True, but you do have to admit that a team that uses the spread will have a harder time 'punching' it in at times.

But, the Cards had a good red zone offense and they used the spread quite a bit down there.

Because most people understand that using the spread, or a variation of it - at TIMES, can work with the right players.

However, using the spread, or a variation of it as your base offense - and not being able to run anything else, is begging for failure.

When you have a SB MVP at QB, and 2 all-world WR's, you have the ability to buck the trend. Both the Cards and Patriots have those things.

We don't have the talent to run the spread in the redzone.

The spread will be used by this team at times. It's not going to be an every down thing though, like it was last year with Thigpen post-Atlanta

We need better Offensive line play the times we did run there was nothing there 10 yards in, forcing us to throw a jump ball to bowe or TG every play

Not really. In a sense it's tougher because most teams once inside the 10 run the football. It would be more difficult to run in the shotgun than directly behind center.

However, passing the ball would be easier in a passing situation from the shotgun inside the 20 or the 10.

That said, I dont see the shotgun fromation and the spread offense as the same thing. the shotgun doesn't have to be run from a spread formation.

The spread can allow teams with poor offensive lines to move the ball between the 20s, as the Chiefs clearly demonstrated last year. However, in the red zone, it's tough to score with a poor offensive line no matter what the offensive formation. The Chiefs sucked in the red zone last year because of a poor offensive line, not because of the spread.

Well, with ANY offense, you have to have certain things.

With DV's and AS's offense, you had to have a premier LT to make it click, and a versatile RB... and a disciplined QB that can get the ball out quick.

I respectfully disagree.

It gets progressively harder to run a passing offense the closer you get to the goal line, because the opposing defense doesn't have to cover as much ground. It's a huge advantage for the defense to only have to cover 20 yards instead of 70. It's an even bigger advantage when the defense knows you can't run the ball, as we witnessed last year.

I think it is a little early to say definitively what Thigpen can or can't do. Last year, Cassel was a guy that hadn't started a game since high school and most thought he couldn't do anything.

No, the shotgun doesn't need to be run in the spread. You can run it in any formation.

However, in the spread offense, you nearly always get the ball in the shotgun in the spread formation.

The spread formation is merely getting the defense spread out as much as possible to create separation, AND to force the defense to declare its intentions sooner.

The pistol gimmick, spread, protect the QB cause the line sucks offense will still be used in part. The team cannot survive on it alone.

Speaking of defense:harumph: what will the team use to stop the other team?:hmmm:

Don't worry, we still think your and idiot.

I do think the bashing of Thigpen is a little premature. Yeah, he still has much to work on, and he wasn't 'great' last year, but he had pretty good numbers on a suspect team, and he was only in year two.

Cassel was in his fourth year with a ton of talent.

I liked the move for Cassel because I don't think you can go wrong trying to stockpile promising young talent at the QB position. But, I won't be totally shocked if Thigpen beats him out.

Thanks, I needed that.