Rebooting The 2011 Florida Gators

[DRU2012]

Over the years, I have learned that one can USUALLY get a good read on the general strengths, weaknesses, and overall trend toward success or failure of our team from the first two games at home against overmatched opponents. THIS season's team has presented an unusual challenge: despite showing great improvement in many ways over LAST year and steady improvement from game 1 to game 2, there were certain significant, even crucial areas of question I thought to require a THIRD game, this one our SEC opener...and here is where the still-unanswered "challenge" is posed:
There remain a handful of repeated problems with penalties (WAY too many, a slew of a different particular type in each game), dropped INTs (Coach M made light of it right after the game with his "most missed interceptions in college football" and "we'll have 'em workin' with the Juggs machine this week" comments, but once they see the film, they'll have them working all KINDS of "creative" "Tip Drills", catchin' tennis balls fired at 'em, and so on), and most of all those problems in the Redzone (that made THIS game still "a game" well into the second half, long after it SHOULD have been one anymore).
While seemingly "correctable", these complications continued to resurface; now into the THIRD game without resolution, it is tempting to just give in and make them part of some pessimistic "conclusive analysis" that EXPECTS this team to continue "shooting themselves", limiting their own growth and success and inevitably getting them beat, and beat easily, by some of the really GOOD teams ahead on our schedule.
However, that fails to take into account the soundness and quality of our coaching, the talent, hard work and determination of these players, and how close they have become and continue to bond as a team. Now, there ARE certain of the aforementioned weaknesses that, it could be argued, are playing too much a part in our failures thus far--and I expect some of y'all to ARGUE it here. But I think THIS much is clear:
There is at least still TIME to correct some of these things, the will and means to DO so, and therefore still reasonable to refrain from final judgement as of yet: we STILL aren't sure how good this team can be, how much they can achieve, or how well they will match up with and perform against the best teams--only that they MAY have it in them to do well, IF they can solve enough of those "certain problems".
So the jury's still out--and YOU are the "jury". I KNOW y'all have your thoughts on this:
Can we get better? How best to do that? Who or what is most responsible for the various failures, foul-ups, breakdowns and busted plays? How about those--the penalties, missed INTs...? What about Brantley, specifically? Others? CAN we fix the "Redzone Thing"?
I could go on, but I'm leaving it to YOU. Oughtta be enough here (and out THERE) to fuel a fairly lengthy and detailed discussion.

 

[Escambia94]

Someone else said that if we fix the penalties we will be fine. Historically, no team just wakes up and fixes penalties overnight without a loss, return of an injured player, or benching of a repeated offender. In this case, Roberson accounted for many of those penalties, but not all. If we had more depth at corner, maybe we fix Roberson. We do not have the depth to fix it,.so look for Alabama and LSU to pick on him and win the penalty game. We can fix the missed interceptions. Brantley has either reached his peak or will peak when tested the most against Alabama.

Don't get me wrong, I think we are a top 20 team, just not a top 4 SEC power yet. SC, UGA, and even Auburn look winnable. Alabama and LSU would require some work. FSU...I need to see how we handle Alabama before we really know enough to guess about them.

I think Muschamp has rebooted us adequately so far in his first year, better than Meyer would have if he had stayed, and definitely better than if any other coach would have replaced Meyer. We needed a Muschamp to reboot this team. I also think our lack of depth at critical positions is going to haunt us and make the reboot look like it is not working, but we are looking good for next year. These coaches are frigging awesome!

 

[InkedAdrenaline]

I agree, we cant fix everything overnight, but what muschamp has done in the little time he has done it is amazing. We look way better than last year with the same people. So we are definitely headed in the right direction.

And our corners will get better as time goes on, it's just we are used to having nothing but the BEST corners.

I feel good about our our teams direction. Of course we are underdogs for bama and lsu but hey it's the SEC. Anything can happen!!

 

[Escambia94]

I will temporarily go optimistic here and say we should beat SC, Auburn, and Georgia in close games if Muschamp addresses the issues here, and we could get lucky against LSU. FSU is built like UT, but is better. If we keep getting better, we can beat FSU. Okay, now back to being a realist. We have some work to do in the rebooting process. Wait and see.

 

[DRU2012]

Got to believe you are right about the time frame re "fixing the penalties"--AND the idea that this will be a WEE bit more complex than the statement itself would seem to imply...ESPECIALLY since we DON'T have the depth to sit players who are "more guilty" than others--and Roberson is one of the "comers", young guys who we are and WILL be relying on this year, even as they are learning and growing on-the-job. Given all of that (AND the "growing pains" we KNEW we would be dealing with this year), I guess that is the "take-the-good-with-the-bad" bumpy road we are on this season.
We DO have the right COACHES in place here, THAT is for DAMN sure! Everyone who is in a position to call games, everywhere you tune in to watch them and/or the highlights says something along the lines of "Urban Meyer HARDLY left the cupboard bare..." While this is true as far as it goes, remember: we DID have a bit of a fall-off in this last year--both in guys who changed their commitments after Urban announced his ("I really MEAN it this time"-)retirement AND the ones who transferred after getting here. We are somewhat SHORT of a full class of scholarship athletes--not unheard of, obviously, but more pronounced in our case this year, and NOT necessarily a BAD thing in the LONG(er) run: Coach Boom and Co. intended from the START to build this team a certain way--he even talked about it from the start as "the Florida Way", and more and more we have gotten a better and better idea of what that is and ISN'T (he doesn't bad mouth any of the "isn'ts"--on the contrary--but all ya gotta do is check out who has moved on, and how EASY and quickly they were allowed to do so--with his "blessing"). So while the "cupboard" ISN'T bare and our Coach always is quick to give Meyer his thanks and all the credit for what he did and where the program is in terms of talent and overall "health" as a program, it is clear that he knew before he even stepped on campus as the official Head Coach of the Fightin' Gators Football Team who and what he wanted, and where he would take them all. Meanwhile, to Muschamp and his staff, those yet-to-be-filled schollies represent enormous potential in the months AHEAD--look at the class he is already putting together--in another year we will be strong AND deep, all across the board.
Though I purposefully titled this thread in this way to leave it open as to how it could be interpreted, with a nod back to previous , more specific discussions, I personally was thinking more about what was happening just this season--how we already seemed to be falling into some bad habits, getting bogged down EARLY before hitting the really hard part of the schedule, and hoped we as a team could correct enough of this to get on-track to play winning football. Though I still see that as important, where the very fact that it IS still so early, that it ISN'T "just what we are" yet, and that the same "newness" (and our great coaches) give us the opportunity to "reboot" THIS year's team somewhat (at least those few areas that we may choose to do so), I see now that you are right, E-, that it must also be looked at in the context of coming out of last year and heading towards NEXT--that we have ALREADY done a full reboot on this team, and continue to deal with the consequences and learning curve in its aftermath.
Still, as you note (and I agree) this IS a Top 20-team, one with its OWN hopes and dreams to maximize its potential NOW and whose coaches will do everything possible to put them in position to do just that--I just suppose WE need to remember to REMEMBER all the youth and depth issues that underlie the likely pitfalls ahead when we face the teams in our conference who are already AT their coaches' "Target Strength", and who are ALSO gearing up for what for their players, coaches and fans is a "The Future Is Now"-mentality. It isn't that we CAN'T beat any of them, its just that it would require us "fixing" a large portion of all those things that aren't simply and/or easily fixable, playing our best game all across the board, AND have most of "the breaks" go our way--and it is in this last part, relying on "Lady Luck", "good fortune", "the bounces"--all the UNCONTROLLABLE things--going our way, and doing it say 2 or 3 times in the biggest, toughest games that I HAVE to figure it breaks down. Only when we're so good that we control the rest of those "factors" will I personally begin to expect victory, and (eventually) greatness.
Until then, it's back to asking y'all, "What can we do NOW?" What ABOUT those penalties--IS there anything , practical or psychological, that the coaches can introduce into "the mix" to at least BEGIN to break this evident long-term trend in Gator Football (I KNOW I'm not the only one who is sick and baffled by why and how it continues now over 20 years and 4 coaching regimes...)? And the Redzone? THAT one can and MUST be improved on. The missed INTs and so on--THAT kind of thing CAN be dealt with work and practice over time ("How much?" is the Big Q); EVERY body has work to do this coming week, and even MORE the week AFTER, no matter WHAT. (I KNOW a lot of you played some school and/or organized League ball growing up--what are some of the practical drills you've encountered for some of these problems?

 

[InkedAdrenaline]

I am being optimistic but obviously we are prob looking at 2 losses being bama/lsu

 

[DRU2012]

I will temporarily go optimistic here and say we should beat SC, Auburn, and Georgia in close games if Muschamp addresses the issues here, and we could get lucky against LSU. FSU is built like UT, but is better. If we keep getting better, we can beat FSU. Okay, now back to being a realist. We have some work to do in the rebooting process. Wait and see.

Yes: I am thinking along those same lines...we stay healthy and continue to grow , NO ONE will be safe facing us by the end of the season, and FSU is NOT a World-Beater (no matter what THEY thought going into last night's game, and what you can BET they'll be saying again by late November if they reel off a streak from here 'till there). But that October stretch, its CUMULATIVE effect as much as the difficulty in beating either of those two big SEC West powers, just on their own, will be an anvil upon which you can either emerge strong or broken--and sometimes the former EVEN IF YOU LOSE ONE, provided that you play hard, near your best against a great team and don't give up, never collapse. (And if you do, well, you learn, you grow, you move on--that's what COLLEGE is FOR, ideally, in every way.)

 

[DRU2012]

I am being optimistic but obviously we are prob looking at 2 losses being bama/lsu

Again--those are THE TWO, as I note above. We DO need to watch out for neither getting ambushed while "looking ahead" (see NEXT week, Gators!) nor "losing the same game twice" by "looking back" after a tough loss to either of them, should it come to that--these are the very kinds of emotional mistakes young teams make, and sometimes no amount of warnings and reminders from well-experienced coaches can prevent it. However, if there's a staff, from Head Coach on down to strength/conditioning (Micky is GREAT at getting inside these players' heads), who can get their team's attention individually and as a group and turn their heads around, it's this one.

 

[Escambia94]

I read some of Coach Muschamp's post-game discussion. He is somewhat concerned about penalties, but he is "okay" with some of the penalties that arise from being over-aggressive--at least that is my interpretation. Boneheaded penalties are never good. Coach can work out the boneheaded penalties--that is what he gets paid the big bucks for. The over-aggressive penalties will just have to improve over time as the kids learn to walk that line between over-aggressive and just plain mean, tough-nosed defense. Now, the false start penalties and other procedural issues will have to get worked out during practice and over time with experience. We will see next week against Kentucky if the offense and defense can reduce those penalties. It will be more important to reduce them on offense, so we do not get touchdowns called back, and we do not let the crappy referees hand the game over to the other team.

 

[DRU2012]

Definitely a "crappy referee"-factor happening yesterday--but the way our young secondary seemed to cave-in to it in the 4th qrtr. was ridiculous: the reaction appeared to be "Keep him in front of me? I'LL keep him in FRONT of me..." and they'd just grab a shirt on his way by, right "in FRONT" of the Back Judge! Uhh, not exactly the way to "Slow them down and kill the clock" that I'm sure Muschamp and Quinn coached OR had in mind...But you're right on both counts here:
He wants 'em aggressive, but he wants 'em smart--NOT mutually exclusive, by any means.

 

[CaliZona_Gator]

I think some here are reading too much into the UT game. Yes, it was a terrible game as far as penalties go, but it hasn't been a habitual problem.

As for the redzone issues, I would agree that they are a legit concern at this point. But I think it has just been play calling and bad luck. It seems that everytime we get into the redzone we run a play for a loss or get a penalty, and we can't recover. But I have seen enough packages from Weis in these first three games to know that they can be fixed. (I should note that Caleb Sturgis has been excellent!)

Personally, I believe the wildcat formation is the most effective redzone tool. We have already seen it this year from Rainey, and I'm confident Burton has run some wildcat in practice (possibly Reed too). Plus, Weis seems to be using Burton more and more each game, and he has already proven to be an extremely useful redzone weapon. He can take the handoff, take the snap, or catch a pass.

I'm not going to forget about Kentucky, we still need to handle them, but I am a lot more confident going into the Bama game. Bama has had QB issues, and their wins are not too convincing thus far (PSU doesn't impress me much). But LSU and FSU scare me. LSU man handled Oregon, and Oregon is damn good and damn fast. And FSU did pretty well against #1 Oklahoma. But I would not say FSU's passing game is near as good as Tennessee's.

My new toughest opponent rankings: 1. LSU 2. FSU 3. Bama

 

[Swamp Person]

I been reviewing last yr. stats just to get a look at a few things. No disrespect to Kentucky, just fast forwarding looking towards the Tide. Just for my own sake. We are all worried about this one as we should be. But if you look close we should of won it or should of been closer. Our turnovers hurt us 4 of them, 3 ints. 1 fumble. They didn't fumble or throw no ints.. We got 17 first downs to their 18. Our offense was lead by J.Demps rushing 11 for 47.(Rainey never touched it).JB went 16 out of 32 with 202 yrds. 6.3 per pass.(Sounds like him now).

Look for yourself. http://espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=302750333

With the addition of using the more rugged Gillislee (only 1 rush for 6 yrds in 2010 vs Bama), C. Rainey (who never touched the ball 2010 vs Bama) T. Burton, and J. Demps, We should get more rushing yrds with how were using our CW style offense so there shouldn't be no added pressure on JB to do nothing more then he has done except for not throwing ints. he's still got Brickhands (who did get 3 for 60 yrds), Reed, G. Christian,Q. Dunbar, plus those I done mention above WITH CW coaching them throwing different mixes around will be a big plus for us. I think CW is trying to bait everyone into focusing on our short stuff. Everyone see's they will sock it to you, so you know they will be keying in on our short stuff, and I've just got to believe there is something telling CW JB has enough arm to hit someone deep as long as the DB is loose and prob. thinking JB isn't going to throw it out there in his direction. Just (MY GUT) belief.
I think we Win versus the Tide.....2010 in Bama. 2011 THE SWAMP....

Our defense is just scary good to me.I know we got lot's of flags vs Tenn. but we got pressure one sack even got a int.. There should of been others.

The flags ARE a problem but I listened to his post game comments and every coach I know would of been out right critical of them. They would of bitched, cussed, fussed, and thrown you out no matter of the depth to prove you were wrong in doing so. His comments was nothing of the sort. A little soft in my opinion. He even went ballistic from what I heard arguing over the calls. Tenn. fans were fussing about the refs. to If you haven't noticed.

IN MY TWISTED SICK MIND = I think we just seen in your face YOUR NOT going to get away from me OR going to get the extra steep you need NOR the I'm going to let cleanly receive the ball look from our defense this year. We knew coming into this one they WOULD or COULD beat us with their passing game with our rookie DB's. Well they DIDN'T we stopped it. Better yet We GOT IN THEIR HEADS even the QB's and the refs..This was Designed in your face pass DEFENSE. Would you rather get burned on the throwing for TDs, big yards, etc. or take the flags. (They took the yrds. after receiving away).FLAGS FOR ME. Great coaching..........

As for the other penalties I'm sure they will work them out with more practice. If you take the 83 yrds. for interference off the 150 total 67 yrds isnt to bad for the first SEC game against a well known passing game.

The Redzone is still The Twilight Zone for me.

Sorry I went everywhere on this post. I just rambled. UGHHHHH....

 

[Escambia94]

Alabama is going to be our toughest opponent for a few years. Nick Saban is a genius. He actually plans games with what I call battle rhythm. Rather than wasting a lot of energy by going 100% through all 4 quarters, he takes it easy in the 1st quarter to feel out the opponent, unless his team is falling behind. If the game is under control, the offense and defense will go vanilla in the 3rd before pouring it on in the 4th. I know it sounds silly, but I have studied his teams for years. What this means is that his teams should not get tired. If he cannot beat you with better athletes, he will beat your better athletes when they are tired or he will pull a new play when you were not expecting an adjustment. Look for the pattern in key games. The team statistics will fool you into thinking the game was closer. What I did not expect is that Coach Muschamp looks like he is planning games the same way, except swapping 1st and 2nd quarter effort.

All I am trying to say here is that Nick Saban was a mentor to Coach Muschamp, so Alabama is going to be a hard test of teacher and student every year. FSU lacks that genius coach with a clever game plan that goes beyond Xs and Os. Then you have LSU with its animal defense and lucky, unpredictable offense.

 

[DRU2012]

You're both right about Burton and the Wildcat: By the 2nd qrtr. on Sat. it had occurred to me that we should probably be going to that in the redzone EVERY TIME. We already knew from LAST year how well he can run and/or throw, so if/when we don't strike for 6 from further out with Brantley in there, when we get it first-and-whatever inside the 20 just send Burton in there and let him do his thing--perfect timing this week to brush off the dust'n'rust off that formation, too: remember his performance against KY last season? It was Burton's coming out party...you can bet the Wildcats remember. Talk about "stay with something 'til it works! They couldn't stop him then, and I doubt the outcome'll be all that different this year, though I don't think we'll depend on it or HIM quite so much--we DO have a more balanced, consistent offense now. Beauty part is that not only will it work this week, but Weis will be seen by Tide coaches and beyond as merely trying (and when it DOES work, staying with) what and WHO was effective before, and they can't be certain (maybe won't even necessarily believe) that he'll continue to use it the following week, so may not feel it is something they need spend TOO much time practicing for. I'm for using it almost exclusively inside the redzone from now on, as I say, maybe mixing in the "Big Regular" formation--Burton at TE, Tory at FB and Gilissley at RB--as we get and/or start closer to the goal line.
While you are also right about Coach not sounding that angry or even concerned about all the interference penalties in his post game comments, SP, I think the WAY that whole FLURRY of flags developed by the 4th qrtr. WILL give him pause--and mean some embarrassment in the film room, and hard work on the practice field, for certain players this week. I liked his fire in going after the refs at the half, and HE evidently likes his PLAYERS aggressive to a FAULT--which I DO understand, both in terms of the alternatives AND the idea that it's easier to get them to do it cleanly, with practice, than it is to instill that kind of attitude if it isn't there to begin with.
However, in answer to Cali-Z, there HAS been a problem with us piling up the penalty yardage--for a couple of DECADES now! I suspect that sometimes we get situations like this past Saturday, where the officials start throwing flags at something just because it's us and they THINK something happened--a WR stumbling as he tries to go by our cover-guy, a really good jump on the count by our DL, and so on--whether they saw it or NOT. So our Coach isn't going to get on his guys for playing the way they're taught to play--only for being careless, lazy or stupid. I'm not sure what ANYONE can do about the rest, but we DO have to somehow "be careful" without losing that "sharp edge"...I think they DID get lazy (or frustrated) in the secondary in the 4th qrtr., and it would be interesting to know how that's addressed. I guess we'll only be able to judge the on-field results, while in the meantime Coach Boom gets after the striped-shirts and tries to slowly force any unfairness out into the open, maybe BEGIN to get a fairer-called game, over time.

 

[Swamp Person]

DRU I didn't get to see it yet but I'm chomping. I know in high school ( OK I'm fourtytwo so I'm going back) if we blew plays or caused unforgiven penalties the coach would right the wrong. I was a DB. You would be punished by means of getting cussed the F*&k OUT, rerunning plays over and over, being benched, extra physical activities such as laps, ,suicides, push ups, running the bleachers, or matched up with the quickest receiver on the team to let everyone see you getting burned just you, the receiver and the QB AND If you still failed getting put into the hurting firing line = Were he picks the meanest DB's to tea off on you a few surprising times <true story . Kind of like soap in a sock treatment It gets your attention for sure. Practice down here used to be like Bootcamp with your own parents seeing and knowing what was going on.lol But then again this is (years ago) we used to get whippings from parents in public. Now it would be child abuse but you would get the point for sure.

My High school . http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valdosta_High_School We play to win ..

This was High School not college that's why I don't get the ho hum comments from post game which you would think he would of been beside himself just knowing how intense he is but hes also so intense This could be part of him or his style which I LOVE IT. I like knowing he was on the refs. remember I told you hes got the fire.

E- your post up there ^ it makes sense to me. I can not wait till they but heads. I think student has a few tricks up his sleeve for the older grasshopper....I do feel good going into that. Better then I did.
As for LSU it will be LSWHO is showing up. When their on their on but then they get bad sloppy to. I'm hoping to see the sloppy side myself.

 

[DRU2012]

DRU I didn't get to see it yet but I'm chomping. I know in high school ( OK I'm fourtytwo so I'm going back) if we blew plays or caused unforgiven penalties the coach would right the wrong. I was a DB. You would be punished by means of getting cussed the F*&k OUT, rerunning plays over and over, being benched, extra physical activities such as laps, ,suicides, push ups, running the bleachers, or matched up with the quickest receiver on the team to let everyone see you getting burned just you, the receiver and the QB AND If you still failed getting put into the hurting firing line = Were he picks the meanest DB's to tea off on you a few surprising times <true story . Kind of like soap in a sock treatment It gets your attention for sure. Practice down here used to be like Bootcamp with your own parents seeing and knowing what was going on.lol But then again this is (years ago) we used to get whippings from parents in public. Now it would be child abuse but you would get the point for sure.

My High school . http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valdosta_High_School We play to win ..

This was High School not college that's why I don't get the ho hum comments from post game which you would think he would of been beside himself just knowing how intense he is but hes also so intense This could be part of him or his style which I LOVE IT. I like knowing he was on the refs. remember I told you hes got the fire.

E- your post up there ^ it makes sense to me. I can not wait till they but heads. I think student has a few tricks up his sleeve for the older grasshopper....I do feel good going into that. Better then I did.
As for LSU it will be LSWHO is showing up. When their on their on but then they get bad sloppy to. I'm hoping to see the sloppy side myself.

I KNOW what you mean about it being "different" now, at least for public consumption--that "PC", "Be nice", "Everybody gets a ribbon" BS...But it's still football, and you show me a program where they are successful contenders year in, year out, and I'll show you a program where they are doing things with the same ATTITUDE as you experienced, with MAYBE some of the more extreme "humiliation-punishments" eliminated, or somehow modified (which, if done right, isn't NECESSARILY a bad thing, btw--don't believe you can raise responsible, well-adjusted kids without giving them boundaries and discipline, and the coaches won't HAVE to "break em" if they're being raised right), but there IS something to be said for the tough approach if you want it to eventually be a TEAM, one where everyone strives to do their part at peak performance and is responsible for and loyal to everyone else on that team--the military knows something about this sort of thing, and that's the way THEY do it. While a lot of community standards vary as to what is considered "acceptable" nowadays, what is traditionally expected from a program competitively BY that community and how far they are willing to permit (in some cases DEMAND) that program's coaches to GO in attaining a certain level of excellence and success, it comes down to this: Different coaches have different styles, but football is a game of ruthless, toughness, AND graceful precision, which REQUIRES hard work and TOTAL commitment from it's component parts, the coaches and players, if it is to be played right and well.
OK--I went on a bit there, as usual, but here (Finally!) is the point:
OUR coaches, starting at the TOP, may well be the best mix of all that is best and required in a successful modern college football program, from what I have seen so far. I don't KNOW exactly Coach M & Co.'s specific approach to these problems with penalties (as I've said here and elsewhere, it is NOT just one problem, but several complex ones, not all directly related to each other, so it isn't just one simple "fix"), but I DO know at this point that, having said they will "address" it and "get it fixed", Coach Boom and the rest have some definite plans on how to go about doing just that.
I KNOW that Coach Weis has such plans on solving our stubborn redzone woes (he even says that he considers FGs, once we're 1st-and-10 inside the redzone, "failures"--which I love).

 

[DRU2012]

Alabama is going to be our toughest opponent for a few years. Nick Saban is a genius. He actually plans games with what I call battle rhythm. Rather than wasting a lot of energy by going 100% through all 4 quarters, he takes it easy in the 1st quarter to feel out the opponent, unless his team is falling behind. If the game is under control, the offense and defense will go vanilla in the 3rd before pouring it on in the 4th. I know it sounds silly, but I have studied his teams for years. What this means is that his teams should not get tired. If he cannot beat you with better athletes, he will beat your better athletes when they are tired or he will pull a new play when you were not expecting an adjustment. Look for the pattern in key games. The team statistics will fool you into thinking the game was closer. What I did not expect is that Coach Muschamp looks like he is planning games the same way, except swapping 1st and 2nd quarter effort.

All I am trying to day here is that Nick Saban was a mentor to Coach Muschamp, so Alabama is going to be a hard test of teacher and student every year. FSU lacks that genius coach with a clever game plan that goes beyond Xs and Os. Then you have LSU with its animal defense and lucky, unpredictable offense.

You know, E-, I was caught up thinking and commenting on other parts of the discussion here at the time, and although I HAD read this one from you and meant to go back and respond to it, I forgot about it 'til SP mentioned it above. I reread it and am doing so now--because it is so telling.
I think you may really be onto something here, an underlying current of thought and change in the way a small group of successful, soon-to-be-seen as dominating (and therefore highly influential) coaches' approach to game-planning.
Everything you say makes sense AND rings true (not always the same thing). Not only that, but while obviously each of THEM is aware of what they're doing (and you're right, while there are these connections between them all, each is developing his own variation, rhythm and philosophy of application), I'm not so sure many others ARE: you may have caught something here that won't be widely recognized for some time, unless one of them writes a book or talks widely and openly about it as he achieves more fame and success. Otherwise, the way this sort of thing spreads is exactly as it is now, with each of them going off and having success and bringing along their OWN assistants, who eventually go off on THEIR own as Head Coaches, and so on. It happens all the time through the years--look at how the Spread is even now still multiplying in the number of different places it is used, and developing into various forms, where once it was this new, some-said-"gimmicky"-offense that "young coaches like Urban Meyer" were having success with at places like Utah, then practically "off the football-map".
Anyway, I really want to give you props for noting this, man.