2009 tOSU Offense Discussion

[jimotis4heisman]

looks like we have seen glimpses of the offense moving forward with this pistol L formation. my current assumption is that you will see an nfl style flex TE added to the formation to add a play action element to the set.

future offensive discussion (2009) goes here.

[osugrad21]

Watch the Guiton film...it fits with everything we've heard and what you saw in the Fiesta.

[kwade]

It definitely seems to be evolving. I would love to see us utilize a TE. I think Stoneburner could be deadly in the flex TE role.

I think we will see Pryor split out often next year, especially in the red zone.

[bukIpower]

I'd hope that Pryor would be at the QB position in the redzone more often than not. I would sure hate to not have his Athletic ability running around inside the 20 yard line.

[Zurp]

Originally Posted by kwade

I think we will see Pryor split out often next year, especially in the red zone.

I don't see it. You're taking the one guy left who has shown he can lead the offense down the field, and you're taking the ball out of his hands, into someone else's, with the chance to put it back in his hands? I think he played receiver against Texas to make a spot for Boeckman, and to keep Texas guessing as to who is going to line up behind the center. I don't think that Pryor at wide receiver is going to fool anyone.

[BB73]

Some talk of the offensive possibilities before Spring Practice.

Dispatch

Football: OSU set to meld a new offense
Overhaul will test Pryor's, players' ability to adjust

Spring is in the air. So is change, it seems, for the Ohio State offense.

Terrelle Pryor said he can sense it. From his interaction with coach Jim Tressel and offensive coordinator Jim Bollman as well as the teammates who must fill seven vacant starting spots on the offense, the sophomore quarterback said the Buckeyes are eager for the start of spring drills Thursday.

"I can tell you the coaches are fired up," Pryor said. "Coach Tressel is really fired up; I meet with him every day in his office and I can tell. Coach Bollman is more fired up than I can ever remember seeing him.

"I think this spring is going to be very fun. Everyone seems to be looking forward to it."

Pryor knows change is in the works, and has been for a couple of months.
A year ago, OSU's offense was designed to take advantage of the talents of returning senior quarterback Todd Boeckman and tailback Chris "Beanie" Wells, with some components for Pryor, considered a passing and rushing threat. Now, it will largely feature Pryor's talents.

The offense will undergo changes that couldn't be made at midseason last year, when Tressel made Pryor the starter. But the Buckeyes apparently are looking at several options to upgrade this year's model.

That might include more use of the pistol formation, in which the quarterback lines up about 4 yards behind center with a tailback behind him. It also could include a version of the single-wing formation, in which the quarterback would line up about 7 yards behind center, but often would have a back crossing in front of him from a slot just before or just after the snap, creating options and confusion.

Cont'd ...

[BB73]

Ozone

Buckeye Offense Likely to Evolve as Much as Pryor
By John Porentas

There are times when the stereotype is so strong that people become blinded to the facts. Take for example, OSU Head Coach Jim Tressel and his ability to be flexible on offense.

Tressel's image is that of Mr. Stodgy, the guy who is conservative and set in his ways on offense, the kind of guy who has trouble with change.

To those of you who think that's true we ask, did you watch last season?

The season began with the assumption that a sixth-year senior quarterback, a drop back passer, would have his best season and that an all-world type tailback would be on the field making defenses cringe, in the process making it possible for the passing game to open up.

The quarterback didn't pan out, and the tailback got hurt. Now what?

Mr. Stodgy made the decision to change horses midstream, shelving his 6th-year senior quarterback and going with a talented but green true freshman whose skill set didn't match the offensive plan that was in place for the 6th-year senior and didn't have a healthy all-world tailback for much of the season. Talk about your bold move. Tressel had to find out what his young quarterback could do and retool the offensive plan around that...on the fly. When you think about it, it was quite a feat.

Mr. Stodgy adjusted on the fly last year. This year, he'd like to have a plan before the season and stick to it.

Cont'd ...

[Buckskin86]

Bollman out-takes

Finally, I'm pandering to the masses here, I know, fully realizing how much venom has been directed at Bollman (and Jim Tressel) for their offensive philosophy in recent years....but here's
Bollman on what he feels might have been missing from the offense last season:

"The best thing we did last year was not turn the ball over. And sometimes I guess there's a point of being maybe a hair conservative on that kind of end of things. But on the other hand, you never are going to go be so outlandish that you're carefree with the ball, certainly, in that regard, either."

A hair conservative. I figured that would ease your concerns

Posted by Ken Gordon on April 7, 2009 10:57 AM | Permalink

Bollman out-takes (Blogging the Buckeyes)

The man is right
Full confession: I set about this morning trying to prove Jim Tressel wrong.

His premise about quarterbacks putting "no turnovers" before "making plays" on his order of priorities drives many people crazy. They look at Terrelle Pryor's 110-yards a game passing numbers last season and don't give a whit that he only threw 4 interceptions -- they want to see plays made, not bad plays not made, if that makes sense.

My thought was that while Tressel successfully avoids turnovers, he also avoids giving his quarterbacks the confidence to air it out and use their natural talent to the full potential. So yes, he may win games by being careful with the ball, but has he lost games because he played too conservatively and denied his QB the chance to build a bigger lead (such as Penn State last year?)

I broke down the past four years, 2005-2008, and charted turnover margin and interceptions thrown in each game. Here's what I found:

OVERALL RECORD: 43-8 (.843)

WHEN OSU HAS A PLUS TURNOVER RATIO: 23-1

WHEN RATIO IS EVEN: 7-0

WHEN OSU LOSES TURNOVER RATIO: 13-7.

In 43 wins, OSU was plus-23 in turnovers (plus .53 a game)
In 8 losses, OSU was minus-13 (minus 1.63 a game)

In 43 wins, OSU threw 21 INTs (.49 a game)
In 8 losses, OSU threw 10 INTs (1.25 a game).

Bottom line: My premise was wrong. Tressel is right.

When the Buckeyes are even or better in the turnover battle, they have lost just once in 31 games (to Texas in 2005, when they were plus-2).

When the Buckeyes lost the turnover battle, they won at only a 65-percent clip, or nearly 20 percent less than their overall record in that span.

So my conclusion is that like it or not, fans had better just get used to the fact that Tressel will play careful offensive football, first and foremost. It's one of his absolute, core, rock-solid beliefs about the game of football.

More important, it wins.

Posted by Ken Gordon on April 3, 2009 11:10 AM | Permalink

The man is right (Blogging the Buckeyes)

[Bucky Katt]

Originally Posted by Buckskin86

Bollman out-takes (Blogging the Buckeyes)



The man is right (Blogging the Buckeyes)

You crunched the numbers, Ken?

Originally Posted by Bucky Katt

UPDATED THROUGH FIESTA BOWL

Bumping an old thread here for some stats I've complied. Under Jim Tressel, OSU is 83-19 (81.37%) .

When they win the turnover margin, OSU is 44-4 (91.67%), including 8-1 this season. Two of those four losses came in Tressel's first (2001) season (6-13 @ UCLA, +2 margin; 27-29 @ PSU, +1 margin). The other losses were against Texas in 2005 with a +2 margin and again against Texas in the Fiesta Bowl with a +1 margin. Beginning with 2002, OSU is 40-2 when they win the turnover margin.

When the turnover margin is even, OSU is 15-5 (75%)

When they lose the turnover margin, OSU is 24-10 (70.6%)

TO Margin..........Record
-4......................3-0 - STILL the WTF stat of the day! (Marshall 2004; MSU 2005; Akron 2007)
-3......................2-2
-2......................8-7
-1.....................11-1
0......................15-5
+1....................17-2
+2....................15-2
+3.....................5-0
+4.....................6-0
+5.....................1-0

In his first 4 games against UM, the collective turnover margin was +8 and OSU went 3-1. In the 4 since then, the turnover margin is -5 and OSU is 4-0.

2001: 7-5 (+10)
2002: 14-0 (+12)
2003: 10-2 (+1)
2004: 8-4 (-4)
2005: 10-2 (-10)
2006: 12-1 (+9)
2007: 11-2 (-3)
2008: 10-3 (+16)

[BB73]

2003: 10-2

s/b 11-2, Mr. Bean Kounter

[Bucky Katt]

Originally Posted by BB73

s/b 11-2, Mr. Bean Kounter

I blame Ken Gordon for editing my post and screwing with my numbers.

[pnuts34]

I'm just wondering, with Boom Herron, Zoom Saine, Jamal Berry and Carlos Hyde at RB this year, and possibly 2 or more RBs coming to tOSU next year for 2010 recruiting class, will we move more towards a RB by committee or will we have 1-2 RBs that carry the load? It'd be hard to pick just 1-2 RBs out of what we have, and the decision would be even more difficult when we possibly bring in the likes of Roderick Smith, Erick Howard, Corey Brown, Spencer Ware, etc.

[TheIronColonel]

I think it's by committee regardless of whether or not a leader emerges. Beanie was the clear leader this year and only had 38% of the team's carries (49%, if you subtract the rushing attempts from the games he missed) despite having 48% of the team's rushing yards (57% if you subtract the rushing yardage from the games he missed). Tressel will work in a variety of guys; that's just how he rolls.

[pnuts34]

But won't this leave several high profile guys out of the loop? Just don't wanna see talent go to waste on the bench, but I guess that's what practice is for.

[NightmaresDad]

I think we'll see mostly Boom and a mixture of Saine / Berry when the ball is between the 20s. Different guys for different packages. Saine will most likely get most of the reps on passing downs, esp. 3rd and long. He's easily the best pass blocker.
If Hyde shows very good ball security, look for him to get the ball inside our own 10 and inside the opp's 10, and short yardage situations in the middle of the field.
I don't see either of the FL frosh red-shirting. Hall, probably red-shirts, at least I would hope.

Boom runs super hard and has great vision, but it would be nice to have one of the guys with a little more weight in their trunk show they can get the tough yards when needed.

Re: scatbacks - Ella Fitzgerald put the scat in scatback.