that has been thrown around a lot over the years. it seemed to start out against Leach (oh, TT runs a gimicky offense). In this coaching search, some people are saying Sumlin runs a "gimicky" offense. Say what you want, but UH has the #1 offense in the nation with over 600 yds/game and over 50 pts/game (and before you bag their competition, let's keep in mind UH is a CUSA commuter school in it's own right, not some SEC or B12 team).

IMO, Leach's offense wasn't gimicky. He was a brilliant coach who took scraps and made them into winners.

What exactly makes an offense "gimicky"?


When Dino Babers was demoted and Sumlin promoted, our offense blossomed. OU did well in the time Sumlin was at OU, and now UH has the #1 offense. Why is this "gimicky"?

[This message has been edited by Blue-eyes (edited 12/5/2011 4:36p).]

Basically it's 'gimmicky' only if you lose; it's genius if you win.

'Finesse' is another derogatory adjective used for these pass happy systems. To be fair, running one can make you look really bad against a good defense because you can't control time-of-possession with running and you'll frequently lose by large scores when you're not on.

Leach's offense gives less skilled or less physically gifted offensive players a chance to succeed and it often does. It doesn't require big talented olinemen as the running game is usually short passes instead and the ball gets out quickly.

I think you need to adjust your mindset though given the defenses you are about to face. Your recruiting base should allow you to recruit players that would make this "underdog" kind of offense unnecessary.

[This message has been edited by Atlhogfan (edited 12/5/2011 4:52p).]

but why does that make Leach's offense gimicky?

that's like saying "well, they have a 270 lb fullback and two tailbacks that run a 4.3 40, so all they do is pound the ball, it's a gimicky offense"

Maybe because his offense racks up 500 yards a game in the air. So can anyone else if you throw 50-60 passes a game.

If your offense doesn't have a guy spinning in the backfield, it is gimmicky. More spinning is required.


For those that love watching some old offenses operate, here's a great little series of offensive plays from back in the day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Agf_tVs00ro

gimmicky means you score a lot

Which is ghey and not SEC

I think some people mean West Coast when they say gimmicky. Some people think that basing an offense on the passing game is gimmicky. Although I don't like that kind of offense, I don't consider it a gimmick.

What I would call a gimmick type offense is one that capitalizes on trick plays on a regular basis. If you're seeing lots of double reverses, reverse passes, Statue of Liberty and the like, I guess that is more of a gimmick.

I like an offense built around the run, but at the end of the day if your offense scores more than your defense allows, does it really matter? I'd rather win with a gimmicky offense than lose with a pro offense.

The sip is correct. It's "gimmicky" when it consistently beats other teams and belongs to a team that people throwing the accusation believe should not be capable of winning games. Some will claim that it has to do with employing a strategy that exploits weaknesses in the defense, but since that is precisely what a good offensive strategy should do, this argument really just exposes butthurt.

Elitist attitudes.

[This message has been edited by rw2003 (edited 12/5/2011 5:13p).]

On TexAgs, an offense that scores touchdowns in the second half is gimmicky

WolfCall wins

Gimmick equals non-i formation, or 3 yards and cloud if dust offense.

To me it's an offense that is usually heavy pass and prone to dry spells that usually occur against tough defenses and I often think of them as well as ones where you can't run the clock out. I always think of the Houston Oilers. West coast offense is not gimmicky. The run and shoot was.

A "Gimicky" offense tends to work well against lesser teams that don't have much speed on defense but is significantly less effective against athletic defenses.

Gimicky offenses also rely on outscoring the opponent vs a balanced offense which controls the clock- therefore teams with "gimicky" offenses tend to give up a lot of points as well. Thus, it is almost guaranteed that a team with a "gimicky" offense will lay an egg at least once a year (osu vs Iowa State)


hth

For me, the wishbone is gimmicky because it was proven not to be effective against good defenses. A gimmicky offense is one that hasn't stood the test time.

I wouldnt put the wishbone in gimicky status. Teams won many national titles over several decades with it. Just a different era offense.

By that definition, pass happy isn't a gimmick, it's a different era of football

Gimmicky is a phrase used by opponents to deride an offensive scheme they are unable to stop.

My thought is gimmicky = high variability.

These are high-risk, high-reward offenses.

They are designed to give teams a chance when facing better opponents, but have the tendency to suddenly dry up. If you don't have something that resembles a running game that you can rely on to hold on when your defense is gassed and your QB's bell is rung, you leave a lot more of the outcome of the game to chance compared to a team that can just dominate the LOS.

I like that these types of offenses are in College Football. I would prefer that we stockpile the talent so that we wouldn't have to rely on a pass-happy offense to survive. However, anything that leads to a W at this point would be a step up.

A gimicky offense is one where you can win a bunch of games in college but it dies not translate to the NFL. Tceh is a great example in that they had numerous wins, record setting receivers and qb's, yet only crabtree is relevant (somewhat) in the NFL.

I agree with controlling the LOS. I also think you need some balance which is where the wishbone failed, IMHO.

There is nothing gimicky about any offense that can consistently move the ball and score, especially in college where 1-2 mismatches can make all the difference.

The gimicky part is that Big 12 offenses are helped by the blind eye given to holding.

The people screaming gimicky sound an awful lot like the geniuses claiming Tebow can't make it in the NFL.

It is that offense that lots of the NFL stole from college football and now run when they need a first down. Art Briles was running it way before TT when he was at Stephenville.

people called the offenses Urban Meyer ran at Utah gimmicky.

Gimmicky is any offense not run by Les Miles or Nick Saban.

[/texags]

Genius if works and crap if it doesn't

Not a fan of the tards by any means, but I would say Wes Welker is prrety important in the NFL.

(In response to earlier post that Michael "I dreamed it in my head" Crabtree was the only NFL-relevant tard).

Gimicky is an offense that can shred inferior talent for a ton of yards and points, but that once it comes up against a competent, speedy defense, it gets shut down.

I think people label an offense "gimmicky" based on the ease of passing, and no real running game. They usually get put in their place once they meet a legit defense.

Thus "gimmicky" because real defenses expose them.

Gimmic offenses tend to rely heavily on a singular talent. When that talent leaves, so does the success that goes with them.

Having said that, the Veer and the Wishbone were once considered gimmic offenses. They worked for a few years and then defensive coaches came up with schemes that worked and those offenses became rather mundane and no more successful than the single wing.

Any offense that is successful is gimmicky according to interweb gurus

They put up gaudy numbers against average defenses and fail in the red zone against championship calibre defenses. When you look at the numbers they look awesome but they can't beat a good defense.

quote:

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They put up gaudy numbers against average defenses and fail in the red zone against championship calibre defenses. When you look at the numbers they look awesome but they can't beat a good defense.

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so basically any offense, when put up against a great defense and gets shut down, is gimmicky


got it

quote:

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quote:

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They put up gaudy numbers against average defenses and fail in the red zone against championship calibre defenses. When you look at the numbers they look awesome but they can't beat a good defense.

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so basically any offense, when put up against a great defense and gets shut down, is gimmicky


got it

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We're talking about spread offenses.