Stallion wrote:well then how about the 5-way battle for Runningback-meanwhile we are playing walkons at Inside Receiver.
I completely agree with you here. That receiver runs the short possesion routes, which is what we end up throwing because we can't protect the QB enough. So our least athletic players are getting the most balls thrown their way.
As I have said before, I expect that we will run a lot of formations with a RB lined up in that slot. Martin/Massey in the backfield, with Henderson/Turner in that slot for reverses, WR screens, and short routes.
Unfortunately, it won't completely go away, because when you look at the inside receiver position, you have Sledge and Foster competing there. I suspect the reason that they are there is because they actually catch the ball consistantly when it is thrown their way.
When you design a passing game, you should either decide that 1) you can't consistantly run, so you have to have a possession passing game or 2) you are going to run the ball and so you want a more athletic passing game.
What our coaching staff is caught in is that we have the athletes to do number 2 from a WR perspective. But our o-line isn't good enough to run consistantly. And they can't pass block well enough to get plays open deep (see Tulane). So they want to go with number 1. Which doesn't work because we don't catch the ball consistantly enough to establish possesion with a short passing game (reference A&M game).
Our attitude offensively should be the number 2 option, but reversed. If we play a team who is going to control the line of scrimmage, we need to establish our atheletes in the passing game first, then try to run the ball. In order to make the atheletes use their abilities best in a passing game, you run WR screens, slants, post, fly. Get them on the move. In our passing game, we run outs and curls. When we do run a screen, it is to the possesion receiver, who won't ever break a long run. Which is concept number 1. Which makes us punt completely on the running game because if you have slow possesion receivers getting the ball, it isn't going to take defensive players out of the box.
Our coaches need to be more aggressive and realize that even if that screen is caught, unless it gets 15 yards it doesn't put pressure on a defense to stretch it out. So the running game will never develop. It is more effective to put athletes in the flat to handle the WR screens, because even though you will drop a couple of passes and hurt drives, the ones you do catch and run with will make the defense stretch out. Which will help the running game. Which is what we all want to get going.
So, long winded, but I agree. Our atheletes need to be more involved in the offense, at the expense of possession. We just don't have the players to run a possession passing offense.
Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2005 7:48 am