twballgame9 {l Wrote}:The line pass blocks okay, with occasional breakdowns. They struggle with speed guys like the OLB from Duke. It is not run blocking well. Have to wonder whether they knew the strength of the O over the next few years would be the passing game and thus decided to shift the line to the best combination for that purpose. No idea why they would make the changes that they did otherwise. Takes time to get the winning line continuity and they already had it prepackaged
I'm watching the rebroadcast on DC-area MASN until about 2:30 PM, as I was driving last night and only listened to the radio broadcast.
Covid-19 obviously hurt conditioning, but wouldn't it be the power positions that are harmed the most? How many people really can replicate the equipment and staffing of a FBS strength program? It''s not just the weights, but also coaches like Matusz monitoring form (so players don't cheat) and maximizing intensity. But you can better replicate speed, agility, and skill training outside the weight room.
So teams that rely more upon a passing attack or say a lot of stretch running plays would not be affected as much, right? You can adjust how quickly you throw the ball, and you can use a quick runner to capitalize on angle blocking and over-pursuit.
But power running depends on a strong O-Line. If you can't do that, a lot of other things fall by the wayside. Play action won't be as effective, for example. The defense can play smaller, quicker players to defend the edge as they don't have to worry about being overpowered.
I'm thinking this helps explain why we saw so much of Travis Levy, and why we saw trickery like the Wildcat. It also helps explain why we'd see so much shuffling on the offensive line, to adjust for reduced aggregate power.