Interesting comments by Greg Davis

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Kafka

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I found these comments by Greg Davis to be very interesting and encouraging:The Link

Regarding the WRs:
"I'm really pleased with Malcolm Williams, he's having a heck of a camp. It goes without saying that Quan (Cosby) and Jordan (Shipley) are doing well, but Malcolm is really doing well. Dan Buckner is having a very productive fall camp, and James Kirkendoll has been really consistent."

Glad to see that Malcolm and Dan are doing well. It will be great to get some tall WRs out there that can more easily win 50-50 balls and go over the middle.

GD said they are going to use a lot of two tight end sets (normally the horns run with 1 TE and 3 WRs).

GD also said that he and his staff have been studying a lot of film on USC, Oregon (Dixon was QB there), and the Big 12 to see what could be ripped off (i.e. that would work well in the horn context). Very encouraging.

GD is really focusing on getting Colt to understand when the D wins the play and how important field position is. Basic but great stuff.

Last, but not least, here is what GD had to say about Cody Johnson:
"Cody Johnson is having a really good camp. We're working him at fullback in our two-back sets, and we're working him some at tailback in our one back set just to create more depth. He brings something that the other ones don't, especially into the game when you've got the defense tired. He's a big body and he rolls up in there and you don't think he makes anything, and all of a sudden the pile has been moved. We're working him at both spots."

I have to admit that I'm thrilled that Cody is gonna earn some playing time at both FB and TB. The guy is 5-10, 255 pounds, and can run (he ran 4.4 when he was 225 and Mack says cody is in shape, he is just big and strong). He can be a devastating blocker, a good runner who punishes the D, and a good pass receiver.
 
UT hasn't had a real good power runner since Cedric so it is nice to have one of those sort, powerful guys for short yardage and blocking. Cody is really massive and I hope that he works out as well as Javorskie did for A&M.

Earl was a great one and a nice humble guy, too.
 
I was encouraged because I have specifically been hoping that he would look at:

* USC (specifically at the way they use TB type guys at WR to improve the explosiveness of their short passing game),

* Tech: (to pick up something from tech on improving the efficiency of the short passing game)

* Mizzou to see how TE type guys can be profitably employed as WRs to improve the efficiency of the short passing game (especially slants to the middle, blocking for two man screens), to be better deep targets (specifically because of their ability to win 50-50 balls).

* Florida: looking at how Urban Meyer uses Percy Harvin (a WR) in the running game to add deception to a single running back formation

So it sounds like GD is looking at the right teams (except for the omission of Florida). You can't look at everybody so who you look at in any particular year matters.

You didn't actually mention how you know that GD does this every year (any relevant links would be appreciated).

I got the impression that in 2006 (Colt's first year), GD got a bit over invested in an offense that he had created for Vince. I am much less interested in our coaching staff creating conceptually new offenses and much more interested in simply tailoring concepts that are already out there in a way that is optimal for our personnel.
 
It's been well-publicized in the past that Davis has looked at the Broncos offense among others. I know because I have been paying attention. Feel free to locate links at your leisure.

And cherry-picking different plays and sets from different teams is a terrible way to design an offense, especially when one of your offense's weaknesses has always been developing a cohesive concept for your overall attack.
 
I am one that thinks GD has done an outstanding job at OC since he's been here. We've scored more annually under his thumb than any OC in Texas history.
 
"And cherry-picking different plays and sets from different teams is a terrible way to design an offense"

Studying the masters makes sense to me. For example, when Barry Switzer was at OU, he copied parts of UT's wishbone offense and it did wonders for OU. It is routine in most disciplines (coaching, nursing, mechanical engineering, computer science, etc) to study what works and build on that.

"especially when one of your (UT) offense's weaknesses has always been developing a cohesive concept for your overall attack.".

Could you explain what you are talking about? The part I'm not getting is the cohesive part. My experience from playing is that different sets may not have much to do with each other. for example, if I am 3rd and long in mid-field, I am probably going to be running a play/set/personnel that are optimized for passing at least 10 yards. If I am 3rd and 1 near the goal, I will probably run different play/set/personnel that are optimized for this situation.

It is likely that the coach that most influences my passing game is not the same coach that most influences my running game.

You may be right that UT's offense is not cohesive but specifically what are you talking about? Could you explain what are the characteristics of a cohesive offense?
 
You can't be in the cool crowd unless you're bashing GD.

With the exception of '05, every year it's our defense that has failed to meet expectations. We haven't had a great defense at Texas since the mid 80s, and for me that's the real disappointment of our coaching staff.
 
As to that notion, my woulda-shoulda-coulda is if Greg Robinson and Dick Tomey had stayed for four years instead of one.

And to the other issue of play gathering. A great OC finds plays that will work against specific opponents, from whatever the source- his head or others. The true genius comes in choosing the plays that suit the team personnel, physically and mentally. Can this team learn and execute the play you want to call? Can you teach it to them? I wonder about GD sometimes, in that he calls plays that just don't work, and continues trying them. Does he not know the team well enough to know what they are capable of, or does he not recognize that they can't execute said play? All coaches call plays that don't work sometimes, but GD makes us all feel like
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I agree with you. The key concept is that you have to run plays that this specific group of guys can actually execute (a key concept that Muschamp preaches) against a particular opponent. Matchups are everything. If your guys cannot actually execute a particular play successfully against a particular opponent, you have to either change the guys or change the play call.

for example, I I have my doubts about any game plan that calls for our O line to pass protect for a long tine against OU. You know that Stoops is going to figure out a way to get pressure on the QB so best to get rid of the ball pretty quickly most of the time.
 
I dont see any problem with GD augmenting the gameplan with some fresh ideas. Good plays are good plays, no matter where they come from. I remember reading an interview with Lavel Edwards who always had a high scoring offense at Brigham Young. It turns out that he was a defensive coach to begin with. When asked how he came up with his offense he said that he jus tput together a bunch of plays that gave him fits as a defenseive coordinator. What works works, no matter where it may have came from.
 
I'll give Greg Davis some credit -- I think he does a terrific job of coaching quarterbacks. Colt is a talented athlete, but it's a long way from playing QB for 2A Jim Ned HS to playing QB for the University of Texas.

I think Davis's playcalling has been suspect at times, so if he draws inspiration from other offenses, then perhaps it's a good thing. I just hope his newly-found inspiration will be less predictable than usual this year.
 
I should have known better.

My comment was not intended to start a Greg Davis bashfest. Only to point out the folly in being excited by his statements regarding studying other offenses.

For the record, the offense has been the problem as often as the defense. Do 14-3, 12-0, and 12-7 not ring any bells?
Those three losses, IMO, probably cost us a BCS game, cost us a conference championship, and possibly cost us a BCS game (though we weren't that great), respectively.

And yes to the other poster, we had the #1 defense in the country in 2001.
 
I have given up the Greg Davis fight, just imagine if we had an innovative Offensive Cordinator!?!?!?!?!!?!!?!?!!?!?

Somebody mentioned that he is constructing an offense for JC, no he is stealing a few plays from other people's playbooks, about 5-6 of them, see Waterboy, the movie.
 
Every year it's the same thing from the fanbase: "MB and GD have learned their lesson and are going to do X and Y".

Only it never happens. I gave up on the idea of their being good coaches shortly before halftime in the 2002 RRS. They're not "Championship" coaches, they're "Somewhere in the Top Ten" coaches, where #10 is as good as #1 or #2, and is satisfactory.

Can't fool me any more.
 
You may be right, maybe I am just suspending disbelief. Just for grins, let me know which of the following statements will actually happen and which will not happen (in your opinion).

1. Malcolm Williams starts at WR.
2. Dan Buckner is in the two deep at WR.
3. Cody Johnson plays a lot of FB and plays some TB.
4. Horns are more effective in short yardage situations.
5. Chiles plays significantly more in 2008 than 2007.
6. When Chiles plays QB in 2008, the offense is tailored to his abilities.
7. Colt reduces his interceptions by at least 25%.
8. Horns employ RBs more in the short passing game.
9. Addition of major helps GD prepare better game plans (don't actually know to verify this one).

Call me a blind optimist, but I think most of those statements become true in 2008.
 
Coaching is 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration.

I'm fine with GD stealiing ideas from other coaches and would prefer that he spend his time devoted to stealing/tailoring rather than trying to be innovative. If he really understands what his guys can and can not do and what the opposition (each game) can or can not do and methodically constructs an offensive strategy that attacks the opposition where we have matchup advantages, I'm thrilled.

Football has been around a long time and there are a huge number of offenses already existing from which any coach can pick and choose.

If the horns can competently execute a balanced offense (i.e. they can efficiently pass short, intermediate, and long and run well inside and outside), it will enable them to attack opposition D's weak spots efficiently.

I don't expect GD to give us a strategic advantage, I just want to eliminate strategic disadvantages (like weak inside running, short passing, and deep passing games were last year or game plans that are not optimized for a particular opponent).

I also think that the addition of Major will help GD do the very time consuming work of preparing a good game plan for each opponent each game.
 
Yeah, I too have been waiting for Cody to play ever since UT signed him.

Can't disagree that Javorskie is fat but he has still had a good career at A&M. He has rushed for 2100 yards in 454 carries for a 4.6 yards per carry. That's pretty good for a power runner who is splitting his carries with Goodson. J train has moved the chains many times in the past 3 years. The horns could have used him the last couple of years. Javorskie worked out much better than Melton (the guy we took over Javorskie) did at TB.

This year, Javorskie goes to FB instead of TB. That is the position that Mack wanted Javorskie to play at UT.
 
Kafka -

The problem is that you have to really and truly understand not just what works, but why it works. If you pick and choose different plays and sets because they work for other teams and then just throw them into your bag of plays without truly understanding them, it's not good.

You know what that does? That enables you to kick *** against inferior opponents and then really stub your toe time and again against the cream of the crop. The best teams have coaches that devise ways to stop your offense. When they deploy those schemes during a game, a coach that doesn't truly understand the why will be unable to adjust.

You know, not that I'm saying that any past or present Longhorn coaches might suffer from that problem.
 
GD is an intelligent guy and a student of the game. I am certain that he understands why things work and why things don't work, once he has had sufficient time to think it through.

Mack has said before that he does not completely understand what happened in some games and needs to study the film before giving a definitive answer.

Major is a young, sharp guy who may be able to help GD and Mack in terms of realtime response.

I think GD's problem is that he tends to fixate on a certain way of doing things and is not flexible enough in both long term preparation and realtime response to game situations.

Sometimes he gets wrapped up in running his offense, no matter what the opposition is doing. This is something a lot of technical people do (i.e. focusing on abstract technique rather than pragmatic adjustment to the real world).

UT can dictate to weak opponents and pile up the points and yards but when faced with a stern D, the offense lacks resilience because the offense is not as well rounded as it could have been. This is not just a failure to respond in realtime but goes back to preparation and recruiting.

For example, last year the horns did not have a very good short passing game, power running game, or deep passing game. Given UT's ability to recruit, that is hard to understand. UT was mainly good at intermediate passing (when colt got the protection) and Jamaal running brilliantly (a lot of the time). Steadily moving the chains ws not UT's strong point.

If a D could take away either jamaal's running or colt's intermediate passing, the horns became one dimensional. That did not really have to be. there was no reason to let the power running attack atrophy over the years, for example. there was no reason not to have an efficient short passing game. It is surprising that there was no tall fast receiver available for deep pass receiving once Limas got hurt.

It encourages me that the horns are working on their power running game and short passing game and are going to have some fast, tall receivers to support the deep passing game.
 
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