Alright loyal FTRS readers, we have compiled some interesting reads concerning the Air Force stratagem. Winfield compiled a great list of pieces from his blogging ally, Birddog. Birddog loves X's and O's, loves Navy, and hates Air Force. Those are three things that are bound to generate some good analysis.
Birddog writes a series of posts called the State of the Service Academies every year about each of the three branches' respective academies. This year's piece on the Air Force Academy is pretty interesting:
In build up to the actual Air Force game, Birddog previewed the Falcon season and personnel. Birddog seems to notice the growth of trigger man Tim Jefferson as the season progressed:
Birddog writes a series of posts called the State of the Service Academies every year about each of the three branches' respective academies. This year's piece on the Air Force Academy is pretty interesting:
In the short term, Calhoun has called his team’s schedule "the strongest a service academy has played in decades." That’s a bit ridiculous. It is unusual, though, in that Air Force has no off weeks and will be done with their season before Thanksgiving. There is also a real possibility that they will be 1-3, and no better than 2-2, going into the Navy game– making it pivotal not only for the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy, but for the entire season.After releasing the piece, Birddog revised his State of the AFA football program post. I'm assuming this was in response to the rise and fall of the Mountain West over the preseason as teams jumped in to help the conference reach AQ status only to see their big brothers depart in epically sad fashion.
In build up to the actual Air Force game, Birddog previewed the Falcon season and personnel. Birddog seems to notice the growth of trigger man Tim Jefferson as the season progressed:
For Air Force, the biggest difference has been the play of quarterback Tim Jefferson. Coming into the game last season, Air Force’s offense was terrible. The main reason for this was Jefferson’s inexperience; like the younger quarterbacks at Navy, he had a hard time adjusting to his reads in the option. As a result, Air Force was actually running very few triple option plays. They ran a lot of double option and misdirection plays with predetermined ball carriers, and the offense sputtered. As the season progressed, so did Jefferson.Post-Air Force is where you really see the excellence of Birddog's football analysis abilities. He crops and edits his own clips and uses the video masterfully in detailing failures and successes on the field. Check out this tidbit:
Coach Jasper anticipated the Air Force defensive game plan, but instead of running inside like last year, he found a way to get the ball outside using the speed/double option. The Mids came out in the double flex formation. When the OLBs tried to blitz to take the quarterback, the wide receiver was able to squeeze him inside. Early on, the run support safety would take the pitch man, giving Ricky a read to keep.So, you've got this afternoon and a couple of days over the weekend to check out some incredibly well prepared material on the Air Force Academy Fighting Falcons via our friend at the Birddog. We'll start breaking down the Falcons even more as we approach kickoff.