My humble opinion on why the run game sucks

[Fear The Spear]

So.....ya think the run game sucks because.....

Matt Jones sucks ?
NOPE.

Our OL excels at pass-blocking, but strangely sucks at run-blocking ?
NOPE.

Callahan excels at coaching the line for pass-blocking, but strangely can't coach them to run-block ?
NOPE.

It's the WR's and TE's that are missing blocks on runs.
This would also explain why our blocking is better on passes, than rushes.
Because of course, WR and TE blocking is a non-issue on passing, but is pretty significant on rushing.

We need a change in blocking schemes to better utilize (and get better performance/execution out of) our FB, and/or TE's and/or WR's.

It's not all the O-line'sor RB's fault.

 

[Om]

This would have been more compelling if our top 2 backs hadn't gone for 4.5 yds per carry tonight against the NFLs 2nd best run D.


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[TomE]

Don't forget Alf had 85yds in the half.... but that's ok WE'VE got a Kendal

 

[Henry]

Don't forget Alf had 85yds in the half....

And averaged 6.5 yards a carry doing it.

Not that pre-season means anything.

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[JohnssBass]

A> The line did get some better holes overall this week. And the choreography was improved
B> The RBs were more decisive and made better decisions this week. See above

And Fear is correct, they did get better downfield blocking from WRs/TEs. Overall the whole team pushed forward much better. It was an issue that would have been addressed all week after the Atlanta game. Actually pretty impressed that they could get that much improvement in 1 week; much more than I expected. Needs more improvement - yes. A good jump from last week - yes. It'll be interesting to see which way the worm turns next week.

 

[Beans]

I hope we don't regret letting the Butler go to Dallas. Poor guy wanted to be a Skin, carried us to the playoffs singlehandedly, and the Skins let him walk to the team he crushed with 207 on the ground. Now we're stuck with Matt Jones. Me no likey.

 

[TomE]

And averaged 6.5 yards a carry doing it.

......that is to be expected playing for a perennial contender behind the best O line in the universe. We can only imagine what will happen when their prized rookie gets up to speed, they'll won't need Romo's extraordinary talent to win it all .( ESPN)

Hard to believe tho, we're right back to the pre-Alf situation at running back.

Ah, the preseason at it's best.

 

[Goaldeje]

Wait. I was told repeatedly that Alfred had no gas left in his tank. He. Was. Done.

This situation bears watching.

 

[Fear The Spear]

This situation bears watching.

Why would the Bears watch the situation ?
They're already set at RB.

 

[Henry]

Are you questioning the talent evaluation on this team? I certainly hope not! We don't need no stinking running game, no NT and certainly not a premier back.

We just got the best CB in the game. Don't pay any attention to anything else, please.

There is a bit of a difference between "this needs fixing" and "the entire team is a complete mess."

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[Boone]

Every year it's the same thing. Hyperventilating over how every decision we've made was the wrong one, and how we're completely doomed. It honestly gets tiresome. Morris made his bed by being beyond average for a sustained period. That had nothing to do with Matt Jones or anyone else. The team looked at the RBs we had and decided to go with the younger faster player. It shouldn't be viewed as all that controversial a decision. Morris got almost zero interest after we let him go. But a good preseason performance has everyone grinding their teeth and predicting disaster? Sheesh.

And I am on record still believing Matt Jones is going to have a great career in B&G.

 

[Elephant]

Yeah, and RG3, behind great protection, threw a 50 and 30 yard TDs.

I know, I know, it's pre-season.

But you didn't say anything last week when he went 4-8 for 47 yards and an INT behind that same line.

As for our run game, the interior of our OL with Josh LeRiebus anchoring the center is why our run game is suspect. Also, after watching again, I am concerned about Matt jones. He made a good run, a poor run and got as much as he could out of another before getting injured. On the poor run, he did what he is guilty of doing all too often, he tried to cut outside instead of keeping momentum going forward. Instead of a 7-8 yard run, he was tackled for a 3 yard gain. He has to have the vision and smarts to know that he won't be able to bounce it outside easily against a DB, instead needs to run down hill, and know that he can get to the edge against a bigger player when trying to run straight ahead against a bigger player won't get him as much. And I am concerned he is injured again.

But Boone is correct, it's pre-season...we have another 3 weeks to iron out the kinks. Pittsburgh is when it gets real...we haven't beaten them in over a decade...it's time!

 

[Henry]

Here's a question I'm asking in all seriousness: If we end up 8-8 or less this year (Gruden's third year), should there be some accountability for his record, or are we continuing to 'rebuild', and therefore continue to accept a mediocre team?

If he does fail, I guess he won't have Danny to blame...but, I guess that was the point of this whole exercise.

I'll let you know when we end up 8-8 or less.

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[Henry]

Brace yourself.

Always.

But thats not really the point.

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[Henry]

Every year it's the same thing. Hyperventilating over how every decision we've made was the wrong one, and how we're completely doomed. It honestly gets tiresome. Morris made his bed by being beyond average for a sustained period. That had nothing to do with Matt Jones or anyone else. The team looked at the RBs we had and decided to go with the younger faster player. It shouldn't be viewed as all that controversial a decision. Morris got almost zero interest after we let him go. But a good preseason performance has everyone grinding their teeth and predicting disaster? Sheesh.

And I am on record still believing Matt Jones is going to have a great career in B&G.

Honestly, I don't really care about Morris (other than he seems to be a good guy and I don't wish ill on him). I do care very much about Jones, and whether or not he's capable of shouldering the load as a full-time starter. This is not something I brought up after one pre-season game. I've been banging that drum for awhile now. I'm still concerned about it. Quite a bit, actually.

I debated bringing up Morris at all for the reasons you cite. You are right. It's one pre-season game and it doesn't really mean much. However, the comparisons will probably continue through the season. Whether we want to or not, one eye will be on Morris (and Bob, for that matter) because Jones was so unproven ... it makes going with him somewhat of a bold move.

I know I personally thought Turner was nuts when he announced Stephen Davis was starting over Skip Hicks. I was wrong then. Hopefully I'm wrong now. I'm willing to wait and see.

However, I am concerned. That is all.

 

[Boone]

I don't bemoan anyone the right to question any young player. I'd just point out that we heard the same stuff about guys like Jordan Reed and Moses Morgan with just as much certainty expressed. It's his 2nd year. When he proves entirely beneath the task, I'll concede it. No one loves Morris more than me - but when he stopped being impressive I was also the first to acknowledge it. It's way too early to call Jones a bust (not saying you are Henry but some seem to think so). The most important point though is that if he'd broken two long ones for touchdowns last night that would be nice to watch but equally meaningless in terms of being a predictor of long-term success.

We're actually pretty close to the same perspective on Jones. If he can't manage playing with his style and also hold onto the ball, he'll find the bench quickly.

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[Henry]

A 3rd rounder who isnt up to the task of shouldering the starter load isnt a bust in my book. He's just a guy who never should have been put in that position in the first place. My concern with Jones right now isnt so much his pre-season performance. Its the fact that he's injured again. There were concerns with his durability coming out of college, and he didnt make it through all of last season even as part of a committee. If we ARE gonna give him a try, wouldnt it make sense to have a solid player behind him? Right now we have a guy even more fragile and a couple projects. I'm really trying to make sense of this ... its not easy.

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[Fear The Spear]

In all likelihood Jones will only be out 2-3 weeks, and easily ready for the opener. And there's no reason to believe it will be longer, at this point.
So it's pretty premature to panic or become hopeless about the situation, or treat it like it's a long-term problem.

 

[Henry]

In all likelihood Jones will only be out 2-3 weeks, and easily ready for the opener. And there's no reason to believe it will be longer, at this point.
So it's pretty premature to panic or become hopeless about the situation, or treat it like it's a long-term problem.

Jones missed signficant playing time in college. He missed games last year, and he wasnt even the starter. Two games into the preseason he's injured.

I see plenty of reason to suggest he cant take the pounding expected of an NFL starter. How can it not be a concern at this point?

And frankly, i wouldnt be TOO worried about it if there was someone, anyone, behind him that had a modicum of starting experience. Thompson, the only other non-scrub on the entire team, has exactly 0 starts under his belt, and is even a bigger injury risk than Jones is. That's crazy. In my opinion.

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[Boone]

Same things said about Jordan Reed over and over. Just sayin...


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