Sitting with my son watching Oregon. The speed and tempo they run is insane. We're thinking they have maybe 10 specific sequences of plays with a few options on a few plays. There doesn't seem to be any situational decision in play selection; it looks scripted from start to finish. I don't think there's any way they can send in plays that quickly. They have the sequence predetermined and they rely on the defense's exhaustion and inability to get ready for the next play. Perhaps if you play them frequently enough, you can adjust, but it's lethal if you're not familiar with it. They seem to rely on their ability to execute the sequence better than the defense can recognize it.

ya, that pace seemed really hard to stop.

FSU couldn't afford to turnover the ball over and give Oregon easy points.....FSU was matching up pretty well the 1st half, just a couple of missed opportunities....

But the avalanche came in the second half with all of those fumbles....it got out of hand too quick

Definitely interesting to see. Auburn was close to the same speed last year. It catches you unprepared at times. It's inevitable. But we made enough plays in the first half to prevent it from being a major issue. I'm not even sure it was a major issue in the second half, either, as the turnovers are what killed us.

But I do understand now why Saban wants to change the rules in regards to the speed of the game. It's absolutely an advantage to the offense if they're able to line up and snap the ball at such a pace that the defense isn't even given time to read the alignment and adjust.

What was Saban's proposal, to not allow the ball to be snapped sooner than 10 seconds off the play clock? Oregon was routinely snapping it faster than 10 seconds from what espn was showing when they tried to count the second between plays. Maybe Saban has a point.

To beat Oregon you have to score TD's not FG's, don't turn the ball over, and run more than pass.
FlossY Out...

A lot of it has to do with having a Dixon or Mariota. Stanford smothered them despite the tempo two years ago. I don't know if you can run this otherwise.

(01-02-2015 11:43 AM)bronconick Wrote:  A lot of it has to do with having a Dixon or Mariota. Stanford smothered them despite the tempo two years ago. I don't know if you can run this otherwise.

Agree. You definitely need the right personnel and the players need to execute flawlessly. I just don't believe it's possible to analyze the situation, determine the right play to run, get it called down to the sideline, signal it in to the QB, have the QB communicate the play to the team, and snap the ball that quickly. I'm guessing the entire series is pre-scripted; they really don't care what the situation is and they're not deciding play-by-play. They know the plays and sequence before the offense comes on the field. They're relying on their own speed and counting on the defense's confusion, exhaustion, and lack of time to adjust situationally.

I don't think they have the entire series scripted. There's no way all of the players would remember it. Maybe the first 3 plays are told to the players ahead of time but that's about it, I'd think. Their signals are most likely simple, with just a few formations and a few options from each formation and those cards they hold up are quicker than the conventional hand signals. They don't need to "analyze" the defense because the defense isn't even aligned yet much of the time.

I agreed with Saban at the time and I agree with him now. There is no way anyone will convince me that more plays doesn't equal more injuries. It's just common sense.

Also, whenever players are lining up exhausted and out of position, that further increases their risk of injury. Everyone is jealous of Alabama and Saban is as cuddly as a cactus so it is easy to pooh pooh him. However, history will vindicate him on this one. Someone is going to become very seriously injured and/or die as a result of the pace of the game and then they will be forced to make some of the changes that he is proposing now.

Competitive fairness is a bigger issue than injuries.

I'm more concerned with player safety than whether or not its "fair" - which is a matter of one's perspective. Safety concerns are not a matter of perspectives.

Saying someone will die because of a hurry up offense is beyond outlandish.