A Candid Conversation With Nebraska Offensive Coordinator Tim Beck, Parts 1 & 2

[Saunders]

^Really?

Stanford = run first pro style

Auburn = spread the field and run

Wisconsin = power run

Alabama = pass first pro style

Stanford: Agree

Auburn: A power run team that centers their attack on run/pass options. They run out of the gun, but it's a power attack with lots of traps and pulls. http://grantland.com/features/gus-malzahn-offensive-evolution/

Wisconsin: Not like they were under Bielema

Alabama: Run first, not pass first

Of all 4 teams, I like Auburn's offense the best.

 

[Saunders]

^Really?

Stanford = run first pro style

Auburn = spread the field and run

Wisconsin = power run

Alabama = pass first pro style

I thought we were advocating a power running game. But Alabama is pass first?

What would be the difference between Auburn's "identity" and ours?

It exists.

 

[NUpolo8]

^Really?

Stanford = run first pro style

Auburn = spread the field and run

Wisconsin = power run

Alabama = pass first pro style

I thought we were advocating a power running game. But Alabama is pass first?

What would be the difference between Auburn's "identity" and ours?

It exists.

I'm not trying to be flip, but I'm not alone in this perception.

I'm all for an Auburn style offense, just like you. I don't pretend to be a football scholar, but I can read what Tim Beck and Bo talk about and I can see how the offense looks, there just is not a clear identity defined in the above interview or week in and week out on the football field.

I've shown where you can see evidence of this.

So I guess we just have to agree to disagree.

 

[TAKODA]

^Really?

Stanford = run first pro style

Auburn = spread the field and run

Wisconsin = power run

Alabama = pass first pro style

I thought we were advocating a power running game. But Alabama is pass first?

What would be the difference between Auburn's "identity" and ours?

It exists.

Ha; Funny guy!

 

[Saunders]

You can argue that auburn is better at what they do, because they have a genius OC. No disagreement there. But to say we have no identity is disingenuous at best. Just because Tim Beck does not explain it well on an interview, it doesn't mean we have no identity.if TV announcers can figure it out and talk about it, it's not a secret.

 

[knapplc]

Who cares what our offense is called?

What I'm interested in is results, and we've had a mixed bag of results under Beck. Some great, like Taylor's record-breaking career and Ameer's 1,600 yards last year, but some not-so-great like our hemorrhaging turnover problem and our inability to get going in the first half of major games.

We can call it anything we want, or nothing at all. Just get the ball moving, give the defense a break, and put the ball in the end zone more often than the opponent.

 

[Saunders]

Who cares what our offense is called?

What I'm interested in is results, and we've had a mixed bag of results under Beck. Some great, like Taylor's record-breaking career and Ameer's 1,600 yards last year, but some not-so-great like our hemorrhaging turnover problem and our inability to get going in the first half of major games.

We can call it anything we want, or nothing at all. Just get the ball moving, give the defense a break, and put the ball in the end zone more often than the opponent.

Bingo

 

[Guy Chamberlin]

This is one of the things that annoy me about Beck.

http://m.omaha.com/huskers/mckewon-tim-beck-s-plan-reactive-risky-husker-offense-s/article_b013df9d-8c21-5519-b5f1-5e12f7ec3b83.html?mode=jqm

“When they play man-to-man coverage like they do, they could win eight of them and we win two (out of 10), they're probably 14 points with the guys we got,” Beck told The World-Herald's Dirk Chatelain. “We just didn't make those plays.”

Actually, Kenny Bell made a big catch on the first drive and Beck's right: It led to a touchdown. An inside screen to Quincy Enunwa would have if tackle Brent Qvale hadn't impeded his path.

Still: If Beck's comfortable with two out of 10 — that's two or three drives where Nebraska punts. Two or three drives where Minnesota holds the ball for an eternity.

Relying on receivers to catch deep balls from a rusty quarterback? That's risky on the road, in the cold and the wind, no matter how much you believe in the matchups. I watched Bill Callahan do that at Iowa State in 2004, throw 43 times with Joe Dailey as his starting quarterback because the matchups were there. NU lost 34-27, despite forcing seven punts and averaging 5.6 yards per rush.

Saturday, NU forced five punts and averaged 6.3 yards per rush. Beck stuck with the throw game.

His plan is to succeed twice while failing 8 times passing instead of taking the 6 yards a rush the other team is allowing.

Insanity.

Nebraska's rush to pass ratio is 2:1. Our average yards per attempt is 2 yards better on passing plays than rushing plays. Our featured running back is a leading Heisman contender. We run the ball. We also pass the ball. Sometimes you pass the ball to set up the run. Or visa-versa. All the cool teams are doing it. It's called football. Some teams do it better than others. When they do the exact same thing, but better, and win more games, we call their particular mix of running and passing an "identity."

We might not even be having this conversation if Nebraska had a better defense.

Technically, the other team doesn't "allow" us 6 yards a rush. The jet sweep that was working so awesome in the first quarter doesn't always work in the third quarter because the opposing D-coordinator isn't an idiot. We ran pitch outs 22 times against Penn State because Penn State was giving it to us. The next team will watch the tape and be there waiting for it. You better have something else in your quiver. And for the record we also had 20 pass attempts for 170 yards during that same Penn State game, pretty average for a Beck-called game.

I'm always mystified by the people who see an incomplete pass and wonder why we continue passing the ball, but never react to a rushing play with little to no gain, a behind the line loss or a fumble by saying "why does Beck insist on rushing the ball?"

And "Taking what the Defense Gives You" isn't a slight to your offense. It's what every successful football coach does, and has always done.

 

[TAKODA]

Lets face it; some people would be awful bored if they did not have the Huskers to b!^@h about. I get it, we want results but what I don't get is this constant "finding anything" to whine about in every $%#&ing thread.

 

[hskrfan4life]

I think the video that was posted shows that we need to keep doing things that are working in a game. Don't have it go for a long gain, then we don't see the same play or a play-action off of the play until the last 10 minutes of a game. I would really like to see us go back into a smashmouth football style. Run the ball down their throats and occasionally throw a play action. Throw away the high tempo too.

 

[Saunders]

This is one of the things that annoy me about Beck.

http://m.omaha.com/huskers/mckewon-tim-beck-s-plan-reactive-risky-husker-offense-s/article_b013df9d-8c21-5519-b5f1-5e12f7ec3b83.html?mode=jqm

“When they play man-to-man coverage like they do, they could win eight of them and we win two (out of 10), they're probably 14 points with the guys we got,” Beck told The World-Herald's Dirk Chatelain. “We just didn't make those plays.”

Actually, Kenny Bell made a big catch on the first drive and Beck's right: It led to a touchdown. An inside screen to Quincy Enunwa would have if tackle Brent Qvale hadn't impeded his path.

Still: If Beck's comfortable with two out of 10 — that's two or three drives where Nebraska punts. Two or three drives where Minnesota holds the ball for an eternity.

Relying on receivers to catch deep balls from a rusty quarterback? That's risky on the road, in the cold and the wind, no matter how much you believe in the matchups. I watched Bill Callahan do that at Iowa State in 2004, throw 43 times with Joe Dailey as his starting quarterback because the matchups were there. NU lost 34-27, despite forcing seven punts and averaging 5.6 yards per rush.

Saturday, NU forced five punts and averaged 6.3 yards per rush. Beck stuck with the throw game.

His plan is to succeed twice while failing 8 times passing instead of taking the 6 yards a rush the other team is allowing.

Insanity.

Nebraska's rush to pass ratio is 2:1. Our average yards per attempt is 2 yards better on passing plays than rushing plays. Our featured running back is a leading Heisman contender. We run the ball. We also pass the ball. Sometimes you pass the ball to set up the run. Or visa-versa. All the cool teams are doing it. It's called football. Some teams do it better than others. When they do the exact same thing, but better, and win more games, we call their particular mix of running and passing an "identity."

We might not even be having this conversation if Nebraska had a better defense.

Technically, the other team doesn't "allow" us 6 yards a rush. The jet sweep that was working so awesome in the first quarter doesn't always work in the third quarter because the opposing D-coordinator isn't an idiot. We ran pitch outs 22 times against Penn State because Penn State was giving it to us. The next team will watch the tape and be there waiting for it. You better have something else in your quiver. And for the record we also had 20 pass attempts for 170 yards during that same Penn State game, pretty average for a Beck-called game.

I'm always mystified by the people who see an incomplete pass and wonder why we continue passing the ball, but never react to a rushing play with little to no gain, a behind the line loss or a fumble by saying "why does Beck insist on rushing the ball?"

And "Taking what the Defense Gives You" isn't a slight to your offense. It's what every successful football coach does, and has always done.

 

[Abdullah the Butcher]

This is one of the things that annoy me about Beck.

http://m.omaha.com/huskers/mckewon-tim-beck-s-plan-reactive-risky-husker-offense-s/article_b013df9d-8c21-5519-b5f1-5e12f7ec3b83.html?mode=jqm

“When they play man-to-man coverage like they do, they could win eight of them and we win two (out of 10), they're probably 14 points with the guys we got,” Beck told The World-Herald's Dirk Chatelain. “We just didn't make those plays.”

Actually, Kenny Bell made a big catch on the first drive and Beck's right: It led to a touchdown. An inside screen to Quincy Enunwa would have if tackle Brent Qvale hadn't impeded his path.

Still: If Beck's comfortable with two out of 10 — that's two or three drives where Nebraska punts. Two or three drives where Minnesota holds the ball for an eternity.

Relying on receivers to catch deep balls from a rusty quarterback? That's risky on the road, in the cold and the wind, no matter how much you believe in the matchups. I watched Bill Callahan do that at Iowa State in 2004, throw 43 times with Joe Dailey as his starting quarterback because the matchups were there. NU lost 34-27, despite forcing seven punts and averaging 5.6 yards per rush.

Saturday, NU forced five punts and averaged 6.3 yards per rush. Beck stuck with the throw game.

His plan is to succeed twice while failing 8 times passing instead of taking the 6 yards a rush the other team is allowing.

Insanity.

Nebraska's rush to pass ratio is 2:1. Our average yards per attempt is 2 yards better on passing plays than rushing plays. Our featured running back is a leading Heisman contender. We run the ball. We also pass the ball. Sometimes you pass the ball to set up the run. Or visa-versa. All the cool teams are doing it. It's called football. Some teams do it better than others. When they do the exact same thing, but better, and win more games, we call their particular mix of running and passing an "identity."

We might not even be having this conversation if Nebraska had a better defense.

Technically, the other team doesn't "allow" us 6 yards a rush. The jet sweep that was working so awesome in the first quarter doesn't always work in the third quarter because the opposing D-coordinator isn't an idiot. We ran pitch outs 22 times against Penn State because Penn State was giving it to us. The next team will watch the tape and be there waiting for it. You better have something else in your quiver. And for the record we also had 20 pass attempts for 170 yards during that same Penn State game, pretty average for a Beck-called game.

I'm always mystified by the people who see an incomplete pass and wonder why we continue passing the ball, but never react to a rushing play with little to no gain, a behind the line loss or a fumble by saying "why does Beck insist on rushing the ball?"

And "Taking what the Defense Gives You" isn't a slight to your offense. It's what every successful football coach does, and has always done.

Hmm that article and my comment are clearly about the Minnesota game where Beck decided to do an even 50/50 split and average 4.6 yards a pass versus 6.3 yards running because in his own words he thought there was a 20% chance of a big gain in man to man coverage so he kept calling passes. Basically he went full Beck and that is what I don't like about him, when he is following the 2/1 ratio I'm fine with that and as I have said all along in this thread I'd love a power run offense to set up play action passing. So if your rant relieved some stress for you I suppose that's good but it really had nothing to do with the article you were quoting.

 

[Mavric]

This is one of the things that annoy me about Beck.

http://m.omaha.com/huskers/mckewon-tim-beck-s-plan-reactive-risky-husker-offense-s/article_b013df9d-8c21-5519-b5f1-5e12f7ec3b83.html?mode=jqm

“When they play man-to-man coverage like they do, they could win eight of them and we win two (out of 10), they're probably 14 points with the guys we got,” Beck told The World-Herald's Dirk Chatelain. “We just didn't make those plays.”

Actually, Kenny Bell made a big catch on the first drive and Beck's right: It led to a touchdown. An inside screen to Quincy Enunwa would have if tackle Brent Qvale hadn't impeded his path.

Still: If Beck's comfortable with two out of 10 — that's two or three drives where Nebraska punts. Two or three drives where Minnesota holds the ball for an eternity.

Relying on receivers to catch deep balls from a rusty quarterback? That's risky on the road, in the cold and the wind, no matter how much you believe in the matchups. I watched Bill Callahan do that at Iowa State in 2004, throw 43 times with Joe Dailey as his starting quarterback because the matchups were there. NU lost 34-27, despite forcing seven punts and averaging 5.6 yards per rush.

Saturday, NU forced five punts and averaged 6.3 yards per rush. Beck stuck with the throw game.

His plan is to succeed twice while failing 8 times passing instead of taking the 6 yards a rush the other team is allowing.

Insanity.

Nebraska's rush to pass ratio is 2:1. Our average yards per attempt is 2 yards better on passing plays than rushing plays. Our featured running back is a leading Heisman contender. We run the ball. We also pass the ball. Sometimes you pass the ball to set up the run. Or visa-versa. All the cool teams are doing it. It's called football. Some teams do it better than others. When they do the exact same thing, but better, and win more games, we call their particular mix of running and passing an "identity."

We might not even be having this conversation if Nebraska had a better defense.

Technically, the other team doesn't "allow" us 6 yards a rush. The jet sweep that was working so awesome in the first quarter doesn't always work in the third quarter because the opposing D-coordinator isn't an idiot. We ran pitch outs 22 times against Penn State because Penn State was giving it to us. The next team will watch the tape and be there waiting for it. You better have something else in your quiver. And for the record we also had 20 pass attempts for 170 yards during that same Penn State game, pretty average for a Beck-called game.

I'm always mystified by the people who see an incomplete pass and wonder why we continue passing the ball, but never react to a rushing play with little to no gain, a behind the line loss or a fumble by saying "why does Beck insist on rushing the ball?"

And "Taking what the Defense Gives You" isn't a slight to your offense. It's what every successful football coach does, and has always done.

Hmm that article and my comment are clearly about the Minnesota game where Beck decided to do an even 50/50 split and average 4.6 yards a pass versus 6.3 yards running because in his own words he thought there was a 20% chance of a big gain in man to man coverage so he kept calling passes. Basically he went full Beck and that is what I don't like about him, when he is following the 2/1 ratio I'm fine with that and as I have said all along in this thread I'd love a power run offense to set up play action passing. So if your rant relieved some stress for you I suppose that's good but it really had nothing to do with the article you were quoting.

No. He said there was a 20% chance of a touchdown. That doesn't mean we would "fail" 80% of the time. This is being blown out of proportion.

 

[Mavric]

Who cares what our offense is called?

What I'm interested in is results, and we've had a mixed bag of results under Beck. Some great, like Taylor's record-breaking career and Ameer's 1,600 yards last year, but some not-so-great like our hemorrhaging turnover problem and our inability to get going in the first half of major games.

We can call it anything we want, or nothing at all. Just get the ball moving, give the defense a break, and put the ball in the end zone more often than the opponent.

This guy gets it.

 

[Mavric]

Nebraska's rush to pass ratio is 2:1. Our average yards per attempt is 2 yards better on passing plays than rushing plays. Our featured running back is a leading Heisman contender. We run the ball. We also pass the ball. Sometimes you pass the ball to set up the run. Or visa-versa. All the cool teams are doing it. It's called football. Some teams do it better than others. When they do the exact same thing, but better, and win more games, we call their particular mix of running and passing an "identity."

We might not even be having this conversation if Nebraska had a better defense.

Technically, the other team doesn't "allow" us 6 yards a rush. The jet sweep that was working so awesome in the first quarter doesn't always work in the third quarter because the opposing D-coordinator isn't an idiot. We ran pitch outs 22 times against Penn State because Penn State was giving it to us. The next team will watch the tape and be there waiting for it. You better have something else in your quiver. And for the record we also had 20 pass attempts for 170 yards during that same Penn State game, pretty average for a Beck-called game.

I'm always mystified by the people who see an incomplete pass and wonder why we continue passing the ball, but never react to a rushing play with little to no gain, a behind the line loss or a fumble by saying "why does Beck insist on rushing the ball?"

And "Taking what the Defense Gives You" isn't a slight to your offense. It's what every successful football coach does, and has always done.

So does this guy.