The Bodda Getta

You guys made me go look for my copy of Gus' book and I couldn't find it, dagnabbit! :)

As I've said before, there is a lot more to being a successful HC than X's and O's. There is a lot of intangible "management" that comes with the job -- creating a culture of success, getting players to trust and respect you (and fearing you when need be), etc. Those are the intangibles that make the difference. I have misgivings about Petrino's ability to do that given his past, but in fairness, I don't think we can say for certainty that any of the others can necessarily do any better.

So since we can't address the "intangibles" here, let's talk about the X's and O's for a while... I'm going to discuss what I know about Gus, but please don't take it to mean it only applies to Gus. At the end of the day, all HUNH offenses are trying to accomplish essentially the same thing. And it's been a long time since I read Gus' book, but here is what I remember to the best of my ability.

I think Gus would agree that defenses in football, in general, have been dominant over the last few decades. The old adage that defenses win championships is true. I think Gus would also say that defensive philosophy has gotten SO good that it has perhaps tilted the playing field in the favor of the defense. That the defense in many ways has the advantage over the offense. Think about it. How many times have you heard defensive people talk about "attacking" the offense? Malzahn's idea is attack the defense.

And that is really where is his thinking starts. All of the shifts, motion, different formations, different personnel groupings, etc. is all about keeping the defense on it's heels. Snapping the ball quickly is about keeping the defense under pressure. Don't give them the chance to sub. Don't give them time to think. Make them react. Gas those big DL guys long enough and they'll wear down and make mental and physical mistakes. Throw downfield 5-6 times a game to stretch the field vertically. Stretch the field sideline to sideline. Something will open up.

In order to make this system work, you have to simplify some things because you are moving quickly -- no time to think. The QB in this system doesn't have a lot to think about. Definitely not like what an NFL QB has to think about. You're dictating to the other defense. Imposing your will on them. So the QB isn't spending much time trying to read the other defense. You can make an argument that players in this kind of system aren't well prepared for the NFL game if they go to the next level. That may be true. But this kind of offense is fun because it gets the ball into the hands of a lot of playmakers. More chances for more touches.

Another advantage of this system is that (at least a few years ago) a team might play 1 game against a HUNH offense all season. So the thinking is that an opposing DC is not going to "optimize" the way they play for 1 game out of 12. If the defense isn't conditioned to playing against this kind of offense, it is really hard for a scout team to replicate it in a week's practice and game planning. The disadvantage is what it does to your own defense. If all you see every week in practice is your own offense, it can arguably make you "soft" against opposing offenses that are more traditional. You play how you practice after all.

Also look at how many teams are moving to this kind of philosophy. TA&M beat Bama with it. We almost beat them with it in 2009 (except for a last minute TD we would've won). We beat them in 2010. And maybe if Chizik had let Gus do his thing the results would've been different in 2011. LSU and Bama are very similar philosophically and look how low scoring their last 3 meetings have been comparatively. TA&M and Auburn put more points on the board against Bama than anybody else has.

It's a Sun Tsu "Ancient Art of War" thing. Are you going to beat Saban by doing what he does? The answer is no. You have to beat him by making him play a different kind of game than he wants to.

Two of Arkie St.'s losses were @ Oregon and @ Nebraska