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

[zoony]

I hear that and understand where you are coming from but I wonder how many fans were really upset with the Head Coaching hires when they were made.

I remember mostly everyone being on board when Marty,Spurrier, Gibbs,and Shanahan were hired. Think the reaction to Zorn was somewhat positive that they hired a perceived up and comer, but my Zorn memories are fuzzy after "Maroon and Black".

So I don't think hiring is the issue but rather building around who is hired.

Snyder wanted to strip the GM from Marty before the season even started and firing him is his worst mistake to date. Who had a problem with Gibbs running the show even with Vinny as a watchdog?

I would like for them to hire a GM and work the process but I don't think that is realistic right now. Think we might see Bruce move around to a new role and Doug Williams join the front office, maybe Morroco gets a new title but that's probably it.

The wild card is AJ Smith. He's on the payroll as a consultant and he was rarely seen at Ashburn pre-Shanahan ESPN Leak gate/Chiefs game. But since then he has been around the facility a lot per C.Cooley. So he is either helping Dan & Bruce put together a list of HC candidates OR he's preparing for a bigger role in the organization. But would fans really like AJ Smith? I wouldn't mind but fans hated when he was even hired as a consultant.

Yeah, projecting Lineman is out of my wheelhouse lol

I have supported every head coaching decision made because that's what fans do.

This decision will be handled differently. If the process of getting the next head coach is the correct one I will be all for it, no matter the name. If its more of Snyder's Redskins1 Jet-Setting Shenanigans, I will not support it in the least. So far the Briles possibility sounds like exactly that. But a lot remains to be seen

As for AJ Smith, I would actually like him in a player personnel roll but with ultimate GM duties assigned to someone else. Hell, he's better than anything we've had since 1998. I hope Redskins fans keep that in perspective when they bash him

[21 always]

Rene team to the RG3's or RG3's coddle .... Dumbest move ever will be to hire briles. All non rg3 named players will know that he is the diva here and he will be the only one with a say.

[darrelgreenie]

..................If Art Briles comes to Washington....................

There are so many football falsehoods/mistakes in this point I don't know where to begin. But then I realized that I would just waste my time responding because you don't respond back.

Suffice it to say I disagee with most of your points.

[Mania]

21 Always,

That is a ridiculous comment. The only reason you don't want Briles as the hc is the way it is going to be perceived in the media. Hypothetically speaking, you wouldn't want Bill O'Brien if rg3 went to Penn State.

You have to go after the best man for the job. You can't let the media have any say in hiring the coach. Btw, ou don't have any proof that rg3 is a diva. This is all media driven and completely inaccurate. Rg3 is a very intelligent hard working player that we are lucky enough to have on our favorite football team. He will only be as successful as the team around him. Th skins and GM Ned to hire the BEST people for that job. You make rg3 successful, you make the entire team successful.

Briles is my 2nd choice next to OBrien and after we select a GM.

There are so many football falsehoods/mistakes in this point I don't know where to begin. But then I realized that I would just waste my time responding because you don't respond back.

Suffice it to say I disagee with most of your points.

You wouldn't be wasting your time. I'd like to hear your thoughts in relation to TRs post.

[darrelgreenie]

Boy if we end up with him I hope the "score on every play" bit is just some coach bravado.

Why?

The fundamental characteristic of the air raid play design appears to be spreading recievers over more of the field than the defense can cover. One potential challenge is that the field is the same size for 12 year olds as it is for the NFL. And at every level the defenses can cover more of the field.

First, his offense isn't just 'air raid'. Its wrong to pigeon hole or reduce any offense to one concept. And Briles offense like any coach is more then just 1 thing. There are some good posts and a good OP about Briles offense if you have any questions.

I'm just not sure what you're trying to say with 'spreading receivers over more of the field than the defense can cover' I really don't know what you mean. I would love to address your point though but I'm not sure what you're trying to say.

If you are saying that there is less working space in an NFL field then a college field, I would agree.

Do I agree that poses a problem for Briles offense? No not all.

[TouchdownSkin]

Am I dreaming or did I read Briles just signed a new contract????

Great thread. I love thinking about the future without the Shanny family.

[Redskins Diehard]

Why? If someone thinks that every play in the NFL should have touchdown as the goal then there really isn't much discussion to be had. That maybe works in pop warner. All kinds of scenarios where touchdown should not be the objective of a play call.

[darrelgreenie]

1.  To make Art's Offense work in the NFL he needs to overwhelm defenses with receivers that can win 1v1........Art can recruit but can he draft?

lol, no. EVERY offense in the NFL requires receivers to win 1 vs 1, literally every offense. The closest analogue to Briles offense in the NFL right now is Eagles/Kelly. Their WRs are: DeSean Jackson, Riley Cooper and Jason Avant. Yet that offense is #2 in yards and #2 in points. Our WRs right now are on par if not better then the Eagles WRs.

 

2.  The QB in Spread and Air Raid concept will have to run when teams drop 7 in coverage.  That exposes him to contact out of the pocket.  Hell, even Foles runs at times!

You are mixing your concepts up again. Nick Foles runs because of zone-read NOT because of Spread or Air-raid which do NOT require there QBs to run. And where do you get the notion that Spread/Air-Raid QBs have to run when teams drop 7 in coverage? I would love to hear it, because I've never heard it nor seen it from Spread/Air-raid offenses. At first I wasn't sure but now I know that Air Raid doesn't means what you think it means.

 

2...cont

You were all over the place with the rest of your 'point' here. But obviously Briles, like Kelly, will not running the exact same offense he did at Baylor. The concepts will have to be translated into a functional NFL version. The rest of the assumptions you make are flat out wrong. And its stupid to blame Briles for a pass Griffin threw in week ~14.

 

 

3.  Pace of the game.  It's all well and good to think a team can just go pedal to the metal and operate at a high rate of tempo the entire game.....That fast pace is not sustainable.  Kelly even figured that out and has had to slow things down for his own guys to catch up this year; and almost cost him the game vs our Redskins twice. 

You really like to make assumptions. We don't know the exact pace but there is no doubt that Briles offense will be uptempo/no-huddle often. But there is really no argument to be made here because NFL teams are successfully going up tempo ALREADY Patriots, Broncos, Eagles, Bills are all up-tempo and many other teams are trying to install a larger package of up-tempo from the Chargers to the Ravens to Packers to the Dolphins. Lol, I would say the opposite is true because the Eagles took the foot of the gas in the first Eagles game we were able to sneak back in at the end.

 

4.  There's no such thing as some magic system that is impossible to decipher. 

 Yah don't say? Entire section is a giant strawman.

 

The bottom line for success comes down to playmakers....I like the spread concepts for High School and even college.  It's easy to teach and execute.  But also easy to defend once you figure out who the playmakers are.  Make the offense get the ball to less talented players and take your chances.  Send pressure with different looks and make the QB move his feet and run.  Last year it worked because RG III was a threat running. 

Its hard to take your posts seriously when you can't even get Briles offense right, you keep enter changing concepts that aren't interchangeable and you keep throwing out empty platitudes like 'success comes down to playmakers'. Last year 'it' worked for several reasons but last year we did not run spread or air raid or zone-read. Last year the offense was pistol formation, base personnel, read-option (specifically 'dive' option). And if Briles offense or Kelly's offense was so easy to stop why aren't defenses able to stop it? In college or in the NFL?

 

These sound like the same excuses I heard in Chip Kelly thread where everyone was so sure his concepts wouldn't work in the NFL.

[darrelgreenie]

Why? If someone thinks that every play in the NFL should have touchdown as the goal then there really isn't much discussion to be had. That maybe works in pop warner. All kinds of scenarios where touchdown should not be the objective of a play call.

C'mon brosef for real? And why play the semmantics game? His quote states his view clearly.

Do you honestly think there is something wrong with the offensive mindset of trying to score on every play?

[Redskins Diehard]

Chip Kelly's concepts have gotten him to the same place we were last year. I believe the eagles are playing for a 10--6 record right? I'd hardly christen his "concepts" as anything different than our "concepts" from last year. All we need is to throw in "player personnel" and we can sound exactly like an ESPN parrot

Yes, there is something wrong with thinking every play should score. Especially for someone whose philosophy is repetition more than anything.

[Voice_of_Reason]

I think the only issue is the perception in the locker room that RGIII's relationship with the owner got him his preferred coach.

If thars the case, then it's a problem. You need the rest of the guys on the team to rally around

The QB.

If RGIII "loses the locker room" then bad things will happen, regardless if how great Briles is.

If you could guarantee that the rest of the players would react ok, then I think it would be ok.

[elkabong82]

I'd only be on board with AJ Smith if Allen was the contracts guy, not that I have ant say in the matter. AJ Smith alienates players and lost Brees, LT, VJax for nothing. He almost lost Gates as well. He couldn't get along with Marty, then again not sure how many people get along with Marty. Fires a coach after going 14-2 and hires Norv Turner and kept him a couple years too long.

I'm not overly excited about the possibility of AJ Smith.

 

Yeah that's why I'd want Bruce to stay on in a higher role, like Pres of OPs to overrule with contracts and player retention so we don't wind up losing stars due to tight pockets. I think in that role Bruce would counter AJ's weaknesses. I still prefer Brown, but AJ does have a lot of positives in his track record.

[darrelgreenie]

Chip Kelly's concepts have gotten him to the same place we were last year. I believe the eagles are playing for a 10--6 record right? I'd hardly christen his "concepts" as anything different than our "concepts" from last year. All we need is to throw in "player personnel" and we can sound exactly like an ESPN parrot

Yes, there is something wrong with thinking every play should score. Especially for someone whose philosophy is repetition more than anything.

Anyone who thinks Kelly's concepts are the same as our concepts last year is someone who imho doesn't understand football. Hey, I could be wrong but that's the vibe I get from you and several other posters in this thread. We're all Redskins fans here, maybe having a pure Xs and Os discussion is a bridge to far. Either way happy holidays. I'm done.

 

HTTR-Renascentia

[Newera]

Do you honestly think that would ever happen? Lol

 

He may not mean it.   It changes the perception that he is a Griffin hire.

No thanks. I don't need the QB picking our next coach. Let the/a GM do his job or RG3 will be dubbed "the coach killer" and that's the last thing the Redskins need!

 

Thus if Briles comes -- he should immediately dispel the "Griffin Effect."   Even if it's perception. No favortism.   Plus, Bryce Petty (His qb now) is putting up identical to better numbers at Baylor then Griffin.  Proving he can win with any type of qb. Which, I think is a good thing.   He's more then just Robert Griffin.  He is Baylors success.

[Lavarleap56]

 If you and LL (and his insider buddy Fred Davis) 

 

Don't talk about things you have no idea about.And the rest of that post is so flawed it isn't worth responding to,

[zilla92]

Great thread GHH, very very well done.

 

There is one simple thing people have to remember. Because of Robert's personality and charisma, there will always be some kind of drama. Whether is is being concocted by the media, fanbase, or whatever, it will always be there. It doesn't matter if we hire Briles or not. It will always be "Robert's fault" if things are not 100 percent perfect. Is it fair? No. It's not fair. But that is the nature of the business I guess. So if they say it is Rob's "Hire" so be it. Who cares? Winning is the only thing we all want. If Briles is the best option to get the most out of this team and Robert, so be it. Hire him. I truly believe Robert will be back with a vengeance next year anyway. This year may have been a blessing in disguise anyway. He got to have some humble pie, see the worst side of this business, and learn. He will work harder all off-season as a pocket passer, leader, etc., and he will only get better from this debacle of a season. Let's get this off-season started right. Fire this staff. Hire whoever is the best fit for this organization. I think Briles is that guy. He is a motivator, innovator, and seems ready to move up to the big leagues.

 

That said, I want a feared defense again, an in your face, smash you, scare the hell out of offenses defense like we had when Sean was alive. So if Briles is the guy, I just hope he brings in a DC who guys will run through a wall for, who isn't afraid to be bold, and can ADJUST during a game.

 

Hail.

[nemocystem]

this calling protection thing is well overblown imho.  a year ago RGIII was calling protection & hot-route audibles all over the place & suddenly it seems like his license was stripped.  at times RGIII looked to me like he was being instructed to do things very specifically...almost to test whether he was "coachable" & to see if he could stick to the offense in the same way D'Antoni might try with Kobe.  only players are meant to make plays & trying to force them into a tiny box made of titanium with no malleability is assassination.  the constant running of 2-man routes, the lack of any actual audibles being called at the LOS throughout the entire year, combined with how many times you could visibly see disgust with him & the other players at the play-calling itself all point as significant reasons why Shanahans certainly hampered RGIII's ability to succeed.

 

who knows...maybe their point was to force him to deal with adversity & still stay steadfast in cooperation with the system.  maybe they were trying to push RGIII out in favor of KC.  or maybe they simply didn't have faith in him enough to hand him full control of the offense because of his missed time in preparation for the scheme during the offseason.  

 

either way....KC coming in & calling audibles right off the bat are not evidence to me of RGIII's inability to read defenses pre-snap.  on the contrary....it all further cements my belief that he was severely directed or instructed to perform the offense in a specific way for some reason or another & because he's such a willing & coachable player he simply did as he was instructed.

 

to those who would point out the contrary, i only need to reference the fact that EVERYSINGLETIME we ran a spread concept with up-tempo & gave RGIII full control of the offense....not only was he successful, but he ::GASP:: CALLED AUDIBLES AT THE LOS!?!?!?!  every time...EVERY SINGLE T-I-M-E-.....not sometimes.  all 100% of every time. all the time. E-V-A-R.

 

FOR-EV-AR.

 

so wait....you mean he ran an offense with 2-man routes over 85% of the time they ran a pass play the ENTIRE SEASON (excluding garbage time) & he called maybe 17 audibles & we ran 6 drives or so of full on spread concepts in up-tempo style & he called over 18 or so audibles!!!???!?!?!?!?  but somehow this is RGIII not understanding how to read NFL defenses?  

 

stop it....just stop.  please stop telling me that we're running the same offense when i see KC constantly run plays with 4-5 man routes on about 70% of the pass plays he runs...INCLUDING STRETCH-19 BOOTS.  i can see for myself.  KC is not running this same offense...he clearly has WAAAAAAYYYYYY more operational control of the offense....& he STILL makes nearly the same exact reads within each play that RGIII has all year.  

 

the main difference?  RGIII's accuracy has clearly taken a dip THIS SEASON ONLY because of his return from injury, & he is actually much quicker to run this season than last...most likely to do with his confidence in the pocket with the injury & also the fact that IT DOESN'T TAKE A GENIUS TO LOOK AT 2 GUYS BEFORE REALIZING THE PLAY IS EFFED!!! oh...& defenses haven't yet grown too keen on KC's tells as they have with Robert.  although i don't think his tells will be nearly the same issue once he regains his 100% form.

 

my thing with Briles is simple....i see a man who incorporates a system where reading & understanding defenses is actually a mandatory skillset for all skills position players.  you can't tell me that all he's done is go out & grab a bunch of guys at WR that NOBODY IN THE STATE OF TEXAS OR THE SEC was also able to find or out-recruit to their school.   that's just asinine.  he's obviously coached them up & most likely is running as system that is successful beyond its talent-level.  the thing that translates to the NFL for guys like Terrence Williams & Josh Gordon is that they are really good at reading the next step based on what the defense is giving them.  

 

the Briles system is predicated on not just the QB seeing the field pre-snap, but all skills position players being able to make the right read from their unique perspective.  this is indicated within his own quotes where he speaks of all angles of the field needing to be covered & perceived properly.  if a QB is meant to read & react anyways...they why tell him that he needs to look for a z-4, x-5, or y-7 & hit the open man anyways when he's still going to need to look for the open man regardless?  instead...if the Z-man sees a LB undercutting the slant-option while the DB is laying off, the why not slant-fly to hit that sweet-spot?  if the Y is reading the same thing from the slot, then why not seam route or 10-yard curl depending on the safety?  the QB NEEDS TO SEE THE OPEN MAN ANYWAYS.

 

the timing routes are becoming obsolete at this point with teams beginning to emphasize more contact at the LOS (see: SEA having 12 8'7" DB's on their roster & preaching "foul until they call it"), & running 7 men into coverage on the regular.  

 

the Briles system becomes more like a free-flowing Barcelona, or Arsenal team on offense with players moving into space based on the actions of the defenders in zone coverage.  then....if a team goes man, they spell their own doom with the run-game or RGIII having the ability to take-off at any time vs that coverage.  there's nothing straighforward about his offense, but that's the beauty of it.  it also rids one of the trifles of predictability that many offenses endure as players are consistently making reads on the fly...therefore ridding the system of predictable methodology altogether.

 

much like life...as Briles puts it.

 

far be it from me to try to educate the more educated posters on here about how an offense is meant to work......i'm just tired of people not seeming to be able to grasp the simplicity of his system's complexity.  maybe it's because i watch so much soccer that it's so plain for me to see....i just can't see why it's so hard to grasp.  i guess that's why his system is so successful in a tore-down, po-dunk school in a talent-rich conference riddled with the unfortunate ailment of high-quality coaching.  they sure got that figured out quickly.

[Gibbs Hog Heaven]

GHH You said you've been watching for 30 years. I've been playing and coaching for over 30 years. And as someone who actually runs some of the spread concepts I think I have a better idea of the strengths and weaknesses than someone who's just watched it. .....

I would certainly hope you know FAR more about X's and O's man with that experience within the game.

But with the greatest of respect, you have little to no grasp of what's going on down in Waco and the concepts Briles has adapted to his vision on how this game should be played.

Hail.

[Gibbs Hog Heaven]

nemocystem,

I LOVE the soccer analogys you made. Many won't understand and appreciate, but from someone who's club has been built for the last 54 years since Shanks walked through the door in '59 on the simple concept of pass and move, find space and make the ball do all the work; the comparison to similar ideals in. North London and Catalonia is a great one.

Real good overall post man.

Hail.

[Gibbs Hog Heaven]

.....

 

Hey Coach, 

 

Would it be possible for you to ask around the press corps today to see what if anything they've heard on Briles?

 

Please. For moi. *Smiles REAL sweet. Pretty please. 

 

Hail. 

[KDawg]

Hey Coach,

Would it be possible for you to ask around the press corps today to see what if anything they've heard on Briles?

Please. For moi. *Smiles REAL sweet. Pretty please.

Hail.

Talked to guys last night. They're on the same page I am. Shanahan is the head coach until he's not. And then no one really knows. Keep on mind Baylor's bowl game is Thursday, so we couldn't talk to him until late Thurs/Friday at the earliest.

[Gibbs Hog Heaven]

No one really knows huh? Roll on Monday and we can finally take this forward.

 

Cheers man. Appreciated. 

 

Hail. 

[KingGibbs]

Not sure how I feel about Briles. but it's Shaw and O'Brien or bust for me. Yes, I know Shaw said no to the NFL and yes, I know O'Brien is linked to the Texans.

 

 

Edit-The reason I'm not sold on Briles is because how the hire would be perceived by III's teammates. IMO there's friction between them and III as it is already. Inmate running the asylum is what I would compare this to.

[Skinsfan_13]

Hiring Briles would be the worst thing this franchise could do. I don't think Snyder is that stupid.

[KDawg]

No one really knows huh? Roll on Monday and we can finally take this forward.

Cheers man. Appreciated.

Hail.

The general feeling is IF, I stress IF, he's removed, it may stretch out through the week due to a few factors. But again, no one really knows.