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Dennis Erickson 1 Back Philosophy | Trojan Football Analysis

LEGEND

Well-Known Member
I had gotten away from this... I had the formations but wasn't running his offense. I'm going to go back to implementing his philosophy with my OD teams.

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JSU Zack

How do I IT?
I love how Errickson's offense was basically 3 formations with different personnel groupings:
Balanced
Trips Left
Trey Right
 

LEGEND

Well-Known Member
He label's it like a flex formation... The slot guy is the HB/RB and the back is the FB. I was trying to run it from flex at one point.

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LEGEND

Well-Known Member
Back to running this scheme... This time I'm all in! It's actually a lot of fun... now that I've bought in to it completely. The play action is what really opens up this scheme.

I'm a below average to average passer at best. My completion and yardage numbers are up and my int's are down. I'm putting up big passing numbers while still running for over 200 yds a gm.

I'm starting to implement the screens and draws now. I'm still not big on screens... but I see the value of them to this offense. My biggest issue is probably going to be running draws. I'm not sure how well they work in this game.

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LEGEND

Well-Known Member
Been running an all Pistol one back since yesterday. It's pretty nice... It's basically Erickson offense with option. It adds another dimension to the scheme.

Going to continue with the pistol or as I call it... The UZI version for a while.

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LEGEND

Well-Known Member
I'm finding out the draw can be very effective! What I have to figure out is... which defensive looks it works best against.

I wish they had the fake bubble draw in more of the Ace formations. I only have it in slot and it works very nicely.

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GR8 2 B FL G8R

Well-Known Member
Traps still work. Counters and powers were op in M15 so of course they are nerfed now. Inside zone is the OP run now.
 

FSS

Member
I know errickson went one back to spread the defense to run the ball. Does anyone know why he kept a TE attached to the formation, or even on the field in general?
 

bruin228

Well-Known Member
NCAA Moderator
Probably due to the basic reason that it was easier to find a good tight end than four good receivers back then. Once it became the opposite, guys like Mike Price went to 10 personnel sets.
 
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FSS

Member
Probably due to the basic reason that it was easier to find a good tight end than four good receivers back then. Once it became the opposite, guys like Mike Price went to 10 personnel sets.

I wondered this because it seem like the most natural progression. Something like this:




http://smartfootball.com/offense/the-original-one-back-spread-offense#sthash.DhvSLNQR.dpbs


I think this is Mike Price's offense:



1.Does anyone know anymore teams that still run a one back undercenter spread offense?

2. As far as the run game what do you feel is more important the spacing of the defenders or the elimination of mismatches (lbs on fb/Tes) by removing them out of the box.

I have my thoughts on the answer but want to know what you guys think.
 
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bruin228

Well-Known Member
NCAA Moderator
I wondered this because it seem like the most natural progression. Something like this:




http://smartfootball.com/offense/the-original-one-back-spread-offense#sthash.DhvSLNQR.dpbs


I think this is Mike Price's offense:



1.Does anyone know anymore teams that still run a one back undercenter spread offense?

2. As far as the run game what do you feel is more important the spacing of the defenders or the elimination of mismatches (lbs on fb/Tes) by removing them out of the box.

I have my thoughts on the answer but want to know what you guys think.


It is.

1. I don't think so. Mazzone is the closest I can think of to someone running one back nowadays (which is why Erickson hired him at ASU), but I haven't seen him use under center in probably about a decade. Maybe Jonathan Smith/Petersen at UDub? I'd have to look at it closer, I'm not sure what concepts they run, but as far as a team that oscillates between gun and under center and likes to use 10 and 11 personnel, that'd be the place I'd look first. But if you look at the One Back Clinic and stuff like that now, it's largely Air Raid and Run and Shoot guys with the occasional tenuous connection to the old offense with guys like Mazzone.

2. In the game? The spacing of defenders. Mismatches that matter in real life (like getting a TE on a DB in the run game) don't matter so much.
 

LEGEND

Well-Known Member
It is.

1. I don't think so. Mazzone is the closest I can think of to someone running one back nowadays (which is why Erickson hired him at ASU), but I haven't seen him use under center in probably about a decade. Maybe Jonathan Smith/Petersen at UDub? I'd have to look at it closer, I'm not sure what concepts they run, but as far as a team that oscillates between gun and under center and likes to use 10 and 11 personnel, that'd be the place I'd look first. But if you look at the One Back Clinic and stuff like that now, it's largely Air Raid and Run and Shoot guys with the occasional tenuous connection to the old offense with guys like Mazzone.

2. In the game? The spacing of defenders. Mismatches that matter in real life (like getting a TE on a DB in the run game) don't matter so much.

Yeah... that's what I hate about the game. You get a 6'7 260 lb TE matched up on a 5'9 166 lb CB and it doesn't matter for the most part. I've been recruiting big athletic blocking TE's in my dynasties with little to no advantage in the running game. For the most part I've watch everyone instantly shed their block... It's frustrating as hell!

I've had TE's with high 80's pass and run block and they whiffed on so many blocks it wasn't funny. I've moved them to offensive line positions and they were beast... It's something about EA's coding that nerfs their blocking at their position. It might be just me?

I play in a dynasty where a guy has formation sub TE's at Wr and runs Pistol Train and those TE's are killers! They pancake my defenders every damn play. What I have had success with is the receiving TE's with good speed making a difference though. Those guys with upwards of 85 speed can be a mismatch nightmare... which is why I'm starting to recruit them. That speed up the seem creates problems... Especially when you have Wr's with good speed as well. The safeties have to help somewhere opening up a big hole.

As far as Erickson and TE's... I can't remember exactly. But he kept TE's do to the mismatch they created. Having them running the seam and helping to block downfield was a plus. By keeping TE's on the field most defenses stayed in their base defense. Once you added another WR they went to nickle and dime packages. In Erickson's scheme... The tailback/halfback was the slot Wr' and the fullback actually lined up at the Hb spot.
 

LEGEND

Well-Known Member
I forgot to mention...

Erickson liked spreading the defense out the way he did with the original one back offense because It was harder for the defense to disguise blitzes. By spreading them the way he did... It made it easier to read their intentions. As defenses evolved and started putting better and faster athletes on the field... It allowed defense to run more exotic blitzes and disrupt the offense. Kinda like Miami when Jimmy Johnson put smaller faster athletes in his base 4-3 the speed on defense destroyed teams with the old school big slow bull type linemen.
 

LEGEND

Well-Known Member
I forgot to mention...

Erickson liked spreading the defense out the way he did with the original one back offense because It was harder for the defense to disguise blitzes. By spreading them the way he did... It made it easier to read their intentions. As defenses evolved and started putting better and faster athletes on the field... It allowed defense to run more exotic blitzes and disrupt the offense. Kinda like Miami when Jimmy Johnson put smaller faster athletes in his base 4-3 the speed on defense destroyed teams with the old school big slow bull type linemen.

I've noticed with running the Tom Moore scheme I'm running in OD's that I'm able to see the blitzes as well. I've been intrigued by watching users trying to throw every blitz imaginable at me. It's made it easy for me to come back in each game that I was down in.. and just snowballed the domination against the user I blew out.

The cpu is much more difficult to play against than users to this point. With users you can see the set up's and overloads... With the cpu your protection just whiffs from unexpected points. Cpu blockers just let the defensive lineman run right through or three linemen will try to block the same defender letting two-three others run free.
 

FSS

Member
I think this is a really great article

http://brophyfootball.blogspot.com/search/label/Dennis Erickson

This part really stood out to me
Erickson really did not rely much on layered concepts, such as Shallow, Drive, Mesh, etc, preferring instead to rely on vertical stem packages in both his quick and drop back games. The reason for this is very simple: Erickson never wanted to stop running the ball; he simply wanted to create defensive structures that would enable him to run the ball effectively inside. This is why Erickson from the very beginning emphasized stretching the defense from sideline to sideline, not only with formations, but concepts as well. Formations and splits that would effectively center the defense by inviting it to align players closely to the LOS were jettisoned in favor of five very basic environments that by alignment would engender some type of a Nickel response.

People talk about using the run to setup the pass and vice versa but to me this is actually showing you how it done. I like how everything he did from formations to passing concepts all led to one goal of running the ball. I am currently thinking of ways this apply in the video game world and how much I can use it.
 

Smashmouth

Member
I tinkered with a OB offense in the past. I didn’t really focus so much on the West Coast principles of the stretch/zone run game, but had more of a power running attack with more pulling lineman and option plays to use as constraints to the base running plays. I loved getting two backs that I could rotate and pound the rock with and then hit PA over the top.

I used formations that all had 11 personnel in it so I could keep the same guys on the field, with Ace, SG and Pistol.

One of my favorite “money” plays was out of Ace Slot. I don’t remember the exact name but it’s PA where the slot WR runs a seam and the TE runs a post I think.
 
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