THE BOTTOM LINE ON THE O-LINE
September 13, 2011 10:40 AM | General
I was listening to Pitt coach Todd Graham answer questions about his struggling offensive line during Monday’s Big East coaches’ teleconference when I realized the question Graham was fielding could have very easily been posed to all eight coaches on the call.
For that matter, just about every coach in the country has heard a complaint or two about their O-line play – at all levels.
They are complaining about it at USC … http://espn.go.com/blog/los-angeles/usc/post/_/id/7839/offensive-line-still-struggling
Kansas State is scaling back its playbook to compensate for its struggling O-line … http://www.recordpub.com/news/sports_article/5094703?page=0
The Nittany’s were searching for improved offensive line play heading into the Alabama game (they didn’t get it) … http://pittsburgh.sbnation.com/penn-st-nittany-lions/2011/9/8/2410427/penn-state-football-vs-alabama-joe-paterno-rob-bolden-matt-mcgloin
Second-ranked Alabama’s offensive line has been as flat as a pancake … http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2011/09/alabama_coach_nick_saban_not_b.html
And they are harping on the O-line in the pros, as well …
In Pittsburgh … http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/s_752551.html
And in Chicago … http://www.nwitimes.com/sports/football/professional/bears/article_9e728594-68d4-5676-bd50-b2e27316a363.html
Certainly, we have been hearing a lot about West Virginia’s offensive line and how it has not been able to consistently clear paths for WVU’s stable of freshmen running backs. Coach Dana Holgorsen was asked about it after West Virginia’s rain-shortened, 34-13 win over Marshall. He was asked about it after last Saturday’s 55-12 win over Norfolk State.
He was asked about it on Sunday during his post-game teleconference.
He was asked about it Monday on his Big East call, and he will likely be asked about it once again this afternoon.
Here is what Holgorsen said on Sunday, “We are targeted right and I thought our effort was good. You have to finish people and we are just not good at that. Running backs and receivers, the guys with the ball in their hands, we are asking them to make guys miss and there were several times that they didn’t even make the guy miss that was being blocked.”
When West Virginia’s run game was racking up all those big yardage totals a few years ago, was it great offensive line play? Was it the system? Or was it Pat White, Steve Slaton, Noel Devine and Owen Schmitt running the football?
The truth is it was probably a combination of all three.
Offensive line play is very difficult to analyze because those critiquing it didn’t design the plays. How the offensive line performs in relation to the entire concept of the offense is really anyone’s guess - at least that is what the players frequently indicate whenever they are asked about it.
Still, we ask away.
Tune in this afternoon to hear Holgorsen talk some more about his O-line because he will be asked about it - that you can count on.
For that matter, just about every coach in the country has heard a complaint or two about their O-line play – at all levels.
They are complaining about it at USC … http://espn.go.com/blog/los-angeles/usc/post/_/id/7839/offensive-line-still-struggling
Kansas State is scaling back its playbook to compensate for its struggling O-line … http://www.recordpub.com/news/sports_article/5094703?page=0
The Nittany’s were searching for improved offensive line play heading into the Alabama game (they didn’t get it) … http://pittsburgh.sbnation.com/penn-st-nittany-lions/2011/9/8/2410427/penn-state-football-vs-alabama-joe-paterno-rob-bolden-matt-mcgloin
Second-ranked Alabama’s offensive line has been as flat as a pancake … http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2011/09/alabama_coach_nick_saban_not_b.html
And they are harping on the O-line in the pros, as well …
In Pittsburgh … http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/s_752551.html
And in Chicago … http://www.nwitimes.com/sports/football/professional/bears/article_9e728594-68d4-5676-bd50-b2e27316a363.html
Certainly, we have been hearing a lot about West Virginia’s offensive line and how it has not been able to consistently clear paths for WVU’s stable of freshmen running backs. Coach Dana Holgorsen was asked about it after West Virginia’s rain-shortened, 34-13 win over Marshall. He was asked about it after last Saturday’s 55-12 win over Norfolk State.
He was asked about it on Sunday during his post-game teleconference.
He was asked about it Monday on his Big East call, and he will likely be asked about it once again this afternoon.
Here is what Holgorsen said on Sunday, “We are targeted right and I thought our effort was good. You have to finish people and we are just not good at that. Running backs and receivers, the guys with the ball in their hands, we are asking them to make guys miss and there were several times that they didn’t even make the guy miss that was being blocked.”
When West Virginia’s run game was racking up all those big yardage totals a few years ago, was it great offensive line play? Was it the system? Or was it Pat White, Steve Slaton, Noel Devine and Owen Schmitt running the football?
The truth is it was probably a combination of all three.
Offensive line play is very difficult to analyze because those critiquing it didn’t design the plays. How the offensive line performs in relation to the entire concept of the offense is really anyone’s guess - at least that is what the players frequently indicate whenever they are asked about it.
Still, we ask away.
Tune in this afternoon to hear Holgorsen talk some more about his O-line because he will be asked about it - that you can count on.
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