Imagination in the Running Game?

[drwho]

We don't need imagination. We need execution.

Exactly.

 

[WMack4Bama]

So Mack -- would the key be, how to get Ridley/Stewart OR Howard - in one-on-one situations -- deep?

If so -- do we have to get tricky? Flea Flicker/PA or some other gimmicky play?

No. Actually a simple slant to a Ridley or Stewart would suffice as long as they can turn those slants into 15-20 yard gains (with YAC). Because at that point, a defense has to start respecting the slant which makes them vulnerable to a deep threat. And knowing that it leaves them vulnerable to that, they will be forced to play it honest.

In short, they'd rather make the tackle in front of them as opposed to making the tackle from behind. Any time you find yourself chasing someone from behind as a defense, you're in trouble.

 

[GrayTide]

We don't need imagination. We need execution.

Absolutely.

 

[derek4tide]

I am tired of seeing lineman standing there as defenders run around them and hit the back behind the line of scrimmage. Many times over the last 3 weeks our guys are getting beat by 3-4 rushers. That's not 8 on 6. Also, how is Ryan getting so manhandled like he did against ULM and MTSU? What is up with our right side, as well? DJ looks like he's lost on every play.

 

[WMack4Bama]

I am tired of seeing lineman standing there as defenders run around them and hit the back behind the line of scrimmage. Many times over the last 3 weeks our guys are getting beat by 3-4 rushers. That's not 8 on 6. Also, how is Ryan getting so manhandled like he did against ULM and MTSU? What is up with our right side, as well? DJ looks like he's lost on every play.

Communication

 

[uaintn]

Yep, the key weakness in our running game is that we have very little passing game. Our protection is confused, our QB stares down his primary, our WRs cut off routes, our QB tends to have a slow release and throw behind receivers, and worst of all, when everything else works, we have dropped good passes.

My fear is that 4 games into the season is bit late to still be hoping they will "figure it out" or "gel" or "all get on the same page".

Hope on Monday you can all tell me I was wrong because this Saturday we suddenly look like Air Coryell.

 

[NationalTitles18]

No. Actually a simple slant to a Ridley or Stewart would suffice as long as they can turn those slants into 15-20 yard gains (with YAC). Because at that point, a defense has to start respecting the slant which makes them vulnerable to a deep threat. And knowing that it leaves them vulnerable to that, they will be forced to play it honest.

In short, they'd rather make the tackle in front of them as opposed to making the tackle from behind. Any time you find yourself chasing someone from behind as a defense, you're in trouble.

For the life of me I can't understand why we ran so many curls with the DB's hanging back 8-10 yards off the line when the slants were wide open if we were going to pass against Miss. Sometimes the short passes help set up the long passes as well as a good running game.

 

[bamainbigd]

What's happening is we're attempting to block 8 men with 6 men; a battle we'll lose the majority of the time. Until we can consistently complete passes downfield, we will continue to see run blitzes, stunts, and safeties in the box with all of their focus on stopping our run game.

Out run game wasn't bad when 22 (despite his faults) was on the field at WR in 07. The running game looked great when the threat of 8 was there from 08-10. Looked great when you had a QB with a big league arm and supermodel Aubie girlfriend that could sling it even without a prolific playmaker on the field. No way you'd be dumb enough to stack the box with #9 on the field last year.

So until we can say that about ANYBODY on our team this year, it's uphill for Coach Burns and the running game. Teams will let Mullaney dink & dunk all game but as long as Stew can't catch a cold beyond 10 yards, everything will be concentrated in the box. Prime example, remember Super Bowl 48 when the Seahawks drubbed the Broncos & Peyton Manning? Little known fact: Demaryus Thomas set a Super Bowl record for receptions in a Super Bowl. I think it was 22 or 23. But they were all mostly bubble screens and short completions. Teams will give us that. We have to successfully stretch the field vertically. There's no such thing as winning the game one way. There has to be balance. There's simply no way around it. No 1-dimensional team will ever have much success in today's game. We need a strong vertical attack to complement / open up the running game

Why can't we go with two tight ends and try to put a hat on a hat and impose our will on the D? This evens the numbers and with Henry, Drake, and Scarborough rotating in we keep pounding at the D. Dividends will pay off in the fourth quarter.

 

[derek4tide]

I miss Coach Mac.

 

[WMack4Bama]

Why can't we go with two tight ends and try to put a hat on a hat and impose our will on the D? This evens the numbers and with Henry, Drake, and Scarborough rotating in we keep pounding at the D. Dividends will pay off in the fourth quarter.

Two answers to that. We have tried that with mixed success. We did so against Wisconsin and looked great. Everything after that has been questionable.

OJ Howard's lack of physicality is well documented. Dakota Ball is physical but not as agile as he needs to be. He's been called for a few holding penalties. For my money Nysewander is the best option for all of that. He plays with a hunger of a Nick Gentry. He plays with the grit of a guy with a chip on his shoulder trying to prove that he belongs with all these 4 & 5 star athletes.

All that said, I reiterate, you have to have a balance to be successful in today's game. No matter how it looks (our traditional run/pass, Oregon's flashy formations that allows them to run to open up the pass, AU's hurry up with a punishing RB to open up the pass, TCU's threat of a running QB to hurt you for overplaying the pass, Baylor's track sprinters at RB to hurt you for over playing the pass).

You have to have balance. We're not gonna just line up and whip somebody for 15 games with 3 yards and a cloud of dust. Those days are gone.

 

[CrimsonForce]

Why can't we go with two tight ends and try to put a hat on a hat and impose our will on the D? This evens the numbers and with Henry, Drake, and Scarborough rotating in we keep pounding at the D. Dividends will pay off in the fourth quarter.

The TEs that we have on roster are probably the worse blocking TEs that Bama has had since CNS has been here. We have a couple that are good at receiving but none of them are like the blockers that Bama had been accustomed to..

 

[CrimsonEyeshade]

William, how much do you expect Bo to see the field on Saturday?

Two answers to that. We have tried that with mixed success. We did so against Wisconsin and looked great. Everything after that has been questionable.

OJ Howard's lack of physicality is well documented. Dakota Ball is physical but not as agile as he needs to be. He's been called for a few holding penalties. For my money Nysewander is the best option for all of that. He plays with a hunger of a Nick Gentry. He plays with the grit of a guy with a chip on his shoulder trying to prove that he belongs with all these 4 & 5 star athletes.

All that said, I reiterate, you have to have a balance to be successful in today's game. No matter how it looks (our traditional run/pass, Oregon's flashy formations that allows them to run to open up the pass, AU's hurry up with a punishing RB to open up the pass, TCU's threat of a running QB to hurt you for overplaying the pass, Baylor's track sprinters at RB to hurt you for over playing the pass).

You have to have balance. We're not gonna just line up and whip somebody for 15 games with 3 yards and a cloud of dust. Those days are gone.

 

[WMack4Bama]

William, how much do you expect Bo to see the field on Saturday?

I have no idea. I know that he's been getting reps at slot receiver. I think his presence will open things up for Kenyan (who I expect a huge game from). As it is, for the most part, Kenyan doesn't get in the game unless he's getting the ball. We have to fix that.

Also of note, Kenyan didn't do kick return Saturday. Harris was back with Stewart

 

[WishIwasInBama]

It looks to me like the Bama pistol has a weird spacing to it. Henry always seems too close to the QB, it makes the exchange seem awkward to me. I also agree that we need some counters and draws but if the O-line is having issues picking up things when it is straight up then throwing some misdirection might make things worse.

The truth is I am slowly coming back to reality from the glory years. I thought when Cristobal came on he would elevate the O-line to elite status but that doesn’t seem the case. Its not fair to him that my expectations were so high but it is what it is. I think the passing game is key as others have said but its not like the O-line is dominating when there is a traditional rush.

 

[markenk]

Seriously, OJ is fine at run blocking from a TE position. I think we are a bit spoiled at having been blessed with past TEs who block as if they are essentially another tackle. But I will say this: OJ is not the reason why we suck at running the ball.

 

[derek4tide]

Will we ever see the 2 back set or I formation this year? Is it even in the playbook?

 

[NationalTitles18]

Will we ever see the 2 back set or I formation this year? Is it even in the playbook?

IIRC, the TD pass to Nyse was out of the I.

 

[derek4tide]

IIRC, the TD pass to Nyse was out of the I.

True, I forgot about that...age, I guess...or maybe it was due to the fact that we hardly ever use it.

 

[drwho]

Yep, the key weakness in our running game is that we have very little passing game. Our protection is confused, our QB stares down his primary, our WRs cut off routes, our QB tends to have a slow release and throw behind receivers, and worst of all, when everything else works, we have dropped good passes.

My fear is that 4 games into the season is bit late to still be hoping they will "figure it out" or "gel" or "all get on the same page".

Hope on Monday you can all tell me I was wrong because this Saturday we suddenly look like Air Coryell.

Love the Air Coryell reference. DT_ura1:

 

[tidefan39817]

It looks to me like the Bama pistol has a weird spacing to it. Henry always seems too close to the QB, it makes the exchange seem awkward to me. I also agree that we need some counters and draws but if the O-line is having issues picking up things when it is straight up then throwing some misdirection might make things worse.

The truth is I am slowly coming back to reality from the glory years. I thought when Cristobal came on he would elevate the O-line to elite status but that doesn’t seem the case. Its not fair to him that my expectations were so high but it is what it is. I think the passing game is key as others have said but its not like the O-line is dominating when there is a traditional rush.

three new starters on the oline...