Bringing the Nebraska I Bone to the NFL

[Slaticus]

Hey guys. Some of you might remember last year's Veer N' Shoot and that offense was fun as all get out. But, as I mentioned in that post, I really like to do collegiate offenses or theme based offenses and try to modernize them or at least see if they are effective in the NFL. Now, sadly, the gentlemen at EA decided that there was too much triple option in the playbooks and scrubbed the vast majority of it from the playbook. Now, some can still be found in the non-editable Spread and Pistol playbooks, but, if you are like me and want to actually make your own audibles, well, then, your'e out of luck. This particular playbook is actually a bit more comparable to the source material in Madden 17, BUT it remains viable in Madden 18.

So, when I was researching this playbook (I am a sucker for playbooks) I stumbled across this. This is basically a holy grail to anyone who grew up hearing about the power and speed of those 90s Nebraska teams. My high school offensive line coach was a big I Bone guy and he worshiped at the alter of Tom Osborne. But, before we get into the playbook itself, we need to see the man behind the creation of the offense.

The Boss Hog

[size="2"]The Face of Genius[/SIZE]

In the 90s, the Huskers reigned supreme. In 95, the Tommie Frazier and Ahman Green averaged over 400 yards a game on the ground. In 96, this happened. They won 3 National Championships under Osborne and created a legend that still resonates today. This was a tough, strong offense. But there are several misconceptions about it. Unlike Georgia Tech, Army, and Navy, where the offense is the option and everything else proceeds from the defensive adjustments, the I Bone was a power run based offense that used the option as a constraint play. And, since the option was so often a HUGE chunk play for the 'Huskers, there would be games that they did not ever run it, as the opposing defense would play to defend those particular sets of plays. You can check this out for yourself at Husker Football Archives and from Stephen Barnett. There are a ton of resources on this offense all over the internet and I spent a ton of time looking at them.

Now, as we begin to dive into the playbook, a disclaimer. As I said earlier, EA scrubbed some option plays out. So, I have had to get a bit creative with my formations. Much as I wanted this to be a "pure" representation, I had to settle for as close as I could get and modernize it a little to threaten defenses.

The Offense

I would kill for this to be in the game

As previously noted, this is a power run offense. Passing, while still a key component, should be less of a focus. Then again, as Osborne preached, "Take what's there". If someone is giving you constant single high or man coverage looks, you should be able to take advantage of this through the playbook. Your base runs are going to be Trap, Power, and Toss. Much like the option plays, the counter is a constraint, but you should still be well versed in running it. There is also quite a bit of inside and outside zone in this playbook, as the 'Huskers were actually one of the first teams to introduce Zone style blocking. It was a very early attempt, but they did it, especially on their Speed options. Fun fact, when the Redskins were at their prime and running counter trey to death, their HC stated that he had pretty much jacked that from Osborne and his squad.

Personally, I prefer to work the running game from the inside out and force people to pinch their line to take away gaps. Then I work my way outside. But, you can pretty much do whatever you want with it. This is a great offense to run if you have varied athletes in the backfield. My main I-Back will usually get 20 carries a game, my number 2 guy (generally a faster back) 5-10, and I'll let my fullback have a few carries a game as well, to make the defense recognize him. Ideally, the defense should not have a clue who is keeping the ball if you are distributing the ball properly. You can do a lot with the various substitutions with the R3 button, some of which are very interesting and I myself am just starting to really get into that.

As far as the passing game goes, it is critical that you have a QB who can exploit the deep third of the field with a degree of accuracy. The defense will creep up. Guaranteed. Unless whoever you are playing is just terrible. Then you can have your way with them like a 3 dollar hooker. The QB MUST be a run threat. Not a home run threat, but one that can grab 5-10-15 yards when he keeps it on the Read/Triple/Inverted Veer. When you run a play action pass, you must press the corner if it is a roll out. While some might see this as cheese, you are forcing the defense to realize that you are playing 11 on 11 football and the QB is a weapon. Ideally, my qb has between 5-10 carries a game. More, if the defense is willing to ignore him. I try to make it hard for the defense to ignore him.

When picking your WRs from FA or the draft, your priorities should be catch, release, route running, and speed, in that order. I will not play anyone with lower than an 8- catch. For TE's, although I do use them as pass catching weapons, should be run blockers. Play games with them, move them around, but in the end they will be blockers primarily. The Fullback is a critical position and one I typically spend a lot of time on. I will hit the FB on dump passes time and time again or on the various FB screens, which are EXTREMELY effective. The 'Huskers had a proud history of having big, tough FBs and I try to keep that alive in Madden.

Joel Makovicka


The Playbook

One thing that Osborne was willing to do was innovate and create and steal, much like any good football coach. So, some of the stuff I might not be something that Nebraska would have done back in the day, but I like to think that Osborne would approve of using screens and what not to combat the speed and aggressiveness of modern NFL defenses. Remember this is going to be a run first offense, but if a bubble screen or a motion HB screen (which I presonally equate as a toss play) is there, you should take it.

If you would like to check this playbook out, you can go here. Nice googel spreadsheet thing. I will continue updating this offense and posting it.

If you would like to download the offense (PS4) it is under Ibone6 or you can search for my name, Slaticus. The playbook has the audibles set up as I prefer them, so that is up to you, as is the playbooks. Personally, I know I am debating going from Ace Offset Gun to Just Ace gun. Mainly because the Bucksweep, as cool as it looks, does not appear to be viable.

Anyway guys, let me know what you think!

[Zack317]

Used tour veer and shoot alot last year. Can't wait to try this one out

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[roll2tide]

I went through and made a playbook with every option/shovel/lateral run, every run and pass play with motion, most TE & WR screens, most PA passes with motion, and then added some standard run and pass plays. It's a really fun book to use and practice my option skills with.

Be Good Or Be Gone
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GT roll2tide
Let's play Madden or Fifa!

[Slaticus]

Quote: Originally Posted by Zack317

Used tour veer and shoot alot last year. Can't wait to try this one out Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk

Glad you enjoyed it! Pay particular attention to the Y Flex Offset formation in the gun. Might be one of the best.

[Slaticus]

Quick update. Added all r3 subs in page three of the book.

[Zack317]

Quote: Originally Posted by Slaticus

Glad you enjoyed it! Pay particular attention to the Y Flex Offset formation in the gun. Might be one of the best.

For sure

Just downloaded

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[Slaticus]

Quote: Originally Posted by Zack317

For sure Just downloaded Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk

It has a mini RPO concept with a bubble screen on one side and a slant flat on the other. Nasty dude.

[mlb61]

Great post. Going to download your playbook right now. Wish these forums had more of this kind of info -- people sharing what they know about the game and football in general (and less of the other stuff).

The play creation module is what I miss most from previous Madden's (even though it was buggy as all get out in its various implementations). Many thanks for the effort you've made in sharing your experience and knowledge.