How I stopped worrying and learned to love the spread.

Denard,

Do this!

Love,

Kines

Man watching that I can see denard doing that to all non elite defenses.  So everyone but Ohio State, Iowa, PSU.  and maybe Wisconsin.  Thou against them he might get the 50 yard td but will get 30+ yards

White had the type of excellent fake-hand-offs that made LB's bite on the RB. 

Also good blocking on most of those runs.

If Denard can make fakes like that and we get some blocking this season he'll be making big runs like Pat White, every game.  We shall see.

White was devastating as a broken-field runner, having the ability to make quick, decisive cuts —while accelerating—that used defenders' own momentum and direction against them. Desmond Howard had the same ability, although I think Desmond didn't quite have White's speed. Like Howard, White would have been a tremendous kick returner.

Denard certainly has the speed to be effective, but I don't think we've had the opportunity yet to see whether he's got White's broken-field abilities.

to think how good Denard can be, BUT he must be able to throw the ball also.  Without a credible passing threat, the stack the box and make it tougher to break the big run.  Also, the handoff to the RB has to have some success or else they will assume Denard to keep it. 

To your point re: making breaks in the open field at full speed, you HAVE to think of Desmond Howard.  I can't recall anyone better at it.   

Our improved and deeper O-line play should improve both the run and pass.  Face it, the offense made some big plays last year with below average line play.  We are about to unleash the Kracken this year, and Dinardo can stuff it up his ass.  Clearly he thinks we suck.  Well maybe we did, but that ends now. 

... Pat who? 

aww let do it!

2:13 and 5:00...Denard please replicate this on Saturday.

It would help if UM had a RB in the mold of Slaton or Devine.  Dee Hart...are you reading this?  

I'm not saying UM's RBs are slouches, just simply not in that league.

Is that haunting tune the WVU fight song?   It's no Victors, but if that's the fight song, it's pretty sweet.

The biggest difference between DRob and PWhite is that White played in the watered down Big East and "imposing" defenses like Cincinnati, Louisville, Syracuse, Rutgers, etc. DRob will be going up against defenses from OSU, Nebraska, PSU, Iowa, etc.

I think UM's rushing offense will be good while RR is the coach, but I do not expect the kind of production his offense had at WVU simply because the defensive talent is FAR superior in the Big 10 to what he schemed against in the Big East after the departures of Miami, VaTech and BC.

Remember, RR's WVU teams did not win 10+ games until Miami, VaTech and BC bolted for the ACC. While those teams were still present in the Big East, his teams were only mildly successful to the tune of 8-9 wins per season.

will make everything easier by torching people in the run game. When the DBs are flying up to try and stop his elite speed, our recievers will find themselves more open than they're used to. Think about when Oregon came to the Big House a few years ago. After burning us with the read option, the WRs were running open all day for big passing plays.

The thing that's most evident to me in those clips is how important down field blocking is in the spread. It's what turns 8 yard runs into 80 yard runs. You see a lot of WRs and even OL blocking more than 10 yards downfield in those clips. (see 82 in the first clip for example) Even when they don't knock guys down, they occupy them, giving White cutting options.

Hopefully this year with Odoms, Roundtree, Omameh, and Molk, we'll see similar downfield action.

Thank god we never had to play against him. White would have carried on and probably lead the legacy of athletic, running qb's who absolutely demolished our defenses.

What I have noticed from this video is that Denard looks MUCH faster to me. I think once Denard improves his fake handoffs and passing he will be as good as White and has the potential to be better.

The spread that we run, with the speed that we have, will lead to consistent success that starts this year.  We did not have the depth, speed, nor the experience to make it work the first two seasons.  Looking at our team this year, it is clear to see we now have all 3 on on the offensive side of the ball.  We're going to score a lot of points this year, lets just hope we don't give up a lot and we should cruise to a bowl birth.

Watching the 1997 OSU game on the BTN the other day, I thought it was interesting that our 37-yard pass to Woodson - easily our longest offensive play of the day - came out of a four-wide, shotgun formation.  Woodson was the slot.