dmeyer24

DPE hasn't played the slot in the past, always has been the Z. Not 100% sold that Tyjon will be used in the slot either. KJJ and Jamire could both end up being great slot receivers for us.

The last two weeks the offense has had very little presence in the middle of the field. Without that threat opposing Ds have had at least 8 guys with their eyes in the backfield. The way you counter that is by controlling the middle of the field with the pass and/or a screen game. We have missed Westy and Cethan controlling the middle and Tommy is inept at throwing screens. Running a trap eliminates one defender, true, but it is still 6 on 7 if we are in 11 personnel and they have 8 committed to stopping the run. So maybe we run trap option and eliminate another defender to even the numbers. Now we are counting on two injured tackles and two back up guards to win 1-1 matchups consistently. Lack of O Line depth along with not having a consistent threat in the middle of the field is harming the whole offense. Until 1 or both aspects get healthy the O will continue to struggle to run consistently.

Could it be "extending" a lead vs "preserving" a lead? NU has lead every game except Oregon going into the second quarter and have only allowed two teams to score in the first quarter. I think Langs gets more aggressive under the circumstances and goes for the kill before half. On the other hand, NU has also led every game except Illinois (which we took the lead within the first 3 minutes of the fourth) going into the fourth. This is win time. Langsdorf lets the O smash their way to preserving the win.

Or a PA screen/swing pass. We saw a few, but with the penetration up the middle you think we would have pushed things out to the edge way more than we did. Even in the run game. This team desperately needs the 2011 toss sweep game. Or maybe a counter play. Anything to get us outside the guards and away from the center (where our issues lie). The counter may have blown up in our faces with the way #9 was getting after it. But you hit him with a trap play and he may slow down a bit. One thing I don't like with Langsdorf/Riley's offense is the lack of imaginative run designs to get outside the tackles. Outside zone/stretch plays take so long to develop, and the jet sweeps seem to be boom or bust. I'm not a coach or play designer, but there should be basic plays to get the RB outside the tackles in the run game. Early in the year we saw QB Power, OZ, and TE Reverses all designed to get outside the tackles. Now we have backup guards, a gimpy Tommy, and no Cethan taking those plays away from us. Hard to be imaginative at this point and Tommy's lack of short accuracy on the screen game is killing us. That's the way I'm seeing it. At this point it's a personell issue and the dynamics of a defense and what they can focus on. Let's be honest. 11 Personell. Id a defense really gonna pay as much respect to a Cotton/Foster combo without Westerkamp in the slot as they would with Carter on the field WITH Westerkamp int he slot? i think it's competely changed dynamics of these defenses and done a lot to limit our multiplicity. Really ties the hands of an OC and an oline. Exactly! Westerkamp back this week should help with the 3rd down woes. Hopefully Gates, Farmer and Knevel can get healthier this week.

Or a PA screen/swing pass. We saw a few, but with the penetration up the middle you think we would have pushed things out to the edge way more than we did. Even in the run game. This team desperately needs the 2011 toss sweep game. Or maybe a counter play. Anything to get us outside the guards and away from the center (where our issues lie). The counter may have blown up in our faces with the way #9 was getting after it. But you hit him with a trap play and he may slow down a bit. One thing I don't like with Langsdorf/Riley's offense is the lack of imaginative run designs to get outside the tackles. Outside zone/stretch plays take so long to develop, and the jet sweeps seem to be boom or bust. I'm not a coach or play designer, but there should be basic plays to get the RB outside the tackles in the run game. Early in the year we saw QB Power, OZ, and TE Reverses all designed to get outside the tackles. Now we have backup guards, a gimpy Tommy, and no Cethan taking those plays away from us. Hard to be imaginative at this point and Tommy's lack of short accuracy on the screen game is killing us.

Yeah, I just graduated from Maxwell last year. He verbally committed to Barney Cotton during his visit. He is being recruited as a walk on athlete, and is being looked at to play either d-end or center. He's about 6' 4" 240, benches over 400 lbs, squats 600, and runs a 4.6 forty. I have also watched him 360 dunk a basketball.

Look, Black jersey AND Scarlett and Cream.