09-15-2021, 04:11 PM
(09-15-2021, 04:08 PM)fredtoast Wrote: I'll admit that we have not seen a lot of our number one offense yet this year, but I seem to see a difference in our running game.
The blocking has not been great by any standard, but last year "no running lane" meant RB hit at the line of scrimmage for zero or one-yard gain. This year "no running lane" means a 2-3 yard gain.
I usually post stats to back up an argument like this, but just one game into the season they are meaningless. And although I felt I saw this in preseason, it would be too complicated to try and break down the play-by-play while deciding how many first team players were in.
I do know that last year about a third (32.4%) of our rushing attempts gained only one yard or less. I don't care if we don't break off a lot of long runs, but we have to be able to consistently get at least 2-3 yards per rush.
The outside zone has a lot to do with it. Mixon had a couple runs where the edge got sealed really well and he went for 8-15 yards because of it. The other thing we saw Sunday is him putting his foot in the ground and cutting into a backside gap on over pursuits. A lot of times those gaps don't look clean but they do provide more of those 2-3 yard pick ups than slamming into a more traditional stuffed gap.
