Today I released Part 2 of my interview with Dan Enos. The focus was on the offense. You can read the interview here:

http://www.themorningsun.com/articles/2010/07/14/sports/srv0000008829686.txt

Here are a few thoughts that stand out based on what Enos had to say (his quotes are in italics)

We have a quarterback on campus right now in Kyle Smith, who is a freshman, who can run a 4.6. He is 210 pounds and if he ends up being the guy and gives us the best chance to win, you will see us run the quarterback a little more. If Ryan Radcliff is our quarterback, I wouldn't say he will kill us running and we will run him some, but we will keep him more in the pocket. It will constantly be evolving each season.

I think it is clear that we all jumped to conclusions on what the offense will look like. Enos is wise enough to know you can't be committed to a single idea or thought and you need to roll with the punches about your strengths and weaknesses. I would think an area of strength could be that the team could look one way with one quarterback and totally different with another. It gives CMU some options if things are working or Radcliff doesn't develop into a true starter.

Well, one thing that is interesting with that is that in 2007, (Michigan State) led the Big Ten in passing. Last year we were second in passing.

I think people forget what the MSU offense looked like in past years. Certainly they were not afraid to throw the ball in 2007 or even when Stanton was quarterback. Now, 2008 was ugly, but they also did win nine games. I think in a spread offense we think it has to be pass-happy, but don't forget that CMU still ran the ball a lot.

I was always told that systems don't win championships, players and coaches do.

This is a very true statement. Take Ohio State for example. They had a very old school style of football when they first won the national championship under Tressel and now with Pryor, they are starting to get a little radical with the playbook and play to his strengths. A good coach is always trying to learn and give his players the best chance to win.

Lastly Enos talked about the defense and special teams and why there is little questions there and I think as football fans, the focus is all on offense because that is where most of the statistics are. But, two years ago, I got hundreds of emails about the defense and how it cost CMU games. In 2009, the defense was stellar, and nobody had any complaints, but you can't take that for granted. The defense should be good this year, but you can't expect it to be what it was last year either. In terms of special teams, that is a big deal. The kicking game was pretty consistent under Aguila and we all remember some of the back kickers in CMU's past.

Thursday's edition will focus on recruiting and NCAA policies. The big moment in that section is where Enos talks about recruiting Florida. I think you will all want to read that.