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Morris time. For several reasons.

I agree with Boone here.

We looked great in the early part of the season with our O-Line intact and healthy. Since Lauvao went out in particular we've been on the back foot.

Scherff is what he is. A rookie. I've been watching him this year and sometimes he plays really really well, sometimes he plays like the rookie he is. But I've seen enough from him to think he'll be a really nice addition I also really like how Moses has come along this year.

That said the line is banged up and with all our TE's injured too.

I think there are two issues here from my observations.

1) How many times are our running backs intercepted in the backfield. I mean they often have NO time to pick a hole and get to it. Especially on the left as Boone mentioned. I think this is a combination of a banged up line, missing TE's and the loss of Lauvao. The thing about O-Line and D-Lines is that they are UNITS. They function and operate as one collective. If one person is out of sync or off, I think it effects the whole group. That's why the Hogs of old were so good. They were a cohesive unit of people all acting as one. I think for some reason the unit we have at the moment operates better with Lauvao that with the backups in there. Not sure what it is, but maybe the chemistry is off somehow.

2) Morris is not right. :( Not sure how, but as has been mentioned before, he's usually a pounder on the ground. He never falls backwards and always motors forwards. he just doesn't look like himself at the moment, and that leads me to wonder if (as someone else mentioned on another thread) he's dealing with an issue we don't know about. I kinda felt with the O-Line struggling that Morris would be the better of the two backs as he's more patient at hitting his holes and he always had a motor. But this just doesn't seem like him. I wish I had an answer better than 'he's a rhythm back'. Maybe it is just a combination of that and the O-line.

Either way I think he's out of here after the season. I wish it weren't so cause I'm a HUGE fan. He's such a nice dude by all accounts and the kind of locker room personality we need. Down to earth, humble, hard working... But I do think that with his production down, Gruden is looking at new options (cheaper options) for next year.
 
No need, G. You've proffered it plenty. :)
 
I haven't seen anyone ridicule Morris, I've only seen folks express that he's not been effective for whatever reason. I think everyone thinks the works of Morris.


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Interesting. Keim's report backs up what I think I'm seeing. Generally a failure of the O-Line to run block, and Mike's right he's pretty much always going to the left side of the line.

I do think some of this is due to injuries, but also I've always thought that Run-Blocking by the line is a more complex requirement than Pass-Blocking.

Could be wrong on that as a) I'm not a coach and b) I've never played on an O-Line.

(FYI - I did play a couple of years on the D-Line of the Birmingham Bulls youth squad back in the old days! But that's the limit of my playing experience! LOL)

My theory is that in Pass-Blocking you just need to pick up your man and stop him getting to the QB. Fairly simple job.

In Run-blocking you have to co-ordinate with the other line men and the TE's and the RB's to open up strategic holes along the line. If just one person screws the pooch on the line it all falls down and the hole isn't there. Which is what I think we're seeing at the moment.

Reading Keim's analysis it seems that on each Morris play there was a key missed block or failure by one of the linemen to get the job done.

I still think that maybe there's something not right with Morris too, but I think the main bulk of this is due to the O-Line.

I'm not madly worried about it. I think in Callaghan we have a superb line coach and he's already done miracles this year. Look at our sacks conceded numbers. I think run blocking is something that's a little more complex and with so many young players and rookies on the line (I'm including Moses as a rookie!) I think it'll be a year or so or playing together to really get things down with this unit. It's REALLY early at the moment to expect such a young line to be flawless. We'll have good games and bad games while they settle. Alas we've just had a run of a few bad games in a row.
 
When I was 12, I played LG (and Defensive RT, for that matter) for the Annandale Boys Club Raiders. Whenever I successfully blocked on a run play, I'm still pretty sure it was an accident.

Nick
 
Run blocking in general is an issue right now and has been since Lauvao went down. Loosing Lichtensteiger certainly didn't help and the week Williams was also out, we were lost.

Having said that, I have to wonder what Morris is getting for coaching right now. Bobby Turner was, and remains, one of the best Running Back coaches to ever work in this league. He is another of the Shanahan assistants I think may be hugely responsible for Mike's success (Alex Gibbs being the other). Turner turned nobodies into house hold names year after year. No slight on Randy Jordan, the current Running Back coach, but Turner left some big shoes to fill and this is Jordan's first coaching gig in the NFL after years in the college ranks.
 
ntotoro said:
When I was 12, I played LG (and Defensive RT, for that matter) for the Annandale Boys Club Raiders. Whenever I successfully blocked on a run play, I'm still pretty sure it was an accident.

Nick
Click to expand...

LMAO!

That's exactly how I used to play. Bear in mind this was the UK.... and it was the YOUTH team.... and it was about 1987 ish.

The 'coach' knew next to nothing about Football. Neither did we. And we were kids who were just excited to be wearing the pads and things.

Basically our games were an 11 a side free for all. LOL

I'm in no way thinking that it's in anyway valid experience for me to comment on how a D-Line or an O-Line works!

My brother played Linebacker for the Birmingham Bulls senior team right up until 2 years ago though so he probably is in a much better position to comment. And the teams kinda know much more what they're doing these days. Still isn't anywhere close to NFL standard, but it's fun. :D

Coming back to Morris... you're right actually Neo. Shanahan had always had a habit of spinning gold out of whatever back he happened to have and I never really thought about why before. I'd forgotten that. Last year was a transition year from ShanaClan to the Gruden regime. And we have a new O-Line coach this year too. So maybe some of this is in the coaching at the moment.
 
I think Morris looks terrible right now.

I think Morris is not a terrible player.

I don't think the problem is Morris.
 
from what I have read...we all need to keep in mind the shift in scheme from zone blocking to straight ahead power blocking. different priorities. keeping in line with others - I'm no expert on this - but it is reasonable.

vis bigger picture: run and pass blocking require adjustments at the los based on what the defense is doing....especially pass blocking. so there is some complexity and learning going on. to me...the anecdotal evidence is that Callahan has done a superb job teaching the fundamentals of pass blocking. run blocking? the experts seem to have covered it. from where I sit it just looks like defenses are beating o-line to the point of attack a lot of the time. don't knoiw if that is an athletic problem or decision tree/recognition problem in which linemen are making incorrect decisions on who to block.
 
They need to just pound Morris against the Cheats to see if they can get him going. I don't know how much is scheme vs. him. He looks slow, but he was always a patient back behind blockers until a hole opened up. He's never gonna make defenders miss, so the penetration is killing his game. He's not getting up a head of steam.
 
Lucky to be getting one snap a game?

Not even you can believe that shit.
 
MikeSr619 said:
Lucky to be getting one snap a game?

Not even you can believe that shit.
Click to expand...

You obviously didn't look at the article.

Until he starts making better reads and runs more aggressively, any snap he gets is a wasted one right now.

I know they like him, but they can't keep him on the field like that.
 
McD5 said:
You obviously didn't look at the article.

Until he starts making better reads and runs more aggressively, and snap he gets is a wasted one right now.
Click to expand...
No, I didn't. I responded to you and that joke of a comment. Morris is getting hit in the backfield and doesn't get a chance to get aggressive.
 
MikeSr619 said:
No, I didn't. I responded to you and that joke of a comment. Morris is getting hit in the backfield and doesn't get a chance to get aggressive.
Click to expand...

Actually, he's not getting hit in the backfield and he has many clear lanes to run. As you'll see in the article.

Keeping him in the game right now is ridiculous. It's not fair to anyone--especially the guys wasting their time blocking for him.

Give him one series against the Pats to see if he's making the same mistakes. If he is, then pull him until he shows improvement in practice.
 
First off, **** the WaPo...but for shits and giggles I am looking.

Play one...TO THE LEFT...LG is in the backfield moving to his left where the "hole" supposedly is. Morris is hit in the backfield

Play two..TO THE LEFT...the cutback to the right where Bullocks has decided the draw the lane...what running back has that move where he can stop and go 180 in the other direction that quickly?

Play three...TO THE LEFT...looks like the same play as play 2. He is supposed to cut back to the right by design and hit the hole he hit.

Play four...TO THE LEFT...With Loauavu in as blocking LG. he got yards

so, what did we learn here? Gruden runs Morris to the left even though there is nothing there, Gruden calls cutback plays even though Morris isn't a cutback style of runner, the WaPo sucks, and Bullocks cherry picked a few plays to try and discredit him. Which you ate up like a hungry redneck at hometown buffet.

You have been adamant about trading Morris for a while now, you wanted to trade him again when Jones was drafted. We get it. But the WaPo, Bullocks, and a few cherry picked plays dont support anything.
 
Take the personal stuff out of it, gents.
 
it wasn't personal as an attack him as a man kind of personal on my behalf. it was more of "i know you want morris traded" personal. if it was taken as rude or personal I apologize. I do not mean it that way.

but I did mean it to the WaPo ;)
 
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