Effner at LG?
- Thread starter mrmk5110
- Start date
With so many options at the LG position at the start of the season, I thought there would easily be someone to step up and take over, but that is not the case. I saw Effner in there also, so maybe he is a better run blocker. Our entire spear of the OL, Wilson, Miranda, Scruggs appear to be weak and can not run block, something that needs to be addressed immediately.
Maybe OL coaching since we brought in what we thought was a great OL coach but this team just can not run block which has been ongoing for 6-7 years. lol
Ok Einstein so its the coaches fault...........AGAIN?
I said it has been ongoing for the past 6-7 years, idiot. You tell me why the interior of our OL gets stuffed time and again. Why LB's like Sanborn run all over the field in oure backfield and never have an OL touch him. Offer some viable input rather than bullshit talking points about something you obviously know nothing about.
Should have left Miranda at guard and put Scruggs at Center but to late now.
Our inside OL play on running plays is pretty average. Miranda snaps well, seems to be a pretty smart player but just is not someone who can drive block big DTs. Scruggs last year seemed to do a very nice job of getting to the second level. Wilson and Effner seem to be about the same to me.....both did well in pass blocking and both just ok on run blocking. Off the wall thought: could we develop Fatorma into an OG for next season. With his strength and power we could use a guard who could drive bodies backwards.....
Good point, Fatorma is powerful for sure. We just are not strong enough im the middle.
I'd love to see better run blocking, but the strength of this offense will never be the run game without better RBs.
We are stronger at WR and TE and that is where the focus of the offense needs to be. If we can run enough to keep opposing defenses honest, that will have to be enough.
The pass blocking yesterday was very, very good.
We are stronger at WR and TE and that is where the focus of the offense needs to be. If we can run enough to keep opposing defenses honest, that will have to be enough.
The pass blocking yesterday was very, very good.
I dunno what you guys are watching. I thought it was an amazing OL performance against one of the top defensive fronts in the SEC. one of the best pass blocking performances I’ve seen since 1994. Prob 4 PSU OL are going to be playing on Sundays. I think PSU has found an OL coach. Really the whole offense played with poise and confidence. That’s coaching.
Clifford got nailed at the end of the first half due to Effner not picking up a blitzing Tiger. He kept looking inside to give help to Miranda rather than looking to his left. He was in a prime spot to slide and pick up the blitzing player but never saw him because his head was not on a swivel.
Yes, the pass blocking was excellent, but the run blocking was bad. How much of the credit should be given to Auburn and Wisc., I'm not sure.
I am not so sure it is. What was the second string OL that we used vs Villanova? I think it's not coincidence that Effner is getting LG snaps. Perhaps Phil knows that we potentially have a better OL with tweaks.
Just my own speculation, but I think eventually they could try Effner at C with Wilson and Juice at the G spots. But you don't want to cold run a new C when you aren't sure how he'll hold up blocking.
Miranda has always been a fringe starter. He's probably very knowledgeable about the reads and seems to snap very well, but if the opportunity to improve our inside rushing comes with a younger player, I don't think PT rests until he finds it.
Coaches recruit the talent. Coaches develop the talent. Coaches select who will play. Coaches develop the schemes. Coaches call the plays. So you're right, I guess it's the players' fault, though of course over 7 years the player turnover has occurred multiple times . . .
The point being....we have had many big games over the yrs (including with Saquon and Miles) when the offense needed a 1st dn to put it away, and couldn't. Of course, the defense then blew it at the end in those games too. JF said again last night as he has done for yrs now, "we'd like to win it on our terms and run out the clock....need to be better." I mean, why crush on our board members when JF says it all the time. There are a laundry list of examples each week of teams that just run at will in big games...why can't psu? Don't give me scheme and that nonsense. Sometimes, on a 3rd and 2 or 3...u just have to find a way on the ground....we don't and haven't for yrs.
Immediately ??
The starting 5 are the best on the roster according to a very good OL coach, subject to the experimentation at LG. How can anyone expect to Immediately develop backups to be better run blockers than the starting 5 that won their starting jobs competing against the players that are now backups?
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LOL. Most of Sa Sa big runs he was suppose to take it up the middle and the middle of the OL was plugged and he used his great jump cut to take the play to the outside for a big gain. If the OL actually gave him a nice lane up the middle, he housed it a lot. Unfortantely that didn't happen very much.
that is how I see the situation
- we have a very well regarded OL coach with proven track record at BC where their recruits are not as highly ranked
- we have a strength coach who develops players and the results are seen at the NFL combine
- we have the best group/depth of OL players that JF has had since he got here. provides many choices.
- we lost Thorpe who may have been one of the best run blockers but could not pass block. otherwise we returned a lot of depth and options.
- What about our RBs? Noah is not the same right now as his Fr year. Lee is much more capable inside, but has fumbled, so it not going to get used. Ford is not inside runner. Coziah Holmes has been MIA, so we do not know what he is. Lovett is coming off whatever injury he had in camp, so not sure about how he will get used - although in limited use yesterday looked very good. We do not have a Saquon, Miles or Journey who scare anyone to defend different. Lovett may be the closest we have, but is he 100%. RBs could be part of the issue.
- QB is not a major threat to run - teams know we cannot afford to have Sean running, so can ignore him.
- What are the defenses doing to stuff us? Whatever they are doing there is NO movement on the LOS.
- Do we have plays that could be used to counter #3, given all of the above? The TE TD pass was a good example.
We run a spread offense, spread offenses traditionally have a hard time running the ball up the middle when the defense plays the run....It is pretty much as simple as that....
When we have balance, N/S runs are there. MY has put the QB under center for a more traditional type run game in certain situations, but I suspect that we do it so rarerly that it is hard to get the cohesiveness that Wisc or Iowa can get. That being said, they have great difficulty moving the ball when they everyone knows they have to pass
When we have balance, N/S runs are there. MY has put the QB under center for a more traditional type run game in certain situations, but I suspect that we do it so rarerly that it is hard to get the cohesiveness that Wisc or Iowa can get. That being said, they have great difficulty moving the ball when they everyone knows they have to pass
I think some of what you see on this board is people who grew up watching football in the 70s and 80s and think the idea of a great offense is a lot of running between the tackles. If you can do it -- if you have a Tank Bigsby -- great. But most teams have to get their first downs in different ways.
I'm thrilled with how this offense looks for this early in the season. It's not just Clifford, everyone on the offense is playing with poise and confidence. Not that they don't make mistakes but they are really far along and I expect will get a lot better. Couldn't be more thrilled with what Yurcich and the entire offensive staff are doing.
In my view this is how you beat a crowded line when your o-linemen are not road-graders. We have the tight-ends.
I like a two-back set when the situation demands run over pass. Enables misdirection or use of a lead-blocker. Mix in some RB short passes (swings and screens) that are safe and not a threat to stop the clock if field position permits.
I believe Yurcich has this. We just haven't had enough time with him yet.
In the Joe-Pa days the playbook seemed to start the season small, with weekly additions and twists. By the end of the season, with bowl prep time, this disciplined approach to mastering execution would pay off.
Let's be patient.
Bigsby's numbers were average to above average, no? 23 for 102, long of 18.
Much like Wisconsin, they played as much small ball as they could and we waited until they fizzled out on drives. We didn't load the box and run blitz a lot. We played Brooks wider more and left Smith inside more and that led to a few wrong gap moves.
At the end of the day, some here expect Bama style domination. We don't have that yet. We might never. We played our game. And we still won.
Even Alabama occasionally has trouble running the ball...it's just, well, 1975 ain't coming back
Amen! It's a passing game now. We ran a little better last year, but couldn't throw for squat. And we are improving every week. Playbook is expanding. Clifford is looking the best he ever has and getting better. This is a great trajectory.
Miranda was already all big ten at guard, who know if he will be all big ten at center.
Miranda was 2nd team all big ten at guard.
Trautwein obviously must believe that Miranda will help the PSU OL more at Center than he would at Guard. Not sure anyone here has more information to make a correct decision on where the OL players should play than Trautwein.
I think part of the run blocking problems is lack of speed at RB. We are not a threat to run wide with jet sweep or pitch, so the DL can cheat towards the center and really jam it up. It was very obvious on the wide runs we try that their LB's could outrun our backs. The OL did a great job in pass protection and I don't think we should start making changes that will put that at risk. It also seems that our run blocking schemes are pretty much straight ahead drive blocking...I don't see may linemen pulling or trap blocking. Clearly we are not a great running team, so maybe we need to factor that into the play calling.
yes - there is no Saquon, Miles or Journey. I think it was expected that Ford, Holems or Lovett would fill this role. Ford is not bad, but has not been able to handle wide. Holmds has almost no repts and Lovett may still not be back to 100% after camp insuries.
Lovett looked 100 percent. Played full speed and made a great catch and run for 20 yards
Yeah,, didn't we hear he was coming off a suspension, not an injury?
