Spread Offense Vs Wishbone Offense

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Conflict about the spread offense In the world of American sports, one of the most famous games is football. Football has been around since 1869, when it was first invented. The game of football has had many different rule changes, personal changes, and game style changes in its almost 150 years of being around. With football being around for so long, the controversies about it, and within it are also around as well. One of the biggest talking points in football is the formations that are used by teams to win games. In the 1970’s, if a game was on, the formation that would be seen would be the wishbone offense, and today the spread offense would be on the field. The conflict between the spread offense and the wishbone offense is one of the …show more content…
Nick Saban run a pro-style smash mouth football style of offense and has brought Alabama four National Championships in the past eight years( Ticketcity). Art Briles is known for his high powered offense and his ability to put points on the board. Nick Saban said in an interview that he runs his style of offense because it is what he knows how to run. Saban said he does not know how to run the wishbone offense, otherwise he would run it. He continued to say that as a coach playing and coaching against the wishbone is hard to do, and is one of the hardest to defend. Saban has also shown some great success when playing spread offenses( Kausler). Saban has beat high powered spread offenses such as Auburn and Florida showing that the power run offense is good enough to beat the high powered offenses that are seen today( Calvert). Art Briles has a different approach in the sense that he believes that having the ball in the air is the best way for team to win a game, and the hopes of a National Championship. In 2012, Baylor team was number one in the country for passing yards per game and were also averaging sixty plus points per game, and not allowing the power run teams a chance in games. Briles passing offense is centered around exposing …show more content…
One conflict coaches have while using the spread offense is whether the offense is a pass first or run first offense. Bruce Miller, a head football coach at Gainesville high school, believes that the power run out of the spread is the best way to run the spread. Miller says that the best way to attack a defense and wear them down is to go right at them with the power run. The power run game that Miller uses is hard to stop when his team gets going. Miller believes that running down hill at the defense gives power to the offense. Miller also says that when teams stack the box to stop the power run, it gives way to the counter run and the play action pass. Miller believes that the power run sets up other runs and also pass plays. The passing routes are usually open, since the defense is stacking the box so much( Miller). As a player if you fit in one scheme, but not another you feel as if it is one dimensional. Zachary Copa, a high school football running back, says that the spread offense is passfirst oriented. Zach Copa fit perfect in the power run offense, having a one thousand yard rushing season with the Hancock Owls. Zach said that whenever the power run was being used he got carries left and right. Copa continued to say that when the offense went to a spread offense, ranging from two, three, or even four wide receiver sets he got less carries. Copa said that he still got