Friday, April 10, 2009

Is This Spread Offense Too Spread Out?

I found a recent article on the A-11 Offense, a complex hybrid spread offense that takes
advantage of a loophole in the high school rule book.

Here's a video below if you've never seen the A-11 offense, decide for yourself, is this too spread out?



--Mark
Spread Offense

Friday, April 3, 2009

Tulsa Spread Offense Video Clips

The University of Tulsa has one of the best shot-gun spread offense option philosophies in college football. One of our most popular posts is still our Q&A session with Herb Hand from Tulsa.

Here's some great video clips of The Golden Hurricane offense in action:



--Mark
Spread Offense

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Florida Gators Spread Offense Run Game Clips

I thought you guys would enjoy this... The University of Florida spread offense run clips from the national championship game vs. Oklahoma this past January.





You got to love that inside shovel pass to the TE!

Keep spreading e'm!

--Mark
Spread Offense

Saturday, March 28, 2009

It's harder to evaluate spread offense players... PLEASE!

I love football... I've been watching, playing it, coached it, and now have taken it to the internet with this blog and website (www.spreadoffense.com).

That being said, I read a lot about all levels of football... from Pop Warner all the way up to the NFL, and one thing that's really aggravating me is this term being thrown around prior to this year's NFL draft: "It's harder to evaluate players that are from spread offense systems".

Do you really think an NFL team would pass up an elite football player who happened to come from a college 'spread offense' system??

You hear this term a lot with the quarterback's, O-linemen, and running backs more than any other position.

"The O-line in college are never in a 3 point stance in the spread offense so they'll have a very hard time adjusting to a pro style offense"... well, give them a mini-camp and guess what, they'll go right back to being in the 3 point stance!!

I remember hearing last year that Steve Slaton coming out of West Virginia would have a hard time adjusting to a pro-set I formation coming out of the spread offense. All those lateral movements in the shot-gun zone read and triple option would make for a hard transition to the 'down hill' I formation... HAHA!! 1,282 rushing yards later with a 4.8 per rush average his rookie year with the Houston Texans... tough transition to the I formation Steve... you really had a hard time figuring it out in the NFL.

Come on analysts.... give the spread offense a break, because in a few years you may be saying... "This XYZ player out of X University will have a difficult time transitioning from a pro-style, two tight end college career to the NFL shot-gun spread offense".

--Mark

Spread Offense

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Congrat's To Chip Kelly - Another Spread Offense Head Coach In Major College Football

With the recent move of Mike Bellotti to Athletic Director starting July 1st at Oregon, Chip Kelly was promoted to head football coach effective immediately. Coach Kelly is a true spread offense coach, with his offensive philosophy being one of the best in the college spread game.

Here's some video clips of the Oregon Ducks from this past season, they can execute the spread run game with the best of them:




--Mark
Spread Offense

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Using Motion In The Spread Offense Running Game

In the spread offense, wide receiver or slot motion can be used to open up the running game. This article will cover three types of motion, motion to a pistol set, motion to a two-back set, and speed sweep motion. Many of these plays use motion to provide different types of zone read style reads and they are all easy to flip.



To read the entire article, with diagrams please go to:






--Mark



Saturday, March 7, 2009

Bootleg Pass Series Out Of The Spread Offense

My offensive philosophy is that we utilize our pass and screen game to set up the run. This has worked well for us and we always outnumber the defense in the box. Once we start running the football effectively, obviously our play-action is much more effective. One of my favorite play-action looks in the spread offense is the bootleg. The concept of the play is simple and you can run multiple variations of the play without changing the core concepts.

To read this entire article with play diagrams, go to:




--Mark


Monday, February 23, 2009

The Jailbreak Screen In The Spread Offense

One of my favorite plays in the spread offense is the Jailbreak Screen. It is an integral part of the offensive system that we run. To me, there is never a bad time to call this play. I believe the Jailbreak Screen is indicative of what the spread offense is all about - getting the ball into your athletes hands out in space with room to make a play after the catch.

To read more on this article with play diagrams, go to:



Sunday, February 22, 2009

Pat White Open To Playing Other Positions

Pat White announced at the NFL combine that he's open to other offensive and special teams positions at the next level other than quarterback. White, who broke the NCAA QB rushing record out of a predominate spread offense at West Virginia University posted an unofficial 4.50 40 yard dash at the NFL combine. With the wildcat formation being introduced in the NFL this past season, White's style of play is being called the next progression of the shot-gun spread offense in the NFL.

West Virginia’s White open to playing other positions

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Sunday, February 15, 2009

Pass Protection Techniques In The Spread Offense

One of the best attributes of the spread offense is that its formations limit the amount of defensive fronts by forcing them to walk out linebackers to cover receivers. This simplifies pass blocking, because there are only so many things the defense can do without leaving players unaccounted for. It also allows other aspects of the passing game to "assist" the linemen, such as a quick passing attack and easier "hot" reads.

To read the entire article with diagrams, go to:




--Mark


Sunday, February 8, 2009

Jon Gruden Intrigued By The Spread Offense

Jon Gruden, the former head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers recently mentioned in an interview that he's very intrigued by the spread offense run in college and high school, and also had some encouraging words for Tim Tebow and his future in the NFL.

"He's like Brandon Jacobs playing quarterback," Gruden said. "Tim Tebow is 250 pounds, and he's the strongest human being that's ever played the position. He can throw well enough at any level."

Gruden went on to say that Tebow could 'revolutionize' the quarterback position in the NFL running a spread offense, once his chance arrives in 2010.

Gruden said he plans on returning to coaching and didn't rule out a job at the college level. He is also interested in working as a TV analyst next season and would like to attend some college camps to expand his knowledge, especially in the shot-gun, dual-threat QB spread offense.

Sunday, February 1, 2009

Tackle Trap: An Alternative To The Zone Read

In the majority of spread offenses at the collegiate level, the zone read is a cornerstone of the offense. What do you do if you don’t have the personnel to be successful with a zone run game? I have found that the tackle trap is a great alternative to the zone read in the shot-gun spread offense.

To read this entire article, with diagrams, go to:



--Mark


Sunday, January 25, 2009

Super Bowl Preview - The Spread Offense Will Be On Display

The big game is one week away in the NFL, The Pittsburgh Steelers vs. The Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl forty three.

One thing we know for sure is that on the offensive side of the ball, both teams will be 3, 4 or 5 wide, with a lot of shot-gun sets. You'll see the classic spread offense passing game with Kurt Warner and Ben Roethlisberger both looking to exploit the other's defense by spreading the field sideline to sideline in the passing game.

I found it interesting when a TV commentator doing the NFC championship game said on numerous occasions: "How is it possible that Larry Fitzgerald is SO wide open out there" - well, I'll tell you how.

It's the spread formations and offensive sets that the Arizona Cardinals execute on offense. They do a masterful job getting Fitzgerald spread across the field in numerous positions. When you add in Anquan Boldin as a major threat on the other side of the field, the defense can only do so much.

Now imagine this... take the arm of a Kurt Warner, throw in the legs of a Terrelle Pryor and blend it into one QB... How would the Steeler's (or any team) defend that!

--Mark
Spread Offense