The Art Briles Philosophy- Why he's THE man for the Redskins. THE BRILES FILES!

[Gibbs Hog Heaven]

I'll preface this by saying I'm by NO means an X's and O's guy like some amongst our number. (Coach, dg, DC9, LL to name but four top members. Most notably in that respect.). But I do know a thing or two about football from the last 30 years watching this great game. And the more I read on new coaching prospects, specifically Baylor's Art Briles who I have taken a real interest in over the last few years; the more the misconceptions about what he does stands out. So forgive me for only being as technical in my own way as I know how, smiles, without videos and diagrams that I suck at; and hopefully sit back and get a new appreciation for the quiet, humble Texan who I believe is the man to take this franchise and this league by the lapels, scream in it's face; and transform the game and our destiny for ever.

 

 

 

Most traditional spread offenses work on the basic premise that you spread the field horizontally in 3/ 4/ 5 receiver sets, thus spreading the defense thin horizontally across the field in coverage and opening up multiple vertical seams for both the run and pass game to exploit. Often with the QB out of the gun and the offense going no huddle. It's a fast paced, highly effective high scoring form of attack used predominantly in the collegiate ranks and becoming more and more prevalent in today's evolving, pass happy NFL. It has evolved over time through it's natural course and the three most common variants are:

 

The Spread Option. 

 

Basically a run first O that plays on isolating defenders. 

 

What Chip Kelly's been doing in Philly and at Oregon before and what spread guru's like Ohio States Urban Meyer favour.

 

 

Your basically having your receivers seal the edge whilst still spreading the DB's, with the added threat of your slot guy and TE in the downfield game. Throw in some outside zone reed and stretch the line, opening up gaping cutback lanes with the defense having less men in the box due to the spread and threat of the athletic TE and slot guys. A highly effective run first version of the spread O.

 

The Pistol.

 

Another run heavy variant of the spread, devised by Nevada's then Chris Ault and becoming more and more popular in the NFL in recent years. Not least here in DC. 

 

 

Basically a variant of a traditional shotgun/ single back offense, but with the QB much closer to the centre (4 yards back) than the 7 he would be out of the gun. (Where the RB is lined up.). With the QB getting the ball in his hands quicker than the shotgun, with the triple threat of either going down field, handing it off, or keeping it and running himself off what he sees from the read option and this can be a highly effective form of attack as we witnessed here for much of last season. 

 

The Air Raid. 

 

A pass heavy variant of the spread favoured by guys like Mike Leach predominantly at Texas Tech and Mike Gundy at OSU. 

 

 

It utilises 4 wides and a single back out of the shotgun with two outside and two inside slot guys, or trips bunch formations to attack the field side. It gives all the responsibility to the QB with the ability to audible and change the play dependent on what he sees, and substitutes the run game for the short passing game. The O-line are often spread further apart in this concept to buy the QB (always out of the shotgun) more time and aids in beating any blitz with quick passes over the middle. 

 

That's the basics of most spread O's from the collegiate ranks that are being adopted more and more by pro offenses as the modern NFL evolves by the year into a high scoring, fast paced, pass attack league. (Only Seattle and San Francisco out of the 32 teams have run more than they've passed the last two years.). 

 

There's more intricate nuances of course (KD cover's many in an easy to understand Chalk Talk from the Coach here: http://es.redskins.com/topic/367213-chalk-talk-the-spread-pistol-uzi-and-the-zone-read/. 

 

But the main thing to appreciate is spread concepts are translating more and more into the NFL, and are no longer just some gimmicky college aspect that won't work against faster, stronger pro D's. Or that the spread O is all pass orientated. It can be a VERY effective run first O as we've seen to devastating effect to our cost twice this year from Chip Kelly's Eagles. If you can mirror the two aspects by incorporating more than one aspect, then you have an almost unstoppable offensive attack both on the ground and through the air. And this is what has been happening the last 5 years down at a well respected academic school in central Texas that had a pretty darn woeful football program that had yielded no bowl games since 1994 and seen the team finish in the bottom three of the Big 12 for all 12 years of existence. Then Art Briles rolled into Waco in 2008. and the rest, as they say, is history. I'm sure you all know about the record numbers that Baylor has been putting up, increasing year on year through Briles stewardship. But it's the simplistic nature of his ideals that make his offense so revolutionary and darn near impossible to counter and stop. And it's a concept that should have even the most skeptical observer salivating at the prospect of teaming Briles up with RGIII to form the perfect tandem to take the pro game onto a WHOLE other level not seen before.

 

The Art Briles Philosophy. 

 

I LOVE this quote from Briles, from an interview he gave back in June of this year to Spencer Hall of SB Nation. (http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2013/6/5/4398482/art-briles-interview-baylor-football-coach.). Hall asks him what he starts working with when he has fewer resources than bigger programs: 

 

'The mind. Without question. Everything's about your mental attitude, and how you approach it, and how you get to where you wanna get. You have to understand that the field may not be equal from a lot of different standpoints — resources, facilities, support, fan support — but all those things, if you let them filter in, you lose sight of your focus. Our focus has always been that we're gonna be the standard, we're gonna do what we do and do it as well as anyone does it, and we're not gonna have any excuses or comparisons along the way. That's our motto: no excuses, no comparisons, and no compromises.'

 

That is an intellectual quote from a highly perceptive man who sees the WHOLE picture in a rapidly changing field.  A guy taking unconventional concepts to attack the limitations of his surroundings and being brave enough and smart enough to do them better than most anyone else EVER has.

 

The Briles philosophy is so simplistic in it's beauty it's a work of art in itself.

 

As discussed previous,  spread O's stretch a D thin horizontally and attack it vertically. Briles takes this to a WHOLE other level. While most traditional schemes spread the field during the play, Briles utilizes the WHOLE field BEFORE the play even begins. And the multitude of options in both air and ground game is devastating in it's simplicity. 

 

Below is a picture of the record setting 2007 New England Patriots and the spread concept they used to incorporate Moss, Welker, Stallworth and Gaffney behind the talents of Brady to an almost perfect season that is probably the best example ever in the pros of the concept, to this point. Utilised to it's fullest through that record scoring season. 

 

 

Note that NE are going four wide with a slot TE and no backs, spreading the DB's thin right across the field and leaving a ton of space for the sot guys over the middle. Also note that only 2 of those guys are outside the numbers pre-snap. Shortening the distance any safety has to cover to help out the isolated corners or stick with the inside guys. 

 

Or this from Kelly's Eagles this year: 

 

 

Foles has multitude pre-snap options off the read option. (Bubble screen to the motion guy/ hand-off/ keeper/ triple option et all.). But again, the KEY thing to note is although the Eagles are spreading the Buccs out pretty well, their still only starting with one guy outside of the numbers. 

 

Now take a look at what Briles does pre-snap: 

 

 

See the difference from a traditional spread O in just how wide they split their guys to utilise the WHOLE field? 

 

In the above shot from the TCU game, they have THREE receivers lined up OUTSIDE the numbers. This basically isolates the corners to 1-on-1 situations and more or less totally nullifies the safety's. The two guys stacked at the top of the screen take the attention of one of the safety's. The other has to account for the slot guy who's split wider than normal himself. The secondary is COMPLETELY occupied with those receivers. (And often, Art will put his outside guys right on the darn sideline and double stack there in 1 back, 4 wide stets or even 5 wide with the slot guy.). Corners isolated 1-on-1 out wide. 1 safety walked up to cover the slot guy at the top of the screen. The nickle safety taking the other slot guy, and the deep safety on the field side (the opposite, larger area to where the play's starting from) covering the open area behind. So now you've neutralised the secondary, how do they stop the run threat? With the remaining four down linemen and 2 LB's? Briles has his interior line built with big, athletic guys (which we have here waiting patiently in the wings already) that add to a complete run mix which can go outside or utilise the inside power game. PERFECT for The Butler. If the nickle DB's sell out on the run, they hit the quick outside screen or seem route on the option over the middle to acres of open space and pay dirt. To quote Briles, Baylor has 'a lot of different reads off every one of our plays for our QB.' And when they get rolling and add play action off the run ..... man, this is a thing of aesthetic beauty that's as devastatingly simple a concept as I've EVER seen in 3 decades watching this great game. An aggressive, up-tempo offense that continues to evolve and is nigh on impossible to shut down. The PERFECT scenario for the guy that ran it to perfection under Briles to the extent he became the first ever player out of Baylor to win the Heisman in 2011. Your franchise QB WELL versed in this scheme: Robert Griffin III.

 

I remember watching a piece, I think it was ESPN but don't quote me, on Baylor last year and how they practice. High tempo, forward moving all the time on offense. Briles drills them to keep going. When a play isn't executed properly, they simply move up the line of scrimmage to where it ended and go straight into the next one. The idea being that plays aren't always perfect in game situations. That can be corrected in meetings. But you practice how you play. So they just keep going at a high tempo. Perfecting and adapting what they do continuously.

 

Sure, when you put guys that wide you take away certain routes and receivers blocking on runs. I'm sure you've all read/ heard about the lack of a conventional play book and route trees. But again to quote Briles, 'You give up a lot of game-book football. Which is OK for us. We're not trying to be like everyone else. We're trying to be different.' And man do they do 'different' to near perfection. Briles and his OC/ QB guru Phillip Montgomery who's been with him years, do what ANY good coaching staff should do. They adapt, tweak and fit the system TO the players at their disposal. Not least the QB. The COMPLETE polar opposite of the outgoing regime here who have constantly tried to bang square pegs into round holes whilst stubbornly refusing to adapt and compromise. 

 

We now have a REAL chance to restore this franchise to the heights we all so crave behind some key young components. Not least our franchise QB who is, IMHO, destined to be one of the GOAT with the right teaching and environment around him. Such is his once in a generation talent level. 

 

Arthur Ray Briles is that man to bring that around. Pair the two up again and the prospects are limitless. And at a young 57, this could well be a LONG marriage made in Heaven.  

 

And trust me, you get the players and this ball club rolling like he has down in Waco, ANY and ALL fears about perception will dissipate faster than a Romo sits to pee December INT. 

 

This is a new football era. And one man is WAY ahead of the curve. 

 

The Briles Files!

 

It starts here!

 

Hail. 

[TheGoodBits]

Saving this for later because I have no time to read it right now, but it looks like quite the post. Briles excites me, I'm not going to lie. I'm still in the Bill O'Brien camp but part of me would still wonder what Briles could have done if we get BoB.

[spjunkies]

Hot damn, what a breakdown!!!

 

My only concern with him is that he's an older fella, but I guess we can get 5-7 years from him.

[skinfan2k]

Hot damn, what a breakdown!!!

 

My only concern with him is that he's an older fella, but I guess we can get 5-7 years from him.

 

let's first worrying about a guy who will work before thinking about if he will be here for 7+ years.  We get too ahead of ourselves a lot!  

[Fred Jones]

Can this unproven commodity be an NFL coach?  Can he adapt his philosophy to the NFL as ALL NFL defensive coaches will counter what he is doing forcing him to change?

 

Like the coach in Philly, unless you have a franchise QB, it doesn't matter what you run.

 

To me, I don't like this move.  Let someone else take a chance on him.  If we did bring him in I assume we would also have a personnel acquisition GM bringing in talent, which to me, is the most important.

[spjunkies]

let's first worrying about a guy who will work before thinking about if he will be here for 7+ years.  We get too ahead of ourselves a lot!  

Well, if we hire a guy I would like to be on the optimistic side and hope he's a long term solution.

[skinfan2k]

Well, if we hire a guy I would lime toean more on the optimistic side and hope he's a long term solution.

 

Well of course but i rather have that problem happen but let's find someone who can run this franchise with good results for 5 years first. I don't care about his age.  He seems to evolve as the game evolves and that's all i care about.  

[Gibbs Hog Heaven]

Can this unproven commodity be an NFL coach?  Can he adapt his philosophy to the NFL as ALL NFL defensive coaches will counter what he is doing forcing him to change?

 

Like the coach in Philly, unless you have a franchise QB, it doesn't matter what you run.

 

To me, I don't like this move.  Let someone else take a chance on him.  If we did bring him in I assume we would also have a personnel acquisition GM bringing in talent, which to me, is the most important.

 

I think  you went a long way to answering your doubts in your question with what Chip Kelly's done and adapted his scheme as he's gone along to the pro game. The proof is in that pudding.

 

Briles is one step ahead of even what Kelly's brought to the table. And back since he was a HS coach, he's been one step ahead of innovating and adapting to his surroundings. 

 

And I completely and utterly agree about a true GM being given control. But I fully believe that will be lil' Danny's next step anyways so I'm taking that as a given regardless whos the HC.

 

Hail. 

[NickyJ]

Call me a simplistic caveman, but I don't see this working out. I'm not well versed in lining up players into pretty shapes and spaces like other people (I understand that it's more than that, but I know no more.), but this feels like it's being hyped up waaaaaaay too much. I don't see how signing a coach specifically for your QB can work out in any way. I know it's been shouted by people over and over about the stupidest of things, but it seems like it's putting your QB above your team. You're shaping your team around Griffin's college time, basically. It's about Griffin.

 

Honestly, if we had Luck or Wilson and were in this situation now, would any of us really care about Briles? Would half of us even know anything about him beyond that he's a coach in college? I know I wouldn't.

[PlayAction]

I would like to have a superior GM to ensure the organization is run properly and insulated from Snyder. If they can consistently acquire good players then of course Bridles et all should be considered. Very interesting write-up by the OP

[skinfan2k]

Briles has transformed every program wherever he has gone.  great talent since he has been there have moved onto the NFL and had great results. 

[Lavarleap56]

 

I LOVE this quote from Briles, from an interview he gave back in June of this year to Spencer Hall of SB Nation. (http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2013/6/5/4398482/art-briles-interview-baylor-football-coach.). Hall asks him what he starts working with when he has fewer resources than bigger programs: 

 

'The mind. Without question. Everything's about your mental attitude, and how you approach it, and how you get to where you wanna get. You have to understand that the field may not be equal from a lot of different standpoints — resources, facilities, support, fan support — but all those things, if you let them filter in, you lose sight of your focus. Our focus has always been that we're gonna be the standard, we're gonna do what we do and do it as well as anyone does it, and we're not gonna have any excuses or comparisons along the way. That's our motto: no excuses, no comparisons, and no compromises.'

 

 

 

Sounds a lot different than Mike Shanahan stepping to the podium after a loss to drop " The salary cap penalty " talk over and over again...

 

Great post. A lot of the offenses in the NFL use Air Raid philosophies and schemes. The New Orleans saints favorite and most devastating concept when they get to an opponents 40 is a 4 vertical concept made popular by Mike Leach. Air Raid is a hybrid offense that is based off the West Coast/Sid Gillman philosophies.

 

A good read on the Air Raid for people who haven't looked into it: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1850629-is-the-nfl-ready-for-the-air-raid-offense  

Can this unproven commodity be an NFL coach?  Can he adapt his philosophy to the NFL as ALL NFL defensive coaches will counter what he is doing forcing him to change?

 

Like the coach in Philly, unless you have a franchise QB, it doesn't matter what you run.

 

To me, I don't like this move.  Let someone else take a chance on him.  If we did bring him in I assume we would also have a personnel acquisition GM bringing in talent, which to me, is the most important.

 

This stuff is already being ran in the NFL to some extent, Briles just pushes it to the max. 

[Boss_Hogg]

I'm more concerned with the media **** storm after Briles is hired. RGIII is gonna be labeled as the HHH of the Redskins.

[Gibbs Hog Heaven]

Thanks LL man, 

 

Like I said in the preface, I'm FAR from an X's and O's guy. As much as I try to be, the nuances end up frustrating me too much.  .

 

So going off what I've seen and taken from Baylor with my own eyes the past few years, allied to reading different articles on Art over the duration, it means a LOT coming from one of you guys that ARE proficient in this regard. 

 

My eyes aren't deceiving me after all. 

I'm more concerned with the media **** storm after Briles is hired. RGIII is gonna be labeled as the HHH of the Redskins.

 

And if we lock ourselves away in RP, work our tails off through the spring and summer, and come out winning, WTF cares what the mediots write?

 

One things for darn sure, they'll be nothing coming OUT of our house like there has been to enable them. 

 

Hail. 

[skinfan2k]

The earliest we would be able to hire Briles would be Thursday or Friday.  Their bowl game is on Wednesday 

[LadySkinsFan]

I like an offensive philosophy that won't cave to NFL defensive coaches trying to defeat the offense.  I'm tired of seeing our offenses getting pushed back behind the LOS instead of attacking.  That is what offense is: attack.  Not try to recover after the defensive line and linebackers are in the QB's face 2 seconds after the snap.

 

An offense that will give multiple options to advance the ball, either on the ground or in the air is a good offense in my opinion.

 

Also, I think Robert was very restricted in what he was allowed to execute on the field, IOW, not a lot of options.  Granted he wasn't as mobile as last year before injury; however, it just seemed to me that with a depleted WR corps and an OLine that resembled a turnstile, he just didn't have options available to him.  And why Davis wasn't played more after Reed was injured is beyond me.  It's like Shanahan wanted him (Robert) to fail.

 

I want to see POSITIVE on the field.  I want to see both sides of the ball attack, for the offense to advance and the defense to push back.

 

What if Briles and his OC Montgomery were hired, with Montgomery being groomed to be HC?  I think we'd be a better team.

 

Or fresh blood like O'Brien.  Either coach seems very innovative and we need a fresh perspective.

[ThomasRoane]

I could go into the fact that every offense is figured out in the off season leaving OC's scrambling to adjust and figure out what to do next.  It will happen with Chip Kelly as it has with every other hot shot OC to come into the league. I could go on about how the Air raid, spread etc is all about using a QB's running ability to stress the defense and force them into the looks you want and how an NFL QB can't take that kind of punishment. 

 

But that would take too long.  So here it is in a nut shell.  Does Robert Griffin the Third look like an NFL QB to you?  Even the most hard core fan must agree he has a lot to learn.  Briles didn't do anything to prepare him for the NFL.  It was so bad that Kyle had to scrap an NFL offense last year and give him a simple one read offense. 

 

Yet you somehow think Briles is going to amass the wealth of knowledge required to defeat DCs week in and week out that are mostly better than Nick Saban at shutting teams down?  And what about the rest of the team?  If Robert gets hurt again what then?  You don't hire a coach for one player.  You hire him to coach the team!

 

Briles would be an epic failure in DC.  He could possibly work out with another team in a small market.  But the DMV media and fans would eat that guy alive.

[wilco_holland]

I think the off would work, but I think it would be a bad idea. Just because of the RGIII-Briles connection. The media will always bring it up over and over again. I´m so done with the drama.

 

Good breakdown GHH, thank you for that. 

[Gibbs Hog Heaven]

I think the off would work, but I think it would be a bad idea. Just because of the RGIII-Briles connection. The media will always bring it up over and over again. I´m so done with the drama.

 

Good breakdown GHH, thank you for that. 

 

YW man. 

 

See, the only real qualm I'd have about any Robert/ Briles link would be if it caused any problems within the locker room. If, say, most of the players would be isolated and think the move was specifically for Robert etc, then obviously it would be a no-go. 

 

But I tend to believe as soon as they'd get to sit down and listen to his philosophy, they'd all be buying into it. And once the wins started happening, there'd be no turning back. 

 

The media stuff is immaterial if your successful. 

 

Hail. 

[Redskins Life]

Since Briles doesn't even have a play book, it will take no time for our players as well as the opposition to figure it out. This idea is an epic failure in the making.

[darrelgreenie]

Can this unproven commodity be an NFL coach?  Can he adapt his philosophy to the NFL

These are questions only time and opportunity can answer for any coach from college coach to SB winning coach you just never know. Chip Kelly never coached a second in the NFL he is having success right now in his first year with a back-up QB and thin WRs group. We have a former 2 time SB winning coach and are struggling. You don't know until you know.

 

...as ALL NFL defensive coaches will counter what he is doing forcing him to change?

His concepts are sound. The concepts within Briles offense are used in the NFL right now. Spread, Zone-read, Air-Raid, Up-tempo, Aggresive playcalling, Vertical passing. But the other offenses are dilettantes where Briles is a believer.

 

Like the coach in Philly, unless you have a franchise QB, it doesn't matter what you run.

I don't think its a longshot to say Griffin, who had one of the best rookie seasons in history, will become a franchise QB.

But even if you don't regard Robert Griffin/Cousins as franchise caliber QBs

Chip Kelly did not have a franchise QB either. I am a bigger Mike Vick  fan the most but I wouldn't call him a franchise. Decent? Good at times great when healthy? Sure, but history will tell you dude can't stay healthy even when his career as a starter depends on it.

 Chip Kelly is having success with another regimes project QB. Kelly made Foles into the QB he is now. If Foles is viewed as a franchise QB its through Kelly's coaching/system.

Chip Kelly is a good example because his offense is similar to Briles except Brile pushed the envelope even more. Briles is pass-first (but still balanced in terms of run/pass ratio) and Briles has a more developed passing game then Kelly, he's also more aggressive in the passing game more, he's more spread (extreme WR splits like GHH mentioned) he's even more up-tempo and up-tempo isn't just about gameplay speed its about practice speed, its about coaching style. But I digress....

[Lavarleap56]

 I could go on about how the Air raid, spread etc is all about using a QB's running ability to stress the defense and force them into the looks you want and how an NFL QB can't take that kind of punishment. 

 

 

Go into it because you are wrong.. 

 

 

But that would take too long.  So here it is in a nut shell.  Does Robert Griffin the Third look like an NFL QB to you?  Even the most hard core fan must agree he has a lot to learn.  Briles didn't do anything to prepare him for the NFL.  It was so bad that Kyle had to scrap an NFL offense last year and give him a simple one read offense. 

 

 

Baylors' offense isn't simple and it isn't a 1 read offense. In fact is has multiple reads and multiple package play options that the QB decides to execute post snap. Kyle & Mike only implemented a few Baylor concepts that they could marry with the Redskins run game. You saw the Skins use Baylor stuff in New Orleans, and after that Kyle went off in his own direction since the Shanahans' have their own philosophies and are not interested in changing it. 

 

Yet you somehow think Briles is going to amass the wealth of knowledge required to defeat DCs week in and week out that are mostly better than Nick Saban at shutting teams down?  And what about the rest of the team?  If Robert gets hurt again what then?  You don't hire a coach for one player.  You hire him to coach the team!

 

 

Football isn't that complicated and it evolves over time, comes down to teaching and execution. Briles can beat a team into submission with his run game or blow them out of the stadium with his pass game. Pretty dynamic system.

 

Briles has had success with a lot of different types of QB's. He fits the offense around the strength of his QB, always has and always will. 

Since Briles doesn't even have a play book, it will take no time for our players as well as the opposition to figure it out. This idea is an epic failure in the making.

 

LMAO.. Learn something bro.

[BRAVEONAWARPATH]

YW man. 

 

See, the only real qualm I'd have about any Robert/ Briles link would be if it caused any problems within the locker room. If, say, most of the players would be isolated and think the move was specifically for Robert etc, then obviously it would be a no-go. 

 

But I tend to believe as soon as they'd get to sit down and listen to his philosophy, they'd all be buying into it. And once the wins started happening, there'd be no turning back. 

If the reports are true Briles has already considered this and is prepared for it.

 

You know where I stand GHH.

 

Briles or bust.

[Lavarleap56]

Amazing to think this man draws plays up in the dirt lol..

 

[Gibbs Hog Heaven]

Go into it because you are wrong.. 

 

......

 

You know it never ceases to amaze me how you put something up to try educate folk that are clearly misinformed. (Which is fine. Nobody expects everyone to spend time watching college ball or reading up on a guy.). But darn, to then completely ignore that and ignorantly continue on takes the biscuit. 

 

Don't go dissing a guy if you can't be bothered to take the time to find out about him and what he does. 

 

Hail.