27 Comments

  1. Travis

    Pretty wild to see the UT/Iowa State graphic after the others. Literally just taking a DL and sticking him behind the LBs.

  2. Philly Frog

    “Things are going to get complicated now so hang in there.”

    iLaughed.

    The defenses in the Big12 will really get cooking once the staffs can figure out how to scout and sign kids based on their dorsolateral prefrontal cortexes.

  3. System Poster

    I think any distinction between TCU, Tech, WVU, and even OU’s offense is simply based on available personnel and disappears when looked at across multiple seasons. Specifically, I would point out that TCU’s 2017 offense was basically WVU’s 2015 and 2016 offense. The common denominator of course was that both teams had a quarterback without a good deep ball and who wasn’t very accurate but could run a little bit. I imagine that TCU will go back to airing it out once they have a quarterback with a bigger arm.

    • ianaboyd

      Nah, there are lots of conceptual differences between TCU’s approach an that of WVU, even if you go across years. No doubt everyone adapts to their personnel in a given year but WVU runs different schemes (or they have to this point) in the run game and in the pass game, they use different splits, etc.

      TCU is still more of a traditional air raid team whereas WVU incorporates the run and play-action as a bigger piece of the pie.

      • System Poster

        Sure, but there are a lot MORE conceptual differences between what WVU does and what Texas, ISU, and particularly KSU do.

        This seems to be the main distinction you’re making between traditional air raid teams and air raid 2.0 teams like WVU, OSU, and OU:

        “They don’t use an ancillary as often and the RB isn’t as big a feature to the offense.”

        But I don’t think that was true of TCU last year. They used their tight end a lot and ran the ball substantially more than they passed it. Darius Anderson was the focal point of their offense before he got injured. Even Tech was using their H-back a ton before he got injured, and now they’ve hired an offensive coordinator out of the Kevin Wilson tree.

        • ianaboyd

          Yeah I see where you’re coming from but the iso-schools tend to do more to isolate receivers and use play-action whereas my impressions of TCU are that they’re more in the business of traditional Air Raid drop backs. Maybe they’re closer to the other schools and I just missed it.

        • Philly Frog

          Frogs won’t have a proven TE/H-Back this year, and the new QB throws 80-yard bombs in his sleep.

          And he’s the rare QB who has the wheels to score every time he runs it.

          Inexperience and accuracy are his main bugs at this point.

          My guess is you’ll see a Boykin-kind of attack for 2018. Deep jump balls, a lot of QB runs, and what appears to be a solid run game between Anderson and Olonilua.

          If Robinson blows up it’s going to play hob with Ian’s predictions for the year.

          It’s always the thing you don’t expect, right Ian?

          • ianaboyd

            If Robinson is ready to go, protects the ball, and they can protect him then yeah, TCU will make even the generous prognostications look like underestimations.

          • Will

            I’m surprised to read that about Robinson. Nothing he showed last year suggests he can throw bombs nearly as effectively as Boykin did. Did he show that skill in the spring game? And is there a Josh Doctson clone in place to make that an effective strategy?

          • ianaboyd

            Robinson has always had a strong arm, accuracy has been the question.

            The goal will be to get Reagor running down the field for him vs man coverage.

  4. Will

    You’ve been writing about the veer and shoot elsewhere and mentioned that you are keeping an eye out for coaches who absorb some of those schemes since the coaching tree is sort of fading out.

    I think the Holgoraid might lean more into veer n shoot than it did last year (I think you were the first person I read who noted that WVU split its WRs way out last year). The personnel is starting to matchup with what Baylor had. The line is huge, the new Fr. RB, Leddie Brown, is exactly the kind of big downhill runner Briles liked and the WR corp matches up well with the best groups Briles put together.

    The only significant difference I see is a lot of noise coming out of camp about throwing to the TEs. I’m not sure Baylor ever did that but I’m also not sure WVU will actually commit to. IDK, something to keep an eye on in 2018.

  5. Bro: “Okie State”? Come up with that yourself?? That’s worse than “Oak State” somehow. “Texie Tech”! I like that one. You can have it.

      • Clayton Davis

        It’s historically a derogatory term. The sports world uses worse, and for mascots to boot, but still not a completely neutral term that people just use.

        • ianaboyd

          I think since “Okie from Muskogee” it’s largely just an endearing term for Oklahomans. I’ve never heard it used in a derogatory fashion save perhaps as a diminutive, like I used it here.

  6. Philly Frog

    Ridwan Died.

    Simmons will leave an ‘ell of a Mark, though, before he’s done.

    Gary always has safeties/hybrids he can plug into the lineup. I’m honestly more sad about losing Omar Manning to JUCO. Reagor needs a bookend on the other side of the formation.

    He didn’t come to play no school, apparently.

    • ianaboyd

      Manning wasn’t going to play anyways. You don’t put another young pup across from Reagor, you roll with someone that consistently runs to the right spots so you have a sure thing when teams overplay Reagor.

      • Philly Frog

        Roger that.

        OTOH, Cumbie did pretty well by the Doctson/Listenbee combo not long ago. Having the ability to take the top off either side of the defense at will is worth something.

        Keep an eye on Tee Hunt, by the way.

        This has the makings of a fun, wide-open kind of year.

        • ianaboyd

          But Listenbee was a stretcher (Reagor role) and Doctson was always in the right spot.
          Having two dominant outside guys is where it’s at but if you only have one you’d rather pair him with a good role player then an upside pick.

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