"Edsall left the cupboard bare"

[businesslawyer]

The important part is that you managed to find a way to blame the coach for missing a <30 yard FG.

It's not P's fault that Christen had a one game meltdown. It is (in part, because it's mostly the players) P's fault that we couldn't keep the last Temple regulation drive out of the damn end zone.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Coach P's failure does not make Edsall a success.

Edsall was a very good recruiter, and a wildly overrated gameday coach.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

See, this is what I love. I just didn't see it that way, and this would get entertaining, if we were in the same room with a video projector and all kinds of cutups to play back and forth.

I think that for the most part, our tackles played pretty well in typical pass rush situations, and exhibited pretty good lateral foot speed. It was bad early on, but I think they improved later, and Bennett and Friend were actually pretty good 1-1 in pass protection isolations late in the season. I don't think it was common for our tackles to be beaten in a 1-1 iso to the outside shoulder. I think that in many cases, what may appear to have been an edge rusher, was actually a player that shot through one of the G-T gaps as a result of missed assignment. Whether it be a blocking call from the QB, or the C, and was a failure along the line, or in many cases was a failure from the backfield to pick up a block, resulted in there actually being no pocket for Whitmer to step into, should he not release the ball quick enough on his foot drop. It was a mess, our blocking, a hot mess. I give Whitmer a lot of credit, he got rocked over and over, and is tough as nails that kid, got to protect him this year though. I can recall pretty clearly some plays against Syracuse, where the blocking failures were not on the LOS, but from the backfield. There were plenty of blocking failures all season long, it actually did get better, but we were limited along the line in other ways physically too. A hot mess.

It's got to click this year, though. No excuses.

The OT outside gap responsabilites in this pass blocking system unfortunately allows the need for a running back to block against a DE or even a DT under certain blizing siutations. Remember all those times you mentioned seeing Lyle taking on people twice his size? The OL are ultamately responsable for their gaps. Maybe things will improve with everyone back plus depth on the OL. The QB will be making the blocking assignment calls this year too. We will find out first game.

 

[ruskin]

The QB will be making the blocking assignment calls this year too. We will find out first game.

Tricky thing about that is the next game is Maryland. Would assume Edsall will be hitting up Ambrose for info. Would hope all the new wrinkles won't be needed until Sept. 14. Don't want to see any freaking trick plays with a 30-0 lead.

By halftime of Game 2 we should have a pretty good idea how much freedom TJ has.

 

[Carl Spackler]

The OT outside gap responsabilites in this pass blocking system unfortunately allows the need for a running back to block against a DE or even a DT under certain blizing siutations. Remember all those times you mentioned seeing Lyle taking on people twice his size? The OL are ultamately responsable for their gaps. Maybe things will improve with everyone back plus depth on the OL. The QB will be making the blocking assignment calls this year too. We will find out first game.

Agreed. I don't know, and can't possibly know without a playbook, who's responsible for what gaps, but there was definitely a difficulty in how the backfield and line were accounting for the defensive fronts. It seemed that all a defense needed to do was run 2 guys through the same gap, and we had no chance at blocking them.

Lyle's a great football player I think. As mismatched as he was physically, in protections at times, he still did a pretty good job, it doesn't take more than getting in the way, to give the QB the split seconds he needs to release the ball. i think our weakest position blocking out of the backfield in protections was the FB, and motion TE's. Just my 2 cents. it seemed we did a lot with multiple TE formations, and the blocking was spotty. How they were involved I don't know, and don't care to dig around to try to find out. But the FB play last year, left a lot to be desired.

I'm excited to Clax, and Vinci, playing out of the backfield in that lead blocker role - we were spoiled there for years with high quality blockers out of the backfield. One of those guys, in front of DeLorenzo as a primary backfield? With McCombs hopefully getting some vision back and shiftiness (not sure what happened there last year) and Williams speed to bring in and out for change of pace, and I think we got something to work with physically.

 

[Carl Spackler]

I pointed out what I saw frequently on this board, and we discussed it several times. I said look how well the guards are playing because the pocket was there. It was always the tackles that were in trouble.

I know that's what you're saying, and I'm not really disagreeing, well sort of. I think it's possible that a lot of what you think you saw, was really a blown assignment in the interior line, or from the backfield. I think early on the tackles, had trouble, but especially when Bennett got more playing time, and simply seemed to be more confident in his own body ability to hold up - he got better. Friend, jury still out I suppose, he looked very bad at times, but when he was engaged, he can move his feet too.

It's also possible that I"m entirely full of .

 

[uconnbill]

The offensive line should be better this year as GDL now has nothing else to worry about. He is known as a good o-line coach so lets see if that holds true after the last two years of poor running game. This is the third year with zone blocking that GDL likes. If it doesn't work this year the onus is on GDL and HCPP.

 

[Srqhusky]

Agreed. I don't know, and can't possibly know without a playbook, who's responsible for what gaps, but there was definitely a difficulty in how the backfield and line were accounting for the defensive fronts. It seemed that all a defense needed to do was run 2 guys through the same gap, and we had no chance at blocking them.

Lyle's a great football player I think. As mismatched as he was physically, in protections at times, he still did a pretty good job, it doesn't take more than getting in the way, to give the QB the split seconds he needs to release the ball. i think our weakest position blocking out of the backfield in protections was the FB, and motion TE's. Just my 2 cents. it seemed we did a lot with multiple TE formations, and the blocking was spotty. How they were involved I don't know, and don't care to dig around to try to find out. But the FB play last year, left a lot to be desired.

I'm excited to Clax, and Vinci, playing out of the backfield in that lead blocker role - we were spoiled there for years with high quality blockers out of the backfield. One of those guys, in front of DeLorenzo as a primary backfield? With McCombs hopefully getting some vision back and shiftiness (not sure what happened there last year) and Williams speed to bring in and out for change of pace, and I think we got something to work with physically.

I noticed this as well. As spotty as our blocking was I don't think I ever saw a sack that was mccombs fault. Fullback yes and ol but not mccombs. I have no idea how he never had a concussion or injury the way he flew in defensive players legs.