Buffy and Willow Fan Fiction You Must Read

The following are links to many stories focused on the Buffy Summers/Willow Rosenberg (FemSlash) relationship fan fiction wise from the TV show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Author: Mad Hamlet
Story: Spectrum Series (27 Chapters). Warning: Includes Rape

Author: Shyfox and Kirayoshi
Story: Sappho’s Spell Series. Arguably the most known Wiffy fan fic story.

Author: Alicorn
Story: Switcheroony (32 Chapters). Includes Faith as key aspect of storyline.

Author: Crys Loch
Story: The Game Series (11 Chapters). Warning: Involves S&M.

Author: Crys Loch
Story: Vampire Stories (3 Chapters). Warning: Includes threesome with Xander Harris.

Author: Jin Hayte
Story: Just Another (Christmas) Day. One Shot.

Author: Howard Russell
Story: The Morning After. Cute ficlet.

Author: Rin
Story: New and Old: Part 1 of the memorable Red series written by Rin. Making Things Perfect: Part 2 of Red series. Everything I Ever Wanted: Part 3 of Red series. Start of a New Life: Part 4 of Red series. Hey, Baby: Part 5 of Red series. Welcome Home: Part 6 of Red series.

Author: Rebelrsr
Story: Simple Choices (38 Chapters). Fic Challenge.

Author: Boo (Willow’sBoo)
Story: Stones In the Road (7 Chapters).

Author: DawnBTVS
Story: Reveal (34 Chapters).

Author: Cilia
Story: The Complex Lives of Cheerleaders and Quarterbacks (12 Chapters).

Author: Chimera Bloom
Story: Scroll to bottom. Starts with You Used To Be Mine, Part 1.

Author: Exiled-Away
Story: Afterlife Happens (11 Chapters).

Author: Papa Bear
Story: Everyone Else Could See It (3 Chapters).

Author: Papa Bear
Story: Life Is Short (7 Chapters).

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Is The Perfect Pop Song Really 2:42?

Many tongue-in-cheek posts and comments make reference to the ideal pop song length. That length is a very short, brisk, and concise 2 minutes and 42 seconds as pointed out by Josh Allen and John Scalzi in a much earlier entry.

I’m just as happy as the next guy to listen to a Metallica song go roaring for over 5 minutes or throw in a jazz piece by Miles Davis that seemingly transcends time forever. But let’s face facts, many songs are arguably just too long to be appreciated. An artist just has to repeat a refrain six times or throw in a bridge, an extended break down, and then repeat the verse/chorus one final time as if the listener didn’t already hear this and its impact will be that much more than the first two times.

The La’s – There She Goes is often argued as the perfect pop song. The video itself stretches out to 2:48 and it’s hard to not see the greatness of that song. Infectious, memorable, and short to the point that you can listen to it twice in the span of time it takes for other songs to finish.

Just take note of the following list of songs around the 2:42 mark. I’ll bet you’re already humming half of these.

Note that all song lengths are taken from All Music.

1959 – Chuck Berry: Johnny B. Goode – 2:38
1963 – The Beatles: Money (That’s What I Want) – 2:51
1963 – The Beach Boys: Surfin’ USA – 2:31
1964 – The Beach Boys: I Get Around (Live Concert Version) – 2:42
1965 – The Temptations: My Girl – 2:42
1966 – Nancy Sinatra: These Boots Are Made For Walking – 2:42
1966 – The Beatles: Taxman – 2:38
1966 – The Mamas and The Papas: California Dreamin’ – 2:32
1966 – The Troggs: Wild Thing – 2:37
1967 – Cream: Strange Brew – 2:50
1967 – Cream: Tales of Brave Ulysses – 2:49
1967 – Jimi Hendrix: Fire – 2:45
1967 – Sandie Shaw: (There’s) Always Something To Remind Me – 2:40
1968 – Equals: Baby Come Back – 2:39
1968 – The Beatles: Happiness Is A Warm Gun – 2:44
1969 – The Archies: Sugar, Sugar – 2:48
1971 – Black Sabbath: Paranoid – 2:50
1978 – Buzzcocks: Ever Fallen In Love? – 2:42
1980 – Motorhead: Ace of Spades – 2:49
1989 – Nirvana: About A Girl – 2:48
1990 – The La’s: There She Goes – 2:42
1993 – The Breeders: Divine Hammer – 2:42
1994 – Weezer: Buddy Holly – 2:40
1997 – Green Day: Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) – 2:34
1999 – Blink 182: All The Small Things – 2:48
2005 – Dropkick Murphys – I’m Shipping Up To Boston – 2:33

That’s a really strong list of songs that range from roughly 2:30 to 2:50 in song length. Also note that several classic pop songs come in at exactly 2:42 on the nose.

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Halloween Events To Check Out In New England

While it may not even be the middle of September, everybody knows that Halloween will be coming right around the corner. With that comes scare events, haunted tours, and a bevy of interesting Halloween based events.

What: The Haunted Graveyard at Lake Compounce
Where: Middleton, Connecticut
When: October 2nd – October 31st. Open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Times are Dusk-Midnight (Fri-Sat) and Dusk-10 PM (Sun).
Prices: Haunted Graveyard and Rides = Adult – $29.99, Kids (Under 12) – $20.99. Haunted Graveyard Only = Adult – $19.99, Kids (Under 12) – $13.99. Rides Only = Adult – $17.99, Kids (Under 12) – $12.99.

What: Fortress of Nightmares w/Ghost Hunt with members from RISEUP
Where: Fort Adams, Rhode Island
When: October 23rd – October 25th and October 30th – November 1st. Start times at 7:00 PM with ticket sales from 6:30 – 9:00 PM.
Prices: Ghost Hunt & Tunnel of Terror = $15.00. Ghost Hunt Only = $10.00. Tunnel of Terror Only = $15.00.

What: Nautical Nightmares Tour
Where: Mystic Seaport, Connecticut
When: October 16th – October 18th, October 23rd – October 25th, and October 30th – October 31st. Start at 6:15 PM and leave every 15 minutes.
Prices: Adult = $19.00. Youth (4-18) = $18.00.

What: Rhode Island International Horror Film Festival
Where: Providence, Rhode Island. The showings will occur at the Columbus Theatre Arts Center, the Cable Car Cinema, the Bell Street Chapel, the Providence Public Library Campus, The Narragansett Theatre in Narragansett, and the Courthouse Center for the Arts in Kingston.
When: October 22nd – October 25th
Prices: All = $10.00.

What: Portsmouth Haunted Pub Tour
Where: Portsmouth, New Hampshire
When: Sunday Tours = October 4th, 11th, 18th, and 25th at 2:00 PM. Tuesday Tours = October 20th and 27th at 6:00 PM.
Prices: All = $29.00

What: York Village Shadows of the Past Tour
Where: York Village, Maine.
When: October 21st at 7:00 PM
Prices: Adults = $12.00, Children = $8.00.

What: Legends, Ghosts, and Graves Tour
Where: Portsmouth, New Hampshire
When: October 3rd, 10th, 17th, and 30th at 7:00 PM
Prices: Adults = $20.00, Children (Under 12) = $10.00

The following are haunted locations one can stay at or visit if they desire during Halloween week.

What: The Lighthouse Inn Resort
Where: New London, Connecticut

What: Captain Grant’s Inn
Where: Preston, Connecticut

What: Colonial Inn – Room 24
Where: Concord, Massachusetts

What: Penny House Inn & Spa
Where: Eastham, Massachusetts (Cape Cod)

What: Brass Lantern Inn
Where: Stowe, Vermont

What: The Golden Stage Inn
Where: Cavendish, Vermont

What: Coffin House Restaurant
Where: Nantucket, Massachusetts (Cape Cod)

What: Salisbury Beach
Where: Salisbury Beach is located on Route 1A in Essex County. From I-95, take exit 58 towards Salisbury/Amesbury onto Route 110 and follow the signs to Salisbury Beach.

What: Bucksport Cemetery
Where: The cemetery is located off of Maine Street/Highway 1 in Bucksport, in Hancock County.

What: Massacre Pond
Where: Massacre Pond is located in the Scarborough Beach State Park on 416 Black Point Road in Cumberland County.

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Importance of Fantasy Football League Scoring

Everybody knows that in order to win a fantasy football league, an owner has to have a great draft, scour the waiver wire, make shrewd trades, and get lucky on later round picks. What many fantasy owners attempt but fail to do well is cater to their league’s scoring when it comes to the initial fantasy draft. Following is an example of how scoring can affect QBs who all put up similar statistics. Note that the stats used are from the 2008 season.

Scoring 1: 1 point per 25 passing, 6 pts per TD, -3 per INT, 1 point per 10 rushing, 6 points per TD. In this scoring set up, Eli Manning is fairly close to Garrard while the drop off from Eli to Orton is steep.
- David Garrard: 240.00 FP
- Eli Manning: 232.52 FP
- Kyle Orton: 213.78 FP
- Matt Schaub: 200.52 FP
- Jake Delhomme: 199.62 FP

Scoring 2: 1 point per 20 passing, 4 points per TD, -1 per INT, 1 point per 10 rushing, 6 points per TD. In this scoring setup, Garrard runs away from everybody else.
- David Garrard: 272.20 FP
- Eli Manning: 242.90 FP
- Kyle Orton: 231.50 FP
- Jake Delhomme: 226.50 FP
- Matt Schaub: 220.95 FP

Scoring 3: 1 point per 25 passing, 6 points per TD, 1 point per 10 rushing, 6 points per TD. Again, there’s a drop off but all the quarterbacks get an overall boost with Garrard again pulling away from the other three.
- David Garrard: 279.00 FP
- Eli Manning: 262.52 FP
- Kyle Orton: 249.78 FP
- Jake Delhomme: 235.62 FP
- Matt Schaub: 230.52 FP

Scoring 4: 1 point per 20 passing, 6 points per TD, -2 per INT, 5 points for 300 yards bonus, 1 point per 10 rushing, 6 points per TD. While Garrard again runs away, Schaub is suddenly a better option than Orton in this type of scoring format. Note that Delhomme finishes well last.
- David Garrard: 299.20 FP
- Eli Manning: 279.90 FP
- Matt Schaub: 260.95 FP
- Kyle Orton: 260.50 FP
- Jake Delhomme: 244.50 FP

In just looking at 4 different scoring formats, you see a wide range of values. Garrard, in 3 of them, runs away while Eli Manning is a fairly close option in the first scoring setup. Jake Delhomme manages to outscore Matt Schaub in 2 formats and Matt Schaub outscores Kyle Orton in 1 format.

When you draft for your fantasy football league, make sure you know your leagues scoring and who will benefit from it (and who won’t) not just at QB but at all positions.

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A Look At the 40 Yard Dash

I stumbled upon this article: 40 Yard Dash History and came upon several interesting quotes which I’ll look at piece by piece.

“They can take somebody who runs a 4.65 and get him down to a 4.55 — and sometimes even better than that,” says Gil Brandt, the Cowboys personnel chief from 1960 to ‘88 who works for Sirius Satellite Radio and NFL.com.

It’s noteworthy that the NFL Combine is well known for as of late, being electronically timed. This isn’t more on display than comparing RB Chris “Beanie” Wells who was coming out of Ohio State. At the Combine, he ran a “slow” 4.59 by most scouts. However, at his official Pro Day, he ran at the lowest range, a 4.46 on an admittedly fast track. So even if scouts tooks Wells’ slowest time, he still ran 0.13 faster than he did at the NFL Combine.

“So at the end of the 1960 season, we sat down and worked out a 40-20-10 formula. Everyone would run a 40, but there would be 20- and 10-yard splits. We used the 20-yard split for offensive linemen because how often do they have to run 40 yards in a game? And we used the 10-yard split for wide receivers, in an effort to gauge their burst of speed off the line.”

This is very eye opening as well, especially in regards to wide receivers. Let’s compare several notable receivers from the 2005 NFL Combine, some busts, some worked out great. The first number is the 40, the second number is the 20, and the 3rd number is the 10.

Mark Clayton: 4.40 – 2.59 – 1.55
Chris Henry: 4.50 – 2.68 – 1.64
Vincent Jackson: 4.46 – 2.63 – 1.57
Mike Williams: 4.56 – 2.70 – 1.66
Troy Williamson: 4.32 – 2.57 – 1.58

If you look at the above players, you’d say that Troy Williamson had a hell of a 40 yard dash and was a flat out burner, right? Well, if you look a little bit deeper, you’ll notice that Mark Clayton had a similar 20 yard split and that both Mark Clayton and Vincent Jackson had faster 10 yard splits. Very rarely does a WR come off the line of scrimmage without some physical contact, so that 10 yard split turns out to be much more important as it’s the difference between separation deep and a CB keeping up.

Let’s compare it to RBs, who often make their living with “big plays” of 20-30 yard runs game after game. Here, we see the 10 yard split (and 20 yard split) is just as vital for a RB who needs an explosive start and needs to hit top speed immediately.

J.J. Arrington: 4.40 – 2.62 – 1.58
Ronnie Brown: 4.43 – 2.63 – 1.50
Ryan Grant: 4.43 – 2.65 – 1.57
Brandon Jacobs: 4.56 – 2.72 – 1.69
Darren Sproles: 4.47 – 2.62 – 1.55
Carnell Williams: 4.43 – 2.61 – 1.58

Note that both Ronnie Brown and Darren Sproles are explosively fast within 10 yards while Carnell Williams and Ryan Grant are both very good within 10 and 20 yards. Sproles had the 2nd slowest 40 but the 2nd fastest 10 yard split among this group. Brandon Jacobs’ size means his 40 would still be “exceptional” but you see how limited he can be when you look at his splits.

“Jerry Rice was an example of that in later years,” Brandt says. “He ran in the low 4.60s at the combine — not a stellar time — but with his equipment on, he probably ran faster than some of the players who would have beaten him in shorts. He was just so strong he carried his equipment well.”

This has been a long lament among some NFL fans who follow the NFL Combine, wishing that the players would be forced to run in full pads to better display how they “carry their equipment” and better show how true their on field speed is. There’s the old adage that some players play faster (or slower) on the field and that is just as true now as it was before.

“A slow timer will get a guy in 4.47, whereas a fast timer will get him in 4.42. And that 500th of a second could have to do with how someone uses his stopwatch.”

This is worth noting, especially with the recent spate of reports of college football players running in the 4.2 range (Chris Johnson ran a 4.24 at the NFL Combine) such as Miami WR Sam Shields who was supposedly timed at 4.2. QB Terrell Pryor out of Ohio State was timed at a 4.33. For comparison, ESPN reported that QB Michael Vick ran a 4.36 at his 2001 Mini Camp.

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Comparing QB Ratings From Rookie To Sophomore Season

A case is often made about rookie quarterbacks settling down after their first season and stepping up in their second season. Media pundits often talk about sophomore slumps but the data below seems to prove that for a QB, much more often than not, they take a big leap forward. Such news bolds well for QBs like JaMarcus Russell, Matt Cassel, Aaron Rodgers, Matt Ryan, and Joe Flacco who all started their first full seasons last year. Note that the Year 1/Year 2 reflect full starting seasons (min. 10 games started) for a more complete, accurate picture (see Kyle Orton as one example of a stretch in between Y1 and Y2).

Troy Aikman
- Year 1 QB Rating: 55.7
- Year 2 QB Rating: 66.6 (+10.90)

Ken Anderson
- Year 1 QB Rating: 74.0
- Year 2 QB Rating: 81.2 (+7.2)

Tony Banks
- Year 1 QB Rating: 71.0
- Year 2 QB Rating: 71.5 (+0.50)

Charlie Batch
- Year 1 QB Rating: 83.5
- Year 2 QB Rating: 84.1 (+0.6)

Drew Bledsoe
- Year 1 QB Rating: 65.0
- Year 2 QB Rating: 73.6 (+8.6)

Kyle Boller
- Year 1 QB Rating: 62.4
- Year 2 QB Rating: 70.9 (+8.5)

Terry Bradshaw
- Year 1 QB Rating: 30.4
- Year 2 QB Rating: 59.7 (+29.3)

Tom Brady
- Year 1 QB Rating: 86.5
- Year 2 QB Rating: 85.7 (-0.8)

Drew Brees
- Year 1 QB Rating: 76.9
- Year 2 QB Rating: 67.5 (-9.4)

Mark Brunell
- Year 1 QB Rating: 82.6
- Year 2 QB Rating: 84.0 (+1.4)

Marc Bulger
- Year 1 QB Rating: 81.4
- Year 2 QB Rating: 93.7 (+12.3)

Jason Campbell
- Year 1 QB Rating: 77.6
- Year 2 QB Rating: 84.3 (+6.7)

David Carr
- Year 1 QB Rating: 62.8
- Year 2 QB Rating: 69.5 (+6.7)

Kerry Collins
- Year 1 QB Rating: 61.9
- Year 2 QB Rating: 79.4 (+17.5)

Tim Couch
- Year 1 QB Rating: 73.2
- Year 2 QB Rating: 77.3 (+4.1)

Daunte Culpepper
- Year 1 QB Rating: 98.0
- Year 2 QB Rating: 83.3 (-14.7)

Jay Cutler
- Year 1 QB Rating: 88.5
- Year 2 QB Rating: 88.1 (-0.4)

Jake Delhomme
- Year 1 QB Rating: 80.6
- Year 2 QB Rating: 87.3 (+6.7)

Trent Edwards
- Year 1 QB Rating: 70.4
- Year 2 QB Rating: 85.4 (+15.0)

John Elway
- Year 1 QB Rating: 54.9
- Year 2 QB Rating: 76.8 (+21.9)

Jeff Garcia
- Year 1 QB Rating: 77.9
- Year 2 QB Rating: 97.6 (+19.7)

David Garrard
- Year 1 QB Rating: 80.5
- Year 2 QB Rating: 102.2 (+21.7)

Otto Graham
- Year 1 QB Rating: 64.7
- Year 2 QB Rating: 79.2 (+14.5)

Bob Griese
- Year 1 QB Rating: 61.6
- Year 2 QB Rating: 75.7 (+14.1)

Brian Griese
- Year 1 QB Rating: 75.6
- Year 2 QB Rating: 102.9 (+27.3)

Joey Harrington
- Year 1 QB Rating: 59.9
- Year 2 QB Rating: 63.9 (+4.0)

Matt Hasselbeck
- Year 1 QB Rating: 87.8
- Year 2 QB Rating: 88.8 (+1.0)

Jim Kelly
- Year 1 QB Rating: 83.3
- Year 2 QB Rating: 83.8 (+0.5)

Jon Kitna
- Year 1 QB Rating: 77.7
- Year 2 QB Rating: 75.6 (-2.1)

Byron Leftwich
- Year 1 QB Rating: 73.0
- Year 2 QB Rating: 82.2 (+9.2)

Eli Manning
- Year 1 QB Rating: 75.9
- Year 2 QB Rating: 77.0 (+1.1)

Peyton Manning
- Year 1 QB Rating: 71.2
- Year 2 QB Rating: 90.7 (+19.5)

Dan Marino
- Year 1 QB Rating: 96.0
- Year 2 QB Rating: 108.9 (+12.9)

Donovan McNabb
- Year 1 QB Rating: 77.8
- Year 2 QB Rating: 84.3 (+6.5)

Steve McNair
- Year 1 QB Rating: 70.4
- Year 2 QB Rating: 80.1 (+9.7)

Warren Moon
- Year 1 QB Rating: 76.9
- Year 2 QB Rating: 68.5 (-8.4)

Joe Montana
- Year 1 QB Rating: 87.8
- Year 2 QB Rating: 88.4 (+0.6)

Kyle Orton
- Year 1 QB Rating: 59.7
- Year 2 QB Rating: 79.6 (+19.9)

Carson Palmer
- Year 1 QB Rating: 77.3
- Year 2 QB Rating: 101.1 (+23.8)

Chad Pennington
- Year 1 QB Rating: 104.2
- Year 2 QB Rating: 91.0 (-13.2)

Jake Plummer
- Year 1 QB Rating: 73.1
- Year 2 QB Rating: 75.0 (+1.9)

Philip Rivers
- Year 1 QB Rating: 92.0
- Year 2 QB Rating: 82.4 (-9.6)

Ben Roethlisberger
- Year 1 QB Rating: 98.1
- Year 2 QB Rating: 98.6 (+0.5)

Tony Romo
- Year 1 QB Rating: 95.1
- Year 2 QB Rating: 97.4 (+2.3)

Matt Schaub
- Year 1 QB Rating: 87.2
- Year 2 QB Rating: 92.7 (+5.5)

Phil Simms
- Year 1 QB Rating: 66.0
- Year 2 QB Rating: 58.9 (-7.1)

Roger Staubach
- Year 1 QB Rating: 104.8
- Year 2 QB Rating: 94.6 (-10.2)

Fran Tarkenton
- Year 1 QB Rating: 74.7
- Year 2 QB Rating: 66.9 (-7.8)

Vinny Testaverde
- Year 1 QB Rating: 68.9
- Year 2 QB Rating: 75.6 (+6.7)

Johnny Unitas
- Year 1 QB Rating: 74.0
- Year 2 QB Rating: 88.0 (+14.0)

Michael Vick
- Year 1 QB Rating: 81.6
- Year 2 QB Rating: 78.1 (-3.5)

Kurt Warner
- Year 1 QB Rating: 109.2
- Year 2 QB Rating: 98.3 (-10.9)

Vince Young
- Year 1 QB Rating: 66.7
- Year 2 QB Rating: 71.1 (+4.4)

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Best NFL Receiver Over Past 2 Seasons

Here’s a table comparing arguably the top receivers and how they’ve produced over the 2007 and 2008 seasons combined. Note that these are not in order of who I think is the best (although Randy Moss would be my top choice). Who would you pick as the top receiver of the past two seasons?

Player Starts Catches Yards TD
Randy Moss 32 167 2501 34
Larry Fitzgerald 31 196 2840 22
Anquan Boldin 22 160 1891 20
Roddy White 30 171 2584 13
Steve Smith 29 165 2423 13
Greg Jennings 28 133 2212 21
Terrell Owens 31 150 2407 25
Torry Holt 30 157 1985 10
Hines Ward 28 152 1775 14
Chad Ochocinco 26 146 1980 12
Brandon Marshall 31 206 2590 13
Lee Evans 32 118 1866 8
Reggie Wayne 32 186 2652 16
Wes Welker 27 223 2340 11
Dwayne Bowe 31 156 2017 12
Andre Johnson 25 175 2426 16
T.J. Houshmanzadeh 30 204 2047 16
Antonio Bryant 28 123 1981 10
Santana Moss 30 140 1852 9
Calvin Johnson 26 126 2087 16
Braylon Edwards 32 135 2162 19
Santonio Holmes 28 107 1763 13

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Links and Quotes Regarding the Spread Offense

ESPN’s Tim Griffin Interviews Missouri Offensive Coordinator David Yost

How do you think those things will be changing this season without Maclin and Coffman?

DY: We feel like there will be a lot of catches to go around and we tell that to our recruits. Sure, Maclin caught 102 balls last year, but a couple of other guys had 60 catches for us. Three years ago, four guys had 60 catches. It’s whatever you have, you can take advantage of. But look at [tailback] Derrick Washington. He’s not just a guy who catches screens or flares. He goes out and runs a lot of routes. But this year, we’ll be using a receiver-by-committee plan. We should have six-to-eight guys capable of catching 40-to-70 balls. We’ll run a little more. We’ve got more guys who can help get us a little faster. And we’ll be getting back to the kind of offense where we have a lot of interchangeable parts.

What specifically do you guys demand from your receivers?

DY: You line up with five guys [receivers] and we stress after they get the ball in their hands that they can make something happen. We want a guy who runs with a purpose. And since we don’t line up with a tight end on every play, we really value blocking among our receivers, too. Our H and Y [receiving positions] have to be high-level blockers.

ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg Interviews Penn State Head Coach Joe Paterno

Second year of this system. Are you able to do a lot more with the offense now with an experienced quarterback, an experienced running back, or is it going to be a wait-and-see thing?

JP: But the one thing about our offense is we’re able to do some things to keep it simple for the offensive line, but it puts more pressure on your wideouts and your running backs to line up in different places and different formations, those kinds of things.

Scout.com Randy Moore Talks With Mississippi State Head Coach Dan Mullen

DM: Through personnel and through formations, we want to create advantageous one-on-one matchups, where I get a player in the open field matched up against someone that he’s better than. That’s the Spread Offense, the offense we’re going to run.

DM: You don’t have to be five receivers or four receivers to run a Spread Offense. You can run it with three backs, two tight ends, get in the wishbone formation one time and spread the field to create the matchups the next time.

DM: If you take our playbook, only 60 percent of it applies to the given team you have. What we have to do is make sure we pick the right 60 percent of it to apply to the personnel that we have, then use that 60 percent to the best of our ability and have our players execute at a high level.

ESPN’s Chris Low Talks With Mississippi State Head Coach Dan Mullen

What type of player are you looking for at the skill positions?

DM: The first thing we look for is a guy who’s multi-talented, a guy that can play a crossover position or hybrid position. You want a receiver who can also line up at tailback or a tailback who can flex into the slot or move up to the fullback position.

Q & A with Auburn Tight End Tommy Trott

What’s the offense going to look like under Gus (Malzahn)?

TT: I think you’ll see from the offense that we use the run to set up the pass a little bit more. In coach Malzahn’s offense we’ll have much more of a downfield running attack.

Where do you see yourself in the offense?

TT: Coach Malzahn’s told me that 25 percent of the game will probably have a tight end in there with his actual hand on the ground. He says hopefully I’ll give them the ability to split me out some into the slot and even out there to a wide receiver. It’s very demanding for a tight end in this offense to split out and get all the way wide and get open and avoid coverage and then at the same time put his hand on the ground.

ESPN’s Brian Bennett Talks With South Florida Offensive Coordinator Mike Canales

Can you tell us about the role of the receivers in the spread?

MC: The biggest thing I look for with receivers in the spread offense is, they’ve got to be able to block. It’s so crucial to the success of the run game, because you’re going to get to that second level of defenders, and if you get the running back to that position you need to create angles.

People think throw-throw-throw with the spread, but as a coordinator, what I tell our receivers is, you’re not getting on the field if you don’t block. These guys are basically your fullbacks down the field, but they’re not built like fullbacks.

How difficult is it for receivers to learn the proper spacing and timing in this offense?

MC: We talk all the time about minimum, normal and maximum splits and how it fits the scheme. We teach it so they understand the full scheme. People have been describing us as a “Spread Coast,” because it’s a spread with West Coast concepts.

The spread creates favorable matchups of receivers against linebackers and safeties, but doesn’t that also mean that smaller wideouts have to block much bigger guys sometimes?

MC: I tell our guys that the big thing is just to get in the way and become a nuisance. Get in their chops, try to hand battle and get in a position to create leverage. It’s not about being so aggressive and making a block too early. It’s about getting in position for a back to make a move off it.

ESPN’s Ted Miller Talks With Arizona Offensive Coordinator Sonny Dykes

Is there a fundamental difference in the way you guys line up versus Oregon and the spreads that are more of a spread-option running attack?

SD: What we’re doing here is kind of a combination of both. We double call a lot of stuff, so depending on how many people are in the box, we’re going to throw it when we’ve got good numbers and run it when we’ve got good numbers to run it. That’s really what Tech is doing but they are more inclined to throw it.

What is your base formation?

SD: Now, we’ll be a little bit more of a two-back team because of [H-back] Chris Gronkowski. We’ll be a mixture really. So our base formation will be with a tight end and a fullback, which is a little bit more old style football.

So that’s the big difference between you guys and Texas Tech — the fullback and tight end are just role players for the Red Raiders, right?

SD: Our offense has evolved and a lot of it is because of Robbie. We started running some power and a little bit more of a downhill run game just because he can block a defensive end at a point of attack. We’re evolving. We’re probably a little bit more like Oregon now than Texas Tech, just because of our ability and need to run the football.

How about with receivers? Does the spread require different things out of them than if you were lining up in a pro-style set?

SD: If you run the ball, guys are going to try to sneak more guys in the box. When they do that, you need to find a way to get the ball on the perimeter, whether it’s throwing the [bubble screens] or whatever, to try to get the ball away from the guys packing the box.

If you’re going to run 35 times a game, you need receivers to block well. But, in general, does a spread receiver need to be a better blocker than a pro-style receiver?

SD: I think so because of the screens. A lot of that stuff maybe forces them to be more effective blockers. Our guys are really just trying to get in the way more.

One way guys recruit against spread teams is they tell recruits that if they play in a spread offense they are not going to get the respect from the NFL in the draft. What do you say to that?

SD: I think anytime a quarterback can drop back and throw the football, that’s important. All that does is make him better, whether he does it under center or out of the shotgun. I don’t see how a quarterback can be faulted when he takes a snap, avoids a rush, shuffles in the pocket, goes through reads, finds a receiver, throws an accurate ball, and does all the things you have to do to drop back and throw. I don’t see how he becomes a better quarterback by being under center and handing it to a running back.

ESPN’s Heather Dinich Talks With Georgia Tech Head Coach Paul Johnson

How are the receivers’ responsibilities different?

PJ: I don’t know that they are. What they may call their [Urban Meyer, Rich Rodriguez] receivers sometimes we call A-backs. Their slot receivers are like our A-backs. Most of the time we’re lined up tighter, not always. We change formations, and those guys are in the same spots.

Why do you think then, that most college football fans, when they think of your offense, probably don’t automatically think of what Urban Meyer and Rich Rodriquez do?

PJ: Because one is under the gun and the other is under the center.

That’s it?

PJ: Yeah, and most fans, quite honestly, couldn’t tell you what plays they ran out of the gun. It’s like anything else — if you’re successful and you have big plays, then it’s great. If you’re not moving the ball and you’re not scoring then it’s no good. If you look at last year with what Rich did at Michigan, it’s the same offense they ran at West Virginia, but it was a learning process, different personnel and they didn’t have near the success. In fact they had very little success. But nobody was questioning whether it would work or not. As soon as we have one game where we don’t score 30 points, boy it’s like, I told you this wouldn’t work, everybody figured it out. That’s what drives you nuts.

Because it’s going to be the second year, a lot of players feel so much more comfortable in the system, would you like to pass it more?

PJ: If we become more efficient at running the ball, then the passing game will open up because people will say we have to play the run.

Is there anything else I didn’t ask you that would help explain any misconceptions about the offense to fans?

PJ: If you execute it properly it’s going to be good, and if you don’t, it won’t. There are no magic ways to line up and play the offense. There’s nothing magical about the offense. If we don’t block people and execute right, it’s not going to work. It’s no different than the BYU passing or anything else. It’s a system and if you do it correctly you’ll be successful and if not you won’t. We’ve done it for 26 years. It’s not like it was a one-time thing. I get a kick out of people saying, ‘Well they’ll have another year of defending it.’ Gosh, they’ve got 25 years, and we haven’t changed much.

ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg Talks With Indiana Offensive Coordinator Matt Canada

Do the responsibilities of the wide receivers change in the spread offense versus a more conventional scheme?

MC: In the spread, it’s more of a quick-passing game, you’ve got more of the screens.

From a blocking standpoint, is there anything unique about the spread as far as responsibilities?

MC: Obviously in the spread, you’re going to have more wideout screens and screens down the field. They’re going to have to block those more, but I don’t think there’s any good wideout that wouldn’t be able to do that.

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2008 College Football: Adjusted Net Yards Per Attempt On Offense

Pro-Football-Reference has a stat called Adjusted Net Yards Per Attempt, a statistic that has good correlation with winning football games when above the average (note that this post doesn’t include defenses that held teams below average). The formula is: (Pass Yards + 20*(TD) – 45*(INT) – Sack Yards) / (Attempts + Sacks). Here are how the college football teams did with this statistic in the 2008 season. A number over 7.0 is very good while a number over 8.0 is amazing. It’s no surprise that several teams in the National Championship race (Oklahoma, Florida, Texas, Georgia, Texas Tech, USC) all did really well.

1: Oklahoma: 10.29
2: Florida: 9.64
3: Tulsa: 9.22
4: Oklahoma State: 9.21
5: Texas: 8.86
6: Ball State: 8.83
7: Rice: 8.63
8: Georgia: 8.57
9: Houston: 8.56
10: Texas Tech: 8.52
Southern California: 8.49
Boise State: 8.36
Penn State: 8.30
Missouri: 7.86
Nebraska: 7.86
Brigham Young: 7.74
Rutgers: 7.44
Mississippi: 7.42
Central Michigan: 7.39
Utah: 7.32
Western Michigan: 7.28
Texas El Paso: 7.27
Kansas: 7.19
Arizona: 7.10
Kansas State: 7.04
Nevada Las Vegas: 6.90
Air Force: 6.75
Illinois: 6.72
Buffalo: 6.70
Nevada: 6.62
Baylor: 6.52
North Carolina: 6.49
Navy: 6.44
Florida International: 6.41
Florida Atlantic: 6.36
Cincinnati: 6.30
Ohio State: 6.24
Arkansas State: 6.20
Southern Miss: 6.19
East Carolina: 6.18
Oregon State: 6.18
Middle Tennessee State: 6.12
Oregon: 6.11
Iowa State: 6.08
Texas Christian: 6.04
Fresno State: 6.04
Bowling Green: 6.02
West Virginia: 5.97
Colorado State: 5.97
Memphis: 5.94
Ohio: 5.92
Texas A&M: 5.88
South Florida: 5.88
Notre Dame: 5.87
Troy: 5.87
Iowa: 5.85
Akron: 5.81
Louisiana Lafayette: 5.80
Minnesota: 5.79
New Mexico State: 5.76
Temple: 5.66
Alabama: 5.66
Eastern Michigan: 5.57
Michigan State: 5.55
Wisconsin: 5.55
Wake Forest: 5.53
California: 5.46
Northern Illinois: 5.42
Louisiana Monroe: 5.37
North Carolina State: 5.36
Georgia Tech: 5.35
Kent State: 5.31
Arizona State: 5.28
Maryland: 5.15
Toledo: 5.11
Southern Methodist: 5.07
Clemson: 5.05
San Diego State: 5.03
Pittsburgh: 5.00
Arkansas: 4.97
Louisiana State: 4.94
Utah State: 4.93
Purdue: 4.91
Hawaii: 4.86
Florida State: 4.77
Northwestern: 4.73
Louisville: 4.72
Tulane: 4.70
Duke: 4.67
Marshall: 4.67
Indiana: 4.49
UAB: 4.48
Miami Ohio: 4.44
Louisiana Tech: 4.37
Colorado: 4.35
San Jose State: 4.35
Miami: 4.31
Kentucky: 4.19
Boston College: 4.15
North Texas: 4.09
Tennessee: 4.01
Stanford: 3.94
Auburn: 3.87
South Carolina: 3.77
Idaho: 3.75
Mississippi State: 3.58
Virginia Tech: 3.54
Michigan: 3.54
Syracuse: 3.53
Virginia: 3.49
Vanderbilt: 3.33
UCLA: 3.10
Connecticut: 3.09
New Mexico: 3.05
Washington: 2.91
Central Florida: 2.62
Wyoming: 2.34
Army: 2.03
Washington State: 1.86

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Texas Tech Air Raid Offense: Intelligence Required

Here are a handful of quotes and paraphrased quotes in regards to Mike Leach’s Air Raid Offense at Texas Tech. At the bottom will be a list of resources.

“He has two blocking reads to make even before he can think about going out for a pass.” – QB Cody Hodges on RB Taurean Henderson.

“Leach wants all four of his receivers to have 1,000-yard seasons and his running back to have 1,000 yards rushing and receiving.”

“In all, Hodges said, there are no more than 25 primary passing plays, but each can be run using five different formations. The challenge is for the quarterback to know when to switch plays at the line of scrimmage.”

“The key, Leach said, is running the same play again and again, almost a monotonous routine.”

“Most people think we run 50 different plays, but when it comes down to it, and you’re watching the tape, it’s like six different plays but in a lot of different formations.” – G Manny Fernandez

“We just make sure that we run our certain plays the way we’re supposed to and we run them accurately.” – WR Joel Filani

“Most teams run 70 plays in a game; Tech runs 90.”

“It took more than three minutes to explain what goes through his head in a single play. ‘Go x, y, f to the flat because no one is over there because they’re all trying to stop this guy. And he runs right over and we complete the pass and we’re about to get some yards there.’ Asked in how many seconds he does that, Harrell said, ‘I don’t know, two seconds?”

“We’ll take what they give us and be happy with that.” – QB Kliff Kingsbury

“The running back’s got to be able to catch in this offense.” – QB Kliff Kingsbury

“In the Air Raid, the quarterback is given the responsibility of calling the plays at the line.”

“The system can be adjusted to fit a team’s strengths, but the offense’s 50-play ‘call-sheet’ usually stays short. For every three or four plays that get added, another three or four get taken out.”

“The Z receiving position primarily runs the deep threat patterns. The Y receiver is one of two inside receiver positions that primarily take care of the shorter yardage routes including curls, slants and outs. When the quarterback is in trouble, the Y is usually the first direction that he looks. The H-back uses his speed and elusiveness to turn the nickel and/or dime corner inside out. The H TE is the only skill position that doesn’t catch a fair number of passes. The player at this position is a very good run blocker and physical pass blocker, who is willing to assist the tackle in pass rush situations or blow open holes for the backs in running situations. The X receiver gets the majority of the fade passes thrown to them since the physicality inherent to the position makes it a logical destination for that pass. The F-back is also required to pass block on nearly every pass play. The F-back is also the primary threat on screens or shovel passes, which effectively slows down the pass rush in Leach’s offense. Many opposing teams are appalled at the wide splits that Tech’s O-line uses, but it’s hard to argue with the success that they have had. This system forces pass rushers to run further to reach the QB, and has proven to be effective in protection. It also enables the quarterback to see through these lanes to find the open receivers.”

“Sometimes he will only signal the formation from the sideline and the QB calls the specific play at the line. For example, over 90 percent of Tech’s running plays were checked to at the line of scrimmage.”

Amarillo.com 2002-08-18 QB Kingsbury Is Texas Tech’s Ticket

ESPN.com 2004-04-29 Leach and Tech Flying High

USA Today 2005-10-18 All Systems Go

ESPN 2005-04-25 Leach Charted Own Path To Success

Washington Post 2005-08-07 QBs Reading Done On Field

Scout.com 2006-07-25 Offense of The Genius

Washington Post 2006-08-09 Red Raiders’ Fate Rests on Right Balance at QB

Covers.com 2006-10-27 Texas Tech Ready To Raid Longhorns Defense

Arizona Daily Star 2006-12-30 Hope From Above?

CBS News 2008-12-31 Mike Leach Mad Scientist of Football

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