Topic: Bob Davie's Comments

[firstate]

about Notre Dame's lack of offensive identity.  Davies said they were spending all their time trying running plays geared  toward attacking opposing team's defensive weaknesses, that they have failed to develop an offensive identity.

This sounded so familiar.

One of Rockne's best teams only had 5 plays.  They ran them against every team they played.  No matter if the team they were playing was good against the run, or good against the pass, he stuck with those 5 plays...and won a national championship.  Talk about an identity.  Thye played Notre Dame Football.

When  Hal Mumme was at Kentucky he had Tim Couch as a quarterback.   Tim Couch put up amazing numbers at Kentucky.  Even  more amazing is that UK only had seven pass plays that year.  All year.  Opposing defenses knew the plays well ahead of time...but usually could not stop the fun and gun.  They were a passing '0' They played UK football.

ANd I don't suppose having an identity necessarily makes you successful.  Remember the Ohio teams last decade that ran the double option week end and week out, no matter  the result.  But, They played Ohio football

Can you imagine what Marshall's team will be like if they ever get their identity.   So many good receivers and catching tight ends.  More and more speed coming.  Promising quarterbacks on deck.  A coach who is a legitimate Marshall fan.  Best defensive end in college football who will play for us two more years.  

I expect that Notre Dame will get their identity at some point this season and start winning games, and I expect we will get ours also.

Hopefully, I'm going to UC today to watch a transformation.
Herd Football starts today.

[herdinphilly]

Davie's teams were horrid at ND.

[Dreamherd]

WVU only has about 5 offensive plays as well.

[Herd-nficent]

Firstate...What's your point?  Should MU cut down the playbook?  Expand it to five plays?  or what???

[Random]

Everyone always talks about the great coaches of the early 1900's who were just tough guys.  No one talks about how this was before there was really any innovation whatsoever in football.  Bill Walsh was before his time because he was the first coach who was smart and tried things other than screaming at his team to hit as hard as they can and running up the middle.

Football before 1980 was a pretty boring game.  If you had the biggest players, you won.

[Mako]

There is simply no way you can make a valid comparison of teams in the 1920's with teams of today.  Weiss is doing what any smart coach would do.  If you're facing a team with a great pass defense, keep it on the ground.  If you're facing a team that puts 8 in the box, air it out.  As Sun Tsu said 3,000 years ago, if you know yourself and your enemy, you need not fear a hundred battles; if you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained, you will also suffer a defeat; if you know neither yourself nor the enemy, you will succumb in every battle.