SMU Football: Any quick fixes or is this a total teardown?

[PK]

Captain Obvious comment here...the OL is way down. That drives everything else...the QB doesn't have time to wait for the WRs routes to develop and either has to scramble, throw early, or take a sack. There aren't any lanes for the RBs, so how can you really evaluate the skill players?

I may be way off base here, but it seems to me that the biggest problem with the OL is that they have been forced to start before they are ready. Usually you want to have your OL manned by players who are in their junior and senior year. We currently have what...one junior and the rest are sophomores, red-shirt freshmen and freshmen. Am I wrong on that?

[PonyKai]

[quote="PKI may be way off base here, but it seems to me that the biggest problem with the OL is that they have been forced to start before they are ready. Usually you want to have your OL manned by players who are in their junior and senior year.[/quote]

Well, devil's advocate, and I don't disagree with the general idea...but remember when we had the "most experienced" offensive line in all of college football? At least personally, I had the painful realization that even really experienced sub-par talent is still just that. So, while I agree, I'd argue we've been way under-talented on the line for about 30 years (almost).

[EastStang]

I still think part of the problem with our linemen over the past five years has been the lack of hitting in preseason workouts. They may not be injured, but they weren't ready for the hits they'd be receiving. That's why our teams started out so bad under JJ and then started getting decent around October.