[NU Sports] In defense of McCall's Play Calling

Fri Oct 14 16:15:25 CDT 2011

Well, here's the other side to the "halftime adjustment" argument.

First off, it is very hard to make serious changes to a game plan during the 10 minutes
they get during the break. About all you can do is get the offense and defensive coaches
together and look at what they are doing to you, and try to call different plays to
counter what is working.

On D, maybe you run Cover 2 instead of man in certain situations. On offense, maybe you
throw to the 2nd rcvr instead of the first - it is very difficult to make bigger changes,
despite what appears to happen from other teams.

Most teams run 8-10 plays at the beginning of the game to see what disguised coverages the
other guy's D is going to run in, after that you keep running plays that counter the D you
see.  Sometimes, I suspect that offenses run the same stuff after the half to see if there
are any new wrinkles to the other guy's D, but you'd have to listen to the headphones to
be sure.

In any case, every team does something different at the half, but I've been told that the
days of the Knute Rockne "win one for the gipper" halftime speech are pretty much over. If
the d-backs are getting beat, the position coach gets them together and tries to get them
back on the plan.

The guy up in the press box has already figured out what the other team is doing, and can
call the plays on both sides of the ball almost immediately to counter what the other guys
are doing. Maybe they use a white board at the half, but they've got that board on the
sidelines, and I've seen too many coaches use them on the field to consider what they
might do in the locker room at the half more important.

Now, if our coordinators don't make the changes in the calls, now that is something for
much further discussion, but that talk is run by Fitz.

rsl

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Roy S. Lamberton - Senior Associate & Unix Guru.

Computer Applications & Support Associates

Coach Roy's Random Thoughts - http://coachroy.org

-------------------- Also ----------------------

"Commissioner" Delaware American Legion Baseball

Director Media Relations - Little League 

  Senior League Softball World Series

CTR2 USN (67-70) - CTRCS USNR (Ret) (64-67/70-95)

Northwestern University - Speech 1974 - 

Chi Phi: Pi 1974, KD 1968

Publisher Emeritus: Purple Reign (Fox Sports)

================================================

Opinions expressed above are mine alone and are not

those of any organizations of which I am a member.

------------------------------------------------

"A true Democracy is two wolves and a lamb sitting

down to vote on what is for dinner."

=  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =

"Its one of those things that, where the average

american says, 'who the hell are you to tell me how

to live.'

If we cease being that country. If we become a country 

in which we say, 'please, tell me how to live'

We're Doomed!" -- Pete Hamill, "Prohibition"

==========  Go Cats -  Beat 'em All  ===========

From: SjT (Stephen J. Truog) [mailto:sjtruog at yahoo.com] 
Sent: Friday, October 14, 2011 11:14 AM
To: Roy S. Lamberton; nwu-sports at tssi.com
Subject: Re: [NU Sports] In defense of McCall's Play Calling

I'm not sure he is trying to run ball control.

In the Illinois game he may have been, but in the Michigan game, our effective running
game disappeared in the second half.

Which leads me to believe a big part of the problem is that he's not very good at reacting
to the other team's halftime adjustments. The play calling in the first half was terrific
(save for that fourth down option to the FRIGGIN' SHORT SIDE OF THE FIELD that led to
their second scoring drive and the slow play call at the goal line to end the half), but
the mix was gone in the second half. We lost tempo, we lost the ground game and we lost
control.

It wasn't so much that we played not to lose in those games, we just didn't seem to have a
response once the other team scored to cut into the lead and eventually erase the lead. We
looked like a deer caught in the headlights and the quick 3-and-outs only fueled the
defensive collapse more. As you said, we just seem to watch and expect the collapse to
happen. I know Fitz is fired up and trying his best not to let it happen on the sideline,
but I think our coordinators don't really know how to handle second half changes.

We need a couple "go to" plays for a first down to get a drive started, and we have the
players to do that in Persa, Ebert, Dunsmore, etc. And we need to play Wildcat football
regardless of the scoreboard.

GO CATS!!!
-SjT

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
STEPHEN J. TRUOG
sjtruog at yahoo.com
GO CATS!!! GEAUX SAINTS!!!
Super Bowl XLIV Champions!

  _____  

  _____  

From: Roy S. Lamberton <rstetson at capps-assoc.com>
To: nwu-sports at tssi.com
Sent: Friday, October 14, 2011 7:32 AM
Subject: [NU Sports] In defense of McCall's Play Calling

He is trying to run a ball control offense once we get a big lead, one what eats the clock
and keeps the other team's defense on the field.

But as the pros know, once you change your basic game plan, you allow the other team to
get into their comfort zone, and as in the past three weeks, come back from the brink.

The good teams stay with their original game plan, maybe run a bit more, but keep the
balance that got them the lead.

Everyone remembers the old Green Bay Packer or Miami Dolphin running machine and forget
that they could and did complete passes when they had to maintain the ball control. We
seem to telegraph when we are going to pass by our play calling on down and distance, and
therefore see the big pass rush on 3rd and long.

This year we're missing the off balance plays, the quick snaps and passes on 1st and 2nd
down. The ball is being passed around, still 7 or 8 receivers with catches, but our
percentage of completion seems a bit low.

A few years back, I asked then DC Colby about NU's "prevent" defense - something he
replied, "Prevents you from winning, but you have to do it so you don't get burned for the
losing TD."

NU broke the mold for a brainiac school when Barnett convinced the 85 guys on the team
that they should "expect victory." I worry that now our present team expects the other
guys to come back at the end of the game - a far cry from the previous year's Cardiac
Cats.

rsl 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Roy S. Lamberton - Senior Associate & Unix Guru.
Computer Applications & Support Associates
Coach Roy's Random Thoughts - http://coachroy.org
-------------------- Also ----------------------
"Commissioner" Delaware American Legion Baseball
Director Media Relations - Little League 
  Senior League Softball World Series
CTR2 USN (67-70) - CTRCS USNR (Ret) (64-67/70-95)
Northwestern University - Speech 1974 - 
Chi Phi: Pi 1974, KD 1968
Publisher Emeritus: Purple Reign (Fox Sports)
================================================
Opinions expressed above are mine alone and are not
those of any organizations of which I am a member.
------------------------------------------------
"A true Democracy is two wolves and a lamb sitting
down to vote on what is for dinner."
=  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =  =
"Its one of those things that, where the average
american says, 'who the hell are you to tell me how
to live.'

If we cease being that country. If we become a country 
in which we say, 'please, tell me how to live'

We're Doomed!" -- Pete Hamill, "Prohibition"

==========  Go Cats -  Beat 'em All  ===========

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