Butch's Offensive Philosophy and take on the "Spread Offense"

#1

MDBJJC

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#1
"I hear the term 'spread offense.' If anybody can give me the definition of spread offense, I am all up for it. I think it's the most misused term in all of football."

"If you remember on December 7th when I stepped forward to that podium and the question was asked about your offensive system, I said we were going to be an up tempo, no huddle offense that could control the tempo, and be a pro-style offense with the ability to gain advantages through motions, through shifts, through speed, through pace. The ability to create space and pace, but also the ability to run the football. Growing up when i heard the term spread offense right away you thought of a finesse offense. And we will never be a finesse offense here at the Univeresity of Tennessee. We are going to have attitude run plays within our scheme"

"Everybody uses the term spread offense, but I don't think anyone understands the true definition because everybody's individual spread offense means something different"

The above are direct quotes from Butch at Debord's press conference. Butch doesn't know what spread means, so how in the heck do we know what it means!!!!

So in essence we are a "pro-style" offense per Butch. We are going to have some smash mouth running plays as we have seen with Hurd at the RB position. Debord will add some offensive plays from the NFL that will hopefully "enhance" our offense. I am excited that he will be able to coach up our O line, too.

Looking forward to next year!!! Big Orange!!!
 
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#3
#3
Butch should have just leaned over and got a definition from our new OC. He was dropping the phrase the entire presser.
 
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#4
#4
It's so completely overused and misused that it's pathetic. You can be an option team from the spread, the I, the Flexbone, the Wishbone etc. You can be pro-style from the Run and Shoot, split backs, spread, T, I, etc. Everybody worth a damn is multiple.
 
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#7
#7
It doesn't matter to me what they call it. In my somewhat uneducated opinion, the most significant aspect of Butch's offense and a lot of modern systems is uptempo. Ask that Manning guy what he calls the Denver offense.
 
#8
#8
I thought it was funny Butch went off on the term and then Debord used the word throughout. I think Butch doesn't want to be labeled as one thing especially when you are trying to get recruits.
 
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#9
#9
Personally when I think of a spread offense I think of an offense that doesn't use a full back first and foremost which makes it easy to recognize. When this is the case usually that means there is an extra wr on the field (but sometimes it's an extra te). With the extra wr the players seem more spread out than in a more traditional offense. Then you almost always see a mobile qb and they usually incorporate some read option plays in there.
 
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#10
#10
This is the point he was trying to convey:

"Everybody uses the term spread offense, but I don't think anyone understands the true definition because everybody's individual spread offense means something different"

It's a blanket term.
 
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#11
#11
This is the point he was trying to convey:

"Everybody uses the term spread offense, but I don't think anyone understands the true definition because everybody's individual spread offense means something different"

It's a blanket term.

:yes:
 
#12
#12
CBJ spread started when Dobb's became QB. Before that not sure what it was but not to good. I'm very up on 10-2 this season and finish in the top 12.
 
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#15
#15
It doesn't matter to me what they call it. In my somewhat uneducated opinion, the most significant aspect of Butch's offense and a lot of modern systems is uptempo. Ask that Manning guy what he calls the Denver offense.

I'm pretty certain he calls it OMAHA!:thumbsup:
 
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#16
#16
Okay, so CBJ clearly prefers, if his offense has to be categorized, to call it an up-tempo pro-style offense. And then he likes to add a LOT of modifiers, because he sees his offense as unique. So qualifiers like no-huddle, motion, shifts, space-and-pace, attitude runs. These are truly how he sees his offense being categorized. It takes that many words.

So then CBJ also clearly explained why he personally does not like to use the term "spread." It is over-used, to mean a wide variety of things, so you might be hearing something completely different than what he said if he uttered "spread' to you. EVEN MORE SPECIFICALLY, he knows some people equate the term "spread" with "finesse" and he'll be coon-dog-damned if he wants anyone thinking we're a finesse team or offense.

But DeBord using spread doesn't bother CBJ. Because DeBord isn't CBJ. DeBord being misunderstood by some reporter with the Tullahoma News doesn't come back and bite CBJ in the butt, at all, because it wasn't CBJ who got misquoted. On top of that, CBJ knows what DeBord means by "spread," and what DeBord means is a specific use of the term that can be accurately applied to our offense (probably simply this: that we go with a single RB most of the time, spreading our formation--and consequently the defense's--with 4 wide receivers (or 3 WRs and 1 TE).

So for all the folks who see some massive schism between DeBord and CBJ based on this interview, go back and listen to it again...your suspicions are not well founded.

That's how I heard it all play out, anyway.

p.s. Two interesting notes I took away specific to this part of the press conference:

(1) Would love to hear CBJ and/or DeBord talk about what specifically they mean by "attitude run". They used it as a specific term, and I've never heard it before.

(2) DeBord did mention later in the briefing that the offense will be looking at adding some two-back plays, but not getting away from the one-back look that predominates (or words to that effect). I found that interesting as well....
 
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#17
#17
Th spread is when you spread out one reciever on each side (within 2 yards of the numbers-sideline) (usually in shotgun and one back) you can put the other two receivers wherever you like. (Watch a Baylor or TCU game) You do quick screens and take shots. Also you use inside hand offs to surprise the defense. (Ex: TCU vs Ole Miss). They never really go into anyother formation just variants. (Ex:bunch, 2 backs) but 2 recievers always stay spread.
 
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#18
#18
See that's you creating YOUR definition of the spread. Proving CBJ's point that everyone seems to have their own. :)
 
#19
#19
No it's the b12 spread. Everyone in the B12 and probably west knows that is the definition of the spread. No one in the east really know what it is because no one runs the spread out there.
 
#20
#20
Personally when I think of a spread offense I think of an offense that doesn't use a full back first and foremost which makes it easy to recognize. When this is the case usually that means there is an extra wr on the field (but sometimes it's an extra te). With the extra wr the players seem more spread out than in a more traditional offense. Then you almost always see a mobile qb and they usually incorporate some read option plays in there.

No full back you say? I guess every team in the NFL runs a spread these days then.
 
#22
#22
Th spread is when you spread out one reciever on each side (within 2 yards of the numbers-sideline) (usually in shotgun and one back) you can put the other two receivers wherever you like. (Watch a Baylor or TCU game) You do quick screens and take shots. Also you use inside hand offs to surprise the defense. (Ex: TCU vs Ole Miss). They never really go into anyother formation just variants. (Ex:bunch, 2 backs) but 2 recievers always stay spread.

What you just described is not even close to "spread". By your definition the I formation is a spread offense because it has two wide receivers
 
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#23
#23
Not sure of the correct terminology, but what the were doing with Worley--

I called it the:

"pretend read-option that is really just a slow developing dive play" offense
 
#24
#24
Did Butch have an offensive philosophy prior to Dobbs coming in?
Ok....he did, but, he didn't? right?
Offense was hard to watch at times prior to Dobb's. No?
 
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#25
#25
No full back you say? I guess every team in the NFL runs a spread these days then.

Not true at all. Any team with a power run game uses a full back. And they are used as much now as ever.
I guess the term spread can be a broad term but again I've always thought of it as a formation where the qb is in shotgun, no fullback, and an extra wr. That's just from watching teams the announcers and analyst are calling spread offenses. But maybe Websters would have a different definition


Several NFL playoff teams feature power run game - Sports - The Boston Globe
 
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