Yaller Jacket
Ramblin' Wreck
- Messages
- 979
P J does not like to acknowledge that teams are playing us differently this year. It sounds too much like other teams have figured out his offense, and he won't listen to that. But they are playing linebackers and safeties more aggressively, and it's working. Because we are inept at pass blocking especially, it is disrupting everything we do.
When teams send more than we can block, the answer is hit 'em with pass plays that go for scores or big gains. A few of those and they are indecisive and must play a little less aggressively. When they do that, the normal assignments for blocking become manageable again. But what they are doing is working for them. Our pass plays practically never work. It's all on the pass protection. Our receivers are wide open but JT never has time to throw the ball.
We were pretty bad at pass blocking in the early years, but we got better for a couple of years there. It can be done. In particular, it looks to me like the B back is a big part of pass protection. If we can find a B between C J, Marshall, and Allen, I'd say he gets the most playing time. All can run with the ball. I'd tell 'em that in spring practice. Tell 'em to think of a whiff in pass blocking as the equivalent of a fumble. We also don't know what Quaide brings to blocking.
The side line screen gives me hope. If Cottrell is back 100 percent and his speed is the real thing, I think of him or Searcy getting that pass in space and turning it not just into a gain but a score.
Run blocking may just be marginally better. But I think part of why it looks so bad now is that they are sending more than we can block. If we slow that down a little, it'll probably look better. The other thing is to accept that last year's dominant line play was a perfect storm of circumstances. It probably is a once a decade kind of thing. But with more speed next year, when we do block a play well, we should be able to make it pay.
When teams send more than we can block, the answer is hit 'em with pass plays that go for scores or big gains. A few of those and they are indecisive and must play a little less aggressively. When they do that, the normal assignments for blocking become manageable again. But what they are doing is working for them. Our pass plays practically never work. It's all on the pass protection. Our receivers are wide open but JT never has time to throw the ball.
We were pretty bad at pass blocking in the early years, but we got better for a couple of years there. It can be done. In particular, it looks to me like the B back is a big part of pass protection. If we can find a B between C J, Marshall, and Allen, I'd say he gets the most playing time. All can run with the ball. I'd tell 'em that in spring practice. Tell 'em to think of a whiff in pass blocking as the equivalent of a fumble. We also don't know what Quaide brings to blocking.
The side line screen gives me hope. If Cottrell is back 100 percent and his speed is the real thing, I think of him or Searcy getting that pass in space and turning it not just into a gain but a score.
Run blocking may just be marginally better. But I think part of why it looks so bad now is that they are sending more than we can block. If we slow that down a little, it'll probably look better. The other thing is to accept that last year's dominant line play was a perfect storm of circumstances. It probably is a once a decade kind of thing. But with more speed next year, when we do block a play well, we should be able to make it pay.
