"So how do you stop the spread? Speed. If a defense has fast linebackers able to quickly read and react to what the running game is doing and can quickly drop into pass coverage, the offense will have a hard time generating any rhythm. Get to the quarterback with your fast front seven and you disrupt everything. Talented cornerbacks who can handle receivers without too much safety help can be a nightmare for spread offenses. Did Alex Smith and Utah face any defenses with tremendous speed? Not really, and you saw the results." From CFN, they break it down some more and here is the LINK but it sounds like Urban and Florida will have some serious problems in the lightning fast SEC. And against all the speed we have I hope they fall on their face. That was one thing I really liked about Saban, he always recruited speed because he knew it was the one thing that can't be coached. I hope Fl. and their savior get their ass handed to them.
Nothing can beat the speed of the National Sports Media to Urban's jock. These journalists are really starting to blow my mind (they are good at blowing). Almost every single media clown has slept with Urban Meyer on the first date - some of them didn't even go to dinner and a movie first. It begs the question once again, Since when does a "system" and small school success (after an abortion of a coaching career at Notre Dame) translate into a first year SEC National Championship contender? I don't care if he spreads his offense from Key West to Pensacola - I don't care if he brings Fabio out to proclaim, "I can't believe it's not butta - it's Uhbahn Maya spread offense." Who's offense is that? It's the Spread! What's the Spread? The Spread's Dead, Baby, the Spread's Dead... The only thing Urban will be spreading in Tiger Stadium are his ass cheeks when we put our foot in it...
I can't wait to see him try that little shovel pass. Cam Vaughn, EJ Kuale, and co. are going to eat that up.
Even Nick had an adjustment period coming into the speed of the SEC from the Big-10. Les Miles will likely have one coming from the Big-12. No way Myers comes into the SEC from his former conference and hits the ground running.
The SEC doesn't have a lock on speed... that myth died about ten years ago. Ask Florida if they were faster than Iowa in the Outback. Show me two receivers this year with more speed than Ted Ginn, Jr. and Santonio Holmes at Ohio State. We have two linebackers, both in the 240 lb range that run 4.45 40's. Ask Tennessee if they were faster than ND last year. The SEC is a great conference, don't get me wrong... very tough... but to think you have a speed advantage anymore is old age thinking.
i think the thought process is we're definitely faster in the SEC than let's say the Mountain West, where Urban coached last year. And yes, I realize that he'll have faster horses on offense as well at UF. Speaking of speed in the big 10, i remember watching tim dwight. he was sick. hawker, is he still with the sand diego super chargers???
Tim Dwight was cut by San Diego in February.... guess who picked him up... the New England Tigers... I mean Pats!!! Hope he's still got some juice left. He was relentless... with speed to burn. Thanks for asking!!
Ask Big 10 champ Illinois in the Sugar Bowl in 2001. The speed advantage might not be what all of us think, but thats what most of us are going by. Though it hasn't translated into a football advantage yet, LSU's Xavier Carter and Bennie Brazelle are the fastest 2 recievers on the same team without a doubt. Bennie was in the olympics last year, and X is the 2005 SEC Men's Indoor Runner of the Year. They might not be as productive as Ohio State's, but they're definitely faster.
You do have some speed burners... perhaps the fastest in the country... my point was only that there is not a distinguishable gap anymore. Woody Hayes has been gone a long time, styles change. Speed is a funny thing... two years ago Ferentz was asked how he was going to handle Michigan's speed burners. He said, "I don't care if they run 4.2 40's as long as we can get to their QB in 4.1". I'd match the speed and quickness of Iowa's DL and LB's against any team in the country. There's a whole lotta teams with speed.... on both O and D. On Illinois, or IllinoiZZ as Zook now calls them, we hope their team and their "worst fans in America" never get another chance to embarrass themselves in a bowl game.
I'm not saying they're not fast- I don't remember LSU having a huge speed advantage in Cap 1 bowl (although I don't remember too much from that game- I had just turned 21 and was taking full advantage of being able to buy beer), I'm just saying that based on the Illinois game 3 years ago, and michigan looking like they had cement blocks on their feet against USC and UT in the last 2 rose bowls, which are 3 of the last few times we've seen any big-10 vs. another big team from a big conference, there was a visible speed advantage. I'm not saying the advantage is there, I'm just saying that the 3 of the last 4 Big-10 champs (besides Ohio State in 2002) were considerably slower than their opponents, and thats all most people outside of the Big-10 have to judge by. I think the Texas-Ohio St. game this year will be a pretty good guage on the speed difference.
