Joe Dexter
Guest
Can The Buckeyes Get Back Their Championship Offense in Short Time?
Joe Dexter via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Before the start of the season, Every Ohio State fan couldn’t wait to see what an already explosive offense could do after surprising the nation with a national championship run. Now, with just one week left to play in the regular season, everyone is pondering if this same Buckeye offense can muster enough points to sneak by That Team Up North. After continuous questioning of the offensive play calling.
This week, the staff at The Buckeye Battle Cry ponders in our weekly roundtable if the Ohio State offense of old will return this week with Urban Meyer taking over more control of the Buckeye offense.
Question: What does Urban Meyer need to change on Offense to make it the dangerous weapon it was in the postseason last year?
Michael Smith
On Twitter @CWGBuckeyes35
First I think he needs to open up the playbook more. I swear I’ve seen the same 5 plays ran all year long. Mike Huckabee is less conservative than this offense has been. If I can sit on my couch and corretly guess what play Ohio St is going to run before the snap of the ball you can bet the people who get paid on the other side can too.
Let Braxton Miller play. It seems we’ve seen less and less of Miller this year. He is a freak athlete but he’s been regulated to just taking a snap and running up the middle. A blind man can see it coming a mile away.
Scott Halasz
On Twitter @OhioStateScott
The easiest way is to pay Tom Herman whatever he wants to come back to Ohio State, to old Columbus town. We know that won’t happen. He basically needs to tell the offensive coordinators to open the offense or they will be jettisoned.
When he was hired he said he was going to open things up and run the spread. What they are doing this year is not the spread.
It’s an old school offense with too many power runs. The plays are there in the playbook, they just need to be called.
Ken Kohl
On Twitter @KenKohl1
First, Urban needs to completely take over the play calling. Put Tim Beck in a corner with a book and have Ed Warinner on-field working exclusively with the offensive line. Urban needs to be persistent and more creative with the play-calling. By ‘persistent’, I mean get the ball into Ezekiel’s hands more throughout the game. We’ve all seen how the running game is nothing great in the first half, but the cumulative affect of Elliott running the ball usually works in Ohio State’s favor in the 2nd half. We know this approach has worked this season. It’s time to “dance with the one that brung ya”.
He also should get the ball to play-makers (Elliott, Miller, Marshall, Thomas) in situations where they can use their athleticism to exploit UM’s defense. Don’t be afraid to throw the ball to Elliott on swing passes and wheel routes; Miller & Marshall on crossing patterns, Thomas on double-move ‘go’ patterns. I do not want to see Miller get his hands on the ball when he’s inside the tackle box.
Don’t be afraid to throw the ball on 1st down coming out of play-action. Go downfield early in the game to back the safeties off the line of scrimmage. If it doesn’t work the first time, don’t be afraid to try it again. And again.
WVaBuckeye:
On Twitter@WVaBuckeye
I am sure it’s the same sentiment everybody is thinking. Urban Meyer has to be more involved in the play calling if not doing it himself.
He took over the defense basically and we see where that went with the hiring of Chris Ash. He took his time before taking the training wheels off and has said all along that it’s by committee. Beck may eventually be the answer as an O coordinator but even Tom Herman even stumbled mightily before he soared.
Coach Meyer needs to get Ezekiel involved early and often but needs to make the offense the dangerous one it was last year. It’s not just about hitting the deep ball. Their staple of edge blocking breaking some plays with players like Braxton and Jalin needs to happen Saturday.
JC Collingsworth
On Twitter @Jcollingsworth3
Urban needs to take control of the Offense back. Warinner & Beck have proven 1) They are not Tom Herman. & 2) That they have limited abilities in exploring “all” options. The season has been a total see-saw on the offensive side of the ball. The latter part of last season was not only magical, it was well orchestrated, conquered, and “thought-through”. There is none of that this season.
The playbook needs to be opened up. A handful of plays are being used this season. It oddly reminds me of the Cooper era when Pepe Pearson ran. I use to say to my wife before a set began “…Pearson …Pearson …Pass!” This is 9 times out of ten how it went. Even an announcer during a game mentioned it by saying “If I see it – how in the world can they not expect a defensive coordinator not see it! This is ridiculous.” It is playing out in the same mode – from game one thus far this year.
Ezekiel needs to be what he has been all year … the offensive weapon. Don’t hold him back on some nonsense experiment. Also the passing game should be opened up. Why is it that we have one of the premier wide receivers in all of College Football (Mike Thomas) & he is scarcely utilized? Trust me when he heads to the NFL they will certainly know how to use him – and he will shine. Which brings up the point to play to the players strengths. This is it. Too many scenarios exist for the Buckeyes to return to the CFP … but with some help from Penn State they can return to the Big 10 Championship Game. But they MUST win this one first …. the biggest one of all …. THE GAME.
Urban needs to be Urban. All will play well for him & the Buckeyes if he simply gets back to where he has been and what got him on the big stage.
Joe Dexter
On Twitter@BuckeyeRadio
Michigan State proved last week that the Read Option isn’t infallible anymore. You can bet your bottom dollar that Jim Harbaugh and company have already planned a scheme to take that away and make the rest of the offense beat them.
In order for this offense to get back on track, they are going to have to think outside the box, just like they did during their championship run a year ago. It’s time to get Braxton Miller more involved in all three facets of the offense.
The sweep and quick pitches need to return to the running game to mix things up. The offensive staff has to be willing to move the chains with a short passing game at times instead of fully depending on the run. Michael Thomas has not been given a full opportunity at all this season to prove that he can be dangerous in short yardage situations.
Finally, Zeke has to be involved a lot more. In the read option, Barrett felt the need to take control too many times instead of giving it to Elliott. There were plenty of times that the offensive line and tight ends sealed off the edge perfectly but were blinded by the fact that J.T. still had the ball and was trying to make the play.
It isn’t just the read option though that #15 has to be involved in though. There have to be play calls for him in counter situations. More delays and draws for him in the middle of the field. And even more swing passes and touch plays on the sideline.
The bottom line though to me is want-to. It’s nothing that the coaches draw up or have hiding in their old playbooks from a year ago. Plain and simple, Ohio State got dominated at the line of scrimmage because Michigan State wanted it more last week.
The Wolverines will bring the same type of intensity on Saturday and if the Buckeyes don’t answer the bell, they might as well go home for dinner early.
The post Can The Buckeyes Get Back Their Championship Offense in Short Time? appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.
Continue reading...
Joe Dexter via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Before the start of the season, Every Ohio State fan couldn’t wait to see what an already explosive offense could do after surprising the nation with a national championship run. Now, with just one week left to play in the regular season, everyone is pondering if this same Buckeye offense can muster enough points to sneak by That Team Up North. After continuous questioning of the offensive play calling.
This week, the staff at The Buckeye Battle Cry ponders in our weekly roundtable if the Ohio State offense of old will return this week with Urban Meyer taking over more control of the Buckeye offense.
Question: What does Urban Meyer need to change on Offense to make it the dangerous weapon it was in the postseason last year?
Michael Smith
On Twitter @CWGBuckeyes35
First I think he needs to open up the playbook more. I swear I’ve seen the same 5 plays ran all year long. Mike Huckabee is less conservative than this offense has been. If I can sit on my couch and corretly guess what play Ohio St is going to run before the snap of the ball you can bet the people who get paid on the other side can too.
Let Braxton Miller play. It seems we’ve seen less and less of Miller this year. He is a freak athlete but he’s been regulated to just taking a snap and running up the middle. A blind man can see it coming a mile away.
Scott Halasz
On Twitter @OhioStateScott
The easiest way is to pay Tom Herman whatever he wants to come back to Ohio State, to old Columbus town. We know that won’t happen. He basically needs to tell the offensive coordinators to open the offense or they will be jettisoned.
When he was hired he said he was going to open things up and run the spread. What they are doing this year is not the spread.
It’s an old school offense with too many power runs. The plays are there in the playbook, they just need to be called.
Ken Kohl
On Twitter @KenKohl1
First, Urban needs to completely take over the play calling. Put Tim Beck in a corner with a book and have Ed Warinner on-field working exclusively with the offensive line. Urban needs to be persistent and more creative with the play-calling. By ‘persistent’, I mean get the ball into Ezekiel’s hands more throughout the game. We’ve all seen how the running game is nothing great in the first half, but the cumulative affect of Elliott running the ball usually works in Ohio State’s favor in the 2nd half. We know this approach has worked this season. It’s time to “dance with the one that brung ya”.
He also should get the ball to play-makers (Elliott, Miller, Marshall, Thomas) in situations where they can use their athleticism to exploit UM’s defense. Don’t be afraid to throw the ball to Elliott on swing passes and wheel routes; Miller & Marshall on crossing patterns, Thomas on double-move ‘go’ patterns. I do not want to see Miller get his hands on the ball when he’s inside the tackle box.
Don’t be afraid to throw the ball on 1st down coming out of play-action. Go downfield early in the game to back the safeties off the line of scrimmage. If it doesn’t work the first time, don’t be afraid to try it again. And again.
WVaBuckeye:
On Twitter@WVaBuckeye
I am sure it’s the same sentiment everybody is thinking. Urban Meyer has to be more involved in the play calling if not doing it himself.
He took over the defense basically and we see where that went with the hiring of Chris Ash. He took his time before taking the training wheels off and has said all along that it’s by committee. Beck may eventually be the answer as an O coordinator but even Tom Herman even stumbled mightily before he soared.
Coach Meyer needs to get Ezekiel involved early and often but needs to make the offense the dangerous one it was last year. It’s not just about hitting the deep ball. Their staple of edge blocking breaking some plays with players like Braxton and Jalin needs to happen Saturday.
JC Collingsworth
On Twitter @Jcollingsworth3
Urban needs to take control of the Offense back. Warinner & Beck have proven 1) They are not Tom Herman. & 2) That they have limited abilities in exploring “all” options. The season has been a total see-saw on the offensive side of the ball. The latter part of last season was not only magical, it was well orchestrated, conquered, and “thought-through”. There is none of that this season.
The playbook needs to be opened up. A handful of plays are being used this season. It oddly reminds me of the Cooper era when Pepe Pearson ran. I use to say to my wife before a set began “…Pearson …Pearson …Pass!” This is 9 times out of ten how it went. Even an announcer during a game mentioned it by saying “If I see it – how in the world can they not expect a defensive coordinator not see it! This is ridiculous.” It is playing out in the same mode – from game one thus far this year.
Ezekiel needs to be what he has been all year … the offensive weapon. Don’t hold him back on some nonsense experiment. Also the passing game should be opened up. Why is it that we have one of the premier wide receivers in all of College Football (Mike Thomas) & he is scarcely utilized? Trust me when he heads to the NFL they will certainly know how to use him – and he will shine. Which brings up the point to play to the players strengths. This is it. Too many scenarios exist for the Buckeyes to return to the CFP … but with some help from Penn State they can return to the Big 10 Championship Game. But they MUST win this one first …. the biggest one of all …. THE GAME.
Urban needs to be Urban. All will play well for him & the Buckeyes if he simply gets back to where he has been and what got him on the big stage.
Joe Dexter
On Twitter@BuckeyeRadio
Michigan State proved last week that the Read Option isn’t infallible anymore. You can bet your bottom dollar that Jim Harbaugh and company have already planned a scheme to take that away and make the rest of the offense beat them.
In order for this offense to get back on track, they are going to have to think outside the box, just like they did during their championship run a year ago. It’s time to get Braxton Miller more involved in all three facets of the offense.
The sweep and quick pitches need to return to the running game to mix things up. The offensive staff has to be willing to move the chains with a short passing game at times instead of fully depending on the run. Michael Thomas has not been given a full opportunity at all this season to prove that he can be dangerous in short yardage situations.
Finally, Zeke has to be involved a lot more. In the read option, Barrett felt the need to take control too many times instead of giving it to Elliott. There were plenty of times that the offensive line and tight ends sealed off the edge perfectly but were blinded by the fact that J.T. still had the ball and was trying to make the play.
It isn’t just the read option though that #15 has to be involved in though. There have to be play calls for him in counter situations. More delays and draws for him in the middle of the field. And even more swing passes and touch plays on the sideline.
The bottom line though to me is want-to. It’s nothing that the coaches draw up or have hiding in their old playbooks from a year ago. Plain and simple, Ohio State got dominated at the line of scrimmage because Michigan State wanted it more last week.
The Wolverines will bring the same type of intensity on Saturday and if the Buckeyes don’t answer the bell, they might as well go home for dinner early.
The post Can The Buckeyes Get Back Their Championship Offense in Short Time? appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.
Continue reading...