2009 tOSU Offensive Line Discussion (official thread)

[ant80]

I could buy that if the play calling had been any different at USC last year.

The coaches may be tighter than the players heading into next week's game.

My wife sitting next to me on the 4th down play said "Ohhh, they're going to run right into each other again."

It was, until the game ran away from us like a 18-wheeler downhill. The first few possessions were pretty good. Changed QB's, Pryor passing, Boeckman running, in fact, some offensive players didn't expect Pryor to be switched with Boeckman early, which showed some communication problems, but still, the playcalling was pretty good. After Pryor was inserted permanently, JT bottled things up.

edit: Not saying the playcalling is spectacular. Just that JT has shown the ability to call good plays sometimes when the situation desires it. And that the playcalling today is not necessarily a good indication of how good it is overall.

 

[ysubuck]

It was, until the game ran away from us like a 18-wheeler downhill. The first few possessions were pretty good. Changed QB's, Pryor passing, Boeckman running, in fact, some offensive players didn't expect Pryor to be switched with Boeckman early, which showed some communication problems, but still, the playcalling was pretty good. After Pryor was inserted permanently, JT bottled things up.

edit: Not saying the playcalling is spectacular. Just that JT has shown the ability to call good plays sometimes when the situation desires it. And that the playcalling today is not necessarily a good indication of how good it is overall.

I guess I just wonder what new and exciting plays we'll see next week as opposed to what we see every other week. It's the same thing.
Right now this team can't run the football which automatically closes up a chunk of the play book and makes Ohio State one dimensional. They couldn't run the football against Navy so there is nothing that leads me to believe they can run the football against USC.

 

[Jaxbuck]

I was going to try and just make my peace with it and not go on and on about it on a message board but I can't.

Nothing has changed. All the talk about "nastiness", playing well for Bollman how unfairly maligned Bollman is was just that...talk. Just like it has been for years. Man on man they got whipped routinely again. Most of the running yardage will be from options and outside runs. They didn't move the LOS at all between the tackles.

When was the last time OSU could line up with everyone knowing they were going to run behind the FB and get the 1 yard they needed? Early 2002 before MoC got hurt?

People will try and minimize it to just a play or two here and there, they are young, missed assignments and the usual. I'm not getting into it with anyone anymore. The offense is a problem. Has been for the better part of the past 8 years. Anyone who argues that it isn't a problem isn't going to be swayed by any form of reasonable argument anyway so I'm not even going to try.

Tressel is the best leader our program could ask for but the segment withing the program responsible for recruiting, developing, and preparing the offensive talent to perform well isn't getting it done. Period.

As much as I admire and respect Tress, he is human. He is capable of error. He has a blind spot for this under performing division withing his corporation and its getting to the time where he either fixes it or gets dragged down by it imo.

There is no reason for a school with the recruiting resources and aspirations of being a perennial player on the national stage like OSU to consistently have this much trouble on offense. None.

 

[Powair7s]

UGH

One more time...Bollman should coach the O-line period. That should be his only role! Hire an Offensive Coordinator whos sole purpose in life is to create game plans, which would leave Bollman's sole purpose to prepare our linemen.

Nothing frustrates me more then seeing our RB's hit in the backfield and then to see 3 O-linemen standing around not even looking to block someone. Pull their asses out and don't put them back in until they want to play. We need to inject a little of whatever was in Malcom Jenkins into all our linemen. That man wanted to play.

 

[DSelwyn]

I guess I just wonder what new and exciting plays we'll see next week as opposed to what we see every other week. It's the same thing.
Right now this team can't run the football which automatically closes up a chunk of the play book and makes Ohio State one dimensional. They couldn't run the football against Navy so there is nothing that leads me to believe they can run the football against USC.

In terms of Tressel being deliberately "vanilla", I think we can discount that theory. Remember last year after the dreadful Ohio University game....that was the theory being floated at the time. That is, Tressel deliberately bottled up the offense so as not to show USC his hand. But then, we actually played USC the following week and saw that theory disproven. Our offense last year really was that bad. I don't expect a significant improvement in our offense this year against USC. I'd like to float my own theory about our offensive line. It is simply this: with the coaches we currently have, the offensive line play that you saw today is as good as they can produce. That is really depressing. Unfortunately I think the evidence backs up the theory.
But what really concerns me, is what USC's offensive line and stable of running backs are going to do to this defense. And then when we commit enough guys to stop the run, Barkley will throw the ball over our heads. That's depressing also, but that's exactly what Navy was able to do to our defense.
I'm finished drinking the OSU Kool-Aid; it's time for me to start being more objective.

 

[GoodLifeSean]

In terms of Tressel being deliberately "vanilla", I think we can discount that theory. Remember last year after the dreadful Ohio University game....that was the theory being floated at the time. That is, Tressel deliberately bottled up the offense so as not to show USC his hand. But then, we actually played USC the following week and saw that theory disproven. Our offense last year really was that bad. I don't expect a significant improvement in our offense this year against USC. I'd like to float my own theory about our offensive line. It is simply this: with the coaches we currently have, the offensive line play that you saw today is as good as they can produce. That is really depressing. Unfortunately I think the evidence backs up the theory.
But what really concerns me, is what USC's offensive line and stable of running backs are going to do to this defense. And then when we commit enough guys to stop the run, Barkley will throw the ball over our heads. That's depressing also, but that's exactly what Navy was able to do to our defense.
I'm finished drinking the OSU Kool-Aid; it's time for me to start being more objective.

1. comparing todays triple option opponent to USC is like comparing apples and nut sacks.
2.It's a new unit that has not jelled... it may never happen, but shit we didn't even have a true starter named at LT
3. Our offense looked pretty good until we started to get complacent with a big lead in the fourth.
4. Why switch to the ESPN kool-aid when the Buckeye flavor tastes so good :)

 

[Powair7s]

Oline play

Just watched the game (again). Some stats I took down...

Running plays where Navy had pressure in our backfield = 12

Passing plays where Navy had pressure in our backfield = 4

I am not sure what to take from this but it appears our pass protection is far better then I run blocking.

Also note this does not include plays where the line did not open a running lane at all.

One thing which kinda disturbed me; on our failed 4th down conversion Denlinger was on the line. Do we seriously not have a second string offensive linemen better then our DT? And not only was he on the line we ran it his direction! WTF?

 

[martinss01]

Just watched the game (again). Some stats I took down...

Running plays where Navy had pressure in our backfield = 12

Passing plays where Navy had pressure in our backfield = 4

I am not sure what to take from this but it appears our pass protection is far better then I run blocking.

Also note this does not include plays where the line did not open a running lane at all.

thats what i saw as well. we seemed to do a decent job of pass protection. but running the ball was pretty ugly. i don't want to get too negative about a nearly completely reworked oline. but boy do i feel like ive seen ths movie before.

 

[lightyears2012]

I was shocked by how many times I saw our center get pushed into the backfield..

 

[ant80]

The OL was supposed to be great at run blocking this year. An article a couple of weeks ago said that, and everybody perceived it to be true. Very disappointed that we couldn't get 1 yard to get the first down.

 

[Jaxbuck]

I rewatched the first half and one thing really jumped out at me.

The traditional I formation was used heavily and we couldn't run out of it well at all. They converted a 4th and short and one decent run but other than that it was pretty brutal. The center got pushed back a lot (as someone above mentioned) and the guards were waaay too slow when pulling.

Conversely, when we lined up in any type of shotgun formation good things happened more than bad.

I'm sure the Ozone guy who breaks this down will have a better picture of it but at least in the first half we ran a lot of traditional 1 and 2 TE, straight power I and the OL push was non existent.

 

[Joe56]

Columbus, we have some correctable problems

Hey All,

I don't want to hit the panic button too early, but yesterday showed we have consistent problems stemming from last year at the point of attack, and have developed some issues in the middle of our always stalwart D.

To be facetious, but only a little:Offensively, for the life of me I cannot understand why we don't send someone down to Austin and ask Coach Brown for his packages during the Vince Young era. Tp is the real deal. He's ready TODAY.Give him the keys. He seems to have progressed seasons in a few short months.If you have a player like that, feed the beast.

Now granted, our line may be the reason this is not done. Talented men on the line, but there is so clearly a problem in the coaching.With the exception of Boren, was there any "nastiness"? I saw Boren10-15 yards downfield with Boom on one play, but I can't recall a similar play from anyone else.

Further, while I am ecstatic that we have re-discovered the TE, where in the heck did our intermediate and long range plays go? In 06, we seemingly stretched the field, exploited underneath routes and took our shots, both off PA and not. We haven't seen much of that in the last 2 years.

Defensively, I am concerned by both the reaction to the Navy offense, and the difficulty in adjusting to it. I am a Coach myself at the HS level (1st year) We run the bone offensively, and while it is a conundrum , it's not kryptonite. Sooner or later, someone figures out that it has its warts and if you plug the middle, keep your feet and dictate to the oline, you can begin to slow it and unravel it.Peel the onion, so to speak. Make them throw, throw a wrench in the timing and exploit the fact that the offense is designed to compensate for certain personnel deficiences.

On the positive side, I really like TP and the roll outs. I think Homan and Coleman are our leaders and emotional backbone on D.Coleman is an excellent player. Duron has real ability, Saine ran harder than ever and Boom is just a good old, crush and rush football player.

We can beat USC, I believe it in my bones. But only if we throw it all out there and remain agressive on all fronts.

We need to play with swagger. Hell, The Ohio State University defines excellence on the field.We need to show people what that means and exactly who they're playing. I think sportsmanship is essential and the pre game yesterday was nice and more than appropriate. But let's keep it football. Meyer would go out, respect Navy and hang 35 points on them in the first quarter, then another 35 and so on. I'd like to see that same competitiveness from Tress.

 

[ant80]

 

[Powair7s]

center

4-5 of the plays I mentioned in a previous post were where the center was pushed back.

Clarette and Wells made our O-line look better then they were. Remember the year after Clarette left OSU? Wells and Ross had games with negative rushing yards.

Maybe the game plan for our line is too complex. There were multiple plays where they looked confused.

 

[Joe56]

4-5 of the plays I mentioned in a previous post were where the center was pushed back.

Clarette and Wells made our O-line look better then they were. Remember the year after Clarette left OSU? Wells and Ross had games with negative rushing yards.

Maybe the game plan for our line is too complex. There were multiple plays where they looked confused.

Excellent point, explains some of Navy's success. I am worried that we seemingly could not pick up the zone blitz on several occasions.