.....that comes to my mind when discussing our running game, or lack of same. On the one hand, you've got statements by Brown that we need to run the ball in short yardage situations, in the red zone, and to consume clock and protect a late game lead. You've got Davis talking about a balanced offense and the need to take what the defense gives you. On the other hand, while we did work more on the run in spring training than the prior year, that portion of the game still accounted for significantly fewer snaps than the passing game - ditto the amount of time the OL spent on pass protection technique vs run blocking.
As I've stated before, I personally could give a **** how we get yards and points, as long as we get them. If the easiest way to do that is through the air, then let's replace Run The Damned Ball (RTDB) with TTFT (Throw The ******* Thing). IMO, this is a squad that has many more weapons and more favorable outlook for success in the passing game vs rushing the ball.
Possibly, this is one of those areas where rational thought is hard to come by - some sort of rite of passage and manliness, where there's simply a visceral need to pound your opponents into submission. Well, that's all well and good, I suppose, but the desire for some event does not necessarily translate into fulfillment. Were that the case, then my "personal equipment" would be considerably enhanced and my frequent, and generally erotic, fantasies involving Elle McPherson, quantities of Wesson oil, and leather fashion statements would be reality.
I've taken issue with the RTDB crowd in the past, not because I necessarily disagree with their sentiments, but because most of them don't bother to state how we're going to get the job done. From my POV, establishing a solid running game involves (1) designing the offense to match your personnel (which means you don't pound Mitchell or Ike between the tackles, (2) developing blocking schemes somewhat advanced from the flying wedge, which would place our OL in a position to be successful, and (3) spending the requisite practice time, both in position drills and in scrimmages, to teach the OL to run block. I don't claim to know anything about coaching or practice time allocations, but I can claim to know a helluva lot about complex training situations and the most effective way to get results. That way, to put it simple terms, is to make the training enviroment parallel the live environment as closely as possible and then to get lots of reps in that enviroment. Practice, to paraphrase the old saying, may not result in perfection, but it certainly results in improvement.
The reason for my suspicions about the running game are fairly simple. To implement what I've outlined above is going to take a lot of practice time and effort and that time must come at the expense of other parts of the team - either the passing game or special teams. As well, I would be equally skeptical about our ability to implement those schemes and techniques, should we elect to do so, during August two a days. Consider that UNL - who I consider to be the model for OL play and rushing effectiveness - likely spends about the same amount of time practicing the run as we spend on the passing game. As well, UNL typically redshirts their OL in one of the first two years and rarely do those guys see the field until their third year and frequently until the fourth year. That means they've got a lot of time to master Tenopir's blocking schemes before they have to do it in live action.
In my mind, Brown's reasons for a running game are legitimate and maybe we'll see success in those areas. We're already pretty effective in the red zone, but short yardage and clock consumption are obviously areas for improvement. However, to spend a lot of time trying to build a running offense, given the amount of passing game talent around, strikes me as contrary to rational thought. After all, the pass can be used to set up the run, and, with our receiving talent, we're not going to see eight in the box very much. I won't be surprised if the normal alignment against us features five-six in the box. When that happens, we should be able to find some running room, even with our relatively straightforward schemes.
PS Assuming anyone is interested in this topic and responds, I may or may not be able to join the dialogue. I'm having considerable difficulty accessing the board.
As I've stated before, I personally could give a **** how we get yards and points, as long as we get them. If the easiest way to do that is through the air, then let's replace Run The Damned Ball (RTDB) with TTFT (Throw The ******* Thing). IMO, this is a squad that has many more weapons and more favorable outlook for success in the passing game vs rushing the ball.
Possibly, this is one of those areas where rational thought is hard to come by - some sort of rite of passage and manliness, where there's simply a visceral need to pound your opponents into submission. Well, that's all well and good, I suppose, but the desire for some event does not necessarily translate into fulfillment. Were that the case, then my "personal equipment" would be considerably enhanced and my frequent, and generally erotic, fantasies involving Elle McPherson, quantities of Wesson oil, and leather fashion statements would be reality.
I've taken issue with the RTDB crowd in the past, not because I necessarily disagree with their sentiments, but because most of them don't bother to state how we're going to get the job done. From my POV, establishing a solid running game involves (1) designing the offense to match your personnel (which means you don't pound Mitchell or Ike between the tackles, (2) developing blocking schemes somewhat advanced from the flying wedge, which would place our OL in a position to be successful, and (3) spending the requisite practice time, both in position drills and in scrimmages, to teach the OL to run block. I don't claim to know anything about coaching or practice time allocations, but I can claim to know a helluva lot about complex training situations and the most effective way to get results. That way, to put it simple terms, is to make the training enviroment parallel the live environment as closely as possible and then to get lots of reps in that enviroment. Practice, to paraphrase the old saying, may not result in perfection, but it certainly results in improvement.
The reason for my suspicions about the running game are fairly simple. To implement what I've outlined above is going to take a lot of practice time and effort and that time must come at the expense of other parts of the team - either the passing game or special teams. As well, I would be equally skeptical about our ability to implement those schemes and techniques, should we elect to do so, during August two a days. Consider that UNL - who I consider to be the model for OL play and rushing effectiveness - likely spends about the same amount of time practicing the run as we spend on the passing game. As well, UNL typically redshirts their OL in one of the first two years and rarely do those guys see the field until their third year and frequently until the fourth year. That means they've got a lot of time to master Tenopir's blocking schemes before they have to do it in live action.
In my mind, Brown's reasons for a running game are legitimate and maybe we'll see success in those areas. We're already pretty effective in the red zone, but short yardage and clock consumption are obviously areas for improvement. However, to spend a lot of time trying to build a running offense, given the amount of passing game talent around, strikes me as contrary to rational thought. After all, the pass can be used to set up the run, and, with our receiving talent, we're not going to see eight in the box very much. I won't be surprised if the normal alignment against us features five-six in the box. When that happens, we should be able to find some running room, even with our relatively straightforward schemes.
PS Assuming anyone is interested in this topic and responds, I may or may not be able to join the dialogue. I'm having considerable difficulty accessing the board.
