Winter Workouts 2017
- Thread starter Godz40Acrez
- Start date
BM has already had two concussions and I can't stress enough that he is one more concussion away from retirement.
True that but one thing I've noticed in today's college football is that concussions is one thing they can not ignore. He had two six weeks apart in the 2015 season. One more and no doctor in OK no matter how much he loves sooner fb, will clear him to play, it would destroy his credibility with his peers.
You know bubba2023, you can let a fb player play when he does serious physical damage to another human being negative public relations be damned.
But, when he gets hurt they get all concerned and care about his safety, and mental health. Think about that.
Tom Herman Aint Messing Around
Spoke to a source regarding coach Tom Herman’s demeanor in practice this week and it sounds like any honeymoon period is over. I’m told Herman has been extremely involved in the coaching and extremely intense this week. To put it very mildly, he’s been challenging the manhood of the players and, again to put it mildly, demanding that they step up to that challenge…sometimes make such ‘requests’ with some colorful language. The source said that one player actually had the guts to miss a class…that didn’t go well. “After what happened to him, the players were pretty much like, we’re never missing a class.”
[TFB]
Spoke to a source regarding coach Tom Herman’s demeanor in practice this week and it sounds like any honeymoon period is over. I’m told Herman has been extremely involved in the coaching and extremely intense this week. To put it very mildly, he’s been challenging the manhood of the players and, again to put it mildly, demanding that they step up to that challenge…sometimes make such ‘requests’ with some colorful language. The source said that one player actually had the guts to miss a class…that didn’t go well. “After what happened to him, the players were pretty much like, we’re never missing a class.”
[TFB]
I read somewhere that a WR was jogging in a drill and Herman came over...ignored the WR and ate the ass out of the coach.....
Thats great news to me....that will pay off in the end.
Thats great news to me....that will pay off in the end.
This is an excellent discussion by the IT guys. They first talk about the offensive fits from the current roster for coming Herman-O; then they finish by focusing on the new class and all of its "fits" for both the new O and D.
Okay, I'm ready to fire The Hermanator. He's hired the best and brightest media minds (supposedly) and they're giving me zippo info about the Winter Workouts. Even the media aren't reporting anything but 2018 recruiting. 20stinking18 RECRUITING! The players aren't even tweeting about their workouts! This is unprecedented.
The Longhorn Football world isn't revolving around me anymore and I'm enraged! I've just got one thing to say to Tommy Boy....
The Longhorn Football world isn't revolving around me anymore and I'm enraged! I've just got one thing to say to Tommy Boy....
Okay, here's the latest video but it doesn't help much.
Rebuilding DBU
[T]he Orlando defense is built primarily around quarters coverages. The advantages of playing two-deep coverages these days can be found in the versatility of these coverages to adjust to different strengths and weaknesses from either the offense or defensive personnel as well as in the post-snap flexibility that comes from having a safety on either hash to react to the play.
However that versatility generally comes from having CBs that can play on an island at times and the flexibility depends on having safeties that can react accurately and quickly to what happens after the snap. Here are the five DB roles that Orlando relied on at Houston over the last few years and what they call for from the players.
Cornerback
After studying multiple games from both 2015 and 2016 I haven’t found any formational consistency to how Orlando likes to line up his cornerbacks. [M]y conclusion is that every cornerback on the roster needs to be as complete a player as possible, capable of defending vertical routes without help over the top as well as supporting the run as a force player on the edge.
Generally quarters coverage provides help for the cornerback on inside routes like the curl, post, or dig (though not necessarily) but it can also frequently leave him to handle the fade, hitch, out, or comeback by his lonesome. Cornerbacks need to be able to play WRs without getting beat deep down the sideline and ideally they can do so without conceding too much of a cushion.
Nickel
Orlando does play his outside linebackers as field and boundary (for the most part) and so the nickel is basically an outside linebacker who happens to be responsible for covering a ton of space. He needs to be able to play the edge against the run but to do so while covering some real distances.
However, Orlando also makes heavy use of fire zone blitzes in his defense, which ask the coverage players to play matchup zone/man defense on the various receivers. While these blitzes often involve the nickel as a blitzer, they more frequently ask him to cover the slot WR in man coverage, so this player needs to be pretty solid in coverage.
With all of those considerations in mind your nickel ends up needing to be a very versatile DB who’s effective against the run, smart enough to handle a lot of differing assignments (some of which require very quick reactions), and skilled enough to handle being isolated in coverage.
Boundary safety
Because this safety is closer to the box and the action this is often a playmaking position in a quarters defense. The boundary safety has less range to cover on most snaps than the field safety so he needn’t necessarily be as fast and athletic but he’s more likely to have run fits in the box so he does need to be sturdier and plenty physical.
His proximity to the box means he can at times even blitz the edge but his most frequent tasks are playing over the boundary inside WR, serving as an extra run defender, playing as a deep half or deep middle zone defender, and playing as a “robber” on the inside. Obviously having a few years in the program to learn all that is invaluable.
Field safety
Tom Herman recently identified this guy as one of the two most important positions on defense because they have to set the call for the coverage based on the opponent’s formation. He might have added that they’re also responsible for adjusting to everything that happens after the snap and making sure everything goes alright while simultaneously navigating a lot of grass.
The field safety is going to spend most of his time either playing over the top and closing on the ball or else dropping down in man coverage to replace a blitzing nickel. [T]his safety position benefits from having a defender with real coverage savvy and the athleticism to make open field tackles.
Dime back
Orlando also likes to play some six DB sub-packages that remove the boundary outside linebacker and replace him with another DB that can play man coverage on a slot or blitz the edge. They used a safety in the role a year ago, which makes the most sense. The idea is just to upgrade the speed at the position and to get more coverage ability on the field so that, if facing four or five receivers on the field together, the defense can more credibly disguise where blitzes are coming from.
If you insist on leaving defenders out there that can’t cover any of the WRs on the field then the offense is going to more easily diagnose what you’re doing. So in such moments, Orlando would often roll with the dime package and move one of his better safeties into the dime role while playing a back-up at safety.
Filling the roles
Kris Boyd had a pretty solid 2016 with 48 tackles, five pass break-ups, two forced fumbles, and a game-sealing interception. He was perhaps at his best playing cover 2 and helping out against the run and for that reason would be the no. 1 contender at the boundary spot if Texas were to use a “field” and “boundary” corner.
The other spot will be determined by a major showdown between Holton Hill, Davante Davis, and John Bonney. For all of the flak he caught [from Godz40acres in 2015 and the first half of 2016], Bonney ended up leading the team last year with nine pass break-ups and did a credible job of staying on top of routes last year and closing to make plays on the ball or tackles. Holton Hill is probably the most skilled CB on the team in terms of being left on an island outside but he’ll need to prove he’s worthy of trust. Davante Davis crumbled last year in the midst of the catastrophe that was the Texas defense but he’s generally been the most reliable of this whole bunch, combining some of Hill’s length and athleticism with Bonney’s assignment-sound play.
Because they are savvy with assignments and reliable tacklers, if Davante Davis or John Bonney lose out on the starting corner position it’s possible that they’ll be cross-trained or moved over to field safety where Texas will have great need of range and coverage ability. Last year they played DeShon Elliott in that space some and he was good when helping P.J. Locke to bracket slot receivers but inconsistent when trying to nail down the different assignments.
Brandon Jones is the best athlete to fill the field safety role because of his tremendous athleticism that could see him play most any position in the secondary. He’d also bring some value-add in his ability to drop down into the box from the far hash.
We mentioned earlier that nickel has a similar need for a versatile and veteran DB but young P.J. Locke seems to have this role sewn up thanks to his physical and heady play.
The boundary safety spot will probably be where Jason Hall makes his senior stand though his experience alone might get him in the mix at the field safety position. He was listed at 6-3, 216 last year and could thus be as likely to end up at LB as he was at field safety but it’s just hard to beat experience. The boundary spot should balance Hall’s safety experience and larger size but if not then Elliott, Jones, or young Chris Brown could prove to be intimidating presences those slots.
The... depth chart for the secondary would then be best translated as follows:
- CB: Davante Davis or Holton Hill
- CB: Kris Boyd/John Bonney
- Nickel: PJ Locke/Chris Brown
- Boundary safety: Jason Hall/DeShon Elliott
- Field safety: Brandon Jones/DeShon Elliott
- Dime back: Jason Hall
[IT]
Core Values Don't Change
During Herman’s speech at the Texas High School Coaches Association Coaches Leadership Summit on Friday, a photo was taken of a slide that featured some of the program’s core values.
Herman’s values for how players will conduct themselves in the Texas program are the same as Strong’s.
-- Honesty
-- Treat Women with Respect
-- No Drugs
-- No Stealing
-- No Weapons
[247]
During Herman’s speech at the Texas High School Coaches Association Coaches Leadership Summit on Friday, a photo was taken of a slide that featured some of the program’s core values.
Herman’s values for how players will conduct themselves in the Texas program are the same as Strong’s.
-- Honesty
-- Treat Women with Respect
-- No Drugs
-- No Stealing
-- No Weapons
[247]
Tight End: noun, Football.
1. an offensive player positioned at one extremity of the line directly beside a tackle, used as both a blocker and a pass receiver.
2. a phantom offensive player at the University of Texas since 2008.
After targeting the tight ends six times for six catches in 2016, the Texas Longhorns will use the position in a much more complete manner under new head coach Tom Herman this season.
In fact, it’s one of the most important positions on offense, including in the passing game.
“We think that position is probably as hard — or maybe complex is the right word — as the quarterback in this offense,” Herman said on National Signing Day. “We need an extremely versatile guy that can split out on the slot, put his hand on the ground, block a defensive end, and one that can motion in the back field and become a fullback or H-back of sorts. So it is a critical role in our offense."
Herman has two main running plays in his “smash-mouth spread” offense — the inside zone and the power. The inside zone can be run two ways, as a true inside zone, with the tight end on the line of scrimmage, double teaming with the tackle, then working to the second and third levels, or as a split zone, with the tight end kicking out the backside end or outside linebacker. Either way, the tight end’s block is crucial to the success of this play.
The tight end also serves as a kick out or lead blocker on the power play that Herman loves to run. This play is run as a counter play with motion to the outside of the formation and as a true run play. It can be versatile, run with the quarterback or a running back, and has a variety of read and run-pass options that can accompany it. It’s also pretty useless if there is no tight end/H-back to execute the required blocks on your roster.
Since the head coach mentioned that one of the current scholarship tight ends is currently dealing with an injury — likely senior Andrew Beck — that may only leave Peyton Aucoin for the spring.
An experienced in-line blocker in high school, the New Orleans native didn’t show much ability in the passing game at Brother Martin, in part because he paired with a receiving tight end in Irvin Smith.
So during the spring, Herman won’t have much to work with and could entertain a possible position change. Demarco Boyd anyone? The former Gilmer standout demonstrated his ability to play running back in high school and could be used primarily as a fullback/move blocker at H-back.
If not, Herman will have to make due with walk ons.
Then there’s the pass-catching portion of the tight end responsibilities in Tom Herman’s offense. In addition to serving as blockers in max-protection looks, the position will also get a chance to run some pop passes, stretch the seam, and serve as targets in play-action situations.
Most importantly for an offense that struggled in the red zone last year, it will also split tight ends out and run fades or corner routes to take advantages of mismatches.
[BON]
1. an offensive player positioned at one extremity of the line directly beside a tackle, used as both a blocker and a pass receiver.
2. a phantom offensive player at the University of Texas since 2008.
After targeting the tight ends six times for six catches in 2016, the Texas Longhorns will use the position in a much more complete manner under new head coach Tom Herman this season.
In fact, it’s one of the most important positions on offense, including in the passing game.
“We think that position is probably as hard — or maybe complex is the right word — as the quarterback in this offense,” Herman said on National Signing Day. “We need an extremely versatile guy that can split out on the slot, put his hand on the ground, block a defensive end, and one that can motion in the back field and become a fullback or H-back of sorts. So it is a critical role in our offense."
Herman has two main running plays in his “smash-mouth spread” offense — the inside zone and the power. The inside zone can be run two ways, as a true inside zone, with the tight end on the line of scrimmage, double teaming with the tackle, then working to the second and third levels, or as a split zone, with the tight end kicking out the backside end or outside linebacker. Either way, the tight end’s block is crucial to the success of this play.
The tight end also serves as a kick out or lead blocker on the power play that Herman loves to run. This play is run as a counter play with motion to the outside of the formation and as a true run play. It can be versatile, run with the quarterback or a running back, and has a variety of read and run-pass options that can accompany it. It’s also pretty useless if there is no tight end/H-back to execute the required blocks on your roster.
Since the head coach mentioned that one of the current scholarship tight ends is currently dealing with an injury — likely senior Andrew Beck — that may only leave Peyton Aucoin for the spring.
An experienced in-line blocker in high school, the New Orleans native didn’t show much ability in the passing game at Brother Martin, in part because he paired with a receiving tight end in Irvin Smith.
So during the spring, Herman won’t have much to work with and could entertain a possible position change. Demarco Boyd anyone? The former Gilmer standout demonstrated his ability to play running back in high school and could be used primarily as a fullback/move blocker at H-back.
If not, Herman will have to make due with walk ons.
Then there’s the pass-catching portion of the tight end responsibilities in Tom Herman’s offense. In addition to serving as blockers in max-protection looks, the position will also get a chance to run some pop passes, stretch the seam, and serve as targets in play-action situations.
Most importantly for an offense that struggled in the red zone last year, it will also split tight ends out and run fades or corner routes to take advantages of mismatches.
[BON]
Todd Orlando & Texas Linebackers
Take 1
Take 1
How does the linebacker position change in [Todd Orlando's 3-4 base] defense and how will an emphasis on LB play work out at Texas?
The B-backer
This is Orlando’s rather lame term for the rush-backer who usually lines up to the boundary. The B-backer is a true hybrid between an outside linebacker and a DE and he may have the responsibilities of one or the other from snap to snap based on the call.
When he’s acting as an OLB he’ll basically key off the behavior of the inside receiver to his side, so if they go out into a route then he’ll collision them and then usually move into flat coverage. If they run block he’ll force the edge. When he’s acting as a DE obviously he’ll crash the edge or stunt inside in the case of a blitz as a DL would do.
The Rover
This is basically the weakside linebacker and he usually lines up to the boundary as well. The name is much more descriptive than for the “B-backer” because the Rover does a lot of different things.
On some snaps he’s basically a normal inside-backer in the 3-4 reading RB/OL flow and filling interior gaps. On others he’s more of an outside-backer playing out in the flats some and forcing the edge or picking up a slot in coverage. Then there are the frequent opportunities he gets to blitz, which he may do through any gap at any time based largely on his own strengths and the strengths of the players around him.
The Mac
The other inside-backer, he blitzes a lot as well but his secondary role is less often to serve as an outside-backer because he’s often playing to the field with a nickel and cover safety as his main adjuncts to help cover all that grass.
The Mac is going to spend a lot of time blitzing from all angles but also a lot of time reading RB/OL flow and filling creases between the tackles. He needs to be good at traditional linebacker duties like beating blocks and gap control.
[E]very player’s unique strengths factor into what Orlando can call but so do the strengths and weaknesses of his teammates. Everyone can and will blitz, but everyone has to be able to carry water when they’re the ones dropping into coverage to make it work properly.
Fitting the Texas roster into these three positions
I’ve had my own ideas about who could fit where but [now we have] knowledge about what Orlando wants to try out. Evidently this is the starting point:
- B-backer: Naashon Hughes/Jeffrey McCulloch/Erick Fowler
- Rover: Malik Jefferson/Ed Freeman
- Mac: Breckyn Hager/Anthony Wheeler
Malik at Rover obviously makes a great deal of sense. It gets him into a lot of different roles so that his athletic versatility can shine. He’ll get to blitz up the gut or on the edges with regularity in this set up.
Malik understands blitzing and was starting to embrace the idea of fighting through blocks rather than looking for something else to do if opposing OL picked up his stunt, which will be key under Herman and Orlando. He’s occasionally brilliant as an OLB and still has work to do in understanding the finer points of ILB but this is all fine, he’s only a junior this season and his various duties and extended playing time as an underclassmen is going to serve him well now.
Mac is the crucial spot, both for allowing the Malik vs Freeman battle at Rover that might not be a foregone conclusion as well as for what it means for the B-backers. I think putting Hager here may be more experimental than a long-term solution, in part because I think Hager has a lot of upside at the B-backer spot and in part because I don’t think they’ll want to keep Gary Johnson off the field for long once he arrives in the fall.
[P]laying Mac is largely about reading flow and scraping laterally before coming downhill with momentum. Hager is more of a strictly downhill player who excels at fighting through traffic, he’s not stiff moving laterally but his ability to scrape is not what makes him special and he’ll be caught in space a lot playing Mac in the Big 12.
The other interesting aspect of this depth chart is that it didn’t include Texas’ other young pass-rusher, Malcolm Roach, at the B-backer position, instead moving him down into the 4i DE spot. Roach is at his best with some space to work in and not so much when he can be engulfed by a guard. Perhaps he grows into the role but he seemed a no-brainer fit at the B-backer spot and was more comfortable dropping into coverage last year then grappling with OL.
The driving force behind these questionable-looking position changes is that the staff needs to find depth at the 4i and Mac positions, or else revamp the defensive front to a different alignment and even then they’d still need to teach more players on the roster how to play inside-backer.
Todd Orlando’s main task this coming offseason will be to train a pack of outside linebackers that were highly recruited for their athleticism to play inside linebacker and he’s apparently starting with two of Texas’ most explosive yet role-limited players in Breckyn Hager and Malik Jefferson. If he succeeds, everyone gets to blitz and have fun. If not, Texas may endure more pain on defense until they start finding players that can do the dirty work inside.
[IT]
Todd Orlando & Texas Linebackers
Take 2
Take 2
There’s no lack of options at the linebacker position for the Texas Longhorns and new defensive coordinator Todd Orlando.
The 2015 and 2016 recruiting classes both brought highly-rated players at this position to Texas with Malik Jefferson and Jeffrey McCulloch. In 2017, the nation’s No. junior college linebacker, Gary Johnson, signed with the Horns.
[M]any feel that [Jefferson] has been out of position the past two seasons, as he profiled as an outside linebacker out of high school. One of the biggest concerns with Johnson is his ability to play on this inside with his smaller stature.
The physicality of either linebacker should not be of concern in Todd Orlando’s scheme. Lets start by pointing out that Orlando’s 2016 defense featured Stephen Taylor in the Mac spot (an inside linebacker position). Taylor is listed at 6’1, 224 pounds. Taylor also managed to earn first-team all-conference honors in 2016 and was included in numerous national awards watch lists...
Another concern for Johnson is the mental responsibilities that accompany playing the Mac position in Todd Orlando’s defense. Orlando recruited Johnson, and it is my belief he recruited specifically for this position. The reason Johnson is here is to start, immediately, and to do it at inside linebacker.
With either Johnson or Jefferson playing the Mac position in 2017, it’s fair to expect similar results. The reason for this is the design of Orlando’s defense, which favors speed over size at the middle linebacker position. Orlando’s favorite scheme against the run in his multiple 3-4 defense is an “eagle” look, which covers both guards and the center with a slanted nose and a three technique.
This can change from week to week, but one thing that is consistent is that the Mac linebacker is protected in this alignment. The tackle is in a three technique, and is taught that his main responsibility is to prevent the guard from reaching the linebacker off the line of scrimmage.
The nose is taught to attack the center, preventing his ability to block at the second level. In addition, the nose’s body position (slightly less than 45 degrees slanted to the center) puts his lower half in the path of the backside guard, making it difficult for him to block the Mac.
The only block the backside guard has with a free release is a reach block on the Will, but that leaves the center man-to-man on the nose, a match up that Orlando will take all day, given the nose’s position in regards to the center.
This alignment allows for both the Will and the Mac to read the play and use their speed to outrun offensive linemen, reducing the need to take on the bigger, more physical players by the linebackers.
Against the pass, Orlando uses a variety of line stunts to open holes for the blitzing linebackers, who can run free to pressure the quarterback. These stunts, combined with a split coverage scheme will give both Jefferson and Johnson the opportunity to do what they do best — pressure the quarterback — while forcing the offensive linemen to focus on blocking big-on-big.
Now on to the outside linebackers, starting with the Rush — this is another playmaking position in Orlando’s defense. The Rush is often used as a fourth lineman in this scheme, and can either put his hand in the dirt, or play from a two-point stance.
Although many believe that this is a perfect position for Jefferson, he may be more valuable playing inside for the Longhorns, due to his leadership abilities and the fact that he will have a full spring of practice to learn the position.
[M]y favorite for this position is Breckyn Hager. This is essentially the same position as the Fox end that Hager played in 2016, from which which Hager made 65 tackles and six sacks last season.
Another potential player for this position is Malcolm Roach, but at 6’2 and 263 pounds, Roach may fit better at the defensive end position. Playing there would also allow for both Roach and Hager to be on the field as edge rushers simultaneously which could be bad news for opposing quarterbacks.
The last linebacker position to preview is the Buck [which] is a hybrid linebacker/safety... Edwin Freeman fits this position perfectly, as he played safety in high school, and has skills which could translate to this position at the collegiate level. It may also be necessary in the Big 12 conference to use a safety, like P.J. Locke or Jason Hall here, especially when Blue coverage is used, which means in nickel situations.
As you can see, the possibilities are endless for this group [Jefferson, Johnson, Hager, Freeman, Anthony Wheeler, Jeffery McCulloch, Nashon Hughes and Demarco Boyd] and the potential that each of these eight can be role players on the defense in 2017 is there. This position group should give Longhorns fans hope and something to be excited about for this coming fall.
Think the Texas defensive coordinator might be a little bit excited about coaching the most highly-regarded athletes in his coaching career, by a wide margin?
[BON]
Malik last week....
Malik and crew two days ago....
Malik and crew two days ago....
The Philosophy of Herman's Offense
It may surprise some that Herman is mostly a defense-minded coach. Herman’s philosophy on offense is somewhat rooted in helping the defense. For Herman, the offense does this by protecting the ball (HUGE!!!) and punting, yes, punting, why!? Well, if you don’t fumble or throw interceptions, you don’t give the other team extra opportunities to win, for one! Also, if you protect the ball and punt well, there’s a good chance field position will tilt in your favor, expect Michael Dickson to play a major role [in] the Herman offense!
Physicality is paramount as well. Herman does not believe in finesse-style play. Herman wants to birth the saltiest group of young men the game has ever seen.
Tempo is important, but don’t expect a ‘100 play offense’, as Herman would put it. Last season fans saw the Texas offense attempt to pace faster. While uptempo is useful, it doesn’t fit Herman’s defensive-minded approach, which focuses more on controlling the ball (NO TURNOVERS!), earning at least 2 first downs (key!), and again, punting. This, of course ties into the aforementioned point regarding field position. So, expect an offense that is relatively boring, but one that also strikes hard when the situation calls for it.
Red zone offense is crucial, points must be scored, but not just any points, TOUCHDOWNS. This is the area of the field Herman is more willing to take risks. Expect to see Texas gunning for scores within the opponent’s 30-yard line. This means taking a shot at times or perhaps more often, going for it on 4th down. It may seem obvious, but there is nothing more important to an offense than a fresh new set of 4 downs. To put it simply and to state the obvious again, 7 is better than 3. If the situation calls for it, it’ll be first down or bust.
[More @ TFB]
The Scheme of Herman's Offense
Herman’s offense is a run-first no-huddle spread offense. What you’ll see are a lot of 2-back run concepts, what is referred to as ’20’ personnel. From there the Texas offense will run Inside Zone, Outside Zone, Power-O, and what I call Power-Sweep. All of these schemes will feature read concepts where the quarterback is reading a defender and deciding whether to keep and run or keep and pass.
Included in the run game is a receiver screen and quick passing game, both meant to constrain the run game. Herman will not accept anything less than physical and sustained blocking from his receiving corps. The receivers are likely to experience the biggest reset of all this year. Note that this will hugely benefit the quarterback position as well. With the type of athletes Texas can feature outside, a significant upgrade in blocking outside will mean a lot more big plays. Expect Stop Screens, Bubble Screens, and Slip Screens to be paired with the run concepts. Also, Hitch, Stick, and Curl will be tagged and packaged with core run concepts. Lastly, something I clamored for last season, Flare Screens (back or motion receiver) will be utilized to attack off-coverage to either side of the field. Note that all the above are run-pass option (RPO) concepts. Most will be post-snap, but some will be pre-snap reads the quarterback will be tasked with making.
I already mentioned the quick pass game, but there will be a concept you’ll see over and over and over, more than any other, the 3-Level pass concept.
[T]his concept attacks the deep, intermediate, and short zones. This concept is extremely versatile and is meant to win against multiple coverages. Also, the routes are adjustable. Receivers will be expected to adjust their routes based on the positioning and depth of defenders. This is why Herman doesn’t run much else. It can change on the fly, offering tremendous optionality. The quarterback simply makes a high-low read of the deep defender and the flat defender. Whether against Cover 0,1,2,3, or 4, Herman expects the quarterback to be able to make the read and simply find the open man, if not, move to the ‘3rd Fix’ or Scramble. This concept will be repped from multiple formations and thousands of times.
There are a few other concepts, but what’s glossed over above is the gist of the Herman offense. It’s why his offenses have been both efficient and explosive.
[More @ TFB]
Defensive Coaches Sing
[Safeties coach Craig] Naivar has a lot of talent sitting in the safeties section of the defensive backs room, including sophomore Brandon Jones and junior DeShon Elliott. While he likes some of the pieces he has, he is also reluctant to attach any labels to players since he has not seen them in pads.
“They can run, pretty obvious,” Naivar said of Jones and Elliott. “Change of direction is good. Haven’t done enough stuff in the weight room to give you a true sense of that, numbers and all that stuff, we’re working off that. That would be a down to earth deal. Football’s played with pads on. The offseason is tremendous, it’s important and does all those things, but until we put pads on, I really couldn’t tell you.”
Since the team is still in offseason workouts, Naivar is invested in learning more about who will be there for him in the toughest times in the fourth quarter.
“You want to find out right now who’s going to tap out, who’s going to fight through adversity,” Naivar said. “Then once you find those things out, then you can help those young men build on those aspects. If a guy can’t tackle very well, I’m going to do more tackling drills. If a guy needs to show more, for lack of a better term, a broad general term, mental toughness, we can help him through that. We can identify leadership. Who can you count on? Sometimes guys rise as leaders who were not in leadership roles prior.”
Naivar will be working closely with [cornerbacks coach Jason] Washington, his secondary coaching counterpart. Corner was an extremely hit or miss position for Texas last season. For every good play PJ Locke or Kris Boyd would make at certain junctures, there would be one to two more negative plays.
Washington... knows his job is to reinforce successful habits and not the ones that brought Herman to Texas.
“They have a clean slate, but in my mind I have ‘ok, Davante [Davis], this is what we need to do. Holton [Hill], this is what we need to do here,’” Washington said. “I’m a big stickler on doing things right all the time, and if I catch one whiff of somebody not doing things right, I’m going to hit it on you. Let’s do it again. I’m a big believer that perfect practice makes perfect reps.”
Washington also knows the new responsibility he has in grooming the next crop of NFL level defensive backs coming out of Texas. While it has been several seasons since Quandre Diggs and Mykkele Thompson roamed the backfield, he is familiar with some of the other players to come from Texas and make an impact in the secondary.
For [DC Todd] Orlando, getting his players to buy-in will also create competition. That competition will allow the coaches to see the best in each player and put the best players on the field as a result.
“I think it’ll be competitive in terms of job,” Orlando said. “We’ll find out who cares the most, who goes the hardest, who’s the toughest guy. Then you have to produce in this business. It’s a production business. You’ve got to be able to make plays.”
Orlando... discussed the impact Malik Jefferson will have with added consistency, and the position that likely best fits Jefferson’s skillset – the Will linebacker.
“That guy’s got to be dynamic,” Orlando said. “That guy’s got to be a guy that can rush the passer, a guy that can play in space. Our middle linebacker will be more of a thumper, but he still has to be able to run in this package and especially in this league.”
Orlando also outlined his plan for incoming linebacker Gary Johnson, who he hopes will play at 225 pounds.
“I think Gary can play some different spots.” Orlando said. “I think he can play inside. I think he can play outside. He gives us the ability to blitz with him. He’s got some wiggle to him. I think he runs really, really well. The biggest thing with Gary is we’ve got to just put some weight on him.”
Overall, the coaching staff knows they were brought in to replace the previous staff for a reason – to win games. Early in the process, the best way to win games in the fall is to win over the players in the winter.
“There’s some tremendous young men on this football team,” Naivar said. “The key is right now for us, for what we’re going to ask of these guys on Saturdays is to basically run through somebody else’s face 12 Saturdays. What we’re going to demand of them in practice, you got to build a tremendous relationship with those guys and not just get to know them as a player but what makes them tick, what motivates them. You really, really dig into their lives.”
[More @ IT]
Dude.....you're giving away our secrets!!The Scheme of Herman's Offense
Herman’s offense is a run-first no-huddle spread offense. What you’ll see are a lot of 2-back run concepts, what is referred to as ’20’ personnel. From there the Texas offense will run Inside Zone, Outside Zone, Power-O, and what I call Power-Sweep. All of these schemes will feature read concepts where the quarterback is reading a defender and deciding whether to keep and run or keep and pass.
Included in the run game is a receiver screen and quick passing game, both meant to constrain the run game. Herman will not accept anything less than physical and sustained blocking from his receiving corps. The receivers are likely to experience the biggest reset of all this year. Note that this will hugely benefit the quarterback position as well. With the type of athletes Texas can feature outside, a significant upgrade in blocking outside will mean a lot more big plays. Expect Stop Screens, Bubble Screens, and Slip Screens to be paired with the run concepts. Also, Hitch, Stick, and Curl will be tagged and packaged with core run concepts. Lastly, something I clamored for last season, Flare Screens (back or motion receiver) will be utilized to attack off-coverage to either side of the field. Note that all the above are run-pass option (RPO) concepts. Most will be post-snap, but some will be pre-snap reads the quarterback will be tasked with making.
I already mentioned the quick pass game, but there will be a concept you’ll see over and over and over, more than any other, the 3-Level pass concept.
[T]his concept attacks the deep, intermediate, and short zones. This concept is extremely versatile and is meant to win against multiple coverages. Also, the routes are adjustable. Receivers will be expected to adjust their routes based on the positioning and depth of defenders. This is why Herman doesn’t run much else. It can change on the fly, offering tremendous optionality. The quarterback simply makes a high-low read of the deep defender and the flat defender. Whether against Cover 0,1,2,3, or 4, Herman expects the quarterback to be able to make the read and simply find the open man, if not, move to the ‘3rd Fix’ or Scramble. This concept will be repped from multiple formations and thousands of times.
There are a few other concepts, but what’s glossed over above is the gist of the Herman offense. It’s why his offenses have been both efficient and explosive.
[More @ TFB]
Herman's Offense Needs "The Guy" At WR
Amidst Texas’ receivers in 2016, [many] got some targets and produced in Sterlin Gilbert’s Veer and Shoot offense. If there’s a criticism to be made of Gilbert’s efforts it’s that Texas didn’t necessarily feature [any] WR in a prominent role within the offense, but then who would Texas have even featured?
Veteran Armanti Foreman? Reliable possession receiver Jake Oliver? Speedy freshman phenom Devin Duvernay? Converted star athlete Jerrod Heard? Freakishly large Collin Johnson? Or someone else?
It’s understandable that they didn’t zero in on a particular target.
The advantage that Tom Herman and his staff will have over Gilbert next season, besides having more staff dedicated to maximizing the offensive personnel and older offensive personnel to maximize, is that he doesn’t run quite as narrow a system as the Veer and Shoot. The foundational creed of the Herman smashmouth spread is to hammer the ball downhill with inside zone and power and then use shotgun spread formations to punish the defensive responses.
After that, there’s a great deal of freedom within the system to use whatever concepts or plays will make the most of the players on the roster. It can become an offense of “best practices” in a hurry with a diverse enough cast of characters. That’s good news for Texas’ WR corps, which includes some skill sets worth featuring with designed play calls.
There are three main boxes that a spread offense like Herman’s needs to be able to check off in order to ensure that they have answers for a given defensive strategy. The first and most important is being able to run the ball downhill on the base inside zone/power run schemes. We don’t really know yet who will carry the load there for Texas but it seems a reasonable bet that Chris Warren, Kirk Johnson, Kyle Porter, Toneil Carter, and Sam Ehlinger will get their shots.
The next box to check is being able to punish opponents on the perimeter with speed in space, “flex RBs” so to speak that receive the ball in simple fashion (a quick toss usually) and then do their work with the ball in their hands. Texas has a ton of players that can help punish teams by yielding space on the perimeter with every WR, Kirk Johnson, and even Shane Buechele (on option keepers) likely to factor in here.
Finally, you need to be able to respond when defenses match up across the board with the WRs, drop an extra man in the box, and dare you to beat man-to-man coverage... Texas has a variety of players that could be really good in this role....
[More @ IT]
Could Johnson Be "The Guy?"
When defenses [challenge you to beat them through the air], you need a true WR, a guy who’s skill set is about presenting an open target down the field for the QB to find in the passing game, not an athlete who’s lethal in space on the perimeter but lacks skill and expertise in attacking coverage.
Collin Johnson is probably the most promising and the most likely to be the difference maker when Texas faces the teams on the schedule that will make them beat coverage to win.
He probably runs something in the vicinity of a 4.6 but the crucial point is his quickness over short distances while standing at 6’6” and around 215 pounds.
Cornerbacks don’t come big enough to handle a guy with that kind of size and length, particularly if he has any amount of suddenness or good footwork over short distances to allow him the small margin of separation he needs to present a massive target to a QB.
When you’re this big and have a catch radius like Johnson’s, all you really need is to create enough separation to give your QB a target and then your size and length is going to do a lot of the heavy lifting for everyone. Johnson gets it and his feet are quick and skilled.
Last year Johnson finished fifth on the team in receptions (but only six catches behind no. 1, Army Foreman), sixth in yards (only 105 yards behind no. 1 Foreman), and in a six-way tie for first place in TD receptions with three. He only had 6.4 yards per target, for reasons that will become clear in a moment, but down the stretch he became a favorite option on third down.
A very high percentage of Johnson’s catches [were] quick hitches, comebacks, outs, hitch-ins, or slants run on off coverage on the outside. The upside on throws like that depends on timing/accuracy of the throw, the short-area suddenness of the receiver, and the speed and leverage of the defense.
Perhaps the more exciting ability that Johnson brings to the table is his ability to stretch the field and guarantee some space to work in underneath... His footwork and the spacing makes it easy for him to get separation and then he’s a big, easy target to hit that can go up and get the ball in the air.
A truly reliable “we need a first down and they’re playing man coverage” WR needs to be able to threaten to take the top off the defense or else he’s not going to find much room underneath to work in. Collin Johnson’s ability to break off routes could translate to a wide variety of routes on the tree that could make him a nightmare to account for, particularly on run downs when teams don’t want to yield numbers in the box.
The Herman passing game is one that also includes a lot of adjustable routes on the perimeter for the WR and the nature of all run-centric offenses is such that any WR that can run a variety of routes is going to find favorable opportunities to do so.
When a blitz comes,...if you’ve got underclassmen QBs and a 6-foot-6 WR that can be trusted the much simpler and more common response is to throw the hot adjustment to that guy and hope for the best. If you can force a defense to have to double a guy on a blitz then you’re pretty far ahead of the curve.
Texas was terrible against the blitz last year, partly because of a lack of development in the passing game and partly because the right side of the OL was a sieve. Increased chemistry between Shane Buechele and Johnson, and comfort with the hot routes and adjustments in this particular passing system could be a big part of the solution.
The high point for Johnson as a Longhorn is probably going to come in 2018 when the QBs are more experienced in this new offense and he’s had a year as a starter to learn the college game and what it’s like to be a focal point for a defense.
[More @ IT]
Offseason Injuries: TE Andrew Beck has a broken foot while P Michael Dickson is nursing a bad hammy. Both are probably consigned to Area 51. Attempts by their parents to contact them have proved futile as the S&C staff as denied any knowledge of their whereabouts.
Boo's Legs
During a recent meeting with the local media, [OC Tim] Beck indicated Shane Buechele won’t have any problem running the show. Even though the rising sophomore only rushed for 161 net yards in 2016 (1.7 yards per carry), Beck doesn’t foresee that being a problem since the offense will play to Buechele’s strengths.
“We’re going to do what our guy can do, and what he’s really good at, and build from there,” Beck said.
What Buechele can do is throw the football, something he did more prolifically than any other freshman quarterback in the history of the program. Buechele’s 2,958 yards set a Texas record for passing yardage by a freshman, he joined Colt McCoy as the only freshmen to throw for at least 20 touchdown passes (21) and he set single-game school records for completions (31) and pass attempts (49) by a freshman against West Virginia.
With that said, Beck’s only requirement for his quarterbacks is that they have to be athletic and possess the ability to extend plays.
Buechele showed as a true freshman that he can buy time in the pocket and is willing to deliver a ball under duress if it means giving his receiver an extra second or two to get some separation. While he got happy feet at times, which is typical of young quarterbacks, Beck’s desire to rely on a passing game where the ball is out quickly and into the hands of playmakers on the perimeter makes it seem like his preferences could pair well with Buechele’s quick draw.
Buechele will have to use his legs for the offense to function. However, Beck sounded confident that the staff won’t ask the quarterback to carry a heavy load on the ground if it means improperly maximizing their skill set.
“He’s gonna have to be able to give us some tough yards in some tough situations, so, that part is true,” Beck said. “Other than that, how much and when, that all depends on who that guy is.”
[More @ 247]
Top 20 Beg12 Redshirt Freshmen Watch List
Chase Allen, TE, Iowa State
Ross Blacklock/Brandon Bowen/Isaiah Chambers, DL, TCU
De’Quan Bowman, WR, Texas Tech
Chris Daniels/Andrew Fitzgerald, DL, Texas
The Longhorns could have the Big 12’s best defensive front next fall, and this unit is only getting deeper with the addition of Daniels and Fitzgerald. Both players ranked as four-star prospects and are ready to push for time after a redshirt year in 2016.
Zach Farrar, WR, OklahomaBrendan Ferns, LB, West Virginia
Sean Foster, OL, Iowa State
Patrick Hudson/J.P. Urquidez, OL, Texas
The trio of Connor Williams, Patrick Vahe and Zach Shackelford provides a strong foundation for new coach Tom Herman to build around in the trenches this spring. And Herman should have no trouble finding options to fill out the other spots or building competition with Hudson and Urquidez coming off redshirt years. Hudson...ranked as the No. 50 prospect in the 247Sports Composite. Urquidez ranked as the No. 245 prospect and could push for snaps at right tackle this spring.
Bronson Massie, DL, Kansas StateBreontae Matthews, OL, Kansas State
Houston Miller, DL, Texas Tech
Ian Peterson, CB, Kansas
Steven Smothers, WR, West Virginia
Tyriek Starks, QB, Kansas
Raleigh Texada, CB, Baylor
Rodarius Williams, CB, Oklahoma State
[More @ AthlonSports]
@Godz40Acrez keep up the good work man, appreciate all the info you bring!
Guess Who's CI's Top Returning OL-Man
Every potent offense needs the support of quality blockers. Here are the 10 best returning offensive linemen entering the 2017 season.
10. Frank Ragnow, Arkansas
9. Dalton Risner, Kansas State
8. Jonah Williams, Alabama
7. Mike McGlinchey, Notre Dame
6. Braden Smith, Auburn
5. Quenton Nelson, Notre Dame
4. Billy Price, Ohio State
3. Cody O’Connell, Washington State
2. Orlando Brown, Oklahoma
[Drum roll...]
1. Connor Williams, Texas
Williams is unassuming away from the field, but dominating on it. Just two years removed from Coppell (Tex.) High School, he’s already blocking at an All-American caliber. The 6-foot-6, 288-pounder is still filling out his frame, yet he’s a road-grader in the ground game and a key reason D’Onta Foreman went for more than 2,000 yards last fall. Plus, Williams has the foot speed and agility to seal the edge from left tackle and continue punishing defenders at the second level.
[More @ CampusInsiders]VIDEO here.
Boo's Boo-Boo
A couple of reports say that Boo sprained his throwing hand thumb sometime in the second half of last season, which could be why he threw fewer deep balls and his overall production suffered.
Supposedly, he's been fine throughout Winter Workouts and no surgery has been necessary. However....
This has been an issue for him since high school and, if it flairs up again during the spring, he'll have to have surgery. If that happens, they say he'll still be ready to go for Fall Camp.
A couple of reports say that Boo sprained his throwing hand thumb sometime in the second half of last season, which could be why he threw fewer deep balls and his overall production suffered.
Supposedly, he's been fine throughout Winter Workouts and no surgery has been necessary. However....
This has been an issue for him since high school and, if it flairs up again during the spring, he'll have to have surgery. If that happens, they say he'll still be ready to go for Fall Camp.
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