Hill doesn't fit this offense

[BengalChris]

(12-25-2016, 03:10 PM)milksheikh Wrote: After watching Hill and Gio the last 2 years, I realized that Hill doesn't fit this offense.

Sure, he had a nice rookie season, but the last 2 years? Yikes.

This offense isn't power run based, it's more of a speed run offense. Watch Burkhead and Gio, they get more yards because they run through the openings faster. Hill, on the other hand, he takes his time and tries to bull rush but gets no space because of him being slower.

What if our o-line scheme isn't fitting for Hill? Burkhead should start in my opinion, just like Gio should've.

Not really a fair comparison or even accurate. 

1. Of the three RBs, Gio has the lowest yards per carry this year. He doesn't get more yards.
2. The play calling is amazingly predictable and defenses are prepared for this predictability, particularly on 1st and 2nd down when Hill is on the field. You don't know what they are going to call on 1st down when Burkhead is out there, but you know there's a high probability that it will be a 1st down run if Hill is out there.
3. Our OL's run blocking has been very, very bad. No push at all in most cases.


It's up the coaches to design plays to take advantage of their player's strengths, not to design plays to some scheme fit for someone else. The running game has been just dismal for the last two years.

Hill also has the most TDs of all RBs over the past 3 years.

If you go back to the goal line runs against Pittsburgh last week, it was 3 straight Hill into the line runs right up the middle. In every case the Steelers were in there high and low at his feet. They had the push and got penetration against our line all three times. On the 4th down play Hill didn't make a move to the line and the Steelers backed off a little, which left an opening for Dalton.

On the next time down there the Steelers weren't expecting Hill to run it from the 6 and there was a hole. He scored.

Essentially what I'm saying is that our OL simply isn't good enough to open holes when the opposing defense "knows" there's going to be a run. This has held true all year long. We are weak up front. We can't move defenders off the line of scrimmage.

Rather than Hill being incompatible, I say it is our OL which isn't compatible. They don't just suck at run blocking they've sucked at pass blocking as well. How many times has Dalton been sacked this year?

I'm not saying that Hill is a great RB or anything like that. I am saying that our coaches suck. If we are going to have a power runner shouldn't we have our OL execute power run blocking schemes.