Spread too thin: Coaches seek answers on defense

October 11, 2013 at 12:00a.m.

In last week’s Canfield-Niles game, a touchdown was scored on average every three minutes during regulation. On the same night in North Lima, South Range average one touchdowns for every three offensive plays it ran.

Minerva and Salem combined to score 102 points, yet that ranked just third on weekend’s list of highest-scoring games.

Indeed, the spread offense appears to be ruling the football world. Now the question becomes, how can it be stopped?

Bill Bohren has witnessed the evolution of offense during his 44-year coaching career. The Champion High assistant said today’s spread attack presents defensive challenges unlike any other offensive formations of the past.

“If I had the answer on how to defend this, I’d be coaching at a major college right now, because those guys are searching for the same answers,” Bohren said. “Right now, we’re in a phase where the offense is ahead of the defense at all levels.”

Bohren noted that by spreading the field, offenses are placing an added burden on the secondary.

“In today’s game, it is imperative that defensive backs make plays in open space,” Bohren said. “The secondary players have to be able to tackle in the open field, and right now that’s a fundamental that’s not taught.”

“It starts with tackling. That has to improve, and if it does, that will equal out the high-scoring offenses to some degree.”

Reid Lamport served as a coach at numerous schools, including Poland and Jefferson. In 1984, Lamport guided the Falcons to an 8-1-1 finish. That year, his defense gave up a total of 34 points.

“It’s hard to imagine any defense putting up that kind of season-long performance in this day and age,” Lamport said. “Our defense was solid. It was darn good. But one can only wonder how it would stack up to today’s competition.

“To put things in perspective, we had an all-league quarterback who threw for about 125 yards per game. If we threw 15 times a game, it was because we were behind. Today run-oriented teams are throwing more than 15 times per game.”

Like Bohren, Lamport said that the key to stopping today’s offense is a fundamentally sound group of athletes on the other side of the ball.

“You must have some great athletes on defense who can guard outside one-on-one,” Lamport said. “Right now, the athletic types are dominating on offense. You need that same type of athlete on defense.

“The bottom line is that right now, the offense has the upper hand. Even the best defensive minds in the NFL are having a difficult time coming up with answers.”

South Range coach Dan Yeagley has his Raiders off to a 6-0 start. Though averaging 45 points per game, the Raiders’ victories haven’t all been easy.

“Last week we scored 41 points in the first half, and the game was in question,” Yeagley said. “The fans love it, but it drives a coach nuts. If I’m going to be in a close game, I’d just as soon see it end 7-0. But I don’t see that happening this year.”

Yeagley also agreed that in order to slow down the scoring, today’s defenders must play differently than their predecessors.

“Defenders have to be able to guard much more space than they did in the past. In order to do so, today’s defenders have to be stronger and much faster than they were in the past. It’s just part of the evolution of the game.”

Still, Yeagley offers hope for for the future.

“This game always runs in cycles,” Yeagley said. “Right now, the offense has the huge upper hand, but it’s only a matter of time before the defense catches up.

“Someone will come along and figure it out at some level, and everyone will pick it up and run with it. That’s the way football has worked for decades.”

Until then, are fans had better settle in for more three-hour, high-scoring games.