Harry
ASFN Consultant and Senior Writer
Of course, like everyone else, I have no way of knowing exactly what to expect from the new offense. There are, however, a few things that seem fairly certain to me.
People have been criticizing DJ. My thought is this reaction is way too early. Let’s see how things go when he’s transformed into a receiver. Other changes I’ll cover below will also enhance his performance running from scrimmage.
Next expect a change to rapid play, mostly no huddle. Defensive lines will have trouble getting set and the defenses will be hard pressed to make substitutions. The first few games will likely feature quite a bit of defensive confusion. This will make running easier as gaps will go unfilled. Of course this speed will make shutting down the passing game more difficult as well.
I think Cardinal offensive substitutions may be less frequent than people expect. I expect 4 passing targets on virtually every play. DJ’s ability to easily slide into a route will be huge. He could be moved to the slot or even split out. Again this will stress basic defensive alignments and create mismatches. We will even see 5 target packages but maybe not as often as some expect.
There will certainly be RPOs, but I think they’ll look different from college. I expect them to avoid running Murray up the middle. You might see a QB draw but only near the goal line. The RPOs will move Murray outside. This accomplishes 2 things. First it limits Murray’s exposure to injury. This also takes advantage of Murray’s ability to throw on the run.
I’ve been writing about preseason blitz handling and the absence of hot routes. I’ve decided the only way that makes sense is if the formations and plays will contain automatic hot routes. One receiver pattern may include a slant that the QB throws if a blitz comes. I also anticipate wide receiver screens will also be used to control blitzes as well as more typical RB screens. To get DJ outside they may well incorporate swing passes and toss plays to compensate for a less than athletic line and slow the rush. Jet sweeps will become regular events. Of course with Murray’s speed simply rolling him out creates major issues for defenses. The bottom line is the hot routes are probably a part of typical plays and vary by the blitz formation. Likely options will take some time to be smooth but this seamless approach fits well with the desired speed.
Overall I expect to see frequent crossing routes. Multiple receiver sets will likely use at least one deep route which will often be a decoy to spread the field. More often than not I expect short passes and a focus on YAC. The routes will separate the receivers, isolating the defenders. Will it work? I’m not sure but I’m confident it will be fun to watch.
People have been criticizing DJ. My thought is this reaction is way too early. Let’s see how things go when he’s transformed into a receiver. Other changes I’ll cover below will also enhance his performance running from scrimmage.
Next expect a change to rapid play, mostly no huddle. Defensive lines will have trouble getting set and the defenses will be hard pressed to make substitutions. The first few games will likely feature quite a bit of defensive confusion. This will make running easier as gaps will go unfilled. Of course this speed will make shutting down the passing game more difficult as well.
I think Cardinal offensive substitutions may be less frequent than people expect. I expect 4 passing targets on virtually every play. DJ’s ability to easily slide into a route will be huge. He could be moved to the slot or even split out. Again this will stress basic defensive alignments and create mismatches. We will even see 5 target packages but maybe not as often as some expect.
There will certainly be RPOs, but I think they’ll look different from college. I expect them to avoid running Murray up the middle. You might see a QB draw but only near the goal line. The RPOs will move Murray outside. This accomplishes 2 things. First it limits Murray’s exposure to injury. This also takes advantage of Murray’s ability to throw on the run.
I’ve been writing about preseason blitz handling and the absence of hot routes. I’ve decided the only way that makes sense is if the formations and plays will contain automatic hot routes. One receiver pattern may include a slant that the QB throws if a blitz comes. I also anticipate wide receiver screens will also be used to control blitzes as well as more typical RB screens. To get DJ outside they may well incorporate swing passes and toss plays to compensate for a less than athletic line and slow the rush. Jet sweeps will become regular events. Of course with Murray’s speed simply rolling him out creates major issues for defenses. The bottom line is the hot routes are probably a part of typical plays and vary by the blitz formation. Likely options will take some time to be smooth but this seamless approach fits well with the desired speed.
Overall I expect to see frequent crossing routes. Multiple receiver sets will likely use at least one deep route which will often be a decoy to spread the field. More often than not I expect short passes and a focus on YAC. The routes will separate the receivers, isolating the defenders. Will it work? I’m not sure but I’m confident it will be fun to watch.
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