Offensive line

[Trojanbulldog19]

When you don’t have a good run game your offensive line becomes weak and soft. This finesse style of offense just affects your whole offensive mindset. When you aren’t getting after pushing people around and running the ball you become more reactionary.

 

[Dogariffic]

Never seen five not block three.

 

[Trojanbulldog19]

It’s a mindset.

 

[L4Dawg]

5 should be able to block 3, period.

 

[tenureplan]

We need to block with 8

 

[Ralph Cramden]

The line sucks just like it did last year. I came on here last year complaining about how nothing works if you can't block. You can have Barry Sanders and Drew Brees back there, but if you can't block it doesn't matter

 

[thekimmer]

The worst I’ve seen at MSU in a long time.

When you don’t have a good run game your offensive line becomes weak and soft. This finesse style of offense just affects your whole offensive mindset. When you aren’t getting after pushing people around and running the ball you become more reactionary.

Maybe ever but then I think there had to be one worse somewhere along the line.

 

[Russ Wheeler]

I too have wondered how Leach seems to mesh being a hard *** with a finesse offense. But, he’s done it twice before. However, he did struggle at times to motivate them - see the now famous video from 2009.

 

[NWADog]

All of these guys were recruited to be run blocking body movers. They’re massive and have slow feet. We have wider splits putting even more stress on these linemen to where it’s basically a one on one matchup. The gaps between the splits are how the DL bleed through and split us. The help should be pinching hard and doing damage but we’re playing soft and timid on the line and I don’t understand it. We just don’t have the linemen with fast enough feet to block these SEC defensive linemen and run this type of offense.

 

[kired]

Technically our tackles are having to go 1v1. RB is going out as the check down, no TE to help. Our RT is getting abused every game. Guards are useless when the ends are split so wide. Defenses are basically taking our guards out of the game most of the time because they know we’re weak at RT.

 

[Ranchdawg]

I noticed A&M DEs were lining up where safeties normally line up to blitz. The tackles didn't have anyone in front and had to sidestep to block which made them off balance. Our Guards are getting soft because they never block anyone. We are doomed, even Vandy will do this and beat us.

 

[messageboardsuperhero]

I noticed A&M DEs were lining up where safeties normally line up to blitz. The tackles didn't have anyone in front and had to sidestep to block which made them off balance. Our Guards are getting soft because they never block anyone. We are doomed, even Vandy will do this and beat us.

That’s exactly how the air raid is designed to work. We want the DEs lined up super wide because that allows for throwing lanes for QBs and running lanes inside for the RBs.

The issue is our RT has terrible feet. Our LT did fine. It wasn’t all of our tackles. Go back and rewatch the game. All the pressure was coming from our RT and center getting beat at the snap, outside of one time when Cross/Smith didn’t switch in time- but that was a communication issue more than a split/scheme issue.

 

[Russ Wheeler]

All of these guys were recruited to be run blocking body movers. They’re massive and have slow feet. We have wider splits putting even more stress on these linemen to where it’s basically a one on one matchup. The gaps between the splits are how the DL bleed through and split us. The help should be pinching hard and doing damage but we’re playing soft and timid on the line and I don’t understand it. We just don’t have the linemen with fast enough feet to block these SEC defensive linemen and run this type of offense.

Well we are now three years into it, so may as well see it through. Next year this really shouldn't be as big of an issue, as the 'teaching' should have sunk in for the new guys, who were essentially recruited for an offense like this.

Of course, the bigger issue is that we are still recruiting the same players as Mullen did. What's the real difference? That's what has always made me believe that we need to be running the ball, with offensive linemen who barrel upfield.

 

[MSUDC11]

I feel OK about Cross and Parker, and Smith looked OK at guard when he came in yesterday. Right tackle and center have been a disaster for us this year. And unfortunately I don’t know if those two problems can be fixed within this season. We’ll have to figure out a way to scheme around it or else we are going to get some QB’s injured and end up playing a walk-on at QB by the end of the year.

 

[PirateDawg]

That’s exactly how the air raid is designed to work. We want the DEs lined up super wide because that allows for throwing lanes for QBs and running lanes inside for the RBs.

The issue is our RT has terrible feet. Our LT did fine. It wasn’t all of our tackles. Go back and rewatch the game. All the pressure was coming from our RT and center getting beat at the snap, outside of one time when Cross/Smith didn’t switch in time- but that was a communication issue more than a split/scheme issue.

Well, if that is how it is designed it is not working. The LBs are staying home for the mesh which means those throwing lanes aren't there. Why don't the Guards peel back and hit the DEs on the outside of the tackles? Surely the tackles can hold them off long enough for the guards to get to their outside and double the tackles. Of course, our center got beat too.