Spoke to a former NFL defensive coach regarding the mush rush +spy that Florida (2nd Half) and Ole Miss used...

He said the philosophy leaves you very vulnerable to medium routes of about 15-18 yards...

The D takes one backer out of pass coverage and slows rush down allowing receivers to find numerous soft spots further down field...

Said if you have an accurate and polished passer, you can feast on it...

Well I wouldn't call JFF "accurate and polished" yet. But when he gets there ... look out.

Thats the problem though. I dont think JFF is going through his progressions. I think he is stopping after the second read and looking to scramble. He's not a polished passer.

The qb spy is some amateur crap though. He needs to see it coming and find his third or fourth read.

Or have Malena run it at them like his big gain on the first 4Q TD drive. Looking back I bet KK realizes he should have ran it more because they were playing coverage and trying to contain Manziel from scrambling.

There were plenty of plays where JFF went through about 6-7 reads before taking off running in that game.

If anything it probably is the difference between throwing a receiver open and throwing to an open receiver. That takes a long time to master, and I wouldn't expect it out of any freshman QB in college.

This is the beauty of this game. There is always an adjustment, on both sides of the ball, for whatever the other side is doing. There's no perfect offense, no perfect defense, only perfect timing.

Regarding Johnny Football, he's a FRESHMAN. Yes, he's missing some open guys, but he's WINNING us games, and he will get better and better. His potential is ridiculous. It's not like he's throwing a bad ball... he has decent accuracy, nice touch... once his brain speed on reads catches up to his footspeed, he's got the potential to be ridiculously good.

Right now, he's probably being too conservative in the passing game because he's got such a strong second option. As his confidence grows, watch out.

That's right herewe, Bob said the biggest leap a QB makes in his entire life is from HS to college because of the size/speed of the defenders and the tiny windows he has to throw through...(Greater than from college to pros)

Said there's a HUGE physical difference between SEC defenders and Hill Country HS defenders....

Running Back out of the backfield?

All this works only if Johnny can see over the line.

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I think he is stopping after the second read and looking to scramble. He's not a polished passer.

The qb spy is some amateur crap though. He needs to see it coming and find his third or fourth read.

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you sound like you haven't watched a game in the last three weeks if you think he is running every time after only 2 reads.

He may not be running it right away after two reads, but he definitely isn't throwing it once he gets past two reads. He is holding it for another few seconds and then running it.

If teams put a smaller, faster DB in there to spy, the way you beat it is run right at that position with your RBs. Punish them for 1) getting out of a base set and 2) taking a run stopping LB off the field.

We need to get a set on the field that includes 3 WR out wide, a TE out wide off the ball, JFF and Malena in the backfield. This should force the defense into its "spy" formation with the DB lined up as a LB to spy Johnny. The TE needs to motion into the backfield, and we need to run power football with a lead blocking TE/H-Back. That will put a stop to that bullshlt real fast.

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There were plenty of plays where JFF went through about 6-7 reads before taking off running in that game.

If anything it probably is the difference between throwing a receiver open and throwing to an open receiver. That takes a long time to master, and I wouldn't expect it out of any freshman QB in college.

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Hard for me to believe no receivers get separation after 5 + seconds. Maybe against FLorida or Bama but not against Ole Miss, their db's aren't that good and our wr's may not be the fastest but they aren't slow either.

Herewego hit the nail on the head. Johnny is staying in the pocket and going through his reads. That's not the issue. He had all day back there. His problem is that he is only pulling the trigger when someone is WIDE open. He hasn't fully grasped how to throw a receiver open. It will come. Reps, time and rapport with receivers not named Mike Evans are the only thing holding him back in that regard.

Honestly, I think there are times when he has trouble seeing over the line. It sounds stupid but having played QB in HS at his height I can tell you that it happens. Especially on throws over the middle of the field. He's gonna have to get better at knowing where his throwing lanes are when trying to attack the middle of the field. A lot of Swope's inactivity can be attributed to this, IMO. Just look at our passing stats. Not much production has come from the middle of the field. It will come.

One thing I don't understand is why KK hasn't implemented any designed rollouts or bootlegs. With our speed on offense and Johnny's ability to run, I could see us being wildly successful with designed rollouts and misdirections in the passing game. Plus, I think Johnny feels comfortable and in his element when on the move. Granted that's kinda like putting a band aid over a gaping wound in that you inhibit his development as a pocket passer. But I think it's something that needs to be in the playbook. Defenses are gonna have a tendency to over pursue out of respect for Johnny's ability to run.

Long story short - Rome wasn't built in a day. The kid is 5 starts in and winning games. It can be frustrating at times but patience is gonna be needed. KK and Sumlin will get him where he needs to be. I have complete faith in that.

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Honestly, I think there are times when he has trouble seeing over the line. It sounds stupid but having played QB in HS at his height I can tell you that it happens. Especially on throws over the middle of the field. He's gonna have to get better at knowing where his throwing lanes are when trying to attack the middle of the field. A lot of Swope's inactivity can be attributed to this, IMO. Just look at our passing stats. Not much production has come from the middle of the field. It will come.

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Agree middle of the field has been open and when we have gone there it has yielded big yardage. I was thinking about this last night while watching Drew Brees. He manages to exploit the middle of the field at similar height as JF with taller lineman. Of course, I don't expect JF to be Drew Brees especially at this point. Brees does it exactly like you say, a thorough understanding of throwing lanes.