Your Ideal Offense

[PowerofRed25]

The thread about number of plays in an offensive playbook got me wondering about what type of offensive scheme everyone would run if given control of a team? Real life or NCAA 12 life.

Answer the question regardless of what does and doesn't work in the game but if you DO implement your preferred offense in NCAA 12, explain what your playbook is like and how you call your plays.

[cusefan74]

My idea offense would be just a lot of formations and a mix of plays. Options, screens and a little bit of everything just to keep the defense guessing. I like to do the same thing in the game.

[PowerofRed25]

My ideal offense is always from spread. If I were to take over a team right now, I would run spread but the type of spread would depend on personnel. I'm a big fan of option, but I prefer to run option in the way that Oregon does. Oregon teaches their QB's to give the ball to the back unless they absolutely cannot. So even if the end crashes on a zone, if he has a bad angle or isn't athletic enough to run James/Barner/Thomas down, give it anyway. I would teach it exactly like that, I love an athletic QB but I don't want him running it 10-20 times a game. For that reason I'd recruit a quarterback that is able to run, rather than a running back that is able to throw.

The base of the offense would be tailored to personnel, but I'm a big air raid and spread option guy, so I'd find a way to mesh the two. I'd dump the high cost plays like Mesh though. Mesh takes too much practice time to install and I want my guys going vertical. I'd basically take Dana Holgorsen's version of the Air Raid, a more power raid approach and then add inside/outside zone, power, triple option to it.

I'm not as big of a fan of full backs as Holgorsen, but the value of an H-Back FB/TE/WR hybrid would be limitless. That is one thing I hate about NCAA, I don't want a fullback but it constantly makes me recruit one. I end up recruiting TE's and moving one over but they don't develop receiving skills like I want at FB. I wish depth charts could get tailored to an offense.

I have a lot more in depth thoughts on how I'd organize an offense, but I want to see what some other people think.

[BHavenBlazer]

My ideal offense is the one i played in my freshmen year of college. An air raid, with a qb who's accurate, maybe not ideal arm strength, but can make all the throws on slants, posts, outs, flags, 6 routes, and screens is all i need him to throw. He also needs to have decent legs to be able to run the read options. Qb draws. And speed options. A quick scat back that can catch the ball out of the back field as well as be able to pass block(cut) defenders. Taller wr's on the outside with smaller, quicker guys who can catch and run on screens and jet sweeps. A no huddle attack using basic play calling(for example, Open 62, backside QB Choice) which just means the Y is going to run a 6(go/seam/fade/whatever you wanna call it), the z is going to run a 2(square in, dig whatever you wanna call it) and the QB is gonna get to the line and read the coverage to determine what he wants the backside(X&H) to run by giving them a hand signal(fist for double go, tap hip for double slant, a hand and arm motion for a wheel route, and a flappin hand motion for a switch combo).. The same play to the other side would be Open Flip, 62, backside qb choice.

[DMil55]

I honestly have to say that in the game I try to mimic the Oregon Ducks offense as closely as possible, as a huge fan of the team for the last 10+ years its an offense that I understand really well. In real life im still not sure what offense I would run, its something I am currently developing because when I get out of the Army I plan to start a career coaching.

[BHavenBlazer]

PowerofRed, how can you ditch Mesh route combos? You can run an entire scheme from that switching the mesh guys from inside to outside receivers or any combo of the two. As far as installing, its really as simple as teaching your WR's to read the other guys man. Come as close as you can on the rub. If the other guys man is in hot pursuit, coming across the field behind him, its man coverage, keep going and gradually deepen. If not, its zone, stop and sit down in the holes of the zone. Its so simple, yet so effective.

Doesn't Holgs use it in his attack, except he has his wr'sgo vertical first to keep the linebackers and db's honest?

[PowerofRed25]

Quote: Originally Posted by DMil55

I honestly have to say that in the game I try to mimic the Oregon Ducks offense as closely as possible, as a huge fan of the team for the last 10+ years its an offense that I understand really well. In real life im still not sure what offense I would run, its something I am currently developing because when I get out of the Army I plan to start a career coaching.

Do you use a default playbook for Oregon or a custom one? I've been trying to put together a custom one but I'm struggling figuring out how to organize it.

[PowerofRed25]

Quote: Originally Posted by BHavenBlazer

PowerofRed, how can you ditch Mesh route combos? You can run an entire scheme from that switching the mesh guys from inside to outside receivers or any combo of the two. As far as installing, its really as simple as teaching your WR's to read the other guys man. Come as close as you can on the rub. If the other guys man is in hot pursuit, coming across the field behind him, its man coverage, keep going and gradually deepen. If not, its zone, stop and sit down in the holes of the zone. Its so simple, yet so effective. Doesn't Holgs use it in his attack, except he has his wr'sgo vertical first to keep the linebackers and db's honest?

Holgo doesn't run Mesh in the Leach sense where you're getting that rub, sitting down into zone, breaking off upfield vs man. The times I've seen the mesh concept run by Holgorsen had the WR's gain a lot more depth, almost Y Cross with a trailer under it. All of his routes have that initial 3-5 step vertical take off which seems like it would wreck the timing on mesh.

I love Mesh and if I was a full on air raid team, I'd absolutely install it. But Mesh and option are two things you have to practice over and over to get right and if I had to pick one to spend the practice time on, I think I get more bang for the buck running option.