Debunking Myths Concerning the Spread Offense

Ever since Rich Rodriguez was hired as the head coach at Michigan, all we have heard about is the spread offense. Quite frankly, I'm sick of it! I am sick and tired of hearing all of the myths, both good and bad, about the spread offense.

The myths are SPREAD (no pun intended) by every "expert" and self-appointed Internet guru out there. These myths include the idea that the spread offense is a gimmick, that defenses have caught up to it, that it cannot be run in a specific conference or a specific type of weather, and, most importantly, that it is exposed when it meets a good college defense.

I think some people may really believe some of these things, and may not even be able to be convinced otherwise, but I am convinced that these myths are derived mostly from misconceptions. I am determined to deconstruct this idea of the gimmicky spread right here and now.

Myth No. 1: The Spread Is a Gimmick Offense

False. Nearly half of the teams in the FBS use the spread offense as their base formation, as well as many others who use some form of the offense within their scheme. Also, the schemes and formations are getting more and more complex.

We are seeing more and more formations that use multiple sets including shotgun, ace, and empty formations as well as fullbacks, tight ends, and h-backs within the same scheme. Some teams use a pistol formation while others go under center occasionally.

Any way you slice it teams are finding more and more diverse ways of spreading defenses out and putting their best athletes one on one in space. Whether a team likes to run (power or finesse) out of the spread or pass, this has become a quite popular and successful philosophy to utilize.

The majority of the the top 10 college offenses run a non-traditional offense as their base scheme. Some may say this is strictly a college offense, or a talent equalizer, however several NFL teams are using more spread tactics, including the New England Patriots who compete for championships every year.

The Miami Dolphins run the wildcat package, which uses single wing principles found in the read-option spread. In addition there are three undisclosed NFL teams that have approached Urban Meyer about running spread formations, so it definitely has some potential even in the NFL.

All in all, you can say the spread is a gimmick offense all you want, but much like the west coast offense which can still be seen heavily today, the spread is here to stay.

Myth No. 2: Defenses Have Caught Up to the Spread

Again false. Look around the nation, and look at the top 10 scoring offenses, and you will see that most of them run the spread year in and year out. It isn't about the scheme as much as talent and execution. Some people may say that it is the spread option that defenses have caught up to and that the zone-read is a fad.

Maybe, if the only play an offense runs is a read-option. The speed option, power option, lead option, and triple option are other plays, as well as run-pass option plays, that play off of the tendency to run. There are many conventional plays in the spread scheme as well.

Myth No. 3: The Spread Offense Can't Be Executed in the Big Ten

Well I suppose one could say the jury is still out on whether or not Rich Rod's spread will work in the Big Ten, but the conference itself has had its fair share of struggles with the spread in one form or another.

One of the major reasons for the Big Ten's struggles in bowls is that a lot of SEC and Big XII schools like to spread opponents out and play in space.

The theory is, "we'll put our best athletes one on one with your best athletes and see who wins." Granted this isn't the Big Ten's only problem, and that's not to say the conference doesn't have athletes, it is just another one of the many ways to effectively attack a defense.

Right now Michigan, for example, is first in the conference in scoring and rushing. Although cupcakes inflate these stats, Michigan is still playing a lot of freshmen and sophomores so this is a nice testament to the effectiveness of the spread.

Penn State runs a spread HD which is just a hybrid of Rich Rod's spread, and many teams such as Minnesota, Northwestern, Ohio State, Indiana, and Purdue have played in it at least a year or two, and often with success.

Weather and conference may play a factor in limiting or restricting the performance of the spread, but not to such a degree that it becomes grossly inoperable relative to a more conventional offense.

All in all, whether it's Morgantown, West Virginia, or Ann Arbor, Michigan, or Eugene, Oregon, the cold doesn't make the spread a suddenly impotent offense. It can and has been run effectively in every conference, provided the talent and execution are there. Not really much different than any offense.

Myth No. 4: A Good Defense Will Expose the Spread Offense

Expose? No. Slow down? Maybe.

The last four national champions have run a spread. Texas, LSU, and Florida twice—and two of them were eerily similar to the offense Michigan is currently running. Those four teams combined for 145 points in the championship games, or 36.25 points per contest.

Does the spread get slowed down against top tier competition? Absolutely! It can look like a juggernaut one week and then bad another. What offense doesn't? It's rare that any offense doesn't have a bad game every once in awhile.

The spread will usually rack up gaudy numbers against the bottom half of a team's schedule, and then look closer to average against the top half.

Ultimately though, the biggest difference between the spread offense and a more traditional offense of equal talent is that the spread puts up gaudy numbers against most of its competition. They both generally perform at a near-equal level against the best of the best...which is a rare opponent anyway.