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Here you go boys and girls... Paul Johnson's System.

buffalo30

Well-Known Member
Paul Johnson took over Georgia Tech this year and implemented his SYSTEM with players that WEREN'T EVEN RECRUITED with his system in mind. They went 9-3 in his first year. They rushed for an average of 283 yards per game and passed for an average of 95 yards per game.

And here are the Georgia Tech linemen, for those of you who claim youth and inexperience with the linemen was the major problem with the Colorado offense:

LT- a freshman!! replaced a senior toward the end of the season
LG-junior
C-junior
RG-freshman!!
RT- a sophomore!! replaced a senior toward the end of the season

That is 2 juniors, 1 sophomore and 2 freshman starters for cryin' out loud in their last 3 games. Two of those games they RUSHED for more than 400 yards.

That is a system. On the other hand, for 3 years the Colorado
offense has looked like playground plays are drawn up in the dirt in the parking lot next to the practice fields from week to week.
The haphazard hybrid shotgun put in for this year did not work.
Will we see some type of system next year? Perhaps starting with a sound running game is in order. Then work into a passing game that uses the entire field and all of the weapons. Can "one of the brightest young offensive minds in the country" come up with a system? I think he can if he is capable of learning and getting better. I'm waiting.

What do you folks say who think this haphazard hybrid shotgun offense will work so well next year? Keep up drawing playground plays in the parking lot or develop a system? A system that includes running the football and passing all over the field.
 
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Nice post 30. It is called having an identity on offense. Right now, we don't have one.
 
i wish we'd come up with an offensive philosophy and go with it.

our staff doesn't seem to have an idea about what kind of offense they want to be. it seems to be a "throw stuff against the wall and see if it sticks" type of thing...

i like run oriented offenses, too. all of CU's very best teams have been great running teams that played power football. i know it is a passing league now but maybe that is also a reason to run more. everyone plays the spread in the b12; not everyone plays a power-I so maybe the Buffs would be harder to defend.

running the modified spread offense that these guys use doesn't work with the available talent at qb. cody simply doesn't scare anyone with his feet. and if you don't have a run threat at qb, it is really difficult to run effectively and consistently from the shotgun or 1 back. hansen runs ok, but thus far hasn't been able to show he can make the defense pay by hitting the clutch pass over the top when they are coming hard at him. maybe more experience will help him.

personally, i wish they'd go to a more traditional power-I as the base offense and mix in the spread/shotgun stuff. this would be more of a pro-multiple set approach like usc uses, for example. but, hell, i'd settle for just about any type of sign that they have a philosophy and a plan. and, it allows the players to get into a groove and execute based upon a smaller universe of plays.
 
or maybe it means that even though they were not recruited with that system in mind that some extreme luck was had in that they complemented it well.

:rolleyes:
 
or maybe it means that even though they were not recruited with that system in mind that some extreme luck was had in that they complemented it well.

:rolleyes:

You don't rush for over 400 yards on your in-state rival with "extreme luck."
 
or maybe it means that even though they were not recruited with that system in mind that some extreme luck was had in that they complemented it well.

:rolleyes:

Or that the GT cupboard wasn't bare when Johnson took over.... I would also like to see his team run the option with 1/2 his O-Line knocked out with injury or ineligibility.
 
or maybe it means that even though they were not recruited with that system in mind that some extreme luck was had in that they complemented it well.

:rolleyes:

in terms of players just randomly complementing the system, i guess it could be that, but it is easier to get young linemen to run block effectively than to hold a block for a sustained period of time in a passing offense. a run-based offense is simpler to execute, in general, i think.

but, since every high school seems to run some version of the spread now, maybe most of the young guys are less prepared for running offenses than passing ones now. i dunno.

i would say that it is probable that gt was luckier with injuries than we've been. that's not setting the bar too high.
 
Nice post 30. It is called having an identity on offense. Right now, we don't have one.

i wish we'd come up with an offensive philosophy and go with it.

our staff doesn't seem to have an idea about what kind of offense they want to be. it seems to be a "throw stuff against the wall and see if it sticks" type of thing...

Agree. We seem to be intent on being a program that can do 1000 different things on offense, but not all that focused on being particularly good at any of them... :huh:
 
I was terrified Paul Johnson would go to Nebraska. They made a major mistake not going after him. As for Georgia Tech, time will tell. I think first year results should be thrown out the window regardless of 12-0 vs 0-12. I have seen so many coachaes come in and have an amazing first year and then fade fast(anybody remember that BYU coach, previous to current one, that went 13-1 in his first season?), same goes for the opposite, some guy named Bill McCartney.

As for our offensive play calling, I agree it looks inept at times, but then I remember Dave Christenson at Missouri trying to implement the spread offense under Brad Smith and half the time looking like a 3 ring circus. Now Mizzou is a top 5 offensive team and Christenson is head coach at Wyoming.

People also seem to forget that CU's O-line got MORE inexperienced as the season went on with an almost insane amount of season ending injuries, I have a feeling that GT wasn't dealing with the same situation.

Of course some people will only see what they want to see, and completely disregard the perfect storm of 3rd youngest team in the entire friggin country, combined with the worst injury season EVER recorded in CU history. Yeah that had zero effect on the W-L record(heavy sarcasm here).

If CU doesn't have the football gods crap on them by granting the stupid 57 yard prayer that Nebraska heaved up, this team is bowling. Wake up people, and look at the big picture!
 
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:rolleyes:

Sorry if people have some issues with the offensive coaching right now buffedup. Injuries and youth don't fully explain our failures on offense this season.
 
:rolleyes:

Sorry if people have some issues with the offensive coaching right now buffedup. Injuries and youth don't fully explain our failures on offense this season.


:yeahthat:

I'm probably the first one to point out what injuries and inexperience (compounded even more by the injuries) did to this team this year. But it doesn't change the fact that the offensive game plans made very little sense far too much of the time...
 
:rolleyes:

Sorry if people have some issues with the offensive coaching right now buffedup. Injuries and youth don't fully explain our failures on offense this season.

because we can seriously buck down to grabbing fans out of the stands and expect to produce division-winning results?
 
:yeahthat:

I'm probably the first one to point out what injuries and inexperience (compounded even more by the injuries) did to this team this year. But it doesn't change the fact that the offensive game plans made very little sense far too much of the time...

i don't want to be overly negative because hawk is with us for at least another season so i will support him while he is here... but... i really feel like a more experienced staff (with more big league experience, not wac level experience) would have managed 1-2 more wins this year, EVEN WITH all the injuries and youth.

so, now, i am hoping, again, that the staff learned from this season and will do a better job next year.

lawd, had our Buffs been better prepared in just the special teams phase, CU probably wins 1-2 more games. this isn't just an injury/inexperience issue. it is a coaching issue too.
 
because we can seriously buck down to grabbing fans out of the stands and expect to produce division-winning results?

:lol:

Yes, expecting bowl eligibility is the same as expecting a North division championship.
 
:rolleyes:

Sorry if people have some issues with the offensive coaching right now buffedup. Injuries and youth don't fully explain our failures on offense this season.

No? What does EVERY SINGLE COACH in football say is the most fundamental key for offensive success? CU lost 5 of their two deep this season before conference play even began. But yeah, the message board guru knows more than every single coach at any level in history. Then, Rodney Stewart the one shining part of the offense, who is on track for a 1000 yard season as a true freshman breaks his leg? This is NOT normal!
 
Yea - hard to gameplan when you you know you're OLine can't protect the QB, nor can they create any meaningful holes.

That is why our rushing attack was so successful with Rodney. He was small, fast, and tough, so he could make things happen even when the line was in bad shape.

I don't think anyone completely excuses the coaches, but I have a hard-time being critical of their offensive gameplan when they didn't have the fundamental building block to create an identity or a strategy.
 
No? What does EVERY SINGLE COACH in football say is the most fundamental key for offensive success? CU lost 5 of their two deep this season before conference play even began. But yeah, the message board guru knows more than every single coach at any level in history. Then, Rodney Stewart the one shining part of the offense, who is on track for a 1000 yard season as a true freshman breaks his leg? This is NOT normal!

look, it isn't mutually exclusive. the injuries were apocalyptic and the team suffered as a result. but, that doesn't mean we've got the living embodiment of bear bryant, knute rockne, and woody hayes all rolled into one at the hc slot right now. there were coaching issues.

it is ok to talk about them. the injuries/inexperience do not eliminate the fact that some of us believe we've got some coaching issues.

CU is 2-10, lifetime, under hawk on the road in conference games. 0-4 his first year, 0-4 this year, 2-2 (wins over baylor and tech) last year. it isn't just about youth and injuries. it is also about a learning curve. this isn't the wac.

everyone is entitled to an opinion, even if we disagree. hanging everything that has gone wrong on the injury thing isn't the whole story, imho.

by the way, 'bama played roughly 20 TRUE FRESHMEN this season. how'd they look? i am just saying...
 
look, it isn't mutually exclusive. the injuries were apocalyptic and the team suffered as a result. but, that doesn't mean we've got the living embodiment of bear bryant, knute rockne, and woody hayes all rolled into one at the hc slot right now. there were coaching issues.

it is ok to talk about them. the injuries/inexperience do not eliminate the fact that some of us believe we've got some coaching issues.

CU is 2-10, lifetime, under hawk on the road in conference games. 0-4 his first year, 0-4 this year, 2-2 (wins over baylor and tech) last year. it isn't just about youth and injuries. it is also about a learning curve. this isn't the wac.

everyone is entitled to an opinion, even if we disagree. hanging everything that has gone wrong on the injury thing isn't the whole story, imho.

by the way, 'bama played roughly 20 TRUE FRESHMEN this season. how'd they look? i am just saying...

Well said. Nowhere have I said coaching is completely to blame for this season's struggle, but coaching has to take some criticism when the 3-year record is 13-24.
 
No? What does EVERY SINGLE COACH in football say is the most fundamental key for offensive success? CU lost 5 of their two deep this season before conference play even began.

that is nuff said, right there. THAT sums up our offensive woes. as for defense, we held most opponents below their season average. that has to be because of coaching? one could presume? [/offsarcasm]

Yea - hard to gameplan when you you know you're OLine can't protect the QB, nor can they create any meaningful holes.

come now. the rabble has called for burning heads of doom. you will disappoint them. they surely know more than the coaching staff.
 
that is nuff said, right there. THAT sums up our offensive woes. as for defense, we held most opponents below their season average. that has to be because of coaching? one could presume? [/offsarcasm]

come now. the rabble has called for burning heads of doom. you will disappoint them. they surely know more than the coaching staff.

I know you avoided the most under-performing area of the team. An interesting omission for sure.
 
look, it isn't mutually exclusive. the injuries were apocalyptic and the team suffered as a result. but, that doesn't mean we've got the living embodiment of bear bryant, knute rockne, and woody hayes all rolled into one at the hc slot right now. there were coaching issues.

it is ok to talk about them. the injuries/inexperience do not eliminate the fact that some of us believe we've got some coaching issues.

CU is 2-10, lifetime, under hawk on the road in conference games. 0-4 his first year, 0-4 this year, 2-2 (wins over baylor and tech) last year. it isn't just about youth and injuries. it is also about a learning curve. this isn't the wac.

everyone is entitled to an opinion, even if we disagree. hanging everything that has gone wrong on the injury thing isn't the whole story, imho.

by the way, 'bama played roughly 20 TRUE FRESHMEN this season. how'd they look? i am just saying...

I hear you, and there were some things that I felt were odd, or thought could have been done differently. I am just waiting to see what Hawk can do with his players and system installed, and with reasonable injury numbers. My stance has always been that if I don't see major improvement in 2009, then my patience vanishes.
 
look, it isn't mutually exclusive. the injuries were apocalyptic and the team suffered as a result. but, that doesn't mean we've got the living embodiment of bear bryant, knute rockne, and woody hayes all rolled into one at the hc slot right now. there were coaching issues.

that answer indicates that you feel that chimera to be what an average fan can expect from a coach.

fact is, the injuries prevent us from knowing what our coaching staff is fully capable of. it could be the situation is making them look less capable than they are. now one can form a premature opinion, and wag tongue about it. or they can wait for some solid facts.
 
I know you avoided the most under-performing area of the team. An interesting omission for sure.

i said long ago that of all your proposals for pitchfork crew, the special teams made the most sense. my opinion has not changed.

i note that your stance remains generallized.
 
i said long ago that of all your proposals for pitchfork crew, the special teams made the most sense. my opinion has not changed.

i note that your stance remains generallized.

hawk is here for at least another year. and, based upon his comments, it seems his whole staff is returning too. he intends for them to sink or swim together rather than chucking some of them off the raft now. fine. admirable. but, maybe not big boy football reality right now. i like hawk and i hope he gets it done. but, we are not alone in believing that there are some areas in particular (special teams, defensive line) where coaches seem to be dramatically underperforming.

the fact of the matter is that the window of opportunity for this staff, particularly as currently comprised, is rapidly narrowing. a few staff changes would probably buy hawk a bit more room but he's sticking to his guns, apparently. cool. whatever. that's his choice and he'll live with the consequences either way. i am not going to get all crazy over his choices. i am, however, going to hold him absolutely responsible if they fail to deliver again next year.

i hope they get it done in a big way next season because CU can't afford a great plug and play replacement coach. whomever they hire will likely set us back again and that won't be good.

so, here's to a big year next year! GO BUFFS! in the interim, message boards are forums for discussion and second-guessing. that's part of being a fan... we can agree to disagree, right? as long as they ain't bashing players or being STOOOOOOOOOPID, it is all good.
 
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