Ross Fulton Analysis: How Chip Kelly Is Changing The Ohio State Offense

welcome to Buckeyes tomorrow morning for Friday September 13th I'm your host Tom Moore the Marshall game is in 8 Days the game against Michigan in 78 days today we're welcoming in one of our most popular guests Ross fton one of the ex's noos gurus at bucka hudle.com and whenever we have Ross on we are presented by Jeff Ruby steakhous the award-winning upscale Steakhouse in Downtown Columbus named one of the top 50 steakhouses in America by Food Network visit jeffruby.com Columbus to check out the menu and make a reservation today all right so we had Ross on last week it was a very popular show but we're still trying to Fig get get our hands around how we're figuring out how we want to do the video presentation around these because we want to let you guys see the play come up with a good way for Ross to sort of diagram what what he's talking about and then let you see it as he's talking about it we think maybe maybe we have a good solution here Ross and I have been work working all week on trying to figure out a good way to do this we think we may have an answer so fingers crossed we'll see how this one goes today we're going to be talking about the Ohio State offense in the western Michigan game there was a lot to like there for the buck eyes yeah they had a punt or two but boy the offense looked really really good and you're really seeing the impact of Chip Kelly on this Ohio State offense already so here we go here's my conversation with Ross Fon of buckle.com presented by Jeff Ruby Steakhouse of Columbus all right I'll welcome in Ross now and Ross today we are talking about the Ohio State offense there there was plenty of good news for Ohio State on both sides of the ball but boy oh boy the running game looked much much better it felt like more consistently against Western Michigan than they did against akan probably a lot of different pieces that went into that we're going to be talking about five different clips here you're going to be see them all on YouTube we're doing something a little different this week we think we maybe have solved our our issue and found our workaround so Ross let's start with the first one this one is called crack toss yeah so I think like a general thing I have statement I would make is that through two games I'm um surprised to be honest how much of a stamp Chip Kelly has put on the offense I thought going into the season that this would sort of be a uh Ryan a Chip Kelly collaboration where maybe they would meet halfway um in terms of what they've done in the past U particularly in the Run game but this has been very much a Chip Kelly offense through two games and you see that in a few ways and so the first this is another example with crack TOS so the first is in the just the diversity of the Run game you have are just the volume of Concepts Ohio state is using is just much greater than they've done in the past um and that includes uh plays like this and so one emphasis for Chip Kelly especially when he got to UCLA out of uh the NFL was you know one criticism of his when with his time in the NFL was it was too predictable um by halfback formation that the ball would go opposite the halfback we've talked about this as an issue from the shotgun and so you see a lot of emphasis both the UCLA in his time there and now through two games Ohio state is running the football to the side of the field out of shotgun where the halfback aligned and so you saw them run uh just last on Saturday against Western Michigan they were in counter trade at the side of the halfback they ran a play called down G where the playside guard PS and kicks out the end they ran uh a counter speed option um where they you know attack the defensive end at the end of the line of scrimmage and here you have crack toss and so you we've seen this play both games so the ball is designed this is designed to get outside The Tackle Box to the side of the field where the halfback is aligned and so uh it's a crack play so basically as you know diagrammed up here the uh playside tackle is going to pull and he's going to lead and basically kick out the um player that's aligned up over the receiver so sort of playing in the slot Outside The Tackle Box and conversely like this inside receivers are going to block down and so you're basically pulling and you're creating a gap scheme but to the outside um and so what you know Chip Kelly like dresses things up so here we have it's 12 Personnel for Ohio State with two tight ends but you actually have those two tight ends lined up wide so you're basically giving like a 10 like a four wide receiver look but those two guys are tight ends that are going to block down and so obviously giving you a little bit more um blocking at the point of attack and so you know as I said they're going to crack down hence the name um the t t or tackle is going to pull in lead and then quinan junkins is going to cut in between those blocks I think you know the one other thing I'd offer before you know we run the play is you know I think Judkins as I I said last week like he was a little pressing a little bit I think the first week um you know wasn't letting his block set up and I think this was Michigan game just showed how explosive he is you know I think I Ed the term after the game he looks like he's shot out of a cannon at times and he's really effective at get making guys miss like they actually miss a block here um jins makes the guy Miss in space I think about every Run play he had he made somebody Miss on Saturday and so again uh as you'll see just another effective way for Chip Kelly likes getting the ball Outside The Tackle Box with the Run game and he likes running to the same side and so you get both of those uh with crack toss all right next up we're going to do a little bit of a two for one these are both outside Zone rpos but I think if you say outside Zone RPO everyone goes okay well you're going to have run an outside Zone and you're goingon to have a pass option off of that well this is I think if we're combining these two things together I think this is a good example of there's lots of different variations of even just one concept like that yeah exactly so we actually get two blocking scheme different blocking schemes here with two different route combinations again like I would also add I did not expect Chip Kelly to be this heavy into rpos like you know when people think about his time at Oregon which obviously was a decade ago but it was very heavy into run reads right so the quarterback's reading someone deciding whether to give or to run but they have leaned very heavily into wide receiver reliefs you know which are the kind of wide receiver screens uh where you're making the decision pre snap or here we have two second level rpos and by second level I mean that they're that the quarterback will Howard here and both cases is reading the backside linebacker or could be a nickel and basically making the decision based on on that what that Defender does so at the snap if the if the defender plays The Run he's going to pull and throw and if the defender sticks with the pass play he's going to give On The Run play and so this first one you know we Chip Kelly uses some motion he gives and they run what is a staple concept for Chip Kelly day which is a curl flat combination they like it a lot in the drop back game it's a good first down play it's a good against cover three um and so they this is a different way to get to it right so you send caral Tate motion you get then get that stretch and so at everyone on the offensive line is blocking outside Zone the running back's running outside Zone will Howard reads the backside linebacker he plays the run and so Howard pulls it and then from there he's kind of making his second read really he's getting they're they're reading that corner because for the curl flat so if the corner stays out if the corner goes with the curl route he can throw it to the flat toate uh if he stays outside as he does here he can hit the curl to uh Jeremiah Smith and so obviously will Howard he pulls it Corner stays outside uh he hits Jeremiah Smith and then uh Smith's Off to the Races I you know kept enough of this play for for maybe my favorite part of it which is uh Seth mlin waving goodbye at the end to Jeremiah Smith as he outraces five different Defenders um you know I would be remiss if I haven't talk would talk about uh Beyond his sort of uh I'll show you another one on the next the next play his uh animatronics at the end um you know he has been a huge upgrad at Center like especially like in their outside zone game in terms of reaching uh one or two two eye technique nose guards like it's just been a he he's really um improved I think the entire level of offensive line play so um but you know also adding these uh comedic relief on plays is great so on the second one what's interesting is again this is outside Zone but the actually when you look at the play the backside of the line is pass setting um Chip Kelly started doing this in the NFL I mean fortunately it's to you know when when players you get to that level you're and your quarterback's worth a lot of money you don't like him getting drilled on the backside of run pass options because your lines blocking and you're leaving him uh block defensive end it may make sense on on paper but um him getting hit uh and driven in the ground is is not fun for anyone up to the owner so uh but he's kept this and I think it adds a couple things a Beyond protecting quarterback it gives a another look to the defense and it it actually I think encourages the the making it so that the Run play works because when that so again will Howard's reading the backside of the defense here and here it's a little flat post combo and he's reading the backside linebacker but when that backside linebacker sees the offensive lineman in front of him pass set he's going to be more likely to stay with the right and play the play the pass concept which he did he did a couple times they ran this concept a few times against Wester Michigan uh backside linebacker stays so will Howard gives um you know you're able to get the football outside um and it's it's another uh big play because again you're like now you've taken way the the nose shoots inside of mlin here which even makes it easier but again you you just don't have the same Pursuit because the backside of the defense is playing the pass play and so again these are just ways you know you saw it with the will Howard Cape that was an actual run read but just they every play is virtually every Run play I should say is combined with some type of read and it just and they're mixing up the the run plays they're mixing up the reads that go with those run plays and it it's just a lot for a defense right and you're just protecting the front side run so just not seeing a lot of situations like you would in um future years where or previous years I should say where uh backside Defenders or unblocked Defenders are making plays and limiting otherwise well blocked run plays all right here's one that looks like it's going to be a well blocked Run play but in fact it turns out to be a pass play GT counter double read counter you probably know what that means you'll just watch trayon Henderson take one step to his left and and then run off to his right that's the counter but the double read explain what the GT counter double read what this what this all means and how this plays out yeah and so we saw this a few times right so as I mentioned they they have relied more and more on counter I think the blocking was better of that this Saturday you can tell they repped it a lot again they're running things from different looks um they ran counter which is so you know they can run counter with the Guard the guard always pulls but you can either have them the T Le be the sort of the second puller or the tight end off the line of scrimmage so here you're getting the guard tackle so that's why you get GT if it was the guard tight end it would be GH um they ran it to the run back backside they ran it away but when you run GT counter it's hard to have someone on the backside block right so like if you if you have the tight ends the second blocker The Tackle can sort of anchor that backside so what they do is they again combine it with reads right so they're going to read that defensive end instead of worrying about blocking him and so here here they they it's a double read I say because will Howard has three options right so the first one is to to give or to keep so the defensive n here spikes inside on a a run stunt so that is a a keep breed for him he then attacks the um outside secondary player because he does have the option to keep it here and run um but if that Defender plays that run he can then dump it off in the flat um so they run a little stick the runs a little stick here acha buuk runs a quick out um and then Brayson Rogers releases downfield on a vertical route which turns into essentially a allowing him to block for Mecca buuk underneath and so Howard attacks the secondary Defender they play the him keeping and so then he dumps it for a mecha to a mecha abuka for an easy game so you you again variations of you know theyve run run read plays they have rpos they have reliefs and now they have sort of a combination of the two where Howard has the ability to either keep it or run uh or or dump it into the flat so normally Ross you look at these play names and you can sort of glean some information GT counter double read guard tackle you talked about that counter we know what that means this next one is just called Yankee so uh I know this play has not won the World Series in the last 15 years but beyond that what is Yankee yeah so I don't know why it's called Yankee uh it's a great it's it's basically a heavy play action pass Twan concept were um the one Def One uh receiver is running a deep post or vertical and the other wide receiver is running a deep cross across the field um you know this is a been a Ryan Day staple again like we talk about the Run games there there was Divergence between day and Kelly the past Concepts there's just a ton of overlap from their time together still um you know Chip Kelly and Ryan dayve both love these deep crossers um but the one interesting thing again is like even these Concepts that are there's been over lab Chip Kelly is is dressing them up in different formations different Personnel grouping so like Ryan Day love running this this concept from like under Center you give like the heavy play action fake uh here Chip Kelly runs it from the shotgun actually and has the tight end sort of come in as like a the seventh it's a seven man protection scheme because you're you're really trying to give your quarterback time to thr it downfield um and so he kind of comes in and like I grabbed this one as well because like you know they ran why cross like these deep overs will Howard's been really effective on them you know I think his accuracy's uh been great on these including to U abuka here uh but like you know there was a few pass plays that Howard probably as I think day said this week like would want back like the Jeremiah Smith underthrow jumps out you know that was one where it's like both those underthrown as well as like the tight end to that side was supposed to run a deep comeback which would have held the coverage more and would have probably even even with the underthrow may have made Smith open enough to to make the play you know I think he could have put a little more more of that Thro of galani Thurman down the scene on a line um so like not perfect but I think he's and we talked about last week I still think there's times where like both of those he's maybe a a hair or too late getting to those reads but like the one thing that has St out is his accuracy has been really good like especially on these crossers or deep overs like he's putting the ball right where it needs to be and I I think this is an example of it so you know I do think they're so room for him to grow in the scheme I also think like you know they're really not utilizing his legs a ton yet um so it's like a whole other aspect of it but I do think that like you'll continue to see like you know Chip Kelly as I said like even within the Core Concepts are using like changing Personnel groupings changing formation looks so you're just getting things from a lot of different angles so that you know the defense doesn't know necessarily what they're getting well thanks again to Ross for all of his Insight on the Ohio State offense if you are enjoying these shows I think you might just love being a member of Bucky hudle.com I'm going to let you in on a little secret yeah you get these shows when you get these shows when Ross and I record these we generally record them a day or two earli so that we have a little bit of time to put them 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