What??? Hey, I'm honestly not trying to pick on you old friend but.....the rushing numbers are way down from the previous year.
I think, as always, stats only tell one side of the story. There was a clear, subjective improvement from the OL this season. The transition at center notwithstanding, there is a lot of promise headed into '12, in my opinion.
I think the trio of young RBs we have is dynamite. But even without that, we have a HOSS to hang our hat on in Rex Burkhead. He'll run it into 9-man stacks, he don't care. Will we have an elite world running game? I don't think so. But she will be Ole Reliable, and if the key question of how to better incorporate the QB (scheme wise) as a different dimension within the attack, she may just head into Feral Beast territory. I am a fan of the zone-read and Wildcat (Rex? Jamal?) there.
Whereas, in the passing game, the concerns are a lot more basic. We do not have the kind of passing game that stresses a defense. Instead, it keys off of the running game and relies on being able to go deep on heavy run fronts. That happens sometimes, sure...but when it doesn't and when it isn't set up, it's a basic attack that is easily shut down. Even when it does happen, it's hard to sustain, because it doesn't really stand on its own, something the run game is asked to do regularly.
That makes it a limiting factor. The pass is almost a gadget play, something to hopefully catch the D off guard with every now and then. We have the playmakers to get a lot more mileage out of the passing game and I think Beck wants that. We are simply right now unable to unlock it from a scheme standpoint (imo).
This is what I think we could have. A great set of pass-catching RBs (would make a living off of those rollouts). A WR group that includes deep threat burners, the YAC guys, and a physical presence. A consistent, solid TE in Cotton and an Aaron Hernandez, are-you-kidding-me mismatch in Kyler Reed. In other words, a lot of
different aerial directions to go to. That puts a lot of stress on the defense because we are able to exploit it in any direction, and it would allow the Pass and Run to feed off of one another, rather than be in a provider-dependent relationship.
That all hinges on
if we can open up the passing game, from a scheme standpoint. Unquestionably everyone has to get better, but I focus on this just because it would have such a transformative effect on the offense. It would raise production across the board, and have an enabling effect on a number of different positions.
If we can do that, the sky is the limit. If not, there will almost guaranteed be "those" games. You know what I'm talking about. Something or other isn't working to perfection and it snowballs into nothing running at all, because we can't give it a spark from a different direction.