Originally Posted by
MICKEYS14
ALTA-I think you are right on target with your concerns. And, you are exactly right about breakaway runs in game conditions-you just don't see that happen often vs. the opponents we have to play. It HAS happened twice for us in the last two scrums, vs. our #2 defense, when we got caught in an all-out blitz &, once the LOS was penetrated, Dillard HAS the speed to outrun the secondary.
So, the questions become for us: Are we good enough of offense to sustain drives to get us to the red zone? IF we get to the red zone, are we good enough to stick it in? These are questions I have as well having already expressed my concern about scoring many points. And, ALTA, the jury will have to remain OUT until we get our FULL PACKAGE in place & runnin' at all systems go. By that I mean this: We need Anthony James, Eric Newman, & Jonathan Holland to all be in top shape & ready to go. We need TIME & a multitude of reps to really see whether or not our new option series is going to work for us. We need to develop a plan to get the ball in the hands of Holland as many times as we can each game. And, we need time for our new OL to work together with the veterans to form a cohesive unit up front. If we CAN accomplish these goals, and there is NO GOOD REASON why we can't, then it all boils down to consistent play by whoever the QB is.
For the life of me, I fail to understand why we would not stick Shelton in front of Dillard or Franklin as a lead blocker on short yardage or goal-line. To me, NOT even considering this is just being STUBBORN. I think it would improve our red zone success & I think it would give us a better chance of making key first downs in short yardage situations. BUT, we obviously are NOT going to employ that scheme so, my worries are the same as yours, particularly in the red zone. I DO believe that we will be fine in the field goal area. I believe that Horwedel will be the guy & though he is not as good as Scobee (not many are), he IS good enough. So, we will keep our fingers crossed that we do not have key injuries, tee it up, and see where this all takes us.