Need for offensive identity important but overstated

“Identity” – look up the word in a dictionary and is described as “the sense of being oneself but not another.”

Football teams have that same issue. Are you a running team or a passing team? Do you run the spread? The veer? The Wing-T? The option? The West Coast Offense? The Run-n-Shoot? Everyone has their preference but I have never found one offense to be any better or worse than the other. If 11 guys execute their assignment, you can run the simplest fullback dive play time after time and gain consistent yardage. Or you can spread five wide receivers out and not even pretend to care about running the ball.

When I read Nebraska football message boards, the question becomes, will head coach Bo Pelini and offensive coordinator Tim Beck “finally” commit to any offensive scheme? In the Bill Callahan years, Nebraska ran the West Coast Offense. Option-loving Husker fans despised even the thought of it but Nebraska’s ultimate downfall of the Callahan years was more about defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove’s Swiss Cheese defense than Callahan’s offense. After Nebraska fired Callahan at the end of a 5-7 season in 2007, Shawn Watson was retained as offensive coordinator. The problem was that Nebraska tried to mesh West Coast Offense and Spread option with I-Formation option but the results were not good.

Under Beck, Nebraska was clearly a running team but ran everything from I-Formation option to Spread option. Yet, a segment of Husker fans still groveled about lacking an identity. In fact, when asked about the Husker scheme, Pelini continues to say, “We will be multiple.”

Count me among those who think that an offense “having an identity” has been a little overvalued. The Nebraska offense “has” an identity, its option football through multiple formations. There is a huge difference. Having multiple formations is not the “multiple” anyone is referring to, which the Huskers are not by the way. I can’t believe how the discussion comes up on message boards. When you talk about “offensive scheme,” you hear things zone read, option, and diamond. I’m no offensive coordinator but Zone Read IS option football; it’s just not the traditional veer option, power option, load option, etc. Furthermore, the diamond, is NOT a scheme. It’s a formation. Big difference.

I think this concept of having an “offensive identity” is popular amongst fans and not a thought of concern for any coach in the country. I really think the value of such an idea is extremely overvalued.

Whether it’s zone read, I-Formation option or Diamond, Nebraska’s identity is running the football. That’s the basis of the Huskers “identity,” their bread and butter, and what will continue to be the focal point. Formations and personnel grouping will change but what they will do without fail is pound the rock.

Translation = Spread Option is the “offense.” Zone read is a “play within the offense.” Diamond is a “formation within the scheme.” The schemes and offensive identity are fine. Being better on the offensive line and having more consistency at quarterback and wide receiver are the key issues this team faces.

If the line improves and starts knocking people over again, if the quarterback decision making of Taylor Martinez improves (it started to last year) and the passing game (both the QB being consistent and the WR's catching the ball consistently) improves then the scheme will look a LOT better.