26 May 2008

The Ann Arbor Spread

Will the Spread Offense, or whatever modification of the offense that Rich Rod chooses to run, succeed in the Big Ten? Will the 2008 version of the Rich Rod Spread fail miserably and make Michigan fans yearn for the Lloyd Carr I-Form? Hmm…

Rich Rodriguez’s move from West Virginia to the University of Michigan has made the question “How will the WVU Spread Offense translate to the UM football program” the hottest question of the 2008 college football season. So let’s break down this hot question by first looking at the theories behind the Spread Offense, then looking at the WVU spread, and then finally looking at what Michigan’s offensive situation in 2008 dictates. Maybe then some light can be shed on what the mysterious Ann Arbor Spread will look like.

The basic theories behind the spread offense involve:

Isolating one part of the field and taking defenders out of the play
Misdirecting the defense
Many different players touching the ball
Offensive sets that threaten run or pass on every play

The West Virginia team that Rodriquez led to so much success did all these things and had perfect personnel to execute. Super quick Pat White would fake the dive to Owen Schmitt (an NFL fullback), sprint out wide and either (1) run himself, (2) flip the ball to super quick Steve Slaton or Noah Devine, or (3) drop back two steps and throw. Everyone who played against Rich Rod’s Mountaineers knew the running attack was coming, and most teams couldn’t stop it anyways. The success he had was even more impressive because the majority of college offenses have turned into passing offenses.

Rodriguez has inherited a Michigan team which has been running a very conservative combination I-Form / Pro Form Offense and has wasted no time changing the atmosphere on the offensive side of the ball. Two stars, Mario Manningham and Ryan Mallett, both left because they felt they wouldn’t be featured in the Rich Rod Spread – Rodriguez shrugged his shoulders and moved on. Returning veteran offensive lineman Justin Boren left because he didn’t like running to the line of scrimmage (as many teams running the spread do) and he didn’t like the higher intensity of the coaching staff. And in the Spring Game, to no ones surprise, the Wolverines showed option (albeit with many fumbles) and showed the ability to pass off the option also.

"The 2007 Wolverines gave us a historic loss to Appalachian State and a loss to Ohio State so one-sided that Jim Tressel ran the ball Woody Hayes-style the whole 2nd half because he realized Michigan had no offensive ingenuity and/or skill to overcome a 14-0 lead."

The Wolverines are a mystery right now – no one knows how Rodriguez will tweak the offense. Will he run 75% of the time, like he did at West Virginia? Will a Michigan quarterback emerge who can balance athleticism with good decision making, as a spread quarterback must do? Will the combination of a new offense and players unfamiliar with the spread be too much for the offense to succeed?

My answer…

Who cares? The 2007 Wolverines gave us a historic loss to Appalachian State and a loss to Ohio State so one-sided that Jim Tressel ran the ball Woody Hayes-style the whole 2nd half because he realized Michigan had no offensive ingenuity and/or skill to overcome a 14-0 lead. Rich Rodriguez and his spread offense is exactly what the University of Michigan football program needed.

Michigan needed someone/something to get the fans and media interested in the program and help people stop talking about Lloyd Carr’s inability to beat Tressel. Most importantly, Michigan needed a change on the offensive side of the ball – no Michigan fan will easily forget this typical offensive sequence from the 1999-2007 Wolverine offense:

1st down, running play for 3 yards
2nd down, running play for 1 yard
3rd down, 7-step drop followed by Sack/Incompletion
4th down, punt

Maybe the Rich Rod Spread will result in fumbles and embarrassments. But right now, the change is a chance worth taking.

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