The Alligator's take on the O-Line

[TheDouglas78]

Well, we're about to find out how good (or bad) Summers is. He's got 15+ scholarship players and several of them have significant playing time (or starts) under their belts. If he's a great coach (like some seem to think) our OL will be good-to-very good this year. If it's a sh*t-show, like it's been under his coaching, then I hope McElwain cuts the cord at the end of the year.

The fact they were competent for as long as they were from the start of the season, was a small miracle. We were way, way too young on the offensive line and lacked any real depth. It killed us the last half of the season. If we are a good line with this youth (not fully into their bodies) he will be shown to be a great coach. If we are just average he has done a hellva a job. The pitiful job that has been done recruiting offensive linemen by the previous regimes (Muschamp and second half of Meyer) have really hampered any offense the last 6-7 years.

I don't know if Summers is good or bad. But just to have something functional in the SEC with what we had was a miracle. The change from 2013 to 2014 was also impressive. But this will be the show me year.

 

[Concrete Helmet]

How important do you think the running game is to having a successful offense?

Actually a lot of teams have a successful offense without having to run the football, TAMU, Baylor, Okie State, WVU......Yet they ZERO CHAMPIONSHIPS to show for it ......The reality is CHAMPIONSHIP college football teams ALWAYS have a successful running game because it makes their passing game better.

 

[Alagator]

....The reality is CHAMPIONSHIP college football teams ALWAYS have a successful running game because it makes their passing game better.

That and it demoralizes the other team... As the defense gets punched in the mouth, the offense watches helplessly from the sidelines as hope slowly fades away. Not nearly as flashy as the air-it-out offenses yet potent and effective.

Still gotta say the SOS days were my favorite. Chunking the ball all over the yard, yet just enough run to keep them off balance. And he'd always dial up a back breaking run at just the right time.

But I gotta say, i had the unfortunate experience of watching the SECCG with a bunch of bama fans last year. And they were having as much fun watching Henry stepping on our backs the whole second half, as I ever had watching Wuerffel and company...

 

[Concrete Helmet]

That and it demoralizes the other team... As the defense gets punched in the mouth, the offense watches helplessly from the sidelines as hope slowly fades away. Not nearly as flashy as the air-it-out offenses yet potent and effective.

Still gotta say the SOS days were my favorite. Chunking the ball all over the yard, yet just enough run to keep them off balance. And he'd always dial up a back breaking run at just the right time.

But I gotta say, i had the unfortunate experience of watching the SECCG with a bunch of bama fans last year. And they were having as much fun watching Henry stepping on our backs the whole second half, as I ever had watching Wuerffel and company...

Yup, SOS knew how to mix in a run game and really isn't given a lot of credit for doing so because his passing game was stellar. Make no mistake about it though he knew he had very good offensive lines and trusted them to get a push whenever he wanted them to. A lot of posters get the vision of some 1970's Big Ten offense when I mention a "power running attack" but that doesn't mean only throwing on 3rd and long....it means imposing your will through strength, and hammering away with a balanced attack. As you mentioned about the SECCG Bama's strength eventually won out although our defensive guys gave it all they had....sadly we had no running attack to hammer away at their defense.....

 

[BMF]

True, but considering the very real possibility that our starting O-line will likely include FOUR true sophomores or redshirt freshman they will still be very young and likely a year away from being "very good". In an ideal world most OL wouldn't see playing time until around their 3rd year on campus, as we all know and had discussed at length, they take the longest of any position group to be physically ready.

I look for the position to be significantly better this year but expecting this group, which is so young, to be anything more than average is a bit of a stretch. I hope I'm wrong and Summers proves his coaching chops by performing a miracle with them. It could be worse... we could have 1 sophomore, 3 true freshman and an FCS transfer as our starting O-line....or heaven forbid, Riles back in the starting lineup.

Excuses.....he's out of them. Put up, or shut up.

 

[Gator Fever]

Yep Spurrier popped that big run at just the right time.