What Will the Offense Look Like?

[CaBisonFan]

Any thoughts on what the offense will be like this fall...as far as the scheme and philosophy?

Here's mine:

1. Quite a bit of shotgun.
2. QB has green light to run...with a bit of an option mentality.
3. Running back by committee with Paschall leading the way. If healthy, he will be outstanding.
4. Run first...pass second.
5. Dink & dunk passing...defense cheats up...and over the top we go.

[OldBison]

I think the offense will be much improved and I think Vigen will be less conservative than Perles. I think he has to be for the Bison to be successful. Last year didn't work and there is no reason to think that doing the same thing again will give a different result.

I think the OL will be improved and NDSU will likely go as far as the this unit can take them which could be far assuming they are healthier than last year. If they can make some holes for the RBs, than I think CAs thoughts might come into play.

TE, RB, FB, QB will also be improved. Given the family issues DJ is having, will he come back? Does anyone have any insight? His departure to be with his mother would be a huge loss.

[Bison"FANatic"]

I am betting Vigen is going to be the biggest change in our football team. I expect him to open it up a bit more and we will start seeing some more change up in O during the game. We seemed to keep running the same thing all game no matter what was working. It was like watching someone pound their head into a wall and go ouch time after time but not stop hitting the wall. Mertens takes a lot of heat and I have given him a bunch but we did keep the same dang play selection it seemed all year even when it didn't seem to be working. I just expect the play calling to be better this year and to be able to surprise a few defenses. We just need to get a few less 3 and outs and win the field position battle. If we would have done that we would have possibly won a few more games. 2 off the top of my head that were real close were Wyoming and SDSU and 10 yards here and 10 yards there changes the game.

[Bison Dan]

I think the offense will be much improved and I think Vigen will be less conservative than Perles. I think he has to be for the Bison to be successful. Last year didn't work and there is no reason to think that doing the same thing again will give a different result.

I think the OL will be improved and NDSU will likely go as far as the this unit can take them which could be far assuming they are healthier than last year. If they can make some holes for the RBs, than I think CAs thoughts might come into play.

TE, RB, FB, QB will also be improved. Given the family issues DJ is having, will he come back? Does anyone have any insight? His departure to be with his mother would be a huge loss.

I think you're pretty spot on. Last year with 7-8 men in the box we tried to run through them and didn't have much success. Teams were going to make us beat them through the air not on the ground. We have to loosen them up this year.

[westnodak93bison]

I agree with CABison for the most part but Mertens isnt gonna run much unless he has to and will wisely avoid contact. I really think Mr. Voigtlander is gonna surprise some people, PP will produce and Mr. Veldman is gonna be huge.

[CaBisonFan]

I agree with CABison for the most part but Mertens isnt gonna run much unless he has to and will wisely avoid contact. I really think Mr. Voigtlander is gonna surprise some people, PP will produce and Mr. Veldman is gonna be huge.

I like your comment about Voigtlander. He, in my opinion, is the 'gamer' on the team.

[BisoninNWMN]

PP,DJ and Voigt should be a very good triple threat.

If OL plays well, the offense should be productive.

Defense should be our strong point this season.

[rutlandbison]

I bet that football will be played. And maybe on a saturday.

[TransAmBison]

I bet that football will be played. And maybe on a saturday.
I hope you are right. I don't know what it was the Bison played last year, but it sure wasn't football. :hide::D

[BisonNeil]

Mertens takes a lot of heat and I have given him a bunch but we did keep the same dang play selection it seemed all year even when it didn't seem to be working. I just expect the play calling to be better this year and to be able to surprise a few defenses. We just need to get a few less 3 and outs and win the field position battle.

I don't disagree with you at all on this point, but I do think a lot of that conservative play calling that occurred wasn't simply a poor job by Perles. I think the coaches, Bohl included, knew they had only one QB for the first half of the season, at least. There was no true back up to Mertens who could jump in and run the O if he went down. Therefore, they ran plays that would minimize the chances of him getting hurt. Without him the team was screwed and I think they just hoped they could find a way to win with what they were doing.

In hindsight it didn't work, and Mertens and Perles took the heat from all of us, me included.

I would like to think Vigen will open it up, but the proverbial $64,000 question is not "will he" but "can he"? Mohler missed most of spring practice due to suspension, and he is not working out with the players this summer, which means he has no more experience under his belt than he did at the end of last season. There is no indication Perez will be here until fall camp, which means he isn't effectively learning the O. Is there enough time for either of them to assimilate enough of the offense to become a legitimate back up to Mertens by ISU or SHSU?

Obviously if the answer is 'yes', then Vigen will likely look like a genius for calling a more wide open offense. But if it is 'no', what will the offense look like? Will it be appreciably different? Will Vigen and Bohl do the things offensively in a similar fashion to the SDSU game knowing full well if Mertens goes down they don't have a back up who really knows the offense?

I certainly don't know, but it will be fanscinating to watch fall camp unfold. Stay tuned.

[lcbison]

Vigen is a great football mind.

[CaBisonFan]

Vigen is a great football mind.

Seriously? I have no way of knowing. It's a serious question. I know the Vigen family from my days playing against his younger relatives at Central Valley. Nothing against Brent. They were good people, and excellent athletes.

[cvbison1]

Seriously? I have no way of knowing. It's a serious question. I know the Vigen family from my days playing against his younger relatives at Central Valley. Nothing against Brent. They were good people, and excellent athletes.

CENTRAL VALLEY IS HOME OF THE BEASTS

[Bison Dan]

I don't disagree with you at all on this point, but I do think a lot of that conservative play calling that occurred wasn't simply a poor job by Perles. I think the coaches, Bohl included, knew they had only one QB for the first half of the season, at least. There was no true back up to Mertens who could jump in and run the O if he went down. Therefore, they ran plays that would minimize the chances of him getting hurt. Without him the team was screwed and I think they just hoped they could find a way to win with what they were doing.

In hindsight it didn't work, and Mertens and Perles took the heat from all of us, me included.

I would like to think Vigen will open it up, but the proverbial $64,000 question is not "will he" but "can he"? Mohler missed most of spring practice due to suspension, and he is not working out with the players this summer, which means he has no more experience under his belt than he did at the end of last season. There is no indication Perez will be here until fall camp, which means he isn't effectively learning the O. Is there enough time for either of them to assimilate enough of the offense to become a legitimate back up to Mertens by ISU or SHSU?

Obviously if the answer is 'yes', then Vigen will likely look like a genius for calling a more wide open offense. But if it is 'no', what will the offense look like? Will it be appreciably different? Will Vigen and Bohl do the things offensively in a similar fashion to the SDSU game knowing full well if Mertens goes down they don't have a back up who really knows the offense?

I certainly don't know, but it will be fanscinating to watch fall camp unfold. Stay tuned.

Looks like OLDBISON and BisonNeil have the pulse of what's going on with Bison FB.