GumboBC

Hopefully Mike McCarthy has finally figured out the fastest way from point A to point B is through the air. Because of Deuce, we are faced with a lot of eight-man fronts -- defenses designed to stop the run – and it’s one of the handful of reasons why we need to pass more frequently out of a spread formation. In recent years, teams have brought their safeties down into the box to be the eighth man and make it tougher to run.

To prevent this, McCarthy needs to spread teams out with three- and four-receiver sets. In addition, using the no-huddle offense would keep defenses' base personnel on the field.

That creates mismatches, speedy receivers on safeties. Most safeties are good at playing the run, but are so-so in coverage against teams that have 3 or 4 very fast receivers. This was one of the reasons the Mike Martz spread offense was so effective.

To further complicate the situation, a linebacker is usually left one-on-one with a receiver. Unless a team has linebackers with speed, this is a tremendous advantage for a spread offense.

When a team spreads their offense out, which I think is the way to attack, that limits what defensive coordinator can do. Defenses not only have to be concerned about stopping the pass, because we can also run Deuce off the spread offense.

Ground control was once an NFL tradition. It was run to win, throw to score, with the idea being to grind out long drives to control the ball and score by taking time off the clock.

That's good in theory, but with the power and quickness of the linemen and linebackers on defense it has become almost impossible to sustain long drives. Coaches like Bill Billichick have figured out that you win games by passing the ball and using the run to keep defenses honest.

The speed up front has really made it tough. Running teams can sometimes wind up in situations they can't overcome. If a team gets 6 yards on first down, then a holding penalty on second, they can be faced with second-and-14 and you're going to fail at that more times than not.

Aside from the eight-man fronts, there are other reasons why teams have gone to spread offenses and way from the grind-it-out running style. The reasons are:

1. The lack of quality cornerbacks.
2. The rules that prevent defensive backs from making any contact after 5 yards.
3. The size and speed of the front seven on most defenses.

Most teams have one shutdown corner (it they’re lucky), a guy who can play man coverage and not be considered a weakness. There are a few that have two, such as Miami, Philadelphia and Washington, but those teams have a real luxury.
Finding three and four quality cover players is next to impossible.

That's why getting those players on the field by spreading defenses out helps create matchup problems. If teams stay in their base defenses -- which most don't -- then there are even more problems if teams go to the spread. That's where safeties and linebackers can get caught in coverage.

It's picking your poison: a slow safety on a receiver or a dime back who might not be very good.

The rules for a defense also favor the passing game. I think that the rules dictate that making throws down the field is worth the risk. Pass interference is the most damaging penalty in the game, one that's makes corners play very cautiously, often resulting in long gains.

A slight bump can lead to a 45-yard gain and set up a potential touchdown. Any bumping called in the end zone puts the ball on the 1. Taking shots down the field is well worth the risk.

The officials also seem to allow more holding on the line, which also helps the pass game. Without a rush, a quarterback can be deadly.

The word is, McCarthy is going to play more out of the spread offense this year. That should really be fun to watch with all the speed we have at the skilled positions!!