this ... so simple but yet so profound.
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I like Will's ability to evade but yes he needs to add some arm strength and that will happen just as it does to most folks ... several plays the ball was kinda lobbed instead of thrown, maybe that was more execution than lack of strength. I will say the last Hail Mary he threw against OM looked like he heaved it pretty good
It's not so much that we're dead last in rushing, it's that we are BY FAR dead last in rushing. Leach won 11 games two years ago with a team that only averaged 79 rushing yards a game. But we aren't even averaging 25 yards a game. Not just last in the country this year, last by a lot.
This is probably the worst offense that Leach will have here, and I don't have a problem with us being a pass first offense, but you can't be a pass only offense. It puts too much on the shoulders of your QB, and increases the likelihood of you having big, back-breaking mistakes.
Now, all that being said, we aren't even averaging 4 yards a carry when you remove sacks, so it's not like we have run the ball successfully when we have tried. It's obvious that our OL and RB's need to get stronger in the offseason, and we could probably use more innovation in the running game as well. I liked the pitch plays that we were running mid-season, but you haven't seen much of them the last few weeks.
Agree on your basic point of run/pass. We are not great at running because guess what, there is no emphasis on being good or even average at it. We don't practice it. You are not going to be good at something you don't emphasize and don't practice.
No one needs to say we don't have players to run. MSU has always had the players to run the ball. It is all coaching on not running and play calling, etc. He don't and won't run the ball, period. He had rather lose than run the ball or get creative trying to have balance. Plain and simple.
Two disaster hires in a row on your main job, Cohen has to go first before next football hire. No one would survive being this bad at your primary job.
I believe that your statement has much credibility. Running an offense with air raid concepts and not pure air raid is different. The days of scheme offenses winning something are over, match-up passing is the new evolution. Techniques for match-up route running are different than running step count geometry scheme with the coach playing the game and not the great talent you might have. If anyone on ED was to YouTube a game and audit the passing circumstances, it will be seen that single component match up passes are winning the games and not a scheme in the coaches head. What is in the play callers head may not be in the players head. Many times the QB has pre snap read the defense and decided his receiver. The receiver wins leverage and is more dominant than the defender. Practice time is used to teach domination?
I agree. I'll say I am hoping things turn but my gut feels just like it did with Croom and Moorhead. Had totally the opposite with Jackie and Mullen. So there is 30 years of early game opinion and judgment but I agree the jury ain't closed yet but the opening arguments are pretty convicting on Leach. We'll see.
Will repeatedly taking sacks was huge in the game Saturday. Some people would say this is on Will. Some would put it on the o-line. I will say it's because we are one dimensional, defenders pass rush every play, and we have no built in play action or rolling out of the pocket for the QB. As 34 said above. And this offense might as well punt once they have a big negative play.