Per Brandt's twitter
"Ezekiel Elliott has more rushing yards before contact than Jaguars have in total rush yards this season (301)"
A couple things here, it proves (at least Imo) that Elliot is vastly overrated, the guy literally isn't getting touched until he reaches the 2nd and sometimes 3rd level of defenses, that's an argument for another day. But the obvious story-line here is how baaaaad our run game has been, I've been a big critic of Blake's play as of late, but my god, only a handful of QB's can succeed in this league without the threat of a run game. It's an embarrassment on all fronts, we're now 4 years into this rebuild and easily have the worst run game in the NFL, not a exactly a recipe for success in this league.
But did you see our run game in the preseason........
Quote:But did you see our run game in the preseason........
Haha! We looked like the second coming of the early 90's cowboys in the "preseason"
Breaking News: the Cowboys have a better O-line than we do. Also, they've played one more game, and have had all five starters play all five games.
Quote:Haha! We looked like the second coming of the early 90's cowboys in the "preseason"
To be fair, Ivory was healthy. But yeah, even with a healthy Ivory, the running game wouldn't have been spectacular.
ahem... 14th ranked Oline here. WE GOOD
Quote:To be fair, Ivory was healthy. But yeah, even with a healthy Ivory, the running game wouldn't have been spectacular.
Ivory isn't the guy some people here think he is. He had his best year ever last year but it wasn't a special season by any means. Chasing after running backs is a waste of time. Build the line and you can find guys to run behind it easy.
Quote:Ivory isn't the guy some people here think he is. He had his best year ever last year but it wasn't a special season by any means. Chasing after running backs is a waste of time. Build the line and you can find guys to run behind it easy.
Completely agree on the offensive line part, and honestly, our line should be a good run blocking line.
I do understand why Ivory was brought in. He is not expected to be the explosive, 20 carry guy. We needed someone to split with Yeldon that could convert on 3rd and short and goaline situations, and I thought Ivory was perfect for that. And because the draft was expected to be all defense, that guy needed to be found in free agency (power runner). Wish we would have also added a FB.
Yeah but you gotta add the 10 screen plays we run a game. Those are "runs" in Olsons mind.
Blake has dropped back on like 71% of the plays called. OC ain't getting the run game going early and often enough.
Let's face it. Ivory is trash and Yeldon is a backup.
Quote:Blake has dropped back on like 71% of the plays called. OC ain't getting the run game going early and often enough.
Let's face it. Ivory is trash and Yeldon is a backup.
No and no, both guys are quality "good-enough" RB's, the issue here is the inability to create running lanes.
Quote:Blake has dropped back on like 71% of the plays called. OC ain't getting the run game going early and often enough.
Let's face it. Ivory is trash and Yeldon is a backup.
We pound the run early every game to no avail. I know I'm in the vast minority here but I actually really like Yeldon. If we give him even a little bit of room he seems to make it work, not to mention his ability to turn a 5 yard loss to a 1yd gain
The problem is definitely the oline.
They said on Sunday Elliot has more rushing yards then 16 NFL teams
Quote:No and no, both guys are quality "good-enough" RB's, the issue here is the inability to create running lanes.
Right. No running backs look good getting consistently hit behind the line of scrimmage.
I do think the scheme is poorly thought out, too though. More straight ahead would be good, less stretch to the sideline. Either way Yeldon was a poor choice last year and ivory was overpaid. Dave should have spent the money on offensive line talent. Bring in Mack, for instance, and two positions on the line would be better instead of weakening a guard position because you need to have someone play center.
Hopefully it works out long term and Linder us the next Meister.
Quote:we're now 4 years into this rebuild and easily have the worst run game in the NFL
Easily? There are actually two teams with less rush yards per game than the Jaguars have.
One is undefeated.
Quote:Right. No running backs look good getting consistently hit behind the line of scrimmage.
I do think the scheme is poorly thought out, too though. More straight ahead would be good, less stretch to the sideline. Either way Yeldon was a poor choice last year and ivory was overpaid. Dave should have spent the money on offensive line talent. Bring in Mack, for instance, and two positions on the line would be better instead of weakening a guard position because you need to have someone play center.
Hopefully it works out long term and Linder us the next Meister.
I expect Linder to be better than Meester. It could be argued he already is. But if you meant in terms of reliability/longevity, then I certainly share the same hope.
It's about time for the "offensive weapon" that has been taking up a RB slot to go.
Quote:Ivory isn't the guy some people here think he is. He had his best year ever last year but it wasn't a special season by any means. Chasing after running backs is a waste of time. Build the line and you can find guys to run behind it easy.
Precisely, exactly, correct. Why is this such a seemingly tough concept to grasp for some? You have a good running game when you've got good linesmen. Oh sure, there are exceptions; Fred Taylor or MJD for example frequently turned nothing runs into big gains. But running backs like that in the NFL are the exception and not the rule; and even they needed some blocking to spring free.
So once again we come back to the old truism;
games are won and lost in the trenches. A good offensive line will make an average quarterback or running back look good. while a sub average o-line will often make even a good quarterback or running back look only average. The linesmen (offensive and defensive) are like the solid foundation on which everything else is built, and nothing else is going to look that good if the foundation isn't solid.
Of course, really good linesmen don't grow on trees. Sometimes, even a highly drafted linesmen doesn't 'pan out' (see Luke Joeckel)). The point is that if you want a championship caliber team it needs above average linesmen, not just a body filling a linesmen position. We would be wise to invest heavily in o-linesmen this draft and f/a...imho.
I'd venture the guess that when we get our o-line up to speed, we'll become perineal play off contenders. Until then, we are at best pretenders.
We have to pass to open up the run game.
And if we falter early on that, it creates problems for both running and passing.
Part of the problem has been Olson calling the wrong plays. Those outside zone stretches don't work, those slow hand offs don't work. We seen more gap and inside zone runs in London so hopefully that continues.