BigTex1973
2006-07-05 16:52:29 UTC
shes smart and pretty to (her pic is in the link below)
http://blogs.chron.com/fanblogtexans/2006/07/more_on_the_texans_gulf_coast.html
More on the Texans Gulf Coast Offense
In this post, I discussed how the new Texans offense is suppose to be
patterned on the Bronco offense, provided a basic discussion of the basics
of that offense and how successful it can be. (If you haven't read that
post, I suggest that you do so, before reading this one because it will make
more sense that way).
I believe that knowledgeable fans often know more about their teams than
national media types, so I was curious what information diehard Denver fans
would add about their offense and whether they believe that Kubiak can enact
the same offense here. I posted these questions on the official Denver
Bronco's message board, and got a number of thoughtful responses. I've
culled out some of the more interesting ones for this post. (I've fixed some
of the message board typos for easier reading).
So here is the Broncocentric view of the Texans new offense:
Can Kubiak make the Denver offense work here?
I got some interesting responses to that question
"I think having Kube is like having the master chef from 'Brennan's of
Houston' in your own kitchen. Now you can see how the magic work. He's been
our offensive coordinator for so many years. Heck, I keep forgetting he was
with Shanny during the 49ers' Super Bowl victory back in 94...so the man
definitely has the same experience as our coach does."
"I feel that Kubiak will bring so much to the Texans that if its owners
are smart and can see beyond the w-l column for a bit, they'll see that
Kubiak will be able to build a winning franchise that they can be proud of."
"Houston's very lucky to have Kubiak; so much so that I hope he fails so
that maybe he'll come back to Denver one day."
What are the biggest obstacles for the Texans in incorporating the Bronco
playbook?
Offensive line
I find that it is interesting that the blanket assumption by most national
offseason football publications is that the Texans offensive line will be
awful, with no distinction between pass and run blocking and without no
discussion of how terrible the entire offensive scheme was last year. Of
course, the line has a lot to prove, but the word out of camp is that the
teaching of zone blocking between this year and last year is night and day.
Whether that shows up on the field is the question everyone wants to know,
but I am not sure that the oline should be written off in advance like most
publications want to do.
Last year was so bizarre that the Texans booted their starting left tackle
off of the team before the season was even over. How often does that happen
in the league?
Here's Bronco's fans discussion of their form of zone blocking:
"I think the hardest part to learn will be for the offensive line. In the
"Zone blocking" scheme does ask linemen to be quick and mobile. But the
hardest part for linemen to do is to attack an area and not an individual.
Once you have engaged a defender you must pass on that defender to next
linemen and trust that linemen will pick him up. The best highlight of this
example is in Superbowl 32. If you watch the game they double team Gilbert
Brown then you see one of the linemen peel off and take a linebacker."
"A lot of what Denver does relies on the scheme. The offensive line is
perhaps the most important part of the team. Alex Gibbs, who works with
Atlanta (and was with Denver for years) has increased Atlanta's running game
by implementing the zone blocking.
The "disadvantage" to zone blocking is pass protection. Hence why it is
always good to have a scrambling quarterback, someone who can throw and make
decisions on the run. I've haven't watched a lot of Carr, but if he wants
his sack #'s to do down, he needs to scramble and get out of the way. Zone
blocking is mainly for the run. Some protection is offered, but nothing like
what, say, Indy offers the Statue Manning."
The "right" personnel for the scheme
A number of Texans fans wondered why Dave Ragone was released, and why
various players were drafted where they were in the draft. In my mind, it is
all about system, and getting the smart offensive players we need to fit the
system.
"Personnel is key. When Shanny got here he pretty much restructured the
roster in 3 years. We had key players removed with a bunch of nobodies and
those nobodies produced 2 Super Bowls."
Being comfortable in the system
"The Houston Texans always had the personnel on offense to be productive,
I see David Carr, Andre Johnson, and especially Dominick Davis to have a
boost in their career once they learn the system. It will not happen
overnight, but I give it 2 years and Houston WILL BE a wildcard team."
"Hardest part is for the team to know the playbook and to be able to work
together to make things happen on the field. Having the right players
especially on the O-line will def. help things out too."
This makes sense to me. I was reading a quote from Jason Taylor the other
day talking about learning the Dolphin defense last year. He said that
learning a new scheme is similar to moving into a house and trying to get
familiar with where the light switches are. You aren't quite comfortable
until you figure that sort of stuff out.
What is additional information that Texans fans would like to know about a
Denver style offense?
Keeping defenses off balance
Here is more Bronco discussion of the Denver offense beyond what was listed
in my original blog post:
"However, I'd say that the real focus of the offense is not the run, or
WCO, or anything like that. Its real focus to me, is keeping the opposing
team off balance. That's really what it's all about. Defenses are never
really given the opportunity to key on one thing. When they do, Shanahan is
normally right there to exploit their mistakes. Denver's offense definitely
has big play capability but the 'Mastermind' doesn't just throw down field
willy nilly. He and Kube were more of a Chess playing mentality. If a
defense has one weakness then they can compensate for that and be ok. But
when you exploit multiple weaknesses, it normally takes them so long to
compensate that we're normally well ahead in points and then we go into a
cruise mode so that future opponents cannot trend us quite so much. Most
Denver games are schemed to be won in the first half if at all possible and
then pound them with the ball. Thus we have a lot of running down the clock,
which gets backs and the line quite a bit of time working together without
having to worry about coming back from huge deficits. This means that they
can go out and just execute and thus become a very efficient and effective
unit as a whole."
"Some coaches have a specialty and that becomes the MO of the team. Many
would say that Denver's is the running game, but I disagree. Shanahan takes
a holistic view of football. He completely understands that it's personnel,
scheme, professionalism, a good mix of veterans and youth, and that no one
aspect of the team, including the team 5 years down the road, can be ignored
or left to atrophy without harming everything else. Some teams have a short
term view on success and some only a long term. Denver's is both."
The bootleg pass
"One additional piece that I only saw briefly touched upon would be the
bootleg pass, usually a naked boot. This is generally setup by the running
game and is the only way to get the QB enough time for downfield throws.
This possibility decreases the tendencies of DE's or LB's to cut to sharply
down the line in pursuit of the RB and makes the run more effective by
allowing blockers a split second to get in better position to create lanes..
If the DE's and LB's start crashing, the QB can take a leisurely stroll for
8-10 yards if no one is open."
The differences between a Denver offense and a traditional West Coast
Offense
"The running game does not in any way resemble Bill Walsh's version of the
West Coast Offense. Mike Shanahan and Alex Gibbs completely changed the way
the blocking is carried out. All five O-linemen and the tight end must work
together seamlessly. Their steps completely in sync with each other. Each of
the linemen must be able to block in space to take care of LBs or safeties.
The offense requires different blocking and running techniques than most
offenses. The double team at the point of attack is often used and then the
lineman on whichever side the LB attacks peels off the block to pick him up.
The cut block is essential to minimize backside pursuit and in so doing to
create cutback seams in the defense. The back must see and then make one cut
to get into one of those seams and then to get upfield as quickly as
possible. By doing this the offense will minimize negative yardage that
kills the running game and results in consistently keeping the chains
moving. Backs that can break arm tackles and with great vision have excelled
in the system.
The Qb must be mobile. With the smaller size of the O-line, pocket pass
protection becomes more difficult. Escapability by the QB is a huge plus.
The QB must be able to run bootlegs and throw on the run. This ability
requires that the defense must then assign a DE, LB, or both to to spy on
the QB. This further enhances the rushing game in that it leads to cutback
lanes for big gains."
"The Broncos system is not designed to throw quick outs and pound the ball
for 60 minutes. A lot of times opponents will put 8 men in the box to combat
our run and if we can't take advantage of that then we are in for a long
day."
The Denver team philosophy
"And Kubes will start having the players do things as a team. Offer
incentives to show up to the off-season work outs. Groups of players going
to dinner each week. Our LB core takes each other out to dinner on a weekly
basis. It helps with team unity. There won't be any "superstars" on your
team, unless someone really excels in the system. The concept of "team" is
very stong. A "me" players doesnt last long in the Shanny system.
These things and more help the Broncos excel and be consistant year after
year."
Hmmm. I wonder if that explains our first pick in the draft some. (Not that
I want to rehash that but it is something that I thought about when the pick
was made).
And I liked this comment which has little to do directly at the subject at
hand but is fun to add to the blog:
"I hope the Texans the best of luck. As someone who despises the Colts,
I'd love to see the Texans knock them down a peg or two!"
A big thanks to the Bronco fans that provided such thoughtful comments.
With the original blog post, I got a comment from "Joe Adams" speculating on
one way the Gulf Coast Offense might be different than Shanahan's version:
I have been a Denver Bronco fan since 1972 and just recently moved here to
Houston. Understand that Bronco football was elevated by Coach Shanahan when
he incorporated high altitude strategy into both offensive and defensive
schemes. For instance it is more important to have a large volume of mid
range defensive linemen at 5200 ft. than it is to have one superstar who
will still have to rotate to the bench frequently for oxygen. At sea level
it is ok to use your top draft pick on a defensive end instead of
cornerbacks that are the key to successful defense at high altitude. Look
for Coach Kubiak to make adjustments to the Denver playbook that are
relevant to higher humidity, sea level football. Kubiak will bring stability
in time to the Texan offense in general and to the quarterback position in
specific. John Elway didn't win a superbowl until Shanahan and Kubiak
incorporated a stud running back(Terrel Davis)into a powerful running game
tailored around lighter quicker lineman that wore down visiting teams
leaving them gasping for oxygen. Won't necessarily evolve that way in
Houston, but Kubiak has been highly successful at taking pressure off John
Elway, Jake Plummer, and even Brian Griese to some extent. I can't wait to
see how he patiently molds the new Houston Texans.
I hadn't really thought of the offensive line in that way but it will be
interesting to see their performance in the 4th quarter and if the Texans
persist in taking Olinemen bigger than the Denver average. This is what Mike
Shanahan says in a somewhat creepy way about his light offensive linemen:
It's not always the size of the sea that sunk the ship, it's the motion of
the ocean. The guy's got to be able to move. A lot of times, guys are
overweight and they're not as quick. We've always prided ourselves on
quickness and being able to play hard in the fourth quarter. That has given
us the ability to win a lot of football games.
It's an interesting Q&A to read if you want to get more of a sense of the
Denver way of doing things. It's not to say that Kubiak is going to do
everything the same way, but it's interesting stuff in a long offseason.
Posted by Stephanie Stradley at July 3, 2006 04:57 PM
Trackback Pings
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://blogs.chron.com/MT/mt-tb.cgi/9056
Comments
Interesting comment on your version of the WCO. ... As a Niners fan from SF,
seen all versions of the WCO. Also, a big fan of Shanahan. ...
Shanahan type of offensive blocking focuses on quick traps, counters and
some sweeps. No draw traps. In most cases, straight quick power games. Not
long drawn out power running games (18/19 Sweep) or Red Skins Counter Trey.
... Expect to see a lot of leg whipping from the offensive line. ...
Check out the Denver and Atlanta Falcons running game for good examples of
leg whips. What a way to wear down your opposition's defense. ...
If Texans has a good QB, expect to see a lot of Play Action plays off the
power run.
Shanahan loves to go for the throat (utilizes a 15 plays script to see what
the opposition is going to do) while Walsh and Holmgren utilizes a 25 plays
script, with a base Split Back formation.
Shanhan does not run that much short dumps to the RBs unless it is a safety
value call. ...
When Shanahan ran the Niners offense, he would go straight for the
opposition throat esp. if the opposition showed an obvious weakness. fyi-
Kubiak was the QB coach when the Niners won their last Super Bowl. ...
Expect to see Kubiak to run a three headed monster type of running game to
wear down the opposition. ...
I congratulate the Texans for getting Kubiak. He's a great offensive mind. A
no-nonsense guy. Hopefully, he will be nice to the news media. :)) =)) ...
But I doubt it. ...
Remember ppl ... You pass to thrill. But you run to score. Good offense
might sells tickets. But it's the defense that wins the game and
championships.
You need to read some Chinese military strategy classics and learn the
lesson ["that good defense always prevail over good offense"].
http://blogs.chron.com/fanblogtexans/2006/07/more_on_the_texans_gulf_coast.html
More on the Texans Gulf Coast Offense
In this post, I discussed how the new Texans offense is suppose to be
patterned on the Bronco offense, provided a basic discussion of the basics
of that offense and how successful it can be. (If you haven't read that
post, I suggest that you do so, before reading this one because it will make
more sense that way).
I believe that knowledgeable fans often know more about their teams than
national media types, so I was curious what information diehard Denver fans
would add about their offense and whether they believe that Kubiak can enact
the same offense here. I posted these questions on the official Denver
Bronco's message board, and got a number of thoughtful responses. I've
culled out some of the more interesting ones for this post. (I've fixed some
of the message board typos for easier reading).
So here is the Broncocentric view of the Texans new offense:
Can Kubiak make the Denver offense work here?
I got some interesting responses to that question
"I think having Kube is like having the master chef from 'Brennan's of
Houston' in your own kitchen. Now you can see how the magic work. He's been
our offensive coordinator for so many years. Heck, I keep forgetting he was
with Shanny during the 49ers' Super Bowl victory back in 94...so the man
definitely has the same experience as our coach does."
"I feel that Kubiak will bring so much to the Texans that if its owners
are smart and can see beyond the w-l column for a bit, they'll see that
Kubiak will be able to build a winning franchise that they can be proud of."
"Houston's very lucky to have Kubiak; so much so that I hope he fails so
that maybe he'll come back to Denver one day."
What are the biggest obstacles for the Texans in incorporating the Bronco
playbook?
Offensive line
I find that it is interesting that the blanket assumption by most national
offseason football publications is that the Texans offensive line will be
awful, with no distinction between pass and run blocking and without no
discussion of how terrible the entire offensive scheme was last year. Of
course, the line has a lot to prove, but the word out of camp is that the
teaching of zone blocking between this year and last year is night and day.
Whether that shows up on the field is the question everyone wants to know,
but I am not sure that the oline should be written off in advance like most
publications want to do.
Last year was so bizarre that the Texans booted their starting left tackle
off of the team before the season was even over. How often does that happen
in the league?
Here's Bronco's fans discussion of their form of zone blocking:
"I think the hardest part to learn will be for the offensive line. In the
"Zone blocking" scheme does ask linemen to be quick and mobile. But the
hardest part for linemen to do is to attack an area and not an individual.
Once you have engaged a defender you must pass on that defender to next
linemen and trust that linemen will pick him up. The best highlight of this
example is in Superbowl 32. If you watch the game they double team Gilbert
Brown then you see one of the linemen peel off and take a linebacker."
"A lot of what Denver does relies on the scheme. The offensive line is
perhaps the most important part of the team. Alex Gibbs, who works with
Atlanta (and was with Denver for years) has increased Atlanta's running game
by implementing the zone blocking.
The "disadvantage" to zone blocking is pass protection. Hence why it is
always good to have a scrambling quarterback, someone who can throw and make
decisions on the run. I've haven't watched a lot of Carr, but if he wants
his sack #'s to do down, he needs to scramble and get out of the way. Zone
blocking is mainly for the run. Some protection is offered, but nothing like
what, say, Indy offers the Statue Manning."
The "right" personnel for the scheme
A number of Texans fans wondered why Dave Ragone was released, and why
various players were drafted where they were in the draft. In my mind, it is
all about system, and getting the smart offensive players we need to fit the
system.
"Personnel is key. When Shanny got here he pretty much restructured the
roster in 3 years. We had key players removed with a bunch of nobodies and
those nobodies produced 2 Super Bowls."
Being comfortable in the system
"The Houston Texans always had the personnel on offense to be productive,
I see David Carr, Andre Johnson, and especially Dominick Davis to have a
boost in their career once they learn the system. It will not happen
overnight, but I give it 2 years and Houston WILL BE a wildcard team."
"Hardest part is for the team to know the playbook and to be able to work
together to make things happen on the field. Having the right players
especially on the O-line will def. help things out too."
This makes sense to me. I was reading a quote from Jason Taylor the other
day talking about learning the Dolphin defense last year. He said that
learning a new scheme is similar to moving into a house and trying to get
familiar with where the light switches are. You aren't quite comfortable
until you figure that sort of stuff out.
What is additional information that Texans fans would like to know about a
Denver style offense?
Keeping defenses off balance
Here is more Bronco discussion of the Denver offense beyond what was listed
in my original blog post:
"However, I'd say that the real focus of the offense is not the run, or
WCO, or anything like that. Its real focus to me, is keeping the opposing
team off balance. That's really what it's all about. Defenses are never
really given the opportunity to key on one thing. When they do, Shanahan is
normally right there to exploit their mistakes. Denver's offense definitely
has big play capability but the 'Mastermind' doesn't just throw down field
willy nilly. He and Kube were more of a Chess playing mentality. If a
defense has one weakness then they can compensate for that and be ok. But
when you exploit multiple weaknesses, it normally takes them so long to
compensate that we're normally well ahead in points and then we go into a
cruise mode so that future opponents cannot trend us quite so much. Most
Denver games are schemed to be won in the first half if at all possible and
then pound them with the ball. Thus we have a lot of running down the clock,
which gets backs and the line quite a bit of time working together without
having to worry about coming back from huge deficits. This means that they
can go out and just execute and thus become a very efficient and effective
unit as a whole."
"Some coaches have a specialty and that becomes the MO of the team. Many
would say that Denver's is the running game, but I disagree. Shanahan takes
a holistic view of football. He completely understands that it's personnel,
scheme, professionalism, a good mix of veterans and youth, and that no one
aspect of the team, including the team 5 years down the road, can be ignored
or left to atrophy without harming everything else. Some teams have a short
term view on success and some only a long term. Denver's is both."
The bootleg pass
"One additional piece that I only saw briefly touched upon would be the
bootleg pass, usually a naked boot. This is generally setup by the running
game and is the only way to get the QB enough time for downfield throws.
This possibility decreases the tendencies of DE's or LB's to cut to sharply
down the line in pursuit of the RB and makes the run more effective by
allowing blockers a split second to get in better position to create lanes..
If the DE's and LB's start crashing, the QB can take a leisurely stroll for
8-10 yards if no one is open."
The differences between a Denver offense and a traditional West Coast
Offense
"The running game does not in any way resemble Bill Walsh's version of the
West Coast Offense. Mike Shanahan and Alex Gibbs completely changed the way
the blocking is carried out. All five O-linemen and the tight end must work
together seamlessly. Their steps completely in sync with each other. Each of
the linemen must be able to block in space to take care of LBs or safeties.
The offense requires different blocking and running techniques than most
offenses. The double team at the point of attack is often used and then the
lineman on whichever side the LB attacks peels off the block to pick him up.
The cut block is essential to minimize backside pursuit and in so doing to
create cutback seams in the defense. The back must see and then make one cut
to get into one of those seams and then to get upfield as quickly as
possible. By doing this the offense will minimize negative yardage that
kills the running game and results in consistently keeping the chains
moving. Backs that can break arm tackles and with great vision have excelled
in the system.
The Qb must be mobile. With the smaller size of the O-line, pocket pass
protection becomes more difficult. Escapability by the QB is a huge plus.
The QB must be able to run bootlegs and throw on the run. This ability
requires that the defense must then assign a DE, LB, or both to to spy on
the QB. This further enhances the rushing game in that it leads to cutback
lanes for big gains."
"The Broncos system is not designed to throw quick outs and pound the ball
for 60 minutes. A lot of times opponents will put 8 men in the box to combat
our run and if we can't take advantage of that then we are in for a long
day."
The Denver team philosophy
"And Kubes will start having the players do things as a team. Offer
incentives to show up to the off-season work outs. Groups of players going
to dinner each week. Our LB core takes each other out to dinner on a weekly
basis. It helps with team unity. There won't be any "superstars" on your
team, unless someone really excels in the system. The concept of "team" is
very stong. A "me" players doesnt last long in the Shanny system.
These things and more help the Broncos excel and be consistant year after
year."
Hmmm. I wonder if that explains our first pick in the draft some. (Not that
I want to rehash that but it is something that I thought about when the pick
was made).
And I liked this comment which has little to do directly at the subject at
hand but is fun to add to the blog:
"I hope the Texans the best of luck. As someone who despises the Colts,
I'd love to see the Texans knock them down a peg or two!"
A big thanks to the Bronco fans that provided such thoughtful comments.
With the original blog post, I got a comment from "Joe Adams" speculating on
one way the Gulf Coast Offense might be different than Shanahan's version:
I have been a Denver Bronco fan since 1972 and just recently moved here to
Houston. Understand that Bronco football was elevated by Coach Shanahan when
he incorporated high altitude strategy into both offensive and defensive
schemes. For instance it is more important to have a large volume of mid
range defensive linemen at 5200 ft. than it is to have one superstar who
will still have to rotate to the bench frequently for oxygen. At sea level
it is ok to use your top draft pick on a defensive end instead of
cornerbacks that are the key to successful defense at high altitude. Look
for Coach Kubiak to make adjustments to the Denver playbook that are
relevant to higher humidity, sea level football. Kubiak will bring stability
in time to the Texan offense in general and to the quarterback position in
specific. John Elway didn't win a superbowl until Shanahan and Kubiak
incorporated a stud running back(Terrel Davis)into a powerful running game
tailored around lighter quicker lineman that wore down visiting teams
leaving them gasping for oxygen. Won't necessarily evolve that way in
Houston, but Kubiak has been highly successful at taking pressure off John
Elway, Jake Plummer, and even Brian Griese to some extent. I can't wait to
see how he patiently molds the new Houston Texans.
I hadn't really thought of the offensive line in that way but it will be
interesting to see their performance in the 4th quarter and if the Texans
persist in taking Olinemen bigger than the Denver average. This is what Mike
Shanahan says in a somewhat creepy way about his light offensive linemen:
It's not always the size of the sea that sunk the ship, it's the motion of
the ocean. The guy's got to be able to move. A lot of times, guys are
overweight and they're not as quick. We've always prided ourselves on
quickness and being able to play hard in the fourth quarter. That has given
us the ability to win a lot of football games.
It's an interesting Q&A to read if you want to get more of a sense of the
Denver way of doing things. It's not to say that Kubiak is going to do
everything the same way, but it's interesting stuff in a long offseason.
Posted by Stephanie Stradley at July 3, 2006 04:57 PM
Trackback Pings
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://blogs.chron.com/MT/mt-tb.cgi/9056
Comments
Interesting comment on your version of the WCO. ... As a Niners fan from SF,
seen all versions of the WCO. Also, a big fan of Shanahan. ...
Shanahan type of offensive blocking focuses on quick traps, counters and
some sweeps. No draw traps. In most cases, straight quick power games. Not
long drawn out power running games (18/19 Sweep) or Red Skins Counter Trey.
... Expect to see a lot of leg whipping from the offensive line. ...
Check out the Denver and Atlanta Falcons running game for good examples of
leg whips. What a way to wear down your opposition's defense. ...
If Texans has a good QB, expect to see a lot of Play Action plays off the
power run.
Shanahan loves to go for the throat (utilizes a 15 plays script to see what
the opposition is going to do) while Walsh and Holmgren utilizes a 25 plays
script, with a base Split Back formation.
Shanhan does not run that much short dumps to the RBs unless it is a safety
value call. ...
When Shanahan ran the Niners offense, he would go straight for the
opposition throat esp. if the opposition showed an obvious weakness. fyi-
Kubiak was the QB coach when the Niners won their last Super Bowl. ...
Expect to see Kubiak to run a three headed monster type of running game to
wear down the opposition. ...
I congratulate the Texans for getting Kubiak. He's a great offensive mind. A
no-nonsense guy. Hopefully, he will be nice to the news media. :)) =)) ...
But I doubt it. ...
Remember ppl ... You pass to thrill. But you run to score. Good offense
might sells tickets. But it's the defense that wins the game and
championships.
You need to read some Chinese military strategy classics and learn the
lesson ["that good defense always prevail over good offense"].