Preview of offense

[AE 87]

In '08, the Abacks averaged a little over 6 carries a game. Last season they practically doubled that.

I suspect you gave all Cox's carries to BBack. I see it as closer to going from 11 to 14.

Regardless, that doesn't change the expectations for ABack, just how often.

 

[dressedcheeseside]

Revisionist history a bit?

Our O was simpler in '08. On top of that, opposing DC's were clueless for the most part. Moreover, opposing defensive players didn't have multiple years of experience facing us allowing perfected schemes and techniques.

 

[dressedcheeseside]

I suspect you gave all Cox's carries to BBack. I see it as closer to going from 11 to 14.

Regardless, that doesn't change the expectations for ABack, just how often.

I edited that. It's more like 8+, but last year's crew had over 15.

 

[dressedcheeseside]

My point in the above posts is that playing Aback was easier back then. Now, there's a little more to learn, you're asked to carry the ball more often and we nolonger have the element of surprise.

Even if all that is overstated, we've seen more guys take significant time to master the position than have it mastered in year one. That fact alone does not inspire faith that a bunch of true frosh and a handful or RS frosh are gonna step right in w/o growing pains.

 

[AE 87]

My point in the above posts is that playing Aback was easier back then. Now, there's a little more to learn, you're asked to carry the ball more often and we nolonger have the element of surprise.

Even if all that is overstated, we've seen more guys take significant time to master the position than have it mastered in year one. That fact alone does not inspire faith that a bunch of true frosh and a handful or RS frosh are gonna step right in w/o growing pains.

I don't think that it necessarily follows logically that greater use of the best RB in ACC at Bback says anything about the ABack. See yds in georgie game.

What "more" do they have to learn in running game?

 

[dressedcheeseside]

I don't think that it necessarily follows logically that greater use of the best RB in ACC at Bback says anything about the ABack. See yds in georgie game.

What "more" do they have to learn in running game?

As others have said, the playbook may not be bigger, but how much of it CPJ feels comfortable using has. One thing I've noticed we're doing more often now is using the Abacks blocking inside. We did it some in the early years, but not as much as we do now.

 

[Northeast Stinger]

Again, Stinger, my argument isn't yards. It's blocking.

That is a reasonable argument but I am assuming that blocking is part of what it takes to be an A-back. If one looks back in previous years the A-backs have had more success or less success but they have always had success. And, if I recall, we always needed at least one A-back to be able to block for at least one other A-back (and vice-versa) for either of them to be able to get yards.

 

[Northeast Stinger]

My point in the above posts is that playing Aback was easier back then.

Why am I skeptical of this statement? I guess because I find it a really hard theory to test.

But let's posit a different theory. As good as Nesbitt was he was not nearly the magician that JT is. The play book seemed smaller in 2008 because CPJ did not have nearly the confidence in Nesbitt that he has in JT. How do I know that? Only anecdotal evidence from watching and listening to CPJ. Some of the gutsiest plays Nesbitt made happened either because he argued with CPJ to let him run a play, or he was able to bull his way for a first down. CPJ shows little hesitation, in my mind, in pulling out the full play book with JT any time he wants to. That, in my mind, is the biggest reason we are running more of the play book.

Add to this JT's passing ability and the fact that the offensive line is exponentially better and, to my mind, you have all the reasons you need to understand why 2014 was a more complex playbook than 2008.

So it may in fact it may be true that playing A-back is easier now than it was in 2008. I find that statement just as hard to test but much easier to defend.

 

[UgaBlows]

Have some faith in our coaches and players!

 

[AE 87]

As others have said, the playbook may not be bigger, but how much of it CPJ feels comfortable using has. One thing I've noticed we're doing more often now is using the Abacks blocking inside. We did it some in the early years, but not as much as we do now.

No worries. I think you just seem to have a habit of posting your opinions as facts and using them as facts in discussions with others. That's frustrating to me.

 

[Skeptic]

That is a reasonable argument but I am assuming that blocking is part of what it takes to be an A-back. If one looks back in previous years the A-backs have had more success or less success but they have always had success. And, if I recall, we always needed at least one A-back to be able to block for at least one other A-back (and vice-versa) for either of them to be able to get yards.

Is it fair to assume -- and I am not a scouting guy so I really don't know -- that none of the Abacks recruited for '15 won their HS spurs for blocking, but for running the ball? In short, somebody else was doing the heavy lifting for them? And I honestly don't know.

 

[AE 87]

Is it fair to assume -- and I am not a scouting guy so I really don't know -- that none of the Abacks recruited for '15 won their HS spurs for blocking, but for running the ball? In short, somebody else was doing the heavy lifting for them? And I honestly don't know.

I don't know either, but I suspect that most had to learn how to block and especially cut block in pass-protection.

 

[Northeast Stinger]

Is it fair to assume -- and I am not a scouting guy so I really don't know -- that none of the Abacks recruited for '15 won their HS spurs for blocking, but for running the ball? In short, somebody else was doing the heavy lifting for them? And I honestly don't know.

I feel like we are at the point now of straining at gnats to swallow camels. We have too little information to surmise whether someone in high school was a good blocker, an average blocker or a piss poor blocker. I bet the coaches know.

And one thing I have noticed, and several have commented on in the past, CPJ is not poor mouthing much this year, or at least as much as he has in other seasons. He even seems to have that slight smirk he gets when he knows something you don't know. If he is not worried, I have leaned there is no reason for me to be worried.

Which leads us full circle to where this particular line of questioning started. Competition to get actual playing time will cull out those players who are ready to give their all to the blocking schemes from those who, for whatever reason (maturity, current ability, learning curve) are not ready for the demands of blocking. Some small degree of optimism seems rational to me. To repeat again, it seems far more rational than the optimism about FSU who has lost virtually an entire starting team or Clemson who will have virtually an entirely rookie offensive line. But the experts have picked them to be the likely conference winners.

 

[awbuzz]

... back to the OP... Good wright up from FTRS.
Positive spin with reasonable questions about who and how well folks will step up and fill the shoes of those that left the program.

 

[CuseJacket]

One of the better previews of our offense

 

[AE 87]

One of the better previews of our offense

wow, I reckon that picture does double duty as CPJ's reaction to seeing his face used that way.

 

[awbuzz]

Guess the Errin is comfortable with CPJ !!!

 

[Legal Jacket]

Sometimes defenders make plays. BJ didn't have his best games blocking vs FSU and MissSt, but I think that speaks to him and the defenders and not how long it takes to learn the skill. Blocks will be missed, probably more this year given the number of new guys. However, Embry was able to make solid blocks vs Miami as a true freshman.

As people keep raising this question, I'll keep repeating that we have several guys who've been learning this position and blocks longer than Roddy and Lucas had before 2008. With a better, deeper more experienced line and more experienced QB, we should be fine. Our biggest problems in 2008 arose from a patchwork OL and a less than 100% QB.

I hear what you are saying, but we weren't very good at blocking anywhere in 2008. We were 74th in the country in points per game (24.4). Not counting cupcakes, we put up 19 points on BC, 17 on VT, 27 on dook, 21 on Clemson, 17 on UVA, 31 on fsu, and 7 on unc. Don't forget that bowl game. And that was with Dwyer and a DL with four nfl guys (3 of whom were seniors). We play much better teams earlier this year. If we start out like we did in 08, we will be 3-7 after FSU.

 

[Legal Jacket]

So we are more confident that a team like Clemson can replace both of lines than our Abacks just get in the way of a defender in the alley?

I promise you blocking at the Aback position is not Calculus

This is a bit overstated. Clemson reloads. A guy like shaq Lawson would be our best defensive player. The clemson "replacements" are pretty much juniors and seniors who have been there for 3-4 years; unlike our ABs, many of whom have yet to practice. Lawson, for example, is a "replacement," yet has 7.5 career sacks in 2 years as a backup.

 

[Legal Jacket]

Your last sentence is more of an indictment on that player than the length of time it takes to learn how to block.

Name an AB we've had who was a good blocker as a freshman. There aren't any.