Cecilia's Calais commits to Cajuns

[Clutch0364]

The spread offense has been the great equalizer in college football. Those G5 schools that have utilized this to the greatest extent and made huge splashes on the National scene all have stuff in common. They REALLY spread their offense and they had a QB who was competent in throwing the football.

They did not run power formations, and they did not have "running" QB's. History has proven that the talent needed to run a power set is nearly impossible to get at a G5. Those schools that have had success with a running QB against the big boys ran a true option attack, Navy, Georgia Southern. It's nearly impossible to run today's spread offenses with a "running" QB. Spread offenses in the G5 that have had the most success have had QB's who were better throwers than runners.

The equalizer in my opinion is not the offense but the QB. Boise had Moore, TCU had Dalton, NIU had Lynch, Utah had Smith, and this season Memphis and Houston had Lynch and Ward.

QB is the neutralizer. Not the offense.

[Clutch0364]

Jordan Lynch was a QB who could really run, not a running QB. Big difference.

Lynch had 1815 yards rushing in 2012. Don't get me wrong he threw for over 3k but he was a much better runner than passer.

[CrazyCajun]

Lynch had 1815 yards rushing in 2012. Don't get me wrong he threw for over 3k but he was a much better runner than passer.

But he could pass...you don't pass for 3k not being able to pass. He was a QB that was a damn good runner. He opened both sides by being able to do both well. He was a really good QB and those don't come around often and he probably isn't the best example. To me there are 3 styles of QB's

Pocket passer
Dual threat
Running QB

[Clutch0364]

But he could pass...you don't pass for 3k not being able to pass. He was a QB that was a damn good runner. He opened both sides by being able to do both well. He was a really good QB and those don't come around often and he probably isn't the best example. To me there are 3 styles of QB's

Pocket passer
Dual threat
Running QB

I will concede that point. Doesn't change my thought process though. CN said that the teams that have had success against the big boys were true option offenses. NIU didn't run a true option. It was very balanced.

[Just1More]

The equalizer in my opinion is not the offense but the QB. Boise had Moore, TCU had Dalton, NIU had Lynch, Utah had Smith, and this season Memphis and Houston had Lynch and Ward.

QB is the neutralizer. Not the offense.

They are not separable (QB and system). There's no doubt you must have a "great QB" and an offense to match. You can become enamored with rushing stats and/or passing stats... but no program mentioned had a QB that just ran extremely well... but could not or did not pass well. The threat of a program with WRs that get open and a QB that can connect... can become a program that piles on rushing stats. It does not mean at the end of the season when you add up the stats that the individuals or the system involved did not know the importance of a passing attack.

[CharlieK]

So we got a commit from a fast local RB, with accolades and a pretty damn good high school career.....that contemporaries like Southern Miss want....and this is a problem with some?

[CrazyCajun]

So we got a commit from a fast local RB, with accolades and a pretty damn good high school career.....that contemporaries like Southern Miss want....and this is a problem with some?

Yeah I think this a great pickup. Kinda like I was saying with lynch...you don't rush for 6k+'yards in high school and not know how to run the rock, take a beating etc...I don't care how big you are. He played against big schools with big kids that regularly put defenders in the P5 and he performed.

[Just1More]

But he could pass...you don't pass for 3k not being able to pass. He was a QB that was a damn good runner. He opened both sides by being able to do both well. He was a really good QB and those don't come around often and he probably isn't the best example. To me there are 3 styles of QB's

Pocket passer
Dual threat
Running QB

All true. But where people get hung up is in looking where the yardage got logged... and not at how each play... and the sequence of plays... effected that yardage. I've seen long runs completely set up by the pass. I've seen pass plays set up by the run. The danger of the spread is in getting everyone on the threat stage. You destroy defenses by making certain, if not all, defensive players make either the wrong decision... or making them hesitate to decide at the precious fractions of a second after the snap. The audience sees the success or failure (OMG that guy can run... or OMG that guy can throw it)... and the stats will tell you what box the data goes in. None of it writes the deep script that smart coaches today operate with. And it is having the threat of everything that makes any one thing succeed in today's complex game (if you are either trying to defeat parity in talent... or defeat better talent).

[Just1More]

So we got a commit from a fast local RB, with accolades and a pretty damn good high school career.....that contemporaries like Southern Miss want....and this is a problem with some?

I'm still pleased. It's recruiting. It's all speculative until they hit the field.

[CharlieK]

I'm still pleased. It's recruiting. It's all speculative until they hit the field.

Exactly. This kid has the numbers and the speed. The coaches evaluated him and the staff on our team and Southern Miss both thought he was good enough. That's about as good as we can know now. Who thought Torrey Pierce would be so good? Who thought Montrell Carter would end up only contributing on special teams? I put WAY more stock in what we do with whatever talent we accumulate. How we coach them fundamentals, how we condition them, and how we fit them in a scheme and fit the scheme to them. I felt pretty good about all of that till this year. Now I'm worried. I hope my fears are proven unjustified.