One constant when Littrell speaks

BillySee58 · December 2, 2015

Pretty much every interview I've seen of Littrell when he's asked about offense the first thing he says is how he likes to spread the ball around all over the field. Not going out on much of a limb, but I think that translates well to the G5 level.

And he has had feature players in his offense like Gronk, Tevin Coleman, Elijah Hood, etc. But if you're going to beat good teams, especially P5 teams, you have to be able create mismatches across the field. And we all know we could use a signature win or two, among other things.

Edited December 2, 2015 by BillySee58

ChristopherRyanWilkes · December 2, 2015

Amen. I think our receivers coming back next year are athletic enough, they just need someone to teach them better technique. If we can get a QB who will check more than one option before panicking and scrambling it will make a world of difference as well. I think he will enjoy having Jeffrey Wilson back there too.

Edited December 2, 2015 by ChristopherRyanWilkes

aztecskin · December 2, 2015

Pretty much every interview I've seen of Littrell when he's asked about offense the first thing he says is how he likes to spread the ball around all over the field. Not going out on much of a limb, but I think that translates well to the G5 level.
And he has had feature players in his offense like Gronk, Tevin Coleman, Elijah Hood, etc. But if you're going to beat good teams, especially P5 teams, you have to be able create mismatches across the field. And we all know we could use a signature win or two, among other things.

While I agree generally with you I think it is important to mention that

1. Most offensive coaches say this, especially

2. "spread" disciples. They also say things like "attack the defense vertically, and horizontally", "put guys in space", "look for open grass".

3. These things aren't bad, even Mike "Chico" "Third Person" Canales said / says these things.

4. Outside of Mike Leach-head coached teams, most "Air Raid" squads run the ball or pass the ball to backs / short (which has the effect of short runs that control the clock) and get the ball to playmakers. The Air Raid OU teams of the early 2000s had Quintin Griffin running for 200+ yards and multiple TDs against Texas, while also setting records for passing.

5. I expect Jeff Wilson will thrive in this offense, as will the WRs, as long as we have a QB that knows more than one play and can get the ball to guys short, intermediate, and deep. (meaning decent QB play).

I'm excited. I also hope he brings a guy who can do some of what Chizik did at UNC this season, or a guy that can do what Patterson does at TCU. Please god have a defense that can stop teams please oh good lord above.

oldguystudent · December 2, 2015

Man, I hear him speak, I wanna go buy a tin of dip and a Ford pickup truck. That's GOT to be good for this area.

But mostly, I like the part about how he says you have to evolve from year to year and make sure your system fits the players you've got. What the hell is this? Adaptivity?

Edited December 2, 2015 by oldguystudent

Cerebus · December 2, 2015

What excites me isn't that he talks about spreading the ball around, it's that you constantly have to tailor your offense to the players your have, year to year and game to game. He has said anyone can move the ball if they just take advantage of the skills of the players you have.

If he had coached us this year we might have ran the Wing T.

Ben Gooding · December 2, 2015

He does say things like these, but a lot of coaches say these like this as Aztec pointed out. He also talks tempo, but so did Canales.

The biggest challenge that must happen is a mindset change throughout the program and that is something that I believe Littrell offers. We can't have kids laughing and joking on the sideline while getting beat by 30 points. For heaven sake we can't have thieves in our locker room stealing from their effing teammates. A real standard has to be set for everyone across the board and players have to hold players accountable for their mishaps and that is something that is lacking and the only players that I have seen do that at North Texas were Todd Dodge recruits.

BillySee58 · December 2, 2015

Man, I hear him speak, I wanna go buy a tin of dip and a Ford pickup truck. That's GOT to be good for this area.
But mostly, I like the part about how he says you have to evolve from year to year and make sure your system fits the players you've got. What the hell is this? Adaptivity?

He says intelligent things too. Refreshing.

untjim1995 · December 2, 2015

If he comes here, and that is a still a bigger if than we want to acknowledge at this point, it will all about finding a QB that can play in his offense. Most likely, that person isn't here as a QB right now (Dillman??), so if he has to go out into the JUCO ranks or start a true freshman, that new QB will need time to grow, for sure.

I can tell you that his starting QB won't be one of the guys on the roster currently as a QB. Damarcus Smith will be a fine backup, but Greer should be gone very soon, and the others aren't built for this kind of offense, either, so a few of them will probably be gone, as well, or at least staying at the bottom of the depth chart.

oldguystudent · December 2, 2015

If he comes here, and that is a still a bigger if than we want to acknowledge at this point, it will all about finding a QB that can play in his offense. Most likely, that person isn't here as a QB right now (Dillman??), so if he has to go out into the JUCO ranks or start a true freshman, that new QB will need time to grow, for sure.
I can tell you that his starting QB won't be one of the guys on the roster currently as a QB. Damarcus Smith will be a fine backup, but Greer should be gone very soon, and the others aren't built for this kind of offense, either, so a few of them will probably be gone, as well, or at least staying at the bottom of the depth chart.

How many more times do you think Brock Berglund might be interested in transferring?

BillySee58 · December 2, 2015

While I agree generally with you I think it is important to mention that
1. Most offensive coaches say this, especially
2. "spread" disciples. They also say things like "attack the defense vertically, and horizontally", "put guys in space", "look for open grass".
3. These things aren't bad, even Mike "Chico" "Third Person" Canales said / says these things.
4. Outside of Mike Leach-head coached teams, most "Air Raid" squads run the ball or pass the ball to backs / short (which has the effect of short runs that control the clock) and get the ball to playmakers. The Air Raid OU teams of the early 2000s had Quintin Griffin running for 200+ yards and multiple TDs against Texas, while also setting records for passing.
5. I expect Jeff Wilson will thrive in this offense, as will the WRs, as long as we have a QB that knows more than one play and can get the ball to guys short, intermediate, and deep. (meaning decent QB play).
I'm excited. I also hope he brings a guy who can do some of what Chizik did at UNC this season, or a guy that can do what Patterson does at TCU. Please god have a defense that can stop teams please oh good lord above.

Most coaches do say it but it's obvious he puts an emphasis on it and gets it done. I'm not a big fan of the term "Air Raid" because I think it's a misnomer. Like you said, OU aired it out like crazy with Jason White one year, but before then and after then they had Griffin and AP, so they ran the ball.

Of course I see him playing to our strengths. For the next two years it should be a lot of Wilson. After that if we get 04 Omar Jacobs then we'll throw it more, or if we have 05 Garrett Wolfe we'll run it a lot, or 02 Nate Burleson we'll throw him the ball and not concern ourselves as much as normal with spreading it out.

I'm interested to see how much more he can get out of underutilized guys like Goree and Kidsy. Not expecting a dynamic O, but at least a more talent-maximizing one than the last two years.

aztecskin · December 2, 2015

Most coaches do say it but it's obvious he puts an emphasis on it and gets it done. I'm not a big fan of the term "Air Raid" because I think it's a misnomer. Like you said, OU aired it out like crazy with Jason White one year, but before then and after then they had Griffin and AP, so they ran the ball.
Of course I see him playing to our strengths. For the next two years it should be a lot of Wilson. After that if we get 04 Omar Jacobs then we'll throw it more, or if we have 05 Garrett Wolfe we'll run it a lot, or 02 Nate Burleson we'll throw him the ball and not concern ourselves as much as normal with spreading it out.
I'm interested to see how much more he can get out of underutilized guys like Goree and Kidsy. Not expecting a dynamic O, but at least a more talent-maximizing one than the last two years.

Yeah they actually changed for AD. Went power I. But yeah there are numerous examples of "spread" teams being dynamic -- which is what offense is supposed to be. Predicability is death.

And as I've said previously about Pro Style power teams, the best ones evolve. They do innovative things. Leach evolved the Air Raid from BYU/Mumme stuff and added more doubles sets and more H-WR stuff (Wes Welker). Holgorson added packaged stuff.

Even Rich Rodriguez evolved from his Clemson stuff to his WVU stuff. His Michigan playbook was good and effective. Now his Zona offense is a little bit different from all that. No more pure zone read, but some other things.

If Littrell is any kind of good coach (and it looks and sounds like he is) he'll get our guys in good positions to succeed.

- Air Raid teams generally are those that have a certain practice style with an emphasis on reps, and certain plays /play call style that stem from Lavell Edwards' BYU squads.

It is getting to the point where it's difficult to distinguish. Like West Coast teams were those that used Walsh methods and plays, then went to just using methods. Now everyone uses those methods and incorporate West Coast routes (slants, timing routes, Texas routes, HB passes, scripting plays). So what is West Coast?

SilverEagle · December 2, 2015

If he comes here, and that is a still a bigger if than we want to acknowledge at this point, it will all about finding a QB that can play in his offense. Most likely, that person isn't here as a QB right now (Dillman??), so if he has to go out into the JUCO ranks or start a true freshman, that new QB will need time to grow, for sure.
I can tell you that his starting QB won't be one of the guys on the roster currently as a QB. Damarcus Smith will be a fine backup, but Greer should be gone very soon, and the others aren't built for this kind of offense, either, so a few of them will probably be gone, as well, or at least staying at the bottom of the depth chart.

Oh yes there is......Shanbour. He's trained all the new guys and IMHO he still has the best arm and release on the team. Being under 6 foot should not be a barrier.....especially for a coach that talks about "adaptability" a lot in his offensive scheme.

NorthTexan95 · December 2, 2015

Oh yes there is......Shanbour. He's trained all the new guys and IMHO he still has the best arm and release on the team. Being under 6 foot should not be a barrier.....especially for a coach that talks about "adaptability" a lot in his offensive scheme.

I was just looking over my UNT Football Eligibility spreadsheet over in the Recruiting Forum (hint, hint). I was about to come here to post a question asking "what if" Quinn Shanbour is our starting quarterback next season ... and he does really well? He might turn out not to be a D1 quarterback but it would be one heck of a story if he is.

BillySee58 · December 2, 2015

Yeah they actually changed for AD. Went power I. But yeah there are numerous examples of "spread" teams being dynamic -- which is what offense is supposed to be. Predicability is death.
And as I've said previously about Pro Style power teams, the best ones evolve. They do innovative things. Leach evolved the Air Raid from BYU/Mumme stuff and added more doubles sets and more H-WR stuff (Wes Welker). Holgorson added packaged stuff.
Even Rich Rodriguez evolved from his Clemson stuff to his WVU stuff. His Michigan playbook was good and effective. Now his Zona offense is a little bit different from all that. No more pure zone read, but some other things.
If Littrell is any kind of good coach (and it looks and sounds like he is) he'll get our guys in good positions to succeed.
- Air Raid teams generally are those that have a certain practice style with an emphasis on reps, and certain plays /play call style that stem from Lavell Edwards' BYU squads.
It is getting to the point where it's difficult to distinguish. Like West Coast teams were those that used Walsh methods and plays, then went to just using methods. Now everyone uses those methods and incorporate West Coast routes (slants, timing routes, Texas routes, HB passes, scripting plays). So what is West Coast?

I'm interested to see where he uses his scholarships in his first class. He's got a couple skill guys currently committed. Does he stick with them and trust his scheme, ask them to look elsewhere, or honor their scholarship and still bring in some of his guys. Because those are the guys who will alter what he does from a personnel standpoint.

aztecskin · December 2, 2015

I'm interested to see where he uses his scholarships in his first class. He's got a couple skill guys currently committed. Does he stick with them and trust his scheme, ask them to look elsewhere, or honor their scholarship and still bring in some of his guys. Because those are the guys who will alter what he does from a personnel standpoint.

I figure he tries for a QB, and maybe a WR, some OL, and maybe looks to fill out the defense.

RBs can be slot WRs fairly easily (Leach, and many others have done that when taking over a new system), but 6 foot plus WRs are a little more rare. One good one will work wonders (Docston at TCU, Blackmon at Okie St) but you need a guy you believe can run the system and maybe you see what you have on the current roster.

We got one 6'5 WR coming in so he probably sees what he has there, the rest are ATH or WR/RBs, that you probably keep and see if you can't turn mold them into slot guys for the future.

I imagine he takes a look at the defensive line problems and tries to get some help there. That would do wonders for next year.

BillySee58 · December 2, 2015

I figure he tries for a QB, and maybe a WR, some OL, and maybe looks to fill out the defense.
RBs can be slot WRs fairly easily (Leach, and many others have done that when taking over a new system), but 6 foot plus WRs are a little more rare. One good one will work wonders (Docston at TCU, Blackmon at Okie St) but you need a guy you believe can run the system and maybe you see what you have on the current roster.
We got one 6'5 WR coming in so he probably sees what he has there, the rest are ATH or WR/RBs, that you probably keep and see if you can't turn mold them into slot guys for the future.
I imagine he takes a look at the defensive line problems and tries to get some help there. That would do wonders for next year.

The 6'5" receiver we have listed as a commit is actually committed here for basketball. There's a shot he plays football, but he committed to Benford, not the football staff. Littrell and Benford may have a discussion about doing the dual athlete thing, in which case his scholarship would have to count towards football.

I'm interested to see if he gets two QBs. Once he pops on that tape I would imagine he'll consider it. I think we'll see quite a few true freshmen on the field next season. Hopefully it's at least a fun rebuild.

aztecskin · December 2, 2015

The 6'5" receiver we have listed as a commit is actually committed here for basketball. There's a shot he plays football, but he committed to Benford, not the football staff. Littrell and Benford may have a discussion about doing the dual athlete thing, in which case his scholarship would have to count towards football.
I'm interested to see if he gets two QBs. Once he pops on that tape I would imagine he'll consider it. I think we'll see quite a few true freshmen on the field next season. Hopefully it's at least a fun rebuild.

Ha! Didn't realize that about that dude. That kinda supports my point about tall, string WRs being rare. No matter the O emphasis, size outside is a benefit (Just look how often we split out Loving and Smith).

Yeah the QB thing will be interesting. He may want more than 1 QB but I wonder how many he gets. There are those on the board that think he can work a miracle with the guys we have. I'm excited for position competition.

If its anything like the Cal / Wazzu rebuilds, we will see freshman growing pains that pay off in YR 3 and 4. Like record setting. I imagine even the Dodge era passing records will be challenged.

Aldo · December 2, 2015

I figure he tries for a QB, and maybe a WR, some OL, and maybe looks to fill out the defense.
RBs can be slot WRs fairly easily (Leach, and many others have done that when taking over a new system), but 6 foot plus WRs are a little more rare. One good one will work wonders (Docston at TCU, Blackmon at Okie St) but you need a guy you believe can run the system and maybe you see what you have on the current roster.
We got one 6'5 WR coming in so he probably sees what he has there, the rest are ATH or WR/RBs, that you probably keep and see if you can't turn mold them into slot guys for the future.
I imagine he takes a look at the defensive line problems and tries to get some help there. That would do wonders for next year.

Goree, Thompson, and Rutherford I believe range from 6'1" to 6'5", with Goree rotating between the slot and outside.

Not saying we can't improve upon these guys with a shiny new receiver, but I reeeeally, reeeeally think we can improve greatly on offense with at least better accuracy at QB.

aztecskin · December 2, 2015

Goree, Thompson, and Rutherford I believe range from 6'1" to 6'5", with Goree rotating between the slot and outside.
Not saying we can't improve upon these guys with a shiny new receiver, but I reeeeally, reeeeally think we can improve greatly on offense with at least better accuracy at QB.

Oh definitely. But Goree / Rutherford have the most eligibility and you want one more (thinking you go two deep at the outside WR slot) for depth, and also for the future. One playbook Leach had mentioned that although you want everyone to know every position (like Crabtree at Texas Tech, he played everywhere but primarily outside), some routes are for big rangy WRs (fade routes, generally) and some are for quick guys (sticks, darts, mesh), so you want specialization in some respects.

But obviously, we need a guy that can toss them the ball. It's why I see SL looking for a QB he trusts, and then seeing what he can do with the roster we have.

Aldo · December 2, 2015

Oh definitely. But Goree / Rutherford have the most eligibility and you want one more (thinking you go two deep at the outside WR slot) for depth, and also for the future.

You're right, though. I hadn't considered our next slot replacement.

I don't know who currently on the roster could fill the slot role next year other than eyeballing the roster. Maybe Khan? Grimm? Maybe even Marcell Porter. But that's just from seeing them in practice and scrimmages last spring. I don't trust Smiley or Kidsy over the middle tbh.

MGNation92 · December 2, 2015

Oh definitely. But Goree / Rutherford have the most eligibility and you want one more (thinking you go two deep at the outside WR slot) for depth, and also for the future. One playbook Leach had mentioned that although you want everyone to know every position (like Crabtree at Texas Tech, he played everywhere but primarily outside), some routes are for big rangy WRs (fade routes, generally) and some are for quick guys (sticks, darts, mesh), so you want specialization in some respects.
But obviously, we need a guy that can toss them the ball. It's why I see SL looking for a QB he trusts, and then seeing what he can do with the roster we have.

Is this why most air raid staffs have a Inside receivers coach and an outside receivers coach? To help specialize in said routes? I always found it peculiar that the only staffs that tend to have two receiving coaches are those who run air raid offenses.

foutsrouts · December 2, 2015

Pretty much every interview I've seen of Littrell when he's asked about offense the first thing he says is how he likes to spread the ball around all over the field. Not going out on much of a limb, but I think that translates well to the G5 level.
And he has had feature players in his offense like Gronk, Tevin Coleman, Elijah Hood, etc. But if you're going to beat good teams, especially P5 teams, you have to be able create mismatches across the field. And we all know we could use a signature win or two, among other things.

So true. No way can we win in the trenches (Mac's philosophy) until we show consistent success and recruit the big athletic boys. Initially, we need to put serious points on the board and hope that we can find a way to throw together a tough defense. Scarily, that sounds a little like the TD days sans the tough defense.

aztecskin · December 3, 2015

Is this why most air raid staffs have a Inside receivers coach and an outside receivers coach? To help specialize in said routes? I always found it peculiar that the only staffs that tend to have two receiving coaches are those who run air raid offenses.

Yep. Graham Harrell (who *could might possibly be interested in taking a staff role here*) coaches outside WRs for Wazzu.

They partly do it because they believe in the Raymond Berry philosophy (that you practice in one side of the field and get good at it). The releases are different and the route combos are slightly different. So that's why there's a bit of specialization. A good SR WR should know all the routes and both positions, though and is generally expected, however as I said above, certain routes require certain guys.