Hey Spesh - could you talk about RB selection?
Like which backs were chosen to run out of which formations, etc.?
Friend of mine had asked about it recently and I was curious. I know you've got all of that stuff worked out.
And then, perhaps, where do you think Gray may get some work in?
as far as Gray
by Spesh 
, Los Angeles, Tuesday, February 17, 2009, 10:27 (6253 days ago) @ MattyCinNYC
I honestly have no clue how he'll be used in '09.
What I can tell you is that ND didn't really have him run too many plays. Of his 16 runs, 6 were inside zone plays and 6 were jab/counter plays. They really tried to keep it simple for him. So I think it's hard to extrapolate what he could be capable of accomplishing next year based on that.
pretty simple
by Spesh , Los Angeles, Monday, February 16, 2009, 22:10 (6253 days ago) @ MattyCinNYC
I think you meant personnel groupings, not formations. That's how I'll answer.
Two Tites & Regular - Aldridge. These were the groupings that utilized a fullback.
Detroit & New York - Hughes. These were our multiple TE groupings that didn't have a fullback. Obviously they weren't used much at all. All I can really go by is the first three games. It was all Hughes, all the time. Maybe Allen got a carry in Detroit.
Half - Allen and Hughes. Allen was the starter, then Hughes would get a series here and there.
Goal Line - seemed like a mix of Hughes and Aldridge.
One more, should be simple.
by Joe , Tuesday, February 17, 2009, 06:02 (6253 days ago) @ Spesh
What was our run/pass breakdown? I remember doing it for 2007 and having it turn out about 55/45 in favor of the pass (which seemed pass-oriented but not unreasonably so). Was it similar for 2008? Do we know what it was for '05 and '06?
no problem
by Spesh , Los Angeles, Tuesday, February 17, 2009, 07:16 (6253 days ago) @ Joe
Overall
(note: for all the breakdowns, I count sacks and scrambles as pass plays, not runs)
2008 - pass 56.9%, run 43.1%
2006 - pass 62.3%, run 37.7%
2005 - pass 56.9%, run 43.1%
Most of the individual personnel grouping ratios are similar, except for two. Both faced strong "pound it" influences.
By Personnel Grouping
Regular
2008 - p 36%, r 64%
2006 - p 52%, r 48%
2005 - p 54%, r 46%
Detroit (used sparingly after Yeatman's suspension)
2008 - p 41%, r 59%
2006 - p 60%, r 40%
2005 - p 58%, r 42%
Not to hijack
But I think it would also be interesting to see how each fared with regards to which formation we were in, if we had a FB on the field, etc..
we're going to look at this in a month or so
by Spesh , Los Angeles, Tuesday, February 17, 2009, 05:58 (6253 days ago) @ Pat (Moco)
definitely a springtime topic. Not so much by formation, but more by grouping/package and then by the different types of runs we used:
Toss play
Stretch play
Draw
Jab/counter
Ride series (inside zone, iso)
To answer the question about the fullback, really the only guy who played with a fullback in front of him on a regular basis was Aldridge. I recall us using one with Allen against SDSU, but barely at all after that. Then occasionally Hughes would have a fullback in goal line packages. When Aldridge went down with injury against Hawaii, Allen and Hughes might have picked up another carry or two with a fullback, but by and large Schwapp and Aldridge were two peas in a pod.