbal game?


I prefer run oriented type of game.

[j-6]

Me too. I hate 5+ hour games and gimmicky five WR sets. That's not football, that's ultimate frisbee or something.

[samikeyp]

Smashmouth football.

[midgetonadonkey]

Earl Campbell type football.

[FromWayDowntown]

I grew up playing in a smashmouth system. In my senior year of high school, my team rolled through the Northside district and reached the Area round. That team threw the ball only 37 times (not completions -- 37 attempts) in 12 games, only gained about 150 yards passing for the entire season, and had no passing TDs. 7 of those throws came in one regular season game; 60 of the passing yards came on 1 play (and we obviously didn't even score on that one).

With that background, I have a deep respect for teams that pound the ball (and I'm not talking about option offenses), play great defense, and win tough games with grit and determination.

But I played in a college system that was pass-happy, and I have to say that the intracacies of a pass-happy offense fascinate me. If I ever went into coaching and became an offensive coordinator, I think I'd be inclined to model my offense on something like Don Coryell did with the Chargers in the early 80's -- a little bit of two back running, but a whole lot of 3 or 4 wides throwing.

[samikeyp]

Weren't you there with Holmes and Reza?

[FromWayDowntown]

Weren't you there with Holmes and Reza?

Not Reza. With Holmes and Reza, they were pass-happy compared to my senior year -- they had all kinds of tailback passes and 3 receiver patterns with bootlegs and waggles. We had about 5 two-receiver drop back passes, a couple of play passes that were pretty much just 1 receiver hot patterns, one screen (for Holmes), and a sprint out pass that was intended solely to set up a draw play.

But, unlike the Holmes/Reza thing, which was a tailback and a fullback, we had two tailbacks (Holmes and a guy named V.J. Villarreal who unfortunately blew out his knee, but was probably better in high school than Holmes was)who alternated at the wingback position and ran about 200 wingback counters (sweeps and traps) to those guys on top of the 200 or so sweeps, power traps, and counters designed for the tailback.

[samikeyp]

Cool.

I know that Holmes' senior year, Taft beat Marshall. (of course we leave out the part about him being injured and missed the game! :lol) didn't matter though...he was fine for the playoffs and almost beat Midland Lee for the state title.

[FromWayDowntown]

Cool.

I know that Holmes' senior year, Taft beat Marshall. (of course we leave out the part about him being injured and missed the game! :lol) didn't matter though...he was fine for the playoffs and almost beat Midland Lee for the state title.

Actually, it was Odessa Permian that Marshall lost to in Texas Stadium (27-14, sigh).

They would have likely ended 15-1 had Holmes not been seriously injured; because of his injury, and because all 3 starters in the secondary were suspended for like 3 regular season games, they had a rough spot and barely made the playoffs. That Marshall team may have been one of the only 3rd place teams to ever reach a State Final. Holmes ran for 2,000 yards in 11 games that year.

But they got to State not just because of Holmes. They gave up something like 13 points in the playoff games before the Finals -- 3 shutouts, 6 in one game, and 7 in another. It was a pretty sick performance -- something like 27-0; 30-0; 36-6; 42-0; 14-7 along the way.

[samikeyp]

my bad....I remember listening to the game on the radio...I was running errands and it was rainy and cold. I was hoping they would pull it out.