Lincoln’s Dunn admires Hurts, pulls for Bieniemy

Concerning today’s Super Bowl, the outlook is sunny, per the San Diego high school that claims not one but two Super Bowl MVPS, Marcus Allen and Terrell Davis, as its own.

“It’s going to be a heck of a game — very entertaining,” said David Dunn, head coach of the Lincoln Hornets.

Dunn is close to Eric Bieniemy, offensive coordinator of the Kansas City Chiefs, so he’ll pull for Patrick Mahomes and friends to succeed.

On the other hand, Dunn is looking forward to first downs and touchdowns when Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts directs Philadelphia’s ultra-balanced offense.

“It’s just remarkable how the season has been going for Hurts and Philly,” said the coach, a former NFL wide receiver. “Jaylen Hurts is putting on a show here and being very consistent about it.”

Dunn says he’ll pay extra attention to the Eagles’ run-pass option (RPO) plays. If Dunn sees a wrinkle he likes, Lincoln might just run it next season.

A specialty of the Eagles, RPOS are blocked as runs but enable the quarterback to throw a pass if he decides not to hand off or run with the ball. Hurts makes the right read most times. He’s dangerous as both a runner and passer.

Colleges and high schools featured RPOS for many years before many NFL teams made them a staple in the past decade. Dunn said the still-growing RPO trend was a popular topic Friday among his NFL friends — relating to this Super Bowl and the high school game.

“So many things are taking place very quickly on an RPO that it makes it very hard to defend,” said Dunn, whose 2022 team earned Lincoln’s first state title, in no small part because of RPOS facilitated by Georgia-bound running back Roderick Robinson.

“The defensive ends are going have to be very disciplined in this game,” added the coach, referring mostly to a Chiefs trio of Frank Clark, Carlos Dunlap and rookie George Karlaftis. “If you focus too much on the running back, the quarterback knows he can pull the ball. Depending on his speed, he can get an easy 6 or 7 yards, and it could be a 10- or 15yard gain.”

Oh, but don’t forget about the pass. “If the cornerback and (others) start peeking into the backfield to watch for the run,” Dunn said, “that becomes a problem because the wide receiver is now open. The wide receiver can fake the block and he becomes open.” The play’s timing is tricky. Because the linemen are initiating run blocks, they’re at risk of being flagged for being illegally downfield if the quarterback holds the ball too long before passing.

An early NFL adapter, the Eagles are wizards at the RPO and some of its cousins.

Five years ago, they exploited the league’s lack of RPO savvy en route to their first Super Bowl victory. It didn’t matter greatly that Eagles QB Carson Wentz was only in his second season or that his late-season injury replacement, journyeman Nick Foles, was a slow runner (5.14 seconds in the 40-yard dash).

Foles and Co. shredded Bill Belichick’s defense in Super Bowl LII, winning 43-30.

NFL defenses since have improved against the RPO; but Hurts is an upgrade on Wentz and Foles. Crucially, a dominant line fronted both of Philly’s recent Super Bowl offenses. Constants were a pair of All-pros: center Jason Kelce and tackle Lane Johnson.

As for Chiefs coach Andy Reid’s RPO growth, a facilitator was Helix High graduate Alex Smith, a hybrid QB who bounced ideas off Reid and mentored Mahomes.

Coryell’s ace

With last week’s announcement that Don Coryell had been elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2023, Coryell’s late wife, Aliisa, deserves comto mendation, too.

Aliisa Coryell reportedly made a favorable impression when her husband interviewed for San Diego State’s coaching job in 1961.

“The person that impressed (one of the interviewers) the most was Coryell’s wife,” said Rey Hernandez, who coached at La Jolla and Helix and had a friend on the interview panel. The panelist told Hernandez: “Someone that’s married to a woman like this has to be a good guy.”

“So,” Hernandez said, “you’ve got to give her some credit.”

Attentive to details, Aliisa helped her football-obsessed husband keep appointments by fastening reminder notes to undergarments with safety pins so he’d notice them.

“It was clear my dad’s focus was on football and people,” said the couple’s son, Mike, in 2009. “But my mom’s guiding hands were working behind the scenes.”

The Coryells were married for more than 51 years.

David Dunn