Game Plan Prep

[nebcountry]

So, I saw an article in the World Herald that says the coaching staff spent time in the off season determining how best to utilize individual players' talents. Here's some snippets:

“We’ve looked at every player — best-case scenario what they do — and hope that we are doing a good job of utilizing talent,” Riley said.

The run game plan is so detailed that Langsdorf and Riley may choose a running play based on a back.

Every guy, Riley said, has something catered to him.

“Having unselfish guys,” Langsdorf said. “If we’re running a play, and it’s working great, we’re going to stick with it. If it’s Newby on a zone run, you’re going to get it over and over ... and there’s going to be some games where that gameplan is limited or smaller.”

It will be interesting to see how this plays out in actual games. Hopefully no more square-peg-round-hole discussions this year. The article talks about the UCLA game, and how if plays were being successful, we continued to run them rather than selecting different plays. So, the UCLA game may be the blueprint for the upcoming season, not because we rushed 60 times, but we stuck with what was working.

I certainly like the idea of attacking an opponent's weak spot, rather than moving onto new sets of plays. And "no", I don't expect something similar to running the option to the short side of the field over and over.

 

[mpbrown27]

I imagine coaches have been doing stuff like this for a long time - calling specific plays for certain players. I think what's changed the most over the last decade or so has been the types of tools available to analyze the specific strengths and weaknesses of every player.

I remember seeing something about how every play in games and scrimmages are videotaped and cataloged for the coaches to pull up with the click of a button (play called, personnel grouping, result of the play, etc). If I'm not mistaken, there is now a specific department that handles this aspect of game preparation? It's a ton of data to go through for each play if you think about it.

However, I would also think this adds a new layer to defensive preparations as well. With these news analytic tools, your opponent can also create catalogs to spot your tendencies. It's just another example of how the game has evolved.

 

[CC_Lemming]

The temptation to change things when one thing is working is interesting. On the one hand, you might legitimately worry that the opposing team will adapt and stop it, so you'd like to show them something else, in part to keep the initial play effective when you eventually call it again. On the other hand, why would you move away from something that is working?

A lot of people on here get very frustrated when we move away from something that works. They seem to think that if you run the fullback and it averages 6 yds on three plays, it will average 6 yds on every play for the rest of the game. I tend to disagree with them because I tend to think defenses and opposing coaches will adapt to take that play away. Part of its effectiveness is its novelty, i.e., it averages 6 yds in part because the team runs other plays that the defense is scheming to defend.

But it's not a given that the defense will adapt - one only need to recall (painfully) our team's pitiful performance against Wisconsin in the Big 10 Championship Game a few years ago. That was a clear instance in which a team should have just run the same play over and over again, and Wisconsin more or less did.

 

[Cloud_a_Heart]

It's a chess match.... You run some plays to set up others, you run a certain formation to see what they are giving you, you swap out players for certain down and distance hoping the other team over adjusts/anticipates...

I just like to hear that the coaching staff is adapting to strengths and weaknesses, evaluating individuals, and are willing to evolve their play calling. Will it come to fruition? I hope so!

 

[TFrazier_rivals269992]

If this is truly the case...other teams will be able to figure that out in film study with ease. Smart defensive players will also be able to sniff out some of the plays simply by recognizing which back is and based on a given formation.

Back in the day, I used to be able to call with around 75% accuracy the play call by Osborne or Solich just given the formation/personnel. It really was pretty easy to do. Winking

 

[k9_r]

If this is truly the case...other teams will be able to figure that out in film study with ease. Smart defensive players will also be able to sniff out some of the plays simply by recognizing which back is and based on a given formation.

Back in the day, I used to be able to call with around 75% accuracy the play call by Osborne or Solich just given the formation/personnel. It really was pretty easy to do. Winking

Well you are TFrazier so....

 

[NikkiSixx_rivals269993]

Would rather have an identity that can be tweaked vs. the take what the defense gives you / matchup mentality.

 

[SnohomishRed]

Would rather have an identity that can be tweaked vs. the take what the defense gives you / matchup mentality.

My thoughts exactly - know what you want to be and recruit to it. No ine is sayig you have to run the option again but I think baed on the conference, our weather , recruiting limitations a good running identity seems to make the most sense.

As far as playcalling, I think much of it is feel rather stats. Last year for example running Janovich was very effective at times but it was then used too much. That type of quick handoff to the FB should be called maybe once or twice a game

 

[jflores]

As to the general idea of sticking with what works, you also have to fight "regression to the mean".

Generally you have to be cognizant enough to do something over and over again until they stop it, but not too much (pretty much what Sno indicated).

Also note that "they can't stop this" cuts both ways. If TA is throwing the ball well on say sideline routes in a given series, you are probably going to see a lot more passing in the series than reverting to the rush simply because the fans want to see the rush.

 

[GeorgeFlippin]

Well you are TFrazier so....

Laughing