Eddie Gran a top candidate for OC job
- Thread starter screwduke
- Start date
Very ill-informed post, it seems.
Gran isn't an "Air-raid" guy. He passes it 54% of the time compared to 46% running the ball. He is a spread offense coach, though, and that's what college football is for the most part. If anybody "fires away", it's because of your lack of knowledge, not because you think an OC will be unsuccessful.
I can go on an on with quotes from articles, interviews from the coaches themselves:
1. "Kentucky offensive coordinator Neal Brown draws up the Air Raid offense"
2. "John Clay: UK's Shannon Dawson looking to evolve the 'Air Raid'
3. " As you did that evaluation of the offense, what made you decide that you wanted to definitively stick with the air‑raid style, and what was it about your commitment to that style?"
My definition of "air raid" vs. "spread option" is the following:
1. Air raid guys rarely/never get under Center
2. Air raid guys typically don't run their QB in read option game...typically a true read option team leaves the DE/OLB unblocked and "reads" him in keeping vs. giving the ball to RB
3. Air raid guys tend to throw short vs. long
4. Air raid guys tend to not use FB/TE in formations...way more 4/5 wr sets
5. Air raid guys have their Offensive tackles in 2pt stance and some will have their guards in 2pt stance every snap
If you watch a video of UC...it is w.o a doubt an air raid brand of offense. It almost looks like Neal Brown's short passing scheme. If this is Stoops philosophy, I'm fine with it. But I feel in SEC it's really hard to execute at UK.
Anybody ever heard of Travis Kelce ? Before Gran took over at UC, Kelce has 14 catches in his 3 years. Gran turned him into a stud TE. Guess what, we have the same thing at UK who only got 2 targets a game and is a stud TE. Who love for Gran to come here, Conrad would be All SEC.
You are incredibly dumb.
K_TIME is right, guys. Clearly, Neal Brown being air raid, and Shannon Dawson WANTING to be air raid, means that Eddie Gran is air raid. Nevermind the fact that Gran offenses run the ball 46% of the time, nevermind the fact that Leach himself said that "air raid" is a philosophy, where you aim to throw the ball roughly 70% of the time at least.
No, if you throw the ball 54% of the time, you're air raid!
I'll say it again. Gran runs a spread offense. Spread offense. Not air raid. He doesn't look to pass all the time. It is 100%, without a doubt in my mind, a spread offense. That's final. I don't care what John Clay said Shannon Dawson is looking to do, I don't care what Stoops said a year ago, before getting another disappointment at OC (all the more reason to get away from the "air raid".
Gran is what he is, and he's a spread offensive coordinator.
I'm glad we had this talk, I feel like you really learned something.
Getting him and having this type of O will be awesome. Going from bad to a top O in a year will make us competitive in every game next year and help our D which will be better anyway. Can't wait!!!!
I don't care what you call it...if you don't block, if you don't stop committing incredibly stupid penalities, if WRs don't get separation and do catch the ball when they do, if RBs put the ball on the ground, if you can't keep your better players on the field, if QBs can't deliver the ball on time...you won't have a very good O. Can the new OC correct these errors? We'll find out in time.
Just the opposite. Stoops is not married to the Air Raid. He actually seems to want to run any system except the Air Raid. His only interest in the Air Raid is in the name only. He is aware of the marketing power the name Air Raid has here so he seems to want to call whatever he is running an Air Raid. But we have never run the Air Raid.
The differences between what Gran runs and what we were running are more cosmetic than substantive.
All I know is that I want to see an OC that has a two TE set, a fb and a RB and the QB under center that can get one yard at first and goal from the 1 yard line against Vandy.
You can cal it what you want...but here is the attack philosophy of Gran at UC
1. Rarely/Never under Center...always in shotgun with QB.
2. QB is not a run threat in his offense...the QB is going to hand off the ball or throw it..
3. What Gran has done at UC is probably more similar to what Jimbo Fischer has done at FSU (with great success...had a tremendous run game this year. But FSU would get under center a small percentage of the time...I've not seen UC run game from anything but shotgun in 2 games I've watched. This is where we'll have to agree to disagree....I don't think UK can sustain a legit run game in shotgun/no QB run threat at UK vs. our schedule. If that is the plan with Gran....see you in a few years when it fails miserably.
Gran will be an upgrade from Dawson...Dawson was awful game planner and UK never attacked a foe for an entire game save Mizzou. So I'm fine with Gran getting the call if that is where we end up. I'm sure Gran can get a bit better execution from the unit and can have Juice Johnson terrorizing teams with short passing game at moments. But that philosophy along with Schlarman's mess of a coaching job still on staff....it isn't highly likely to produce a much better offense that we need to be a 8+ win program.
1. Rarely/Never under Center...always in shotgun with QB.
2. QB is not a run threat in his offense...the QB is going to hand off the ball or throw it..
3. What Gran has done at UC is probably more similar to what Jimbo Fischer has done at FSU (with great success...had a tremendous run game this year. But FSU would get under center a small percentage of the time...I've not seen UC run game from anything but shotgun in 2 games I've watched. This is where we'll have to agree to disagree....I don't think UK can sustain a legit run game in shotgun/no QB run threat at UK vs. our schedule. If that is the plan with Gran....see you in a few years when it fails miserably.
Gran will be an upgrade from Dawson...Dawson was awful game planner and UK never attacked a foe for an entire game save Mizzou. So I'm fine with Gran getting the call if that is where we end up. I'm sure Gran can get a bit better execution from the unit and can have Juice Johnson terrorizing teams with short passing game at moments. But that philosophy along with Schlarman's mess of a coaching job still on staff....it isn't highly likely to produce a much better offense that we need to be a 8+ win program.
One thing to note for those who want an experienced signal caller - it does not appear Gran has much experience as an OC. According to an article I read, he was a career WR, RB and ST coach (also held the associate HC tithe at FSU for a few years) before Tubberville gave him a shot in 2013. Also, he's spent a lot of time with Tubbs as he work for him at Ole Piss and Auburn so I'm sure he's somewhat loyal to Tommy.
With that said, money talks and he apparently has a good relationship with Stoops.
With that said, money talks and he apparently has a good relationship with Stoops.
Haven't watched Cincinnati at all this season.
But I've been keeping watch on a thread over on the Cincinnati 247 board talking about Gran to UK.
One of the posters on that thread complained about Gran running his QBs too much.
So evidently, Gran does like to have his QBs doing some running.
Seeing Cincinnati's offensive numbers improve the way that they have since 2012 makes me think Gran knows what he's doing.
Shotgun is not air-raid either. And they do line up under the center from time-to-time in short yardage/goal line situations, for quick QB sneaks up the middle.
There aren't many spread offenses that have their QB under center. Not a big deal. You can absolutely run the ball without the QB being under center.
Honestly don't care if QB runs the ball or not. That's what RB's are there for and as long as we utilize them well, we can run out of the spread. There are plenty of teams that are spread and can run the ball. Look at the top teams that run the ball and you'll see a bunch of spread offense teams: Oregon, Baylor, Houston...others.
I just don't think you really know what you are talking about and noticed that you are avoiding saying what OC you want at UK.
This hire would be great because it means that the guys we have will still be running a similar system to what Brown and Dawson have run. My big worry was that we would have to go with a pro style OC and the offense would be behind because of having to learn a completely new system.
Guys I'd like to be in consideration...
1. Brent Pease, Jim Chaney Pitt, Mike Norvell ASU (may be a stretch to get him to UK), Doug Meacham TCU, TIm Beck Nebraska,
2. Gran, if he is the choice, I think he can actually scheme our kids better than Dawson...who wasn't much of a technician in his 1 year on the job. I think he'd improve the team...I just think we'd be limited with this kind of system with our OL problem vs. SEC DL strengths you face on weekly basis.
You can't name a SEC school that runs this kind of system...which is my negative stance on it. Mizzou is the closest you'll find...and you see how that looks the last few years w/o a running QB at the helm. Teams like Auburn, UT, Texas AM, Miss St, etc... run out of shotgun...but they showcase their QBs a ton to move the sticks.
1. Brent Pease, Jim Chaney Pitt, Mike Norvell ASU (may be a stretch to get him to UK), Doug Meacham TCU, TIm Beck Nebraska,
2. Gran, if he is the choice, I think he can actually scheme our kids better than Dawson...who wasn't much of a technician in his 1 year on the job. I think he'd improve the team...I just think we'd be limited with this kind of system with our OL problem vs. SEC DL strengths you face on weekly basis.
You can't name a SEC school that runs this kind of system...which is my negative stance on it. Mizzou is the closest you'll find...and you see how that looks the last few years w/o a running QB at the helm. Teams like Auburn, UT, Texas AM, Miss St, etc... run out of shotgun...but they showcase their QBs a ton to move the sticks.
I have no doubt Gran would make UK and Stoops very happy. The issue is that he's a good OC, but we also need a ST coord and Gran has done that to great success. Then add in that Gran has put a lot of RB's into the NFL, so what could that mean for Chad Scott? Has any P5 team ever had a "Special Teams Offensive Coordinator and Running Backs Coach?"
Do you all think the staff departures are done?
(Assuming Gran is basically already wrapped with a big bow on him)
Do you all think the staff departures are done?
(Assuming Gran is basically already wrapped with a big bow on him)
Gran runs more of a read option than Air Raid. QB's does run the ball, but it also depends on how much based on the ability of the qb. If he is a mobile, athletic qb, he will be used to keep defenses honest, and that is fine, in the SEC, you do not really want a qb running it 10-15 times a game, he will not last. Funny one poster mentioned no teams in the SEC, well Auburn's scheme is very close to UC.