Why will our offense be improved?

[Maroonthirteen]

Getting geared up for the season....watching some youtube videos. Relf and Ballard were very good players. So, why is the offense better this year without them? I have some reasons in mind but was curious what others thought who have analyzed the personel much more than I.

Will the defense be so improved that the offense won't have to be as productive?

 

[lazlow]

Getting geared up for the season....watching some youtube videos. Relf and Ballard were very good players. So, why is the offense better this year without them? I have some reasons in mind but was curious what others thought who have analyzed the personel much more than I.

Will the defense be so improved that the offense won't have to be as productive?

Last year, the O was one dimensional at best....saw little success in the passing game. This year should play to our strengths which should be passing ( a true passing QB, 3 Sr. Wr's and a RFr looking to get i the mix). Also, despite loosing good rushers in relf and Ballard we still have some talented RB's. An effective passing game will ony make the run that much more effective. This is all being wooly of course.

 

[GoToHellOleMiss.sixpack]

Consistency in the passing game.

Especially in the short to medium range pass plays. Tyler should be able to take what the defense gives which will lead to changes in the defense which in turn will open up other offensive options. Without consistency in the passing game the D just lines up and plays the run.

 

[Dawghouse]

Here's my take.

Last year our offense was only productive in games where we could just manhandle the other team. Relf was a good athlete but he was not an SEC QB. His arm scared NO ONE and so every team loaded the box and dared him to beat them with the pass. Relf couldn't do it. It wasn't all his fault. Our recievers had a hard time getting separation against SEC level CBs and our OL struggled at times, though they were much improved at the back half of the season.

Against the decent teams we were terrible and it taxed our Defense because of all the 3 and outs we had.

This year teams cannot load the box and dare Russell to beat them with his arm because they know he can and will. This will open up our running game because we won't have 8-9 guys within 7 yards of the line of scrimmage. We should have a very balanced offense and this will allow Mullen and Koenig the ability to keep other teams on their toes.

Our receivers still scare me. Hopefully they are a year wiser and a year better. I'm not convinced. If we have a breakout passing attack this year I think it's going to be because our young receivers step up (Morrow and Lewis come to mind). All our seniors are "slot" type receivers so we're going to have to find some outside guys who can stretch the field and open up lanes for the underneath stuff and runs.

Our OL could have been good last year with zero injuries. That isn't going to happen in an entire SEC season so we were screwed from the start. This year we should be able to deal with the loss of a couple guys because of the depth we've built. We may not have a 1st-3rd round OT but we have 3 above average tackles in Robinson, Siddoway, and Claussel and I think it will be enough to keep Russell on his feet.

Our Offense will look much improved against inferior teams and we should have fewer LaTech scares this year. I have no idea what to expect against the big boys. There aren't many teams in the country who can put together an 80 yard drive against LSU and Bama defenses. I don't see that changing much this year. Hopefully we can stay close in those games on the back of our Defense and who knows, a couple timely turnovers and we could be in position to steal one this year.

 

[FlabLoser]

The OL should be a lot better. Yeah, we lost a OT to the NFL, but he missed a lot of games last year and mostly played hurt. We were razor thin last year at OL. They should be a lot better this year.

 

[Coach34]

forget all the other crap- it's simply about the offensive line

The injuries last season to the offensive line hurt us in a number of ways:

1. Limited game plans- playing and starting R-Fr Clausell and Day limited what we could put in the gameplan. Those guys could only handle so much
2. Injuries eliminated our screen game with Perkins- we couldnt take advantage of him in the screen game because you cant get hurt linemen running downfield to make blocks.
3. Continuity- the more you play together as a group- obviously the better you will be
4. Lack of strength- Clausell and Day were still growing and developing

This year, we have alot more guys that are in their 3rd year and beyond ready to play. We have a little more depth than last season's group of R-Freshmen that backed up.

Tyler and Dak add some things to the offense- but Tyler cant do some things that Relf did- so it all kinda evens out. The big thing with Relf was that he just couldnt hit that big pass more often. Tyler and Dak give us the ability for more big plays- as opposed to grindin it out like we did with Relf. But make no mistake, if we somehow have a rash of injuries on the OL again- our offense wont be any better than it was last year- because Russell will take a beating.

A relatively healthy OL is why we will be better

 

[JackShephard]

Getting geared up for the season....watching some youtube videos. Relf and Ballard were very good players. So, why is the offense better this year without them? I have some reasons in mind but was curious what others thought who have analyzed the personel much more than I.

Will the defense be so improved that the offense won't have to be as productive?

One thing a lot of people are forgetting is how many wide open WRs we missed deep last year on the play action. That alone could have won us 1-3 more games (USC for sure, possibly auburn and Georgia). Now, I don't expect Tyler to get as many wide open receivers as relf did since he is not such a running threat, but I'm expecting him to hit them this year when he does. And I say "this year" because I'm fully aware that Tyler missed his fair share last year as well. You've got to expect improvement based solely on increased reps as a starter though. If he misses them this year then he will never figure it out.

 

[slickdawg]

I'm not so worried about the offense. Healthy, they put up over 500 yards at Auburn. Productivity dropped off significantly when we lost Carmon and Smith, so that tells you all you need to know - we'll go as far as the oline carries us.