Sturm - Decoding Linehan - OL Let-Down

[iceberg]

Giving Free 7.5MM for what will likely be one season wasn't going to be the best move under the salary cap. But that said, I think they can make a serviceable RT out of Chaz Green or the others they have on the roster.

Also given an offseason to prepare, Lael Collins could be an excellent RT, I don't know why they havent given him more reps there already.

cause he's a guard i would imagine.

 

[Alexander]

Could you produce your posts stating you knew this line would struggle?

I'd be curious to go back and read them.

You can go back during the whole "anybody can run behind this line" discussions and see whenever anyone suggested that this OL would not just blow open holes that anyone could run behind, they were met with ridicule.

 

[TheDude]

http://beta.sportsdaydfw.com/dallas.../29/sturm-decoding-linehan-offensive-line-let

well this puts alot of the "WR cant get open" garbage to bed. Sturm is a rockstar, He probably has to fight through hoards of groupies just to get to the laptop. Well done as always

 

[T-RO]

For whatever reason, people don't like to hear that a unit or a side of the ball just doesn't play well enough. They prefer to blame a single player, like the QB, or whatever CB they see in the frame when a touchdown is given up. Or the coaches.

True. And a good litmus test of whether it's worthwhile to read a poster on this forum is simply this:
Does he always race to blame the coach's game plan or the play-calling?

Most simpleton fans are reptillian-brained:
The play didn't work = The coach is an idiot

It's normal and perfectly fine to think w/such limited brain-power when you are just a little kid watching a game. The sad fact is that many fans never grow up and develop any deeper analytical abilities beyond this (which isn't analysis at all—only a crocodile twitch.)

 

[TheDude]

Parnell would have made this play.

You're nothing if not consistent.. lol

 

[xwalker]

anyone ever tell you that you can be overly obsessive on someone?

Yes.

 

[T-RO]

I don't think Martin is 100%. He has struggled to maintain blocks.

I am very worried about him. That injury he had can have very serious and very longterm impact.

 

[xwalker]

You're nothing if not consistent.. lol

It is frustrating that they develop a better player but kept the inferior player.

If I had time I could makes tons of gifs with Parnell blowing up the defender in that exact situation.

 

[Toruk_Makto]

You can go back during the whole "anybody can run behind this line" discussions and see whenever anyone suggested that this OL would not just blow open holes that anyone could run behind, they were met with ridicule.

That isn't what I asked you.

Murray would not have done much if St all better in these first 3 games here.

We see how Murray is doing this year when there are no holes available.

No what I'm asking you to provide are quotes saying out offensive line after 3 weeks would be playing poorly. So poorly that if Murray was here people would still be freaking out.

 

[Staubacher]

Seems the OL smelled their own farts all offseason and figured just stepping on the field was going to strike fear in the defenses' hearts. They've been pretty poor and it got Romo hurt and cost them the Falcon game.

There's a reason we are touchdown underdogs going into the 0-3 Saints. The gig is up. Weeden, no real WR, an underachieving OL, and a shoddy depleted defense. How depressing after so much hope this year.

 

[Sturm1310]

It's little odd Sturm suggests we need to be less predictable for us to be successful going forward yet he also says he can't blame Linehan for the second half melt down.

So if Linehan doesn't warrant any blame, who is calling these predictable plays? JG? WeDone?

I might have worded that in a confusing manner. My belief - hopefully stated more clearly - is this: if you cannot block simple outside zone plays and Romo/Dez are gone, a OC for this offense does not have any legitimate choices left. Play calling is all predicated on the idea that there is something an offense can do well. On Sunday, in the 2nd half, the Cowboys were getting whipped so badly that there was nothing on the call sheet that would change that. Someone of the Offensive 11 has to win their battle, regardless of what the call is. Then, as battles are won, the options increase for variety, balance, and explosiveness.

 

[Idgit]

If nothing else, this game was a pretty interesting example of how just execution alone can make or break the fortunes of an NFL team. For both the Cowboys and the Falcons, that was the case in each half of football.

We really need to put together four full quarters next week. Nearing a quarter of the way through the season, and we've been uneven on one side of the ball or other, or both, in 10 of the 12 quarters we've played so far.

 

[xwalker]

I might have worded that in a confusing manner. My belief - hopefully stated more clearly - is this: if you cannot block simple outside zone plays and Romo/Dez are gone, a OC for this offense does not have any legitimate choices left. Play calling is all predicated on the idea that there is something an offense can do well. On Sunday, in the 2nd half, the Cowboys were getting whipped so badly that there was nothing on the call sheet that would change that. Someone of the Offensive 11 has to win their battle, regardless of what the call is. Then, as battles are won, the options increase for variety, balance, and explosiveness.

Get Leary back and move Collins to RT.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Parnell would have made this play.

Fred missing his reach is what blew the play up. The guards took out the second level. Fred couldn't stop the DT from squeezing the hole.

 

[Alexander]

Fred missing his reach is what blew the play up. The guards took out the second level. Fred couldn't stop the DT from squeezing the hole.

Way I see it as well.

 

[TrailBlazer]

Seems the OL smelled their own farts all offseason and figured just stepping on the field was going to strike fear in the defenses' hearts. They've been pretty poor and it got Romo hurt and cost them the Falcon game.

There's a reason we are touchdown underdogs going into the 0-3 Saints. The gig is up. Weeden, no real WR, an underachieving OL, and a shoddy depleted defense. How depressing after so much hope this year.

Romo got hurt because he fumbled the ball. He thought he was going to be able to hit Beasley quick off the snap but Malcom Jenkins came running in last second. If romo just secures the ball and goes down its a routine sack. Don't put that all on the OL. The guys playing defense get paid too.

 

[TrailBlazer]

Fred missing his reach is what blew the play up. The guards took out the second level. Fred couldn't stop the DT from squeezing the hole.

No doubt. That ball was supposed be ran inside Free Imo. Fred didn't get his block but other than that it was blocked well

 

[Kaiser]

It's a big move to make going from the left side of the O-Line to the right side of the O-Line. Not so much of a big move going from LT to LG. I think it's smarter to let Collins really master the LG position, get the technique down and get into NFL shape and then look to move him to RT. If you move him to RT, then you're really cutting him off at the knees and forcing him back to square one.

I defer to Pollack obviously but I see it the opposite way. Collins was an OT in the SEC for his Junior and Senior years, moving him to OG is a bigger change IMO. My understanding is that the assignments at OG are more complicated than at OT in this offense, and RT is closer to the "hit the guy in front of you" assignment that he had at LSU.

There are some players that just don't transition from one side to the other, Collins may very well be one of those guys but I've never read it if so. Sometimes they just don't want to take the guy out of his comfort zone. They played Tryon at RT as a Rookie before moving him to LT, but if you stay with that it would make more sense to have him at RT than LG.

 

[xwalker]

Fred missing his reach is what blew the play up. The guards took out the second level. Fred couldn't stop the DT from squeezing the hole.

Randle could cut back behind Fred if Free's man didn't get him. Free was blocking a 6-3, 242 pound LB and couldn't get any movement on him.

Reach blocks don't always work depending on how the defender reacts off the snap. Fred stayed with him enough for either the cutback or for Randle to go outside of Free.

 

[AzorAhai]

Funny, because last week I was saying how poorly the OL had been doing in run blocking and had several posters come at me with the typical Randle sucks crap or other teams players get paid too stuff. As a group they've massively underwhelmed and I'm not sure I can point to the reason why. They've been getting beat up. I can understand Philadelphia causing problems, but not the Giants and Falcons. If they don't get it fixed I'm not sure it will matter when Dez and Romo get back.

All that said, I still think they can and will turn it around.