The Offensive Line

[lightsout]

So most here put all their eggs in the "when Ryan Kalil comes back, our run game will improve" basket. I know I did, to some degree at least. Today showed that this is not so.

Granted, The Greater Kalil's play did improve push from the center position, it did not make up for what the issue is with our scheme. And once he left, the results were mostly the same.

So what exactly are we doing with the run game, particularly on first down? By and large, it's inside zone. We're trying to attack the A gaps. A lot. Why this is, I do not know, but it is what the blocking tells us. I have no gifs because I am bad at internet, but I can tell you off of memory what I saw and I will try to represent it somewhat via text inputs.

X at center = under center
^ at center = shotgun

                  Oo 
O   o     OO^OOO             O
x         x    x    x   x            x
        x     x    x        x
                       x


The above setup was common for us on first. At times, it'd be tighter than this, which is a dead giveaway, but that is neither here nor there. What would happen would be a hand off and the track the RB would take would be directly to the A gap on the side he was on, looking to cut across the center and hit backside A, depending on what the nose tackle does. To the playside, the tackle is trying to scoop the 3 tech, the guard is chipping and trying to get on a linebacker. The center is chipping the nose and trying to get on a linebacker, while backside guard is scooping the nose. Backside tackle and the TE are kicking out the ends. This is a run meant to create a wall of bodies that does not allow the outside backer and the safety walked down on the other side from getting in on the play. This is meant to hit for 4-5 yards with the potential to pop it if a tackle is broken once the RB gets to the LB level.

All that sounds good and in theory, should work. The problem is, it is painfully obvious that this is what is being attempted on first down a large percentage of the time. What are DC's doing to counter this? Simple. The defensive lines we face are now pinching. No, not shooting the gap inside of them, they're attacking the outside shoulder of their inside man. So, the backside nose is attacking our center's right shoulder. This slows the center down while he is attempting to go LB level, and makes the reach block by Turner harder. That nose is now maintaining inside leverage. Even if he doesn't get into the backfield, he has effectively taken away that A gap. On the 3 tech, he is attacking Norwell's outside shoulder. Again, since his ONLY concern is attacking, he's not having to figure out who is blocking him. He doesn't care. His sole responsibility is to make that guard work to get to second level and make that tackle HAVE to squeeze him down into that A gap. So where this play is designed to hit is now gone. This forces the play to go B-gap to sideline. That's fine, except the ends. They're also attacking. On the TE side, since the tackle is dipping inside on the 3 tech, the end is having to get inside and keep that gap wide. He's not able to, fine. This squeezes that end into B/C gaps. The linebackers, now having a mass of humanity in front of them, get to pursue downhill, largely untouched, and clean up. 

The above happened on EVERY inside zone we attempted. Those nice 5-10 yard runs we hit for 1 or 2 drives? Those were power, blast, and iso. Those are predicated on a completely different blocking scheme to take advantage of overly aggressive defensive lineman and use their momentum squeezing down against them, as the run is meant to hit B/C gap anyway. This also makes getting to LB level easier, which is what allowed those runs to exist.



Once again, Shula is too dense to see what is so painfully obvious to anybody with any basic knowledge of football as an X's and O's game. While the scheme itself fails due to us being too repetitive and too obvious, it is not in itself a bad scheme. Every team in the league has the same basic runs that we do and every team in the league executes them because they don't make the calls so obvious. The problem lies with 1) bad OC and 2) bad talent at the OT position. That is the problem. However, you have to correct problem 1 before addressing problem 2. We could have 2 Joe Thomas's out there and we'd still get beat up front due to problem 1.

[electro's horse]

That’s a solid post bro

[Ace_Aladdin]

We need to hire Norv Turner, he knows how to use the traditional run game.

[JawnyBlaze]

Even norwell and turner (before he got hurt) were looking kinda pooty out there today. Missed assignments and getting dominated by the DL

[beastson]

 

[juliosantos]

my question is why cant shula give mcaffrey an outside run

[RumHam]

I said a week ago putting kalil in would fug everything up and it did just that.

[ColumbusCounty]

I just want the POWER and ISO.

At times Shula tries to get so complex he goes stupid. 

Idunno if we evolved or dissolved. 

[TN05]

Gettleman had four years to fix this.

Four.

Years.

Punted every time.