Can Head Coach Brian Kelly Make the Spread Offense Work for Notre Dame?
The spread offense, which uses the no-huddle attack and starts with the quarterback in the shot gun formation, is designed to do just what its name indicates: force the defense to spread itself out. By using up to five receivers, the offense forces the defense to spread wide, which creates openings or weak spots, in the middle of the field. The idea is to exploit the weak spots through either the run or the pass. The spread offense exploits the defense in another way. By using the no huddle, defenses can get very tired quickly. Instead of 35 seconds between plays, they may have to be ready in 10 or 15. When I think of the spread offense, I remember Pat White running Rich Rodriguez’s version at West Virginia. Pat White was always comfortable carrying the ball. With Steve Slaton in the backfield, the defense never knew if White was going to run, hand off, or put the ball in the air. It’s not necessary to have a fast quarterback run the spread. In 2007 the New England Patriots used a vers
