I always thought that in general, college was the stepping stone to prepare you for your professional life. But something has happened to the game of football. Over the past decade, the game of college football has evolved a great deal. Gone are the safe, conservative traditional offenses of years past. Present day college football features offenses so far removed from what they can expect in the professional ranks it begs the question... Is the current scouting system in place for college talent an outdated one?
I've already written about the top QBs coming out in the draft. I gave unfavorable grades to nearly all of them. But you will notice if you look at the article, never once do I knock one of these young men's ability to throw the ball. My concerns go deeper than just physical ability. The best QBs in history weren't just great throwers, they were great decision makers, leaders, etc.
My concerns aren't even so much with the player, but how the player knows the game. The average NFL coach's attitude about teaching fundamentals to a young player coming into the league isn't where it should be. With all the evolution in the college game happening at a rapid rate, the evolution of the NFL mindset has proved to be slow. With the hiring of Kyle Shanahan, and the free agent signing of FB Chris Pressley, it has become more obvious the Browns are looking to run a traditional west coast offense in 2014.
So what is it about these college offenses that scare me? Nothing, they work... in college. A well executed "gimmick" college offense can be devastating to an opposing defense. But they don't prepare guys for the next level properly. Instead they seduce scouts with inflated statistics and exciting highlights.
Lets take a look at the elements of a good "gimmick" college offense and relate them to a pro style offense:
No Huddle: The biggest difference between playing offense and defense is that offense is about executing a strategy, white defense is about reading and reacting to that strategy. Up tempo offenses in college are demoralizing for defenses. Giving less time for defenses to get set, creates confusion for QBs to exploit. Playcalling in this format is vastly different than what almost all professional teams run. Most QBs can call quick audibles in these offenses and have full control of what is going on. Traditional NFL offenses rely on vastly different language and take the control out of a QBs hands. Further more, up tempo offenses also have less time between throws, allowing many QB's to get into a nice rhythm. Many good college QB's careers have come to a screeching halt in the huddle..
Shotgun / Spread: Many of the modern college offenses have transitioned to an offense that no longer requires a QB to take snaps from under center. Being in shotgun in every single play with 3,4 or even 5 WRs becomes a matchup nightmare for defenses. Having up 5 or 6 defensive backs on the field at all times is a great way to create matchup nightmares. This isn't only an advantage for QBs exploiting matchups, but also RB's who can exploit 5 and 6 man defensive fronts. Seeing Brandon Weeden was an eye opening experience, as he failed repeatedly to recognize simple linebacker zone coverages. Moving to a standard pro offense forces a player to completely relearn defensive strategies.
While on it's own learning defensive strategies is a lot lets not forget something else. The shotgun offensive system doesn't provide an opportunity to learn simple fundamentals to pro quarterbacking. Learning the footwork for a 3,5 or 7 step drop back will need to be learned. Learning how to execute play action and rollout plays tend to be problematic for QBs not used to running them. Even simple things like taking direct snaps can be tough when they have to be learned at the pro level.
Read Option / Misdirection: If these gimmicks aren't enough for coaches many of these offenses also feature an option element. Outside of Chip Kelly's Philadelphia offense nobody in the NFL will cater to this element of a college system. The read option game is becoming a highly successful strategy in the college ranks. But the issue is that an option offense creates holes in coverages that QBs and RBs alike can exploit. Coming into the pros the game changes entirely. All of the "invisible blockers" that an option offense creates are gone. And if Blake Bortles and Johnny Manziel fail this year, I think more people might start realizing this fact.
As much as I am bashing these types of offense for creating professional quality QBs and RBs I do have another take on the matter. I believe that these types of offenses have done one positive thing for the NFL. I think that they have created dynamic offensive linemen, and some beastly defensive players. The reason is that in these offensive system many quick hitters and screens are prevalent. Many linemen find that moving to a pro offense is a simple transition, because more was asked of them in college.
The same can be said about the defenders who are tasked on defending these offenses week to week. Option offenses create defenders who must be disciplined in their assignments. Once they are introduced into the NFL, they don't have to worry about as much on the field. Pro coaches are treated to a rookie who comes in with good habits and likely embracing the prospect of not worrying so much about misdirection and options.
So here is the question for the Browns: If we aren't going to tailor an offense around the guy we pick, are we going to pick a guy tailored to our offense? I'm sorry but if you covet a guy at the top of this draft you might want to consider an overhaul of your offensive strategy or it might be Weeden v2.0.
Let me know what you think on Twitter @BrownsMemes
