Shawn Watson Expected To Be Named Offensive Coordinator
by Mike Rutherford on Jan 14, 2012 2:04 AM EST
in Football
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PrintAccording to C.L. Brown, Charlie Strong will name Shawn Watson as his offensive coordinator instead of making an outside hire.
Watson served as U of L's quarterback coach last season, but called the plays during the team's final eight games after offensive coordinator Mike Sanford left the program. He had previously served as the offensive coordinator at both Nebraska (2007-2010) and Colorado (2000-2005).
There had been talk that Strong was looking at LSU assistant Billy Gonzales to fill the role, but Gonzales accepted the OC position at Illinois earlier this week.
Tight ends coach is now the lone vacancy on Strong's 2012 staff.
Watson already received a healthy dose of criticism from Louisville fans last year, and he has to know that expectations are high heading into a 2012 season with so many returning players at key positions. If the team struggles early on, then there's little doubt in which direction the initial fingers will be pointed.
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charlie knows best!
Anyone know what type of offense he ran before he got here?
by BirdsWithTeeth! on Jan 14, 2012 2:41 AM EST via mobile reply actions
Spread
He ran the spread option at Nebraska.
by gocardsguy on Jan 14, 2012 3:35 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
Thanks. I figured....
I just hope we play to our strengths next season. Which is teddy and our WRs. I do think we will see a more fine tuned system with watson getting a full preseason.
by BirdsWithTeeth! on Jan 14, 2012 4:16 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
Watson is a WCO (West Coast Offense) guy. Obviously he has integrated some spread option stuff into his play book. That’s mainly why, if you noticed, there were very few designed running plays for Bridgewater last season. Most often Bridgewater only ran when he had to.
True
I should have pointed out that he ran a more traditional offense before he got a running QB there. Hopefully that is a sign that with a full offseason he can adjust his offense.
by gocardsguy on Jan 14, 2012 9:43 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
Yep
I’m hoping that the extra time will help him smooth things out. Borbely being in charge of the running game is really weird to me though.
My hope is that we didn't really see a change when he took over because they didn't want to change offenses in the middle of the season.
I mean we did start scoring a lot more points, but I really hope we get a new system. Current one is not very good.
Strong = SEC
We’re probably not going to see a lot of pizzazz and razzle dazzle and flinging the ball all over God’s creation as long as Strong is the coach. He’s going to rely on defense and the power game on offense. He has given no indication in 2 years that he likes it any other way. Forget a return to the Petrino days of scoring on nearly every possession. This is going to be a ball control, time-eating team, in my opinion. SEC comes to the Big East. I trust the man.
I did like seeing a shift to more passing as the season progressed, especially on 1st down.
Didn’t understand those 4th and 1 running calls with Vic, but who knows who actually called them. Just hope he recognizes that the strength of this team is Teddy and our wide receivers, so the ball in Teddy’s hands rolling out seems to give us the most good options. Hope to see more of that. Also think that an aggressive passing game is the best way to open up the running game for a team like ours.
by Carolina Cardinal on Jan 14, 2012 8:07 AM EST up reply actions
According to CL, Dave Borbely will coordinate the running game, Watson passing
Smells like more of the same to me, running-wise.
by UL is my hot hot sex on Jan 14, 2012 9:33 AM EST up reply actions
I cain’t be havin with all these ding doodle flam floozin new fangled forward passes all over the place dagnabbit! A pitch and a hand-off were good nuff fer my ole granpappy and it’ll be good enough by cracky!
by twistedenglish77 on Jan 14, 2012 8:26 AM EST up reply actions
Hey, what the hell are you doing using my picture without permission????????????
by Carolina Cardinal on Jan 14, 2012 8:36 AM EST up reply actions
Well,
I figured it couldn’t make you any grumpier.
by twistedenglish77 on Jan 14, 2012 8:49 AM EST up reply actions
Not excited
There is a reason Nebraska let go of him.
Charlie knows what he is doing though, but Watson will have no excuse this coming season.
by Louisvillegocards on Jan 14, 2012 7:35 AM EST via mobile reply actions
Charlie might not give OCs free reigns...
Might be why there was a rift between him and Sanford.
GO! CARDS!
BEAT!
PURDUE!
I was kind of hoping that CardsRuleBE would get the job, and I could be his overpaid, seldom used assistant.
After all, he was the first I recall pointing out our offensive problems. And after he pointed it out, I was like a dog on a sock. We’d be a pretty good team.
Send check to ……………
by Carolina Cardinal on Jan 14, 2012 9:26 AM EST reply actions
And...
The dive remains in style.
Remember the Beef Bowl!
by HorsePig55 on Jan 14, 2012 9:47 AM EST via iPhone app reply actions
I’m not entirely understanding of the hate heaped on Watson this season. Play calling this season was hampered by a freshman QB and an o-line that couldn’t block a blitzing nun if they had to. The o-line got better as the season went on but they still weren’t great by the end of the season. Then they got exposed in the Belk Bowl.
As others have pointed out, we are going to be an SEC-style team. A fast, fundamentally sound defense and a pound-you running team that throws the ball opportunistically. That my friends is a philosophy that will wind the BE on a regular basis and put us in the upper echelon of the Big 12, should we make that move.
Putting your team in position to win > attempting to play "big boy" football
Some feel there was too much emphasis on schemes that would never be successful with the personnel available (last season). Easy to second guess a green head coach, I suppose.
by UL is my hot hot sex on Jan 14, 2012 9:55 AM EST up reply actions
SEC does not just mean run the ball down your throat..
Tebow, newton, stafford, russel, crackhead from ark last year. Yes I know some of the ran ab 1/2 the time though. Teddy is not big enough to take a season long pounding.
But I know what your getting at.
by BirdsWithTeeth! on Jan 14, 2012 10:06 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
Well Tebow is a FB playing the QB position. Newton was a special talent that could both throw and run equally well but was big enough to take the pounding of running the football. If by “crackhead” you mean Ryan Mallett, well lets just say I doubt Bobby Petrino every wins the SEC as long as he’s at Ark. His offense gets the tar knocked out of them whenever they face LSU and Bama.
Its the same for Big 12 offenses. They destroy each other in track meets in conference but when they get to the Cotton Bowl against a top tier SEC defense, the get beat up and don’t score as many points.
As U of L fans if we want to get to a BCS game, much less have a chance of winning it then we’re going to have to let go of the “Petrino track meet offense” days and embrace SEC-style football.
Are you saying Petrino's UofL teams couldn't win today's Big East?
We’ll have to agree to disagree.
"I am willing to donate to the charity that is working on the prevention of whatever the hell Dick Vitale has." - noobmaster
I’m not ever sure where you got that idea from in my post. I said his Arkansas team will never win the SEC.
As U of L fans if we want to get to a BCS game, much less have a chance of winning it then we’re going to have to let go of the "Petrino track meet offense" days and embrace SEC-style football.
"I am willing to donate to the charity that is working on the prevention of whatever the hell Dick Vitale has." - noobmaster
Agree with all except the pound-you running game
I saw a video of a coach explaining the wide receiver screen and the swing pass to the running back. He said something I thought was very interesting. He said they looked at these plays just like a running play (especially the swing pass) as all they were doing was giving the ball to a back or receiver by tossing it to him, rather than handing it to him. He said the big advantage was that he gets the ball out in space where he can used his athletic ability to work on a linebacker or a corner one on one with some room to maneuver, instead of in the middle of the line with 5-7 defenders to deal with. Seemed to make a lot of sense to me. And with the problems of our offensive line that you pointed out, it took much of our poor blocking up front a moot point. That’s why those short quick passes netted more than double the yardage for us than the running plays.
by Carolina Cardinal on Jan 14, 2012 10:00 AM EST reply actions
Why the delay?
Is the reason Watson wasn’t named OC immediately after the season because Strong went after Billy Gonzalez, but Gonzalez ended up at Illinois? Is Watson Plan B?
It just seems like this sort of announcement would have come immediately after the season (or on January 3 at the latest) if it had been the plan all along. Anyone know?
by CardinalFanaticus on Jan 14, 2012 10:04 AM EST reply actions
Disappointed
This was not the news I was hoping to receive.
Wait, Watson was quarterbacks coach, right?
And now he’s the OC, but tight ends coach is the lone vacancy?
So who’s the new QBs coach?
"I am willing to donate to the charity that is working on the prevention of whatever the hell Dick Vitale has." - noobmaster
Good question, assuming C.L.'s sources are accurate
Sanford was the TE coach in addition to being the OC before he was sacked. Sounds like C.L. is assuming they’re leaving Watson in charge of QBs for continuity and/or recruiting reasons, which means they will likely hire a TE (only) position coach. For reference, Greg Nord was the TE coach from ‘98-’02 before taking on additional duties like RBs & then recruiting. As a position coach, Watson actually has experience coaching TEs (Illinois, SIU, Nebraska) but is arguably best utilized as OC & QBs coach, a shared duty title he held at Nebraska & Colorado.
The more concerning aspect of this news, if true, is the split running/passing game coordinators. Would be interesting to see how that dynamic works during in-game situations.
by UL is my hot hot sex on Jan 15, 2012 6:25 PM EST up reply actions
How common is it to split these running/passing coordinator duties? Any other teams doing it?
by Carolina Cardinal on Jan 15, 2012 6:31 PM EST up reply actions
Yes, teams like LSU, Chicago Bears & even UK have had "passing game" coordinators
After some light research, my understanding is that the OC still makes all the play calls during games but the run game coordinator will create their respective scheme/plays & work with RB/OL coaches (in this case Borbely is the OL coach) developing said scheme/plays in practice. Hope Watson & Borbely are friends.
by UL is my hot hot sex on Jan 15, 2012 7:34 PM EST up reply actions
very informative, thanks
"I am willing to donate to the charity that is working on the prevention of whatever the hell Dick Vitale has." - noobmaster
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