Posted on 11/07/2003 3:16:34 PM PST by GulliverSwift
The "Fun 'n' Gun" has been transformed into the "Drop 'n' Crumble" by hard-charging NFL defenses with little or no regard for the Washington Redskins' ability to make them pay for blitzing. And league observers say they have become increasingly skeptical that Coach Steve Spurrier is willing and able to change his pass-first offensive system.
"I just don't know if he has offensive answers for what the league is doing to him," former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Merril Hoge said. "Can it change? Of course it can. But it takes time. It's not going to happen this year."
Spurrier's offense puts the burden on quarterback Patrick Ramsey to look over the defense at the line of scrimmage and, if necessary, use an audible to change the play that was called in the huddle. The quarterback is supposed to spot the weakness in the defense and find the area of the field to which the ball should be thrown, and the offense floods the secondary with three or four swift receivers. The defense, by its setup, dictates to the quarterback where the ball should be thrown.
That, according to some longtime NFL observers, is a systematic weakness at this level because Spurrier's weekly game plan does not focus on the individual matchups in which the Redskins might have advantages. Few plays, for instance, are designed specifically to get the ball to ace wide receiver Laveranues Coles. Spurrier just runs his "ball plays," his critics maintain, rather than tailoring what he's doing to the strengths and weaknesses of his players. At Florida, they say, most of Spurrier's players were faster and better than his opponent's players, so it didn't matter.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
College kids couldnever do this stuff. They too busy worrying about going to classes and getting drunk. (and some even do homework) They haven't devoted their lives to the sport.
I'd love to be a linebacker going against the Reskins. I'd have all the time in the world to kill the quarterback and all I'd have to do is run the gaping wholes or push the timid blocker out of the way.
That's where he belongs. I'd be glad if he came to one of the programs in my state, where'd he kill the NCAA opposition.
The University of Florida was not a consistent winner until Spurrier came as coach. Never had won the SEC, never had won 10 games in a season, never won a National Championship, had been ranked in the top 10 a few times but not consistently. Florida did start getting the talent, after Spurrier arrived.
Stanford hired Steve Spurrier's QB Coach. Stanford, traditionally an offensive powerhouse is mired in last place in Pac-10 offensive stats.
Not true! The Stanford coach was not the QB coach at Florida, Spurrier was.
Steve Spurrier can't cut the mustard in Washington in the big leagues of the NFL. He should take his $25 million (Yes, Team owner Snyder is paying him $25 million for five years and this is what he gets) and go back to college ball, where the spotlight isn't nearly as bright, he'll have a much easier time blaming any failures he has on his players, he can take the criticism of the backwoods college media that no one reads, and he'll undoubtedly be much happier.
This only shows that you do not understand Coach Spurrier or the school he choached at. The University of Florida is hardly covered by backwoods college media. Maybe some from your hometown, but not most of the media that covers the Gators.
I'd love to be a linebacker going against the Reskins. I'd have all the time in the world to kill the quarterback and all I'd have to do is run the gaping wholes or push the timid blocker out of the way.
I kind of imagine the Redskins would love for you to the linebacker they play against next week also. Probably would turn their season around.
While Superior suffers all the slings and arrows, the real problem, not the symptom, is lil danny snyder. The Redskins will always circle the toilet as long as he is the owner. Put it in three inch headlines.
One person who seems to understand the situation!
Let me tell all of you that at the University of Florida we miss the Head Ball Coach. He is a great coach and a great person, most of the negative comments here obviously come from people who don't understand him at all and now have some axe to grind.
The way things are going both Coaches Spurrier and Zook may be fired by the end of this season (though Zook may have saved his job for another year beating Georgia last week). But if both do get fired, maybe we'll get Spurrier, back here at UF.
The Redskins hiring of scumbag Darrell Russell was another low point for the team.
Well, if I tried out and they thought I was qualified to be a linebacker, then I would get to that point. Of course that's not going to happen. But obviously you know my point.
Probably would turn their season around.
They need more than one bad opposing linebacker in one game to turn their season around. They've played half their games and are an embarrassment.
most of the negative comments here obviously come from people who don't understand him at all and now have some axe to grind.
I will say this about Spurrier: He's good at what he did. And if he came to one of my local colleges, I would be glad. But so far he's shown an unwillingness to adapt to the complexity of the NFL. He's unwilling to make alterations to what he's done so well for so long. The defense is shifty and fast in the NFL, and he's never been conditioned to deal with it. Most NFL head coaches were previously assistant coaches and have spent time in the league. They haven't just jumped into the water without learning out to swim first.
Did you read the whole article? You have to click on the link to see the rest of it. I'm a fan of college football, but I know that there's something better.
I have read about every article out there on Spurrier the last week or so. My point is that some of the remarks were by people who obviously knew nothing about Spurrier or College Football at the University of Florida.
And then of course we have todays result where the Redskins beat a 6-2 Seattle team.
Of course I knew what you maant about playing linebacker but I'll stand with what I said about most of the negative posters.
You waited until after the game to respond. That's great, I would've done the same.
It looks like Spurrier won because he made a good decision. It looks like he's adapted-- in a way. According to NFL.com:
Steve Spurrier benched himself, and it worked.
The Washington Redskins' coach let someone else call the plays for a change -- a radical departure from his two decades of offensive genius -- and the result was a 27-20 victory over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday and the end of a four-game losing streak.
"Maybe I'm struggling calling plays right now. Shoot, it's not working as well as it should," said Spurrier, who handed the duties to offensive coordinator Hue Jackson. "He asked to do it this week and I said OK. ... I have to bench the play-caller, then I can do that. I benched myself a little bit."
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