GlennW
Helluva Engineer
- Messages
- 1,189
I think when the Bleacher Report came out with THEIR All-2014 Team, and gave out THEIR individual "honors," they decided that they couldn't do that with the Offensive Line and just awarded the ENTIRE Offensive Line AS A GROUP to US rather than Individual Awards, saying OUR WHOLE works better than every INDVIDUAL for every other Team in America.
This says a ton about how much our guys have "bought into our system," playing like a true unit, the fact that, while they may not be as "athletically" gifted, on paper, as many on linemen, they meet our offensive needs to perfection because they can block all of our necessary schemes (cut blocks, block to the next level, and now, they are also showing they can drive block, and pass protect, effectively).
What is so encouraging to me is that Shaq is the only Senior/Starter from the group, plus we've built a lot of depth with players who actually got varsity game experience. Having the quality Offensive Line up front of a true dual-threat QB, like Justin Thomas, has proven to be a great recipie for a consistent means of pressure on opposing defenses which continue our positioning for success on the field.
I would like to add that I believe having continued success with our team was more of an issue with our defense than our offense, and that I think that Ted Roof (and his Assistants), who are bringing in their new recruits and getting their "system" fully ingrained into the "program," is beginning to bring our team to that place many of us had been praying for since Paul Johnson was hired. I think so many had been saying "if we could just hold opposing teams to just 6 or 7 less points per game (or something like that), we could win 9-10 games a year (or more) instead of 7-8. Well, my friends, I think we're almost there...
I said before the season started that I thought THIS year woud be the "transition" year with Justin taking over, and NEXT year would be the year we'd challenge for a National Championship. I stand by my thoughts.
This says a ton about how much our guys have "bought into our system," playing like a true unit, the fact that, while they may not be as "athletically" gifted, on paper, as many on linemen, they meet our offensive needs to perfection because they can block all of our necessary schemes (cut blocks, block to the next level, and now, they are also showing they can drive block, and pass protect, effectively).
What is so encouraging to me is that Shaq is the only Senior/Starter from the group, plus we've built a lot of depth with players who actually got varsity game experience. Having the quality Offensive Line up front of a true dual-threat QB, like Justin Thomas, has proven to be a great recipie for a consistent means of pressure on opposing defenses which continue our positioning for success on the field.
I would like to add that I believe having continued success with our team was more of an issue with our defense than our offense, and that I think that Ted Roof (and his Assistants), who are bringing in their new recruits and getting their "system" fully ingrained into the "program," is beginning to bring our team to that place many of us had been praying for since Paul Johnson was hired. I think so many had been saying "if we could just hold opposing teams to just 6 or 7 less points per game (or something like that), we could win 9-10 games a year (or more) instead of 7-8. Well, my friends, I think we're almost there...
I said before the season started that I thought THIS year woud be the "transition" year with Justin taking over, and NEXT year would be the year we'd challenge for a National Championship. I stand by my thoughts.
