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Majors revels in modern college football
By Bobby La Gesse
Date Posted: 2009-04-10
Johnny Majors may not listen to Lil Wayne, but he’s hipper than people give him credit for.
After all, the former Iowa State football coach is down with the spread offense.
“You don’t get much gang tackling in the spread offense,†Majors said. “The spread offense is for me if I’m at Iowa State or I’m at Tennessee or I’m at Pittsburgh.â€
Even though Majors may have been from the three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust coaching school, the 73-year-old Hall of Fame coach is enamored with the modern game.
“College football is probably a more exciting game as it’s played today,†said Majors, who spoke at the ISU football high school coaching clinic Friday.
No one was more shocked that Majors, who coached Pittsburgh to the 1976 national title, is a spread aficionado than Cyclone coach Paul Rhoads.
While serving as the Pittsburgh defensive coordinator, Rhoads learned how Majors thinks about football.
And embracing the line-up-wide, flick-it-all-over-the-field offense that’s stormed the nation doesn’t normally happen to a coach known for running the ball and relying on defense to win games.
“A good football coach is smart enough to see the benefit of change and where the game is going,†Rhoads said. “Coach is obviously a very sharp man and a very successful man, but still, the school that he comes from, the old school, that does surprise me a little bit coming out of his mouth.â€
Majors said it shouldn’t.
He always preferred a mobile quarterback who can beat defenses with his legs and his arm. He always ran an offense with option packages in it and said spread-based running attacks reminds him of the schemes behind the wishbone and the veer.
But most importantly, he likes how the offense can get a runner in open space.
“You watch West Virginia or you watch Oregon, (the ball carrier) breaks the line of scrimmage, and it’s one-on-one,†Majors said. “You don’t get much gang tackling in the spread offense.â€
While he endorses 21st century offenses, Majors, who had 187 wins at ISU, Pittsburgh and Tennessee, isn’t sold on everything in today’s game. He doesn’t understand how players are allowed to challenge and criticize coaches like they do.
“I don’t think they would do that to Jimmy Johnson, who coached for me here,†Majors said. “I don’t think they would do that to a lot of the other coaches that coached for me, and they darn sure wouldn’t do it to Vince Lombardi if he was coaching today, and they wouldn’t do it to Bear Bryant.â€
Even though Majors is in touch with the new school, he’s old-school at heart. When talking about old coaches like Lombardi and Bryant, he makes sure to add that they would still dominate today they like did in their prime, regardless of what’s changed with the game.
“They would still win,†Majors said.
Note: Tight end Carter Bykowksi was arrested for public intoxication early Sunday morning, according to an Ames police report. Bykowski had a blood-alcohol level of .160, twice the legal limit.
According to the Associated Press, Rhoads said he will punish Bykowski, but will not suspend him.
Bobby La Gesse can be reached at (515) 663-6929, or rlagesse@amestrib.com.
By Bobby La Gesse
Date Posted: 2009-04-10
Johnny Majors may not listen to Lil Wayne, but he’s hipper than people give him credit for.
After all, the former Iowa State football coach is down with the spread offense.
“You don’t get much gang tackling in the spread offense,†Majors said. “The spread offense is for me if I’m at Iowa State or I’m at Tennessee or I’m at Pittsburgh.â€
Even though Majors may have been from the three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust coaching school, the 73-year-old Hall of Fame coach is enamored with the modern game.
“College football is probably a more exciting game as it’s played today,†said Majors, who spoke at the ISU football high school coaching clinic Friday.
No one was more shocked that Majors, who coached Pittsburgh to the 1976 national title, is a spread aficionado than Cyclone coach Paul Rhoads.
While serving as the Pittsburgh defensive coordinator, Rhoads learned how Majors thinks about football.
And embracing the line-up-wide, flick-it-all-over-the-field offense that’s stormed the nation doesn’t normally happen to a coach known for running the ball and relying on defense to win games.
“A good football coach is smart enough to see the benefit of change and where the game is going,†Rhoads said. “Coach is obviously a very sharp man and a very successful man, but still, the school that he comes from, the old school, that does surprise me a little bit coming out of his mouth.â€
Majors said it shouldn’t.
He always preferred a mobile quarterback who can beat defenses with his legs and his arm. He always ran an offense with option packages in it and said spread-based running attacks reminds him of the schemes behind the wishbone and the veer.
But most importantly, he likes how the offense can get a runner in open space.
“You watch West Virginia or you watch Oregon, (the ball carrier) breaks the line of scrimmage, and it’s one-on-one,†Majors said. “You don’t get much gang tackling in the spread offense.â€
While he endorses 21st century offenses, Majors, who had 187 wins at ISU, Pittsburgh and Tennessee, isn’t sold on everything in today’s game. He doesn’t understand how players are allowed to challenge and criticize coaches like they do.
“I don’t think they would do that to Jimmy Johnson, who coached for me here,†Majors said. “I don’t think they would do that to a lot of the other coaches that coached for me, and they darn sure wouldn’t do it to Vince Lombardi if he was coaching today, and they wouldn’t do it to Bear Bryant.â€
Even though Majors is in touch with the new school, he’s old-school at heart. When talking about old coaches like Lombardi and Bryant, he makes sure to add that they would still dominate today they like did in their prime, regardless of what’s changed with the game.
“They would still win,†Majors said.
Note: Tight end Carter Bykowksi was arrested for public intoxication early Sunday morning, according to an Ames police report. Bykowski had a blood-alcohol level of .160, twice the legal limit.
According to the Associated Press, Rhoads said he will punish Bykowski, but will not suspend him.
Bobby La Gesse can be reached at (515) 663-6929, or rlagesse@amestrib.com.
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