Run Blocking

[lasooner123]

Our run blocking must be pretty poor. Its crazy how dominant murray is in the pros. he already has 9 carries 86 yards today

[jumperstop]

Our run blocking isn't great, no....

[EatLeadCommie]

Our run blocking has sucked since we hired Patton.

[TXBOOMER]

We ain't built for run blocking. This is Big 12 football. We are built for pass blocking and running 90 plus plays per game. You don't do that big house movers.

[Dan Thompson]

I thought the same thing when AD was rookie of the year and made the Pro Bowl.

[EatLeadCommie]

We ain't built for run blocking. This is Big 12 football. We are built for pass blocking and running 90 plus plays per game. You don't do that big house movers.
Why can't we have both? It seems like when we do run plays, we inevitably have a breakdown in a blocking assignment. Anything that doesn't constitute blocking the guy in front of you seems to be a recipe for disaster with Patton's lines.

[cccasooner2]

Why can't we have both? It seems like when we do run plays, we inevitably have a breakdown in a blocking assignment. Anything that doesn't constitute blocking the guy in front of you seems to be a recipe for disaster with Patton's lines.


I think NP said it best, OU just does not get smart players like the service academies do.

[EatLeadCommie]

I think NP said it best, OU just does not get smart players like the service academies do.
Meh, I don't buy that. It's not like we were recruiting brainiacs when Switzer was coach. It comes down to coaching, plain and simple. Whatever method that Patton has employed to coach his players does not work when it comes to pushing people off the line. It hasn't for 5 years. We have to use a gimmicky wildcat with our third string 260 lb. QB to get in the endzone inside the 5, and it took us 5 years of failing inside the 5 to try that out. It's inexcusable. At some point, Stoops needs to hold his coaches accountable rather than blaming players for blowing assignments.

[ashley]

Murray could not get well last.

[SoonerMarkVA]

Our run blocking leaves a lot to be desired. AD's, and now Murray's, success at the next level only help confirm that.

[Lott's Bandana]

I'm confused.

Didn't DM7 kinda have a nice career, score a few TDs, have a couple of 100yd games?

[IBleedCrimson]

I'm confused.

Didn't DM7 kinda have a nice career, score a few TDs, have a couple of 100yd games?

i think i vaguely remember this. not sure though

[delhalew]

I'm confused.

Didn't DM7 kinda have a nice career, score a few TDs, have a couple of 100yd games?

He's a shell of his former self. Just ask martin.

[Widescreen]

Meh, I don't buy that. It's not like we were recruiting brainiacs when Switzer was coach. It comes down to coaching, plain and simple. Whatever method that Patton has employed to coach his players does not work when it comes to pushing people off the line. It hasn't for 5 years. We have to use a gimmicky wildcat with our third string 260 lb. QB to get in the endzone inside the 5, and it took us 5 years of failing inside the 5 to try that out. It's inexcusable. At some point, Stoops needs to hold his coaches accountable rather than blaming players for blowing assignments.
I agree with most of that. However, the players do need to be held accountable too. They do blow assignments - a lot. There was one play against TTU where Clay got the ball and had a nice hole but Stephenson stood there staring at the linebacker who filled the gap and tackled Clay resulting in us having to punt. That happens too much to be ONLY coaching.

[meoveryouxinfinity]

NFL blocking and run schemes are ahead of ours, why does this surprise anyone? Murray was successful enough to be a first rounder but concerns over his health and durability sent him to the 3rd. Plus, because of injuries and talent ahead of him, he didn't play much before a few weeks ago.

I agree we have issues... obviously.. but to say DM didn't have a great career because our blocking is kind of ridiculous.

[BoomerJ]

It makes you appreciate what Finch is able to do with what he's got.

[VA Sooner]

Murray has had an incredible three weeks... it took an injury to Felix Jones to prove it though.

[jkm, the stolen pifwafwi]

In the pros, its normally the OL that makes the running back with several notable exceptions (Barry Sanders, Emmit Smith, etc). Emmit was an oddity in that it wasn't the OL or him, it was how they complemented each other making them greater than the sum of their parts. What you are seeing from Murray is a lot of that complementary play (in no way am I saying he'll be as good as Smith was).

In college, the running back makes the OL with one notable caveat -> The running back has to get to the LOS unscathed. After that, the talent of the back determines effectiveness. That effectiveness in college is determined #1 by elusiveness, #2 by vision, then a gaggle of other traits (including power/speed/patience etc). Its why a guy like Q can be just as effective of a college back as a guy like Adrian Peterson.

Watching our OL in the trenches is just painful because there is always someone whiffing on a block. Not missing, not getting beat, whiffing. Because of this, a back like Brennan Clay who has quite a few nice traits for a running back is going to fail because of lack of footspeed. He just can't outrun that DE/DT that gets a free pass into the running lane. Whereas a guy like Finch who has no patience and inconsistent vision can be more successful because he hits the hole like he was shot out of a cannon. (And Matt Millen I know you played with Joe Washington, but Finch is much more like Hello/Good Bye than Washington).

Now, the problem is that you NEVER see us miss assignments pass blocking. EVER. Which leads me to believe our practice split is something crazy like 90% pass blocking and 10% run blocking (which makes sense since most coaches tell you that pass blocking is about technique, run blocking is about attitude, but whatever).

So this brings us back to Patton. I personally think the guy needs to go, but there are quite a few things that weigh on the side of the keeping the guy - (minimal sacks allowed, no attrition on the OL, putting guys in the league, etc).

[Sooner91ATL]

Our O-Line is quite average at run blocking, and average gets you beat 50% of the time. I count several ole blocks each game, especially by guards.

Pad level is too high. Very little knee bend. when, at the end of the play, if you are an OL and you are turned around facing backwards to see where the ball carrier ended up, it's never good. Check out how many of our OL are spectating 3 yards upfield on run plays.

Under stoops we seem to prioritize DB recruiting over OL. We had a few years there where we signed 2-3 OL, and that isn't going to get it done. We had a ton of recruits quit or get r-u-n-n-o-f-t under Mangino, and we had several high profile transfers such as Beeler. OL is the one position that takes time and consistency to get it right and we have not had much continuity like we have had at other positions. Even in years where we have committed 5 recruits to OL, it seems like most just don't pan out.

Being in a spread and in the Big 12 masks a lot of these deficiencies on the OL, but we tend to get exposed when we play big OOC games against power defenses, or when Big 12 teams shut down our short passing game and force us to run.

I was noticing the monsters in the trenches on both sides of the line during the game of the millenium last night. We haven't had OL of such imposing stature consistently since the steroid era, and only sporadically since then; 2008 comes to mind, with two huge tackles.

[8timechamps]

There is a definite difference in O-linemen that can run block, versus O-linemen that pass block. It is very, VERY rare to find a lineman in high school that can excel at both. Therefore, college recruiters recruit to their system. We are in the pass-happy Big XII, and we run a pass-happy offense, so we're going to recruit pass blocking O-linemen with the hope that they can become proficient run blockers too.

Even in the NFL, there is a shortage of guys that can do both well. That's a lot of the reason you see the great O-linemen sticking around the league so long. And, a huge reason why a team can go from a playoff team to a gutter dwelling team with the loss of one or two good linemen.

I'd rather we continue to recruit good pass blockers, with the hope we can get a good run blocker here or there, than to recruit run blockers that we hope we can coach to pass block.

[jkm, the stolen pifwafwi]

There is a definite difference in O-linemen that can run block, versus O-linemen that pass block. It is very, VERY rare to find a lineman in high school that can excel at both. Therefore, college recruiters recruit to their system. We are in the pass-happy Big XII, and we run a pass-happy offense, so we're going to recruit pass blocking O-linemen with the hope that they can become proficient run blockers too.

Even in the NFL, there is a shortage of guys that can do both well. That's a lot of the reason you see the great O-linemen sticking around the league so long. And, a huge reason why a team can go from a playoff team to a gutter dwelling team with the loss of one or two good linemen.

I'd rather we continue to recruit good pass blockers, with the hope we can get a good run blocker here or there, than to recruit run blockers that we hope we can coach to pass block.

That's fine. However you have to change your running back recruiting to get guys who can make people miss, unless you are just hoping for a homerun ball every once in a while.

[101sooner]

There's always someone whiffing on a block it your not the '56 Sooners or the '72 Dolphins.

[C&CDean]

God I get tired reading this kind of ****.

[Widescreen]

Then don't.

[Breadburner]

Lol...No ****...Another stupid thread......

[soonerman4life]

It'd probably do some good to get a couple OL Juco guys. Phil Loadholt seemed to work out alright.

[Lott's Bandana]

(And Matt Millen I know you played with Joe Washington, but Finch is much more like Hello/Good Bye than Washington).



Nailed it.

Nobody is like Little Joe, and Finch isn't either. But it ain't bad to run like Mr. Greg Pruitt.

[cleller]

I want it all. And I want it NOW.

[NormanPride]

In the pros, its normally the OL that makes the running back with several notable exceptions (Barry Sanders, Emmit Smith, etc). Emmit was an oddity in that it wasn't the OL or him, it was how they complemented each other making them greater than the sum of their parts. What you are seeing from Murray is a lot of that complementary play (in no way am I saying he'll be as good as Smith was).

In college, the running back makes the OL with one notable caveat -> The running back has to get to the LOS unscathed. After that, the talent of the back determines effectiveness. That effectiveness in college is determined #1 by elusiveness, #2 by vision, then a gaggle of other traits (including power/speed/patience etc). Its why a guy like Q can be just as effective of a college back as a guy like Adrian Peterson.

Watching our OL in the trenches is just painful because there is always someone whiffing on a block. Not missing, not getting beat, whiffing. Because of this, a back like Brennan Clay who has quite a few nice traits for a running back is going to fail because of lack of footspeed. He just can't outrun that DE/DT that gets a free pass into the running lane. Whereas a guy like Finch who has no patience and inconsistent vision can be more successful because he hits the hole like he was shot out of a cannon. (And Matt Millen I know you played with Joe Washington, but Finch is much more like Hello/Good Bye than Washington).

Now, the problem is that you NEVER see us miss assignments pass blocking. EVER. Which leads me to believe our practice split is something crazy like 90% pass blocking and 10% run blocking (which makes sense since most coaches tell you that pass blocking is about technique, run blocking is about attitude, but whatever).

So this brings us back to Patton. I personally think the guy needs to go, but there are quite a few things that weigh on the side of the keeping the guy - (minimal sacks allowed, no attrition on the OL, putting guys in the league, etc).

My problem with Patton is that no matter the talent level this will not get better. We will always be consistent protecting the passer and terrible executing the run game. Eventually it will be hard to recruit good backs.