Vanderbilt's win over South Carolina shows why it is foolish to
abandon the possibility of having a quarterback taking the snap from
under center and then handing the ball off to a running back.   When
Vanderbilt had to run the football, the best play was for the running
back to receive the handoff with the running back running forward with
full momentum.  Only then could the running back have the ability to
shed enough tackles to get the needed yardage.

When Vanderbilt scored their last touchdown, they used the quarterback
under center handing the ball off to a running back with full
momentum.  When Vanderbilt failed to get one first down the next drive
they tried to run the ball from a shotgun.  When Vanderbilt
successfully ran out the clock, they wisely reverted back to the
quarterback taking the ball under center and handing the ball off to
the running back.

To me, the inability of some modern quarterbacks to take the ball
under center and move back with the proper footwork is as pathetic as
a baseball player not knowing how to bunt or a guard not knowing how
to make an entry pass to the man in the post.  It's a fundamental
skill.

On Sep 5, 5:11 pm, jphaml...@yahoo.com wrote:

Interesting.  And, at least on the QB skills part, I agree.

The other I just hadn't considered in depth.  There are many
components to the QB taking the snap under center.  While he moves
back what is the time differential for the DL to read blocks? What
changes from the LBs perspective?

a.

In article
<328a3f24-cda6-4b20-bec7-a09048e06...@i20g2000prf.googlegroups.com>,

Tommy Bowden has two of the best running backs in the country, both game
breakers on any given play. We had zero rushing yards against Alabama.

Do you or do you not line up in the Wing-T against the Citadel and learn
how to play football again?

--
Trev

On Sep 5, 10:23 pm, Trevor Zion Bauknight

In the semi-modern era an NFL team, the 1978 Kansas City Chiefs,
actually tried to relearn football using the Wing-T, and their head
coach was Marv Levy.

http://www.kcchiefs.com/history/70s/

What I didn't realize was that Marv Levy was also a songwriter. :-)

On Sep 5, 5:13 pm, "the_andrew_sm...@yahoo.com"

I would guess that the quarterback taking the ball under center and
handing the ball off to the running back is the most efficient set of
motions, perhaps even more than if the ball were direct-snapped to the
running back.  With proper practice, the running back should have to
worry only about getting up to speed and looking at the defense.  He
can start his motion to the line without the football, having full use
of both of his arms to get up to full speed, he gets the football
exactly where he needs it at an exact moment of time, and then he is
at full speed and awareness to go break some tackles.

With a snap in the shotgun I believe there is still a moment when the
quarterback has to look away from the defense to the ball arriving in
his hands.  Then there is the placement of the running back.
Initially in modern spread formations the running back was just
standing there roughly parallel to the line with respect to the
quarterback.  There are some running backs like Darren Sproles,
smaller shiftier running backs who can start and stop on a dime, who
were apparently born to be able to wait for the quarterback to get the
ball, wait for the handoff, and only then be able to accelerate to
full speed.   I have my doubts this works at all for bigger running
backs which is why I thought that Vince Young and Cedric Benson at
Texas were less than the sum of the parts.

Nevada appears to have popularized the latest wrinkle by having the
running back sometimes set behind the quarterback, as deep as a
tailback in the I-formation.  Now the running back can get some
momentum before he gets the handoff from the quarterback even in a
shotgun.  I have even seen formations that look like an I except the
quarterback is taking the snap in the shotgun.

Watching Missouri versus Illinois, I think Missouri has been pushing
Dutch Meyer's playbook into this century by using his suggestions in
his book Spread Formation Football to have men in motion before taking
the football from the quarterback.