Tom Cable, offensive line coach for the Seattle Seahawks, has criticized the widespread use of the spread offense in college football.
"I'm not wanting to offend anybody, but college football, offensively, has gotten to be really, really bad fundamentally," Cable told ESPN 710 radio in Seattle. "Unfortunately, I think we're doing a huge disservice to offensive football players, other than a receiver, that come out of these spread systems. The runners aren't as good. They aren't taught how to run. The blockers aren't as good. The quarterbacks aren't as good. They don't know how to read coverage and throw progressions. They have no idea."
Quarterbacks in the 2015 draft class such as Marcus Mariota of Oregon and Bryce Petty of Baylor drew those very criticisms, but the linemen and running back positions which Cable also sees with spread-related shortcomings escaping criticism.
Said Arizona's Rich Rodriguez: "I watch the NFL and it looks like 65 percent of the snaps, at least, are in the shotgun, sometimes more. So I think kids running a shotgun, spread-based offense transition easier. I can teach a third-grader in five minutes how to take a three-step drop and a five-step drop under center. But to teach a kid to catch and throw without the laces in the quick game and the full-field read? I think that's a learned skill."