Spread/RPO Offense. Easier to learn?

[SilentCommit]

Was discussing the plethora of freshman QBs, like Martinez, that seem to be able to come into college and have immediate success. For those of us in our 50s, we are aware that true freshman almost never saw the field as QBs in the past. There are many ideas as to why, such as:

More kids being developed at younger ages;
Increased amount of spread systems in HS football;
Less stigma about starting a freshman.

My honest question is: is the Spread/RPO Offense far easier to learn? It seems to my untrained eye to be simpler to to execute. However, that freshman QB still has to be a great decision maker, right?

 

[JohnRossEwing]

It can be...but really I think the biggest thing is coaches actually play them now. For years coaches loved pretending how hard the game was and how smart you had to be...but in reality a good coach creates a system that is easy to learn.

They physical part has changed, were a lot of 18 year olds were not ready they tend to be physically ready now but that has more to do with HS lifting.

 

[Cloud@Heart]

It depends on whether or not they are utilizing the Duck R position........

 

[JaySker402]

How many High Schools are running ProStyle passing offenses where there are 3-5 reads per play?

 

[9and4]

I remember when freshman eligibility was a big deal. It was 1972, and the NCAA made freshmen eligible for the first time since World War II.

Of course, this eventually led to the demise of NU's freshman team (which for a while was the JV team), but in the early '70s, despite freshmen being eligible to play varsity, Nebraska listed exactly zero freshmen on our roster from 1972-1975. In 1976, huskers.com says the varsity team had one freshman, Dan LaFever, a linebacker from Wisconsin. We had no freshmen on the roster again in 1977, and then in 1978, a wingback from Texas, Maurice McCloney, is on the varsity roster.

By 1979, that number jumped to nine freshmen, including a couple of guys named Dave Rimington and Jamie Williams. So it took Nebraska seven years to find freshmen good enough to play on the varsity squad, and even then, they served as backups.

And even 1979 was an anomaly, as Nebraska's 1980s rosters contained just a handful of freshmen. It wasn't until the 1990s, punctuated by the 1992 debut of Tommie Frazier, that Nebraska fully integrated freshmen onto the varsity squad.

These two guys below played for NCSU against Nebraska in 1973 as sophomores. Dave was the QB and completed 3 of 16 passes for 16 yards and one interception. Don was a wide receiver.

Both went on to play for the NY Jets after NC State.

 

[TheBeav815]

It likely has a lot to do with specialization in sports and how much more passing goes on in lower age groups now. You have kids who have been training intensively and year-round to play QB for years before they get to college. Makes a huge difference in accuracy, footwork, mechanics.

Less common to have a kid who is a 4-sport athlete who you think could make a good QB someday. As for whether spread is easier, it probably depends on the OC. Some things are easier because there are screens and flares that aren't really a true read, you're going to throw them and by design the guy will be open. The stuff further down the field is more of a true read.

Also a lot of kids aren't calling plays or checks at the line, they line up and then look to the coaches for the check. That accelerates the learning curve dramatically.

 

[tone1017]

It likely has a lot to do with specialization in sports and how much more passing goes on in lower age groups now. You have kids who have been training intensively and year-round to play QB for years before they get to college. Makes a huge difference in accuracy, footwork, mechanics.

Less common to have a kid who is a 4-sport athlete who you think could make a good QB someday. As for whether spread is easier, it probably depends on the OC. Some things are easier because there are screens and flares that aren't really a true read, you're going to throw them and by design the guy will be open. The stuff further down the field is more of a true read.

Also a lot of kids aren't calling plays or checks at the line, they line up and then look to the coaches for the check. That accelerates the learning curve dramatically.

Yeah these kids throw thousands and thousands more passes than they used to with 7 on 7 being basically year round. It may be easier to learn but a lot of it is just more repetition.

 

[Wyldcard]

One thing that I noticed this year later on in the season at time's, was Frost allowed Martinez to call the check downs himself at the LOS as a Freshman. I'm thinking if it's starting now, by the time all is said and done Martinez is gonna eventually be like another coach on the field as he's gonna know this playbook like the back of his hand. I actually think he already know's quite a bit of it imo.

 

[huskerfan66]

I remember when freshman eligibility was a big deal. It was 1972, and the NCAA made freshmen eligible for the first time since World War II.

Of course, this eventually led to the demise of NU's freshman team (which for a while was the JV team), but in the early '70s, despite freshmen being eligible to play varsity, Nebraska listed exactly zero freshmen on our roster from 1972-1975. In 1976, huskers.com says the varsity team had one freshman, Dan LaFever, a linebacker from Wisconsin. We had no freshmen on the roster again in 1977, and then in 1978, a wingback from Texas, Maurice McCloney, is on the varsity roster.

By 1979, that number jumped to nine freshmen, including a couple of guys named Dave Rimington and Jamie Williams. So it took Nebraska seven years to find freshmen good enough to play on the varsity squad, and even then, they served as backups.

And even 1979 was an anomaly, as Nebraska's 1980s rosters contained just a handful of freshmen. It wasn't until the 1990s, punctuated by the 1992 debut of Tommie Frazier, that Nebraska fully integrated freshmen onto the varsity squad.

These two guys below played for NCSU against Nebraska in 1973 as sophomores. Dave was the QB and completed 3 of 16 passes for 16 yards and one interception. Don was a wide receiver.

Both went on to play for the NY Jets after NC State.

And prior to the elimination of the freshman team, anyone was welcome to go out. Then after that you were either retained or not. Easy way to get looks at alota of rural under the radar kids

 

[9and4]

And prior to the elimination of the freshman team, anyone was welcome to go out. Then after that you were either retained or not. Easy way to get looks at alota of rural under the radar kids

Even the ones not in the County Scholarship Program (TM) got a look.

 

[TheNewNU]

Yeah, offenses are easier to learn and rather simple due to the up tempo nature. QBs no longer have to call the plays in the huddle or make audibles by themselves. The coaches are calling it all in from the sidelines. Couple that with the fact that QB is basically treated as its own sport nowadays with all the camps and 7 on 7's that its relatively easy for a freshman to come in and be successful

 

[huskerfan66]

Even the ones not in the County Scholarship Program (TM) got a look.

Hell yes. Self included!!

 

[The_Glove_Man]

And even 1979 was an anomaly, as Nebraska's 1980s rosters contained just a handful of freshmen. It wasn't until the 1990s, punctuated by the 1992 debut of Tommie Frazier, that Nebraska fully integrated freshmen onto the varsity squad.

Consider those years -- Roger Craig and Dean Steinkuhler played on the JV team. Turner Gill and Irving Fryar played on the JV team. I remember going to those Freshman games as a kid. That was a blast. It's sad they are gone, but crazy that those two didn't even sniff the field as freshmen.

https://247sports.com/college/nebra...ock-on-Nebraskas-freshman-and-JV-teams-56950/

 

[TruHusker]

One thing that I noticed this year later on in the season at time's, was Frost allowed Martinez to call the check downs himself at the LOS as a Freshman. I'm thinking if it's starting now, by the time all is said and done Martinez is gonna eventually be like another coach on the field as he's gonna know this playbook like the back of his hand. I actually think he already know's quite a bit of it imo.

What is "calling check downs"? Are you talking changing the play or taking the optional plays/ receivers based on what the D is giving? How did you determine Frost allowed this?

 

[bigredhunter]

Anyone ever taken a look at the old Callahan, West Coast playbook? It is extremely tough to pick up and have success right away. This isn’t the NFL, these athletes are full time students. The RPO offense seems to have made learning and implementing an offense much simpler so now QBs don’t have to spend the first part of their career just trying to figure out how to correctly run plays.