Remember when Sherlock Holmes drew a significant deductive conclusion from the observation that the dog DID NOT bark in the night? I am put in mind of that fictive moment thinking of our OL through 2 PrS games.
If you have played any football at any level, you know that the slowest thing to come around in a pre-season is the coordination of the OL, especially in the running game. The defense is always ahead of the offense and It's always hard to get the running game going.
When an OL is poor or green, or newly put together, the situation is worse. For years and years, our OL has been a major problem, and it has shown. Injuries have been a big part of it. But, just think how poor our OL has looked in pre- and early seasons going back years. Each August, the dog of our substandard OL has yapped its head off.
Well, that dog isn't barking this year. I have seen very few bad plays due to OL play. And I have seen a helluva lot of good ones.
Our running game has been humming along way ahead of schedule. Hell, for the first time watching Fisher's Rams, I see a run first team that seems to have the horsepower to succeed. Obviously, we have talent and depth at RB. But we have seen steady, consistent running productivity, and that takes more than RB talent. We've seen it BEFORE the passing game has done enough to drive the DBs off the LOS. You can only do that with an OL that has power, talent, and cohesion.
And that's what I am seeing. I haven't done an in-depth study. But, I have watched a number of our successful running plays very closely, And I really like what I see. Guys are getting off the ball, bowing DL back, and sustaining their blocks. They're doing it consistently. Against KC, they did it against a good, starting DL and LBs. I consider that to be impressive, especially in PrS game #2.
I look at this OL and I don't see weakness. I see power and intensity and discipline. I like what I am seeing from Barnes, from Wichman, and, yes, from GR. I haven't noticed the right side as much, but it has seemed to be humming along pretty well, and I think a lot of a healthy Saffold.
The passing game? Well, the OL has been doing well there, too. Someone in the thread raised the issue of 7 step drops. I don't see that as an issue. Teams all over the league get rid of the ball off 3 and 5 step drops, and gain a lot of yards doing it. We've done fine so far this PrS, and here's the thing.
If--IF--and it's a big if--you can establish the running game on its own, without passing threats, then deep drop passing loses significance. A good OC can run a fine offense based on steady running and various combinations of medium and short routes that will rarely require a 7 step drop.
OK. Again, I have not studied the OL play by play, player by player.
But our OL is quietly establishing itself as a major force. That is a remarkable thing this early in the PrS, and it is crucial given Fisher's tactical approach to the game. I haven't felt this good about our OL since the GSOT, and those guys had limitations. I wonder if this unit doesn't have the potential to be special.
