Spread offense could hurt Auburn’s running game

By John McMullen  |   Thursday, July 10, 2008  |  Comments( 2 )

Auburn Tigers
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Critics call it a gimmick, an offensive philosophy designed to mask a lack of talent.

So why is Auburn, one of the nation's premier college football programs, installing the spread offense?

The answer lies with the Tigers' new offensive coordinator, Tony Franklin, a disciple of the spread. Last season, Franklin left Troy in time to take over Tommy Tuberville's offense -- which had been left leaderless after the firing of Al Borges -- for the Tigers' 26-23 win over Clemson in the Chick-fil-A Bowl.

Now, as Franklin gears up for his first full season at the helm, some are already starting to question Tuberville's decision to hand over the reins of his offense to a practitioner of the spread.

To be fair, the term "spread" is a bit of a misnomer and really just refers to a formation designed to expand a defense, creating open space for the best athletes on the field. The plays run from that formation vary greatly from team to team and philosophy to philosophy.

More and more of the conventional college powerhouses are starting to use it, and you can't dismiss the success Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Tim Tebow has had in Florida on Tuberville's decision to bring Franklin into the mix.

Still, most veteran coaches will snicker at the spread offense, calling it an equalizer for lesser talented teams (much like the zone defense is in basketball). After all, a team like Appalachian State will always need a gimmick to compete with Michigan.

Auburn shouldn't need a gimmick, however. The tailback tandem Franklin will inherit -- Ben Tate and Brad Lester -- is arguably the best in the nation and some at Auburn have compared it favorably to the days of Ronnie Brown and Carnell "Cadillac" Williams in 2004.

So, with that kind of talent in the backfield and two unproven QBs who don't resemble Tebow, how can Franklin possible justify throwing the ball more than running it?

Ego often runs rampant in the coaching profession. You will rarely see a coach at any level talking about poorly designed schemes or play calling. In fact, listen in on any mentor's press conference after a loss and you will hear a grown man passing the buck, bemoaning a lack of execution. The implication is always rather obvious: If the players just did what the coach asked, they would have won.

That's simply not true.

Every coach needs to believe in his own philosophy to be successful, but when arriving in a new place with new players who were operating under a different system, that coach needs to utilize the talent on hand while collecting athletes who fit his vision.

Only when those players are in place should the coach unleash his system.

In Auburn, that means Franklin should temper his ego and build his offense around his two superlative backs.
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About John McMullen

John is the managing editor of The Phanatic Magazine, the assistant managing editor of The Sports Network and the co-host of the highly rated 'Johns on Sports' radio show on WTBQ in New York. Every Saturday from 6:30-9 p.m. (et) you can hear John along with his co-host, John Gottlieb, talk to the...
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