Here it is, tired, cranky, hungover, frustrated, pissed off:
The offense has no identity. On the last Akron drive and again last night in the final 7:00 or so there was a noticeable commitment to the "pro-style" running game promised to be forthcoming. Fitz didn't have to think much; he ran downhill and hit the hole. When he gets the ball in the more "read option" plays, he hesitates, and what hole or cutback lane was once there isn't there by the time he makes up his mind. He's made the O-line look bad at times.
I'm baffled by this whole situation. Hoke & Co. preach the importance of being physical and committing more to the pro style type attack personnel preventing them from running in the past. Now, they have it. Miller at 290 is the smallest O-Lineman, and quite frankly, none of them are all that mobile, except maybe Lewan on a kickout. Those three in the interior are not zone read capable, nor were they recruited to be. They at times open up seams if Fitz were good enough in the system to hit, but by and large, we don't see gaping holes opening up through which any moron could run. But when they went more iso, and when Fitz was running more downhill with Devin under center, things seemed to improve. Let the O-Lineman go one on one with a guy they can beat. If they can't beat the guy, chip on him, bring in a TE on a crackback, or adjust schemes to allow for double teams (against guys like Nix who won't lose very often one on one)
Devin's mobility is a huge strength, but it can't come at the expense of offensive rhythm and performance. His runs shouldn't necessarily come on read option plays, but rather from under center, on PA, after a run game was established, or after he goes from under center to his 5 step drop, and a DE loses outside contain or the middle parts wide open. If Borges wants to run him from the shotgun, I'd rather use Fitz or whoever the RB is as the lead blocker, not the decoy on the zone read. The big misnomer is that you have to be able to run in order to run PA off of it; you don't. You have to COMMIT to the run to run PA off it. If 8 guys crowd the line, the run game won't consistently get more than 2-3 per carry. But if 8 guys jump the run fake and Gardner rolls out, he can make things happen.
Gardner didn't play well last night; but he didn't get much help either.
The offense has no identity. On the last Akron drive and again last night in the final 7:00 or so there was a noticeable commitment to the "pro-style" running game promised to be forthcoming. Fitz didn't have to think much; he ran downhill and hit the hole. When he gets the ball in the more "read option" plays, he hesitates, and what hole or cutback lane was once there isn't there by the time he makes up his mind. He's made the O-line look bad at times.
I'm baffled by this whole situation. Hoke & Co. preach the importance of being physical and committing more to the pro style type attack personnel preventing them from running in the past. Now, they have it. Miller at 290 is the smallest O-Lineman, and quite frankly, none of them are all that mobile, except maybe Lewan on a kickout. Those three in the interior are not zone read capable, nor were they recruited to be. They at times open up seams if Fitz were good enough in the system to hit, but by and large, we don't see gaping holes opening up through which any moron could run. But when they went more iso, and when Fitz was running more downhill with Devin under center, things seemed to improve. Let the O-Lineman go one on one with a guy they can beat. If they can't beat the guy, chip on him, bring in a TE on a crackback, or adjust schemes to allow for double teams (against guys like Nix who won't lose very often one on one)
Devin's mobility is a huge strength, but it can't come at the expense of offensive rhythm and performance. His runs shouldn't necessarily come on read option plays, but rather from under center, on PA, after a run game was established, or after he goes from under center to his 5 step drop, and a DE loses outside contain or the middle parts wide open. If Borges wants to run him from the shotgun, I'd rather use Fitz or whoever the RB is as the lead blocker, not the decoy on the zone read. The big misnomer is that you have to be able to run in order to run PA off of it; you don't. You have to COMMIT to the run to run PA off it. If 8 guys crowd the line, the run game won't consistently get more than 2-3 per carry. But if 8 guys jump the run fake and Gardner rolls out, he can make things happen.
Gardner didn't play well last night; but he didn't get much help either.
