Finch and Godhigh talk about Justin Thomas

[alaguy]

The best attribute that JT has is quick feet, indespensable in this OFF-a big upgrade..His speed is very good but if the OL is not blocking well ,you won't see it because he is going down and QUICKLY. 180 lb runners are a rarity these days for good reason.. My biggest concern is size/strength on short ydge on 3rd down and taking the continual hits for injury..
.He is a decent passer at this point maybe better than TW so we should be adequate with our WRs.

 

[Techster]

The best attribute that JT has is quick feet, indespensable in this OFF-a big upgrade..His speed is very good but if the OL is not blocking well ,you won't see it because he is going down and QUICKLY. 180 lb runners are a rarity these days for good reason.. My biggest concern is size/strength on short ydge on 3rd down and taking the continual hits for injury..
.He is a decent passer at this point maybe better than TW so we should be adequate with our WRs.

Tevin was really good as a passer 2012. I thought he grew a lot from a mental stanpoint for the position. The guy knew where to go with the fooball based on coverages and what the passing concepts called for. I was really impressed with his growth there.

Unfortunately, his arm wasn't able take advantage of what his eyes saw some of the time. I would be REALLY happy if JT or our other QBs had that kind of understanding of the passing game with their arm.

 

[GT Man]

The best attribute that JT has is quick feet, indespensable in this OFF-a big upgrade..His speed is very good but if the OL is not blocking well ,you won't see it because he is going down and QUICKLY. 180 lb runners are a rarity these days for good reason.. My biggest concern is size/strength on short ydge on 3rd down and taking the continual hits for injury..
.He is a decent passer at this point maybe better than TW so we should be adequate with our WRs.

To be fair to our O-line, I don't believe they aren't built for sustained blocking. Ideally, they should only have to take down the dude across from them ONE time. After that, the ball should already have crossed the LOS. This past season, plays developed really slowly. Speed that up and I think we see more success in the trenches, IMHO.

Regarding size/strength on short yardage, hopefully Custis fills that role nicely. He's a beast.

 

[Mack]

To be fair to our O-line, I don't believe they aren't built for sustained blocking. Ideally, they should only have to take down the dude across from them ONE time. After that, the ball should already have crossed the LOS. This past season, plays developed really slowly. Speed that up and I think we see more success in the trenches, IMHO.

Regarding size/strength on short yardage, hopefully Custis fills that role nicely. He's a beast.

Talking to a georgie coach few years ago at a funeral for Coach Sammie Lamb and brought up blocking.He said you dont see much blast blocking anymore all you do is get a big kid that is wide and turn him himself between the D player and the ballcarrier.He called it shield blocking...like the old day where you knocked the man off the ball until the whistle.

 

[Rodney Kent]

I have been puzzled about the blocking tecniques of today and many, many years ago. Back in our day, you could not use your hands, you used your forearm for blocking, and sometimes grabbed your own jersey at the chest to insure you had the right forearm approach to blocking. Somewhere along the time-line this appears to have changed. I see the blockers using their hands to block and push the tacklers away from the runner or passer.

I see nothing but trouble with this procedure, as a referee could call holding on every linemen on every play if he so desired. I personally believe if a player could only use his shoulders and forearm, it would take away most of the holding calls. Yes, sometimes it is obvious, but there appears to be holding on most all downs. These penalties for holding would tend to be much less when blocking with the shoulder and forearm. Also, it would tend to take the ref out of the outcome of a game and make the game more fair to those teams who do not hold on every down.

When did this concept of blocking change and why?

 

[GT Man]

I have been puzzled about the blocking tecniques of today and many, many years ago. Back in our day, you could not use your hands, you used your forearm for blocking, and sometimes grabbed your own jersey at the chest to insure you had the right forearm approach to blocking. Somewhere along the time-line this appears to have changed. I see the blockers using their hands to block and push the tacklers away from the runner or passer.

I see nothing but trouble with this procedure, as a referee could call holding on every linemen on every play if he so desired. I personally believe if a player could only use his shoulders and forearm, it would take away most of the holding calls. Yes, sometimes it is obvious, but there appears to be holding on most all downs. These penalties for holding would tend to be much less when blocking with the shoulder and forearm. Also, it would tend to take the ref out of the outcome of a game and make the game more fair to those teams who do not hold on every down.

When did this concept of blocking change and why?

GREAT post.

 

[33jacket]

I have been puzzled about the blocking tecniques of today and many, many years ago. Back in our day, you could not use your hands, you used your forearm for blocking, and sometimes grabbed your own jersey at the chest to insure you had the right forearm approach to blocking. Somewhere along the time-line this appears to have changed. I see the blockers using their hands to block and push the tacklers away from the runner or passer.

I see nothing but trouble with this procedure, as a referee could call holding on every linemen on every play if he so desired. I personally believe if a player could only use his shoulders and forearm, it would take away most of the holding calls. Yes, sometimes it is obvious, but there appears to be holding on most all downs. These penalties for holding would tend to be much less when blocking with the shoulder and forearm. Also, it would tend to take the ref out of the outcome of a game and make the game more fair to those teams who do not hold on every down.

When did this concept of blocking change and why?

Same reason why you cant ride a Wr past 5 yards or hit them hard or hell even touch. The D with LT in the 80s was dominating OL and the nfl wants points. Bigger OL not as quick more hands equals easier to get the passing game going and points

Look there is a reason every year a new record is being set at QB. It isnt all talent. The rules help.

 

[Rodney Kent]

I am sure that is not the reason given for the change. What was the official reason cited for changing from blocking with the pads and forearm in lieu of using the outstretched arms and hands? It appears to me the ease of a method for the refs to call holding whenever they need to reminds me of the days when many refs were on the payroll of the oddsmakers who took bets on the games. Easily, this one technique gives the ref morer control of the game when he deems it necessary to control the point spread in a game.

 

[33jacket]

I am sure that is not the reason given for the change. What was the official reason cited for changing from blocking with the pads and forearm in lieu of using the outstretched arms and hands? It appears to me the ease of a method for the refs to call holding whenever they need to reminds me of the days when many refs were on the payroll of the oddsmakers who took bets on the games. Easily, this one technique gives the ref morer control of the game when he deems it necessary to control the point spread in a game.

I gaurantee you the attraction of scoring points in the nfl, is a big reason for all the rules changes, otherwise why change em? Why stopping letting the db be physical with a wr before the ball is thrown if it wasnt to help the O? Certainly some of the most recent stuff is concussion related due to lawsuits. But before this it was all to help the O

It is also a fact nfl ratings are the best ever and it has trended with points which have trended with rules changes. Its not all coincident. The nfl is a big money machine and they know what works.

 

[Mack]

I have been puzzled about the blocking tecniques of today and many, many years ago. Back in our day, you could not use your hands, you used your forearm for blocking, and sometimes grabbed your own jersey at the chest to insure you had the right forearm approach to blocking. Somewhere along the time-line this appears to have changed. I see the blockers using their hands to block and push the tacklers away from the runner or passer.

I see nothing but trouble with this procedure, as a referee could call holding on every linemen on every play if he so desired. I personally believe if a player could only use his shoulders and forearm, it would take away most of the holding calls. Yes, sometimes it is obvious, but there appears to be holding on most all downs. These penalties for holding would tend to be much less when blocking with the shoulder and forearm. Also, it would tend to take the ref out of the outcome of a game and make the game more fair to those teams who do not hold on every down.

When did this concept of blocking change and why?

Not sure when.....I left high school coaching around 82 and it was different.Gusee folks got tired of the defense having the advantage on the pass rush since they could use hands.......We used to coach hit and recoil,hit and recoil on pass plays and getting under the def guy on straight dives.now it is so different..Notice th offensive lineman dont have sleeves...they dont want to be held by folks ...

 

[Essobee]

Rodney: My days go way back to when we were coached to either hold our jerseys or to lock our hands near our chest. I remember when the change was made and IIRC, it was for pretty much the reason cited by 33 Jacket.

Mack: I have long wondered why teams went to short sleeves. Thanks for explaining it. Reminds me of Bobby Dodd's tear-away jerseys.

 

[vamosjackets]

I remember when I was playing Little League football we were coached to block with our forearms. I remember in high school we were taught to get our hands into the guy (throw a punch with the hands and grab cloth/shoulder pads in his chest). Can't remember middle school years. So, sometime between 1991 and 1995, I think the change was brought to the lower levels. Not sure if it was brought to college before that. Coincidentally, my high school was very much into the CPJ GSU offense and went to camps and such down there. We had those blocking schemes down pat. We knew if we did our job, every play could/should go for a TD. And, many did.

 

[Rodney Kent]

33jacket: I concede that you are most likely right, I am just surprised that the rules makers gave that reason for the change. However, it does all make sense. I do know that most everything, when analyzed comes down to $$$$. I am sure that is why "The LOVE of money is the root of all evil". Thanks everyone for the input; I wish they would go back to that method so the refs could not control the game so much, but it will probably never happen.

 

[awbuzz]

Man that brought back some flash back memories. That's the way I remember being taught in the 70's.
As has been stated it started because defenses were killing the passing game in the NFL. Then you trickled down from there.

 

[alaguy]

Not sure when.....I left high school coaching around 82 and it was different.Gusee folks got tired of the defense having the advantage on the pass rush since they could use hands.......We used to coach hit and recoil,hit and recoil on pass plays and getting under the def guy on straight dives.now it is so different..Notice th offensive lineman dont have sleeves...they dont want to be held by folks ...

Mack,
The blocking changed in late 70s,I believe. It changed EVERYTHING. The age of the big passing QB with 5 giant guys with long arms outstretched for blocking began.No more quick smaller OLs that pulled a lot,etc-just push the def.It also brought the BIG passing numbers unheard of before.

 

[Mack]

Mack,
The blocking changed in late 70s,I believe. It changed EVERYTHING. The age of the big passing QB with 5 giant guys with long arms outstretched for blocking began.No more quick smaller OLs that pulled a lot,etc-just push the def.It also brought the BIG passing numbers unheard of before.

yep the wider the tackle was...the better.

 

[takethepoints]

I can tell you why the rules changed from my own experience.

When I played ball, the instruction for OLs on my high school team was simple: put your facemask on the numbers of the player you are blocking. Or, as it was generically called, you "speared" the D player. Leading with your head and focusing on the numbers made the whole process simple. You either speared the other side or you cut blocked them. When I got to college (Div 3), my coaches told me to use a forearm shiver, as is mentioned above. I ignored them and soon got a rep as the best blocker in my frosh class. Then I hurt my knee again and my career was over. (I paid for that last summer with a knee replacement.)

Soooooo … I wore a horse collar and led with my head, like a lot of other players. Result = lots of concussions and neck injuries, often severe ones. The rule changes meant that passing became easier, as mentioned above as well, but that was only part of the equation. There was a real concern, that continues to this day, about the number of head and neck injuries in football. I often fulminate about this; OLs today get away with murder when it comes to holding. Still, there was a reason for the switch.

 

[Essobee]

And in my day it was also bad. We had no face masks so we aimed ourselves and then lowered our head immediately before contact. Consequently, the top of our headgear was used as an impact weapon. Not to do so could be very expensive to the face and teeth. Yeah, the new rules are better.

 

[eg1]

I have been puzzled about the blocking tecniques of today and many, many years ago. Back in our day, you could not use your hands, you used your forearm for blocking, and sometimes grabbed your own jersey at the chest to insure you had the right forearm approach to blocking. Somewhere along the time-line this appears to have changed. I see the blockers using their hands to block and push the tacklers away from the runner or passer.

I see nothing but trouble with this procedure, as a referee could call holding on every linemen on every play if he so desired. I personally believe if a player could only use his shoulders and forearm, it would take away most of the holding calls. Yes, sometimes it is obvious, but there appears to be holding on most all downs. These penalties for holding would tend to be much less when blocking with the shoulder and forearm. Also, it would tend to take the ref out of the outcome of a game and make the game more fair to those teams who do not hold on every down.

When did this concept of blocking change and why?

It is part of a long term evolution of the game whereby virtually all rule changes have been made in favour of the offense in general and the passing game in particular.

 

[awbuzz]

It is part of a long term evolution of the game whereby virtually all rule changes have been made in favour of the offense in general and the passing game in particular.

Definitely!